Comrade, Your Ingredients Are Too Complicated

Chapter 228 The artillery fire coverage of the 120th Division!

“I’ve corrected the typos, today is a great article!”

 On the west side of Zhongtiao Mountain, the defense line of the Third Army.

While the air battle was taking place above Luoyang City, the North China Front Army Headquarters issued an order for a full-line attack.

  Because in the previous battles to defend Zhongtiao Mountain, the powerful Third Army has always maintained an undefeated record. Okamura Neiji clearly pointed out in the pre-war meeting that the key to breaking through the Western Front lies in whether the attack on the Third Army goes smoothly.

If the Third Army can be defeated, Zhongtiao Mountain can be captured, and forces several times that of the enemy must be concentrated for a key encirclement and suppression campaign.

 In order to ensure that the advancement of the 36th Division and the 37th Division would not be interrupted by the Kongyi Division, he also played Tian Ji horse racing with the Eighth Route Army.

  The old Japanese deliberately sent a small group of Army aviation as bait in Gaoping, which is closest to southeastern Shanxi. They would rather sacrifice part of their precious air power to ensure the progress of the western front.

  ·······

 The Third Army is the old Central Army and belongs to the Yunnan Army system. The officers are all from Dian Province, and most of them graduated from the Dian Province Lecture Hall.

 After the full-scale Anti-Japanese War broke out, their main battlefield was in Shanxi. It has experienced many large-scale battles such as the Battle of Taiyuan, with a large number of casualties.

However, the Yunnan Army has always been known for being good at defense and blocking warfare among Guo Preserved.

 In this battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, they held the position with 16,000 men from the 7th, 12th, and 34th main divisions. Even with more than half of the casualties, they did not take a step back.

 It is worth mentioning that in addition to the weapons supplemented by bald heads, there are also very few French-style equipment in the army.

If Audio-Technica were to come to the Third Army to visit and study, they would find the familiar Lebel 1886, the despised Saucha light machine gun, the Hatchikis M1914 of the Type 92 heavy machine gun, and the 60mm and 81mm Brown German mortar.

Even most of the soldiers with steel helmets wore Adrian cockscomb helmets. They once had four Hotchkiss 25mm anti-aircraft guns, but unfortunately they were damaged in the war.

In addition to the above-mentioned weapons that the Eighth Route Army also has, the Third Army also has the Hotchkiss M1922 light machine gun with poor performance, and the Hotchkiss M1930 anti-aircraft machine gun that can be used both high and flat.

The troops also learned the tactical thinking of the French army during World War I, and the battle revolved around the company's Hatsakiss heavy machine guns.

These are all due to the Southwest Gas King's vigorous development of the province's economy after he came to power. Not only did it unify taxes, it also turned lollipops and tin mines into cash cows.

 Not only successfully solved the problem of insufficient financial resources, but also exchanged a large amount of weapons and equipment for the troops.

It is a pity that Gas King only bought ready-made weapons and failed to successfully import production lines.

 In addition, the Gallic Chicken has surrendered, and the highway was forced to be blocked due to the intervention of Xiaozhi. Now the ammunition in hand is naturally one less than one.

 Let us shift our perspective to the west side of Zhongtiao Mountain, the headquarters of the Twelfth Army.

Since the northern defense line was broken through by the 41st Division, the defenders could neither respond from the east or west nor support from the north and south, and the battlefield situation completely shifted to the side of the Japanese.

“Division Commander! Escape quickly! It’s too dangerous here!”

"Your injury hasn't healed yet. Leave the high ground to the brothers! We will definitely take it back!"

The speaker was Yang Yukun, the deputy division commander of the 12th Division of the Third Army. In the previous battle for positions, Commander Cun led his troops to fight back heroically.

However, the enemy's firepower was strong. Several Type 92 heavy machine guns fired several rows of bullets, causing his own division commander to be shot and fell to the ground. If it weren't for the desperate cover of the guard platoon, he might have died for the country.

Due to the acute shortage of medical supplies in the army, the wound on Commander Cun's chest had not healed at this time, and the white cloth on his chest had been soaked with blood and turned bright red.

Seeing that Commander Cun did not reply, Yang Yukun directly ordered to the battalion commander beside him:

“You go and **** the division commander to the army command post. I will be responsible for the command here! If the division commander is missing a hair, I will take it from you!”

But at this moment, Commander Cun stretched out his hand to wrap the bandage around his chest tightly again. After tightening the wound, he supported the guard's arm and struggled to stand up.

The Shuiguduo Highlands on the left wing has been captured by the 36th Division, and the entire division's positions are exposed to enemy fire.

 After getting up, he was not afraid of danger. He barely managed to walk out of the command post and looked at the officers and soldiers on the left and right. The soldiers on the position suffered numerous casualties and were even about to run out of ammunition and food.

“Who among us is the division commander? You want to command me before I’m dead?”

"Heads can be cut off, blood can be shed, but the high ground cannot be lost. We must take back this high ground! Pass my order! Everyone bayonets! Fight to the end with the little devils."

"I also know the difficulty, so I have contacted the army commander! Support will be here soon. It is better to die desperately than to sit still and wait for death."

As soon as he finished speaking, the artillery shells of the 36th Division poured like a heavy rain towards the position of the 12th Division.

One of the artillery shells landed near the headquarters as if it had an eye, directly blowing off Commander Inch's right leg. Blood gushed out like spring water, and the injury was very serious.

 Several officers and soldiers were killed on the spot, and the command system of the 12th Division was completely paralyzed for a while.

 Fortunately, most of the grassroots officers are veterans. Although they have lost the command of their superiors, the companies and platoons have been able to withstand the pressure temporarily by virtue of their tacit understanding over the years.

At a special heavy machine gun position, more than a dozen soldiers were working together to move a Hotchkiss M1930 anti-aircraft machine gun out of the artillery hole.

 The gun has a caliber of 13.2 mm and can be used for both anti-aircraft and level shooting. Not only can it effectively suppress the enemy's machine gun fire, it can even penetrate the Type 95 light tank.

 But there are also many shortcomings, the first of which is that it is too heavy. Even without the sight, it weighs more than 300 kilograms, and more than a dozen soldiers are required to serve it each time.

Of course, the biggest problem is the lack of bullets. There is no arsenal in the Republic of China that produces 13.2 mm bullets, and the Eighth Route Army, the only one that uses legal weapons, does not use high-level dual-purpose machine guns.

"Platoon leader, you have to think carefully. This machine gun is the only weapon in the division. If it is killed by the Japanese, our heavy machine gun team will really exist in name only."

“And there are only 97 rounds of bullets left. The fight can only last for one minute at most.”

The soldier's words did not waver the platoon leader. He just dusted off the dirt on his helmet, and then showed a smile that looked at death, as if he had already been prepared to sacrifice his life.

“That’s not good. There’s no way to replenish the bullets anyway. It’s not bad to die with my old friend after this battle.”

“It’s a pity that I didn’t go home to take a look before I died. I’ve been floating outside for four whole years, and I really want to take a bite of the pork liver bream from my hometown.”

The soldiers didn't chat for long before the Japanese infantry began to follow the Type 95 light tank.

 Feeling the vibrations on the ground, everyone sweated silently. But the machine gunner was not in a hurry to fire. The entire heavy machine gun platoon was still waiting for the opportunity.

 Opening fire now will only expose your position and firepower. The enemy's accurate grenade will never give them a chance to finish 97 rounds of bullets.

When several Hotchkiss heavy machine guns and Maxims on the frontal position attracted the Japs' attention, the machine gunner took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

 Dong dong dong!

 The dull sound of gunfire rang out!

 With the bonus of an R3B tripod, the anti-aircraft machine gun is surprisingly stable.

 One after another, 13.2 mm bullets flew from the enemy's undefended side, causing a **** storm in an instant.

With such a large caliber, the Japanese infantry will break arms and legs even if they just brush against it. Lucky beasts will also be interrupted in the middle.

 The powerful kinetic energy allows one bullet to kill several enemies. The poor 6mm side armor of the Type 95 light tank can also be broken at a touch.

 The ammunition handlers held the magazines tightly and counted silently in their minds, and they would immediately change the ammunition every time the last bullet of the previous shuttle was shot.

With such powerful firepower, the enemies of a tank squadron and an infantry squadron were quickly wiped out on the way to the charge.

It’s a pity that the good times did not last long. Even if the machine gunner deliberately saved bullets, the pitiful ammunition reserve made the special heavy machine gun platoon lose its all-powerful ability.

 The Hotchkiss M1930 anti-aircraft machine gun went out.

 The soldiers in the platoon took out their rifles and melee weapons, ready to continue fighting the Japanese.

 Half an hour later, the position of the 12th Division was in danger. But the sacrifices of the soldiers were not in vain, support was finally in place!

 The first one to arrive on the battlefield was not any army, but the artillery shells pouring out from an artillery battalion and a half!

The depth of the Nakatō Shanxi Line is only 30 to 50 kilometers. From a military perspective, it can be said bluntly that there is basically no depth here.

 Because it is a rocky mountain, the front line positions cannot be built into semi-permanent fortifications, and the defensive capabilities are very weak.

Before the war started, the senior officials of the Third Army racked their brains and discussed a way of fighting.

 That is to establish a front-line position to guard key positions and prevent the Japanese army from continuing to advance. If the first position cannot be defended, all officers and soldiers will retreat to the second position and continue to defend. Utilize this almost non-existent depth to block the enemy layer by layer.

In order to strengthen the firepower, Commander Tang of the Third Army also placed the only artillery regiment in the middle of the two fronts. Once a division is in serious trouble, it will immediately provide artillery support.

If the second-line positions cannot be held, then retreat south or go north to break out.

 In fact, this kind of tactics is no different from the Chu Overlord's desperate tactics, leaving almost no escape route for himself. Once the Japanese break through the two lines of defense, the entire army will have little time to retreat.

 Choose to withdraw southward, which means being pushed into the Yellow River by Japanese aircraft, artillery and tanks.

It is even more difficult to go north. There are two divisions and one brigade blocking us. Even if we break through, the future is uncertain.

The remaining artillery units were supporting the 7th Division. Since the 80th Army on the left wing was being beaten back steadily, they seemed to be giving up their positions.

 In order to avoid being surrounded, the army commander decided to give priority to covering the retreat of the 7th Division.

Now that the artillery and the 7th Division have recovered, the division commander Li Shilong personally came to the battlefield with reinforcements.

 Due to the width of the battlefield, although the Japs had the advantage in troops, they could only use refueling tactics. After an hour of fierce fighting, the 7th Division and the 12th Division jointly withdrew to the second-line position.

  ·······

  The Japanese attack regardless of casualties made the second front line like a candle in the wind.

 Before the war situation deteriorated completely, Commander Tang convened a meeting with the commanders of all divisions and regiments. On the one hand, it is to check the morale and casualties of the three troops, and on the other hand, it is to discuss the next safety.

Since Commander Tang insisted on moving the military headquarters to the second line of defense before the war, firstly, it was to supervise the defense of the first-line positions, and secondly, it also showed that the commander was willing to live and die with the soldiers and boost morale.

Unexpectedly, this move turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Before the war began, the Japanese had already figured out the locations of all headquarters including group armies, corps, and divisions through eleven previous attacks and the infiltration of T&G.

 The transfer of the headquarters caused the elite small forces of the Japanese to return without success.

 When other corps-level headquarters were unable to convey orders, Commander Tang always maintained contact with the three divisions on the front line. It was not like the two armies in the north, which collapsed without much fighting.

As a man from Yunnan Province with a military spirit from inside to outside, Commander Cun, who had just woken up, immediately said generously:

“Commander, please rest assured, we are fighting for the country and the nation, and the 12th Division will never embarrass the folks in our hometown!”

“Soldiers have guns in their hands and swords in their waists. Soldiers would rather die with their chests raised than lower their heads to survive!”

 Looking at the gunshot wounds on the opponent's chest and broken legs, everyone present was moved.

 At this scene, Commander Tang took out his suicide note from the drawer. Then he smiled and said calmly:

"The current situation is extremely dangerous. When we can do something, we should do our best to restore the original situation. Otherwise, we must preserve our dignity for the country and the nation. I have made up my mind to be benevolent if I don't succeed."

“The Republic of China army only has dead corps division commanders and no captured corps division commanders. The Third Army must not be the one to start it.”

“Next, I will give three choices, and everyone will vote democratically to see where the troops will go.”

 The first option is to break up the troops into regiments to divide the enemy's strength and break out in all directions.

This idea was proposed by Commander Tang a day ago. Unfortunately, the headquarters of the Fifth Army was dispersed by the enemy, and the life or death of the commander of the Army was uncertain.

 A military commander cannot make decisions without receiving clear orders from his superiors. But now we have reached a critical moment. If we don't break through, the entire Third Army will be wiped out.

 The second option is to cross the Yellow River south. This order was just sent by the Commander-in-Chief of the First War Zone.

 Due to the critical battle situation, the headquarters of the Fifth Army could not be contacted. He could only skip the group army and issue orders directly to the corps level to have the Third Army cross the Yellow River south.

As soon as he finished speaking, all the division commanders and chiefs of staff expressed their opinions.

No one has much hope for the second option. After all, if the northern defense line breaks through to the north, it is difficult to say whether the ferry can be saved. I am afraid that even if we retreat to the Yellow River, we will not be able to cross the river.

 Listening to the discussion, Commander Tang signaled everyone to be calm.

“An order is always an order. I have sent the 43rd Regiment to the ferry for on-the-spot investigation.”

“If everything goes well, the three divisions will alternately cover and retreat according to the orders issued by the superiors.”

At this moment, relying on the inch on the ammunition box, the division commander asked the question in everyone's mind.

"Commander, you only mentioned two options, so what is the third option? Are you going to resist to the end with the 80th Army?"

Commander Tang did not answer directly. He first looked at the watch on his hand, and then said mysteriously:

"Third, of course, we will fight to the end with our friendly forces. Even if we risk the number of our third army, we will have to fight to the death with the little devils."

“Friendly troops? Where do we have friendly troops?”

 Suddenly, the phone in the command post rang, and everyone's attention was immediately drawn to it.

The call came from the forward observation post. After Commander Tang picked up the phone, everyone immediately became silent, wanting to hear what happened on the front line.

“Commander! The Japanese 36th Division and the 37th Division were shelled! It was a shelling I had never seen in my life! It was so spectacular!”

“I saw from the telescope that every inch of land seemed to have a shell falling! This is real artillery fire coverage, this is real artillery support! It seems like they are all 105 heavy grenades!”

“The Eighth Route Army’s air force is also back! There are at least a hundred of them! All of them are single-wing fighter planes!”

 “Commander! We are saved!”

 The words from the forward observation post made everyone except Commander Tang confused. The Air Force is easy to understand, after all they have been fighting side by side for the past three days.

 But the 105 heavy grenade is a bit dreamy. Even the 17 artillery regiments of the Shanxi-Sui Army at its peak could not do such a clustered artillery attack.

Before anyone could ask, the hum of a propeller engine suddenly came from the sky.

Everyone in the headquarters suddenly became nervous. They were afraid that a Japanese fighter jet had discovered the location of the Third Army headquarters.

 “Why are you panicking? Do you see me panicking?”

 After his army commander spoke out, the three division commanders and chief of staff immediately calmed down. Everyone carried Commander Cun's stretcher together and arrived outside the command post.

 Only twenty-five huge transport planes that had never been seen before were seen, pulling strange box-shaped planes to the sky above the headquarters.

 As the five people stared in surprise, twenty-five box-shaped planes disconnected from the transport plane and silently glided toward the area where they were.

 “Guard Battalion! Follow me!”

“Let’s go see what good things our friendly forces have prepared for us!”

 A few moments later, hundreds of people found the Horsa gliders. Everyone couldn't wait to open the belly of the plane and check the types of supplies inside.

“Commander! It’s a bullet! It’s definitely an 8mm! I’ve been fighting Lebel for half my life! It’s absolutely impossible to admit it!”

“There are guns here! 38 big cover! Lebel! Water-like! Official! Even the bullets are sorted! There is also a 7.92 caliber Hotchkiss heavy machine gun bullet protector!”

“I have all mortars here! 81 mm! 60 mm! They must be original French goods! Incredible! They are all brand new from the factory!”

 “Meat! Here are pork and chicken! There are also steamed buns and fried noodles!”

 After being shocked, everyone looked at Commander Tang in disbelief. I saw that the opponent had already picked up a box of ammunition and ran towards the second position.

"What are you looking at! Move it quickly! Wait until the soldiers are full of food and drink! Then take the newly acquired weapons! Fight with the little devil! Do you want to watch the friendly troops fighting alone?

“You people who graduated from the Army Lecture Hall! Have you forgotten that we have a classmate in the Eighth Route Army!”

 “Quick! Everyone move!”

  ·······

8 kilometers behind the 36th Division and the 37th Division, a bearded man holding a pipe in his mouth gave orders at the forward command post. He shouted loudly towards the artillery position with a phone:

“Three artillery regiments! Fire them! The rapid-fire guns are going to fire at full speed!”

“Eight months of production of cannons and shells! Just for today! Shoot for me! Shoot a third of the shells first and listen to the sound!”

“I have been fighting for half my life! What’s wrong with this extravagance? Zhang Wanhe is here to take care of us! All your artillery is open to me!”

Come, come, the bearded commander with two machetes is here!

 (End of this chapter)