The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 175 Tank No. [-]

Probably not long after the secret service camp had just settled down, around four o'clock in the afternoon, the tank company that He Wei was looking forward to finally arrived at the Army Artillery School.

After the entire Songhu battlefield collapsed, the National Army's Army Armored Corps was also ordered to retreat to Changsha, Hunan. The main force of the Armored Corps had already withdrawn, leaving only one tank company on standby in Nanjing to assist in the battle. This tank company was in accordance with the It is the third tank company under Du Yuming's Army Armored Corps.

This time, the third tank company and a tank defense artillery platoon from the Armored Corps' tank defense artillery battalion were jointly organized into the Nanjing Garrison Army's battle artillery team.

This time, in order to prevent He Wei's special agent battalion from being unable to support itself, General Xiao finally won the artillery team from General Tang after hard work and assigned it to He Wei's special agent battalion for combat.

The scale of this battle artillery team is also huge. Chariots, tractors, and trucks are lined up in a long queue on the road. Coupled with the chariots, the roar of the truck's engine is no more than a company of chariots. Momentum, its power can also be called magnificent.

"welcome."

He Wei organized brothers from several companies and stood at the entrance of the artillery school to greet him. Soon, the attached artillery team completely drove into the artillery school. A gray tank at the head of the group drove into the artillery school. He stopped not far from He Wei.

He Wei took a closer look and saw that this tank was not big. It was all gray. There was a large searchlight in front of the low body. The turret was not equipped with artillery, but two machine guns. He Wei could tell at a glance. , this thing is the main tank used by Germany when it blitzes Poland, equipped with two mg[-] light machine guns.

In order to circumvent the restrictions of the Versailles Contract when this type of tank was developed, it was actually developed in the name of a military tractor. It was designed in 1932 and mass-produced in 1934. It was originally only used as a new generation of German military tractors. A training vehicle used in armored combat and technology. Although it appeared fragile in combat performance, between September 1939 and December 9, the Panzer I still accounted for a considerable proportion of German tanks and was put into use during the period. Used in major battles, such as the Spanish Civil War, Poland, France, the Soviet Union, and the North African battlefields of World War II.

This kind of light tank was really not popular on the battlefields of World War II, but it has been active on various battlefields. He Wei's deepest impression of this type of tank was not its original combat model equipped with machine guns and light cannons, but Various types of German auxiliary vehicles modified from their chassis.

For example, the No. 150 ammunition transport vehicle with its turret removed, the No. 47 flamethrower tank with the machine gun removed and a flamethrower installed, the No. [-] anti-aircraft gun tank with a [-]mm anti-aircraft gun, and the modified sig-type [-]mm heavy infantry tank. Self-propelled artillery vehicles with guns, and even self-propelled anti-tank artillery vehicles equipped with [-]mm anti-tank guns, etc., can be called the snake oil on the battlefield.

Speaking of which, the earliest model of this vehicle did not even have combat capabilities. It was a pure training tank. Its manufacturer was Krupp. It had a crew of 2, a weight of 3.5 tons, a length of 4.02 meters, and a width of 2.06 tons. 1.15 meters, [-] meters high.

The engine is Krupp M305, 59 horsepower, 44 kilowatts, the gearbox is 5 front and rear, and the speed is 37 kilometers per hour. The journey is 145 kilometers, without weapons and equipment. The armor thickness is 13 mm on the front and rear sides of the car body and 6 mm on the top.

The suspension system on each side consists of a driving wheel, four road wheels, three supporting pulleys, and an inducer wheel. The Chinese army purchased the No. 1.72 A tank with a turret added on this basis and installed it. After the turret, the vehicle height increased to 7.92 meters, and the weapons equipped were two 13 mm MG2250 machine guns with 13 rounds of ammunition. Superstructure armor 5.4 mm. The weight has increased to [-] tons.

Although I'm a little disappointed with this thing that has guns but no cannons, China doesn't have any decent tanks at the moment. Forget it, it would be nice to have something useful.

"Batalion Commander He and Commander Zhao Huzhen of the Third Company of the Army's Armored Corps Tank Vehicles were ordered to report that the entire company and a platoon from the Armored Corps' Tank Defense Artillery Battalion have arrived."

He Wei immediately returned the greeting. Although this company commander was now under his command, the officers of the armored force were of a higher rank than those of the infantry force. They were also company commanders. The company commander of the infantry company was usually a captain, but the armored force's combat vehicle The company commander has the rank of major. They have the same military rank, and He Wei can't show off.

Then, Zhao Huzhen began to introduce the situation of his tank company to He Wei.

The combat organization of the tank company is: company headquarters (two command vehicles), reconnaissance squad (twelve motorcycles), three tank platoons (five tanks each), a supply platoon (ten vehicles), The entire company consists of [-] new German five-ton parallel twin machine gun tanks and [-] "Chundapura" two-wheeled and three-wheeled motorcycle equipment.

In other words, this company of tanks is equipped with seventeen No. 37 tanks, a dozen three-wheeled motorcycles and ten cars. The tank defense artillery platoon that follows the tank company is also completely motorized, equipped with two German-made guns. [-]mm tank defense gun and four German Mercedes-Benz off-road military tractors.

Good guy, He Wei looked at all the German military vehicles. After this tank company and tank defense gun platoon were assigned to him, the troops under his command were completely motorized.

I chatted with the major tank company commander, and met several platoon leaders of the company. The three platoon leaders of the tank company are also graduates of the ninth batch of Huangpu Military Academy. During the conversation with them, He Wei actually also knew some inside stories about the Armored Corps.

It turns out that the Armored Corps has three battalions, namely the tank battalion, the search battalion and the tank defense artillery battalion. The tank battalion has 4 companies, of which the 1st, 2nd and 3rd are tank companies, and the 4th company is supply. Company, in addition to the four tank companies, there is also a communications platoon, a special agent platoon, and a search platoon. The commander of the tank battalion has the rank of colonel, and the battalion headquarters also has a guard platoon, a reconnaissance platoon, and a communications squad.

Among the three tank companies, the first company is equipped with British-made Vickers MKE light tanks, the second company is equipped with British-made Vickers-Cardenloyd amphibious tanks, and the third company is equipped with British-made Vickers-Cardenloyd amphibious tanks. It is Zhao Huzhen's company, which is equipped with the German-made No. [-] tank.

According to Zhao Huzhen, a few days ago the commander of the Armored Corps, General Du Yuming, was summoned by the supreme leader to inquire about the status of the Armored Corps and asked the Armored Corps to leave a company of tanks to defend the capital. According to General Du, it should be Keep the amphibious tank of the Second Company of the Armored Corps. After all, this type of tank has the ability to float across the Yangtze River. If it comes to a critical moment, the worst case scenario is to directly cross the Yangtze River.

However, the supreme leader, the principal, actually believed that German tanks had the best performance, and had to keep the third company of tanks equipped with German-made No. [-] tanks. Later, General Du applied to Minister He of the Ministry of Military Affairs for reconsideration on this matter, but in the end it was not possible. After all, Zhao Huzhen's company was left in Nanjing in a daze. He Wei was also a little speechless about this. Perhaps the decision made by the above might have their own unique considerations.

After a simple welcome ceremony, He Wei ordered the chariot troops to enter the warehouse and stand by. At this time, Chen Xinsheng also returned with several carts of food and drink. He bought a dozen large black pigs, as well as a large number of chickens and sheep. Eggs, vegetables, and even two oxen were brought back.

According to the news brought by Chen Xinsheng, when he led his troops to purchase on the Xintang front line, he found that this small town on the outskirts of Nanjing had fallen into panic about the war, and almost half of the people in the town had fled.

Chen Xinsheng asked a few people to ask questions, and then he realized that these people were all heading to Nanjing. They had heard that Nanjing was selling ferry tickets, and they all planned to go to Nanjing to buy tickets and take a boat across the river. , all kinds of vegetables are sold at extremely cheap prices. Of course, the spy camp is very rich now, and Chen Xinsheng naturally does not do anything to compete with the people for profit, and there is no bargaining in any purchase or sale.

However, Chen Xinsheng also brought some bad news to He Wei, that is, many fleeing people had already seen the Japanese army, which also meant that the spy battalion was afraid that it would not take a few days to engage with the enemy.

Regardless of the enemy situation brought back by buying vegetables, He Wei immediately ordered the meal to be served. The ingredients purchased by Chen Xinsheng were added to the various rice and white noodles left in the artillery school. More than 1000 brothers went into battle together and quickly prepared excellent dishes. .

Since he was about to fight the Japanese army desperately, He Wei had absolutely no reason to starve the soldiers. Moreover, he now commanded not only the special agent battalion, but also two automobile companies, the tank company and the tank defense artillery platoon of the armored corps. As a The host was naturally more generous, so in the evening, the artillery school was filled with the aroma of meat, and more than 1000 brothers enjoyed an excellent dinner in the canteen of the artillery school.

Naturally, the officers and soldiers had a good meal, but He Wei was a little absent-minded. It is interesting to say that when the tank company and tank defense gun platoon arrived at the artillery school, He Wei was in a trance for a moment. .

My brothers in the secret service battalion wear German-made steel helmets, and the weapons they use are German-made speed machines, flower machine guns, and Czech-made rifles that are imitations of Mauser standard rifles. They are assigned to my two car companies and equipped with them. They were all large trucks imported from Germany. Even the auto soldiers were wearing German steel helmets, and their self-defense weapons were German fast-slow machine pistols.

Not to mention the tank companies and tank defense artillery platoons, all German tanks, trucks, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, anti-tank guns, the firearms used are medium and high-speed machines, and the military uniforms are quite German.

If it weren't for the fact that the brothers in military uniforms all had yellow oriental faces, He Wei would have felt like he was on a European battlefield. How to command his troops and what tactics he should use for his troops were still faced before him. Right question.

Even the troops he is now subordinate to have a German flavor inside and out.

First, it is its own special agent battalion, which currently has three infantry companies, an artillery company and a special agent platoon, a communications platoon, and then a tank company, which has seventeen tanks and one auxiliary vehicle, and then a tank. The defensive artillery platoon is equipped with two German-made 37mm anti-tank guns and an auxiliary vehicle. Finally, there are the two car companies equipped with more than 100 German-made trucks.

The formation of the subordinate troops was quite chaotic, and it even reminded He Wei of a tactical term - battle group.

The tactical term battle group means that the sub-units of a combat unit are composed of troops from different combat units. The fundamental reason for the emergence of this tactical term lies in the advancement of military warfare technology and the evolution of war forms. The original single unit of arms Fixed-organization troops are no longer able to meet the needs of modern warfare.

The person who carried forward the concept of tactical groups was undoubtedly the German army during World War II.

Although the "battle group" is a small military establishment, there is no limit on the number of people in the actual establishment. Many of them were temporarily formed to meet the needs of the war at that time. The establishments ranged from large to small, some as many as tens of thousands, and some only Three or five people, typically such as the "Pip Battle Group", "Dietrich Armored Group", "Courland Battle Group", and the "Anti-Tank Hunting Group" in the later stages of the war, all belong to this type of battle group Establishment.

To put it more simply, a battle group is a group of combat units from different armies mixed together for a temporary combat goal, and a temporary unified command structure is established for unified command.

The most typical and most famous example of the German army is the Battle Group Pipe during the Battle of the Ardennes. Battle Group Pipe consists of the 1st Battalion of the 1st SS Armored Regiment, the 2rd Battalion of the 3nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, and the 501st SS Heavy Duty. Armored battalion, 1nd Battalion of the 2st SS Armored Artillery Regiment, 1rd Company of the 3st SS Armored Engineer Battalion, in addition to the 84th Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion of the Air Force, which was also under his command, almost concentrating the 1st SS "Adolf Hitler SS-Leibstandarte" "Much of the best of the Armored Division.

Among them, the four armored companies of the 1st SS Armored Battalion are equipped with a full complement of 4 Pzkpfw-IV medium tanks or Panther tanks, and the 17st Heavy Armored Battalion of the German Wehrmacht is equipped with a full complement of 501 King Tiger tanks. This battle group has a total of about 45 officers and soldiers, 5 tanks, 117 armored vehicles, 149 6 mm artillery, 150 18 mm artillery, and 105 anti-aircraft guns. Its strength is not unpowerful.

The higher-level German army's first-level armored combat group has a larger and more complex organization, often consisting of a number of subordinate motorized corps and various miscellaneous units.

He Wei now looks at his subordinates who are full of monkey version of Germany. Somehow, he also has the idea of ​​creating a monkey version of the battle group. Although it is not as good as the Germans, he still wants to There are chariots, infantry and infantry, artillery and artillery. It is not impossible to create a "He Wei" battle group.

The training ground is ready-made. The training ground of Tangshan Artillery School can accommodate not only a battalion, but also two infantry divisions. The time is right, the place is right, and the people are there. The idea of ​​​​organizing troops and reorganizing the troops under his command according to the thinking of a battle group for training became more and more intense.

(End of this chapter)