The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 144 Use the alliance flag as a guide and attack!

Early the next morning, outside Yongxing Village
More than 16 Japanese troops from the Infantry No. 1000 Regiment, Di Detachment, and Daquan Detachment stood with guns outside the village, and more than a dozen tanks from the Fourth Tank Brigade were lined up.

At the front of the infantry formation, each infantry squad's Taisho 11-year-old crooked light machine gun, the Type [-] [-]mm heavy grenade, the Type [-] heavy machine gun of the heavy machine gun squadron directly under the infantry brigade, and the infantry artillery squadron directly under the infantry brigade. The Type [-] infantry artillery, the Type [-] mountain cannon of the artillery squadron directly under the regiment, and the Type [-] flamethrower of the engineering regiment were neatly placed in front of the infantry.

All Japanese infantrymen armed with rifles have bayonets and guns. In front of each infantry squadron is a sergeant holding the Army's Rising Sun flag, while officers half-raise their command swords and stand on their chests. The neat queues and brightly arranged weapons , not like an army in combat, but like a military parade in peacetime.

In front of more than 1000 combat troops, a 54-man, well-organized Japanese infantry team took a shoulder gun stance, escorting a dilapidated military flag, and slowly walked to the center of the queue.

The crown of this flag is a gold-plated three-sided sixteen-petal chrysanthemum royal heraldry, which is a symbol of the royal family. The flagpole is a black painted flagpole. The flag is equipped with purple tassels on the outside, but the flag surface is already dilapidated. This flag is exactly The regiment flag of the Japanese Army Infantry Regiment No. 16. When each infantry regiment and cavalry regiment of the Japanese Army is formed, it will be awarded a military flag by the Emperor himself, which is called the regiment flag.

The flag presentation ceremony is very solemn. The captain who is awarded the regiment flag needs to enter the palace in person to meet the emperor and conduct a fixed question and answer ceremony. When the officers and soldiers of a regiment see the regiment flag, it is like seeing the emperor in person. If they are in the camp When you see the coalition flag, you must stand at attention and salute.

Therefore, the regiment flag has the supreme status among the Japanese military regiments. In order to protect the regiment flag, each regiment will form a special flag guard team to protect the military flag, and select the most capable and youngest among the regiments. The second lieutenant serves as the flag bearer. During combat, the reserve team of the unit under the wing or the relatively complete squadron team serves as the flag guard unit.

Once the alliance is in crisis or is likely to be annihilated during the battle, the alliance flag must be destroyed immediately. It can also be said that if the alliance flag of a alliance is destroyed, it is equivalent to the destruction of the alliance. Sexually annihilating blows.

The longer a regiment has a history and the more intense the battles it has experienced, the more tattered the regimental flag will be. In the eyes of the Japanese army, the tattered regimental flag is actually a symbol of honor for the regiment. Therefore, many Japanese regiment flags are in tatters.

The same is true for the regiment flag of the No. 16 regiment. As one of the earliest infantry regiments organized by the Japanese army, this regiment flag was personally awarded by Emperor Meiji, the great leader of Japan, and has a history of decades. It has long been dilapidated, with dense bullet holes on it, some of which were made by Qing army bullets during the Japanese-Qing War, some by Beiyang Navy warships and artillery shells, some by Russian guns during the Russo-Japanese War, and some by Manchuria. What the Chinese army did during the incident, behind every bullet hole, was a brutal battle.

Army Second Lieutenant Seto Haraichi, who had just graduated from the Army Military Academy with a bachelor's degree in infantry, held up the regiment flag and strode forward in front of the regiment commander Goto Juro.

"Reporting to the regimental commander, the regimental flag of the Army Infantry No. 16 Regiment has been presented. Please give the regimental commander a lecture."

The young second lieutenant reported to Gotojuro in a loud voice that ahead, the officers of the No. 16 Regiment saluted the regiment flag one after another. Although there was also a solemn and solemn atmosphere, the thoughts of several officers were completely different.

After the failure of yesterday's attack, the most shocked person was Lieutenant Colonel Harada Jiro. He really didn't expect that the Chinese army had such powerful artillery firepower, and that the Chinese army, which was always accustomed to firing in advance, could always suppress such powerful artillery firepower. The failure to move directly led to the failure of the No. 16 Regiment's attack, and the tragic situation of the Fourth Tank Battalion made him even more frightened.

Less than half of the tanks that went out came back. Not only did the assault fail, but it seems that two tanks were towed away by the Chinese army. Toshio Murai, captain of the Fourth Tank Battalion, was horrified when he told him about the tragic conditions of the battle. The faces of each other are still vivid in his mind. Jiro Harada doesn't understand why this Chinese army has such a strong combat effectiveness!Who is the commander of this Chinese army?
Compared with Harada Jiro's confusion and anxiety, Infantry No. 16 Regiment Captain Goto Juro is much calmer, or in other words, it is a kind of numbness after losing consecutive battles. The huge number of casualties and the news of the failed assault have already This captain cannot be touched, but the position must still be fought. Numbness and insensibility sometimes also mean madness. Just in the middle of the night last night, Goto Juro issued the latest battle order. It was brief, but crazy.

"Using the Yuci regiment flag as the forerunner, concentrate all the troops, and launch a desperate assault with a death mentality."

Goto Juro looked at the more than 1000 soldiers below him. This was all the fighting force he could devote to the current battle. The Infantry No. 16 Regiment, Tsutsumi Detachment, and Oizumi Detachment all used their last resources, and each non-front-line Soldiers from combat units, such as baggage trains, regiments, and miscellaneous soldiers from the brigade headquarters, have all been added to the first-line infantry units, excluding infantry squadrons, regiment artillery squadrons, rapid-fire artillery squadrons, and infantry artillery squadrons. They all have to attack together with the infantry.

Naturally, the fourth tank group could not escape. All the tanks were gathered together, serving as the vanguard of the assault and covering the advance of the infantry attack. Goto Juro used all the power in his hands this time.

"Dear warriors of the empire, this battle is about our infantry regiment No. 16 and the honor of our imperial army. Our troops will use the regiment flag as the forerunner to launch a desperate assault on the enemy's position. I hope you will work hard for His Majesty the Emperor. Be loyal!"

After Goto Juro finished speaking, under the surprised eyes of everyone, he took off his military cap, put on a steel helmet, and picked up a Type [-] rifle with a bayonet, then turned around and faced Lieutenant Colonel Jiro Harada, the staff officer behind him, bowed and said: "Harada-kun, I will lead the team to attack. Please take care of everything here."

Ignoring Harada Jiro's surprised expression, Goto Juro walked into the infantry formation with his rifle in hand.

The failures in the past few days forced Goto Juro to make the decision to personally lead the attack. The Japanese commander personally attacked on the front line. Although it was rare, it was not unheard of, but similar things usually happened in newly established special forces. In the division troops, the quality of the average soldiers is poor, and they can only rely on key officers to go into battle in person. However, the [-]th Regiment is a standard unit of the old standing division. Goto Juro made such a choice, which can only show that he was forced to To the extreme.

Of course, Goto Juro also had other thoughts. Since the beginning of the Xinkou War, the No. 16 Regiment has not achieved any decent results at all. It is a reinforced infantry regiment equipped with heavy artillery of various calibers and a brigade of tanks. , but couldn't capture a small village, this thing in itself is a big joke. If you can't capture Yanzhuang after betting all your capital this time, then you might as well die here!At least, he can maintain his final dignity as a samurai and an imperial soldier.

Just as the No. 16 Wing was gearing up and ready to strike the final blow, on the opposite side of the Sixth Company's position, He Wei also opened up his position and prepared to attack the Japanese army.

The Sixth Company prepared for the battle all night long. In addition to burying a large amount of explosives in the trenches, He Wei also distributed all the ammunition in stock to the squad platoons, and also issued two additional Jin-made Thompson submachine guns to each squad, 57 The regiment's third battalion also entered the position. The four Jinling-made Type [-] heavy machine guns belonging to the heavy machine gun company of the third battalion all moved to the front line and supplemented the various bunkers of the sixth company (one battalion belonged to The heavy machine gun company was organized into three heavy machine gun platoons with six heavy machine guns. One platoon of the third battalion's machine gun company was all sacrificed in the battle with Japanese tanks, so there were only four heavy machine gun companies.) The remaining seven companies of the third battalion and the ninth company of the third battalion were Deployed in the second and third line positions as a reserve force, in addition, he also used the captured Japanese weapons.

He installed two Type 11 [-] mm large-caliber heavy machine guns that were removed from Japanese tanks in the command post. He also found two Type [-] heavy machine guns and Two Taisho [-]-year-old crooked-handled light machine guns, plus the original Type [-] heavy machine gun, the command post of the Sixth Company is equipped with a total of seven light and heavy machine guns. It is both a command post and an out-and-out murderous building. fortress.The piles of Japanese-made Type [-] rifles were of course impossible to waste. He Wei issued a Type [-] rifle with a bayonet and four rows of [-]-caliber bullets to every soldier in the company.

He did this, firstly, to prepare the soldiers for emergencies, and secondly, to prepare for close combat. During the last close combat to encircle and annihilate the Japanese squadron, he discovered a situation. The Chinese rifles in the hands of the national soldiers, Because it is a copy of the Mauser standard rifle developed after World War I, the length of this rifle is much shorter than the Japanese Type [-] rifle, so it is easy to suffer losses in close combat. In view of this, It is also a good choice to give each person a [-]-meter cap to prepare for bayonet fighting.

Both sides were unanimously prepared for a fight to the death. Outside Yongxing Village, unlike the tense atmosphere of the Japanese troops in the village, the Japanese troops in the Balloon Squadron were still so lazy and idle. The soldiers were talking and laughing as they ate. After breakfast, the day's work began. The failure of yesterday's attack did not have any impact on the Japanese troops of the Balloon Squadron. The heavy casualties of the infantry had nothing to do with them. The only impact was to move the operation position forward and increase the number of lifts. Number of balloons.

Even if the Infantry Regiment No. 16 decides to attack desperately, the preparations before the attack are still the same. First, the colonel launches a balloon to indicate the target for the artillery, prepares for the artillery fire, and then lets the infantry launch the assault. It is still the same old routine. In the old method, the Japanese balloon soldiers skillfully deployed the balloon, connected it to the tethered vehicle, and then added hydrogen to lift the balloon into the air. At the same time, the anti-aircraft machine gun team set up two Type [-] anti-aircraft machine guns that were better than nothing. While working on the sequence, little did they know that a dozen pairs of eyes were staring at them closely at the Chinese army position in the distance.

In the sixth company's position, He Wei stepped on an ammunition box and raised his binoculars to look in the direction of Yongxing Village. Beside He Wei, there were more than a dozen soldiers with good eyesight, each holding a Cao Changjing, who found Cao Changjing from the items seized by the Japanese army, and the army commander's improvised coordination with the infantry last night, considered it a top priority for He Wei. He was now waiting for the Japanese school launch balloon to appear. As soon as it appeared, he would Chen Zhen will be notified to send a telegram to the [-]th Division Headquarters.

Today, the blow to the Japanese army will be delivered by the Air Force.

It has been more than an hour since he started staring in the morning. Just when He Wei put down the telescope and was about to soothe his sore eyes, a corporal suddenly pointed in the air and shouted: "Sir, that thing is coming up!"

I saw two school launch balloons rising slowly into the sky, one high and one low. He Wei immediately said to Tao Heiwa next to him: "Go to Chief Chen and say that the Japanese balloons have taken off!"

. . . . . . . . . . . .
Taiyuan Airport, on the wide apron, five fighter jets and three bombers, fully fueled and bombed, are neatly arranged in order. Five of the fighter jets are Hawk IIs produced by the United States. Currently, this is the most advanced fighter jet of the Chinese Air Force. The next-generation model of this aircraft, the Hawker III, is also called the New Hawk by the Air Force, while the corresponding old Hawker II fighter is called the Old Hawk.

This fighter was developed by the American Curtiss Company in April 1932.The aircraft adopts a single-engine, single-seat, double-wing metal structure and textile skin. It has a length of 4 meters, a wingspan of 6.88 meters, a height of 9.6 meters, an empty weight of 2.96 kg, and a maximum take-off weight of 1378 kg. It is powered by a WR-1874-1 propeller. Engine, top speed 1820 kilometers per hour, cruising speed 78 kilometers, practical ceiling 325 meters, climb rate 241 meters / minute; two 7650mm Browning M701 machine guns are installed on the nose, there are 7.62 pylons under the fuselage, and the ammunition load 1919kg
The other three bombers were also Sherlock A[-] bombers made in the United States. In the hangar, eleven pilots were anxiously waiting for the order to attack. He Wei was very lucky. He and Li Mo'an came up with this temporary air-to-air coordination. When the plan was notified to Taiyuan Airport, a group of fighter jets from Luoyang were just in time to transfer here. After the Air Force's northern commander Chen Qixia agreed to the attack plan of the Air Force, these planes were immediately transferred. Order to stop maneuvering, so as many as eight fighters participated in this air-to-air coordination!
As many as eight aircraft may sound a bit absurd. In general military operations, eight aircraft cannot bear the adjective "as many as many", but in today's North China, do not underestimate these eight aircraft. At present, the Chinese Air Force The main force of the Chinese Air Force is gathered in the Songhu area. These aircraft already account for half of the Chinese Air Force's combat power in the north!Apart from these aircraft on the runway, North China's air power consists only of some old-fashioned biplane reconnaissance aircraft.

On the tarmac, Air Force mechanics were carefully checking the mechanical condition of the aircraft. Several soldiers with live ammunition were standing by. Compared with most pilots of the Chinese Air Force, the Chinese Air Force's mechanical sergeants seemed very incompetent. The helper is not very competent in his usual job. As for the maintenance of aircraft that are not part of the fleet, he has always been able to do as he pleases.

However, last night, an order from the Northern Commander of the Air Force scared these guys - once the machinery is damaged and the battle fails, the mechanics will be punished immediately on the spot!

A bonfire was lit next to each aircraft to roast the engines so that the aircraft could take off as quickly as possible during an attack. The eleven pilots were studying the combat plan closely against the flight map.

Among them, the five fighter pilots from the No. 20 Squadron of the Air Force all spoke with Cantonese accents. The No. 20 Squadron of the Air Force was not from the Central Air Force of the People's Republic of China, but from the Guangdong Air Force. During the Guangdong-Guangxi Incident, all the Guangdong Air Force defected to the Central Committee. , so all the aircraft and pilots were centralized. These Hawker II fighter jets were also equipped by the original Guangdong Air Force. Although the equipment was poor, the combat effectiveness of these Guangdong pilots was quite good.

Just half a month ago, Captain Chen Qiguang, the previous captain of the No. 20 Eighth Squadron, shot down the Japanese destroyer Miwa Kuan in an air battle. The captain of the bomber team also had a certain fate with He Wei. Lieutenant Fan Guanghua, who accidentally discovered the marching column of the No. 16 Wing when he was returning home a few days ago, belongs to the No. 20 Seventh Squadron of the Air Force according to the organizational structure.

The No. 20 Eighth Squadron is an old-fashioned pursuit aircraft unit collected from the Guangdong Air Force. The No. 20 Seventh Squadron was hastily transferred to North China after suffering heavy losses on the Songhu battlefield. From this, we can also see that the Chinese Air Force is in North China. The embarrassment of air power.

"Captain Fan, the school balloons will be dealt with by our destroyers. You are responsible for attacking the Japanese troops on the ground."

The squadron leader of the No. 20 Eighth Squadron said to Fan Guanghua.

Fan Guanghua nodded: "The place we want to attack is at Yanzhuang. The Japanese army there was first discovered by me. You must also be careful when attacking. There are many enemy troops and they are likely to be equipped with anti-aircraft firearms. You must be careful."

The squadron leader of the 28th Squadron said: "Hitting the school launch balloon is not an air battle with the fighter planes. It is not a big problem. After destroying it, we will cooperate with you in bombing. Our five fighter planes always keep three planes at high altitude to guard against Japanese fighters. , and then took turns dropping bombs and strafing them. Although we were chase planes, the two hundred kilograms of aerial bombs we brought were enough for the Japanese to drink a pot."

"That's perfect. I've seen the terrain there. It's completely flat. It's different from the mountains in the center of Xinkou. It's very beneficial for bombing and strafing." Fan Guanghua, the leader of the bomber unit, said, with machine gun shooter Ye Gui next to him. Then he excitedly rubbed his hands and said loudly: "I ran into these Japanese soldiers when we returned last time. We didn't open fire last time and let them run away. This time we have to give them a good fight. Yesterday, our school conducted gun training five times." , we must defeat them today."

All aircraft were fully fueled and bombed. Two of the three Schreck bombers were carrying four 55-kilogram bombs, and the other was carrying ten 210-kilogram bombs. The same was true for the five Hawker II fighters. Bombs were added, and each fighter jet was equipped with a [-]-[-]-kilogram aerial bomb. The Chinese Air Force, which had a small number of aircraft, had to put fighter jets into bombing operations in order to maximize the combat potential of various fighter aircraft.

Suddenly, a sharp combat siren sounded in the airport, and the pilots immediately rushed out of the hangar and ran towards their respective fighter planes. Five minutes later, eight planes taxied out of the runway one after another and flew into the cloudless blue sky.

(End of this chapter)