Volume 1 Chapter 002 Bombardment
Fang Ligong did not dare to confront the Sakata Corps head-on.
However, it is not impossible to take advantage of the enemy's confusion to bully them.
If I don’t take revenge for what happened to Luye now, when will I take revenge?
Fang Ligong stood at attention and shouted, “Yes!”
Seeing that the chief of staff was about to leave, Chu Yunfei suddenly remembered something and said, "Order the artillery battalion to fire hard! Even if all the shells are used up, we must wipe out the Sakata Regiment!"
Although Chu Yunfei was a graduate of the fifth class of the Whampoa Military Academy, he was from Wutai Mountain in Shanxi Province, and was a fellow townsman of Yang Aiyuen, commander-in-chief of the Sixth Army Group, and was highly appreciated by him.
His 358th Regiment is the main force of the Sixth Army.
Not only does it have a cavalry battalion, it also has an artillery battalion.
6 Jin-made Type 13 75mm mountain cannons.
This is Chu Yunfei’s treasure.
I won't take action easily!
Hearing that the regimental commander was going to dispatch the artillery battalion and bombard the Japanese army with all his strength, Fang Ligong hurriedly persuaded: "Commander! Reconsider it again. It is not easy for us to have this artillery battalion. If we lose it, it will be difficult to explain to Commander Yang!"
Chu Yunfei didn't care at all.
The shells keep the birds dry, but they won't lay eggs.
Killing the devils is more important, the more you can kill, the better!
"Don't worry! As long as we kill the Sakata Regiment, the commander will not only not blame us, but will also reward us. We will get all the shells we used up!"
Fang Ligong thought of Chu Yunfei's background and nodded. "Yes. I will pass the order right away!"
Following the order from the regiment commander, the 358th Regiment, which had been well prepared, set out to attack and headed straight for Cangyun Ridge!
When they were still 5 kilometers away from the positions built by the Japanese army in Cangyunling.
Lieutenant Colonel Liang Guoping, the artillery battalion commander, got off his horse and shouted, "Quick, quick! Damn it, push the mountain artillery up!"
The artillerymen quickly untied the mountain cannon from the pulling of the horses and pushed it into the position.
Each 75mm mountain cannon was placed twenty meters apart.
Jin-made Type 13 75mm mountain cannon.
The initial velocity of the shell is 342 meters per second, the maximum range is 6000 meters, and the total weight is 540 kilograms.
2,500 meters in front of the mountain artillery position, the 82mm mortar was also taken off the packhorse and assembled on the position.
The Jin-made 82mm mortar was a copy of the French M1927 81mm mortar.
The gun weighs 70kg and has a maximum range of 2850 meters.
The position of the 358th Regiment Artillery Battalion.
A gunner used an artillery telescope specially designed for artillery use to observe the distance, and also used his thumb to estimate the distance. After observation, he quickly calculated with a pen and reported the parameters quickly.
The second gunner quickly shook the handle and adjusted the muzzle according to the parameters reported by the first gunner.
The third gunner took the shells from the wooden box.
The four gunners took the shells, removed the safety device, stuffed them into the barrel, and closed the gate.
Make sure the shells are loaded!
Upon hearing Chu Yunfei's order to fire, Lieutenant Colonel Liang Guoping, the artillery battalion commander, shouted:
"Ready! Fire!"
The commander put down the flag in his hand immediately.
Each artillery platoon has adjusted the firing angle, and the muzzles are pointing at the Japanese positions.
The fifth gunner immediately stepped forward and pulled the match.
There was a sudden burst of artillery fire.
Six shells shot up into the sky, drew an arc, and flew towards the Japanese position.
After the test firing, there was another round of commands to adjust the data at each artillery position, and then three rounds of salvos began immediately.
If it were normal times, the well-trained Japanese army would never let the enemy get so close without being noticed.
But now, when the New 1st Regiment broke through, it killed Colonel Sakata and destroyed the command center.
Even though they had the upper hand, the enemy killed the highest commander of the regiment.
This is a disgrace to the team.
The Japanese in the three battalions under the regiment focused their main energy on preventing the New 1st Regiment from breaking through, hoping to wash away the shame.
In order to prevent the New 1st Regiment from breaking out, the Japanese army focused its main efforts in the direction near Cangyunling.
They had never expected that the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, which had always liked to preserve its strength, would dare to take the initiative to attack.
There were not many troops deployed in the rear.
It was this situation that gave the 358th Regiment an opportunity to take advantage.
The Japanese army was trying desperately to block the New 1st Regiment's breakout when they suddenly heard artillery fire.
The Japs heard the sound of artillery fire.
But most of the devils didn't care at all.
The Eighth Route Army had no artillery at all.
By the sound of the cannons, you can tell that multiple guns are firing.
It must be our own artillery fire, and it must be tilted towards the enemy.
What is there to be afraid of!
Ordinary Japanese soldiers didn't care, but Lieutenant Colonel Sato, the captain of the Japanese artillery squadron, was stunned when he heard the sound of the artillery.
Our artillery has just finished a round and has not fired yet!
Where is the sound of artillery?
The next second, he opened his eyes wide and looked at the black spot falling from the sky.
"Artillery fire! Get down!"
late!
A group of artillery shells whizzed down and hit the Japanese artillery position.
The first round of test missiles missed the target by nearly 40 meters.
Boom boom boom…
A series of explosions sounded.
The explosion lifted up the ground!
The mud and sand that flew from the sky splashed all over the Japanese.
Lieutenant Colonel Sato got up from the ground, not even bothering to check the damage, and shouted angrily.
"Move position quickly!"
The Japanese invaders during this period were not the same as those at the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan, and their individual soldier quality was still very high.
When faced with shelling, the Japanese artillery quickly divided the work and cooperated.
They carried the shell boxes, pulled the cannons with horses, and moved quickly.
If you fall behind on the battlefield, you will be completely passive.
The Japanese haven't yet completed their transfer.
Another round of artillery fire fell.
This time the Japanese army was not so lucky.
This time the artillery bombardment with corrected parameters fell on the Japanese artillery positions.
Immediately, two Type 92 infantry guns were overturned by the mortar shells of the 358th Regiment .
More than a dozen artillerymen were killed in the explosion.
The mountain artillery company opened fire, and the reinforced mortar company directly under the regiment also showed its power.
Although the 358th Regiment had only 6 mountain artillery pieces, it had a large number of mortars.
There are 8 Jin-made 82mm mortars, which are the backbone of Chu Yunfei's firepower output.
The mortar reinforced company, which had already occupied an advantageous position, cooperated with the mountain artillery to fire large numbers of shells one after another at the Japanese artillery positions.
The Japanese were completely unprepared and were stunned in an instant?
It fell on the Japanese position, scattering, confusing, knocking out the devils and completely killing them.
After one round of shelling, only three of the six Type 92 infantry guns of the artillery squadron directly under the regiment were left!
It took two minutes for the mortar company to quickly move its position.
The Japanese artillery squadron quickly calculated the enemy's artillery positions.
The remaining three 70mm Type 92 infantry guns and six 37mm anti-tank guns turned their guns in preparation for a counterattack.
At this time, the first gunner finally calculated the approximate location of the enemy artillery position.
He quickly reported the parameters.
The second gunner desperately shook the handle to adjust the muzzle.
Once the adjustments were made, the second and third gunners quickly put the shells into the gun barrels, and the fourth gunner pulled the fuse.
boom!
The Japanese artillery squadron finally fought back!
But after fighting the Japanese for so many years, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army is not stupid.
After three consecutive rounds, the artillery battalion of the 358th Regiment immediately moved its position.
As soon as it was settled, the first gunner quickly calculated the new parameters and reported them.
Less than a minute after the Japanese artillery launched its counterattack, the 358th Regiment's artillery battalion launched its second round of bombardment.
The Japanese artillery squadron was one minute slow in moving its position in order to counterattack, and suffered another round of attacks.
Another Type 92 infantry gun was destroyed.
Seeing that another infantry gun was destroyed, Lieutenant Colonel Sato gritted his teeth and shouted, "Move position!"
He wanted to continue to move his position and wait for an opportunity to counterattack.
But at this moment, about 2,000 soldiers from the first battalion of the 358th Regiment rushed towards the Japanese position with guns and machine guns.
The Type 92 heavy machine guns of the Japanese artillery squadron responsible for protecting the squad opened fire first.
Bang, bang, bang…
A series of bullets swept over and immediately interrupted the charge of the 358th Regiment.
Qian Bojun, the commander of the assault team, immediately lay down and shouted to his side: "The machine gunners are fighting back. Li Guosheng, destroy those machine guns for me!"
The Czech light machine guns were set up and fired at the Japanese heavy machine guns.
Li Guosheng, the artillery platoon leader of the first battalion, quickly ordered his men to set up two Jin-made 75mm mortars directly under the battalion.
He personally took the shell and stuffed it into the barrel.
The shell drew a streak and landed on the side of the heavy machine gun, exploding with a loud bang.
Blow up the machine gunner!
Seeing that the Japanese machine gunner had been killed, Qian Bojun shouted, "Brothers, go ahead! Take down the Japanese position. Each of you will be rewarded with three silver dollars!"
Upon hearing that there was a reward, the morale of the soldiers in the first battalion was greatly boosted. They immediately got up from the ground and rushed towards the Japanese position with guns in hand.
