Captain Guan Yuan Zhang Erlang was the captain of the 7th Squadron of the 8th Brigade of the 10th Division of the Japanese Army and the 40th Infantry Regiment.
At this time, he was ordered to lead the 7th Squadron, a machine gun squadron and a company of puppet troops to defend the high ground on both sides of the highway.
These two highlands are about 25 kilometers away from Dagu Town and 2 kilometers away from the New Regiment's outer position in Dagu Town.
This place guards the throat of the highway entering Dagu Town, but the New Regiment did not build a position here to defend against the Japanese attack.
However, relying on this terrain, the Japanese built a lot of fortifications around it, and also buried several minefields and anti-infantry obstacles.
At about 12 o'clock in the evening, engineers from the Engineer Regiment were digging tunnels.
Squadron Leader Guan Yuan Zhang Erlang was about to lie down in the headquarters to take a rest when he suddenly heard a sharp whistling sound.
The Japanese who have been on the battlefield for a long time can naturally judge that this is the sound of artillery shells flying through the air at high speed.
"Bombardment!"
"hidden!"
Guan Yuan Zhang Erlang rushed into the nearest bomb-proof hole at an extremely fast speed.
Many Japanese soldiers and puppet soldiers also heard the whistling of artillery shells. They hurriedly looked up and saw dark red contrails filling the dark night sky.
The Japanese and puppet soldiers who saw this scene were so frightened that they quickly jumped into the trenches and hid themselves in the civil engineering works.
But it was already too late. The next second the roar sounded, the first round of artillery shells had already fallen on the position.
"Boom boom boom!"
Amidst the explosions like landslides and earth-shattering, a series of explosions erupted on the Japs' positions, accompanied by fire and gunpowder smoke. The sweeping shock wave contained shrapnel, harvesting the lives of the Japs and puppet soldiers like a sickle.
The Japanese built civil fortifications, which are difficult to defend against even 75mm mountain artillery, let alone 105mm and 150mm howitzers.
With just one round of artillery shells, the Japanese civil engineering works were blown to pieces.
The night was the same color as the smoke, but it made the fireworks produced by the explosion shine brighter. The dense explosions of fireworks joined together and submerged the Japanese positions in a sea of ​​fire.
Faced with such ferocious artillery fire, the Japanese and puppet troops were blown up by large-caliber howitzer shells even if they were hidden in trenches or anti-aircraft holes.
"idiot!"
In the headquarters, Squadron Leader Guan Yuan Zhang Erlang was shocked for a while and cursed "Baga".
The firepower of this artillery far exceeded the two artillery regiments of the Locust Army. From the explosion of artillery shells fired by the Eighth Route Army, it was not difficult to tell that the Eighth Route Army used 60mm mortars, 82mm mortars, and 75mm mountain cannons.
105mm howitzer and 150mm howitzer.
That’s outrageous. Don’t you pay for cannonballs?
Two positions as big as a palm, using the firepower of two artillery regiments? How can we fight this?
Eight-legged people, please be a human being!
Amid the curses, Guan Yuan Zhang Erlang pushed away the telephone soldier. As soon as he picked up the phone, the captain's voice came to his ears: "Moses, Moses, is this the 7th Squadron?"
Guan Yuanzhang Erlang hurriedly paused and said: "Hi, this is the 7th Squadron, your Excellency the captain, I am the squadron leader Guan Yuanzhang Erlang!"
"What's the situation like there?"
Guan Yuanzhang Erlang said: "The Eighth Route Army used two artillery regiments to bombard our position and asked for tactical guidance!"
"Nani?"
"Two artillery regiments?"
Although the Japanese captain knew that the artillery firepower of the Eighth Route Army was very fierce, he did not expect that two artillery regiments were firing at the position at the same time.
"I will send the 8th Squadron over immediately. Your squadron must defend its position!"
"If you lose your position, just wait until you have a caesarean section to apologize!"
After the Japanese captain finished speaking in an indifferent tone, he hung up the phone with a snap.
Listening to the blind tone coming from the phone, Guan Yuan Zhangjiro was so angry that he hung up the phone. No one else could hold back this kind of artillery firepower!
After being bombarded by two artillery regiments for a full 10 minutes, the explosions became sparse until they disappeared completely.
Guan Yuanzhang Erlang took a deep breath and saw that the position in front had turned into a sea of ​​fire, and almost all the civil engineering works had been overturned.
"Prepare to meet the enemy!"
Guan Yuan Zhang Erlang knew the number of the Eighth Route Army, and the infantrymen of the Eighth Route Army would definitely charge after the artillery bombardment. They were all learning the tactics of the Locust Army.
Following his order, the Japanese and puppet troops who survived the shelling took up their weapons and aimed ahead.
Although the artillery fire of the new regiment was very fierce, it was impossible to kill all the Japanese and puppet troops on the position with one wave of artillery fire.
However, the tunnels of the Japanese Engineer Regiment had just begun to be dug, so the first round of shelling caused about two-thirds of the Japanese and puppet troops' casualties.
Before the Japanese grenadier soldiers could fire the flares, there was a sudden cry of killing from the front. The surviving Japanese puppet soldiers immediately picked up their weapons and fired towards the front of the position.
Da da da…
The remaining 10 or so light and heavy machine guns screamed wildly, and bullets rained down toward the front of the position like raindrops.
at this time.
Suddenly, a dark red shell trail streaked across the night sky, and a heavy machine gun fire point was blown up amid the explosion.
Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen artillery shells hit the heavy machine gun fire points on the position, and at least one third of the fire points instantly misfired.
The remaining fire points also stopped firing immediately, but their positions were exposed and were blown up by the successive shells fired from the darkness.
"Nani?"
Guan Yuan Zhang Erlang was dumbfounded.
There were no bullets fired in the darkness, but there were artillery shells fired. Judging from the power of the artillery shells, they must be at least 75 mm artillery shells.
The Eighth Route Army pushed the 75mm mountain cannon several hundred meters to aim and fire directly?
While thinking, Guan Yuan Zhangerlang cursed angrily: "Baga, are there any grenade soldiers alive? Hurry up and fire the flares!"
"Hugh, Hugh!"
Two groups of grenadier soldiers quickly fired two illumination bombs forward.
The area within a radius of several hundred meters was instantly illuminated like daylight. The Japanese flares were not as effective as those provided by Boss Chen, and could only illuminate a few hundred meters around.
Guan Yuan Zhang Erlang hurriedly raised his telescope and took a look.
In the darkness, a few hundred meters away, a dozen tanks were firing at the positions of the Locust Army and the Locust Alliance Army.
"Requesting artillery support!"
Guan Yuan Zhang Erlang grabbed the phone, shook the handle vigorously, and shouted loudly.
By the time the Japanese artillerymen finished reporting their positions and firing at Zhu Yuan and the test fire, the 12 tanks had already left their attack positions.
After most of the Japanese machine gun firepower points were destroyed.
Immediately afterwards, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 2nd Company and 3rd Company of the New Second Regiment began to attack. Since the minefields had been cleared by artillery fire coverage, it took less than 8 minutes for the infantry to occupy the Japanese and puppet troops.
On the high ground on both sides of the road.
At this time, a Japanese squadron and a company of puppet troops arrived.
Before the Japanese entered the position, the Second Company and the Third Company took the initiative to abandon the newly captured position and withdrew.
The Japanese and puppet troops had just entered the position, thinking that their arrival had scared away the Eighth Route Army. Just when they were feeling complacent, groups of artillery shells fell on the heads of the Japanese and puppet troops.
After the shelling ended, under the cover of tanks, the Second Company and the Third Company counterattacked and regained their position easily.
The main thing is a cannon and many cannonballs.
…
at the same time.
More than 10,000 people from the new regiment launched the fiercest attack on the 10th Division from the main roads and small roads, under the cover of tanks and artillery groups.
In order to prevent the New Regiment from breaking through, the Japanese engineer regiment built a large number of fortifications on both major roads and small roads. The New Regiment's counterattack was naturally a full-scale counterattack.
In less than half an hour, the victory reports of various attacking troops reached the headquarters of the new regiment one after another.
The first line of defense of the Japanese 10th Division is rapidly disintegrating.
…
To be continued...