In the eastern Mongolia region, just as the Japanese flying troops went to reinforce Kuroki, the Japanese and puppet Wuchakou Airport was suddenly attacked by long-range artillery fire.
The artillery fire came suddenly and was very powerful. The enemy even used high-explosive incendiary bombs. When a shell came down, the hot flames suddenly burned up.
Although the distance is far enough, the strike is not accurate.
Under the influence of the burning flames over a large area, a large amount of materials and ammunition at the Japanese airport, and even some individually stored fuel, were detonated in an instant.
This sudden blow almost scared the souls of the Japanese soldiers at the airport.
Whenever an enemy artillery shell falls near the Japanese fuel depot, it is no joke, and may even trigger an explosion of the entire airport's fuel depot.
The oil depot can be said to be the most important part of the entire airport, which is more important than fighter jets and bombers.
If the plane is destroyed, we'll have to send in new ones.
However, oil depots are often prepared based on long-term military needs. Once detonated, the Japanese army will suffer huge losses and cannot recover in a short time.
Not to mention that since the US military has controlled the import of Japanese oil.
The Japanese's fuel supply is already tight.
Fortunately, when the Japanese built this airport, they also considered the possibility of being raided by enemy troops, so the oil depot was hidden deep underground.
The Japanese troops stationed at the airport hurriedly calculated the location of the attacking enemy troops based on the ballistic trajectories passing through the air, and immediately sent out teams to expel them.
Although the final artillery raid failed to blow up the Japanese Wuchagou Airport, it also failed to destroy the Japanese oil depot. However, each artillery shell blasted nearly a hundred craters of various sizes in the Japanese airport. p>
And blew up a considerable amount of supplies and ammunition that the Japanese had accumulated in the central area of the airport.
As a result, the Japanese and puppet troops suffered considerable losses at Wuchagou Airport.
The entire airport was in a state of uproar.
The airport's original preparations for the flight team to reinforce the Kuroki Brigade were also completely destroyed.
Wait until the expulsion troops sent by the Japanese army arrive at the artillery position area where the enemy attacked.
It turned out to be another unit of the Eighth Route Army.
"Sir, the one who attacked our airport was a mobile artillery unit of the Eighth Route Army. After we arrived, we had a brief exchange of fire with it. The Eighth Route Army used the mobility of the tractor vehicles to quickly pull the artillery and evacuate!" p>
"Baga, it's these damn Eight Roads again!"
The Japanese Major who was commanding rushed to the fighting area, but the enemy troops who were attacking him had disappeared. He looked at the enemy troops that were about to disappear on the horizon with his binoculars. Listening to the reports of his subordinates, he couldn't help but curse angrily. I was murmuring in my heart, wondering what the outcome of Major General Kuroki's battle was, whether he had successfully wiped out the armored units of the Eighth Route Army that appeared in the West Inner Mongolia area.
When the Japanese flying team that reinforced the Blackwood Brigade returned to the sky above Wuchagou Airport, several fighter jets were even trailing black smoke after being hit by the Eighth Route Army's anti-aircraft machine guns.
The Japanese pilots were in a hurry, trying to land the plane.
Then I looked towards the direction of the airport, and saw that the large amount of gunpowder smoke that filled the airport had not dissipated.
At the same time, news came from the direction of the airport that it had been raided by the Eighth Route Army. The airport is currently undergoing repairs to free up an area for the flying team to land the aircraft.
The Japanese pilots were all shocked.
All these eight routes took us to the airport.
……
It turned out that long before arriving in western Inner Mongolia, Kong Jie and Li Yunlong had been thinking about how to deal with the Japanese Wuchagou Airport.
In Li Yunlong's words: "We can't be beaten passively. We don't have a plane, so we should find a way to destroy the Japanese airport.
Even if we can't completely destroy the Japs' airport, it's still good to scare the Japs. We have to let the Japs know that when their air force firepower annoys me, I'll serve it to them as well!"
Finally, Kong Jie and Li Yunlong thought about it, considering that the Japanese must be heavily guarded around the airport, and it would be difficult for conventional troops to get close, so they specially prepared a mobile howitzer unit.
This unit is used as a surprise force.
Under sufficient camouflage, they moved forward covertly, trying to find a way to get closer to the direction of the Japanese and puppet troops' Wuchagou Airport.
Once an opportunity was found, they immediately launched a long-range artillery attack on the Japanese airport. After the attack, they dispersed and concealed themselves, and fled thousands of miles away. Even if the Japanese army wanted to retaliate, they could not find anyone.
In the end, this unit successfully completed the combat mission and successfully attacked the Japanese Wuchagou Airport.
Since the Japanese army's Wuchagou Airport was raided, at least that day, there was no condition to continue dispatching air reinforcements.
This greatly assisted Kong Jie and Li Yunlong in ambushing the Blackwood Chariot Brigade.
The other side.
Kuroki's troops were completely defeated and fled in disastrous defeat. Under the command of the old Japanese soldier Kuroki, the remaining 1/3 of the tank troops concentrated their forces and fled northward in a panic.
Kong Jie and Li Yunlong led the armored troops, and with the assistance of the Yanbei detachment and the reinforcements of the 120th Division, they pursued and fought fiercely.
Further expand the results.
At this time.
At the headquarters of the Kwantung Army stationed in Xinjing, the capital of the puppet Manchukuo, the old Japanese commander is still waiting for the good news from the Blackwood Brigade.
In this old devil's opinion, this time General Kuroki took action and led the elite tanks of his Kwantung Army to wipe out the armored units of the Eighth Route Army. Isn't it easy to capture them?
The Nanzhi tank group was defeated by the armored troops of the Eighth Route Army.
The Kwantung Army's chariot brigade defeated the Eighth Route Army's armored force in one fell swoop.
It is enough to prove that the Kwantung Army is much more elite than the imperial troops in the Kwantung.
As a result, news came that the Blackwood Chariot Brigade was severely damaged by the Eighth Route Army and is currently undergoing a hasty strategic shift.
The Japanese commander was stunned at that time!
The commander-in-chief of the Japanese North China Front, Okamura Neiji, who was stationed in Peiping, was originally waiting for news of the triumphant victory of the Blackwood Chariot Brigade!
What awaited was Kuroki's disastrous defeat.
When these high-ranking Japanese officers were dumbfounded and incredulous, if any of the Japanese officers were still secretly happy, perhaps it was only the commander of the Nanzhi chariot group, the old Japanese Nanzhi. p>
Yes, you Heimu was also defeated by the armored troops of the Eighth Route Army.
Now I, Nan Zhi, feel balanced.
"Beautiful, these two battles were really more beautiful each time!"
35th Route Army Headquarters, Commander Fu was amazed by this.
The chief of staff on the side was also immersed in shock, "Yi Gong, this is simply unimaginable. It is incredible enough that the Eighth Route Army could defeat the Nanzhi chariot cluster.
Now, they actually defeated the Japanese Kwantung Army's tank brigade once again.
Oh my god, how on earth did they do it?"
Fu Yisheng smiled and said: "You ask me, who should I ask? If you really want to know the answer, I think this is the case. After this battle is completely over, we will organize an exchange group to go to the Eighth Route Army to learn from it!" "I think this is a good idea!" the chief of staff responded with a smile.
"The armored forces of the Eighth Route Army! They have become so powerful!"
The two of them expressed their sincere emotions.
Mengxi region.
The battle is still going on. I thought that the defeat of the Blackwood Chariot Brigade was the end, but no one thought that this was just the beginning of the Eighth Route Army's further expansion of the results.
Houhe was originally an inconspicuous small town in Suiyuan, but because of its geographical advantage, it had a prominent military role and became one of the logistics stations commonly used by the Japanese army.
The old Japanese soldier Kuroki led his chariots all the way west from the Greater Khingan Mountains, choosing Houhe as a logistics transfer station. After everything was ready, he set off for the western Inner Mongolia region.
Around three o'clock in the afternoon.
The Japanese Major who stayed behind in Houhe still stood at the top of the city, looking in the direction of Mengxi, thinking that Lord Kuroki might be able to return with a great victory.
Then I saw a force gradually appearing from the horizon. It seemed to be a mobile force, with some tanks mixed in.
The Japanese Major didn't think much about it, and immediately ordered with a face full of joy: "Your Excellency, the Brigade Commander, has returned from a victorious battle. Hurry, open the city gate and prepare to receive the wind for Your Excellency, the Brigade Commander!"
Then the adjutant on the side suddenly said suspiciously:
"Sir, something doesn't seem right. The one on the opposite side doesn't seem to be our chariot unit. Why does it look like the Eighth Route Army's mobile unit to me?"
"Eight-way? How is this possible?"
The Japanese Major was stunned for a moment, and quickly raised the telescope to look carefully, and then his expression changed drastically.
Inside the chariot that was approaching quickly, it might not be clear which troop it was from, but those who were riding fast on horseback were clearly wearing the iconic earth-gray uniforms of the Eighth Route Army.
"Asshole, what's going on? Why did the Eighth Route Army come here?"
"Sir, what should we do? Judging from the situation, it seems that it is the main mobile force of the Eighth Route Army. There are even many tanks in their team. Could it be that the armored troops of the Eighth Route Army are coming?"
Faced with the adjutant's panic, the Japanese Major was a little flustered for a moment. The first thing he thought of was, wasn't the commander of the Blackwood Brigade leading the elite tanks of the empire to deal with the armored troops of the Eighth Route Army?
How come the Eighth Route Army's armored troops came to Houhe?
The Japanese Major, who had no time to think too much, ordered preparations for defense and asked the Communications Department to contact the Blackwood Brigade Headquarters.
Only then did the Japanese Major learn that the Blackwood Chariot Brigade had been completely defeated not long ago.
"Your Excellency, Brigade Commander, the main force of the Eighth Route Army's armored forces that defeated you has appeared outside Houhe City. I saw a large number of tanks and many Eighth Route Army soldiers wearing helmets. Please ask for tactical guidance!"
This Japanese Major is so smart. Even the elite chariots of the brigade commander were defeated by the Eighth Route Army. How could a small town like Houhe, with its very limited remaining troops, be able to withstand the attack of these main forces of the Eighth Route Army?
Blackwood Chariot Brigade Army Headquarters.
The old Japanese soldier Heimu was leading the troops to evacuate hastily, and then he learned that the main armored force of the Eighth Route Army had appeared outside Houhe City.
At this moment, Kuroki couldn't bear to think about whether the news was true or false.
The words "wearing a steel helmet" made him subconsciously think that it was really the elite Eighth Route Army he met.
He only knew where the main force of the Eighth Route Army's armored troops would appear, and he would stay far away in order to survive.
As for the confrontation, he had lost all his elite troops at this time, and nearly 70% of his tanks were damaged. The mobile heavy artillery unit, which was the trump card, was also destroyed by the Eighth Route Army due to its lack of mobility. It simply did not have the capital to fight the main force of the Eighth Route Army's armored forces again.
.
In desperation.
Kuroki issued an order to the Houhe headquarters, asking the Japanese major to make his own judgment and command based on the situation on the battlefield.
The Japanese Major did not hesitate after receiving the order, and immediately led his troops to abandon the city and evacuate.
Even the elite tank troops of the empire led by the brigade commander are no match for the Eighth Route Army armored forces. The Japanese Major is very self-aware and will never die foolishly guarding a low-walled, easy-to-attack and difficult-to-defend Houhe city. In this way, the Eighth Route Army soldiers who fought all the way outside Houhe City captured Houhe with almost no effort.
And in the evening of that day.
Finally escaping all the way, the Japanese Major General Heimu, who was stationed in a temporary town, received news again: the main force of the Eighth Route Army's armored troops appeared outside Zhangjiakou and was attacking.
This made the old devil Heimu horrified.
"These damn Eighth Route Army, how many armored forces do they have? Why are their main forces everywhere?"
Feeling something a little strange, Heimu was stationed temporarily while constantly asking the Zhangjiakou headquarters for information about the main armored force of the attacking Eighth Route Army.
At this time.
Zhangjiakou area.
The mobile troops of the Eighth Route Army have been exchanging fire with the Japanese troops stationed in Zhangjiakou in the outer area.
The location of Zhangjiakou is very important in military terms, especially since the Japanese North China Front is plotting against the Eighth Route Army's Jizhong Military Region. Zhangjiakou is one of the logistics centers for the Japanese army to deal with the Eighth Route Army's Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu base area, so there is no room for failure. p>
Facing the sudden attack by the main armored force of the Eighth Route Army, the Japanese troops stationed in Zhangjiakou did not dare to be careless and hurriedly defended, never daring to give the Eighth Route Army an opportunity.
Among them, those who assisted in defending the city were the Nanzhi troops who were defeated by the Eighth Route Army armored forces.
When he learned that the main armored force of the Eighth Route Army appeared outside Zhangjiakou, the old Japanese Nan Zhi was also shocked. He then cursed Heimu.
When reporting the situation to the headquarters, Nan Zhi even shamelessly believed that a lot of the Eighth Route Army's armored forces had been consumed by him. Under such circumstances, Kuroki still lost to the Eighth Route Army, which shows the incompetence of his command.
The attacking Eighth Route Army is undoubtedly the main armored force of the Eighth Route Army.
They have a considerable number of mechanized combat vehicles, including many combat tanks.
They easily broke through layers of defenses, defeated the Blackwood Chariot Brigade, and advanced all the way to Zhangjiakou.
At this point, the Japanese intelligence department believes that the main force of the Eighth Route Army's armored forces that appeared in the western Inner Mongolia area should be distributed in Zhangjiakou, Houhe and other places.
In fact...
After completely defeating the Blackwood Chariot Brigade, generals such as Kong Jie and Li Yunlong thought about it and immediately decided on the next battle plan.
Kong Jie proposed: "At this point, we should conceal the truth and create suspicion so that the Japanese will completely lose the movement of our main armored force. In this way, whether we attack or retreat in the future, we will never fall into passivity!"
The teacher, Brigadier Zhang, and Captain Song of the Yanbei detachment all provided help to Kong Jie and Li Yunlong in their follow-up combat plans.
Among them, the 120th Division dispatched a mobile force to advance half way towards Houhe and disguised as the main armored force.
The Yanbei detachment also sent a mobile force to advance in the direction of Zhangjiakou.
In order to achieve the purpose of confusing the fake ones with the real ones, Kong Jie and Li Yunlong specially sent a batch of steel helmets to the comrades of the 120th Division and the Yanbei Detachment.
Today, the Eighth Route Army wearing steel helmets has become the standard configuration of the Eighth Route Army's Taihang force in the eyes of the Japanese military intelligence department, and they are vividly called "steel helmet soldiers."
Especially among the Japanese and puppet troops in Shanxi, there is a widespread rumor that once they encounter the helmeted soldiers of the Eighth Route Army, if they do not want to die, they must choose to escape as soon as possible.
Once you run slowly, this team will blow away all the ashes for you!
The prestige of the Eighth Route Army's steel-helmeted soldiers is evident.
In addition, these two teams were mixed with a lot of tank troops, some of which were captured from the Japanese 26th Division after they captured Datong.
There are also some tanks that were seized from the defeat of the Nanzhi Tank Group and the Blackwood Tank Brigade.
Including some modified tanks, self-propelled artillery, assault guns, etc.
Such a disguised elite armored and armored unit of the Eighth Route Army, let alone ordinary Japanese soldiers, even with Kuroki and Nanzhi in front of them, they may not be able to distinguish the real ones from the fake ones.
It's no wonder that the Japanese troops stationed in Houhe and Zhangjiakou felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy after seeing the Eighth Route Army's steel-helmeted soldiers.
The soldiers actually used the tiger skins of Kong Jie and Li Yunlong to scare the little Japanese.
But I have to say, the effect is excellent.
For this reason, comrades from the 120th Division and the Yanbei Detachment have to sigh:
The comrades of the 129th Division are really powerful. Wearing a helmet can scare the little devils into running around. When will we be able to do this...