The Japs who were attacking for the second time had just been defeated when the eight Japanese guns positioned in the rear opened fire.
This time the 10mm howitzer was also added.
In the attack of the Japanese and puppet troops just now, some firepower points from the bunker of the new regiment joined in, and the side fire suppressed the Japanese machine guns until they could not lift their heads.
During the firefight, Shinichi's soldiers also discovered that the puppet troops were still the same group of puppet troops, without any change.
But this group of devils is really powerful in combat.
The Japs' grenades were incredibly accurate, and some of the grenades fired hit the machine gun fire points of the new group.
This group has superb tactical coordination, frighteningly accurate marksmanship, and the machine gun firepower is stronger than the Japs in the second-line division.
Even though they had the firepower advantage to overwhelm the Japs, the new regiment also suffered some casualties during the Japs' attack.
Boom boom boom…
The artillery shells landed on the front slope position of the new regiment, and the dense artillery fire shrouded the position in smoke.
The Japanese's 10mm howitzer, under the command of the Japanese observer, aimed at the bunker of the new regiment.
Because the Eighth Route Army's mountain artillery, howitzers and heavy artillery had not yet taken action, even though the bunker was located on a higher ground, the Japanese did not dare to pull the 10mm howitzer over and aim directly.
When it comes to long-range shooting, there is no way to guarantee the accuracy of bunkers like shelling.
It often takes more than ten shells to hit one.
Under continuous bombardment from field guns and howitzers, the bunker remained motionless.
These bunkers were made of cement and steel bars seized from the Japanese by Xinyi Group, and were all built to thickening standards.
Even a 10mm howitzer has to hit ten or twenty shells in a row before it has a chance to be destroyed.
And this time the maximum caliber of the artillery used by the Japanese to attack the new regiment was only 10 mm.
In the field of view of the artillery mirror, Major General Saburo Miura saw that those 10mm artillery shells landed near the bunker and exploded. Even if there were shells hitting the bunker, they did not overturn it.
When Saburo Miura couldn't see it, a new group of soldiers in the bunker had already entered the tunnel along the secret passage.
Although the Japanese artillery shells could not destroy the thickened turrets, the shells hitting the bunker and exploding on the outer wall of the bunker were extremely uncomfortable.
"Is this a reinforced concrete fortification?"
Miura Saburo frowned slightly.
The Eighth Route Army positions that had been plowed by Baoshan artillery and field artillery were already empty. The Eighth Route Army soldiers had already got into the tunnels, and the Locust Army was just wasting artillery shells.
The Japanese Empire was so poor in resources that every cannonball hit was one less.
Seeing that hundreds of rounds of artillery shells were fired with little effect, Miura Saburo felt extremely troubled.
"Yes!" Chief of Staff Ohno Binfu put down his telescope and exclaimed, "It is indeed a reinforced concrete fortification, and it is also thickened. If you want to destroy this kind of fortification, you must use aerial bombs or 10mm howitzers to destroy it.
destroy!"
Hearing this, Saburo Miura frowned even deeper.
He has seen a lot of these reinforced concrete bunkers recently. The First Army Yoshio Iwamatsu ordered many to be built around Taiyuan. It is said that they can withstand the bombardment of 10mm heavy artillery.
“How come Eighth Road has so much cement and steel bars?”
In addition to frowning, Miura Saburo also had deep doubts in his expression.
Although before the war began, the reconnaissance planes of the Flying Division carried out a large number of aerial reconnaissance over northwestern Shanxi, and the Japanese army also knew that the Eighth Route Army was building positions and bunkers.
But I didn't expect that the Eighth Route Army's bunker would have difficulty even breaking through its defenses with a 10mm howitzer.
Binfu Ohno, who knew the inside story, said: "These cement and steel bars were originally assigned by Lieutenant General Iwamatsu, commander of the First Army, to the 36th Division to repair bunkers and gun towers to block the new regiment. Later, the 36th Division was occupied by the new regiment.
One regiment attacked, and then thousands of tons of cement and steel bars were shot by the new regiment, and the 36th Division also suffered heavy losses."
"idiot…"
Cursing secretly, Miura Saburo took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart.
Even if they were defeated, even such important supplies could be snatched away by the Eighth Route Army. The troops of the First Army were simply a bunch of trash.
Now these materials have been built into reinforced concrete permanent fortifications by the Eighth Route Army, which will cause big trouble for the 10th Division.
"Then how did the Eighth Route Army capture those thickened bunkers and gun towers along the road?"
Miura Saburo sounded puzzled.
Along the road from Heyuan County, he saw some fortifications. They were all thickened bunkers and gun towers, and they looked intact.
These thickened bunkers and gun towers were not destroyed during the battle.
After the war, Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang discussed and decided not to destroy those thickened bunkers and gun towers for the time being.
If the county town is taken back by the Japanese in the future, the Japanese will definitely continue to stay in those thickened bunkers and gun towers. When the new regiment can knock them down, it will be a huge fortune.
How can you only do business once?
Ono Binfu said: "According to Major General Hanagu, Chief of Staff of the First Army, the Eighth Route Army first used large-caliber heavy artillery to aim and fire directly, used smoke bombs to obscure the sight of machine gunners, and flamethrowers carried flamethrowers. Only then did they capture those thickened bunkers and
blockhouse."
"Yoshi!"
Hearing this, Saburo Miura's expression changed from gloomy to bright: "This does provide an idea for our attack. There is an old saying in China: treat the person with his own medicine. If the third attack is unfavorable, use this again.
A tactic!"
The Locust Army has smoke bombs.
The Locust Army also has flamethrowers.
Although there is intelligence that the Eighth Route New Regiment is equipped with gas masks.
But Miura Saburo still wanted to give it a try, because when the 10th Division attacked Japan a few years ago, the use of poison gas bombs was almost invincible.
As for the excavation method of earthworks mentioned by Ohno Binfu, it is too time-consuming.
According to reconnaissance, the Eighth Route Army has built many positions and bunkers at a depth of more than ten kilometers. This is just the beginning, and there are still tough battles to be fought later.
In the sight of the artillery mirror, the Japanese fired hundreds of artillery shells, but not a single bunker exposed by the Eighth Route New Regiment could be destroyed.
Miura Saburo coldly ordered: "Send the order, stop the bombardment and launch chemical bombs!"
The communications team immediately called the rear artillery positions and issued the order to launch chemical bombs.
Tens of seconds later, a sharp whistling sound passed overhead, flew towards the position of the new regiment of the Eighth Route Army, and then quickly exploded.
This time, the Japanese fired yellow and red gas bombs.
Red bomb explosions can release poisonous gas that strongly irritates respiratory organs, commonly known as sneeze bombs; while yellow bombs release erosive poisonous gas that can cause ulcers in the skin and mucous membranes.
At a location about 400 meters away from the Eighth Route Army position.
A squadron of about 400 Japanese soldiers, all wearing gas masks, have arrived here and are ready to attack.
The Japs don't have many gas masks, and they won't equip them for the puppet troops, so this time all the people attacking were Japs, and there were no puppet troops.
I saw poison gas bombs spreading all over the Eighth Route Army positions.
The Japanese squadron leader suddenly became enthusiastic and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, the Locust is on board!"
The Japanese raised their rifles high and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, the Locust is on board!"
The excited and fanatical look was like seeing the Locusts with their own eyes. The Japanese soldiers of the Class A Division were more enthusiastic about Bushido and worshiped the Locusts than the Japanese soldiers of the Second Line Division.
Then, under the leadership of two Japanese squadron captains, more than 400 Japanese soldiers held rifles, dispersed their formation, and quickly rushed toward the new regiment's position.
…
"The Japanese have begun to attack, with about 400 troops and a distance of 380 meters!"
The Xinyi Group position was filled with poisonous gas, blocking the sight of the observation post, but the observers at the commanding heights of the mountain could clearly see the Japanese attack.
The observer immediately conveyed the situation to the first battalion using a low-power walkie-talkie.
As Zhang Dabiao's order was issued, this time it was still two companies responsible for going out from the tunnel to defend the position.
"Put on your gas mask and tie your sleeves and neck tightly!"
"Get into position!"
The two battalion commanders had rich combat experience and knew how powerful the Japanese gas bombs were. In addition to wearing gas masks, they also had to keep their skin from being exposed, otherwise they would be hit.
Within half a minute, all the soldiers were ready. Following the company commander's order, the soldiers wearing gas masks entered the position from the tunnel carrying weapons.
Although we entered the position, the enemy fired poison gas bombs at the position, which was like a thick fog, and our visibility was not good.
but.
The soldiers were still undaunted in the face of danger, pushing bullets into their chambers one after another, aiming in the direction where the Japanese were coming, and looking fiercely at them.
…
Li Mancang is a machine gunner in the first platoon of the third company of the first battalion. He is 4 years old and a native of Tianjiazhuang, Hebei Province. He uses an M1917 Browning heavy machine gun.
The same heavy machine gun used by John Basilone to kill more than 1,000 Japanese soldiers on Guadalcanal.
At this time, Li Mancang quietly looked through the gap in the bunker at the Japanese soldiers wearing gas masks in the distance and rushing towards the new regiment's position.
This group of Japanese soldiers were light on their feet and very fast, focusing entirely on the new formation shrouded in gas bombs.
During this period, the Japanese artillery troops continuously fired poison gas bombs at the new regiment's position, allowing the poison gas to permeate the air.
The front of the position is not flat, but there are many uneven earth bags. Some of the earth bags have been transformed into thickened bunkers and restored to their original state, with no abnormalities visible.
This is a side fire specially prepared for the Japanese. There are six more bunkers like this set up on the flanks.
As the Japanese entered the shooting range, Li Mancang asked the deputy shooter to push away the brick blocking the shooting hole, then pulled the bolt, opened the safety, and put his thumb on the firing weight of the heavy machine gun with a stern expression.
Accompanied by the continuous firing sound of "gnaw gnaw gnaw", 0 rounds of bullets were continuously eaten into the gun chamber, but when they came out from the other side, only the bullets were left without the bullets.
The bullet split into two parts, and the eggshell was thrown to the ground inside the bunker, but the bullet flew towards the Japanese infantry 10 meters away!
The machine gunners in the other six bunkers fired almost simultaneously. Through the shooting holes, Li Mancang saw that the Japanese who were caught off guard fell in large numbers in an instant.
Under the intense machine gun fire, even the formations of the Japs from the Type A division were suddenly disrupted, and then they fell into a pool of blood one by one.
