December has already entered Shaanxi Province. It cannot be said to be the coldest time, but it is definitely not the same as warmth.
At night, the temperature has already dropped to two or three degrees Celsius. On banks like the Yellow River, the river wind is even more freezing to the bone.
But at dawn like this, when it was just dawn and mist was still rising on the river, the visibility was extremely poor. Fujita, the commander of the Japanese Third Division wearing a woolen coat, stood on a hillside about 1,000 meters away from the river bank.
Holding a telescope, he looked at the quiet position more than 2,000 meters away across the river.
The Japanese army lieutenant general had maintained this posture for nearly ten minutes, and even his few eyebrows were covered with a thin layer of white frost.
Not to mention anything else, he already has the ability to command thousands of troops.
"Your Excellency, Division Commander, there is a call from Colonel Katayama from the front. The 3 infantry brigades of the 6th Infantry Regiment, with a total of 3,200 people, are ready and all personnel are on standby for attack!" A colonel ran out of the camouflaged field headquarters and walked away.
Go behind Susumu Fujita and bow your head respectfully to report.
"Where's the Field Artillery Regiment?" Fujita asked in a low voice without turning his head.
"Colonel Ueno called five minutes ago. His 24 75 mountain guns, 12 75 field guns, 12 150MM howitzers, 2 280MM howitzers, personnel, and the required ammunition are all ready."
"Yoshi! Tell Colonel Ueno for me that if we win this battle, the 3rd Artillery Regiment will be the first to take the lead!" Susumu Fujita, with a frosty look on his face, turned his head, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly.
For the Battle of Tongguan, as the supreme commander of the Westward Army, Shiro Itagaki also spent a lot of money and placed the 12 150MM heavy artillery pieces directly under his Third Army Headquarters directly under the jurisdiction of the Third Division Artillery Regiment.
The same is true for the two 280MM howitzers specially transferred from China.
This may also be the first time in the history of the Japanese Army that an infantry division has such a terrifying large-caliber heavy artillery. Even a veteran like Fujita Susumu, when he thinks of his heroic soldiers crossing the mother river that the Chinese call it under the cover of such artillery fire,
The surging river made me feel proud.
For today's battle, the Third Division, which arrived at Fenglingdu within ten days, had been preparing for seven or eight days. But who knew that on the day when the Third Division received the order to march westward, Fujita entered this division?
How much research have you done on this great pass guarding the east gate of the Guanzhong Plain in China?
Susumu Fujita knew everything about it, from its geographical terrain to the deployment of its troops to its permanent population and even its commander's past military achievements. It can be said that he spent a lot of effort.
Lieutenant General Fan Songpu of the 46th Army of the Chinese Army is well-known as a tough and fierce general. This is exactly what Susumu Fujita wants. What he is least afraid of is a general with this kind of personality.
In the past, there were many strong Chinese generals under Jinling City. In the Battle of Yuhuatai, which was fought to the death, 6,000 officers and soldiers of China's most elite infantry division defended for 8 days. In the end, the entire army was not wiped out? They entered as a replacement for the severely damaged Sixth Division.
The Third Division on the battlefield was responsible for the main attack in this battle, and the lives of the two Chinese major generals and brigade commanders became the trophies of his Third Division.
Susumu Fujita's self-confidence certainly did not come blindly. As one of the six earliest permanent divisions established in Japan, the Third Division was a force prepared for invasion, with full personnel and well-equipped equipment.
Moreover, since the day it was formed, the Third Division has participated in all major military operations of the Japanese army, including the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, the Russo-Japanese War, the Battle of Songhu, the Battle of Jinling, the Battle of Xuzhou, etc., and has never been defeated!
Therefore, out of the knowledge of his opponent and the arrogance in his heart, Susumu Fujita did not engage in any tactical deception at all. He chose this river bend as his main attack direction, even if the Chinese could see a large number of boats and rafts gathered on the river bank.
, motorboat, and did not hide his naked tactical intentions.
The scene he likes to see the most is that the Chinese know it clearly, but are unable to resist. They can only watch the cannon fire tearing their bodies apart, and watch the iron boots of his heroic imperial warriors trample their positions.
"Tell Colonel Katayama that after attacking the opponent's position, I don't want to see a single living Chinese within a ten-mile radius. Remember, it's all Chinese, regardless of gender!" Susumu Fujita's eyes flashed with cruelty.
As a history buff, Susumu Fujita highly admires the actions of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty. He has always believed that only massacre can make the Chinese surrender. If they continue to resist, then they will continue to kill until the Chinese no longer resist. If so,
If all of them were accidentally killed, this vast and fertile land would completely belong to the empire.
Typical perverted personality!
December 8th at 5:40 am!
The Japanese army fired more than 50 artillery pieces of various sizes at the 28th Division's coastal defense position 15 miles south of Tongguan.
75 mountain artillery, 75 field artillery and 70mm infantry artillery would normally make soldiers look pale, but in front of the 150MM howitzer firing at full strength, these artillery pieces are like firecrackers set off by children during the New Year.
A trench as deep as two meters is not enough to see in front of an artillery of this level. Once the shells fall into the trench, the trench that is tens of meters long will become a hell on earth, even if there are almost right-angled corners to weaken the energy of the air waves.
, the violent air waves will also blow away the people lying inside like toys.
Even if the artillery shell does not need to fall into the trench, it only needs to explode ten meters away from the edge. The inner wall of the trench supported by the thick wooden piles of adult calves will be as fragile as tofu. The huge energy will cause the trench wall to squeeze inward, no
To bury people in it is to squeeze them to death.
Of course, the Chinese army, which spent half a year building fortifications, was no fool. In addition to the criss-crossing trenches and bunkers, there were also many hidden caves with roofs of more than one meter thick and supported by thick timbers.
In a soldier hiding cave of this level, even a 150MM heavy artillery can still protect the soldiers inside as long as it is not in the middle of the top.
But the Japanese army also has a more terrifying 280MM heavy artillery. The 200 kilograms of artillery shells even require a crane to load. Every 50 rounds of artillery fire, the artillery base has to be stopped and re-reinforced. The surrounding sandbag wall alone for defense is as high as 10
rice.
This kind of 200-kilogram armor-piercing projectile would still be a terrifying existence even if it were placed eighty years in the future.
One shot landed, and all living creatures exposed on the surface within an area of less than half a football field were wiped out!
If unfortunately there is a bunker or a soldier hole near the impact point, both the bunker and the soldier hole will be ruthlessly destroyed by the huge energy, and the fate of the soldiers inside can be imagined.
According to post-war statistics, within an hour and a half of the Japanese bombardment, two 280MM howitzers fired a total of 55 shells, forming 55 terrible craters on the Chinese position. Less than 30 remains could be found in or around the craters!
However, more than 400 officers and soldiers of the 28th Division died in this round of shelling! More than 800 were injured!
Even with extremely complete defenses, an infantry brigade with more than 4,000 infantrymen suffered over a thousand casualties!
"Requesting artillery support! Requesting troop support! The Japanese army is about to launch a general offensive!" These were the three sentences repeated in the message by the anxious major general and brigade commander located at the brigade headquarters 800 meters behind the defense line.
Because the telephone lines were out of service for a long time, and the fierce artillery fire cut off all the telephone lines ten minutes after the bombardment started. No matter whether it was the front line or the headquarters, the brigade headquarters could not be contacted.
The only source of information that the major general and brigade commander could obtain was the signal corps running on two legs in the traffic trench.
But that, on a battlefield filled with artillery fire, is obviously a luxury!
The defense width of the two infantry regiments under his command is 4,000 meters. Regardless of how long it takes to go back and forth, even with the terrible artillery fire, no one is lucky enough to reach the destination.
"Brigadier, has the Japanese artillery fire begun to spread?" The colonel and chief of staff of the brigade headquarters inadvertently turned around and was suddenly stunned.
It is normal for a forward position with a depth of 700 meters to be filled with gunpowder smoke. Not to mention the continuous bombardment of more than 50 cannons, even the concentrated fire of 12 mountain guns from an artillery brigade can make the position filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder smoke.
But what made this army colonel, who had been in the army for more than fifteen years, suddenly ask this question out of nowhere was because the mountains behind them were also filled with smoke, as if the entire mountain was on fire.
"Extend the ball! If the Japanese heavy artillery firepower is extended, do you think we can still talk like this?" The anxious major general brigade commander replied angrily to his chief of staff, while subconsciously turning back.
Then, the battle-hardened major general and brigade commander also froze.
Thick smoke rose from the mountains, and the smoke was so thick that even the trenches hundreds of meters away were covered.
"Is there a mountain fire there?" The Army Major General was also a little confused.
His nose, which had not yet been completely irritated by the gunpowder smoke and lost all sense of smell, told him that the smoke was definitely not from the explosion of gunpowder. It should be the wood being ignited, and it was the kind of wood that was slightly moist, otherwise the smoke would not be so strong.
No, there is smoke but no fire!
The Army Major General reacted instantly, with disdain in his eyes, "Is that where the Sichuan Army's new regiment led by Commander Tang is stationed? They are really a bunch of guys who can't stand up to the table. Just like this, I still expect them to be able to fight at the critical moment.
Support our department!"
"Brigade, do you mean to say that they did this deliberately, lighting the dead grass and raising the smoke to make the Japanese army mistakenly think that this area has been bombarded?" The colonel's chief of staff also reacted at this time, his eyes full of surprise.
"Otherwise?" The contempt in the Army Major General's eyes grew stronger. "Or do you think they are making their best bacon? Just like the useless ring fortifications they built, it is simply useless."
One day ago, the major general brigade commander came here with great expectations to meet Tang Dao. After all, Tang Dao still held the position of deputy chief of staff of the defense zone. His military rank was not as high as his, but his position was higher than his. And if there was a war crisis, Tang Dao would
After all, there are thousands of people here who can use the knife.
Even if there are thousands of new soldiers, if thousands of pigs are released on the front line, the Japanese will have to spend a lot of effort to kill them, right?
Unexpectedly, this meeting directly caused the major general and brigade commander's half-expected heart to drop to its heels.
Tang Dao was very polite. He performed the military salute first and didn't have the airs of a deputy chief of staff. What made the major general and brigade commander feel sad was his commanding skills.
The new regiment of the Sichuan Army came to this mountain 1,200 meters behind the river defense position. They did not slack off. Thousands of people in the regiment diligently dug holes on the hillside.
Yes, it’s just digging a hole!
A pit is 3 meters deep and more than 4 meters in diameter. Looking from the ground, the pit covered by bushes does not seem to exist, but who would have known that there is an infantry squad hidden in it!
There were as many as eighty such pits dug in the mountains, and no one knows how much effort was spent.
But, is there any use for such a pit? It would be suitable for burying people.
Moreover, apart from these pits, there are no military facilities such as trenches. The main force of the entire new Sichuan Army Corps is hiding on the hillside facing away from the Yellow River.
This can avoid the Japanese artillery fire, but it will take at least 40 minutes to wait for support. Moreover, once the Japanese artillery fire extends and marches on the exposed surface, 9% of this new regiment with thousands of troops will
10% may be killed by artillery fire during the march.
In the opinion of the major general brigade commander, if we have this time, it is better to dig some communication trenches leading to the shore defense positions, even if they are only half a meter deep.
He gave Tang Dao some suggestions in a tactful manner, but Tang Dao nodded in agreement, but did not take any action. The enraged Major General brigade commander walked away without giving face to the deputy chief of staff of the defense area.
Now they are even more awesome. Before the artillery fire reaches their side, these turtles start setting fire to the mountain to look like they are covered by artillery fire.
Absolutely, is there any?
This is definitely one of the weirdest troops that the Army Major General has seen in his 20 years of military service!
Even worse than the scumbag who turned around and ran away as soon as he heard the sound of cannon fire.
This means that Tang Dao has a higher position than him, otherwise he would be killed with one shot due to his temper.
"Shameless! That Commander Tang is simply not worthy of his name!" the colonel and chief of staff said angrily.
"There are many people in the world who seek fame and reputation, and he is one of them." The face of the Major General's brigade commander became calm.
"Brother Shengshi, it is estimated that the Japanese fleet will arrive in less than ten minutes. You and I will take charge of a regiment and go to supervise the battle! The ancients said: attack halfway! No matter how fierce the Japanese artillery fire is, our troops will never be able to do it.
If you abandon such a fighter opportunity and ignore it, once the observation post sends a message, the entire army will enter the position, but it will be a desperate fight! You and I each take care!"
"We must live up to the great trust of the brigade!" the army colonel's face was full of determination.
As the army major general and brigade commander expected, within ten minutes, although the battlefield was still filled with gunpowder smoke and mist was steaming on the river, the observation post that was still alive at the front still blew an extremely shrill iron whistle.
More than 200 wooden boats, kayaks and motorboats appeared on the river.
"Order all heavy machine guns and mortars to fire! They must be blocked in the river! Anyone who disrespects military orders will be killed!"
Another telex to the division headquarters, please take care of yourself. If something cannot be done, retreat temporarily and wait for another day to fight again!
In view of the old friendship, the Commander-in-Chief has allowed me to have the 3rd Company of the Brigade Headquarters Guard Battalion along with the 3rd Platoon of the Engineer Company, and the 3rd Platoon of the Baggage Company to be temporarily placed under the direct control of the Division Headquarters." The Major General Brigadier, who raised his pistol and turned around with the guards, said,
He issued what he thought was the last military order.
Ordering the three platoons to evacuate was undoubtedly to save the last bit of seeds for his infantry brigade, so as not to annihilate the entire army and cancel the organization.
Three red flares were fired into the sky following the order of the Army Major General. This was the highest level alert order for this infantry brigade. Once the flares were fired, those in the forward position, whether regimental commanders, battalion commanders or privates, were required to enter the front-line trenches to fight.
Enemy shooting.
Those who do not carry out military orders will die!
The two guard companies that followed the major general brigade commander and colonel chief of staff arrived. In addition to being the last remaining force of the brigade, they also served as the supervisory team.
The murderous intent is not only directed at the Japanese troops who are about to attack!
After all, facing a battlefield where a single shot can wipe out a person's body, not everyone has the courage to drill out of the anti-gun holes and enter the frontline trenches.
The heavy machine guns in the remaining bunkers sounded like crazy fire, "Ta! Ta! Ta!" and fired continuously towards the river.
Although there are not many in number, there are still more than a dozen roaring!
Although the Japanese troops who forced the crossing were fully prepared, there were steel plates welded in front of the motorboats, and sandbags were piled in front of the wooden boats and rafts. Crazy heavy machine gun bullets hit them, causing sparks and dust to rise, but they could not withstand direct fire.
It keeps bouncing around with no rules.
In order to seize the coastal defense positions in one fell swoop, the Japanese army invested more than 3,200 men in three infantry brigades, which also meant that the infantrymen filled these small boats to the brim.
The crowded space made these heavily armed infantrymen squat behind the fortifications like ground rats, leaving all the rest to Amaterasu.
Once the crazy ricochet is reflected into the crowd, it will naturally be a bloody storm!
The terrifying kinetic energy of heavy machine gun bullets can easily penetrate the human body, even two or three at a time!
Miserable howls sounded from time to time on various ships, and the splattered human blood mixed with the river water caused by the shells fell on the pale faces of the Japanese infantry, making them look extremely ferocious.
Many seriously injured soldiers who were injured by ricochet or mortar shrapnel and were unable to die for a while had their mouths covered instead of their wounds! This was an order from the Japanese officer on board the ship, not to allow the screams to shake the morale of the troops.
I don't know how many seriously wounded Japanese soldiers were left to die in artificial silence.
The Third Division is such a group of beasts that are even more cruel to themselves than their enemies!
And such a group of beasts, facing the blazing bullets fired by a group of Chinese soldiers who risked their lives on the opposite position, calmly and cruelly approached step by step.
The firepower of more than a dozen heavy machine guns and a mere eight mortars was not enough to stop the pace of these beasts, even if the 12 mountain guns of the 28th Division 5 kilometers away began to provide artillery support.
The fastest motorboat of the Japanese army was less than 800 meters away from the shore. Even if the sight was still poor at this time, it was enough for ordinary Chinese soldiers in the trenches without telescopes to see clearly.
With eyes filled with despair, many Chinese soldiers had begun to count the grenades around them and involuntarily tightened their grip on the bayonets stuck in their waists.
They knew very well that once the Japanese troops set foot on the ground, close combat would be inevitable!
But are they opponents of the Japanese army? No one can answer this question.
Because, it is no longer needed.
It was raining bullets from the sky!
Yes, it is really raindrops composed of bullets, covering the sky!
Among these creepy raindrops, there are also larger ‘raindrops’!
That is the effect that can only be achieved by the cooperation of 90 heavy machine guns and 60 82-guns.
All murderous weapons, including peanut-sized warheads, are dropped parabolically from the air, not from direct fire!
This chapter has been completed!