At seven o'clock in the morning on February 9, the last time limit given to the Qing army's Shanhaiguan guard Ku Shan came. As of this time, the opponent still did not offer to surrender. Therefore, the Ming army stopped being hesitant and began to attack.
First, an air strike kicked off the offensive.
84 dive bombers and 40 fighter jets flew from Dongjiang Fleet Airport, 40 level bombers and 36 fighter jets flew from Dongying Airport, and 62 dive bombers and 40 fighter jets took off from two aircraft carriers in the Bohai Sea. A total of
146 dive bombers, 40 level bombers, and 116 fighter jets completed their formation over the sea off Qinhuangdao, covering the sky and the sun, and roared over Shanhaiguan.
In addition, the artillery fleet brought by the Ming army when they landed in Lushun did not return to the East China Sea Fleet base. Instead, it has been parked in several military ports on the Changshan Islands, waiting for this day. Now, with three battleships and one battleship
Cruisers, four heavy cruisers as the main force
The bombardment fleet was parked on the sea 20,000 meters southeast of Shanhaiguan, and had already formed a shelling formation. 24 destroyers patrolled around the battleship, wary of the Qing's torpedo boats, or perhaps wanted to take the opportunity to "take a shot"
"Japanese submarine.
The targets of all bombing and artillery attacks were the Shanhaiguan fortifications, and Qinhuangdao was not included in the scope. There were originally two options for the Ming army to break through the border this time. The first was the traditional land breakthrough, which was to concentrate all superior firepower like now
Bombing Shanhaiguan, that is, from Mt.
The ten-kilometer plain fortification zone between the sea and the sea, and then capture Qinhuangdao from the land and go straight into the pass. The second option is to bypass Shanhaiguan and land directly at Qinhuangdao Port in the pass, as Tang Yunsheng said on the radio. Then turn around and take it from behind
Go down to Shanhaiguan and let the main force enter the customs.
Both options have their own pros and cons. The first one is to attack Shanhaiguan from the front on land. The advantage is that it is relatively simple. It is to prepare firepower and charge tanks. If you can get through, you will be over. This method of attack is the most skilled of the Ming army, and all aspects are coordinated.
There will be no problem in launching the attack. Moreover, since it is a direct land attack, the strongest troops can be thrown in as soon as they come up, forming a
Powerful impact. The disadvantage is that it needs to face a large number of relatively complete permanent fortifications. The difficulty of the attack and the amount of casualties are difficult to estimate. They are greatly affected by the morale of the Qing defenders. If the opponent has a strong will to fight, then the Ming army will definitely
There will be heavy casualties, and the breakthrough may not be successful. But if the Qing defenders have a weak will to resist, they may be able to rush over in one go.
The advantage of the second sea attack plan is that it does not need to face a large number of fortifications. As long as the dive bombers are used to kill the shore defense artillery at the port, the troop carrier can dock at the dock. The disadvantage is that within a day or two, it will be clear that the people who have landed will be able to dock.
The Qing army could not obtain enough heavy weapons and was still in the state of "light infantry division". The Qing army also deployed a strong Eight Banners Division garrison in the shallow depth of the inland. From Tangshan to Qinhuang
There are at least three armored regiments between the islands, and there is also a newly formed armored brigade in the deeper area behind - between Tianjin and Qinhuangdao. Although the Ming army has air superiority, in this final battle, the Qing army will definitely destroy the remaining
All aircraft are involved. The Ming army aircraft are also responsible for the task of destroying the Beiqing Air Force. It is estimated that there will be a lot of air combat pressure, and ground support will definitely be compromised.
After repeated weighing and considering that the powerful artillery fleet was on the Changshan Islands and could be used at their fingertips, the Ming Army headquarters chose the traditional attack method - land invasion.
As for the fortifications on the mountain, there is no need to worry about them. This is not Hangu Pass, which is like a narrow trail, and it is not impossible to pass without removing all the fortifications on the mountain. The corridor below the mountain here is ten kilometers wide. As long as a breakthrough is made on the flat ground,
The Qing garrison on the mountain will not continue to defend.
…
Fire preparations have begun.
Forty Swan bombers lined up and flew over the Shanhaiguan fortifications, dropping dense "hail" bombs along the way. These hail bombs were specially modified, and a certain proportion of magnesium was loaded into the warheads, which can produce combustion after explosion.
Effect. This is not to kill, but mainly to destroy the camouflage of the entire plain fortification group.
The Qing military fortifications on the ground were all carefully camouflaged. Large fortifications were covered with camouflage nets to prevent observation from the air. Small fortifications were even more carefully camouflaged, and the camouflage nets were also covered with branches and shrubs to prevent aerial observation.
, are also intended to prevent ground observation. To deal with these camouflages, nothing is more suitable than hail bombs.
Viewed from the air, the ground looked like frying fish. Mud, burning wood, and broken nets were densely exploded everywhere. A few escorting fighter jets followed and passed by at low altitude. After observing the effect, they thought it was okay. Most of them
The cement fortifications are all exposed and can be clearly recognized from the air.
The Swan bomber formation dropped its bombs and returned.
Next up is the Osprey dive bomber formation.
This is the highlight of the bombing, and it is also the bombing that can really see the effect. 146 dive bombers, each carrying two 220 kilogram bombs, are divided into several large groups, screaming and rushing down. The dive bombers fly like real ospreys.
He plunged down hard until he could almost see the broken cement blocks and steel bars on the top of the fortification, then dropped the bomb suddenly, and then quickly pulled it up.
Two huge 220-kilogram bombs trembled and fell down, one after the other. At this time, the fortification on the ground would probably eat one of them, and be immersed in a ball of fire and dust amidst the tremors of the earth.
Immediately afterwards, the interior will continue to explode, tearing down half of the fortifications.
…
Just as the Osprey formation was concentrating on dealing with the ground fortifications, the Kingfisher formation on high altitude alert sounded an alarm. A small black dot appeared in the west. Ten seconds later, there were more and more black dots, at least hundreds of them.
The main force of the Qing Air Force, which had preserved its strength for a long time, finally appeared.
The Osprey bombers below retreated eastward, while the high-altitude Kingfisher fighters immediately followed the battle plan and faced the sun from the east. The Qing fighter planes came from the west, facing the rising sun at this time, and suffered a great loss. Until
When they flew towards the battlefield, they only discovered half of the Ming army's fighter jets.
The air combat begins.
At this time, the Ming army's artillery fleet at sea raised their gun barrels, preparing to take over from the bombers and fill the firepower gap.
The fleet commander received the "fire" radio order, and then also issued a "free fire" order to the entire fleet. In an instant, eight giant ships fired a salvo at the same time, and powerful fireballs wrapped in black smoke rushed out from the muzzles.
For tens of meters, the seawater on one side of the battleship was pushed out by the air waves, forming eight giant arcs.
More than a minute later, naval gun shells of different sizes bloomed on the ground. Although most of the shells did not have the same charge as the 220 kilogram aerial bomb, and their accuracy was incomparable, their penetrating power was even more amazing. The tapered ones
After the artillery shell flew 20,000 meters in the air at high speed, it volleyed and hit
The impact force cannot be compared with that of aerial bombs. The concrete fortifications of the Qing army in Shanhaiguan cannot be compared with the Yangtze River defense line, and the thickest fortifications with roofs are only half a meter. Not to mention the main gun of the battleship, but the main gun of the cruiser, as long as it hits directly
No fortification can withstand it.
Suddenly, in the middle of the Shanhaiguan plain fortifications, smoke columns rose densely, and landslides and earth-shattering explosions occurred one after another. The explosion of artillery shells, the explosion of ammunition in the fortifications that were hit, and the fireballs caused by the downed aircraft crashing to the ground in the air battle.
...This ten-kilometer-wide ground seems like the end of the world.