The artillery positions deployed under the back slope emitted continuous roars. Six M101 105 howitzers and eight M1 75mm howitzers roared simultaneously. The roar almost shook the entire valley.
The thunderous sound of artillery tore through the dull sky, and clusters of white smoke and orange fire suddenly flashed on the artillery position. At first glance, it sounded like an airtight loud noise.
.
The shells that rushed out of the barrel pierced the sky and made a sharp roar. People who have never heard the sound can hardly imagine it. It is like a huge drum that is being beaten and beaten by countless sledgehammers. Although
Everyone wore earplugs, but the gunners still felt tight pain in their ears, and the ground beneath their feet was shaking rapidly.
In just seven or eight seconds, a bright spot and smoke clusters first appeared at the foot of Qixiaguan Mountain. Then, the bright spot turned into a sea of fire, and the smoke clusters formed black smoke.
"Lie down..."
Almost at the same time, Masao Miura, the captain of the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Regiment who was directing the Japanese attack, was startled at first, and then yelled without thinking.
As a veteran, Miura Masao certainly knew what the sound was, and almost without thinking about it, his body fell to the ground in shock without thinking, and at the same time he loudly ordered the soldiers around him to lie down.
"boom!"
As soon as he fell to the ground, Miura Masao heard a violent explosion next to him. The intense heat wave after the explosion almost blew his whole body away.
Along with the explosion, the entire ground seemed to be shaking, and the sound of the explosion made Masao Miura roar in his ears.
Apart from the deafening explosion heard at the beginning, there was no other sound.
Masao Miura raised his head just after the explosion and saw that a private who had been in the army for less than half a year had gone crazy and suddenly stood up. The panicked private had just stopped.
When he got up, Masao Miura saw the private lying on the ground again. At this time, Masao Miura clearly saw that the private's head was missing.
"Boom...boom...boom"
Looking at the private who had lost his head, Masao Miura suddenly heard the sounds coming into his ears become clearer. The dense explosions coming from around him were far beyond his imagination. The explosions were even like the Chinese people's blast during the Spring Festival.
The sound of firecrackers is generally dense.
Along with the explosion, the originally clear sky was shrouded in black smoke, and what was heard was the "whooshing" sound of the blown fragments breaking through the air, and more importantly, the screams of the soldiers.
"This is a heavy artillery... The Chinese actually have heavy artillery!"
Listening to the explosions and thick black smoke rising from time to time around him, Miura Masao's heart sank to the bottom.
Unlike Western countries that only classify artillery with a caliber of 155 and above as heavy artillery, for Japan, which has scarce resources, a 105-caliber artillery is already called a heavy artillery, and artillery of this caliber is generally only equipped by Class A divisions.
Second-line divisions like the Fourth Independent Mixed Brigade are not qualified to be equipped with this kind of artillery.
What Masao Miura couldn't figure out was why a mere local militia group was actually equipped with large-caliber artillery.
"Ah...Miura-kun...help me quickly!"
Miura Masao turned his head and found a man covered in blood not far away struggling to crawl towards him, calling for help as he crawled back.
Listening to this familiar voice, Miura Masao realized that this bloody man was actually his village friend Nishino Jiro. At this time, his legs had been blown away, and red mist-like blood spurted out from the broken leg.
Seeing all this, Masao Miura couldn't help but trembled in his heart. Seeing dead bodies and broken limbs everywhere in front of him, Masao Miura hesitated for a moment. He did not stand up, but quickly moved towards Nishino.
Jiro crawls away...
At Qixia Pass, Shinsuke Hashimoto closed his eyes in pain as he looked at the foot of the mountain that had been plunged into a sea of flames. He knew that the First Brigade was finished. When the artillery fire ended, only one-half of the First Brigade would survive.
It was Amaterasu who blessed me.
"Boom...boom..."
Listening to the distant explosions and looking at the black smoke raised by the clouds of explosions, Gao Hongming, who was gathered on a hillside in the security squad to watch the battle, looked at the Japanese positions covered by artillery fire and thought for a while.
He turned to the communications soldier and said: "Inform the artillery battalion right away. In five minutes, the artillery fire will begin to extend to the top of Qixia Pass. Then ask the second battalion how the battle is going on their side."
"Mortars... what are you doing? Didn't you see the firepower of the Japanese on the right? Kill him quickly... what? It's too hidden to hit them? Then just cover them with artillery fire. I don't believe you can't hit them."
!”
On the second battalion position that was blocking the rear, Xiao Zhankui was lying in a makeshift observation post, watching the battle with a telescope, and cursing into the phone while watching. The correspondent carrying an SCR-300 walkie-talkie was standing by and wanted to persuade others.
He didn't dare to speak, and looked like he was hesitating to speak.
At this time, Xiao Zhankui finally waited until he finished cursing and threw the microphone to him. Another voice came from the microphone. After listening for a while, he ran to Xiao Zhankui and handed the microphone to him, "Batalion Commander... Battalion Commander...
The regiment leader asked you to report on the battle situation here."
After listening for a while, Xiao Zhankui said loudly: "Don't worry, regiment, I have asked the Fourth Company and the Fifth Company to occupy the high ground on the left and right sides. The Japanese just tried to launch two attacks on us, but we repelled them both."
Our casualties are very small, almost negligible. Understand, please rest assured that as long as there is one person alive in the second battalion, the Japanese will never let the Japanese advance even half a step."
Throwing the microphone back to the communication soldier, Xiao Zhankui couldn't help but praise: "This thing is really easy to use. With this thing, whether it is receiving or transmitting orders, there is no need for the communication personnel to run around risking their lives, and there is no need to pull the phone line. It's really great."
convenient."
SCR-300 walkie-talkies were also equipped to the troops by Gao Hongming during the military expansion. This was the communication equipment used by the US military during World War II in another time and space.
Although its weight of 15 kilograms seems too bulky to people in the 21st century, and the communication distance is only a short 4.8 kilometers, it is already the most advanced communication device in this era.
And although this thing is inconspicuous, it is a multiplier for the combat effectiveness of the troops. After Gao Hongming bought it, he frantically equipped it to the platoon level. It can be said that as long as Gao Hongming is willing, he can even directly issue orders to the troops at the platoon level.
And Gao Hongming's nouveau riche style also showed its effect. Although the unit was only formed for less than two months, the cooperation of both soldiers and officers was relatively stiff. However, even after suffering a sudden attack, the unit still did not collapse.
The fundamental reason is that commanders at all levels can receive direct orders from their respective superiors from the walkie-talkies carried by the communication soldiers who follow them.