For the more than 600 officers and soldiers of a battalion who are working hard to build blocking positions at various commanding heights in the mountainous area, the upcoming bloody battle makes them a little trembling and a little nervous. They may die in the last battle in the eastern Shanxi theater, but they
But it was the last iron gate that blocked the crazy escape of the 77th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese invaders.
As long as they block here, the more than 2,000 Japanese invaders on the Jiuguan front line will have no way to escape. In front of the road, there are the Independent Regiment Death Battalion and the Panshi Battalion, and behind them are the 772nd Regiment and the 17th Division.
Deputy Zhang Ruhao has already called the 1st Battalion. After 15 minutes of shelling, the Jiuguan front line will launch a full counterattack.
The final victory is right in front of you.
But for Captain Li Dengxing, it was undoubtedly an unspeakable ordeal.
From the moment he saw the terrifying fireballs rising from his own position through the telescope while sitting on horseback, he knew that this battle was lost. His current goal was not to save the doomed defeat of this battle, but to
How to lead the more than 1,600 imperial officers and soldiers under his command to leave this mountain and return to the Hebei plain.
Colonel Li Dengxing was undoubtedly a very decisive person. Before he could wait for a reply from the division headquarters, he ordered the entire army to abandon their baggage. Even his beloved big green horse was shot to death five times in a row with his pistol.
To express determination.
Except for the thirteen tanks of the tank brigade that refused to abandon their tanks, they still stubbornly drove along the road toward Jingxing County like lone knights, like moths flying into the flames. The rest of the 77th Infantry Regiment abandoned the tanks.
The car, carrying only a few pack horses carrying heavy machine guns, mountain artillery, and infantry artillery, resolutely left the road and headed into the mountains along the mountain trails that could only be used by one person. Although the roads in the mountainous areas were difficult to walk, he firmly believed that
, it will definitely be a dead end if you take the road again. Not to mention that the Chinese have occupied the position of the stupid 26th Artillery Regiment. The 75mm field guns and 105 howitzers are a devastating threat to him on the road, and the Chinese will definitely
He set up a blocking position at a suitable location on the road, and when he was desperately trying to open the lifeline with his life, the Chinese army from the direction of Jiuguan arrived. By that time, it was too late to run away.
The vast mountains are the only way to survive. No matter how powerful the Chinese army is, they will not still deploy troops in the mountains!
His choice was correct. After entering the mountainous area for more than ten minutes and walking two miles, he did not see any enemies. The only thing that could stop them from moving forward was the steep mountains. However, that was nothing compared to the terrifying bullets. It was low.
Morale actually improved. Although the commander of the regiment and the major of the group never said anything, the Japanese soldiers who obeyed the military orders from Shangfeng were not stupid. They hurriedly mobilized their troops back, and the artillery fire that filled half the sky in the direction of Jiuguan was not an explosion.
The sound of the sound on the hill in Jiuguan, which they had dreamed of capturing, and the order to abandon the precious baggage and abandon the road and enter the mountainous area, all meant one thing - defeat.
The powerful imperial army was actually defeated and embarked on the road to escape. This was undoubtedly bad news for the Japanese army, which was already frightened on the Jiuguan front line.
Although they were not as unstoppable as they once were at Jiuguan, they were always attacking and the Chinese were defending. Even if they couldn't get in, the Chinese were unable to take even a step out of their position. The imperial army always took the initiative, retreating or advancing.
It is up to the powerful Imperial Army to decide.
But now, they have lost the battle and started to flee. This is a shame. The 77th Infantry Regiment may have never been so demoralized since its formation. The only thing that makes them a little happier is that the escape route is not in the mountains of China.
The scenery in the early morning was good, and there was no threat of bullets. If it could stay like this, they would climb over this damn mountain and return to the plains at sunset.
No matter what, your life can be saved.
Unfortunately, this only comfort was completely destroyed by the vanguard soldiers who were one mile ahead of the main force. The fierce gunshots that resounded through the valley one mile away made Colonel Li Dengxing's face turn pale. Five minutes later,
The bitter report from the sergeant who was sweating profusely from running a mile away made his face look as ugly as if he had eaten a piece of Xiang.
A squad of fifteen soldiers, in just two minutes, were all smashed to pieces on the mountain road they were advancing for reconnaissance. The condescending Chinese fired machine guns without any scruples, while the unobstructed mountain road a hundred meters below allowed the Empire to
The warriors had no place to hide. Most of them only fired two shots at most before being mercilessly killed by the Chinese. If the sergeant hadn't been at the very back, he would have jumped into a ravine covered with bushes and escaped.
On the day of my birth, I’m afraid I won’t have the chance to report the military situation to His Excellency, the commander of the regiment.
Li Dengxing, who looked extremely ugly, knew that the Chinese were so determined to carry out a devastating attack on a small team, and their purpose was nothing more than to tell him that this road was dead.
This road is impassable, but does he still have a chance to leave the mountainous area and return to the road? When he orders the entire army to turn around and return, the Chinese army from the direction of Jiuguan may have already come over and set up machine guns waiting for him! For those who are still in Jiuguan,
Lieutenant Colonel Hatori and his 1st Infantry Battalion with more than 400 and less than 500 troops on the front line of the Seki area did not think that they could resist the Chinese for more than 20 minutes.
This is not a question about the combat effectiveness of the Imperial Warriors, but that from the very beginning, the 77th Infantry Regiment never thought that the Chinese would have the courage to counterattack their positions. The 1.5-meter-deep trenches might still be able to
Defending against the Chinese 75mm mountain artillery, but in the face of the huge power of the 105mm howitzer that once belonged to the empire, is just a little better than lying on the field.
In the ten minutes between abandoning the main road and entering the mountainous area, the whistling of artillery shells overhead never stopped, which also meant that the Chinese's crazy bombardment lasted for more than fifteen minutes. Although he didn't want to admit it, Li Dengxingyi couldn't help it.
Accepting the reality without pain, the two infantry squadrons he left behind in Jiuguan were wiped out before the Chinese could even show up.
Except at the beginning of the bombardment, the radio station belonging to the 1st Infantry Battalion sent Lieutenant Colonel Hatori an extremely sad message about the end of the war, but there was no response, which confirmed Koichi Yukichi's judgment.
Li Deng and his team were very experienced, and he was not wrong at all. His First Infantry Battalion and Lieutenant Colonel Hatori of the 20th Division, who was famous for his ruthlessness, were simply unable to withstand up to five 105 howitzers for more than 15 minutes.
Nearly 180 artillery shells were bombarded. Moreover, the Japanese troops on the Jiuguan front line encountered not only 105 howitzers, but also full-speed shelling from 6 Bofors mountain guns.
It was far more difficult than Yukichi Koito imagined. Lieutenant Colonel Hatori, who had always regarded the lives of his own officers and soldiers as nothing, was very cold-hearted and wisely sent a farewell message to the wing headquarters in the first minute of being bombarded.
Otherwise, he didn't know if he would have a chance to express his loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor to his superiors.
Because the Chinese artillery fire is too exaggerated.
After receiving the order from regiment deputy Zhang Ruhao to launch a counterattack within 15 minutes of shelling, Zhao Ergou had already prepared 3 base shells for the 6 Bofors Mountain Cannons. The rate of fire reached 25 rounds per minute.
The Foss Mountain Cannon had a rate of fire of about 8 rounds per minute, but it was no more than a joke. However, the Japanese army was unlucky when 720 rounds of artillery shells from the Independent Regiment Artillery Battalion, which no longer had any scruples about firing, landed on their heads.
In just fifteen minutes, the 400 or 500 Japanese troops on the Jiuguan front line were bombarded by nearly 900 artillery shells. The intensity was much stronger than their bombardment of the Chinese positions. This time, it can only be described as unbearable to watch.
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The semi-circular position, which was no more than 1,000 meters wide, was trembling under the intensive artillery fire. The thick smoke completely covered the Japanese position. No one could see clearly what kind of blow the Japanese troops on the Japanese position suffered. Anyway, the crazy shelling really screamed.
The mountains were shaking, and even the land on the Jiuguan position, which was more than a thousand meters away from the Japanese position, was shaking. You can imagine what happened to the Japanese position at the center of the bombardment.
Only those who have personally experienced shelling know that when the solid land is like a turbulent sea, it is not the most terrifying thing to find it difficult to stabilize one's body while lying on the ground. The energy of the shells exploding in all directions screams in the ears, and everyone in the field of vision is
The visible bodies of your companions were torn apart silently, and even the screams before death were annihilated in the louder explosion, and you can only wait, waiting for the death that will come in the next second.
The waiting for death is the most terrifying thing.
Including Lieutenant Colonel Hatori, who was hiding in the underground bunker brigade headquarters, was also waiting for death. The thick smoke from the artillery fire had blocked all sight, and the brigade headquarters, which was shaking crazily under the gunfire, was in darkness.
Lieutenant Colonel Hatori's brigade headquarters was not only camouflaged but also topped with logs and a half-meter-thick sand layer. It was modified overnight after discovering that the Chinese 75-caliber mountain artillery could bombard them. As long as they were not too unlucky and were not attacked by the 75-caliber
If the mountain cannon is hit continuously by 6.5kg projectiles, it will not be over. However, Lieutenant Colonel Hatori knew that this was not enough to ensure that he and the more than 20 people in the brigade headquarters with frightened faces would survive until the war.
From the moment the fireball of the 105 howitzer bloomed on the position, he knew that it was all over. Not only his first infantry group, but also the more than 1,000 people in the wing headquarters who had gone away. From this moment on, this place became
The stage for the Chinese. The imperial warriors became the clowns trying to escape during their pursuit.
In the trembling darkness, tears of humiliation fell from the corners of his eyes, and Hatori Nakasa waited silently for his imminent death.
His wait did not last long.
When a 105 howitzer happened to visit here, the half-meter-thick sand layer was easily penetrated. The projectile weighing nearly 16 kilograms hit the log after passing through the sand layer and exploded with a bang.
The brigade headquarters, which could accommodate more than 40 people, was blown into a large pit with a diameter of 10 meters and a depth of 3 meters. The logs as thick as an adult's waist had long since disappeared. Even the corpses could not be seen, only smeared on the walls of the pit.
The bloodstains, which were slightly blackened by the high temperature, also proved that there were once a group headquarters of more than 20 people here. Lieutenant Colonel Hatori, his signal corps and the group's field radio were reduced to ashes.
At this time, only five minutes of shelling had passed, and the remaining Japanese troops, who were mostly hiding in 1.5-meter-deep trenches and pitiful individual artillery-proof holes, still had to go through ten minutes of hell.
I don’t know how many lucky people will be able to escape this disaster.
Anyway, for Second Lieutenant Matsuda and Private "Sooner or Later", they are definitely lucky.
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PS: The update is a little late. It may be because I didn’t write any articles yesterday. Today I am writing very slowly. I also recommend a new book, "Twenty Years of Mercenaries" by Feng Sanwu. I like to read it.
Mercenary book friends can collect and pay attention.