Near Peking.
The newly established 16th Heavy Equipment Battalion Headquarters.
Since the newly formed 16th Heavy Equipment Battalion completed its battle mission, it was pulled back by train to rest and train near Peiping.
Although it is numbered 16th, it is a heavy equipment battalion at the end of the new regiment.
However, the newly formed 16th Battalion became famous in the Battle of Chengde, annihilating more than 10,000 Japanese soldiers, with the newly formed 16th Battalion as the main force.
Comrade Liang Daya, the battalion commander of the newly established 16th Heavy Equipment Battalion, also reserved a position among the five tiger generals of the new regiment.
"Order the commanders of each heavy-armed battalion and the direct company commanders to go to the command post for a meeting immediately!"
Deputy Commander Liang, who had just returned to the heavy equipment battalion command post from a meeting at the regiment headquarters, issued the order vigorously and resolutely.
"Yes!" the communications staff officer immediately issued the order through the phone and walkie-talkie.
Nowadays, the Eighth Route Army has developed communications. The higher-level headquarters no longer needs communication cavalry to communicate with lower-level officers. It only needs to make a phone call or send a telegram to convey instructions.
In less than half an hour, the battalion commanders and direct company commanders of the heavy equipment battalion quickly gathered at the regiment headquarters.
As well as the political commissar and chief of staff who were inspecting the troops, they also quickly returned to the headquarters.
"Deputy commander, do you have a combat mission?"
The political commissar and the chief of staff walked into the headquarters together. The political commissar couldn't wait to ask questions as soon as he entered the door.
After the battle in Chengde of the newly established 16th Heavy Equipment Battalion, the commanders and soldiers unanimously expressed that they were not satisfied with the battle and at least wanted to kill the Japanese First Army. The soldiers were fighting with high enthusiasm, which truly explained what it means to win the battle. The best way to improve morale is to win.
"Yes, there is a combat mission!"
"Comrades, a great thing has happened to our newly formed 16th Heavy Equipment Battalion!"
Deputy Commander Liang was all smiles.
Although the current situation is very good for the Eighth Route Army, the Japs are mainly concentrated in Manchuria, Central China, and South China, and the Eighth Route Army is in a state of rest and recuperation. Currently, the Japs have not launched a large-scale attack, and there are not many troops who can win battles.
Under the expectant gazes of the political commissar, chief of staff, and battalion and company commanders, Deputy Commander Liang spread out a map, pointed at Huludao on the map and said:
"The mission of our newly formed 16th Heavy Battalion is to land at Wanghai Temple in Huludao by transport ship, capture and recapture Huludao!"
"Very good!"
Upon hearing this order, all the battalion and company commanders were gearing up and eager to give it a try. Some of the battalion and company commanders even had hot eyes.
This time I can finally kill the Japanese happily!
"How strong are the Japs in Huludao?" the political commissar asked.
Although the newly formed 16th Heavy Armored Battalion has strong combat effectiveness, the Japanese are not that easy to deal with. Detailed combat plans and contingency plans must be formulated.
"The total force is about 6,000 people." Deputy Commander Liang said, "The designation is the Japanese independent mixed 80th Brigade. The Japanese Fourth Army, including the 80th Brigade, used to be responsible for security tasks in the Qiqihar area and fought against the Anti-Japanese Alliance.
battle, but without any decent experience in large-scale combat, the main force, the 6th Heavy Armored Battalion, landed with us from Wanghai Temple."
An infantry battalion commander said: "The main 6th Heavy Armored Battalion and our newly formed 16th Heavy Armored Battalion are working together to deal with a Japanese mixed brigade with no large corps. Isn't this a sledgehammer killing a chicken?"
Everyone here has already seen the combat effectiveness of the main 6th Heavy Armored Battalion during the Chengde Battle.
They are all veterans and elites, and most of the soldiers are sharpshooters. The tactical coordination between the various arms is superb, and they are unbelievably fierce.
And it is said that the combat effectiveness of the main 6th heavy equipment battalion is not top-notch among the six main heavy equipment battalions.
How strong is the combat effectiveness of the top-notch main heavy equipment battalion?
But the enemy is just a mixed brigade without a decent large-scale battle. It is enough to dispatch the new 16th Heavy Equipment Battalion. Do we also need to dispatch the main 6th Heavy Equipment Battalion?
The combat effectiveness of the main 6th Heavy Battalion is not comparable to that of the newly formed 16th Heavy Battalion.
With the main heavily-armed 6th Battalion participating in the battle, how much meat can their newly formed 16th Battalion get?
Many battalion and company commanders are worried about this.
However, Deputy Commander Liang only glanced at the crowd and understood the worries of his comrades: "I know what everyone is worried about. The main task of attacking Huludao this time has been handed over to our newly formed 16th Battalion by the regiment headquarters.
, which means that our newly formed 16th Battalion is the first unit to land."
"In addition, don't just focus on Huludao. There are two Japanese divisions in the direction of Jinzhou that can provide reinforcements at any time."
After hearing that the regiment headquarters handed over the main offensive task to the newly formed 16th Heavy Equipment Battalion, all the battalion and company commanders put their hearts back in their stomachs.
Deputy Captain Liang glanced at everyone and his tone became serious:
"After the meeting, the company commanders of each battalion immediately mobilized the troops before the war, but they must pay attention to confidentiality."
"Assemble the troops tomorrow morning and take a train to Beiping Station. Then take a train to Tianjin Binhai Port and take a transport ship. We have warships to escort us."
"This is the first beach landing operation of our entire Eighth Route Army. It is a battle destined to go down in history. If anyone loses his position during the operation, I will never let him off lightly."
"The political commissar and chief of staff will stay, and the others will disperse."
Then, the direct company commanders of each battalion walked out one after another.
After everyone left, Deputy Commander Liang said: "Time is tight and the task is heavy. We must formulate combat missions and emergency plans immediately. As the vanguard of the landing operation, we must make a success of this battle."
"We have about 1,000 paratroopers who parachuted into the Tashan area to block the Japanese reinforcements from the Jinzhou direction and cut off the Japanese retreat route from Huludao."
"We must use the fastest speed to eat up the Japanese independent mixed 80th brigade."
The combat mission was not complicated. The chief of staff and political commissar came forward and offered suggestions and advice, gradually completing the combat mission and emergency plan.
at the same time.
Each heavy-armed battalion that received a combat mission also convened a meeting with the company commander directly under the battalion to formulate a combat plan and conduct pre-war mobilization.
…
Two days later.
Tianjin.
Coastal port.
Since the Japanese occupation of Tianjin, Chinese people have not been allowed to go out to sea to fish, and most of the harvest from fishing has to be handed over to the Japanese and puppet troops.
The lives of the people along the coast were miserable, but the Japanese had machine guns, cannons and even warships, so the people dared not speak out in anger.
But since the Eighth Route Army regained Tianjin, the lives of the people in the coastal areas have gotten better day by day.
The landlords, bullies and wealthy gentry were overthrown, and the land was distributed to the poor people. They were free to go out to sea to fish, and they did not have to hand over the harvest. Life was beautiful.
Starting yesterday.
Eighth Route Army troops arrived at Binhai Port one after another.
These Eighth Route Army troops set up camp not far from the port. This situation made nearby fishermen think that there was going to be a war here, and they did not dare to go fishing.
"Is there going to be another war?"
An old man said to himself:
"It's only been a few days since Ansheng's birthday, eh..."
But a young man shook his head: "I don't think there's going to be a war. The Eighth Route Army is still singing."
The old man and the fishermen put their hands on their foreheads and looked towards the direction of the Eighth Route Army camp, and various loud songs were carried by the wind:
"Drink up this bowl of hometown wine, and the strong man will never return..."
"The iron flow is twenty-five thousand miles, heading in a firm direction..."
"The hills in Hexi are tens of thousands of feet tall, and the sorghum in Hebei and East is ripe..."
"..."
Each Eighth Route Army unit sang different songs, as if they were competing to see whose voice was louder.
This situation left the fishermen a little confused.
Finally, the fishermen selected the old man and the young man and approached the Eighth Route Army to inquire about the situation.
When the old man and the young man approached the camp, they were not driven away. Instead, they were warmly entertained with food. The person who entertained them was a young officer of the Eighth Route Army:
"Fellow fellows, didn't the local government inform you that there are military exercises here these days and you are not allowed to go fishing for the time being."
A large warship is coming today, and a wave of water can overturn the fellow's fishing boat.
Capsulating a fishing boat is nothing, just compensation, but if someone loses his life, it's a big deal.
"We didn't receive the notice!" The young and old people looked confused.
"The local government didn't notify us of such an important matter?" said the Eighth Route Army officer. "Please rest assured, fellow villagers, I will definitely report it to my superiors. Because our Eighth Route Army's military exercises have caused the fellow villagers to lose lost work time because they cannot go fishing at sea.
Our Eighth Route Army will definitely compensate you."
"Can I still be compensated for lost work time?"
The old man and the young man were stunned. After living for so many years, they had never heard of such a thing.
In the past, whether it was a warlord, the national army or the Japanese, which army in charge of this port did not want to skin the common people?
The two of them had never seen a troop that had to pay for lost work time.
"Where can I get lost wages?" the young man asked expectantly.
They are fishermen who rely on the sea to eat, and the fishing season is only a few months each year. If they cannot go out to sea for several days to fish, the losses are not small.
The Eighth Route Army officer had a very good attitude and said with a smile: "Please wait a moment, two fellow villagers, while I make a call to the local government here."
Not long after, the Eighth Route Army officer came back and first apologized to the two fellow villagers.
Obviously, someone wanted to embezzle the lost wages to the fishermen, so they did not notify the nearby fishermen, but the local government is already conducting a strict investigation.
Finally, the officer said: "Fellow villagers can go directly to the township government to receive lost wages."
"Thank you, boss..."
The old man and the young man expressed their gratitude again and again.
Sudden!
Just when the old man and the young man turned around and were about to go to the township government to collect lost wages, the young man's horrified voice rang out.
"Look, the Japanese ship!"
"The Japs are coming?" The old man heard the sound and looked around, his face turned pale and he almost fell down.
Not far away, many fishermen also discovered this situation, their legs shaking like chaff and preparing to run away.
On the calm sea, dozens of large warships suddenly appeared, heading towards the port.
Some Eighth Route Army soldiers nearby jumped up when they heard this, and the Eighth Route Army officer also immediately took out his pistol.
However, when the Eighth Route Army officer raised his telescope and took a look, he put the pistol back into its holster with a smile.
The Eighth Route Army officer smiled slightly: "Folks, don't be afraid, this is our people's army's own warship, our navy."
"Our navy?"
"We also have a navy?"
The young guy was stunned immediately.
The old man cried with joy.
If we had a navy back then, how could it be so easy for the Japanese to land?
The old man and the young man left the camp and went to the fishermen to explain the matter clearly to them.
but.
The fellow villagers did not rush to the township government to collect lost wages, but stood in the distance and watched their navy.
Not long after, a fleet of more than 50 transport ships, frigates and destroyers sailed into the port smoothly.
Immediately afterwards, groups of Eighth Route Army troops organized their equipment and began to board the ship.
Under the camouflage net, tanks, armored vehicles and cars were driven onto the transport ship, while cannons were also pulled onto the transport ship.
After watching this scene, the fishermen were completely excited.
"This is our navy?"
Looking at the huge warship, one of the fishermen sounded surprised and proud.
Those who most hope to have a strong navy are undoubtedly the fishermen, because this can ensure that they will not be bullied by the enemy's navy when they go fishing.
But it is a pity that the Chinese navy is too weak and cannot be the enemy of the Japanese navy.
Before the Japanese invaders came, warships with national flags from European and American powers and other countries were showing off their power in ports and at sea, arbitrarily bullying, driving away and even arresting Chinese fishermen who went fishing. They could only swallow their grievances and anger.
After the Japanese landed, they committed too many murders and committed too many crimes in Tianjin, all because the motherland was too weak.
The fellow villagers have imagined more than once that one day the motherland will have a powerful navy of its own, and they even dream about it.
"I'm not dreaming, am I?"
A middle-aged fisherman, both old and young, slapped himself hard, grinning in pain, indicating that this was not a dream.
"The Japanese navy is also very powerful. Can our navy defeat them?"
A fisherman was both surprised and worried.
"I can definitely beat him!"
The old man who just went to the Eighth Route Army barracks to learn about the situation spoke loudly and confidently.
…
A few hours later.
The Eighth Route Army's main 6th Heavy Equipment Battalion and the newly formed 16th Heavy Equipment Battalion have completed boarding.
The main force of the second echelon, the 2nd Heavy Equipment Battalion and the newly formed 13th Heavy Equipment Battalion, also arrived quickly and began to board the ship.
In a heavy frigate, four deputy captains met with the Eighth Route Navy commander responsible for the escort.
After everyone exchanged greetings.
"Have you had a smooth journey?" Zheng Yu, commander of the main 2nd heavy-armed battalion, looked at the naval commander and asked.
"There was no danger." The naval commander smiled slightly, "On the way here, we encountered a Japanese submarine, but we killed it."
"Oh?" Deputy Commander Liang said in surprise and worry, "Then wouldn't our fleet be exposed?"
Once the Eighth Route Army's fleet is exposed, the Japanese are likely to send a fleet over, and this landing operation may also be affected.
"It should not have been exposed." The naval commander said, "Judging from the confrontation, our sonar first discovered the Japanese submarine, and then the destroyer used depth charges to sink the Japanese submarine."
"Not bad!" the new commander of the 13th Heavy Armored Battalion said with a smile, "our navy got the first kill."
"So what if it's exposed?"
Wei Dayong, commander of the main 6th Heavy Armored Battalion, snorted coldly, "The headquarters has deployed 200 aircraft in Shandong Province. If the Japanese fleet dares to come here, they are seeking death."
Naturally, when the new regiment launched a combat operation, they first asked the head of the headquarters for instructions.
Only after obtaining the consent of the head of the headquarters can the new regiment mobilize troops to attack the Japanese. Otherwise, they will act without authorization.
Although Li Yunlong has made great achievements in battle now, he cannot violate discipline.
The head of the headquarters deployed four flight groups at major airports in Shandong Province to provide Li Yunlong and the new group with backup in case of emergencies.
There are destroyers and land-based aircraft. In the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea areas, the Eighth Route Army is not afraid of the Japanese fleet.
"Let's start from here." Deputy Commander Liang looked at the naval commander and asked, "How long will it take to reach Huludao?"
Deputy Commander Liang couldn't wait for this beach landing operation.
"About 10 hours." said the naval commander. "The total mileage is only 400 kilometers. If the horsepower is fully turned on, the time will be even shorter. We will set off when it gets dark. By tomorrow morning, we will reach the target sea area."
"good!"
Deputy Commander Liang nodded with satisfaction. He and the soldiers only needed to sleep on the boat, and when they woke up tomorrow and had breakfast, they could fight the Japanese.
At this moment, the truck covered with a camouflage tarpaulin was driven onto the deck of the transport ship by the auto soldiers.
"This is our rocket launcher unit."
Seeing the naval commander staring at these trucks, the 2nd Heavy Battalion Commander Zheng Yu said:
"There are a total of 4 rocket launcher battalions, and each rocket launcher battalion is equipped with 36 Katyusha rocket launchers. One rocket launcher of this thing is comparable to a 152mm high-explosive grenade."
"I know this thing. Except for the slow reloading speed, there are no shortcomings or shortcomings." This naval commander used to be a staff officer at the headquarters, so naturally he had seen the Katyusha rocket launcher.
In addition to transport ships, frigates and destroyers can also carry a large number of infantry, so there is no problem at all for 30 transport ships and more than 10 warships to transport 4 heavy-duty synthetic battalions, 4 rocket launcher battalions and a large amount of combat supplies, and even
I can pull some more.
The naval commander pointed to the Katyusha rocket launcher vehicles that were boarding the ship: "You ordered these Katyusha rocket launchers to be placed neatly on the deck, with the muzzles facing the same direction. When we land, we will give the Japanese one one."
surprise."
"What do you mean..." Zheng Yu said, "use these Katyusha rocket launchers as naval guns?"
Navy Commander: "Clever!"
Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard this, and the firepower of the landing was greatly enhanced.
Compared with shore howitzers, although the main and secondary guns of frigates and destroyers have larger calibers and are more powerful, their rate of fire is slower after all.
However, the Katyusha rocket launcher's rate of fire can completely make up for this shortcoming.
The deputy captains suddenly became more and more confident in this beach landing operation.
"How about putting the 122mm howitzers and 75mm mountain guns of each heavy-armed battalion on the deck?" Deputy Commander Liang suggested, "This way, the firepower will be stronger."
"There are also tank guns." Wei Dayong also suggested.
"Don't!" the naval commander said hurriedly, "putting howitzers and mountain cannons on the deck will easily damage my deck. Do you think you are attacking a beachhead heavily defended by the Japanese? Naval guns plus Katyusha rocket launchers
The firepower is far beyond that."
afternoon.
The four heavy-armed battalions and two rocket launcher battalions of the New Regiment completed boarding at the coastal port.
After dark, the fleet, fully equipped with infantry and heavy firepower, quietly sailed out of the port, first heading southeast of the Bohai Sea, and after passing Caofeidian, it changed course and headed toward Huludao in the northeast.
This chapter has been completed!