Comrade, Your Ingredients Are Too Complicated

  At 10 a.m. on November 22, 1941, the artillery position of the Japanese 110th Division.

“Attention, Squadron 1 and Squadron 2!”

 “Target, northern suburbs of Datong! Coordinates xxx!”

Following the order of Artillery Chief Haruji Sagaguchi, the barrels of a Type 94 mountain gun and a Type 38 field gun were raised high, and the muzzles were pointed directly at the main position of the Eighth Route Army in the distance.

"put!"

 After rigorous test firing, the Japanese artillerymen corrected and obtained the initial parameters of the effective firing by observing the impact point of the projectile.

 A moment later, the command flag symbolizing the general offensive fell.

 The entire regiment's mountain and field artillery began to roar, and each 75mm artillery shell rushed towards their respective targets, striving to open an attack channel for the infantry in the shortest possible time.

Ten seconds later, a cloud of smoke from the explosion suddenly rose in the north of Datong City, rolling up overwhelming gravel and rubble.

Looking at the masterpiece of his team, Haruji Taniguchi, an old devil, nodded with satisfaction.

 “Yo Xi! Keep shooting!”

“Let those **** people of the Republic of China see what real artillery doctrine is!”

"The artillery shells assigned by our superiors this time are of sufficient quality and quantity. We are fully capable of blowing up the entire Datong. It is your Eighth Route Army's honor to die under the fierce bombardment of my brother's country."

  The 110th Division of the North China Front has long been responsible for guarding the headquarters.

 Due to the special responsibilities of this division, its subordinate regiments rarely have the opportunity to participate in large-scale battles.

This time Haruji Taniguchi led his troops to Datong, not only to support the troops stationed in Mongolia under orders from his superiors, but also to satisfy his addiction to war.

When the enemy's artillery roared wildly, the commander of the 1st Artillery Regiment patted the dirt on his hat unhappily in the underground command post.

With 75mm artillery shells alone, it is impossible to destroy the carefully prepared defense system of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region in a short period of time. Although the explosion outside was quite noisy, it caused almost no substantial damage.

 “Damn it, the Japs are really making a lot of noise today.”

"Compared with the battles of the previous two days, this new group of Japanese soldiers really have two skills. Not bad, not bad. They can barely be considered a capable opponent."

"Old Wang, is the data from the observation post in place? We cannot allow the enemy to continue making trouble, lest they make the position a mess."

  Thanks to the North China Front Army Aviation's combat plan, the 110th Division suffered no losses while rushing to the front line, and their artillery regiment arrived in Datong almost unscathed.

Coupled with the over-staffed configuration, the pressure on the main frontal position at this time is much greater than that of the previous two days.

Hearing the question from his regiment commander, the regimental deputy of the artillery regiment responded immediately:

“Not yet, after all, the enemy’s shelling has just begun, and it will take time for the observation post to calculate the data.”

"Let those devils who have never seen the world be proud for a while. Dozens of 75mm mountain and field guns dare to be so arrogant. I really don't know how to write the word "death".

 “After two days of patience, I can finally do something big!”

 The Tiger in the Forest's combat plan this time can be summed up in eight words, which is to lure the enemy into retreating deeply for a decisive battle.

This is not to say that the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region does not have the strength to confront the North China Front Army. It is mainly because the width of the battlefield outside Datong is extremely limited, which seriously limits the space for large corps to operate in clusters.

If you forcibly gather a large number of troops, set up a defensive position inside and outside the city.

Then either the stacking penalty and the super-wide penalty are fully consumed, and a battle will inevitably defeat the original intention of reducing casualties.

Either we can only let each column take turns to garrison in the position, and use Guoluo's favorite refueling tactic in the early stages of the War of Resistance.

 In a sense, the Japanese took advantage of this battle. After all, three divisions and two brigades are the maximum strength they can produce at this stage, but in Datong it is neither more nor less.

Considering the above situation, Tigers in the Forest divides the first phase of urban peripheral warfare into two steps.

 The first step is to rely on the pre-set positions to actively meet the enemy, and use a combination of infantry and artillery to kill the enemy's effective forces as much as possible.

The defense based on positions mentioned in 101 is different from the passive filling of lines formulated by preserved fruits in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War. Only a fool would allow soldiers to bear the shells and be passively bombed.

 Being a living target blindly, no matter how solid the positions and fortifications are, it is impossible to hold them for a long time.

Squatting in the trench without thinking will only allow the enemy's artillery to slowly test fire, correct, hit and hit again.

The Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region's combat methods are much more scientific and advanced. Soldiers use civil fortifications to reduce the damage of enemy firepower, while directing their own artillery to actively counterattack.

  With more and more accurate artillery shells, it can block the enemy and kill the Japanese infantry.

 At night, troops at all levels continued to organize small-scale counterattacks. Using the tactic of frontal containment and flanking breakthrough, the enemy's artillery positions and command posts were attacked in multiple batches.

 This is why the 26th Division and the Cavalry Group suffered huge casualties in just two days.

 The above arrangement seems simple, but it is a bit troublesome to execute. Because each column needs to know the scale of counterattack.

 If you hurt the enemy at once, the opponent will most likely lose confidence in attacking. We should not release the water too seriously to prevent unnecessary casualties on our side.

 Just right, so that the North China Front Army can have the illusion that they can break through the defense line with hard work.

Only in this way can the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region successfully lure the snake out of the hole and allow the Japanese to actively mobilize the reserve troops on standby in the rear.

 The second step is to release enough news to drive the Japanese crazy, causing the enemy to attack Datong at all costs.

 At this stage, each column does not need to release water, and the previously hidden firepower and equipment can be used to their fullest. Anyway, the Japanese army was definitely at the top at that time.

In the eyes of those three lieutenant generals, as long as they can capture the senior commanders of the Eighth Route Army, it doesn't matter how many grassroots soldiers are sacrificed.

  ·······

 Getting back to the subject, while the commander and deputy commander of the 1st Artillery Regiment were talking, the observation post on the city wall finally transmitted the data to the artillery command post.

 “Commander! The enemy’s position has been confirmed!”

“I will organize a counterattack now, and you can stay at the headquarters to coordinate the overall situation!”

 “Okay! Stay safe!”

The Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region has been stationed in the Datong area for half a year. The soldiers are very familiar with every plant and tree here, and troops at all levels also have terrain maps that have been mapped in advance.

With the above-mentioned advantages, observers standing on the watchtowers of the city walls can find out the general location of the enemy's artillery positions with just a pocket watch.

 The specific steps are also very simple. Comrades first estimate the approximate distance based on the time difference between the shooting and landing of the Japanese shells.

 Once you have the distance, you can lock the final answer by changing the position and meeting the two points.

Although this method is somewhat backward, as long as the fire response is quick enough and the number of artillery shells is large enough, there is a chance to kill the Japanese mountain and field artillery regiments in one wave.

“Comrades! Our mission is to completely suppress the enemy’s artillery!”

"I have only one request for everyone, and that is to smash all the artillery shells on the enemy's head! Send those little sons of **** to meet their locusts!" 　　　 "Attention, every artillery! Start shooting in one minute! Full speed coverage target area!"

As soon as these words came out, each artillery crew immediately started intense preparation work.

The war has begun, and the enemy's artillery shells may fly over at any time. Naturally, we must seize the time and do it sooner rather than later.

  Moments later, forty-eight M1897 75mm cannons and thirty-six 120mm mortars were ready.

 That's right, the 1st Artillery Regiment is still a strengthened regiment.

Although war is never a simple sum of numbers, there are many factors that can determine victory or defeat. But for artillery, naturally the thicker the pipes and the greater the number, the better.

 “Boom, boom, boom!”

The entire artillery regiment began to pour artillery shells in company-level units, and the two French artillery made loud roars, as if to vent the grievances accumulated in the past two days.

Mortars and rapid-fire cannons fully demonstrated their advantages, with large and small shells falling like raindrops.

 At the artillery position of the 110th Division, fireballs suddenly rose one after another.

The most exaggerated one is naturally the 120mm mortar. Almost every shell will blast a big hole in the Japanese position, and the scattered shrapnel will continue to harvest lives.

If the Japanese had not arranged the artillery positions in strict accordance with the drill, the first round of attacks would have caused them heavy losses.

“Your Excellency Colonel! The artillery of the Eighth Route Army has appeared!”

“The opponent has assembled dozens of artillery pieces and is shelling our position! There is also a suspected 105mm howitzer among them!”

“Our position suffered heavy losses under their shelling!”

 The sudden attack caught Haruji Taniguchi off guard. But as the artillery commander of the strongest B division, he naturally has some real abilities.

The old devil first sent out an army ancestral force to keep the staff in front of him calm, and then ordered to the communication soldiers:

 “Baga, you idiot!”

"What a 105mm howitzer? How could the poor Eighth Route Army have such a sharp weapon! It's a 120mm mortar!"

“Give me an order! Let the 105 howitzers in the rear join the battle! Take advantage of the range and destroy all the exposed fire points.”

Since the first division of Jizhong used 120mm mortars in battles, the Japanese have begun to focus on collecting basic data on this new weapon.

After all, based on past experience, whenever the Eighth Route Army comes up with a brand-new weapon, it won’t be long before the entire army is equipped with it.

 Collecting data early will definitely be of no harm to the subsequent war.

The Japanese Type 91 105mm howitzer has a range of 10,900 meters. This thing has the origins of French Schneider and is one of the few high-quality products in the Japanese army.

 Judging from its various performances, it can definitely defeat the two uncle-level weapons that are also made in France.

"Hi!"

“But Colonel, we still don’t know where the Eighth Route Army’s artillery positions are!”

As soon as these words came out, Taniguchi Haruji almost suffered internal injuries.

 In previous battles, the actions of their artillery regiment were often accompanied by an observation balloon. That bulky balloon is the eyes of all artillerymen.

Even now, the southern troops can still suppress Guo's artillery with the help of observation balloons.

 But on the North China battlefield, our own Army Aviation had already lost its air supremacy. Most of the observation balloons were either blown up by Eighth Route Army fighter jets or used as targets by ground anti-aircraft artillery units.

 The 110th Division has long lost its eye in the sky.

"Baga! I don't care what method you use! We must find the enemy's artillery position within three minutes!"

The staff officer was very aggrieved after being slapped again. In his opinion, he was just doing things conscientiously and in accordance with the regulations, and there was no reason for him to be punched by the superior.

But the higher the official level, the higher the pressure. He could only leave the position with the orders from his superiors.

 In the end, the Japanese artillery found the approximate target area based on experience. Although this data is not accurate, it is much better than just being beaten without fighting back.

Twelve Type 91 105mm howitzers opened fire in unison, and grenades weighing 16 kilograms flew towards the main position outside Datong.

  The attacking artillery regiment was suppressed by fire, and the number of artillery shells fired per unit time was significantly reduced. Haruji Taniguchi finally breathed a sigh of relief and moved back and forth among various positions to adjust his troops, preparing to completely suppress the enemy's artillery in one go.

  ·······

When the Japanese Type 91 105 howitzer opened fire, the observer on the Wudingmen watchtower first marked the location on the map, and then picked up the phone nearby.

 “The enemy’s large-caliber artillery position was discovered!”

“Repeat, the Japanese large-caliber artillery position was discovered on the main battlefield in the north of the city!”

“Request the command to call for air support. Our artillery range is too short to pose an effective threat!”

 “Copy that! Support will be here soon!”

　　The moment the phone was hung up, the telegram was received almost simultaneously at the field airport far away in Huairen.

Since the rescue telegram went through the emergency channel, the dispatcher and receiver sounded the airport's combat readiness alarm before they even began to interpret it.

 Suddenly, a harsh sound resounded over the airport.

At the same time, sixteen pilots rushed out of the dormitory, got on the three-bouncer waiting at the door, and ran towards the apron.

 “Old Wang! It’s still the same rules today!”

“Help me load two 227-kilogram aerial bombs, as well as rockets and cannons!”

“There are no tigers in the mountains! How dare a monkey become the king? A ten-year-old cannon is so arrogant, and we don’t even ask our Air Force colleagues if they agree!”

"okay!"

 After receiving Fang Ziyi’s notification, the entire ground team immediately took action.

As the first local ace pilot of the Eighth Route Army, the ground crewmen who partnered with him were naturally the most experienced ones.

Although the North China Eagle often uses aerial bombs of different specifications, there is only one type of rocket and cannon to choose from. Therefore, the moment the combat readiness alarm at the airport sounded, the comrades started working, which greatly shortened the preparation time before the attack.

 Five minutes later, sixteen Typhoon fighter jets rose from the ground and headed straight for the Datong battlefield 40 kilometers away.

It is worth mentioning that at this time, there were seven bright red solid five-pointed stars on the wings of the fighter plane numbered 192, each of which represented a successful shootdown. (End of chapter)