Deadly artillery shells continued to fall from the sky, and after several rounds of volleys from the mountain artillery battery, they basically dispersed all the Japanese infantry and engineers around the tank column, leaving those who remained in place either dead or wounded.
Until this time, the Japanese army had not fully reacted to the sudden artillery fire. Although many Japanese soldiers heard the deafening gunshots coming from the left direction, within a few seconds, they could only quickly
Find cover to avoid the rain of shells.
By this time, both Ti Jing and Tieniu had replaced their magazines with new ones.
Looking around, most of the Japanese tanks on the road were stationary, and the engines of some of them had even been completely stalled. The first tank had been completely engulfed in flames, and the last tank at the end was reversing at a slow speed in an attempt to avoid unknown targets.
In the name of the attack, the turret on the tank also rotated desperately, and the muzzle gradually turned to Zhang Xiaoping's position. It seemed that the Japanese tanks had discovered them and were preparing to counterattack.
Unfortunately, facing the flexible and lightweight anti-tank guns, the turning of the Japanese tank turret was too slow.
Tieniu steadily put the clumsy iron turtle into the 2.5x Zeiss scope, and then pulled the trigger.
Amidst the sound of gunshots, a 13.2 mm tungsten core armor-piercing bullet instantly crossed a distance of 800 meters and easily penetrated the steel shell with a thickness of only 17 mm under the turret of this Type 89 tank, with the sharp tip of death.
Xiao got into the car.
As a result, the steel monster that was struggling desperately just a second ago, trying to resist and welcome, became eerily silent. No flames came out, and there was no reaction inside the car. It still looked so mighty and domineering, but it seemed
Suddenly he fell asleep and seemed motionless.
This was not over yet, because Tieniu’s second and third shots came one after another. This 12.7-ton steel monster was as stable as an old dog, and it looked like it could withstand the wind and rain. I felt confident.
The immovable spirit, but inside the car... Haha!
At this time, Ti Jing was looking for those tanks that were still emitting black smoke and roaring, trying to fight to the death. After finishing the second magazine, Zhang Xiaoping's voice came: "Withdraw!"
At this time, only 1 minute had passed, but 1 minute was enough time for the Japanese soldiers who were a little stunned by the shells to react.
The belated Japanese Army's Type 92 heavy machine gun began to sound like a rooster's crow. The bullets fell like a violent storm on their previous shooting position, making the ground next to the trench pop.
Direct sound.
But Zhang Xiaoping and the others had already run out of a distance of almost 50 meters. At this time, Zhu Jinhui, who was observing with an artillery scope in the distance, issued a new bombardment order. Only one minute later, several heavy machine guns that the Japanese army had hurriedly set up were attacked.
A devastating blow.
The Japanese army was furious. Although few of their tanks appeared to be damaged from the outside, all the tanks were strangely motionless, and shrill cries for help came from some tanks. However, the Japanese commander
Knowing that these tanks have basically lost their combat effectiveness, how can he not be anxious?
I saw a major commander of the Japanese army pulling out his command knife, pointing at Zhang Xiaoping and the others who had become looming, and shouted in a hoarse voice: "Kill them!"
However, a new round of artillery fire quickly drowned out his voice. Under the overwhelming artillery fire, the Japanese army, let alone organizing troops to pursue them, just wanted to raise their guns and aim at the few who were drifting away, jumping and running as nimbly as apes.
The figure is also a very difficult thing.
Because this time the shelling was not only about the mountain artillery battery, but also the 18 81mm mortars that had been fired. However, this time the mortars used light projectiles with a range of 2.8 kilometers and a weight of 3.25 kilograms.
Zhou Wen clearly knew how dangerous it was to attack Japanese tanks at close range, not to mention that there were thousands of attacking troops at the front of the Japanese army. If they charged forward regardless, Zhang Xiaoping and the others would probably not be able to come back.
Therefore, in order to cover these two anti-tank groups, the artillery of the mercenary regiment can be said to be deployed with all their strength.
The mountain artillery company created chaos and gave the anti-tank team an opportunity. The mortar company's final attack disrupted the Japanese army's formation, making it impossible for the Japanese army to gather forces for a charge in a short period of time.
Moreover, the explosion of dozens of artillery shells can also create a large amount of smoke and dust, obstructing the sight of the Japanese army and allowing Zhang Xiaoping and others to retreat easily.
Anyway, it was a one-shot deal, and Zhou Wen was not afraid of being countered by the Japanese artillery and aircraft. By the time the Japanese army sent out aircraft to bomb, the artillery unit of the mercenary regiment had long since withdrawn.
The affiliated troops of the mercenary regiment that Zhou Wen painstakingly cultivated have finally demonstrated their value and fully achieved Zhou Wen's purpose of establishing this army.
Without the support of these trustworthy and skilled second team members, Zhang Xiaoping and the others would not have been allowed to carry out such a near-death mission even if Zhou Wen was killed.
Some people may say that they can cooperate and coordinate with the friendly forces of the 88th Division, but Zhou Wen will never put his life and the lives of his brothers in the hands of others, not even the closest friendly forces.
This is not just a question of trust or distrust, but an ever-changing battlefield with too many variable factors.
Is the artillery firing accurate? Is it timely? Is the information conveyed accurate? Is it fast? etc. This does not include other personal factors.
This kind of coordinated infantry and artillery operations is not just about artillery bombing the infantry, but it has its own purpose.
Just like this battle, the division of labor is very clear. The purposes of the three combat units are different. The key is that they all have the ability to achieve combat goals. This is difficult for the current domestic troops to achieve. Merely transmitting information is
One, without the help of portable communication devices, no army can do it, including the Japanese army on the opposite side.
The only thing that surprised Zhou Wen was that not only was the tactical coordination of this infantry-artillery collaboration perfect, but the results were also perfect.
The Japanese army had an entire tank squadron of 12 Type 89 tanks. Except for the tank that was stuck in the wetland and unable to move, the other eleven tanks were either completely destroyed, or most of the members inside the tank were injured or killed, and the equipment was damaged. All of them were lost.
Combat capability and even whether it can be dragged back have become questions.
There were many accidental factors that led to such a great result. First of all, the Japanese tanks happened to be traveling on a simple road that passed through the wetland. They were unable to form a formation on the narrow road and even lost their mobility to evade.
The arrogance of the Japanese army was also an important factor. Twelve tanks followed each other in a dense column formation that were completely targets, without any precautions or vigilance.
Of course, the tactics, equipment and personal abilities of the mercenary group are the most fatal factors.
For this reason, Zhou Wen could only sigh repeatedly: "The Japanese tank squadrons are all good actors."