Republic of China game

Page 246

On the north bank of the Xiaoqing River on the northern edge of the battlefield, more than 2 heavily armed Kuomintang officers and soldiers were lying on the icy ground.Most of the soldiers are chewing the field rations issued by the troops.I don't know whether it is a biscuit or a stone. I put it in my mouth piece by piece, and then take a sip of cold water to soften them before swallowing them whole.In short, it will definitely fill your stomach, and it won't kill you, but the taste is terrible... And the company commanders and platoon leaders kept raising their wrists to watch their watches, waiting for the scheduled time to come.Most people are very nervous.Because they don't know what will happen when the battle breaks out.Especially the officers and soldiers of the No.19 Division of the National Revolutionary Army, which is composed of urban soldiers from Shanghai and Wuhan and volunteers from Nanyang. Today's battle is the first actual battle of their division.

On the open plain about two kilometers behind the infantry attack position, eighteen 19mm howitzers and 150 54mm howitzers belonging to the No.105 Division Artillery Regiment and the Armored Teaching Brigade Artillery Battalion were ready. The mouth is facing the Japanese security position on the other side of the Xiaoqing River.The gunner's door has already pushed thick shells into the barrel of the gun, and only waiting for the command of the artillery commander, the matchlocks will be pulled one by one.

On the other side, the armored and motorized units with 160 eight Renault FT-1 light tanks, 140 two GM1 armored transport vehicles, and two to three hundred other vehicles are ready.The fighting spirit of the officers and soldiers is also very high. As long as there is an order, the armored cluster will pierce the enemy's chest like a drawn sword.

With the hour and minute hands of thousands of domestic Nanyang brand watches on this battlefield pointing to the Roman numeral 5 at the same time, more than 400 cannons of four division-level artillery regiments, seven brigade-level artillery battalions, and 72 regiment-level artillery companies roared almost simultaneously.The sharp whistling sound and the ensuing huge roar sounded together, and the fierce and scorching shells burned the entire Japanese defense line.Groups of orange flames exploded one after another on the position, throwing fragments of earthworks, bunkers, weapons, and human limbs into the sky.In particular, the 150 [-]mm heavy howitzers attached to the four division-level artillery regiments are even more powerful, with every roar.A gap was blown in the Japanese front, and everything within the range covered by the explosive power was thrown out.The artillery group of the Kuomintang army repeatedly slammed at the front of the Japanese army, and the fragments of the artillery shells screamed and scattered wantonly, turning the entire Japanese army front into a terrifying hell of artillery fire.Having just finished their overnight attack, the Japanese army, who had not had time to enter the anti-gun bunker, suffered considerable casualties at the beginning.

At the same time, the Kuomintang Army Aviation Corps also started operations. 240 eight A-1 dive bombers were dispatched at the same time.Bombs weighing one hundred kilograms were thrown into every corner of what was considered to be the Japanese artillery positions, headquarters, or reserve assembly positions.

A campaign that looked more like a blitzkrieg than Zhalainor's raid kicked off.

In the former enemy headquarters about four kilometers behind the Japanese forward position.The commander of the Shandong Expeditionary Army who had just arrived at the front line to supervise the battle, Bai Chuanyi, immediately judged that this was a general attack launched by the Chinese army!

"Order all the cannons to fire on me! Don't worry about the planes of the Chinese army anymore! The artillery group bombarded the forward positions of the Chinese army! Shoot out all the shells! Hurry up!" It was roaring and giving orders to the panic-stricken staff officers.

"Give power to Earl Muto in Jinan, inform him of the situation here, and let the second, fifth, and sixth divisions in Jinan City wait for an opportunity to break through."

"Order No. 30 Second Regiment to immediately shrink to build fortifications near Linzi County. Order No. 30 Fifth Regiment to shrink to Zhangqiu County."

"Order the first reserve team to prepare for a counterattack."

"Order the Eighth Cavalry Regiment to strengthen to the area along the Xiaoqing River. The Tenth Cavalry Regiment guards the southern front of the battlefield. The Ninth Cavalry Regiment seizes Zouping County."

Decades of military career gave Bai Chuanyi a wealth of battlefield experience. Just by the density of the rumbling guns from a distance, he could roughly judge the number of artillery bombarded by the Chinese army.There were almost [-] artillery pieces of various calibers plowing the weak positions of the Japanese army over and over again!This shows that the Chinese army has invested at least four infantry divisions in its front, and if you count the aviation force equivalent to the combat effectiveness of two infantry divisions.This attack should be the decisive battle that determines the final outcome of this war!If the three divisions in his hands are destroyed by the Chinese army in today's decisive battle, then the three divisions in Jinan City may not escape the end of being annihilated.Six divisions were lost at once, and one division was seriously injured... There are only ten divisions left in the empire's hands that still maintain combat power!Although it is still possible to mobilize reserve officers and soldiers to form new divisions, it will not happen overnight if the combat effectiveness of these new divisions reaches the level of common sense divisions.

Chapter 0441 of the battle to fight aid (three)

The Japanese army who suffered a sudden blow quickly recovered from the panic. At about 54:75, the Japanese artillery group also began to roar. 72 75mm field guns, 150 [-]mm mountain guns, and thirty [-]mm heavy howitzers joined the symphony played by the artillery.The flashes fired by nearly [-] cannons at the same time made the whole sky turn red, shells from both sides were coming and going, and countless orange-red flames shuttled across the entire sky at lightning speed.The artillery shells exploded repeatedly on the front lines of the Chinese and Japanese armies with an unprecedented density. The powerful shock wave engulfed countless metal fragments and swept everything violently.The whole earth shook violently, as if the whole world was about to be swallowed up by this gunfire hell.

The artillery battle between the Chinese and Japanese armies lasted for about half an hour.At five o'clock sharp, the armored units of the National Revolutionary Army first began to attack. More than 160 Renault FT-17 light tanks forcibly crossed the various shoals of the Xiaoqing River. They lined up neatly and easily broke through the thin security position on the flank of the Japanese army's northern line, and quickly advanced in depth.Behind these tanks are GM1 armored vehicles and trucks full of infantry.Their task is to quickly follow up the great results after the armored forces break through the opponent's defensive positions.The last to cross the river was the No.19 Infantry Division of the National Revolutionary Army advancing on foot. Their task was to consolidate the positions occupied by the armored and motorized units, or to eliminate the remaining Japanese troops who occupied certain strong fortifications and did not retreat.

The Eighth and Ninth Engineering Wings of the Eighth and Ninth Divisions of the Japanese Army were deployed on the security position south of the Xiaoqing River.Although the engineering regiment of the Japanese army was named "Regiment", its actual strength was less than 700 people. The two engineering regiments with 500 soldiers were scattered on the security positions several kilometers long. Shallowly dug some foxholes.As a result, in the previous bombardment, almost all the members were crushed, and those who escaped the shells by chance were also crushed into meat paste by the rumbling tanks.The entire exchange of fire lasted only ten minutes, and the security force was wiped out before it could issue any warning to the headquarters of the Japanese Eighth Division in Tangwang Town, six kilometers away.

Therefore, Lieutenant General Jinzaburo Masaki, the commander of the Eighth Division, who did not receive any warning, dispatched the Eighth Cavalry Regiment under the command of the dispatched army headquarters after the shelling of the Chinese army ended.The cavalry regiment of the Japanese army, like the engineer regiment, did not have a brigade-level organization, and the total strength of the cavalry regiment was smaller than that of the engineer regiment. It was only four cavalry squadrons and a machine gun squadron, less than [-] cavalry. .Such a water injection unit became the second Japanese unit to be ravaged by the First Tank Regiment of the National Revolutionary Army today.

Although this battle was later called "The Battle of the Five Hundred Hirosaki Warriors who Broken Jade into a God" in Japan in the future, it was still not worth mentioning on the battlefield that day.It's just a group of "warriors" who took the wrong medicine, riding tall horses, holding high long sabers and launching a desperate charge to more than 160 rumbling tanks... Soon they were sprayed by the machine guns equipped with Renault FT-17 tanks The relentless bullets fired by the soldiers swept down, and the corpses of men and horses were scattered three to 400 meters in front of the tank formation.This battle also lasted only ten minutes.

……

April 26, five forty in the morning.

About four kilometers south of the Xiaoqing River.The commander of the Armored Teaching Brigade of the Kuomintang Army, Major General Huang Guyu, who graduated from the first phase of Huangpu, is on his Renault FT-1 tank.Wearing a neat military uniform and a big cap with goggles.On the feet are riding boots with shiny leather.It made his slightly thin body look a lot more airy.

At this time, beside him, twelve 1mm mountain guns of the 75th Mining type, which were dragged by the GM17 armored personnel carrier, were raising their short barrels and facing the target not far away.Although the Kuomintang's armored forces are much stronger than they were more than a year ago, they are still in the initial stage, and there are no advanced weapons such as self-propelled artillery.However, in order to make up for the weak firepower of the Renault FT-75, the tank regiment and the motorized infantry regiment are still equipped with six [-]mm mountain guns, just like ordinary infantry regiments.Right now, these mountain cannons are being used to bombard the Japanese defense line two kilometers away. The Japanese army of about one infantry regiment has set up a defense line outside a small town called Tangwang Town, seemingly trying to prevent the Kuomintang armored corps from attacking.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Accompanied by a loud bang.A large column of smoke and flames rose on the opposite Japanese defense line, and the fragments of the shells swept the Japanese positions like a storm.The smoke filled the entire defense line in an instant, and the fragments of the human body could be vaguely seen being lifted up for half a day.The defense line of the Japanese army seems to have been laid out in a hurry. There are no trenches, earthworks, and no artillery bunkers. They are just foxholes.How can this line of defense stop the assault of the armored forces?Huang Guyu had a clear view of the Japanese defense line through the high-powered telescope in his hand.He nodded slightly while looking at him: "It seems that the Japanese were caught off guard by us. If this situation can continue, they will win," he said, turning back to look at the staff officer standing beside him.After a pause, he continued: "Give me an order for the armored forces to attack, and I will end the battle within half an hour!"

After 5 minutes, the large-scale shelling of the Japanese defense line by the armored forces finally stopped.Then one after another green Renault FT-1 light tanks started to start, and they began to crawl forward slowly like huge beetles.The tracks made of steel stirred the soft soil and made strange noises.Colonel Ouyang Tong, the head of the first tank regiment sitting in the command vehicle in the middle, seemed very excited. He even stretched half of his body out of the tank's command tower in disregard of the tactical regulations, so as to command the entire tank with gestures. Armor cluster.This is also because the current communication equipment is still very primitive, and these Renault tanks are not equipped with radio stations, and the coordination between tanks is all based on gestures.

Along with the tanks, there were nearly [-] infantrymen wearing steel helmets, khaki military uniforms, and armed with rifles and submachine guns.They are the infantry of the [-]st Motorized Infantry Regiment, and it is their mission to charge with the tanks.

The Japanese mortars were the first to meet the huge charge wave composed of tanks and infantry.This Japanese army was not equipped with 75mm mountain guns or field guns. Maybe they didn't pull them over, or maybe they had lost them in previous battles.And these mortars that are constantly fired behind the front line have become their most powerful heavy weapons. 80mm and 60mm mortar shells were continuously projected into the Kuomintang army's assault formation, and clusters of flames and smoke columns continued to rise.However, the losses caused were not too high. The infantry of the [-]st Motorized Infantry Team of the Kuomintang Army is obviously an elite who has received rigorous training. When charging, they can make good use of the huge body of the tank to cover themselves. And the shock wave is simply insignificant against the thick steel armor of the tank.

Almost in the blink of an eye, more than 100 tanks covered the infantry and crashed into the Japanese defense line together. More than 100 machine guns and more light machine guns, submachine guns, rifles, mortars, grenades, and the twelve mountain cannons that continuously fired shells to the rear of the Japanese positions to intercept Japanese reinforcements formed a dense formation. The fire net quickly and ruthlessly harvested the lives of the Japanese soldiers.The battle lasted less than half an hour, but the Japanese army's backup troops did not arrive. Instead, an infantry brigade from the No. 19 Division of the Kuomintang Army arrived on the battlefield again and quickly pressed up.Thirty minutes later, the line of defense organized by the Japanese army fell with great difficulty, and Tangwang Town, where the headquarters of the Eighth Division of the Japanese Army was located and where supplies were stored, was captured by the Kuomintang army.Although the headquarters of the Eighth Division has been transferred ahead of schedule, all the materials piled up in Tangwang Town have changed owners...

After ending this one-sided killing, the armored troops began to slowly advance at a speed of less than five kilometers per hour, and began to slowly sweep across the rear assembly area of ​​the Japanese army. From a distance, it looked like a large group of moving Giant iron beetle.But they looked terrible in the eyes of Japanese officers and soldiers, because they didn't know what weapons to use to attack these deadly green machines.In fact, the Japanese army divisions at this time were indeed not equipped with any professional anti-tank weapons.And above the heads of these tanks and armored vehicles, there are slow-flying A-1 dive bombers hovering, constantly swooping, throwing bombs or strafing at any Japanese who are trying to stop the large group of iron beetles from advancing.There were about 160 infantrymen attacking with this group of tanks and armored vehicles. In fact, most of the battles were resolved by these infantrymen.And the [-] so-called tanks with only one machine gun are actually just tools to scare people and cover infantry attacks, and they don't have much combat effectiveness.But these tanks with little actual combat effectiveness, after being closely integrated with aircraft, heavy artillery, and well-trained infantry according to the latest tactical theory, became the decisive force in this Sino-Japanese Shandong battle!

……

While the armored forces swept across the rear assembly area of ​​the Japanese army, the Fifth Division and No.18 Division of the National Revolutionary Army deployed in front of the Japanese army also launched a full-line assault according to the plan.

No.18 division commander's serious division moved to the reinforced concrete shelter at the top of Lianhua Mountain last night. This is the commanding height of the entire battlefield. The first-line highland is only 5000 meters away in a straight line, and the entire battlefield can be seen clearly with a six times military telescope.

At this time, the 35th and 36th brigades of the 75th Division had already dispatched a regiment to spread out a skirmish line in front of the Japanese positions. Nearly [-] infantrymen formed several waves of khaki-colored lines and were walking at a brisk pace. Press down on the Japanese positions.The sixty [-]mm mountain guns attached to the two brigades began to fire slowly after a pause for a few minutes.This time, the bombardment was behind the front line of the Japanese army to block the Japanese army's reinforcement route or retreat route.

Perhaps it was because the three to ten minutes of bombardment had achieved good results. At this moment, the firepower on the front line of the Japanese army was very weak.They just sporadically shot at the charging infantry with their rifles, but these Japanese soldiers were good at marksmanship, and KMT officers and soldiers were constantly knocked to the ground.For a time, the screams, shouts, and guns on the entire battlefield were intertwined and resounded through the sky.

In a blink of an eye, the rifles and machine guns on the Japanese positions fired together, and the sound of salvos sounded like a strong wind blowing on the battlefield.However, the Kuomintang army's charging formation was very scattered. As soon as the sound of machine guns sounded, the charging officers and soldiers immediately lay down, borrowing the terrain and features, and continued to move forward.At the same time, rows of mortars and grenadiers fired ammunition, and one after another pillars of flames and smoke continued to rise in front of the Japanese army's forward positions, and dozens of machine gun firepower points were immediately lifted into the sky.The firepower on the Japanese positions naturally weakened a lot.Taking advantage of this opportunity, the charging infantry climbed up again and continued to charge... Soon they poured into the Japanese positions and started hand-to-hand combat with their opponents. After only ten minutes, the Japanese frontline positions were lost.The blue sky and white sun flags blackened by gunpowder smoke are waving vigorously on the positions just captured!

Seriously watching the battle in the shelter, he put down the binoculars in his hand, let out a sigh of relief, and just wanted to say a few words of praise.The chief of staff of the division, Chen Daqing, was the first to speak: "Teacher, we captured the first position in less than 10 minutes. The enemy's defense seems to be too weak... It seems that something is wrong."

He smiled seriously, and looked back at Chen Daqing, who was a little nervous. This young man with a round, doughy face is his student. He is only 24 or [-] years old this year, and he is now the chief of staff of the major general division.Although he is a graduate of Whampoa Phase I and Lu University Phase I, his experience in front of battle is still a bit lacking.

"Yanghao, did you participate in the formulation of the attack plan this time? Don't you understand the situation on the other side? The Japanese's retreat has been messed up by our armored forces. So...they should be retreating , the ones standing on the ground just now are a small number of broken troops, most likely the wounded who are unable to move.”

Chen Daqing frowned his thin bald eyebrows, meditated for a while, and nodded slowly: "Teacher, it's a good idea. It seems that these Japanese generals made the most correct reaction at the first time."

He smiled seriously, turned his head and asked, "How do you say that?"

Chen Daqing sighed softly, and said in a low voice: "At present, our armored force's continuous attack capability is not enough, and we have to stop and rest after an assault of more than ten or twenty kilometers. At the same time, we have a lot of heavy weapons, and the road conditions in Shandong It’s not good either. If the Japanese army abandons their heavy artillery and flees lightly...I’m afraid it will be difficult for us to catch up with them, so the Japanese army should be able to save some troops.”

Seriously nodded slightly when he heard the words, and there was a hint of approval in his eyes. It seemed that those German guys in mainland China had taught a lot of real things to the students.This analysis is still very in place. Right now, the Japanese can drop their cannons and luggage, leaving a small number of rear troops and fleeing lightly.However, the Kuomintang army had to chase after it with cannons and luggage, and the road conditions in Shandong were too bad. It was indeed very difficult to catch up, so an interception force was also arranged in this battle plan.

"...Although we arranged for the main force of the Fourth Division to attack Linzi County from Yimeng Mountain and cut off Jiaoji County, the Japanese army can still escape to the northeast and escape from the beaches of Bohai Bay. As long as the Japanese army makes a correct judgment, we will It is a little difficult to wipe them all out. In addition... there are [-] Japanese troops in Jinan City, and they are likely to use this opportunity to break through and escape! So our main force can't chase far away." Chen Daqing said frankly, wrinkling his fingers, He expressed a few worries that had been hidden in his heart for a long time.

After listening to Chen Daqing's analysis, Seriously just smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Yang Hao. There is never a perfect plan in war, and there are always many loopholes in the battle plan of any side. As a military chief, It is necessary to find the loopholes of the opponent from the confusing battlefield, and make the correct decision at the first time."

……

Regrettably, when the Japanese commander-in-chief Shirakawa Yoshinori discovered that a legendary mechanized force was sweeping his right rear, he made the most correct reaction at the first time-run away!

"Order the Eighth Division to do everything possible to delay the attack of the mechanized units of the Chinese Army. Order the Ninth and Tenth Divisions to hold their positions with a force, while the rest of the troops abandon their luggage, blow up their cannons, and concentrate on Zouping County with light equipment. "

"Your Excellency... are we going to abandon the imperial army who are besieged in Jinan City and escape?" A staff officer stepped forward and asked loudly.

Bai Chuanyi glanced at this major named Yukio Kasahara, and shook his head with a wry smile: "We ran away to understand the relief of the [-] Imperial Army soldiers in Nancheng. As long as the Southern Branch Kuomintang Army will focus on us They have a much higher chance of breaking through. Kasahara-kun, hurry up and make a plan to retreat to Bohai Bay, and the combined empire fleet will send warships to wait for us there."

Yukio Kasahara was taken aback when he heard the words. According to the draft proposed by Shirakawa Yoshinori, the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Divisions almost fled in embarrassment!Auntie Amaterasu had blessed the [-] to [-] troops to run away half of them, and they had to abandon all their luggage and artillery, and finally they were picked up by those guys in the navy and brought back to the country... This shame is better than annihilation of the entire army It's not much better.

"Your Excellency! We can retreat to Yuling Mountain, Yuhuang Mountain, Qiushan, and Jiangjun Mountain to establish a solid position and wait for reinforcements. As long as the First Division and No.16 Division arrive... we will have eight divisions in Shandong , there is still hope for this battle!"

Yukio Kasahara knew that he couldn't do anything, but he still didn't want to give up, so he took another two steps closer, and put forward his plan earnestly.

Bai Chuan let out a cry, walked a few steps in the headquarters with his hands behind his back, stood still suddenly, and said lightly to Yukio Kasahara, who was full of grief and indignation: "Your plan is not allowed, Kasahara-kun, go arrange a retreat, this battle will That's it. The opponent of the empire is not the Kuomintang in the southern branch, but in the northern branch... Our goal of fighting this battle has been achieved, and there is no need to take the great cause of the entire empire into it."

Yukio Kasahara's eyes darkened slightly, he nodded with difficulty, he let out a light hi, and turned around to make an escape plan.As a high-achieving student at the Japanese Army University, Kasahara certainly knew that the current situation would be corrupted beyond control.The eighth, ninth, and tenth divisions have actually been defeated now. If they don't leave, they will end up like the 16 Japanese troops in Jinan City, and there are not hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians here to "block them" Cannonball".As for the rescue of the First Division and the No.[-] Division, I am afraid that they will end up in the same end as their own people and be destroyed by the Kuomintang army.At that time, the empire will lose more than half of its army. The Japanese empire may be able to bear this price, but the Japanese army cannot bear it...

……

Just when 10,000+ soldiers from China and Japan were engaged in a desperate battle more than ten kilometers east of Jinan City.

At an inconspicuous crenel on the north wall of Jinan's inner city, a pair of artillery mirrors was quietly set aside.Swinging left and right, all the situation around the outer city wall that has been turned into a mound on the opposite side is included in the line of sight.This is the blocking position of the Kuomintang army. After more than ten days, the Kuomintang army here used the mound formed after the city wall collapsed to reinforce and expand it.Continuous trenches were built and barbed wire fences were set up.Stretching across into a complete battle line.The commanding heights of the mound were transformed into heavily fortified launch positions, with sufficient automatic firepower set up to cross-fire the entire front, although the artillery positions could not be seen.However, the fact that [-] Japanese troops were surrounded by regiments has proved the powerful power of the Kuomintang army artillery.There are only a few figures occasionally moving on this front line, and cavalry passing behind from time to time, it seems that they are all passing orders.

The person who observed through the gun to the mirror was the supreme commander of the three Japanese army divisions besieged in Jinan City, General Earl Nobuyoshi Muto who had just been appointed by the commander of the First Army.This once invincible Japanese general won the second Russo-Japanese War victory and was only one step away from the throne of Marshal.Now his beard and hair are white, he has lost a lot of weight, and his face is ashen.A group of Japanese soldiers and staff officers were lying around the crenel, guarding their commander.It is only a few hundred meters away from the position of the Chinese army on the opposite side!One mortar round could send the Earl to the Yasukuni Shrine.Mr. Muto actually came to the front line to observe the enemy's position.Thinking of the possibility of becoming a god together with Nobuyoshi Muto, who was almost regarded as the "God of the Army", those small officers and soldiers of the Japanese army who had already put life and death aside had a faint expectation in their hearts for the mortars coming from the opposite side...

But they didn't know that Nobuyoshi Muto didn't want to commit suicide carelessly with the [-] officers and soldiers of the newly established First Army.Muto really wanted to bring some of them back to Japan in their entirety, even if it was only a small part.Because he knew very well that the three new divisions composed entirely of recruits and reserve officers could never be compared with the divisions rebuilt with outstanding soldiers who had survived a hundred battles as the backbone!Moreover...these excellent soldiers also have the experience of fighting against the China Nationalist Army, one of the strongest armies in the world. Although they were defeated, the experience gained in exchange for countless lives is still invaluable, and they must not all die like this it's here!Thinking of the overwhelming firepower of the Kuomintang army and the almost perfect coordination of artillery, infantry and air forces, Muto Nobuyoshi's face twitched for a while.