Although this kind of deployment by the Japanese and puppet troops can effectively suppress the heavy machine gun position on the 1613 opposite side, if the opposite hilltop is equipped with direct firepower, or a large-caliber weapon that can penetrate the simple fortifications built with sandbags by the Japanese and puppet troops, Talking about machine guns is tantamount to asking for death.
Even if the Third Regiment had more artillery and more artillery shells, which could suppress the main force of the Japanese artillery behind the mountain, these Japanese and puppet troops would not dare to set up the artillery positions in such a big way at the main position of the Third Regiment. Under their noses, the Japanese and puppet troops were so rampant, but the three regiments of troops who were clinging to the main peak were helpless against them.
The mountain artillery battery Lin Zhiqiang strengthened for them had four Japanese-made Type 41 mountain artillery pieces. All the artillery shells totaled only 60 rounds. Two-thirds of them had been consumed in the midnight battle. The remaining limited artillery shells could only be used to assist the front of the main peak. In terms of defense, after the Japanese and puppet troops discovered that the front line of Straw Hat Mountain was reinforced with artillery, they specially designated a mountain artillery squadron, two field guns and a 120mm howitzer to specifically carry out fire suppression.
The suppressive firepower of the Japanese and puppet troops not only has an absolute advantage, but the actual combat experience of the Japanese artillerymen who serve as fire cover far exceeds that of the advancing artillery, and their response speed is absolutely first-rate. As soon as the artillery here is fired, the suppressive artillery fire there will immediately Come here, especially the 120mm howitzer. Although it has a short range, its power is not comparable to the four Type 41 mountain guns of the Third Regiment.
And although its range is closer, it is also much further than the Type 41 mountain gun. This old Japanese artillery poses the greatest threat to the artillery of the Third Regiment. The suppressive firepower of the Japanese and puppet troops is both range and rate of fire. There are more than three regiments of artillery, so most of the time this mountain artillery company can only fire two artillery shells and then move its position.
Only when the situation on the main peak is critical, can we take the risk of firing to suppress the Japanese and puppet attack groups, and after firing, we must move our positions in the shortest possible time. Otherwise, the only Type 41 mountain guns of the Third Regiment are likely to be It was destroyed by rapid Japanese counterattack artillery fire.
The mortar company was divided into two and formed into two artillery groups, which were strengthened on the two highlands on both sides of the main peak. As two barriers to the main peak, 1613 Highlands, 1123 Highlands and 9th Highlands. The intensity of the attack on Highland 10 was greater than that on Highland 1613.
With most of the heavy machine guns already worn out, without artillery support, the existing troops would simply not be able to defend these two critical positions on the 1613 Highlands under the battalion- and company-based attacks launched by the Japanese and puppet troops. Important highlands, once these two highlands are lost, the 1613 highlands behind them will be in danger. The mortar company in the hands of the third regiment can only use all its firepower to support the defensive battle of the two highlands.
Coupled with the lack of direct-aiming artillery that can move up the mountain, the Third Regiment could only watch its heavy machine guns being blown up one by one at close range. These guns posed a serious threat to themselves, so they deployed There is nothing you can do about the infantry artillery under your nose.
But the troops brought by Yang Jicai are different. They are not only equipped with rocket launchers, but also equipped with lightweight 57mm recoilless rifles. This kind of direct-aimed artillery has a range that reaches the Japanese 92nd Infantry Artillery position, although it is slightly less powerful. Some, but the grenades they fired had no problem blowing up the simple fortifications built with sandbags.
Before going up the mountain, Yang Jicai repeatedly told the company commander who led the team up the mountain that he must destroy the Japanese 92nd Infantry Artillery position on the opposite highland 1052 at all costs, and at the same time use rocket launchers and recoilless rifles to destroy the Japanese puppet troops at the bottom of the mountain. Heavy machine gun positions cover the battle on both wings.
The 1052 Highland is too close to the 1613 Highland. If the Japanese artillery position above is not knocked out, any machine gun that goes up will be knocked out by it. Although the 92 Infantry Artillery is a direct fire artillery, it is so close. Shooting flatly from such a distance without any problems.
Coupled with the precision that the Japanese weapons have always paid attention to, the Japanese 92 infantry guns used as direct firepower on Highland 1052 posed a fatal threat to Highland 1613, so Yang Jicai asked to go up the mountain. The company commander in command must knock them out in the shortest possible time.
In order not to arouse the suspicion of the Japanese and puppet troops on the opposite mountain, Yang Jicai once wanted to change the military uniforms of the troops going up the mountain. He changed the uniform khaki uniforms of the Anti-Japanese Alliance into the gray military uniforms worn by the troops inside the pass, in order to confuse the Japanese and puppet troops on the opposite mountain. , the styles and colors of the two military uniforms are different, and the little devil is not stupid. Once the anti-alliance troops went up the mountain, they could not be found there.
In particular, the customs troops wear armbands, while the Anti-Japanese Alliance troops wear chest patches. Apart from the style and color of the military uniforms, this difference is the biggest. The eight boldface characters on the Anti-Japanese Alliance breast patch cannot be seen clearly. , but it must be clearly visible in the telescope, so Yang Jicai wanted to change the uniforms of the troops who went up the mountain to take over the main peak, so as to delay the time of being discovered by the Japanese and puppet troops.
It's just that the troops inside the customs were too poor. When they left the customs, they were lightly equipped in order to carry as much ammunition and food as possible. Each person only had one military uniform, and most of them didn't even have a change of military uniforms. In addition, the Anti-Japanese War There are four platoons in a company, and the strength is generally more than that of a company in the customs army. The commanders of the company and the political commissar of the three regiments are included. It is really impossible to get enough spare military uniforms for replacement.
In desperation, the troops who went up the mountain to take over the defense could only go up the mountain wearing their own military uniforms. Since the tanks and rocket launchers had exposed the news that the anti-alliance forces had arrived in Rehe, there was no need to care too much about this trivial matter. Anyway, the most important thing at the moment The main thing is to defend Highland 1613. As long as we defend this place, everything else is easy to talk about. If we can't defend it, no matter how many plans we make, it will be useless.
The company commander did not hesitate. After receiving the order, he immediately began to deploy. He led the troops to use the barrage from the rocket launchers in front to cover up. He transferred only a dozen officers from the political office and the associate coordinator of the logistics department to serve as military industry in the third regiment. With the cooperation of the team that assisted them in transporting ammunition and supplies, they quickly moved up the mountain.
There is no way. The Anti-Japanese Alliance is all equipped with automatic weapons, which have fast firing rates and large ammunition consumption. If they do not carry enough ammunition, the amount of ammunition that the customs troops can use for a day can be maintained for two hours here. That's right. Once the transportation line from the bottom of the mountain to the mountain is blocked by Japanese firepower, the Anti-Alliance company that sticks to the main peak will most likely run out of weapons and food.
In addition, it is necessary to transport some supplies and supplement more than ten light and heavy machine guns, a large amount of ammunition, especially the grenades that the troops on the mountain requested, to the 1613 and the three regiments on the two highlands that are currently out of food. As well as the urgently needed supplementary drinking water, Lin Lin finally figured out that the amount of supplies needed to go up the mountain this time was quite considerable.
At the request of Lin Zhiqiang and Yang Jicai, who had already rushed to the command post of the Third Regiment, the commander of the Third Regiment, who had no troops at all, could only mobilize the remaining dozen officers from the Political Department and the co-ordinator of the Logistics Department, plus Yang Jicai. A platoon took advantage of the opportunity of its own artillery cover to seize the opportunity to replenish supplies on the mountain.
But after the company commander who led the team went up the mountain, he was a little dumbfounded. The entire 1613 Highlands had been blown into ruins by the artillery fire of the Japanese and puppet troops. Except for a few, it was full because all the personnel had gone up. Apart from the front-line positions, the seriously wounded soldiers who had no one to carry and could not be evacuated, and the simple garrison holes where some ammunition was stored, almost all the trenches had been blown up.
All the fortifications on the mountain have long since disappeared under the intensive bombardment of the Japanese army. The entire mountain has been blown into a piece of floating soil. If you want to repair the fortifications, you can't even find a stone as big as a palm. A handful of loose soil on the ground can pick out more than a dozen pieces of shrapnel. The troops deployed by the Third Regiment on the 1613 Highlands can only rely on bomb craters as simple fortifications to fight repeatedly with the Japanese and puppet troops.
Seeing the situation on the main peak, the company commander stopped the company commander of the Third Regiment on the main peak from wanting to hand over the position to him and immediately reinforce the 910 Highland. The Japanese and puppet troops on the opposite highland tried their best to suppress it with firepower. Under the circumstances, changing defenses at this time is tantamount to seeking death. If you don't first knock out the Japanese and puppet infantry artillery and heavy machine gun positions on the 1052 Highlands opposite, changing defenses is a disguised suicide.
He took himself to a company on the main peak, and except for one platoon, the rest of the troops withdrew to the anti-slope position. The main peak position was blown into ruins by Japanese artillery fire, and there was no room for too many troops. Putting all the troops on a small position on the main peak can only increase the lethality of Japanese and puppet artillery fire.
It is better to place the main force on the anti-slope position where the threat of Japanese artillery fire is small, and invest troops one by one according to the progress of the war. Only in this way can more effective forces survive the enemy's superior artillery fire, and can the superior firepower of the Japanese and puppet troops be eliminated. down and hold on longer.
But the upper troops placed in the anti-slope position did not just stay there. The company commander gave them a task, which was to dig tunnels on the anti-slope position to station troops, supplies, and as shelters for the wounded. Although he He is an infantry company commander, but he still has a certain understanding of the performance of the enemy's 92 Infantry Cannon.
This kind of gun has the performance of both a howitzer and a mortar. It is deployed on the 1052 Highland, which is very close to the 1613 Highland. It uses the large-angle upward shooting capability that even exceeds that of the mortar, and can easily fire Going to the reverse slope of Highland 1613, without digging tunnels, and placing the main force on the reverse slope is not an effective way to reduce casualties.
Otherwise, once the Japanese and puppet troops discover that the troops are hiding on the anti-slope position and concentrate their artillery fire on them, the casualties will not be small. The Japanese and puppet troops at the foot of the mountain are not just the few infantry guns on the 1052 Highlands. , there are more powerful heavy mortars and mountain cannons below the mountain.
Therefore, even if the troops are on the anti-slope position, tunnels must be dug. Under the extremely difficult situation of replenishing the troops, the soldiers on the mountain will be killed one by one. If the entire company is pulled to the high ground according to the internal troops, what will happen to them? If Yamashita adopts a full-line defense strategy, his company will be crippled in a short time, and there are not enough troops to add to it.