Smoke billowed from the kilometer-wide plain between the Chinese and Japanese armies, and the Japanese infantry struggled to survive under artillery fire.
However, the infantry of the Chinese and Japanese armies in the trenches focused their attention on the 20 conspicuous vehicles speeding through the smoke.
The Japanese infantry expected that the tanks of their own tank squadron could crush the hastily deployed trench defense lines of the Chinese like hammers, and then massacre all sides.
The 1st Division has been stationed in Northeast China for nearly four years, and they have long been accustomed to the fact that the Chinese dare not face the gaze of their military might.
Even the Four Elements Regiment in the Purple Mountains, faced with the attack of the oldest division in the empire, couldn't they only rely on the geographical advantages of the mountains for defense? Suddenly, such a Chinese army came and faced them in a direct confrontation.
, and also used heavy firepower to attack first. The proud imperial officers and soldiers of the 1st Division were aggrieved and wanted to give the Chinese a fierce counterattack.
Now, the First Tank Squadron of the Division has fulfilled their wish, and they will definitely be able to do so. The Japanese infantrymen shivering in the trenches can be said to have full expectations for the Empire's Iron Knights.
Sergeant Ishida Kotada is the commander and observer of the No. 6 vehicle of the 1st Tank Squadron of the 1st Division.
This low-level officer of the Japanese army, who came from a noble servant family, has a tenacity that most Japanese soldiers do not have. Ishida Xiaotada, who joined the army at the age of 20 and only had a junior school education, spent three years to be promoted from a private engaged in weapons maintenance to a soldier.
A first-class soldier, he was appreciated by his superiors for repairing the Type 96 machine gun that was nearly damaged in the battle. He was eventually sent to the tank squadron. Three years later, he became the best driver in the tank squadron and was promoted to sergeant level.
.
Although this kind of promotion speed is far less than that of officers who have gone through the non-commissioned officer school, 6 years is enough to become a captain, but for a child from a servant family, it is already very inspiring.
Of course, this is not the first time that Sergeant Ishida Kotada has been on the battlefield. In last year's Battle of Nomenkan, he personally led his No. 6 vehicle in a battle with the T26 tanks of the Mao Xiong army, although he did not destroy a new Mao Xiong tank.
record, but the No. 6 tank he led was one of the 10 tanks that survived among the 80 tanks assembled by the two divisions.
The Chinese defense line is 300 meters away. Ishida Xiaotada has clearly seen the appearance of the Chinese defense line through the observation hole. They are simple trenches dug in less than an hour. The depth will not exceed 1 meter and the width will not exceed 1 meter.
No more than 5 meters, and the Type 97 tank he led could crush it almost effortlessly.
The 15-ton tank's dead weight will easily crush anyone or anything that dares to stand in front of the vehicle. The feeling of the tracks crushing the human body is like stepping on a few ripe persimmons while wearing military boots. They are a little soft but scarlet red.
The juice will shoot out very far.
This feeling is a little disgusting, but also a little exciting, especially when I think of the Chinese people who were crushed under the tracks and most of their bodies were still alive for a while.
The only thing to guard against may be cluster grenades fired by the Chinese hiding in the trenches. The thick tank chassis is not afraid of explosives that have no armor-breaking capabilities, but the tracks are not that strong.
"Driver, slow down the vehicle; gunner, aim at the enemy trench and fire! Kill some of those bugs first, and the machine gunner is ready to clear out any bugs that dare to enter a hundred meters around the tank." Sergeant Kotada Ishida with a tough temperament
He patted the driver on the shoulder and shouted instructions to the other three members of the car.
The other three people followed Ishida Kotada's orders to make tactical moves. The huge body of the Type 97 tank reduced its speed from 30 kilometers per hour to 10 kilometers per hour. The muzzle of the 57mm howitzer began to be lowered and aimed forward. The 7mm machine gun located at the front of the vehicle also moved.
open insurance
The four-person team in car No. 6 has been working together for almost 2 years. In the Battle of Nomenkan a year ago, it was the perfect cooperation of the four people like a precision machine that allowed them to escape. Unlike many
My colleagues were also torn into half-cooked pieces by a big guy like a furry bear with a 50mm front armor.
Tanks are not like infantry. Once an armor-piercing bullet penetrates the inside of the tank, there will be no room for survival. Not to mention the flying shrapnel, the high temperature brought by the metal jet alone can fry a person.
The 57mm short-barreled howitzer began to fire. The skilled gunner fired the gun extremely accurately. With only one test shot, the shell fell into the area less than 5 meters away from the trench. After firing three consecutive rounds, the direction of the No. 6 car was
The trench was already scorched black.
A machine gun fortification hastily built with sandbags was directly blown to pieces, and the trench collapsed.
Ishida Kotada, who had been observing through the observation hole, nodded with satisfaction, but the tough-tempered Japanese commander still did not dare to let down his guard, and kept his gaze in the distance.
In fact, in front of the roaring tanks of the empire, the Chinese are really too quiet. Based on his experience in encircling and suppressing the rebels on the battlefield in Northeast China, shouldn't they just sweep over with shell guns, rifles, and machine guns? Even if they know
It has no effect.
Moreover, after several rounds of artillery fire, no human tissue was seen being blown up in the trenches. Could it be that the Chinese saw that they were invincible and took the initiative to retreat?
If that is the case, perhaps the 1st Tank Squadron will create a myth and break through the defense line of thousands of people with the power of one squadron.
However, Ishida Xiaotada is still rational enough to hide this happiness and not reveal it easily, unlike his boss, Captain Kamiya, who has a flamboyant personality. At this time, he is still shouting on the wireless communication: "The heroic knights of the empire, follow.
I, move forward, move forward!”
Tank No. 1 is not too far away from Tank No. 6, about 100 meters away. Because its speed has not slowed down, it should be 70 meters ahead of Tank Tank No. 6. In order to get a better view, Ishida Xiaochu took the risk to open the roof of the tank.
He quietly poked his head through the hatch to observe.
Of course Ishida Xiaotada, who was looking around and observing, had no idea that the No. 6 tank had just fired several rounds and not only destroyed a machine gun fortification and a small section of trenches, but also that two Chinese soldiers had died in this wave of precise shelling.
That was the defense line of the 1st Company and 1st Platoon of the 3rd Battalion of the 772nd Regiment. The soldiers of an infantry squad saw the Japanese tanks getting closer and closer. The infantry squad leader immediately ordered the soldiers to get into fighting positions. This is also the rule of the 772th Regiment against the enemy, even if the bullets cannot
The officers and soldiers of the 772nd Regiment will not flinch even if they penetrate the giant steel beast.
The two soldiers who were less than 6 meters away from the shelling site were killed by the terrible shrapnel of the grenade. Until they died, they were still lying quietly on the battle positions that had been dug long ago, and they had already been painted in dark green Germanic colors.
The helmet did not completely block the flying shrapnel.
"Platoon leader, where are our guns! Where are our rapid-fire guns! Didn't you say that these guns can hit tanks?" The infantry squad leader half dragged and half carried the remains of his comrades to the side of the trench asked with a strong cry.
The infantry platoon leader rushed over.
The demolition team is still hiding 50 meters in front of the position, more than 200 meters away from the Japanese tanks. If this continues, they will only be beaten passively, and they don't know how many sacrifices they will have to make.
It was fine if we didn't have cannons in the past. Why don't we use cannons now that we have them?
"Shout, I'm an infantry platoon leader, not an artillery platoon leader. The company commander is calling the battalion commander, please wait for me." Looking at the bodies of the sacrificed soldiers, the infantry platoon leader's eyes were as wide as bells.
As a low-level commander, he can only act according to orders, even if it is helpless.
"Regiment commander, several battalion commanders called and said that the Japanese tanks were parked more than 200 meters away and were attacking the position with cannons and machine guns. They had caused many casualties. They hoped to fight back with rapid-fire artillery." said the regiment chief of staff, running.
Come over and report to Wang Xiaoqiang, who is watching the battlefield closely with a telescope.
"No!" Wang Xiaoqiang's face turned cold.
"Whoever dares to fire a shot 100 meters before the Japanese tank enters the position will be subject to military law!"
"Leader", the chief of staff of the regiment, wanted to speak again, but saw Wang Xiaoqiang put down his binoculars, his eyes revealing perseverance.
"Old Zhao, when our regiment had no artillery, could we fight this battle?"
"We can fight!" the regiment chief of staff did not hesitate.
"That's it, I can fight without cannons, but even better with cannons. Finally, the Japanese tanks dared to attack without following the infantry. What if they fire from such a distance and scare the idiots away? It will be you, Zhao, then.
Should I go after him or should I, Old Wang, go after me?"
"What do you mean, commander?" The regiment chief of staff, who originally insisted on firing artillery to support the front-line infantry, suddenly lit up.
"What I mean is, since we have to close the door and beat the dogs, we have to wait until the dogs come into the yard and a guy makes dumplings for them." Wang Xiaoqiang said.
"No one wants to see sacrifices, but if some of these 20-odd Japanese tanks are allowed to escape, we will have to pay even greater sacrifices in the future.
This battle is called pulling out the tiger's teeth. No matter how painful the bite is, I will pull out these tiger teeth."
"Then I'll explain it to them." The regiment chief of staff nodded.
"If these battalion commanders still don't know my intentions by now, then they should go home and forget about them and ignore them." Wang Xiaoqiang waved his hand.
"But I can tell them that in this battle, which company's platoon has killed the most Japanese tanks, I will give that company and platoon a collective first-class merit, and the demolition team members will receive a second-class individual merit. If the platoon does not rank first, then only
Credit will be given to individuals based on the number of Japanese tanks blown up."
"Captain, you are going to let them start robbing us!"
"It's okay to rob, but blowing up the Japanese tanks is the last option!"
...........
As soon as the news reached the front line that Commander Wang's battalion, the company with the highest number of Japanese tanks to kill would be awarded first-class collective merit, the company and platoon leaders were eagerly waiting for the six rapid-fire cannons of the regiment's artillery company to join the battle.
, instead he waited eagerly for the Japanese tanks to continue advancing, and at the same time calculated how many Japanese tanks there were on his defense line.
At this time, in the eyes of this group of eager Chinese infantry, the Japanese tanks were no longer just fire-breathing steel monsters, but military achievements.
First-class collective military merit is not only an honor, but also a generous reward!
Now the 921st Division has also begun to study with the Four Lines Regiment. Those who have achieved combat merit will not only receive bonuses and medals, but also have three days of vacation. If they have a company with first-class merit, that will be a silver medal for each person. It is a grand festival.
Don't wear it on your chest to make those brother troops who don't have it jealous to death?
Zhen Youcai is one of these officers and soldiers who want to gain military exploits. In fact, Zhen Youcai wants to gain military exploits more than most people.
However, others want to gain military exploits either because of glory or rewards, but not Zhen Youcai, a top-class soldier who joined the army in southeastern Shanxi.
Zhen Youcai wants to leave the army and go home.
Not because he was afraid of death, but because he wanted to go home and see.
Everything about the 683rd Brigade is good, but the only thing that makes Zhen Youcai feel bad is the 80th Army's marriage regulations. Only members of the "285th Regiment" can apply for marriage. They are 28 years old and have 5 years of military service. Zhen Youcai thinks it's nothing.
It would take a while, but Zhen Youcai, who had only served in the regiment and was just a first-class soldier, felt that it was simply an impossible condition to meet.
Others can wait to get married, but Zhen Youcai can't wait. He is the son of his parents who were only born when they were 40 years old. He has 6 sisters. His parents are almost 65, and their only hope is to look forward to his youngest son.
marry.
Moreover, his parents were already open-minded enough. Even his only son was willing to contribute to join the army because of the hatred of the country and the family. However, in the process of carrying on the family line, there was a conflict with the army's philosophy.
In the winter, my eldest sister wrote a letter saying that his parents were in poor health, and the family had arranged a marriage for him. She hoped that he would go back and have a look. Even if he didn't get married, it would be good to go back and see his parents to give them some comfort.
The company commander also knew about his family's situation, but he was helpless in the face of military regulations. He could only agree to him that if Zhen had the money to perform meritorious service on the battlefield, he would be granted half a month's leave to go home to visit relatives.
Zhen Youcai is the No. 2 blaster of the demolition team. He carries a five-kilogram explosive bag on his back and two specially-made Molotov cocktails tied to his chest. In order to ensure that he survives, the platoon leader also borrowed his beloved shell gun.
Gave it to him.
Zhen Youcai was hiding in a single soldier trench less than 80 meters away from the front of the position. The trench was less than one meter deep. Fortunately, Zhen Youcai was thin and small, so he could hide in it enough to avoid the bullets from the Japanese tank machine guns.
Unlike other demolition crews who looked up from time to time to secretly observe the distance of Japanese tanks, Zhen Youcai relied entirely on feeling the vibrations on the ground with his body to determine how far away the Japanese tanks were.
Zhen Youcai had used grenades to attack Japanese tanks during ambushes before. He knew that the Japanese tank crew would observe the front through the observation port located in front of the tank, and could also observe the surroundings through the gap in the top cover. If he did not expose himself, he would reduce his own risk.
and success rate.
The ground was shaking more and more, which meant that the Japanese tanks were getting closer and closer. Zhen Youcai took a deep breath, gently pulled out a Molotov cocktail from his chest and held it in his hand.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
There were constant roars from the rear position, and the artillery company's rapid-fire cannon finally began to fire, which also meant that the Japanese tanks were close enough to the position.
Ready to attack!
Zhen Youcai took out a match and resolutely lit the twister outside the Molotov cocktail in the individual trench. Although the twister did not burn quickly, the time left for him was less than 15 seconds. Half a bottle of gasoline was nothing.
It's a good thing, it can be ignited if you are not careful.
Zhen Youcai, who rolled out of the trench, did not run away, but made several tactical evasive moves before crawling on the battlefield. After two years of fighting and training, Zhen Youcai was no longer the same person he was when he left the village.
A stupid and weak young man.
Sure enough, a hail of bullets hit the road Zhen Youcai had just rolled over.
"Shoot him to death!" Captain Kamiya Hiromori looked at the Chinese soldiers who suddenly jumped out from the right front of the tank through the gap in the top hatch, his eyes full of horror.
The Chinese anti-tank gun opened fire, and the Japanese Army captain was not very afraid, because the front armor of the Type 97 medium tank was 26MM thick and had a curved surface. Unless the Chinese artillery located more than 600 meters away hit it accurately enough, the Type 97
The medium tank has sufficient protection, and the 57mm howitzer it is equipped with is not a display. The gunner is also working hard to fight back.
The intensive firepower of 20 artillery pieces is enough to deal with those small-caliber anti-tank guns.
But a Chinese soldier suddenly jumped out, causing the experienced Japanese army captain to panic.
Because, that Chinese soldier actually had a ball of fire in his hand!
Molotov cocktail! When Captain Hiromori Kamiya, who was rated as an outstanding graduate at the non-commissioned officer academy, thought of this object that his teacher had mentioned, his head was buzzing.
What tanks fear most is not explosive charges or armor-piercing projectiles, but fire!
Even if no oil is ignited, as long as a fire is burned on the tank, the already extremely high temperature inside the tank will soon turn into a large iron pot on the fire due to the rapid heat conduction of the metal, and they armored soldiers
, like meat braised in an iron pot.
If it were normal times, the Chinese soldier who was at least 20 meters away from his No. 1 tank would have had no chance of getting within 10 meters of the tank, because the accompanying infantry could quickly use bullets to help them eliminate the threat.
But now, he can only rely on two 7mm machine guns.
Not caring about directing the tank charge of the squadron, Captain Kamiya personally controlled the machine gun at the rear of the turret to sweep away the Chinese soldiers who were still in the firing range. At the same time, the driver also began to turn the tank body in an attempt to use the machine gun in front of the front of the vehicle to shoot at the enemy.
It was as if Zhen Youcai had grown eyes. Before the Japanese machine gun came over, he jumped forward again and dodged a bunch of bullets. He also rolled continuously with one hand, leaving traces of traces on the ground.
The next string of bullet marks.
More importantly, the Molotov cocktail he held in his right hand was still burning, and his extremely wide range of tactical movements did not break the fragile glass bottle.
If the bottle breaks, it's not that the Molotov cocktail can no longer be used, but that his whole body will turn into a ball of fire.
"What a fool, who let him light the Molotov cocktail before he got close to the Japanese tank?" The infantry platoon leader with eyes like copper bells from before looked at this thrilling scene, and his heart almost jumped out of his throat.
"I'm afraid this guy is just trying not to make any mistakes, lest he end up next to a Japanese tank but can't strike a match." The infantry squad leader who once yelled at his platoon leader could only weakly explain to his soldiers.
"Damn, in order not to make a mistake, he almost made a bigger mistake. He still made a military exploit like this. Do I want to hold his urn and take it back to his parents and six sisters?" said the infantry platoon leader.
For a moment I just wished I could go and get Zhen Youcai back.
Really, he never wanted to have such an only-child soldier again. It was purely torture for him, a six-year veteran.
No one can resist a son who wants to go home and give his old parents some comfort, not even bullets.
Zhen Youcai, who only had eyes for tanks, was the most handsome boy on the battlefield at that moment. He looked at the thin and frail soldier and made at least ten evasive maneuvers amidst the crazy fire from the Japanese tank machine guns.
Not only was he not hit by the bullet, the fire in his hand was getting stronger and stronger!
A rolling Chinese soldier, less than 7 meters away from the Japanese No. 1 tank, was like a magical magician, waving his arms fiercely at the rear of the Japanese tank that had just turned the muzzle of the machine gun.
In Captain Kamiya's frozen eyes, the burning bottle with flames rolled in the air and hit the rear of the tank.
The crisp 'bang' sound made Captain Kamiya hear the evil smile from the God of Death!
