Hainan's shoreline forts are arranged along the edge of the South Island. There are a total of eighteen forts in the design, namely Dongying, Puqian, Jinshan, Changsa, Longlou, Dongjiao, Longgun, Hele, Beipo, Dazhou, Guangpo, Haitang Bay, Fenghuang, Tianya, Donglou, Leluo, Huangliu and Foliu. These eighteen forts mainly defend the southeastern coast. Each fort is equipped with a 240 mm caliber main gun and a 180 mm caliber gun. There are two secondary guns, each of which adopts automatic ammunition supply. The main gun can fire nineteen shells per minute, and the secondary gun can fire thirty-six shells per minute. These eighteen forts were originally managed by the navy. After the army moved in, it was handed over to the army. Now the person responsible for the defense of the fort is the independent shore artillery brigade directly under the army directly established by the Fifth Army.
Ouyang Yun invested a huge amount of money in these eighteen forts. Not counting the labor of cement and steel bars for each fort, the cost of one main gun alone is the cost of ten "Platypus". For example, if Ouyang Yun If Yun used the money from building forts to build armored units, he would now be able to equip two tank divisions.
After Shan Renxiong and Ouyang Yun finished talking on the phone, he immediately couldn't sit still. The commander-in-chief repeatedly cared about the construction progress of the fort, which showed that in the Hainan War soon, the fort will definitely be used for great purposes, and he has been There was obviously not enough concern for the shore artillery brigade, which made him a little worried. The battle was about to start. Can the shore artillery unit play a mainstay role? He immediately rushed back to the military headquarters in Qiongzhou, and then met with Chief of Staff Huang Ye. Deputy Army Commander Chang Geng and Political Director Guo Yucheng convened a combat readiness meeting for senior officers above the brigade commander level.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dan Xiong said without surprising: "I just received a call from the Commander-in-Chief. The Japanese naval fleet is heading towards Hainan. There is no doubt that the Japanese are preparing to attack Hainan this time. Everyone, and others." Compared with other armies, our army has not experienced combat for a long time. This battle will definitely be very difficult. Are you prepared to sacrifice?"
Everyone was shocked, except Huang Ye, Chang Geng, Guo Yucheng and Zhang Dali.
Shan Renxiong continued his terrifying speech: "Eighteen forts are the only way we can defend the inland sea. The Japanese will definitely dispatch aircraft carriers. By then they will have aircraft and artillery, and we will only have forts. What we will face will be the enemy's superior firepower." Intensive bombardment and forts are our only hope. In order to prevent the Japs from defeating them one by one, a considerable number of troops must be sent to assist in defense. And these front-line troops may not have a chance to fight with the Japs and will fall under the bombing of the planes. During the bombardment of the giant cannon, what I said above is by no means alarmist." After saying that, he looked around and glanced at everyone's face.
Fang Daming, the commander of the independent shore artillery brigade, immediately stood up. He stood tall, with his waist straight, and said loudly: "Report, all officers and soldiers of the shore artillery brigade are ready for battle. Our slogan is, rather die than surrender to a ship." Japanese ships are approaching Haiphong."
As soon as he finished speaking, "Report." Zhang Dali stood up: "Military seat, all the officers and soldiers of the 38th Brigade are willing to shed the last drop of their blood for Hainan."
"Report."... Each brigade commander stood up one after another to express their determination. The war preparation meeting gradually transitioned into a swearing-in meeting.
This is not what Dan Xiong needs. Although he has not taken over the academy for a long time, he does not believe that there will be local troops under his command similar to those in the Battle of Nanjing because of his trust in the education system of the academy. Before the war, The slogans were shouted loudly, but as soon as the gunshots were fired, an escape race began immediately, with everyone running as fast as rabbits. He said: "I can understand your determination, but determination to die alone is not enough. The commander-in-chief said, There are several ways to die, and as soldiers, even if we die, we must die well and with value. At present, we do not have more detailed information about the Japanese army, but one thing is for sure. If the Japanese army really wants to occupy Hainan, Eventually, they're going to land their infantry, and that's our chance."
Huang Ye, Guo Yucheng and others had communicated with Shan Renxiong before. Huang Ye stood up at the right time and said: "Military seat, what you mean is to defend the fort so that the Japanese cannot make a breakthrough on the front, and then follow our instructions." Imagine launching a landing campaign from the southwest."
The reason why shoreline forts are mainly set up in the southeast and due south directions is to prevent the Japanese army from landing in this direction. Once the Japanese army chooses to land in the southwest direction without forts, then the Xuebing Army will be able to take advantage of the complex terrain in the southwest of Hainan Island. The terrain made it difficult for the Japanese to land. As for the Qiongzhou Strait, with the cooperation of the Guangzhou garrison, it would only be more difficult for the Japanese to land from here.
This strategy is well known to everyone present, and everyone's eyes can't help but turn to the single hero.
Shan Renxiong nodded and said: "We think of this, and the Japanese will definitely think of this too. War is just like fighting. We use our strengths and avoid weaknesses. The strength of the Japanese is their long-range strike capability. So, how to make the Japanese Taking the initiative to give up your strengths and start with your weaknesses is a difficult problem."
"Hold on to the fort and let the little Japs feel that capturing the fort will cost you an unacceptable price. In that case, there will definitely be 'smart' Japs who want to find another way." Zhang Dali stood up and shouted. He was so eager that he even forgot shouted a report,
No one blamed him for this, because he was not the only one who had this idea. After all, Shan Renxiong's previous words had made this point clear. Everyone's eyes were focused on Shan Renxiong's face again, and many people's thoughts were also come alive,
If you stick to the fort, you can only serve as a bodyguard for the shore artillery unit and cannot gain any real military exploits, but you will definitely have to make huge sacrifices. If you deploy defenses in the southwest, not only will the risks be relatively low, but the chances of making meritorious deeds will be greater.
As if he had guessed everyone's thoughts, Shan Renxiong's eyes once again scanned everyone's faces, and he said slowly: "Helping the shore artillery troops to defend the fort will be the top priority of this defensive battle. Now, I need to A team that dares to fight and is not afraid of sacrifice, do any of you volunteer to sign up?"
Everyone fell silent. Zhang Dali looked around and stood up again. He gritted his teeth and said, "Report that the 38th Xue Brigade is willing to take on this task."
"Very good." The single hero nodded and said: "One brigade is not enough, at least two brigades are needed. Our forts have three main defense directions. In each direction, at least one brigade must assist in defense. Who else can take the initiative? Signed up,.”
Miao Qiushen, the commander of the 41st brigade, Qiu Hongsheng, the commander of the 42nd brigade, and Yun Dianjiang, the commander of the 43rd brigade stood up at the same time. The three of them looked at me and I looked at you. Qiu Hongsheng suddenly said: "If I had known you were coming out, I would have sat down first."
Everyone couldn't help laughing when they heard this,
Judging from this point alone, this war preparation meeting was a success.