The important transfer station of the Pingsui Railway is also the starting point of the Tongpu Railway. Several railways converge here, and a large amount of combat materials are stored here.
It can be said that among the important stations in Shanxi, the strategic position of Datong Station is second only to Taiyuan Station.
During the attack on northwest Shanxi, the station was garrisoned by Japanese troops from the 11th Independent Infantry Regiment of the 26th Division and was heavily guarded.
But not long ago, the 11th Independent Infantry Regiment had an encounter with the 2nd Independent Brigade of the Eighth Route Army in Maying Mountain.
The 2nd Independent Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, which captured the 5th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army and obtained more than 300 light and heavy machine guns, 3,000 rifles, and airdropped supplies, is naturally the 11th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army.
In that battle, both sides suffered heavy casualties. At this time, the 11th Infantry Regiment had been ordered to return to the 26th Division to rest and recuperate.
After the 11th Independent Infantry Regiment left, the commander of the 3rd Brigade met again with Yin Sanxiong and mobilized a brigade of troops to garrison Datong Station.
However, a few days ago, the Sharp Sword Squadron pretended to be guerrillas and wreaked havoc everywhere. Due to lack of troops, Yin Sanxiong detached two squadrons from Datong Station and went to encircle and suppress the guerrillas. They have not returned yet.
Therefore, at the moment, there is only one Japanese squadron at Datong Station, and the defense is relatively empty.
According to the intelligence, the Japanese brigade that went to encircle and suppress the guerrillas was still searching for the guerrillas all over the mountains and plains.
The 3rd Brigade originally stationed in Datong was a remnant, with a total strength of only about 2,500 troops. Now a brigade and part of the puppet troops were sent out. Not only was the defense of Datong Station empty, but even Datong City was insufficiently defended.
While the two cavalry battalions of the new regiment were detouring towards Datong City, Duan Peng also led the Sword Squadron and quietly approached Datong Station in the darkness.
Although there are not many Japanese troops at Datong Station, there are many open and hidden Japanese sentries around the station.
The first thing the Sword Squadron has to deal with is these Japanese sentries.
It was early in the morning, the time when people are most tired. The Japanese sentry was smeared on the neck by Xilihu when he was hoarding.
After killing the Japanese sentries on the periphery, the Sharp Sword Squadron and the First Company quickly approached Datong Station.
At this time, the telephone lines between Datong City and Datong Station had been cut.
"Okay, let's go here!"
About 800 meters away from the station, the platoon leader of the new regiment responsible for commanding the mortars gave an order, and the artillery behind him stopped in unison.
The searchlights on the blockhouse of the train station opposite cast dazzling light, but at this location, even with the searchlights, it was impossible for the Japanese sentries on the blockhouse to clearly see the Eighth Route Army's position in the dark.
The infantrymen were already crawling towards the station.
Through the field of view of the searchlight, we could vaguely see that there were more than a dozen bodies covered with scars hanging on the wall of the train station.
After the Japanese transported combat materials to Datong Station, they were always under strict supervision. No one except the Japanese and puppet troops were allowed to approach the station.
Some ordinary people who didn't know it passed by the station were arrested by the Japanese without any explanation and tortured.
Seeing that nothing could be produced through torture, the Japanese would either take the common people to a deep pit dug for them, behead them with samurai swords and push the bodies into the pit, or stab the common people to death with bayonets and hang them on the city wall to demonstrate.
The artillery platoon leader also saw the corpses of the common people on the city wall through the telescope, with a fierce expression on his face, and shouted in a low voice:
"Put up the cannon!"
The artillerymen quickly got busy and built artillery positions on the spot.
The 60mm mortars and 82mm mortars equipped by the new regiment can be disassembled and transported. They can be split into three parts: base, barrel and bracket. They are also very light and easy to maneuver. The 60mm mortar weighs 40
The total weight of the 82mm mortar is also about 100 kilograms.
According to the location of the Japanese soldiers in the train station given by the Sharp Sword Squadron, the artillerymen with rich combat experience set up the mortars and quickly adjusted the shooting at Zhu Yuan, with the muzzle pointed in the direction of the Japanese barracks.
Since the terrain is flat and it is at night, the impact point of the mortar position must not be visible.
But the artillery of the new regiment is all about fire coverage.
15 mortars, including 4 82mm mortars. Although there are no 75mm mountain field guns, the Sword Squadron and the first company are equipped with bazookas. There are a lot of them. The masonry turrets used to fight the Japanese are almost one shot.
one.
As a red signal flare slowly rose into the sky.
The new group of gunners on the artillery position put the mortar shells in their hands into the barrel, and a series of rapid and muffled sounds were heard.
Immediately afterwards.
The scream of shells flying across the sky came to the sky above Datong Station.
"Boom boom boom boom..."
The next moment, mortar shells landed in Datong Station, and balls of dazzling red light and gunpowder smoke suddenly rose in the station.
Among the first round of shells, an 82mm mortar shell landed in a barracks inside the station. There was only a loud bang, and the barracks made of blue bricks was blown into a pile in an instant.
Bricks and rubble.
Before the Japanese inside could react, they went to see Amaterasu during the explosion.
Immediately afterwards, continuous mortar shells fell on the Japanese station, completely shrouding the location of the station barracks in gunpowder smoke.
Several rockets almost burst out of the grass, trailing long tail flames in the night sky and hitting the turret of the train station.
Amidst the rapid and loud bangs, the Japanese turret was hit instantly. The Japanese machine gunner inside was killed in the explosion of rockets before he could fire.
Then, two more rounds of rockets were fired to ensure that all the Japanese machine gun fire points were eliminated. Soldiers from the Sharp Sword Squadron and the First Battalion and the First Company attacked the train station with their guns in hand, and gunfire sounded as dense as exploding beans.
…
Datong City.
Inside the headquarters of the Japanese 3rd Brigade.
Major General Yin Sanxiong, commander of the 3rd Brigade, was awakened by the sound of mortars. At first he thought he was dreaming.
During this time, he felt a little uneasy.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Just as he was about to continue sleeping, the next second, he saw Yin Sanxiong suddenly stood up from the bed, and Tong Kong was suddenly shocked.
This was not a dream, it was real gunfire, and the gunfire came from the direction of Datong Station.
Are there enemies attacking Datong Station?
There are 5,000 tons of combat supplies stored in Datong Station. If these combat supplies are blown up or fall into the hands of the enemy, he will be in big trouble!
Before he had time to think too much, he saw Yin Sanxiong put on his clothes again and took the major general's command sword, and hurriedly opened the door and walked to the war room.
As soon as he entered the war room, a combat staff officer hurriedly walked in and reported:
"Report to the brigade commander that a large number of Eighth Route Cavalry movements have been found around Datong City, and the number is no less than one cavalry regiment!"
"Nani? Eighth Route Cavalry of a cavalry regiment?"
When Yin Sanxiong heard this, his eyes suddenly darkened and he looked at the combat staff:
"What exactly is going on?"
"What happened over there at the station?"
The combat staff quickly lowered his head and said: "Report to the brigade commander, the communication team is currently unable to contact the station. The phone line should be cut off!"
"idiot!"
"waste!"
Seeing Yin Sanxiong again, he cursed angrily.
At this time, Chief of Staff Yoshiji Toda walked in quickly. He had just heard the conversation between the combat staff and the brigade commander outside.
"Brigade Captain!"
Toda Yoshiji lowered his head and said in a deep voice: "There are Eighth Route Army cavalry troops around us, but only the Eighth Route Army New First Regiment. Most likely it is the Eighth Route Army New First Regiment attacking Datong!"
Seeing Yin Sanxiong nodding again, his expression was extremely solemn.
Although there are still more than 2,500 people in the 3rd Brigade, there are only more than 1,200 Japanese soldiers in Datong now, of which more than 200 are logistics personnel.
The 1st Infantry Brigade was sent out to encircle and suppress the guerrillas. There were also 200 soldiers at the station who were being attacked by the Eighth Route Army.
The staff officers of the Japanese 3rd Brigade Headquarters hurried into the war room one after another.
Everyone looked at the commander of the 3rd Brigade to see Yin Sanxiong again. Whether the 3rd Brigade was going to fight to the end or escape, they had to make an idea quickly.
Seeing Yin Sanxiong again, he looked at Toda Yoshiji and said in a deep voice: "Toda-kun, what do you think?"
"Captain of the brigade!" Yoshiji Toda said in a deep voice, "There is no point in our 3rd brigade defending Datong. We must leave Datong quickly. It will be too late if we don't leave!"
In its heyday, the 3rd Brigade never defeated a single battalion of the Eighth Route New First Regiment.
What's more, with more than 1,000 people now, can they defend Datong?
When he met Yin Sanxiong again, he naturally understood this truth, but Datong was an important military town, and the 3rd Brigade was ordered to garrison it. He did not dare to lead his troops to abandon Datong without orders, otherwise he would definitely go to a military court.
Neither the Mongolian army nor the main force of the First Army in Taiyuan could support the 3rd Brigade in a short period of time.
By the time reinforcements arrive, the 3rd Brigade may have been completely wiped out.
Seeing Yin Sanxiong again, he nodded and said: "The communications room immediately sent a telegram to the First Army Headquarters, explaining the situation here, requesting the 3rd Brigade to transfer to Inner Mongolia, and also requesting the troops stationed in Mongolia to dispatch cavalry to respond!"
The combat staff quickly drafted the telegram, gave it to Chongjian Yin Sanxiong to sign, then turned and walked out.
"Brigade Commander." Toda Yoshiji asked: "What about the 5,000 tons of combat supplies at the station?"
