Li Yunlong narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the densely packed enemy planes that were as big as sparrows in the sky.
Li Yunlong had already received information from his brother Chen Feng. This time the Japanese army attacked Zhongtiao Mountain and used more than 200 aircraft.
Therefore, he replaced all 300 tons of weapons and ammunition with 300 machine guns for air defense.
Li Yunlong had already been mentally prepared for the large-scale Japanese aircraft dispatch to reinforce Taiyuan.
However, seeing so many Japanese planes appearing, Li Yunlong couldn't help but look a little solemn.
It was the first time for Li Yunlong to lead his troops to deal with so many Japanese aircraft at the same time. Although they were equipped with many machine guns and relatively sufficient 20mm shells, he was not sure what to do.
Li Yunlong secretly said that it was a pity that it had only been two months since the last time air support was used.
There is still one month until the next call for air support.
Now Li Yunlong still has two opportunities for air support, but they will have to wait until one month and four months later.
Otherwise, with the help of brother Chen Feng's fighter planes that are more advanced than the Japanese, and dispatching dozens of fighter jets at a time to support them, we can kill all these Japanese planes.
Li Yunlong did not regret the precious opportunity to use air support last time.
After all, the opportunity to kill a full elite Japanese regiment at once is rare.
"All artillery groups take cover immediately!"
"All machine gun groups and all battalion fire companies must assemble and prepare for air defense!"
The headquarters is located on a higher ground and can see the sky more than ten kilometers away.
Seeing the group of Japanese aircraft attacking from a high place, Li Yunlong shouted loudly with a solemn expression.
Following his roar, the staff immediately used a high-power walkie-talkie to convey the order, and each artillery position immediately stopped firing and took cover.
In addition to the machine gun groups, the firepower of each battalion was accompanied by light and heavy machine guns with anti-aircraft tripods. The tripods were instantly placed at the fire point, the machine gunners set up the machine guns, and the anti-aircraft firepower was ready.
Without the need for orders from the headquarters, each attack group had received reports from observers in advance that a group of Japanese aircraft had appeared ten kilometers south.
The anti-aircraft firepower of each attacking group was quickly prepared to meet the Japanese planes.
Outside the south of the city, above the artillery position of the first attack group.
More than 80 Japanese planes swooped down densely toward the position of the first attack group.
The commander of the Japanese fleet was very smart. Instead of scattering the planes, he concentrated all the planes and destroyed the artillery positions one by one.
In the second wave of attacks, although the Japanese lost 7 aircraft, the Japanese reconnaissance aircraft and liaison aircraft had roughly determined the locations of the Eighth Route Army's four directional artillery positions.
Obviously, the Japanese aircraft group wanted to break through one by one.
At the headquarters of the 1st Attack Group, Ding Wei also looked very solemn.
Under the guidance of reconnaissance aircraft, the Japanese artillery continued to fire at the artillery positions to suppress them, causing the Eighth Route Army to lose 4 artillery pieces.
The artillery blasted two gaps in the south wall. It was very difficult for the infantry to enter the city with these two gaps alone.
The city walls of Taiyuan are full of hidden soldier holes and ammunition holes. The Japanese and puppet troops hid in the hidden soldier holes and waited for the troops to attack before they came out and set up machine guns, mortars and grenade launchers to attack.
Now the Japanese have dispatched another fleet of aircraft. Needless to say, they must be heading for the artillery positions.
However, after an observer ten kilometers away reported to Ding Wei that he had discovered nearly a hundred Japanese planes.
Ding Wei used the walkie-talkie to order the artillerymen at each artillery position to leave the artillery position and retreat to a relatively safe location to hide.
Cannons can be lost, but artillery cannot, because artillery is more precious than cannon.
"His grandma's!"
"I can't help it. Give me the order and open up the anti-aircraft fire!"
"I want to see if the Japanese planes are more powerful, or if I have more machine guns!"
Ding Wei threw his hat on the table of the command headquarters and said loudly, and the command staff immediately passed on the order.
Suddenly, the Japanese fleet dispersed, protected by fighter jets.
The bombers swooped down in twos and threes in a fighting attitude.
"Da da da…"
Thousands of meters away, the Japanese pilot pressed the button, and the machine guns on both wings of the plane burst into flames, and dense machine gun shells and machine gun shells poured down towards the artillery position.
A moment later, bullets and machine shells hit the ground, splashing countless dirt, sand and rocks on the ground.
When the artillery was fired before, the fireworks and smoke at the muzzle could not be concealed from the Japanese reconnaissance planes and liaison planes.
The Japanese reconnaissance aircraft and liaison aircraft have conveyed the specific locations of various artillery positions on the ground to the Japanese pilots.
The ground-to-air war is about to break out!
Anti-aircraft firepower such as machine guns and machine guns opened fire almost simultaneously, and the sky was filled with Japanese aircraft and orange-red ballistics.
At an altitude of four to five hundred meters, the pilot of a Japanese Type 97 medium bomber pressed the bomb release button, and the cylindrical aerial bomb fell like a dumpling.
Just as the Japs pilot was pulling up the bomber, a line of fire consisting of bullet chains fired from three machine cannons wound towards the Japs bomber.
Especially when the medium bomber was pulling up, it was difficult for the aircraft to maneuver. It was surrounded by three machine guns. The bomber was immediately hit and exploded in the air. A ball of orange-red sparks suddenly bloomed, and the broken pieces of the bomber fell down one after another.
Come.
When the first Japanese plane was shot down, the soldiers suddenly cheered up and roared and opened fire on the Japanese plane.
The Japanese bombers dropped bombs regardless of the position of the Eighth Route Army artillery.
After the first wave of attacks, 6 Japanese aircraft were shot down, and the Eighth Route Army's artillery positions were washed underground by Japanese bombers' carpet bombs, and 5 cannons were destroyed.
There is no way around this.
Fighting at high altitudes and low altitudes inherently gives you the advantage of taking the initiative. Even though the Eighth Route Army is now equipped with a large number of sophisticated machine guns, it still does not have the initiative.
Unless there is a comparable or even powerful air force to confront the Japanese air force, the situation of being attacked from high altitude on the ground cannot be changed.
However, the Eighth Route Army is now equipped with a large number of machine guns. Although it does not have the initiative, it will not be passively beaten.
Without the anti-aircraft firepower of these machine guns, no matter how many camouflage nets are put up, the artillery and even the infantry are just targets for the Japanese planes, and the casualties will be many times greater.
"*** little devil!"
"Get a new magazine!"
"Get ready to fire!"
As the Japanese planes pulled up the clouds, the soldiers quickly loaded drums or magazines skillfully, preparing for the next wave of Japanese planes to attack.
Under the order of each squad platoon leader, the machine gun assistant shooter immediately replaced the new drum magazine.
The main shooters aimed at the two hovering Japanese planes through the circle sights, put their fingers on the weight, and held their breath.
Obviously, one dive attack could not blow up all the cannons. After the Japanese aircraft pulled up, they readjusted the dive direction and angle, and the bombers and attack aircraft dived towards the artillery positions again.
The fighter jets dived and attacked each machine gun position.
The Japanese have more than 40 fighter jets, and the Eighth Route Army has more than 100 machine guns.
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
Seeing the Japanese planes swooping down, the platoon commanders of each squadron shouted orders.
More than 100 machine guns and hundreds of light and heavy machine guns weaved an even denser firepower net against more than 80 Japanese aircraft.
In this round of attacks, the Japanese pilots were forced to raise their altitude higher than before due to the powerful anti-aircraft firepower of the Eighth Route Army, dropping bombs and strafing in the air at an altitude of 500 to 600 meters.
Although it is more difficult to hit the Japanese aircraft at this height, the hit rate of both the bullets fired and the aerial bombs dropped are also small.
However, due to the interference attack of the Japanese fighter jets in this round, the Eighth Route Army's machine guns mostly fired at the Japanese fighter jets, greatly reducing the firepower for shooting Japanese bombers and attack aircraft.
In this round, 10 Eighth Route Army artillery pieces were blown up by aerial bombs, and 8 machine gun positions were destroyed by Japanese fighter jets.
The downed Japs
3 bombers and 5 Japanese fighter jets were shot down.
In the second wave of head-on confrontation between the two sides, the Japanese aircraft had a slight advantage, but the advantage was not large.
Immediately afterwards, the Japanese plane pulled up, turned somersaults, and swooped down from all directions, and the third wave of head-on attacks began.
Fighters are light in weight and fast. The pilot only needs to push the control stick slightly, and the fighter jet can quickly change direction and miss the target ahead of time.
However, the Eighth Route Army's anti-aircraft firepower was entirely based on quantity, blocking the entire sky with firepower, and the Japanese fighter jets reversed direction and directly hit another line of fire.
In the third wave of frontal force, almost all the remaining cannons were destroyed, and 10 machine gun positions were destroyed.
However, the Eighth Route Army's anti-aircraft firepower shot down 4 Japanese bombers and 6 Japanese fighter jets.
After taking out the Eighth Route Army artillery positions outside the city south, the Japanese planes were running low on ammunition and fuel. They somersaulted among the clouds, and the fighter jets protected the bombers and flew south.
"Cannon, my cannon..."
Seeing that the artillery position had turned into a sea of flames after being wiped out by Japanese bombs, the howitzer commander Wen Ting jumped to his feet and shouted.
Youdao says that it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Wenting participated in the Long March and experienced hard times.
Seeing that more than 20 cannons, including 10 howitzers, were blown up by the Japs' aerial bombs, Wenting was instantly stunned.
"Captain! Commander!"
As soon as Wenting finished speaking, the commander of the Second Battalion of the Howitzer Regiment ran over, knelt on the ground and beat the ground with his hands, crying loudly:
"Captain, our battalion's howitzers are finished, completely finished!"
"If the cannon is gone, it's gone. Why are you crying?"
"Don't worry, it's just 10 howitzers. Our regimental leader will reimburse you."
The commander of the fourth company of the new regiment's mountain artillery battalion was very uncertain. The ten mountain artillery pieces and two howitzers in the fourth company just now were also blown up by Japanese aerial bombs.
"That's right, Captain Li will reimburse us." Concern leads to confusion. Wen Ting forgot about this for a while and said quickly.
Then, he looked at the second battalion commander and immediately cursed: "Why are you crying? You're a worthless thing. Didn't you see that we didn't suffer a loss? We also shot down more than 20 Japanese planes."
The second battalion commander was surprised and happy. He got up from the ground and laughed happily.