642 Enemy planes show off their power and fight to the death
Detachment Headquarters.
"Great, Lao Kong, news came from the front. The artillery battalion's reinforcements were in place in time. Under the artillery bombardment, the Japanese and puppet troops suffered heavy casualties. The Japanese and puppet troops who were originally the attacking party are now retreating."
Chief of Staff Xu Guoan clenched his fists excitedly. Such a big scene was rare for him.
Not to mention that in this battle, as the chief of staff of the detachment, he is also a participant.
Kong Jie nodded and said: "The next step is to see how to close the net."
"Right now, the two brigades reinforced by the Japs from the direction of Taiyuan City are still far away from the battlefield. Coupled with the harassment and obstruction along the way, it will be impossible for the Japs from these two brigades to reach the battlefield within three hours." "What I'm more worried about now is the issue of the Japanese flying squadron for reinforcements."
Xu Guoan said helplessly: "Yes, the Japanese plane has always been our biggest headache. This thing comes and leaves when it wants. There is no way to stop it."
"Although our combat team is also equipped with certain anti-aircraft machine guns and anti-aircraft guns, it is still too passive if we really want to fight the Japanese planes."
"Forget it, what is supposed to come will always come. Instead of worrying here, it is better to start a competition directly. It is not yet known who will win."
Kong Jie, who was determined, immediately issued orders for all ministries to counterattack.
At the same time.
Yoshio Shinozuka of the Japanese First Army Headquarters in Shanxi also issued a reinforcement order.
The Japanese flying team, which is always on standby at the nearest Mingbao Airport, will set off immediately after receiving the order.
During this period, according to the different types of aircraft owned by the Japanese flying force and the different combat missions they could undertake, combat deployment was generally carried out in this way.
Classification according to types of Japanese military aircraft:
There are fighters, light bombers (light explosive aircraft), heavy bombers (heavy explosive aircraft), reconnaissance aircraft and transport aircraft.
Among them, the Japanese light explosions, heavy explosions, and reconnaissance aircraft were organized into a small group.
It can also be a fighter jet and two bombers, a total of three aircraft, forming a flying squad.
Three squadrons of nine aircraft are organized into one squadron.
Two to three squadrons are organized into a flying team
Yoshio Shinozuka sent two flying squadrons and six flying teams this time.
A total of eighteen aircraft.
The reason for such deployment stems from the Japanese army's tactics in air force operations.
For the Japanese aviation force, the combat operations of the flying team are not without tactics. Especially when dealing with opponents who also have aviation power, the Japanese air force operations are very tactical.
In the flying team, the combat functions of Japanese fighters and bombers are different.
Fighter aircraft are relatively small and have relatively weak armor, but their advantages are that they are more agile and can advance and retreat quickly.
It is often used in battles between air forces.
In addition, it can also undertake the reconnaissance mission of reconnaissance aircraft.
Bombers are relatively larger and have thicker armor. They are mainly responsible for bombing ground targets.
When conducting air combat missions, the Japanese flying team is often equipped with fighters and bombers to undertake different combat missions.
For example, when fighting against the National Army, considering that the National Army has certain air defense capabilities, the Japanese flying team will often have fighter jets or reconnaissance aircraft to take the lead in conducting high-altitude reconnaissance.
To attract firepower, expose the important ground air defense firepower points of the national army, and then send out light explosive and heavy explosive bombers to attack ground targets.
When dealing with the Eighth Route Army troops, the Japanese flying team's tactical application was sometimes not so rigorous.
There is no need to take the lead in sending out reconnaissance aircraft for reconnaissance, but directly send out bombers to integrate reconnaissance and combat missions.
Find the designated target and bomb directly.
The reason is very simple. The Eighth Route Army's equipment is backward, ammunition is scarce, and it basically does not have any air defense capabilities.
It is purely a question of whether the target can be found and whether the bombing is accurate enough.
No matter if it is a fighter or a bomber, no matter if it is a flying squad or a flying team.
It has always been a unilateral bombing and attack by the Japanese army against the Eighth Route Army.
When dealing with the Eighth Route Army troops, which had no aviation power at all, the Japanese pilots basically had no psychological pressure.
Until not long ago, the Japanese army was defeated in a large-scale raid.
Yoshio Shinozuka was so angry that he ordered the flying team to directly break into the sky above the Independence Regiment's base and conduct retaliatory bombings.
As a result, they encountered a counterattack by the independent regiment's air defense force and even shot down many aircraft.
In that battle, the anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft anti-aircraft machine guns exposed in the hands of the independent regiment made the Japanese army no longer as unscrupulous as before when they used aircraft to deal with the independent regiment.
This time there is no exception.
The Japanese Flying Team clearly knew that the enemy was an old rival like the Independent Regiment.
The flying team, which had suffered losses, made tactical adjustments.
Yoshio Shinozuka’s order was issued.
It took about twenty minutes for the Japanese flying team to arrive at the battlefield where China and Japan were fighting.
At this time, the situation on the battlefield has shown a complete reversal.
In the sneak attack led by Wang Chengzhu and Sun Desheng with the artillery battalion, more than a thousand Japanese and puppet troops were directly killed, plus the seriously injured personnel, and the Japanese puppet troops who were later eliminated and captured after Captain Huang and his party launched a counterattack.
The more than 5,000 Japanese puppet troops who originally besieged Captain Huang and his party on the south cliff of Taihang were reduced by about 3,000 people.
There are still more than a thousand Japanese and puppet soldiers who were slightly injured in the team.
There were more than 5,000 Japanese and puppet troops advancing from the southwest.
The 47th Division advancing from the north has two brigades and more than 2,000 people.
The total strength of the Japanese and puppet troops at that time was nearly 8,000.
They were attacked by the artillery battalion, coupled with the counterattack by Captain Huang and his party, and the back and side attacks by the outflanking units of the first detachment.
By the time the two Japanese squadrons arrived.
Nearly half of the 8,000 Japanese puppet troops on the battlefield have suffered casualties.
After the two Japanese squadrons arrived, four of the squadrons began to intercept the Eighth Route Army troops who were chasing the retreating Japanese and puppet troops.
The other two flying teams were circling back and forth on the south side of Taihang.
When the flying team set off, Commander Yoshio Shinozuka's order was clear: find the artillery unit of the independent regiment that had sneak-attacked the Imperial troops, and destroy them in one fell swoop!
Of course, another task of the Japanese Flying Team is to cover the imperial troops and the Imperial Army from being pursued by the Eighth Route Army troops.
In order to achieve this goal, the bombers of the two Japanese squadrons this time brought enough bombs.
And decided to hover over the entire battlefield for a long time to prepare for combat at any time.
In the hidden mountain road on the south side of Taihang.
As soon as the artillery attack ended, Wang Chengzhu and Sun Desheng immediately issued the transfer order.
The artillery was quickly disassembled and loaded onto the truck, and the truck quickly drove into the evacuation route prepared early in the morning.
It was too late to return to the Independence Regiment base. The journey was too far and we would definitely not be able to outrun the Japanese plane.
Once the truck convoy was discovered by a Japanese reconnaissance plane.
There will be no escape from destruction.
What Wang Chengzhu and Sun Desheng have to do is to direct the truck convoy into the predetermined ravine, and then disguise the trucks and hide them on the spot.
Wang Chengzhu and Sun Desheng were fully prepared for the retreat and disguise work.
The selection of the ravine has been surveyed in advance, and both the area and the hidden location are quite appropriate.
After the soldiers quickly drove ten trucks into the ravine, they immediately used the green leafy branches and camouflage nets that had been cut down to camouflage the trucks.
After that, the attentive Wang Chengzhu also ordered to use tree branches to clean up the tracks of the truck as it drove over.
With everything arranged properly, Wang Chengzhu and Sun Desheng breathed a sigh of relief.
"Old Sun, a fake artillery position is set up below." Wang Chengzhu said.
Sun Desheng nodded, and the two men directed the soldiers to take action quickly.
It turns out that when they came to fight this time, the soldiers also brought a lot of fake cannons for camouflage.
These fake cannons are models made of wood by the soldiers of the artillery battalion, and are larger than the corresponding real artillery pieces.
In the words of the artillery battalion soldiers, these fake cannons are just for the Japanese pilots to see. If they don't make them bigger, how can they see clearly when they fly so high in planes?
The wooden fake cannon itself does not need to be made too delicately, as long as it is generally similar to the artillery.
In addition, the soldiers painted it with paint similar to the metallic color of the artillery itself.
If you were sitting on a plane whizzing by, at first glance, it would be difficult to tell the truth from the false.
The soldiers placed these fake cannons at the foot of the mountain five hundred meters away from the ravine where the truck was hidden.
Some branches were also placed on top as camouflage.
Of course, this "camouflage" is far from exquisite. More than a dozen "cannons" are arranged randomly and occupy a large area. The conspicuous metallic color is not obscured by branches and leaves.
The gaps reflect the faint sunlight.
In other words, it's just a show, hoping that the Japanese pilots will find it!
After everything was ready, Wang Chengzhu then arranged:
"In order to make the little devils believe that what they blew up was our artillery unit, we have to fight back."
"As soon as the Japanese planes arrive, the bombing targets will be placed on our fake artillery positions."
"We set up anti-aircraft machine guns and anti-aircraft anti-aircraft machine guns in the woods around the fake artillery positions."
Having said this, the cautious Wang Chengzhu reminded again:
"Comrades, the Japs are very cunning. We have discussed this in the regimental headquarters course on analyzing the combat tactics of the Japs Flying Team."
"The Japanese army's flying team combat tactics are not blind. It is very likely that the Japanese will use a few aircraft to test the density of our air defense firepower before engaging in bomber operations."
"When we fight later, everyone will use the sound of my gun as a signal. When a gun is fired, we only invest 30% of the firepower."
"Two gunshots and full firepower, do you understand it?"
"Yes!" the soldiers responded in unison.
The artillery battalion is the ace unit of the first detachment.
Kong Jie put a lot of effort into it.
Especially for the artillery battalion commander Wang Chengzhu and deputy battalion commander Howitzer.
Kong Jie even instilled various advanced theories into the two of them. In short, they inspired as much as they could.
Kong Jie once said to Wang Chengzhu and Howitzer:
"On the battlefield, the artillery unit is the trump card of our first detachment, but it is also the target of the Japanese artillery and aircraft."
"This means that once on the battlefield, your artillery battalion must not only undertake the task of providing artillery support, but also must have air defense capabilities and be proficient in dealing with the bombing tactics of the Japanese flying troops."
Wang Chengzhu keeps these in mind.
Just like this time, the artillery battalion came with the truck convoy for reinforcements.
While the artillery battalion carries more than a dozen main artillery pieces, it also carries some anti-aircraft weapons such as machine guns and anti-aircraft machine guns.
In order to protect the precious artillery of our artillery camp.
The commander of the artillery battalion, Wang Chengzhu, is ready for a desperate fight with the upcoming Japanese flying team...