afterglow

Chapter 503 Chapter The air force boss is really difficult to serve; Weiyuan Airport
The box of brandy that was seized soon became a more popular product than Coca-Cola. It was first come, first served. Many people who came after hearing the news only had time to take a small sip.

"Come and get a few people to help with the work."

"Hey! Come here and help me!"

"Damn it! His face is red from drinking." A lieutenant who came to inspect reluctantly kicked each of the soldiers on the ground, and shouted loudly with his hands on his hips, "Go to the trench to the east!"

The signal soldier carrying a radio on his back followed closely beside the assault force commander, who reached out to take off the microphone from the radio and reported more detailed information to the rear.

The three-wheeled motorcycle was driving swaying, and the reel with the telephone line hanging on the rear of the motorcycle was arranged all the way to the temporary command post on the school side.

The corpses of enemy soldiers in various forms of death were moved to the truck. The soldiers stood in pairs facing each other. One person grabbed the arm of the corpse, and the other grabbed the feet of the corpse, and threw it onto the truck.

At night, more than fifty bodies were transported to the rear in two trucks.

Next to a half-collapsed Catholic church, some officers and soldiers from the chemical defense team had been waiting here for a long time.

It is not only a church, but also has several craters of different depths, so it is simply not suitable.

"Have the two wings of the hotel been cleared?"

Eight tanks tried to conduct a tactical deployment. The only two anti-tank guns of the US military opened fire immediately at the right time, and immediately set a Type 38 medium tank on fire.

On the offensive starting position, the remaining Ming army tanks were lined up in an arc, and six or seven wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicles also took advantage of every opportunity to get through.

The attack on the Belinda Hotel first started with an offensive and defensive battle on both flanks, thus forming a semi-encirclement situation of the place, and was supplemented by three artillery fire blocking lines to completely isolate it.

During this period, another tank was destroyed.

The brigade personnel of the Third Marine Brigade put this large number of dog tags into their suitcases for registration.

The corpses of officers and soldiers of the 60th Infantry Regiment of the US Army were thrown in, and the dog tags collected were piled on the ground, grabbing a handful.

"There is an enemy mortar position two miles northwest of the school, and there are scattered fortifications nearby. This threat along the offensive axis must be considered."

"The enemy's resistance is not very strong, and it can be seen that the troops are limited."

He was just about to lie down on the camp bed and seize the time to sleep for a while, but it backfired.

The 250-kilogram heavy bomb dropped by the carrier-based dive bomber sent smoke and dust straight into the sky, and after it spread, it almost covered half of the sky.

The only surviving loader struggled to climb out of the turret roof hatch and fell to the ground covered in blood.

"The No. 3 blockade line in the northwest is not effective enough. The seaplane said it saw personnel activities. Can we add more?"

"No advance, just follow the original plan." Zhou Changfeng said casually: "Let the fleet extend the time when the time comes. I don't plan to take this building anymore."

"Sir, the front line has reported that they will be able to capture the hotel in one go tomorrow. Please request that the war start half an hour earlier."

All kinds of firepower from heavy machine guns, tank guns, and mortars were called upon, and it continued intermittently for nearly half a quarter of an hour, until the two anti-tank guns completely misfired.

At 12:30, as a red signal flare was launched into the sky, the Ming army's general attack on the Belinda Hotel officially began.

The crater was first covered with a layer of waterproof canvas to avoid contaminating groundwater and causing plague.

"Brothers! Let's have dinner after we take down this building!"

"Not as of now."

"The assault force still has a shortage of more than 20 tons of supplies. Let the Yier beachhead supply point find a way to even it out and find a few trucks to transport it there as soon as possible."

This kind of resistance is not so much defense as delay, because they are unable to stop the Ming army coordinated by infantry and tanks.

The sound of beeping signals, the sound of conversations discussing the situation, the sound of people calling to give instructions...all kinds of sounds were mixed together.

Not including the hundreds of 128mm shells fired by several destroyers, the two ships fired a total of 384 67mm shells, destroying most of the field fortifications built by the US military. The hotel was also directly hit by 5 shells, and the outer surface was seriously damaged. It can be seen that It was riddled with holes.

Like most officers and soldiers, Zhou Changfeng has also developed the ability to fall asleep on such occasions.

The officers and soldiers of the chemical defense team were discussing, and the bitter battle to capture Rabaul last year was still vivid in their minds.

The Marine Corps officers and soldiers also quickly fought back with various light and heavy weapons, and tracer bullets continued to fly towards the place where the muzzle flash came out.

The bespectacled major staff officer hesitated for a moment, cupped his fists and accepted the order, "Yes."

In such a one-sided battle, 60mm and 81mm mortars became one of the few weapons that could cause trouble to the Ming army. Almost 117 of the casualties in clearing the outer positions were caused by mortar bombs. hurt.

At 7:00, the battleships Yongping and Zhanghe were ordered to carry out artillery support.

This is the last strong support point of the US military in the urban area on Kauai. The remaining troops of Company A and Company B are assembled here, as well as half an anti-tank gun company, with a total of about 300 people.

Zhou Changfeng has moved the command center to the shore. In the dock warehouse in the northeast of Naweliweli Bay, the staff have no time to slack off and are on duty in front of the sand table and map.

The next morning, the battle started again.

Later, someone carried several bags of stuff like rice bags. The word "disinfectant" was printed on them, but the actual ingredient was ordinary calcium hypochlorite.

They casually slashed the bag with bayonets and poured the bleach into it.
Some prisoners were sent to bury the bodies, and towards daybreak the holes were finally filled.

The other tanks subconsciously reversed to retreat. After backing up for more than 20 meters, they found that the others were still insisting on fighting back, so they shifted gears and drove back.

The incoming 37mm armor-piercing projectile may have hit the ammunition rack after penetrating the armor, causing the vehicle to explode, with flames spraying out from the gaps in the turret seat ring and hatch cover like fireworks.

The Sixth Marine Regiment then launched an attack on both wings of the Belinda Hotel. The battle went very smoothly. The U.S. Army, which lacked anti-tank weapons, could only put up very limited resistance.

"The American soldiers are really equipped with all kinds of stuff and they use good materials. Last time they were in Labaul, the Australian soldiers were far behind."

The four tanks ignored everything and decisively fired back in the direction indicated by the infantry, with full artillery and machine gun fire.

"But without a fight, the carload of wounded soldiers sent back in the afternoon would be easier than the fight against Baoer."

"Get ready...go!"

"Long live!"

Amidst the sound of whistles and shouts, four platoons of Marine infantry climbed up from their positions, alternately covering the area and rushed towards the Belinda Hotel a hundred meters away.

The hotel building was incomplete, and at first glance there was no sign of enemy activity, but at this moment, muzzle flash suddenly flashed.

In addition to windows, U.S. soldiers also drilled holes in the walls and used the holes as shooting ports.

The Ming army's armored vehicles, which were watching eagerly, immediately fought back, and countless firepower hit the hotel like a storm.

"Ding-deng-deng-deng-deng-"

One after another, 20.8mm piercing explosive bombs and incendiary bombs crackled against the wall, cement debris flew everywhere, and smoke gradually spread... "Fire cover! Send a few of them over!"

"It's up to you!"

The two three-person teams of the chemical defense team were crawling forward with difficulty, with bullets flying overhead. The fire was so intense that the bullets could hit each other.

The broken cement fragments hit the helmet and made a snapping sound.

After approaching less than forty meters, the soldier carrying a flamethrower pointed the gun at a window that was spitting out muzzle flash, and then pulled the trigger.

The compressed nitrogen pushed the gasoline out and was ignited by an electric spark at the front of the spray gun, turning into a dazzling fire dragon and pouring into the window...

"Burn them!"

"happy!"

"Burn, don't stop, keep setting fire!"

The soldiers cheered, and this scene made everyone even more excited.

Three fire dragons continued to appear, and within a few minutes, almost the entire first floor of the Belinda Hotel was ignited. Looking around, it was already a sea of ​​​​fire, with thick black smoke pouring out from it, gathering and shooting straight into the sky...

It went more smoothly than expected. The Ming army invaded the hotel at 14:19 and launched a thrilling indoor battle with the American troops huddled inside.

"It's such a good idea. We have captured the lower two floors. The remaining enemies have withdrawn to the upper floors and are still resisting."

"Get out, there's no need to chew on it bit by bit, I said I don't want this building anymore."

Zhou Changfeng didn't want to waste any more time, or he felt that it was extremely uneconomical to make additional sacrifices here.

Following his instructions, two engineer platoons brought a large amount of explosives and arranged the packages of explosives around the load-bearing columns on the first floor.

After spending several hours, the engineers arranged a total of more than 300 kilograms of TNT blocks and more than 20 blasting tubes on eight load-bearing columns on the north side of the first floor of the Belinda Hotel.

During this period, the infantrymen were still fighting upstairs. The sound of gunshots, explosions, and shouts echoed in everyone's ears. The wounded were constantly being carried down. There was blood all over the floor, and the old and new were mixed together. Be it an enemy or a comrade.

At 17:10, after confirming that all combatants had evacuated, an engineer lieutenant pressed the detonator lever hard.

"boom!!!"

The violent explosion greatly exceeded the expectations of the officers and soldiers present. The shock wave knocked some onlookers to the ground, and the flying cement fragments even injured a few unlucky ones.

At this time, the lower floors of the hotel building were already shrouded in smoke and dust, and the soldiers with keen insight found that the building was shaking slightly.

Soon, everyone heard the sound of reinforced concrete breaking.

After about five seconds, the Belinda Hotel began to tilt north.

As the magnitude increased, the toppling speed became faster and faster, and finally collapsed completely with a roar. The scene was shrouded in a huge amount of dust, choking and making people cough.

Several reporters accompanying the army jumped in frustration because they did not carry cameras, so they could only use their cameras to take continuous pictures.

One of them admired and praised: "He is indeed a famous general today. He leads the battle neatly and neatly. His seemingly simple and crude methods are extremely effective. The results are immediate. It is really high!"

Zhou Changfeng, who was wearing a steel helmet, stood nearby, admiring such a good show through a telescope. He felt relaxed and happy, and couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly.

Hearing the flattery, he laughed and said nonchalantly: "I don't dare to take it seriously. I'm just adapting to circumstances."

From May 5th to May 10th, it lasted three days and three nights. The Ming army’s landing troops drove the US military on Kauai out of the beachhead position and urban support points.

Zhou Changfeng noticed that the enemy's troop deployment showed the characteristics of being light in front and heavy in back, and was certain that the US military was implementing defense in depth.

The prisoner's confession was also consistent with his speculation. The Army's 60th Infantry Regiment stationed on Kauai focused its fortifications on the Kawaikini Mountains in the center of the island, where various semi-permanent fortifications had been repaired in the past two months.

"It's not a big problem. As long as the airport is usable, we can let the air force come."

From Zhou Changfeng's point of view, the U.S. military entrenched in the center of the island was of little value in resisting, and its only function was to contain the Ming army.

This also confirmed the US military's campaign principle of defending Hawaii from the side - dragging the tactics, doing everything possible to delay the Ming army, consume the Ming army's supplies, and buy time for our own side to prepare a large-scale counterattack.

Given that the possibility of the remaining U.S. forces on Kauai taking the initiative to attack is extremely slim, the next attack can be more leisurely.

The only hidden danger was the artillery unit. According to a wounded and captured lieutenant, half of the howitzers of the 45th Field Artillery Battalion had been moved to deep positions. These howitzers would definitely bombard Lihue Airport.

Ever since, the Air Force was not happy.

Taking off and landing right under the enemy's nose, possibly being bombed at any time? This is too dangerous.

"Resolve part of it, suppress part of it, as long as we can basically maintain the operation of the airport." Zhou Changfeng spread his hands and ordered the officers of the Third Marine Brigade: "The air force is really difficult to serve... Reopen the front view and side view, and I will command the artillery regiment. .”

The next day, May 5th, morning.

Intermittent gunshots were heard from time to time in the northern suburbs. It was an encounter between a small Ming army reconnaissance unit and a US military patrol and security position.

As expected, the US military will not let the Ming army use Lihue Airport.

The airport that had finally been repaired had been under shelling since dawn. The density of bombs was not high, but it was naturally impossible for aircraft to take off and land under such conditions.

Zhou Changfeng, who went into battle personally, took up a rangefinder to measure the distance between the enemy and ourselves, then determined the firing direction of each gun position, and quickly completed the continuous test battle formation.

He picked up the microphone of the field phone and said calmly: "The viewing distance is 7750, the altitude is 245, the enemy's concealed gun position, explosive bombs, instant fire, calibration fire, one shot, ready."

"receive."

In the artillery command post, the calculation board and slide rule were sliding and making a clanging sound. The staff officers and calculation soldiers quickly completed the calculations of the shooting elements, and then transmitted the data to each artillery position.

Several artillery shells flew towards the target, and the rising smoke was obvious. The seaplanes hovering in the sky immediately reported the impact point deviation.

After making slight corrections, Zhou Changfeng bluntly ordered the execution of the effectiveness shot, which greatly surprised the artillery officers present, but did not spoil Zhou's interest.

Subsequently, the 17 112mm howitzers available from the first battalion of the Mountain Artillery Regiment opened fire together!
The sound of artillery rumbled, and the rain of artillery shells hit the hills below Kaweikini Mountain, which was covered by artillery fire in the blink of an eye...

Until that night, there was not much movement from the US artillery. From time to time, it fired a shot and then fell silent again. Seaplane observers in the sky estimated that there were only one or two artillery pieces left.

At this point, the Air Force agreed to station on Kauai.

5月15日9：11，第一驱逐机支队的23架三六式驱逐机经过漫长的转场飞行终于到达，其中有12架是最新型的三六式丁型。

The major who led the team was very impressive. As soon as he landed, he pointed at his feet and said, "This airport can be renamed. Let's call it Weiyuan Airport."

【Picture】

(End of this chapter)