The battlefield south of the Euphrates River was no less brutal than the front on the left bank of the Tigris River at the beginning. The Anjia Army only deployed one group army, three main divisions and six border defense divisions adapted from Category B troops.
The security division responded to the challenge, and the situation was extremely critical. (-< >-Net.)
Fortunately, the war zone fully considered the difficulty of combat here and temporarily transferred three rocket launcher brigades, two anti-aircraft artillery brigades, four self-propelled cannon brigades, five ** heavy tank regiments and two army aviation brigades directly under the war zone's jurisdiction.
The strengthening of the brigade to this line, coupled with the all-weather bombing by the Air Force, completely suppressed the German army in terms of firepower.
The fierce fighting broke out on the 12th and lasted until the 20th. Due to the loss of water trucks caused by the continuous bombing of the Anjia Army Air Force and the use of the troops themselves, the German army was about to run out of drinking water. Moreover, the continuous fierce fighting led to huge consumption of ammunition.
It is no longer enough to support a long front.
Under this situation, the German commander Marshal Hans von Zalmuth had to change the all-out attack to a focused attack. Between the two major water sources in the north and south, he finally gave up Gude who could almost smell the fishy smell of the water.
Well, chose to focus on Mulusi Well and Akashat.
On the one hand, the Good Well goes too far into the border, and there is a hill across the middle, so moving in and out is a problem, while the line between the Moulusi Well and Akashat is closer to the Syrian border, making it easy to come and go; on the other hand, Akashat
It is an important border fortress and material transit point for the Anjia Army. After it is captured, it can be supplied with food and ammunition. At the same time, it can threaten the rear flank of the Qayim Defense Line through the railway, reducing the difficulty of this mission.
At this time, due to the lack of water and food, no one had any hope of arriving at Lake Gadisiya and encircling the northern line as scheduled. The temporary telephone line to Damascus in the rear had been set up late at night on the 18th, but
Since Hitler ordered to fight to the death, the six armies responsible for the southern battlefield could only stay here and launch attacks day and night.
The area where the desert, Gobi and plains alternate is too dry. Coupled with the sandstorms that can come at any time, every German officer and soldier is extremely dirty and has an unpleasant rancid smell. Marshal Zalmut and General
Like most generals, what they hope most now is not to make achievements, but to be ordered to retreat to the rear, fill their stomachs with clear spring water, and then take a hot bath as much as they want.
Because of this, it is estimated that even the Germans themselves did not realize that the battle had unknowingly changed its flavor. Many attacks became mere window-dressing offensives to deal with their superiors, and the intensity of the battle quickly dropped.
December 24, 5:30 pm, Mulusijing area.
A blood-red setting sun slowly disappears on the western horizon. The eastern sky is like a curtain stained with blood, showing a heart-stopping color. (-< >-Net.)
In the past ten days or so, more than 200,000 to 300,000 soldiers have been fighting on a front of more than 100 kilometers from Akashat, Mulusijing to Rutbai. At least 100,000 people have lost their lives in the continuous fighting.
Of course due to the defensive advantage, most of the words belong to Germans.
As night fell, Lieutenant Yu Ping, commander of the second company of the third battalion of the 211th Regiment of the 49th Division, and his company finally took a breath. Taking advantage of this rare truce time, the cooking squad brought meals to the officers and soldiers.
Eat quickly and then wait quietly for the next battle.
The position in charge of the Second Company is on a low and gentle hillside southeast of Mulusi Well. The top is only more than 20 meters above the ground, but it is the commanding height connecting the 500-meter defense line on the left and right.
Such a height, if the line of sight is good, can be successfully transformed into a firepower advantage. The longest range of an I-type 75mm recoilless rifle can even exceed that of an ordinary infantry gun.
The darkness blocked the line of sight, and the mood of the Anjia officers and soldiers gradually became calmer after a day of fighting.
"The Germans are really tenacious. I heard that they have been killing pack horses and camels these days and drinking the blood of livestock to quench their thirst!"
Lieutenant Yu Ping took out the aluminum kettle and took a pleasant sip. He is twenty-two years old and comes from Changsha, Hunan. At the end of 1937, he gave up the opportunity to study at Southwest Associated University and joined the army in Xufu to apply for the non-commissioned officer school, but he failed.
I had no choice but to apply to stay in Xufu to attend high school for free. After more than a year of systematic study, I finally passed the exam in August 1939. After graduation last year, I was assigned to the army as a platoon leader. In August this year, I was promoted to company commander based on my merit.
An Zhiqiang, the second lieutenant of the heavy firepower platoon next to Company Commander Yu, is only 19 years old this year. He graduated from the Boy Scout Academy and the Gunnery Department of the Non-commissioned Officer School. Since he was a wanderer since he was a child, he did not know his name and followed his adoptive father An Yi, surnamed An. He took out a bag from his pocket.
Packing cigarettes, he skillfully shook out two cigarettes, handed one to the company commander, lit one for himself, and said in his mouth:
"Yes, Company Commander, the Germans are definitely having a hard time. From these days of fighting, it can be seen that their stamina is obviously insufficient. However, my classmate who is a pilot in the Air Force revealed that there seem to be geological experts among the German army.
Knowing the direction of the underground river, they have dug many wells in the past few days, otherwise they would not have been able to continue."
Before the new round of German attacks launched a counterattack, An Zhiqiang took out a windproof lighter and lit a cigarette for the company commander, and then lit a cigarette for himself. In the flickering firelight, a delicate face appeared against the firelight, and turned around.
Instantly it disappeared into darkness again.
"Hey, the Germans' wells were blown up by our bombers not long after they were dug! Now the Germans dig wells and drink water at night, and cover the wellheads with tarpaulin during the day and fill them with sand to camouflage them.
But there are hundreds of thousands of German troops, how can that little water be enough? Moreover, on this endless ground, our air force can give them a fierce blow at any time, and the Germans who have no cover can only say that their days are like a year."
Lieutenant Yu Ping also has a classmate who works as a staff officer at the Army Headquarters, and he is very aware of the movements of the German army.
While the two were chatting, a team of more than 200 officers and soldiers carried or carried wooden boxes panting up from the foot of the mountain behind. The officers and soldiers in the artillery bunker hurried over to take over.
"Captain Yu!"
A second lieutenant officer from the logistics department came over and reported: "This is two basic quantities of ammunition. The follow-up convoy is on the way. The second batch of ammunition will be delivered in three hours, also with two basic quantities!"
"Thank you, Staff Officer Zhang!" Yu Ping nodded to the other party, signed his name on the receipt, and soon the baggage team withdrew.
Many people don't understand why an army can often number tens of thousands of people, but the number of troops available for front-line combat is obviously inconsistent with the total number. That is because many officers and soldiers are responsible for logistics and baggage to ensure front-line losses, which is difficult to show in a battle.
A quarter of an hour later, crisp gunfire suddenly rang out from the front of the position.
At first there was sporadic rifle fire, and then a general machine gun roared. Yu Ping and his officers and soldiers quickly entered the bunker used to observe and avoid stray bullets. They saw a few flashing bright spots suddenly rising in the darkness, their
The speed was not very fast, it climbed up to a height of more than a hundred meters, and then suddenly burst into dazzling balls of light.
The light emitted when the magnesium powder burns appears pale white, and the large expanses of wilderness under the light balls are also reflected in this color for the first time, making the whole world look so vast and monotonous!
"Fortunately, this time the attack only involves infantry and no tanks!"
Yu Ping picked up the telescope and took a look, then turned around and shouted: "Four rows! Central mortars! South-west direction! Two thousand meters away, fire one shell each!"
The steady voice of the order overwhelmed the sudden intensification of gunshots in front.
In the field of vision, the series of light spots produced by the continuous firing of the general-purpose machine gun on the front line was like a very thin dark red whip, mercilessly whipping at the German infantry exposed to the light of the flares.
Under conditions that were close to daylight, every move of the German army was exposed. The riflemen on the Anjiajun position were shooting calmly. Due to the continuous fighting, the inventory of ammunition was rapidly depleted. Now the officers and soldiers did not dare to fire continuously, so that the guns
The sound is not dense and continuous.
About thirty seconds later, only two muffled "bang bang" sounds were heard from the rear gun emplacement. This was the 82mm medium mortar equipped by the company and platoon level expressing its anger.
Compared with cannons and howitzers whose ballistic trajectories are flat, mortar shells travel in a high-angle arc trajectory, and the initial velocity of the shells when they eject from the chamber is also slower, so that it took twenty seconds for the two shells to hit the target at the same time.
It fell and exploded kilometers away. At this time, several illumination bombs fired previously had been extinguished, so that the two mortar shells burst out with an extraordinarily dazzling orange light in the wilderness.
Against the backdrop of the firelight, some swaying figures disappeared. Some of them were injured by falling shells, while others took the initiative to lie down to avoid the shelling.
At this moment, the firepower on the Anjiajun position was still not too intensive, and the German army took advantage of the darkness to launch another attack.
Within twenty seconds, another string of flares fell from the sky, once again illuminating the earth.
The sound sounded like someone had opened two bottles of champagne to celebrate victory. Before the shells could land, fire suddenly flashed in the darkness in the distance. This unusual sight was immediately captured by artillery officers with professional skills and rich experience.
"It's an infantry cannon!"
As soon as An Zhiqiang, the second lieutenant of the heavy firepower platoon, said these words, the roar of artillery fire and the strange cry of howling artillery shells followed. This phenomenon only occurs when the combat distance is relatively close.
The sounds are mixed and superimposed together, sounding very harsh.
"Boom boom boom——"
Three clean explosions came from the front line of the Anjia Army. Although the officers and soldiers were in the dark trenches, after continuous battles, the German army was already very familiar with the Anjia Army's front line. These three guns were fast and accurate.
, all of them exploded a few meters away from the trench. In the splashing fire, Yu Ping saw that the exposed general-purpose machine gun bunker had been blown down.
Allowing the Germans to continue shelling like this will inevitably lead to a certain attrition for the Anjia officers and soldiers who dare not retreat into the shell-proof holes.
Under this situation, Lieutenant Yu Ping and his officers stared closely at the darkness that was previously illuminated by the fire, waiting for the second round of shelling from the enemy's artillery to determine the opponent's location.
It was at this time that the two mortar shells previously fired by the Second Company fell. The impact point was exactly where the German attacking troops were densely packed. Several screams were heard again in the night.
Half a minute later, the fire shone again in the darkness, almost without delay, and Company Commander Yu shouted loudly: "15 to 20 degrees south by west, 5,500 to 6,000 meters!"
"17 degrees south by west, 5800 meters away!"
Second Lieutenant An Zhiqiang on the side used his professional judgment as the final order. The volume was significantly higher than that of the company commander to remind the gunners deployed ten meters behind him to adjust the two guns of the heavy fire platoon according to these parameters.
Type I 75mm recoilless rifle.
Although the preemptive German artillery was quite accurate, the gunfire from the Anjiajun blocking position did not weaken, especially after the general machine gun misfired, more than a dozen machine gun positions suddenly appeared, at short intervals.
The shooting continued at a rapid rate, blocking the space within the range. The advancing German infantry fell one by one. Under the flickering light, the black offensive front moved forward very slowly.
As German artillery fire appeared for the third time, Lieutenant Yu Ping was urged to give the order to fight back.
Amidst the ear-piercing screams, the two recoilless rifles fired. After the gunners made fine adjustments based on their own judgment, the shells landed at the spot where the fire had previously shone with almost no deviation. This made Company Commander Yu and his officers
They were nervous and looking forward to it. After four or five minutes, the German artillery still had no movement, and they breathed a sigh of relief.
"Beautiful, guys!"
Yu Ping did not hesitate to praise him. At this time, the sound of German offensive guns gradually became sparse on the entire front, and it was obvious that everyone had suffered similar blows.
With full preparations, the elite Anjia army only spent more than half an hour to defeat another German attack. Even the 105mm mountain howitzer and 75mm infantry gun equipped by the heavy firepower platoon were not used.
At this point, with the reduction of ammunition, the German offensive became more and more weak. The reason why the German army was defeated and fought tirelessly was more due to an attitude of not giving up. From top to bottom, it was perfunctory and serious.
The Germans have also become slippery.
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