The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 207 Bloody Battle in Tangshan 8

I have to say that the Japanese army's reaction speed and level of coordination with infantry and artillery are really good.

The ten Japanese infantry squadrons that were bombed in the minefield had just recovered and began to try to rescue the 6th Squadron of the 9th Infantry Regiment and the 20th Infantry Regiment that were blocked below the high ground. The remnants of a squadron.

The 9th Infantry Regiment Captain Katagiri Gurō and the 20th Infantry Regiment Captain Ohno Nobuaki saw this and were anxious in their hearts. They had just witnessed their troops being blasted into the sky by the Chinese army's landmines. At least the troops' The formation is still there, but the casualties are higher. However, the two infantry squadrons blocked by the Chinese army below the high ground are in danger of being wiped out at any time and at any time.

During the attack, these two infantry squadrons were still fully equipped and were at the forefront. However, now only more than fifty people were beaten, huddled precariously beneath the Chinese army's position. It was so miserable.

Especially the commander of the 9th Regiment, Gurō Katagiri, when he arrived at the forward artillery observation post and saw the miserable condition of his men through the artillery mirror, his blood pressure skyrocketed. Previously, the third infantry brigade under his command had been completely wiped out by the Chinese army. Now, now Seeing that another infantry squadron was about to be wiped out by the Chinese army, how could we not be anxious?

In order to rescue the remnants as soon as possible, the captain of the 9th Regiment, Katagiri Gurou, contacted the 20th Regiment Captain Ohno Nobuaki and decided to fight together to rescue the trapped troops.

After analyzing the situation on the battlefield, the two came to the conclusion that what caused the heavy losses to the two infantry squadrons that attacked was the extremely dense and extremely violent light and heavy machine gun firepower of the Chinese army. Although this extremely dense and extremely violent description is It's a slight exaggeration, but it is true. Compared with the Chinese army, the firepower of the Japanese army's light machine guns is much inferior. At present, the vast majority of the Japanese infantry squadrons adopt a six-light-six-throw organization. The so-called six-light six-throw, that is, a The squadron is equipped with six light machine guns and six grenade launchers, while each infantry company of the 956th Regiment is equipped with nine light machine guns. The light machine gun firepower is much more than that of the Japanese army.

In addition, the light and heavy machine guns of the 956th Regiment used tracer bullets when shooting. Nearly a hundred red and green machine gun ballistics intertwined with each other condescendingly. The visual effect caused by the swinging strafing was quite shocking. The two captains concluded that " "Very violent" judgment is also reasonable.

In response to this situation, the two regiment captains issued an order to their subordinates: after the ten infantry squadrons at the front were reorganized in the minefield, they built simple fortifications on the spot and concentrated all firepower to suppress the Chinese army's light and heavy machine gun firepower on the highlands. The heavy machine guns of each brigade, as well as the Type 41 mountain cannon of the wing artillery squadron, the Type 92 infantry cannon of the brigade artillery squadron, and the Type 94 rapid-fire cannon of the rapid-fire artillery squadron, tried their best to suppress the Chinese army's machine guns on the high ground.

After receiving the order, the regiment artillery, brigade artillery, heavy machine guns, and rapid-fire artillery that covered the Japanese infantry attack all moved forward, surpassing the infantry who were lying down in the minefield to reorganize their ranks, and reached the front line, using the fastest speed. Pour ammunition at the Chinese army's firepower points on the high ground at high speed.

The ten Japanese infantry squadrons that had just restored order and licked their wounds did not make any concessions. They used rifles and light machine guns to suppress fire on the high ground. Although it was impossible to achieve precise shooting, the purpose of these Japanese troops was only to make a general attack. The purpose of fire suppression is to use various light and heavy firearms and artillery to suppress the Chinese army's machine gun fire on the highland ridge line with fiery and violent firepower, so as to provide the remaining space for the sixth squadron of the 9th Infantry Regiment and the first squadron of the 20th Infantry Regiment. More than fifty Japanese troops created an opportunity to retreat and break through.

Therefore, as a result of the sudden fire attack on the high ground and the destruction of a heavy machine gun and several light machine guns of the 956th Regiment, 6.5 mm caliber rifle bullets, light machine gun bullets, 7.7 mm caliber Type 92 heavy machine gun shells, 37mm Type 94 rapid-fire artillery shells, 70mm Type 92 infantry artillery shells, 75mm Type 41 mountain artillery shells, no matter whether they can hit or not, they are all free of charge. After greetings from the ground, the light and heavy machine gun fire of the 956th Regiment had to stop.

The more than fifty remaining Japanese troops who were struggling to hide under the high ground saw the hope of survival. The commander, Captain Sakamoto, immediately ordered the troops to retreat and break out in units. As a result, what Fu Chen saw in the telescope was In one scene, some Japanese soldiers fled backwards like crazy.

"Damn, that was fast."

Fu Chen looked at more and more Japanese troops on the open ground and cursed. As soon as he led the secret service platoon and mortar platoon to occupy the position, the blocked Japanese troops began to flee back. The machine guns of the secret service platoon could barely force the enemy to retreat. The Japanese troops were hit, but they were unable to block the Japanese troops' retreat. The only thing that could be done was the French-made Bayi artillery of the 81mm mortar platoon, but now the mortar platoon has not even deployed its gun mount.

Fu Chen was very anxious, thinking that if the Japanese soldiers were let go, how would he explain to He Wei? !

"Ye Laosan, Ye Laosan, come here quickly."

Fu Chen quickly called Ye Laosan, commander of the first mortar platoon of the Secret Service Artillery Company, pointed at the fleeing Japanese soldiers and asked: "We have to kill them now. Can you blow them up and kill them?" Seal the mouth?"

Ye Laosan was also the officer that Fu Chen helped He Wei recruit from the military hospital. He was in his forties and from Guangdong. He originally served as the warrant officer deputy platoon leader of the mortar platoon in the 90th Division of the Fourth Army of the Army. He was seriously injured during the battle to defend Luodian in Shanghai and was sent to a hospital in Nanjing for emergency treatment.

This Fourth Army also has a good background. It is a semi-centralized force with a long history. It is the direct line of Xue Yue's troops. Its predecessor was the old "Iron Fourth Army" during the Northern Expedition.

This Ye Laosan has no education. He has been a soldier for many years and joined the army during the Eastern and Northern Expeditions. He is only good at playing mortars. He does not need special sights and can shoot with the naked eye and thumb range measurement. He was a good gunner. He Wei saw that he was very capable and promoted him to second lieutenant and platoon leader.

Fu Chen had no choice but to force Ye Laosan to have sex.

Ye Laosan just glanced at it, patted his chest and said, "Sir, no problem."

"Then do it quickly. We must block them and don't let any of them escape."

Ye Laosan ran to the artillery position, drove away several gunners, directly held the 81mm mortar barrel without the gun mount with his left hand, and raised his right hand to quickly make a preliminary estimate using the eye-jumping method. distance,

The mortar gunners on the side also handed over 81mm mortar shells with packed powder. They took the shells handed to them with their right hands and fired one after another, one after another. The one-millimeter mortar shells were projected, and the first few rounds were all shot away. Ye Laosan also continued to adjust the gun body according to the impact point of the missed bombs, and fired more than a dozen shells in succession, and the last five or six shells were fired. The August 1st mortar shells either hit the fleeing Japanese troops or hit the breach in the obstacle area, causing blood and flesh to fly everywhere and causing screams.

"Well done, well done, Ye Laosan, I will let the battalion commander take credit for you later."

Seeing that the fleeing Japanese army was hit by the bomb, Fu Chen happily gave Ye Laosan a thumbs up.

In the bursts of violent explosions, the fleeing detachment of Japanese troops was blown up to pieces. Only two or three who were lucky enough not to be killed turned around and fled back to the bottom of the high ground. At this time, other members of the mortar platoon An August 1st mortar was also prepared for regular firing. The seat plate and gun mount were installed, and the firing parameters of the artillery were adjusted according to Ye Laosan's shooting effect.

After Ye Laosan stopped shooting, he then opened fire at the breach in the obstacle area, completely blocking the Japanese army's retreat with firepower.

Fu Chen was thankful and ordered the two mortars to fire in turn. They would fire at the breach at intervals to prevent the Japanese from retreating calmly. This interval could be a few seconds, or it could be more than ten seconds, or dozens of seconds. , even for a minute.

As a result, this method was indeed effective. When the Japanese troops huddled below the high ground saw that the first retreating unit was attacked by Chinese mortars, they did not dare to retreat. They waited until the few surviving members of this unit ran back. Later, they saw that the Chinese army's mortars fired at the breach at irregular intervals and at uncertain times.

At this moment, no one dared to retreat back. Even the commander, Captain Sakamoto, had temporarily given up the idea of ​​breaking out and retreating. After all, no one dared to risk their lives. Of course, the worst ones were those near the breach. Japanese corpses.

In the initial attack, a large number of Japanese soldiers were killed by the light and heavy machine guns of the 956th Regiment on the highlands. Many corpses were piled up near the breakthrough. There were also many dead Japanese soldiers hanging on Luzhai.

Now that mortar shells are constantly hitting the vicinity of the breach, these corpses will continue to bear the "cannon shell whipping corpses," and soon they will be torn into pieces and even become disgusting minced meat.

The situation on the battlefield entered a stalemate. On the one hand, the Japanese army fired fierce firepower at the high ground, suppressing the light and heavy machine gun firepower of the 956th Regiment in an attempt to create a way for the more than 50 Japanese troops trapped below the high ground. Conditions for retreat.

On the other hand, although the tit-for-tat Chinese army was suppressed by the Japanese firepower below the high ground, it sent an infantry platoon and a mortar platoon around to the side of the highland, using the cover of the mountain to use mortar firepower. The breakthrough point for the retreat of the remaining Japanese troops was blocked.

For a time, the firepower of both sides came back and forth. Unable to hold on, the Japanese regiment artillery, brigade artillery, and rapid-fire artillery that kept firing at the high ground quickly used up the few ammunition they carried, and they all applied to the main force of the regiment for additional artillery shells. .

Even the ammunition of the Type 92 heavy machine gun accompanying the infantry attack has bottomed out. Reports from various units applying for ammunition replenishment were continuously sent to the wing headquarters of the 9th and 20th Wings. The two wing captains also made a decision. Determined to rescue the Japanese troops trapped in the high ground, they dispatched the baggage team of the regiment and the baggage team of each brigade to replenish ammunition of various calibers to the front line.

The Chinese army was not much better here. Fu Chen, who was directing two mortars on the flank of the high ground to fire to block the retreat of the Japanese army, soon discovered that the shells had bottomed out and quickly sent people back to collect the mortars. By the way, he also sent the secret agents Another 81mm mortar platoon from the battalion's artillery company was mobilized to block the retreat of the Japanese army with more intense mortar fire.

Until now, both China and Japan have suffered almost no new casualties. It can even be said to be zero casualties. The current battle situation between the two sides is simply a firepower battle to annihilate or rescue the more than 50 Japanese troops in the highlands and underground. There is no There was no flesh and blood among the casualties, only lots of ammunition thrown out.

Of course, the people with the greatest psychological pressure on the battlefield are the more than 50 Japanese soldiers led by Captain Sakamoto. They are huddled under the high ground, hiding in blind corners and behind rocks. He stood there and watched helplessly as the dense hail of bullets from his own side hit the high ground of the Chinese army.

They also watched the Chinese artillery shells fired from unknown directions exploding continuously on the only way to retreat, but they could do nothing. To charge at the high ground of the Chinese army was to seek death, and to retreat was also to seek death. There was nothing they could do All we can do is hide here and watch both sides throw away their ammunition.

In the command post above the high ground, Cai Rubai looked down the high ground through the small gap in the observation port, then hammered the sandbags heavily and cursed: "Damn it, there was not enough preparation time, I should have been under the high ground if I had known. Build some landmines in the blind spots and blow up these carrot heads."

Facing the Japanese troops hiding under the blind corner of the high ground, He Wei was quite helpless for a while. If he attacked with guns and cannons, they would probably be unable to hit them. If he sent infantry to rush down and annihilate them, that would be even more idiotic.

He was afraid that as soon as the infantry rushed out without even seeing the faces of the Japanese soldiers, they would be shot down by the Japanese army's intensive gunfire. For a time, He Wei felt a little paralyzed in the face of these disgusting guys hiding. Just when everyone in the command post was worried, a gunshot was suddenly heard from the high ground, followed by an explosion. The major of the 956th Regiment looked down and immediately reported to Cai Rubai and He Wei: "Sir, I don't know. A certain battalion's mortar platoon opened fire without authorization and fired a yellow phosphorus shell from the 82 mortar. It hit nothing and landed in the middle of the high ground and caught fire."

He Wei went over to take a look, and saw a white smoke flower rising on the hillside below the high ground, surrounded by fire and white smoke, which was the effect of the yellow phosphorus bomb of the August 2nd mortar.

This thing is another kind of ammunition produced by Jinling Arsenal for the 20-year-old 82 mortar. The phosphorus powder filled in the bullet will start to spontaneously ignite when it encounters air. When it is consumed, all skin and flesh will be burned away, and the smoke will It also contains highly toxic substances. This shell can be used as a smoke bomb, an incendiary bomb, an arson bomb, or even a chemical bomb.

However, the yellow phosphorus filled in the projectile had to be imported from abroad, so the output was very small. Before the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, more than 50,000 rounds were produced. Therefore, most of the 82 mortars in the army were only used for explosive grenades.

"Go and find out which battalion they are from and tell them that no one is allowed to open fire without orders. Anyone who dares to open fire without authorization will immediately implement battlefield discipline and be shot on the spot."

Cai Rubai cursed angrily, and the Major's regiment auxiliary immediately called to inquire. The result was quickly found out. It turned out that the 956th Regiment had been suppressed and beaten by the Japanese for too long. One of the mortar soldiers was really angry and opened fire. I wanted to vent my anger with one shot, but this shot was fired, but not even a Japanese soldier was hit. Moreover, this shot also caused artillery fire from the Japanese army. The mortar fortification that opened fire was discovered by the Japanese army, and then there was A heavy barrage of artillery fire accurately hit the position where the mortars were fired.

Thanks to the solid fortifications, although the mortars were not damaged, half of the mortar squad was destroyed in the bombardment, which made Cai Rubai furious and spewed obscenities.

However, when He Wei looked at the smoke and fire that could not be dissipated for a long time, a spark suddenly flashed in his mind. He thought of a good way to deal with the Japanese troops in the high ground and underground, which could also be said to be a damaging way.

"Sir, I have a solution. I have a solution that may be able to deal with the dozens of Japs below the high ground."

He Wei said to Cai Rubai.

Cai Rubai's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked: "What method do you want to use, how to fight? What do you need?"

"Sir, it's too late to say anything. The situation is urgent. You just have to wait and see. I don't need too many things. Get me a few big bags of sugar and twenty yellow phosphorus bombs for the 82nd mortar. And two boxes of explosives.”

After He Wei finished speaking, he grabbed the phone to the tank company and began to communicate with the tank company. Although Cai Rubai didn't understand He Wei's intention, he ordered someone to go down and do it. The two of them split up and got together in a short time. got what He Wei wanted.

Cai Rubai sent someone to move three large bags of sugar, twenty mortar shells, and two boxes of TNT explosives into the command post. A few minutes later, the tank company commander Zhao Huzhen sent someone to deliver five large barrels of gasoline and two barrels of engine oil.

People in the command post gathered around these things, and Monk Du Zhanger was confused. Only He Wei first opened the lid of the gasoline barrel, and then opened the sugar bag, showing a ferocious smile.

"Batalion Commander, it's so sweet."

Tao Heiwa, the messenger, immediately took out a hand of sugar and stuffed it into his mouth, with a satisfied look on his face.

He Wei slapped his helmet directly and said, "Don't be greedy. I'll show you what Japanese barbecue is later."

No one in the command post really understood the purpose of He Wei's acquisition of these things. He Wei didn't have time to explain. He directly asked them to pack up these things. The method of packing them up was not difficult, including sugar, mortar shells, engine oil, and explosives. All were divided into five equal parts and used with five barrels of gasoline. Sugar and engine oil were poured into the gasoline barrels, and mortar bombs and explosives were tied to the gasoline barrels.

What He Wei created is actually a simple version of napalm. Gasoline plus sugar is the most primitive napalm. Mortar yellow phosphorus bombs and explosives can further increase its explosive power and combustion effect. Motor oil can It can slow down the evaporation of gasoline. Together, these things form a monkey version of earth-made napalm.

When everything was ready, Cai Rubai had come to his senses and asked He Wei repeatedly: "You want to use gasoline to burn the Japanese to death? Then why did you add sugar? How did you explode this gasoline barrel? Use If the explosive is detonated, it is impossible to control the detonation time by condescendingly throwing the gasoline barrel below the high ground. It is useless to explode it in advance."

He Wei gave him a reassuring look, and then connected the phone to the fortification where Captain Chen of the anti-aircraft gun company was located.

"Hey, find me your company commander, company commander Chen."

"Commander He, what are your instructions?"

"To make a long story short, you should have seen that there are dozens of Japs hiding under the high ground and we can't hit them. Now I've got five barrels of gasoline and I'm going to burn them to death. I know that your Sulotong machine gun has armor-piercing capabilities. "Incendiary bombs, the task of detonating the gasoline barrels will be left to you. My order to you is to follow the command throughout the process and shoot the gasoline barrels first. The timing of firing is under my control. After shooting the gasoline barrels, follow my orders to shoot other targets."

"I understand, don't worry."

Over the phone, Captain Chen of the anti-aircraft artillery company suddenly became energetic when he heard that there was a combat mission, and immediately issued combat orders to all the artillery in the company. In fact, the artillerymen of this company had long been looking forward to participating in the battle, and there was no need to make any preparations at all. The machine gun was pushed to the firing port, the sandbags were pulled away, and combat preparations were quickly completed.

On He Wei's side, the soldiers of the 956th Regiment's Special Agent Platoon carried the five modified gasoline barrels to the trench next to the command post under gunfire. He Wei kept the phone open with Captain Chen of the anti-aircraft gun company. On the one hand, Tao Heiwa was asked to hold the whistle and act as the signal initiator for pushing the gasoline barrel.

"Captain He, our company is ready for battle."

Company Commander Chen's call came over the phone. There was nothing to say. He Wei immediately gave the order to push the gasoline barrel.

"Hei Wa, push down."

Tao Hewa blew the whistle with all her strength, and the sharp whistle quickly spread to the trench next to the command post. After receiving the order, the soldiers of the 956th Regiment's Special Agent Platoon immediately connected heavy gasoline barrels from the outer edge of the trench. Pulling, pushing and kicking, the five huge gasoline cylinders immediately rolled down the slope.

"Company Commander Chen, it's up to you. Take aim and wait for my order to fire."

He Wei held the phone tightly and shouted.

In the anti-aircraft gun battery command post, Captain Chen had already seen the five green gasoline barrels through the telescope, rolling down the hillside crookedly, hitting rocks on the hillside from time to time, jumping up and down quickly, and making a loud sound. There was a loud banging sound.

Company Commander Chen picked up another phone and ordered: "The whole company has them, aim at the gasoline barrels, armour-piercing incendiary bombs, and fire when ordered."

Next to Company Commander Chen, a Sulotong machine gun, which serves as the benchmark gun for the entire company, has begun to take aim. With loud and standard battle commands, all the Sulotong machine gun gunners in various combat positions started to move.

The fourth gunner sitting in the aiming seat immediately started to move his hands after hearing Captain Chen's command. He shook the direction wheel vigorously with his left hand, and held the high and low wheel tightly with his other hand. He stared at the sight with angry eyes. The white cross in the center was aimed at the gasoline barrels. As the wheel continued to rotate, the muzzle of the Sulotong machine gun moved slowly, aiming at these moving gasoline barrels just like when shooting at an aircraft.

The fifth gunner was twisting the speed dividing screw while staring at the colorful advance measuring cylinder. The other gunners were also skillfully performing aiming operations. Some were staring at the brass distance dividing gyro, and some were looking at the distance. Graduation plate.

Whether it is the gunner, Captain Chen of the anti-aircraft gun company, or He Wei, Cai Rubai and others in the command post, they are all in high tension. Everyone is staring nervously at the five gasoline barrels. Whenever there is a collision between the gasoline barrels, Or the gasoline barrel would bounce off a rock on the hillside and make a loud clang-dong-dong sound, which would make everyone's hearts pound, fearing that something might happen to the gasoline barrel.

As time passed, the five gasoline barrels were getting closer and closer to the bottom of the highland. ． ． ． ． ． ． ． ． ．

(End of this chapter)