A company of T-62 tanks led the way, followed by a large swathe of Type 63 Armored Vehicles and off-road vehicles. Behind them was a dense formation of T-62 tanks bringing up the rear. From the air, it would look like a magnificent spectacle, much like ants moving house before a heavy rain.
The scene of a frantic escape would make any commander think this was a crippled army. As long as they charged forward, they could beat them into a pulp.
"Report, our forces have routed the enemy. Currently, the Iraqi legions are retreating."
Hearing this news, Hassan finally let go of the major concern on his mind; a great military achievement had already fallen into his lap.
Since the start of the war, the Iraqi army had driven straight in, finally stopping before Abadan. After more than a year of siege, the Iraqi army had long lost its edge. Now, the Iraqi army was crushed by his own sharp offensive. Especially given the failure at Susangerd Swamp, this victory and the Iraqi army's rout would add another red star to his shoulder!
Khomeini was also very happy. He came here because Iran could no longer afford to lose this battle. For this victory, he had concentrated all elite troops, transferring everyone who could be spared. If this battle was lost, the consequences would be unbearable.
The heroic Iranian army, relying on a spirit of fearlessness and firm faith, had finally achieved victory in the Abadan counter-offensive!
"Order the troops to step up the pursuit. We must annihilate these Iraqi forces!" Hassan said.
Now that the entire Iraqi army had collapsed, if he didn't take this opportunity to eliminate more enemies, he would be doing a disservice to this victory.
"Have the air force deploy and block the Iraqis' path of retreat," Khomeini said.
"Yes, deploy the air force," Hassan said. In the current situation, as long as they blocked the vanguard of the retreating Iraqi army, they could surround and annihilate these units. The best location was by the Karun River.
On the battlefield, the Chieftain Tanks were driving most enthusiastically. They stayed close to the tail of the Iraqi army, having already destroyed over a dozen retreating tanks.
To prevent greater losses, the tank companies responsible for the rearguard were all driving in reverse. This way, they could keep their thickest frontal armor facing the enemy behind them. This put the tank drivers to a great test: they needed to reverse at high speed without being able to see what was behind them!
Unless it was to show off stunts, high-speed reversing was usually a thrilling performance. But now, this performance was playing out within these tank companies of the 10th Armored Division.
At this time, the periscopes of the tank commanders and gunners were all doing one thing: observing the road ahead and giving directions to the drivers.
The driver only needed to do one thing: keep their foot on the gas and follow the commander's instructions.
The T-62's crude fire control system required the tank to be stationary to fire. Therefore, in this high-speed retreat, they didn't even think about how to fire back at the pursuing Chieftain Tanks. Their only thought was how to widen the distance between them as much as possible.
"Pull the left steering lever, quick! We're going to collide!" the commander suddenly shouted.
The driver slammed the left steering lever, and the sound of metal scraping rang out. They had already scraped against a tank beside them. Without any pause, they continued to reverse while scraping against each other, only separating after ten seconds.
That was close! The track side skirts were probably mangled and hanging crookedly.
"Bastard, don't block my way!" the driver of a Chieftain Tank cursed.
The Iranian tank units were also in rapid pursuit.
Originally, the Chieftain Tanks were at the very front, but the M48 tanks driving past from the side actually overtook them.
The Chieftain had a 720-horsepower engine driving a body weighing over fifty tons. It clearly couldn't compare with the mobility of the M48, which had always been a criticism of the Chieftain Tank.
The M48 tank drivers ignored the other party's cursing. They had been cooped up in Abadan city for over a year, and now was the time for revenge. They had only one thought: catch up and crush the Iraqi army!
While the situation on the ground appeared one-sided, Hassan knew the key to victory lay in the air. As long as the air force came to support and took out the Iraqi vanguard to block their movement, it would create an opportunity for the pursuing forces in the rear to annihilate them.
"Reporting to the Commander, Division Commander Karma has begun a planned retreat, and the Iranians are pursuing," a staff officer said.
Having just received the report from the reconnaissance aircraft, the situation on the battlefield was clear at a glance.
Since Qusay had come, the battle certainly couldn't be fought in their original way; the various military branches had to be closely integrated.
In the morning, Qusay had a MiG-21 reconnaissance aircraft take off from the Basra airbase. This was a reconnaissance variant converted from a MiG-21 fighter, with photo-reconnaissance equipment installed in the nose bulge.
According to reports from the reconnaissance aircraft and the field, the Iranian army, after paying a heavy price in casualties to drive away the 10th Armored Division, did not give up. Instead, they followed the 10th Armored Division, intending to drive this army to a dead end.
Not only were there several units from the perimeter, but even the garrison inside Abadan had swarmed out, totaling at least a division. Thus, even if there were any left inside, it wouldn't be many—at most a battalion of troops.
Abadan had already become an empty city.
All the generals showed knowing smiles. The price paid for attacking a heavily defended city versus occupying an empty one would be worlds apart.
Staff Officer Qusay's strategy was truly effective!
"Commander, we should execute the second phase of the plan," Qusay said. "Request the Northern Military Region to launch a strike wave to attack Tehran."
"Yes, it's time to 'make a feint to the east while attacking in the west'," Izzat said, using the idiom in Arabic.
In the second phase, the air force would play the leading role. One part of the air force would attack Tehran. This way, the Iranians' Tomcat fighters would have few opportunities to fly to Abadan, pinning down the opponent's main aviation force.
Then, the important task was to use the air force, in coordination with the ground troops, to take out these main Iranian forces that had been lured out!
Although Arslan had shot down a Tomcat last time, it was an action with a large element of luck. After careful study, Qusay decided not to go head-to-head. Without certain assurance, it was not advisable to let the air force take too many risks.
So, a new problem arose: to attack the Iranian ground forces, air superiority had to be seized. However, if the Iranian Tomcats came, air superiority would change hands instantly. How would they fight then?
Therefore, there could only be one method: pin down their fighters!
After more than a year of attrition and with no source of spare parts, there were very few Tomcats in combat-ready status. These precious fighters were needed in many places, such as defending the airspace of their capital!
By sending an air force unit to attack Tehran, the Tomcats would have no chance to support the battle here.
However, the Southern Military Region didn't have many aircraft, and the focus had to be on the Battle of Abadan. When submitting the operational plan, Qusay added a point: request the Northern Air Force to launch a wave to bomb Tehran!
President Saddam Hussein agreed to this request.