The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 85: Air Reconnaissance
After a morning of emergency reorganization, the No. 16 Regiment, which had completed its preparations, embarked on the march towards Yongxing Village. The [-]th Regiment not only completed the replenishment of weapons, ammunition and baggage and food, but also received support from the artillery attached to the corps. Enhance.

During the march, an artillery squadron from the Fourth Battalion of the Second Field Artillery Regiment was ordered to join the march of the No. 16 Regiment. This squadron was equipped with the latest Type 16 [-]mm howitzers. It will be used to enhance the artillery firepower to cooperate with the No. [-] Wing.

People, mules and horses, baggage trains, artillery, artillery carts, ammunition carts, infantry artillery, regiment artillery, and rapid-fire artillery gathered together to form a long, winding dragon, moving slowly in the direction of Yongxing Village.

The battle in other directions of Xinkou is still going on fiercely. The cannons are rumbling. It is called the combat preparation march. In fact, the intensity is not much stronger than the brigade preparation march trained on weekdays. Among the marching teams of the [-]th Regiment, there are still There were many Chinese coolies who were forcibly recruited.

Some of these captured farmers drove their own carriages and were forced to load heavy supplies for the Japanese army. This was considered lucky. The worst thing was the coolies who had nothing and only one life, and were loaded with Japanese equipment and even Weapons such as rifles and light machine guns tragically moved forward with the Japanese troops. If they were not careful, they would be punched and kicked by the Japanese soldiers who were wearing light clothes.

For this kind of behavior, the Japanese army tacitly agrees and even encourages it. By grabbing coolies to obtain extra labor, and letting these coolies carry their own equipment and weapons for the Japanese army, it can greatly reduce the physical consumption of the Japanese army during the march, which will greatly benefit the battle. There is no harm. Of course, the feelings and life and death of those coolies are not within the scope of its consideration.

Many people in the marching column did not need backpacks or rations, and even the weapons were carried by coolies. Although it was a war-ready march, it was much easier than the usual training march.

The rumbling sound of artillery and the fierce fighting and desperate fighting in other directions are a rare experience for many Japanese soldiers. However, crisis and danger are often hidden in good times and relaxation. middle.

In the sky, among the pure white clouds, an aircraft is flying through the clouds. The aircraft is painted in khaki and dark green cloud-shaped camouflage. The belly of the aircraft is light blue-gray. The side of the fuselage is painted with a serial number in black paint. The tail rudder has a 6 blue and 6 white horizontal stripes, and the blue sky and white sun emblems on the wings and fuselage reveal the identity of this all-metal monoplane - the Chinese Air Force.

This aircraft is an American-made Curtiss A-20 Sherlock attack aircraft belonging to the No. 12 Seventh Squadron of the Chinese Air Force. It has a crew of 2, a length of 9.83 meters, a wingspan of 13.41 meters, a height of 2.84 meters, and an empty weight of 1768 kilograms. , the engine is Wright Cyclone R-1820 air-cooled engine (690 horsepower), the maximum take-off weight is 2611 kilograms, the maximum flight speed is 285 kilometers per hour, the maximum range is 521 kilometers, and the weaponry is 4 7.62 mm caliber M1919 machine guns , 1 rear defense machine gun of the same type, with 4 external 55kg bombs or 10 13.6kg aerial bombs.

1936开始，国民政府分两批订购了22架A-12，全部是攻击机型，配属空军第9大队第26、第27中队。

In the plane, Lieutenant Fan Guanghua, pilot of the No. 20 [-]th Squadron of the Chinese Air Force, looked worriedly through the white clouds at the long march of Japanese troops on the ground. Warrant Officer Ye Gui, the machine gun operator in the back seat, had a look of regret and regret. Since the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Songhu in East China and North China have started fighting at the same time. The already meager Chinese Air Force has been unable to take care of both battlefields. It can only transfer all its elite main fighters to the Songhu area, leaving North China with only an old one. An air force group composed of military aircraft.

Although the attack aircraft flown by Lieutenant Fan Guanghua and Warrant Officer Ye Gui were relatively new attack aircraft of the Chinese Air Force, the 27th Squadron they belonged to was actually sent to the battlefield in North China because of repeated defeats in Shanghai and heavy losses.

After arriving in the North China battlefield, these new attack aircraft of the No. 20 Seventh Squadron basically performed sporadic bombing missions. In this era, if the bombers cannot carry out batch bombing in clusters, their role and effect will be equivalent to nothing, and naturally they cannot Provide effective support to the army fighting hard on the ground.Moreover, the air force in North China simply does not have enough fighter jets to escort the bombers and attack aircraft. All the latest Hawker III fighter jets have been transferred to Shanghai, and less than ten old Hawker II fighter jets remain in Shanxi. , so the attack aircraft always risked being harassed by Japanese fighter jets. The fleet was small, so the bombing effect was naturally impossible.

In the cockpit, Lieutenant Fan Guanghua constantly adjusted the control stick. The aircraft flew along the clouds, while the sound of gunfire from both sides on the ground offset the sound of the aircraft engine. Ye Gui, the machine gun pilot in the back seat, smashed He clicked the machine gun in his hand and sighed regretfully: "What a pity. What a good target. Sir, how about we lower the height and use the rear seat machine gun to attack."

The crew of Fan Guanghua and Ye Gui had just completed an attack mission against the Japanese rear area. Then, on their way back, they unexpectedly discovered the marching column of the No. 16 Wing. In terms of attack value, they were neatly arranged. The infantry marching column is undoubtedly the most effective target. Unfortunately, in the previous attack, Fan Guanghua and Ye Gui's Sherlake attack aircraft had already dropped all the aerial bombs. All the ammunition for the 7.62mm caliber machine gun has been used up, and only the rear seat gunner's compartment machine gun still has some ammunition.

According to the guidelines during combat, the rear seat machine gun is used for self-defense, so it cannot be used to attack ground targets. However, Warrant Officer Ye Gui really feels that the current opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. From the Shanghai operation to the North China operation, he has never seen anything like this. As long as a large marching column of several thousand people rushes down and opens fire, it will be an easy victory.

Lieutenant Fan Guanghua, who was sitting in the front seat, was silent for a moment and then said: "Don't fire. If all the bullets are used up, how can we protect ourselves when we encounter Japanese fighter jets again?"

Ye Gui said anxiously: "Sir, then such a good goal was let go? We were defeated in Shanghai and were transferred to North China. It's time to avenge our shame."

Fan Guanghua slowed down and followed the marching column of the [-]th Regiment: "Even if you go down to fight, your ammunition preparations will not be enough. Can you finish fighting with so many people? As for the Japanese army, I have never I have never seen such a large marching column like theirs. Put down your guns and we will follow them. Use paper to draw their marching formation. Write down the types and quantities of weapons that can be seen and identified. If something goes wrong, something will happen. If there are monsters, stay with them for a while. We still have enough fuel now. See where they are going, write it down and report it to the superiors after returning. This is much more valuable than killing a few enemies."

Warrant Officer Ye Gui seems to be a little unwilling to give up. He suffered repeated defeats while fighting in Shanghai. After being transferred to North China, his results were mediocre. Compared with the brilliant achievements of his comrades in the fighter unit, the results of the bomber unit were really terrible. He was too eager to achieve a goal. A hearty victory.

But after thinking about it, he put down the machine gun trigger, picked up the drawing board and pencil, and recorded the marching formation and identifiable weapons of the No. 16 Regiment. The sound of artillery on the ground continued, and the No. 16 The regiment's march continued.

In the air, the steel war eagle from the Chinese Air Force continued to fly, resolutely and calmly.

(End of this chapter)