The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 204 Bloody Battle in Tangshan 5

"Quick, quick, block all the observation openings, block them."

"Come and help someone, someone is injured."

The command post of the 956th Regiment was noisy. Several electric lights hanging on the roof of the command post kept swaying as the Japanese artillery shells landed and exploded. The whistling sound of grenades piercing the air, the sound of shell fragments colliding with sandbags and the outer wall of the command post. And when the smoke bomb falls to the ground and smokes, the strange sound like gas is intertwined and intertwined one after another.

The Japanese army's sudden shelling of the highland ridge position caused a lot of chaos to the 956th Regiment, and also brought the first batch of casualties to the officers and soldiers. Now the officers and soldiers in the command post are carrying sandbags to block the openings. The officers and soldiers also re-entered the shelters and anti-gun holes.

He Wei squatted on the ground and guarded the phone to the artillery observation station. Chen Xinsheng had just reported to him the situation of the artillery. The situation was really not optimistic. According to Chen Xinsheng's report, the observation station was no longer able to provide accurate shooting parameters for artillery shooting. And at the artillery positions placed on the reverse slope of the high ground, there were constant falling bombs.

In addition, artillery shells also began to bottom out. In the short but high-density round of continuous shelling during the Japanese attack just now, each of the four Snyder 75mm mountain guns of the 66th Army's mountain artillery company The guns fired more than fifty rounds, consuming almost half of the ammunition carried by the company. The two Japanese-made Type 41 mountain guns operated by the officers and soldiers of the artillery company of the secret service battalion also shot down more than forty rounds each. , also consumes nearly half.

This damage move of the Japanese is really useful. On the one hand, they shoot indiscriminately on the reverse slope to interfere with the firing of their own artillery. On the other hand, they resume the artillery bombardment on the highland ridge and shoot smoke bombs to interfere with the observation of the artillery observation station. I can only say that the Japanese on the opposite side are The artillery commander is also really tough and tough.

He Wei thought for a while. Now that the position was filled with smoke and shelling continued, Chen Xinsheng must not be able to accurately direct the artillery fire. The artillery position was also in danger of being attacked and destroyed. Moreover, his family foundation was too weak and the number of artillery shells was not very high. It's enough, and if we continue to fight, it will be a bit outweighed by the gains.

Although he was helpless, He Wei's only option now was to let the artillery cease fire and hide. However, this short-lived artillery raid still achieved a lot of results. He estimated that at least it caused more than 200 casualties to the attacking Japanese troops. human casualties.

"Get out, get out as soon as possible."

He Wei finally informed Chen Xinsheng that the artillery ceased fire and retreated. This short and efficient artillery attack ended. The order was conveyed layer by layer. The artillery on the reverse slope quickly stopped firing, closed the artillery, retreated, and returned to the concealed part.

The attacking Japanese infantry also took advantage of the chaos in the main position to gradually approach the high ground. As soon as He Wei hung up the phone, a second lieutenant officer of the 956th Regiment shouted from the command post: "Come up, charge up." Coming up, the Japanese will rush into the minefield soon.”

He Wei immediately rushed to the observation port, raised his telescope and looked through the gap at the observation port to look below the high ground. He saw that the Japanese troops, supported by artillery fire, were charging more and more fiercely and were about to reach the obstacle area below the high ground.

In front of the obstacle area, there is a minefield densely covered with various landmines. Artillery shells are constantly exploding in the minefield and obstacle area. He Wei knows that it is Japanese artillery conducting destructive shooting.

Looking at the Japanese troops getting closer and closer, He Wei knew that the mines should be deployed soon. A large number of various landmines were laid in this minefield, including pressure-fired mines, loose-fired mines, and electric shock mines produced by Guangdong Ishii Arsenal. Explosive mines, as well as emergency mines modified from explosive shells for the German 150mm field howitzer and infantry shells for the 70mm infantry gun for the Japanese 92 infantry gun.

He Wei also put a lot of thought into the layout of the minefield here. Needless to say, pressure-fired mines and loose-fired mines will explode if infantry steps on them. When the Japanese army attacks, they will inevitably use artillery to target those behind the minefield. Obstacles are destroyed and fired. Once an artillery shell accidentally falls into the minefield, those press-fire and loose-fire types will definitely be detonated. Even if there is no artillery shell to detonate, the Japanese forwards will rush to the minefield and detonate the mines, which will inevitably trigger the main force behind them. conduct demining operations with vigilance.

Therefore, He Wei simply muddied the water and mixed all kinds of landmines and all kinds of artillery shell-modified landmines together. You have me, and I have you. In this way, the survivability and power of the mines in this minefield will be greatly improved. Maximize talents.

Whether this minefield can hold up or not will be revealed soon.

"Come on, rush on."

"Kill."

The captain of the 6th Infantry Squadron of the 9th Regiment held his command knife high and roared to command the headquarters to attack. The more than 100 Japanese troops behind him also shouted to kill and rushed forward. When the Chinese army's artillery attack stopped, the charging The Japanese army rushed forward as fast as possible as if they were in uninhabited territory. After all, after the artillery fire stopped, the Chinese army's projected firepower was zero.

Not to mention the artillery shells, not even a bullet was fired. For the Japanese army, it was a good time to engage the enemy, and it was also a good opportunity to vent their anger. In the shelling just now, the Sixth Squadron was so badly bombed that the entire squadron There were more than 20 casualties, and a squad leader was also killed in the shelling. Now the Japanese soldiers in this squadron are holding back their energy, and they have the momentum to be the first to attack the high ground.

The 1st Squadron of the 20th Infantry Regiment was advancing hand in hand with the 9th Infantry Regiment 9th Regiment. When the squadron leader saw the soldiers from the neighboring regiment rushing ahead, he did not dare to fall behind and accelerated his command. Charge forward with your own troops.

For a moment, these two infantry squadrons, which were at the junction of the battle lines dividing the 9th Infantry Regiment and the 20th Infantry Regiment, faintly rushed through the entire front line and became the sharp point of the Japanese assault formation. An atmosphere of competition and fighting also spread among the charging formations of the two infantry squadrons.

"Charge forward, warriors of the Ninth Infantry Regiment, charge forward."

"Come on, members of the 20th Infantry Regiment, kill those Chinese soldiers."

"Let the Chinese see how powerful our Kyoto soldiers are."

"Men of Fukuchiyama, don't let those Kyoto soldiers look down on you. Charge forward."

More and more officers shouted slogans, which suddenly brought the assault competition to the table. As a result, the two infantry squadrons from different wings gained more momentum in attacking, and the two captains and squadron leaders all rushed forward. The strength sources of different infantry regiments of the Japanese army have strong regional characteristics.

The Ninth Infantry Regiment's wing area is in Kyoto, and all the soldiers are from Kyoto, while the wing area of ​​the 20th Infantry Regiment is in Fukuchiyama, so naturally all the soldiers are from Fukuchiyama, so the competition between the two squadrons has been added. A color of regional struggle.

The Japanese troops of these two squadrons charged forward desperately. The rumbling explosions of artillery shells and the sound of artillery shells flying through the air also sounded continuously in front and behind them. The Japanese artillery units covering the rear concentrated their firepower on these two infantrymen. Before the squadron's attack sharpened, in order to open a path forward for the charging Japanese infantry, the gunners of the wing artillery fired at the obstacle area below the high ground at almost the fastest firing rate.

A large number of barbed wire fences and Luzhai were blown to pieces by 75mm blasting grenades, and naturally a few of the continuous artillery shells accidentally hit the minefield in front of the obstacle area.

"Go ahead."

The Japanese troops of the 6th Squadron of the 9th Infantry Regiment and the 1st Squadron of the 20th Infantry Regiment saw that they were only a few hundred meters away from the obstacle area of ​​the Chinese army, and the regiment's artillery had already blasted several passages through the obstacle area. With red eyes and roaring, they charged forward. Suddenly, a 75mm mountain artillery shell landed in the open space about a hundred meters in front of the Chinese army's obstacle area.

Boom-boom-boom-boom

After the cannonball hit the ground and exploded, there was not just a popping sound. After the mountain cannonball exploded, a chain reaction occurred near the impact point of the cannonball. Four or five explosion points suddenly appeared on the ground.

"Be careful, there are mines ahead."

"Stop moving forward."

Several veteran Japanese sergeants who were rushing in front suddenly shouted loudly. These experienced veterans immediately saw that a deflected mountain shell accidentally detonated a mine laid by the Chinese army. Then the entire Japanese assault queue stopped like a sudden brake. down.

Due to the fierce rush, when the Japanese troops at the front stopped advancing, the Japanese troops behind were still shouting and running wildly, which once led to collisions and crowding. Fortunately, the Japanese sergeants and veterans stopped the charging team in time. , took control of the situation, and the two infantry squadrons that had been overwhelming just now stopped advancing. "Lie down on the spot, machine gunner, set up the machine gun, and notify the heavy machine gun squadron and infantry artillery squad behind to open fire and cover."

"The blasting tube, bring the blasting tube."

After stopping their advance, the two infantry squadrons called for cover and began to prepare for mine clearing and blasting. The light machine gunners of each infantry unit successively set up the Taisho 11-type light machine guns, and the grenade launchers began to take out the 89-type grenades. , loaded with fifty-millimeter-caliber grenades, and vigilantly observed the possible fire points of the Chinese army's light and heavy machine guns on the high ground.

Before the attack, the 16th Division had made full preparations for the attack. The blasting canisters that were only issued by the Engineer Regiment had been distributed to each infantry squadron. According to the original plan, these blasting canisters were used to hinder the Chinese army. The mines and machine gun bunkers were used for blasting operations. Now that the Chinese army's mines were discovered, they could only be used for minefield blasting first.

Soon, Japanese infantrymen holding blasting tubes began to advance forward and blast the minefields.

"Hurry up."

"First blow it up with the grenade barrel, then put on the blasting barrel."

The Japanese army is very efficient, adaptable and flexible. The 6th Squadron of the 9th Infantry Regiment and the 1st Squadron of the 20th Infantry Regiment, which were competing with each other just now, immediately chose to cooperate when faced with the minefield lying in front. , twelve grenadiers from two infantry squadrons crawled to the front and lined up in two rows. Following the firing orders of the two squadron leaders, twelve fifty-millimeter grenades flew out in response. cylinder.

Boom boom boom - boom boom boom

The fired grenades exploded in the minefield one after another, detonating several more mines and blasting out a long and narrow passage leading to the obstacle area of ​​the Chinese army.

"Fire the blasting barrel."

Dozens of infantrymen immediately replaced the grenade hand, connected the blasting tubes one by one, and pushed forward along the path opened by the grenade. After consuming dozens of blasting tubes, a line was finally piled up. A passage six meters wide and nearly a hundred meters long.

"Get down, get down."

"Ready, pull."

The Japanese infantry who had deployed the blasting tube quickly retreated, and the Japanese soldiers of the two infantry squadrons also retreated. They all fell to the ground. Captain Cao stayed at the end, pulled the detonating cord behind the blasting tube, and then rolled into a place. In the crater exploded by the mountain shell.

Hundreds of Japanese soldiers almost held their breath, waiting for the final moment of blasting. After about ten seconds, the Japanese soldiers lying on the ground felt a violent vibration coming from the ground.

Rumble - An earth-shattering sound came, and thick black smoke exploded on the passage lined with dozens of blasting tubes. The blasted dust and dense fog rose to a height of five or six meters. There were still continuous explosions in the thick smoke. The continuous mines were detonated by the violent vibrations caused by the flying sand, rocks and shrapnel produced by the explosion of the blasting tubes. Turf and soil were flying everywhere, and the rolled dust was blown back by the wind. The blasting had just ended, and the people rushing at the end were The Japanese squadron leader in front got up first and shouted orders to continue charging.

At this moment, the two infantry squadrons that had just been working together became competitive again, and began to rush towards the opened breach. Due to the limited space in the opened passage, there were too many charging Japanese troops, and a violent explosion set off The smoke and dust from the artillery fire had not yet dissipated. More than two hundred Japanese soldiers roared into the black smoke and thick fog, and the formation suddenly became crowded and chaotic.

The honor of being the first to attack the Chinese army's position had already caused these charging Japanese troops to lose their due sanity, and their forwards quickly rushed to the obstacle area of ​​the Chinese army.

This obstacle area composed of deer villages, barbed wire fences and high and low trip wires also opened several gaps under the bombardment of Japanese artillery. Several Japanese soldiers charging in front became red-eyed and got into the gaps with rifles. He chopped and moved the remaining undamaged obstacles with his saber, but he didn't expect that there were many open grenades tied to the deer villages tied with green branches.

The Japanese soldiers who were caught off guard detonated it while moving the Luzhai. Many Japanese soldiers were immediately killed by the exploding Gongzao long-handled grenade, and their flesh and blood flew everywhere. When the grenade exploded, the Luzhai to which it was attached was blown to pieces.

The sawdust and branch fragments produced after the Luzhai was blown up became the best tools for secondary killing. What was even more tragic than the Japanese soldiers who were directly killed because they were too close were those who were injured by small shrapnel and flying debris. The Japanese soldiers had their arms injured or their faces injured. Although they were not dead, they lost their ability to fight in extreme pain and could only wailing and crying on the ground.

A dozen grenades deployed on Luzhai in the obstacle area exploded. After nearly twenty casualties, the attack operations of the two Japanese infantry squadrons were once again suspended. The squadron leaders repeated the same order, which was to stop. Move forward, repeat the same trick, and use the blasting tube to destroy the obstacle area.

"Stop charging, don't go up and move the obstacles, use the blasting tube to blow up the obstacles."

"Everyone lie down, take cover, be on guard, be on guard."

In fact, so far, except for the temporary artillery group fired by He Wei, the defenders on the highlands have not fired a single shot at the Japanese army. Booby grenades have already made the attacking Japanese troops extremely embarrassed.

Needless to say, the destructive trick of hiding grenades on Luzhai was a trick that He Wei had started playing at the Battle of Xinkou. Now that it is used on the 16th Division, it can be regarded as a classic that will be passed down forever. .

The rumbling blasts of the blasting tubes sounded again. The Japanese soldiers from two infantry squadrons were crowded and crawling in the narrow passage. They quietly watched the Japanese infantrymen carrying the blasting tubes blasting the obstacle area. They also talked with many people. It is really cunning to yell at the Chinese military.

Although these two Japanese infantry squadrons that took the lead were defeated one after another and were full of surprises, they could still be regarded as exploring the way for the Japanese infantry who rushed behind.

After their charge, the twelve infantry squadrons on the entire front all realized that there was a large minefield in front of the Chinese army's obstacle area, so they all slowed down their attack and started clearing mines and breaking down obstacles. The last step in clearing mines and breaking down obstacles was A good method is bombing and bombing, that is, bombing with artillery shells and blasting with blasting tubes.

As a result, the firepower of the Japanese army on the battlefield became more intense, and many attacking infantry squadrons issued requests for strengthened artillery support. Of course, this request referred to the regiment artillery and group artillery, so the 9th Infantry Regiment and the infantry The artillery squadrons of the 20th Regiment advanced one after another.

For a time, the Type 41 mountain cannon of the wing artillery squadron began to fire at the minefield at the maximum firing speed after advancing. The Type 92 infantry cannon of each infantry brigade's artillery squad also tilted its firepower towards the minefield in a curved manner.

After the artillery opened the way, the grenadiers of each infantry squadron used Type 89 50mm grenade launchers to throw grenades to bombard the minefield. Just after the bombardment of the artillery and grenade launchers, Japanese infantrymen carrying blasting canisters swarmed up. Begin the final blasting blast.

In this short period of time, shrapnel from the 75th Mountain Cannon was flying horizontally, shrapnel from the 70mm infantry artillery shell was boiling, fragments of the 50mm grenade canister and blasting canister were scattered, and various loose-fired and detonated weapons were detonated. Pressure-fired landmines exploded like mushrooms after a rain.

On the top of the high ground and on the reverse slope of the high ground, the Japanese field artillery serving as cover was also firing fiercely. Thousands of artillery shells of various calibers hit the ground, and the top of the high ground seemed to be shaking.

After these violent explosions, one path after another for infantry assault was opened in the minefield. The remaining Japanese infantry also followed what they regarded as "safe" areas in the minefield. The path crawled forward and began to destroy the obstacle area.

At this moment, seeing that the Japanese infantry attack queue had all entered the minefield, He Wei put down his binoculars and showed an excited and somewhat cruel smile.

(End of this chapter)