The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 109 The Tragic No.16 Alliance
Late at night, No.16 Wing Command Post
Major Juro Goto, captain of the No. 16 Infantry Regiment, looked at the casualty and loss schedule just reported by the adjutant of the regiment. His heart seemed to be bleeding. On the dead list, only the officers could not finish it at a glance. This was not the case before. It was a situation he had never encountered before. Within half a minute of seeing the list of dead officers for the first time, Goto Juro felt his blood pressure rising sharply.

Among the officers killed in action were Captain Takeshi Kumagai, captain of the [-]st Squadron of the [-]st Infantry Battalion, Second Lieutenant Torayoshi Ichihashi, Second Lieutenant An Manbiao, and Warrant Officer Wada Noriharu, the squad leader.

Captain Masahiko Tsuji, the captain of the [-]nd Squadron, Second Lieutenant Kiyonosuke Kobayashi, the squad leader, Second Lieutenant Gaopin Guijin, and Warrant Officer Yukizo Watanabe.

Second Lieutenant Kosaku Yamada, leader of the Infantry Artillery Squadron of the [-]st Infantry Battalion.

Second Lieutenant Masaru Kususe, leader of the [-]st Machine Gun Squadron, and Warrant Officer Kaneko Go.

The fourth squadron of the [-]nd Infantry Battalion is captained by Captain Yasuda Yamao, the squad leader is Second Lieutenant Kamoshisadaichi, Second Lieutenant Takashi Shimura, and Second Lieutenant Tatsuzo Suzuki.

The fifth infantry squadron captain is Captain Ito Goao, the squad leader is Second Lieutenant Okada Zaosaku, Warrant Officer Awahara Kama, and Warrant Officer Ninomiya Kijiro.

Lieutenant Naohide Honma, Captain of the [-]nd Machine Gun Squadron, Warrant Officer Ryosaku Tanabe

Warrant Officer Nobuharu Hafuka, leader of the wing's rapid-fire artillery squadron.

Suppressing the shock and anger in his heart, Goto Juro saw the noncommissioned officer and soldier casualty statistics table under the officer's death list. Unfortunately, compared with officers, soldiers are not worthy of having names and can only be transformed into cold statistics. .

The 530st, 39nd, [-]th and [-]th infantry squadrons under the [-]st and [-]nd Infantry Brigades, as well as the attached infantry artillery squadron, machine gun squadron, and the regiment's direct rapid-fire artillery squadron noncommissioned officers and soldiers totaled [-] seven people killed and missing in action, and were brought back after being wounded. [-] people.

Such heavy casualties meant that the four infantry squadrons in the front-line assault were almost completely wiped out, and the list of officers killed in action explained everything. All the officers of the four infantry squadrons were not spared, and all were killed!
The battle damage list in Goto Juro's hand could not help but tremble. He even suspected that everything around him was not real. Was he in an illusory dream?
After fighting the Chinese army in North China for several months, Japanese officers of all classes have actually had a set of mindsets about casualties and losses. The Chinese army in North China, in terms of combat effectiveness, is actually far inferior to the Chinese army in East China. compared to.

For the Japanese troops fighting in Shanghai, in the meat grinder of Songhu, it often happened that the infantry squadrons of basic units were beaten from full strength to only a dozen people, or even completely wiped out. However, in the battles in North China, they often On the contrary, many times after a seemingly fierce battle is over, the casualties of the infantry squadron attacking at the grassroots level may be only a dozen or even single digits. Of course, the North China Plain facilitates the Japanese army to exert its firepower advantage, but the Chinese army in North China The overall low combat effectiveness is also an indisputable fact.

In North China, the main force fighting the Japanese army was not the Central Army, which was better equipped and well-trained, but local miscellaneous troops such as the Shanxi-Sui Army, the Northwest Army, the Shaanxi Army and the Zhensong Army. It was a truly vicious and tough battle that could cause serious casualties. There were not many battles, and now four infantry squadrons were completely wiped out in one attack, which naturally gave Goto Juro an extremely unreal feeling.

"Where are Terada-kun and Oyama-kun?"

Goto Juro asked the adjutant beside him.

"Your Excellency, Wing Commander, Major Terada and Major Oyama are reorganizing the troops and treating the wounded."

"Are all the 39 people who were withdrawn injured?"

The wing adjutant sighed softly and said: "Yes, sir, they are all minor injuries, nothing serious. There are no seriously injured soldiers."

The wing adjutant only said that there were no seriously injured soldiers, but he did not specify the reason why there were no seriously injured soldiers. In the final stage of today's battle, the Japanese front-line infantry who were bombed into Sun Tzu were treated as living targets by the Sixth Company, and there was no basic action. How could a capable, seriously injured soldier possibly evacuate on his own?Those who managed to escape were either the lucky ones who were unscathed, or the lightly wounded soldiers who were not hit in any vital parts.

"Why did it take so long when there were no seriously injured soldiers? The lightly wounded soldiers need to be handled by two captains personally?"

Gotojuro asked angrily. Since the troops withdrew, the two front-line offensive captains had not been to the command post. All matters were communicated by the wing adjutant. This naturally made Gotojuro very angry.

The adjutant of the wing reminded Juro Goto in a low voice and said: "It's not easy for us to explain to the Fourth Tank Brigade. I just went to meet with His Excellency Toshio Murai, the captain of the Fourth Brigade. Fifteen of the [-]th Brigade participated in the attack. Of the tanks, only four came back, and the commander who led the attack, Major Hyakutake Toshiyoshi, was also shattered."

Goto Juro nodded. Before the attack, the No. 16 Regiment looked down upon the 1 troops of the Fourth Tank Brigade. But after the battle, the No. 16 Regiment also knew that the Chinese army in front was difficult to deal with, and the Tank The Fourth Battalion suffered such losses again, and even lost a major squadron leader. Now it is Goto Juro who apologizes to the Fourth Tank Battalion.

"Let's take some supplies first and give them to the Fourth Tank Brigade. It seems we have underestimated the enemy."

Goto Juro said slightly embarrassed.

"Take me to see Major Terada and Major Oyama."

"Forehead...."

The wing adjutant hesitated for a moment, looked embarrassed, and said slowly: "Your Excellency, wing captain, I think you should wait a little longer. It may not be a suitable place for you to go there now."

Goto Juro was already in a bad mood. When he heard what the adjutant of the regiment said, he immediately became angry and pointed at the adjutant of the regiment and shouted loudly: "Baga, why is it inappropriate to go there? From the retreat to now, the two people who participated in the main attack The battalion commander didn't even make any movement. Could it be that he just suffered a defeat? Doesn't he have the courage to face it? Treating wounded soldiers is the task of the regiment medic, not the infantry battalion captain."

In anger, Goto Juro quickly walked out of the command post. When he found the two captains Terada Akiyama and Oyama Suketa, the scene in front of him was extremely shocking. More than 30 wounded Japanese soldiers were either lying down or sitting, and some looked at them. They were sluggish, some showed their teeth and claws, running around in a daze, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing, and kept shouting things like landmines, explosions, corpses, etc.

What Terada Kushizo and Oyama Suketa are dealing with now are these soldiers with mental problems. Almost everyone is accompanied by several veterans and sergeants to ensure control of these soldiers anytime and anywhere. Some soldiers who react violently are even tied up. stand up.

The military doctor of the regiment had already arrived, but he was helpless. These wounded soldiers were said to be wounded, but in fact many of them were just scratched by shrapnel. As long as they were treated with a little treatment, physical injuries were easy to treat, but for psychological injuries, the United Army The team's military doctor was unable to do anything. Most of those in a daze were newly recruited recruits from the No. 16 Regiment. They had to face such a tragic scene for the first time on the battlefield. The mental impact they suffered was unimaginable.

Not to mention the new recruits, even the veterans who came back were all ashen-faced, and each of them seemed to have been drained of energy.

Juro Goto was naturally angry and angry when he saw such a scene. Medicine in this era was not as developed as later generations, and the Japanese army always respected the bushido spirit and spiritual combat effectiveness. Seeing these crazy recruits, Goto Juro's first reaction was that these recruits were scared to death. Don't be afraid. In future generations, let alone doctors, even if you find an ordinary person with a little medical knowledge, you will infer that these Japanese soldiers have a disease called traumatic stress disorder when they see the reactions of these Japanese soldiers.

But now, the performance of these soldiers will only be interpreted by officers as mental abnormalities caused by timidity and cowardice.

If there were just a few dozen crazy soldiers, Goto Juro's reaction wouldn't be so big. The most important thing is that these soldiers are shouting and yelling like crazy, which looks extremely weird and sad in the middle of the night. Not to mention the nearby soldiers, I'm afraid The entire garrison in Yongxing Village can hear it, and of course it may have an impact on the morale of the entire regiment.

The Japanese troops who did not participate in the attack could clearly see the entire process of the retreat of the First Infantry Battalion and the Second Infantry Battalion from the front after the failed attack. There were nearly a thousand infantrymen when they set out, but not even half of them came back. There were fifteen tanks at the time, and four tanks with dense bullet marks when they came back. The attack failed, the battle was defeated, and the news that it was a huge defeat could not be concealed at all.

Now that we are singing like this again at night, howling like ghosts and wolves, do we still need to lose morale?

"Baga, Baga, you cowards are not worthy to be imperial soldiers or warriors, Baga."

"Akizo Terada, Suketa Oyama, you two, get here!"

Unable to restrain his emotions, Goto Juro cursed loudly, and Terada Akizō and Oyama Suketa ran over in dejection.Pointing at the wounded soldiers who were dancing with demons, Goto Juro shouted: "Immediately, call your brigade and the unit's military doctor to control those crazy cowards. I don't care what method you use, tie them up and gag them. Don't let them make noises they shouldn't make. Once you get them under control, send them to the rear military hospital immediately. Don't stay in the regiment and affect morale!"

After struggling for a full hour, the No. 16 Regiment managed to deal with the wounded soldiers who had suffered severe mental trauma. The two newly defeated generals, Terada Akizō and Oyama Suketa, dragged their tired bodies and looked sad. Arriving at the command post of the No. 16 Wing, both of them were prepared to bear the wrath of the Wing Commander before arriving here.

But as soon as they arrived at the command post, what greeted them was not Goto Juro's thunderous fury. Perhaps he vented his anger while scolding the mentally ill wounded soldiers. And in the dead of night, Goto Juro was surprisingly calm.

When the two men walked into the command post cautiously, two hot white rice balls and canned pork slices fried until golden were already placed on the marching table, as well as a bottle of fine Japanese sake. For the two people who had not eaten properly during the fierce battle, To people, this is delicacies from mountains and seas.

Goto Juro pointed to the delicacies on the table and said: "Terada-kun, Oyama-kun, you have worked hard, please dine, and I will dine with you."

After saying that, Goto Juro picked up a rice ball and threw it into his mouth. Terada Akizō and Oyama Suketa saw the co-captain's attitude and they both breathed a sigh of relief. After bowing and thanking them, they also started to eat happily.

"Boy, what do you think of today's battle situation?"

Goto Juro asked softly.

Mentioning today's fiasco, Terada Akizo and Oyama Suketa, who were having a meal, were startled. Then Terada Akizo said to Goto Juro: "Your Excellency, the captain, we still underestimated the Chinese army in front of us. Don't talk about their... The suspected presence of chemical weapons, even if they don't use chemical weapons, is a serious adversary for us."

"Judging from the enemy position situation we observed, the enemy position situation relayed to us by the Di Detachment can be said to be worthless. I inferred that just as our regiment retreated from the high ground on the west side of Xinkou to repair and move in During the period when they arrived at Yongxing Village, the enemy also took advantage of this precious gap time to urgently renovate their fortifications."

Oyama Suketa said: "Your Excellency, Captain, our attack failed today. The reasons for the failure of the infantry attack can be attributed to two aspects. The first is the bunker, and the second is the mine. Although I cannot get a full view of the enemy's position, We can also find out one thing or two from our brigade's defeat today. During the entire offensive process, Terada-kun's troops first came under heavy fire from light and heavy machine guns in the enemy's bunker. From then on, the enemy's and our infantry began to engage in a fire battle."

"At the beginning of the battle, because Mr. Terada was in the front, he withstood all the firepower from the enemy's bunkers. The enemy's bunkers were constructed very cleverly. According to my observation, each bunker was equipped with an omnidirectional shooting port. It can achieve almost complete 360-degree coverage, and its shooting port has high and low positions, so it can also achieve three-dimensional firepower in the vertical direction."

Goto Juro asked: "How effective are the rapid-fire cannons assigned to you and the brigade cannons assigned to the first-line squadron of your brigade against enemy bunkers?"

Terada Akizo shook his head: "It can't be hit, it can't be hit at all. Whether it is a direct hit from the front or a vertical direct hit on the top of the bunker, the infantry artillery can't cause actual damage to the enemy's bunker. And I want to add One point is that the enemy's bunker firing ports are very strategically placed, with the low firing ports almost touching the ground, and the enemy's machine gun firepower projected from the low firing ports will hit the ground close to the ground."

"Because the enemy's firing port is extremely low, neither our rifle machine guns, nor rapid-fire cannons and brigade guns can fire at the enemy's low firing port at a horizontal or normal shooting angle. When using a tripod to fire, the ballistic trajectory must be higher than the trajectory of the enemy's low firing port. If the light machine gunners want to put bullets in, they must lay the light machine gun's tripod flat and fire as close to the ground as possible. ."

"But how can the machine gunners complete accurate and efficient suppressive shooting in this unstable shooting method without any support? Because the Type [-] heavy machine gun is a heavy machine gun, it cannot even use this method. It will shoot at the enemy's low firing port. We were helpless. What was even more disgusting was that the enemy's high-altitude nozzle was located at an extremely high position. The height of the firing line was at least one meter higher than that of the low-nozzle. It was difficult to hit the light and heavy machine guns at normal shooting angles. Our infantry group The rifle machine gun in hand cannot suppress the firing port of the enemy bunker at all."

Terada Akizō seemed to recall the tragic situation of the first infantry brigade being suppressed by machine gun fire on the battlefield, and punched it hard.

Oyama Suketa said: "We have rarely encountered the Chinese army's bunker fortifications in the field before. The occasional encounters were just defense fortifications built by the enemy before the war broke out. Although those concrete bunkers were strong, they had shooting openings. There are problems with the area and layout of the bunkers, which can be easily solved by suppressing the firepower of the brigade's artillery and machine guns. Although the enemy's bunkers are now civil structures, the location of the firing ports is very clever and the structure is very solid. I suspect that the alliance Direct fire from the team's artillery may not cause structural damage to it."

Goto Juro then asked: "Besides direct shooting, have you used any other attack methods?"

Terada Akizo said: "The brigade's artillery fired shrapnel. Perhaps the steel balls flying away from the shrapnel could be fired into the firing port of the enemy bunker, but the effect was very little. Every time a hit bomb was obtained and the enemy's firepower was stagnant, the enemy's firepower would be stagnant. Minutes, enemy firepower will revive.”

"What's even more terrifying is the enemy's mines. The two infantry squadrons of Terada-kun's first battalion were in a stalemate with the enemy at the front. The two infantry squadrons of our battalion then advanced to the same line. At this time, the enemy's The mines were suddenly detonated, and those mines were very powerful, definitely not ordinary anti-infantry mines!"

Goto Juro nodded: "Landmines and bunkers. It seems that the enemy commander is quite capable."

Terada Akizo said: "Your Excellency, Wing Commander, I suggest that before the next attack, you must search for the mines in front of the enemy's positions. Those mines are so powerful that they can even blow up armored vehicles."

Goto Juro nodded, frowned and said: "Landmines must be cleared, but it is too difficult to completely clear the huge open space in front of the enemy's position, and the infantry does not have any good mine detection and mine clearance. The equipment can probably only be cleared with artillery.”

When it comes to clearing landmines, Goto Juro is very distressed. The reason is that the Japanese army currently does not have any decent equipment for detecting landmines. Moreover, the No. 16 regiment is an infantry regiment and knows nothing about mine clearance work. In the dimension before He Wei traveled through , we often see in some film and television dramas that the Japanese soldiers were tortured by landmines in agony. They were looking down on each other with various detection equipment, and they were detecting the ground under their feet inch by inch.

However, the Japanese army's mine detection equipment has not yet been installed in the troops. The latest [-]-type mine detector will not be installed in the Japanese army's engineer regiment until [-]. As for its frequent appearance in old movies The updated second-type mine detectors and hand-held mine detection rods and other mine detection equipment are still far away from research and development and equipment.

In other words, at present, neither the Japanese infantry wing nor the engineer wing has dedicated and efficient mine-clearing equipment. Juro Goto will naturally have a headache, so the only mine-clearing method is shelling.

"To deal with mines, we can only use artillery fire. There is no problem with this. Although the artillery assigned to us only has eight artillery pieces, it has plenty of artillery shells. The cannons of the dike detachment and the regiment can also be put into use, but the bunker can be solved in the end. , or the infantry should come, what do you two think?"

Gotojuro asked.

Terada Akizo shook his head and said: "You must not use too many troops for an assault. Today's failure is a painful lesson. Before solving the Chinese army's bunkers, the more troops you invest, the greater the losses will be."

"I agree with Mr. Terada. According to my observation, the enemy commander is very cunning. Only a small part of the enemy bunkers fired at me today. There were many bunkers that did not fire a single shot during the entire battle. , In fact, the enemy's firepower density is much stronger than what our two brigades can withstand today, and the only way now is to organize a small force to carry out blasting."

"Advance explosion?"

"Yes, Your Excellency, Captain of the Wing, investing heavy troops in an attack will only increase casualties, and the enemy's bunkers are relatively strong. During the first attack, the artillery had already carried out a fierce shelling, but there was no damage unless the large-caliber mountain artillery was used. Pushing the direct fire at close range may have a better destructive effect, but it is too dangerous and time-consuming. The best way now is to organize death squads to blast the enemy's bunkers at close range."

Terada Akizō and Oyama Suketa both proposed the idea of ​​small groups of troops blasting at close range. Goto Juro thought about it for a while and realized that indeed, there is no better way now. A direct assault by infantry is useless, and artillery shooting is too dangerous and time-consuming. , the most effective is only for infantry to advance in and blast.

"Then let's do it this way. How many troops do you still have in your brigade?" Goto Juro asked.

Terada Akizo's mood instantly became depressed, and he said feebly: "The brigade headquarters and the third infantry squadron are intact, and there is still one squad left in the heavy machine gun squadron."

Compared with the heavy losses suffered by the First Brigade, the Second Brigade was slightly better.

Oyama Suketa said: "At the brigade headquarters, the sixth infantry squadron and the brigade artillery squad are complete, and the heavy machine gun squadron still has a squad."

Goto Juro nodded: "You are familiar with the enemy's position deployment. You are still responsible for this attack. Then we will transfer personnel from your two brigades and organize a reinforced team. All the required explosive equipment and equipment will be provided by the alliance. Team to make up for it! I will immediately send someone to contact the artillery commander to discuss cover and coordination matters!"

(End of this chapter)