At a quarter past nine, under the cover of fierce artillery fire from the First Battleship Fleet of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Anjia Army, the forward battalion of the First Regiment of the First Marine Division occupied the beachhead in the southeast of Mahe Island and quickly opened up a deep
A landing beachhead of two kilometers and three kilometers wide.
Subsequently, there were two battalions of Marine officers and soldiers, three tank companies, an artillery company plus the battalion headquarters, a total of forty-six tanks, twelve Type II armored fighting vehicles, twenty-four armored personnel carriers and two
Supported by fourteen 105mm artillery pieces.
In this way, the landing force was strengthened into three marine battalions and one tank battalion, which greatly strengthened its strength. The morale of the landing force was high, and they rushed towards the southeast military airport closest to the landing site.
According to high-altitude reconnaissance by satellites and airships, a large number of Japanese Army and Navy aircraft are deployed at this airport. Although it was attacked by carrier-based aircraft of the Anjia Army Navy just three hours ago, no one can guarantee that this airport has lost its combat effectiveness. Moreover,
, once captured, this airport will be used for naval land-based fighters transferring from the aircraft carrier.
The Anjia Army's offensive troops quickly boarded the road that surrounded the entire Mahe Island and led to the southeast airport two and a half kilometers to the north. However, the road marked on the military map had extremely poor road conditions, with constant hills and ravines, and serious
It affected the advancement speed of Anjiajun's ground troops.
Realizing the danger of the situation, the Japanese commander on the island ordered the blowing up of a very important bridge on the road around the island, and blocked the advance of Anjia officers and soldiers along the way, buying enough time for the defense of the Southeast Airport.
On the high ground three kilometers north of the landing point, the Japanese army relied on two hills with an altitude of more than 100 meters, forming an angle with each other, and carried out tenacious resistance.
The Japanese army learned from the experience of fighting against the Anjia Army in the past, and set up artillery positions on the reverse slope, and then used carefully constructed fortifications and tunnels deep into the mountains to create trouble for the attackers. After continuous attacks to no avail, the Anjia Army Navy
Marines had to call for air support.
The armed helicopters taking off from light cruisers and destroyers, as well as the cannons of the battle fleet moving north, formed a three-dimensional crossfire. The Japanese defensive positions were suppressed by the fierce artillery fire. The officers and soldiers of the Anjia Army Marine Corps were on the road.
With direct fire support from the 75mm tank gun of the "Dolphin I" amphibious tank, it rushed into the defensive position built by the Japanese army. Through superior short-range firepower, it eliminated the Japanese troops blocking the front position one by one.
As for the Japanese soldiers hiding in the tunnels, specialized flamethrowers sprayed napalm at the exposed cave entrances. It didn't take long for the smoke from the burning to emerge from the hidden cave entrances throughout the mountains, following their path.
The flamethrower continued to spray napalm into these holes.
Since all the vents were burning fiercely, the oxygen in the cave was quickly depleted. Most of the Japanese soldiers were suffocated to death in the belly of the mountain.
After capturing the two highlands held by the Japanese army, Colonel Zhao Xing, commander of the 1st Marine Division and 1st Regiment, who commanded the offensive troops, inspected the bridge that had been damaged by the Japanese army. The bridge was about 120 meters long, and its main function was to connect the surrounding areas.
The "concave" shape of the two hills on the mountainside prevents the road from being too undulating. At the same time, when a storm comes, it allows the pouring torrents to pass under the bridge and the highway traffic will not be interrupted.
According to visual inspection, after the bridge is destroyed, it will be very difficult for a motor vehicle to rush down the valley and then get up again. This is mainly because the slope at the foot of the opposite mountain reaches more than 40 degrees, and the "Dolphin I" amphibious tank does not have such a large horsepower.
Climbing.
In order to control the Southeast Airport as soon as possible, Colonel Zhao Xing repeatedly surveyed the scene. After asking for the opinions of the engineering troops, he learned that it was unlikely to repair the bridge in the short term to allow tanks and artillery to pass. He had to leave a company to protect it, and the rest of the officers and soldiers were lightly armed.
Go into battle and rush to Southeast Airport urgently.
Zhao Xing believes that when the troops are attacking tough targets, they can get strong support from battle fleet artillery and naval carrier-based aircraft. There is no need to worry about heavy firepower. However, when Zhao Xing led the lightly-armed Anjia Army Marine Corps officers and soldiers to arrive at the hillside near Southeast Airport,
At that time, they encountered fierce resistance from a brigade urgently reinforced by the Japanese army and the original airport garrison squadron. Among them, a squadron reinforced by the Japanese army rushed to the commanding heights 92 and 93 in the south of the airport, and built a simple position to block Anjia.
army's attack.
In addition, the Japanese army also mobilized some artillery pieces from the airport that had not been damaged in the early morning bombing and bombarded the Anjia Army Marine Corps officers and soldiers approaching from the Huanhai Highway.
Since the mortars and rocket launchers equipped by the troops were unable to suppress the condescending Japanese artillery fire, Zhao Xing had to call for air support and sea artillery support again to suppress the Japanese artillery positions. At the same time, Zhao Xing also sent a company of troops
, controlled a peninsula deep into the sea in the southeast of Victoria Bay to facilitate follow-up troops to set up landing points directly here. The remaining troops, with the support of artillery fire from the sea battle fleet, as well as bombers and armed helicopters, moved little by little toward the commanding heights west of the airport
Attack from the top at heights 92 and 93.
In order to facilitate command, Zhao Xing set up his headquarters at Highland 101 opposite Highland 92 and 93, and constantly dispatched troops to attack the Japanese defense line. However, the Japanese army was on extremely favorable terrain, and several bombings by the Air Force did not succeed.
Locating the Japanese artillery positions, the armed helicopters did not dare to hover and attack due to the threat of Japanese anti-aircraft firepower distributed in the mountains. Many rockets missed the target.
An armed helicopter was unable to evade and was hit by a 20mm anti-aircraft cannon equipped by the Japanese Army. It exploded in the air. Burning wreckage was thrown everywhere on heights 92, 93 and 101. The pilot's blood spilled into the blue sky.
At this time, the Japanese troops on Mahe Island began to mobilize troops from the Anse Royale area in the south and the Anse Boileau area on the west coast to counterattack at the landing site, preparing to drive the Anjia officers and soldiers ashore into the sea. The Anjia Army Navy
The First Battle Fleet of the Indian Ocean Fleet had to go south to support. As a result, the support for the attacking troops was weakened a lot.
Zhao Xing frowned when he saw that all three attacks were repelled by the Japanese army. He immediately called Major Sun Weihan, the commander of the forward attack battalion:
"Batalion Commander Sun, your fighting style is wrong. Don't use refueling tactics. Take down the high ground on the opposite side in one go. I'll fire up all the mortars to support your attack!"
"Yes, I promise to complete the task!" Sun Weihan did not defend himself, let alone talk about the difficulties. His attitude was very firm.
Putting down the phone, Sun Weihan immediately went to the foot of Highland 92 to carefully observe the situation of the Japanese positions. After repeated consideration, he decided to divide the reserve team at hand into two parts, preparing to conduct a roundabout outflank from both wings while attacking from the front.
Just as the Second Battalion was preparing to launch an attack using the smoke and dust generated by the mortar salvoes, it received an order to suspend the attack.
It turned out that Colonel Zhao Xing was very shocked when he heard the scout report that a group of tanks was coming from the south. He quickly walked out of the temporary headquarters and looked carefully with a telescope, only to find that it was the equipment of the tank battalion blocked by the broken bridge in the south.
"Dolphin I" type amphibious tank.
Zhao Xing walked down the mountain quickly. When he reached the road below, a long line of tanks stopped, and Major Li Li, commander of the tank battalion, jumped out of one of the tanks.
Zhao Xing quickly asked Battalion Commander Li how the team came here. Li Li explained: "We were originally amphibious tanks. We retreated along the road we came from. We found a beach where we could go into the water, and then started from the offshore
Swimming. In order to facilitate your attack, we have also brought you some heavy weapons."
After speaking, Li Li pointed at the tank. Zhao Xing saw the 75mm recoilless rifle fixed with ropes on the tank's turret, and immediately smiled. He quickly ordered the officers and soldiers on the left and right to climb onto the tank and remove the 75mm recoilless rifle one by one.
With the help of tanks, Zhao Xing was more confident about conquering the Japanese positions ahead.
Half an hour later, the Anjia Army Marine Corps' attack on Highlands 92 and 93 began again. This time they used tanks as self-propelled artillery to accompany the infantry in the attack. However, because the slope of Highlands 92 and 93 reached thirty
The slope of some of the curves reached 40 degrees. The tank had to stop halfway because the barrel was too long and it was difficult to rotate. It could only use the parallel machine gun and anti-aircraft machine gun on the tank to attack the Japanese positions.
suppress.
At the same time, the recoilless rifles deployed on Highland 101 began to clear the Japanese firepower points that were suppressing the attack of the Anjia Army. After the frontal troops approached the Japanese position, they used rocket launchers and flamethrowers to counter-suppress the Japanese army.
The Marine Corps officers and soldiers of the Anjia Army, who were outflanked by two flanks, took the opportunity to attack upwards.
Under the lightning-fast attacks of the Anjia Army, a Japanese squadron responsible for guarding Highlands 92 and 93 suffered increasingly heavy casualties.
The Japanese squadron leader saw that the machine gun firepower points suppressing the Anjia Army Marine Corps were knocked out by tanks and artillery from the other side. Faced with the Marine Corps officers and soldiers all over the mountains and plains, the anti-aircraft guns and artillery had no choice but to retreat to the top of the high ground. In the end, they had no choice but to
Evacuate two highlands.
After paying the price of one platoon casualty, the officers and soldiers of the three battalions of the Anjia Army Marine Corps finally captured the 92 and 93 heights and opened the passage to the airport.
After ascending to the high ground, the Anjia Army Marine Corps officers and soldiers pushed the tanks onto the high ground, aiming some of the tanks' 75mm main guns at the airport to bombard them, while the other part of the tanks covered the Marine Corps officers and soldiers and rushed into the Southeast Airport.
The Japanese airport garrison used the previously destroyed aircraft at the airport as bunkers to resist the offensive of the Anjia Army Marines. However, after the Anjia Army tanks stormed in, the "Dolphin I" amphibious tank used its 75mm cannon to target those
The downed aircraft opened fire.
The Japanese garrison stationed at the airport in the southeast of Mahe Island could not withstand the coordinated attack of Anjia Army Marine Corps officers and soldiers with infantry and tanks. Many death squads took the risk to lean out and attack the tanks with cluster grenades, sticky bombs and incendiary bottles. However, the land forces that followed the tanks advanced.
The soldiers used the automatic rifles in their hands to beat the opponent into a hornet's nest.
After taking control of most of the airport, the officers and soldiers of the 1st Marine Regiment began to clear out the Japanese garrison in the underground fortifications of the airport. The sound of intensive shooting could be heard inside and outside the airport at any time, and the explosions of grenades and rockets could be heard from time to time.
At one o'clock at noon, the Marine Corps officers and soldiers of the Anjia Army who attacked the Southeast Airport on Mahe Island reported to the headquarters on the "Huashan" aircraft carrier: "The Southeast Airport has been successfully occupied by our troops, and our troops are working on the airport runway and parking.
Cleaning up the airport and collecting equipment at the airport."
When a tank pushed the wreckage of the plane that was destroyed by the last one and then bombarded by the main gun of the Anjia Army amphibious tank from the airport runway, the battle at the southern landing site was also over.
The Japanese army dispatched about 24 tanks and two brigades of troops in the counterattack against the Anjia Army landing site. At first, they successfully overcame the outer security position established by the Anjia Army Marine Corps.
In fact, the entire Anjia Army Marine Corps never thought that the under-strength Japanese army would divide its forces to counterattack at the landing site.
Opposite the landing point, on a high ground more than 100 meters above sea level, there were twenty-four 105mm howitzers lined up. The officers and soldiers lay in the newly built bunkers, breathing heavily.
Under the scorching sun, two officers and soldiers raised their kettles and drank "Gulonglong". They took out cigarettes from their coat pockets and took a few puffs comfortably, watching the smoke rings floating in the air. Their ancestral home is Xinye, Henan. They just turned 21 this year.
Senior private Zhou Jun, who was 20 years old, complained to the sergeant squad leader Zheng Yanxia: "Squad leader, this boat trip has put us through a lot. We have never been on a boat for such a long time before... You said we came to fight in such a far place.
What is the picture in?"
"What are you trying to figure out?"
Zheng Yanxia, who was two years younger than Zhou Juan, glared back: "It's to protect our country and defend our country. Don't look at us drifting on the sea for so long. In fact, it's to keep secrets, and we are leaving the Japanese army."
A route that patrol ships cannot reach. In fact, if we take a straight line, it will only take three to five days from the Seychelles Islands to our homeland.
"Historically, great powers have opened our country's borders many times with giant ships and cannons, which shows the importance of coastal defense. Think about it. If the cities we have worked so hard to build are destroyed by war, it will mean a lot to our country.
What? Our purpose is to build a maritime defense line in the Indian Ocean. No matter which direction the enemy comes from, we must remove the nails on the way forward. Only then can we have enough energy to attack our offshore, and this period of time is enough for us to prepare.
Enough. Let’s launch a head-on attack on the invading enemy.”
Zhou Jun curled his lips: "Everyone can talk about the truth, but who is willing to serve as a soldier in such a far away place in the future? From the poor and remote areas!"
"Haha, you got it wrong!"
Zheng Yanxia, who graduated from the Naval Academy last year, pointed to the beach down the mountain: "Look at this beach. It is wide and flat, with clear water and white sand. It is an ideal place for sea bathing, sunbathing, wind bathing and sand bathing. It will definitely become a scenic spot in the future."
Serving as a soldier here is like traveling, and the officers and soldiers will definitely flock to it..."
Before Zheng Yanxia finished speaking, he suddenly heard a dull voice in the distance.
Both of them had received strict training and recognized that it was the sound of an artillery shell exploding, and it was not far away. The two looked at each other, quickly put out their half-smoked cigarette butts, and then jumped up from the bunker. Zheng Yanxia shouted loudly:
Call the gunner to standby.
Zheng Yanxia asked Zhou Jun: "Can you hear where the shelling is coming from?"
Zhou Jun pointed to the west with his hand and said, "It's coming from the road leading to the west coast. But there are no troops of our army there, so how can there be sound of artillery fire? Is it the Japanese counterattack?"
"It's possible!"
Zheng Yanxia nodded: "Signal soldiers, report to your superiors immediately. The infantry position in front of us is likely to be attacked by the Japanese army."
Five minutes later, the artillery received instructions. The Japanese army launched a counter-attack on our landing site from the west and south roads. The artillery was required to immediately carry out violent shelling somewhere in the western warning position. The two temporary fortifications there were suddenly attacked by the Japanese army.
The enemy fell, and about a squad of officers and soldiers died heroically.
Zheng Yanxia's squad only fired a few rounds of artillery shells before they had to stop. Like a tide, the Japanese troops rushed towards the high ground where the artillery battery was located.
At this time, except for one battalion of officers and soldiers who stayed at the landing site, the rest of the landing force had already gone to attack the southeast military airport. Among the Anjia officers and soldiers near the landing site, except for this battalion of infantry and a small number of artillery, the rest were engineers.
host.
According to the plan, engineers will unload technical equipment and build temporary docks at the landing point for subsequent troops to land.
Xia Jian, who was strategizing on the "Huashan" aircraft carrier, soon learned about the Japanese counterattack ahead and was shocked.
You must know that there are many places suitable for landing on Mahe Island, and Victoria Harbor in the north is a natural deep-water harbor. Everyone thought that the Japanese army would stick to the port and surrounding areas. The landing craft would send the third wave of warning troops to the beach and then stop transporting troops.
To transport logistics supplies, more troops are preparing to land on the peninsula area extending southward from the southeast of the airport, reinforce the southeast airport nearby, and then launch an attack on the port area.
No one expected that the Japanese army would launch a counterattack at the landing site where warships gathered in the distance, and they were caught off guard.
Xia Jian and Zhao Leile discussed it briefly and immediately ordered the battleship fleet accompanying the troops heading north to return to the sea surface immediately at the landing site. In addition, they asked the Anjia Army Marine Corps officers and soldiers on the beach to resolutely withstand the crazy Japanese counterattack and wait for the battleship formation to return for reinforcements.
and sending follow-up troops ashore.
The landing craft that was unloading supplies quickly returned to the sea and began to transport the fourth wave of landing troops... In front, some troops who had retreated from the front line began to build positions in front of Zheng Yanxia's artillery squad. Under the cover of tanks and armored vehicles, the Japanese troops moved along
The road reached halfway up the mountain.
At this time, the 75mm anti-aircraft guns originally responsible for air defense lowered their guns and began to shoot at the Japanese tanks. The artillery battery, mainly equipped with 105mm howitzers, aimed the 105mm howitzers at the infantry behind the Japanese tanks.
After only two volleys were fired, several louder shells pierced the air and sounded from behind the artillery battery where Zheng Yanxia was located. Then they flew over the high ground and hit the Japanese infantry group.
As the huge cannonball hit the ground, the fire flashed and the huge explosion was deafening.
Through the black smoke, one could clearly see that a large number of Japanese soldiers had been blown to pieces by artillery shells, with their limbs and broken arms flying everywhere.
The Japanese army was so brave that they continued to attack forward. The artillerymen of the Anjia Army Marines on the top of the mountain dropped 105mm artillery shells into the Japanese attacking formation as if they were free of charge.
The most terrifying thing is the 380mm naval gun. A shell splashed countless granite fragments in the afternoon. Due to the special terrain here, except for the Japanese soldiers under the protection of tank armor, it was difficult for the Japanese troops within a range of nearly 200 meters.
Survive the carnage of flying shrapnel and rock fragments.
After four or five minutes of suffering, the Japanese soldiers finally couldn't hold on any longer, and the remaining troops finally began to turn around and flee. The Japanese tanks, which had lost infantry support, saw the infantry turning back collectively, leaving behind nearly half of the 75mm anti-aircraft guns and ships.
A tank hit by artillery fires a black smoke screen to cover its retreat.
At this time, landing craft one after another, fully loaded with landing officers and soldiers, moved from the landing craft in the distant sea towards the beach.
The Japanese counterattack aroused Xia Jian's anger. This wave of landing troops was as high as a marine regiment. In response to the Japanese attack, they would go all the way to the west to capture Anse Boileau, and the other way to the south to attack the Anse Royale area, completely destroying the area.
The threat in the southern part of Mahe Island has been eliminated. Above the densely packed landing craft, batches of fighter planes are roaring past, soon bringing death and terror to the Japanese... Thank you Zizhu Baicai for the big reward, thank you brothers for your subscription,
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