Chapter 228: Artillery Fire Coverage by the 120th Division!

"I have corrected the typos, today is a good article!"

The defense line of the Third Army on the west side of Zhongtiao Mountain.

While an air battle was taking place above Luoyang City, the North China Front Command issued an order for an all-out attack.

Since the Third Army has always maintained an undefeated record in the previous battles to defend Zhongtiao Mountain, Ningji Okamura clearly pointed out in the pre-war meeting that the key to breaking through the western front lies in whether the attack on the Third Army is successful.

If the Third Army can be broken, Zhongtiao Mountain can be captured, and it is necessary to concentrate several times more troops than the enemy to focus on encirclement and suppression.

In order to ensure that the advancement of the 36th and 37th Divisions will not be disturbed by the First Air Division, he also played Tian Ji's horse racing with the Eighth Route Army.

The old devils deliberately sent a small group of land aviation as bait in Gaoping, which is closest to southeastern Shanxi. They would rather sacrifice some of their precious air power to ensure the progress of the western front.

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The Third Army is a veteran central army, belonging to the Yunnan Army system. All officers are from Yunnan Province, and most of them graduated from the Yunnan Military Academy.

After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, their main battlefield was in Shanxi. They experienced many large-scale battles such as the Battle of Taiyuan, and the number of casualties was also very large.

However, the Yunnan Army has always been known for its defense and blocking battles among the preserved fruits.

In this Zhongtiaoshan Battle, they used the 7th, 12th, and 34th main divisions with 16,000 people to defend their positions. Even if more than half of the casualties were more than half, they did not retreat a step.

It is worth mentioning that in addition to the weapons supplemented by the bald head, there are also very few French equipment in the troops.

If the Iron Triangle comes to the Third Army to visit and learn, they will find the familiar Lebel 1886, the Chauchat light machine gun that is hated by people, the Hotchkiss M1914, the father of the Type 92 heavy machine gun, and the 60mm and 81mm Blonde mortars.

Even most of the soldiers with steel helmets wore Adrian cockscomb helmets. They once had four Hotchkiss 25mm anti-aircraft guns, but unfortunately they were destroyed in the war.

In addition to the weapons mentioned above that the Eighth Route Army also had, the Third Army also had the less-performing Hotchkiss M1922 light machine gun and the Hotchkiss M1930 anti-aircraft machine gun, which could be used for both high and low altitudes.

The troops also learned the tactical thinking of the French army during World War I, and the operations revolved around the company's Hotchkiss heavy machine guns.

All this was due to the vigorous development of the province's economy after the Southwest Gas King came to power. Not only did he unify the taxation, but he also turned lollipops and tin mines into cash cows.

Not only did he successfully solve the problem of insufficient financial resources, but he also exchanged a large number of weapons and equipment for the troops.

It's a pity that the Gas King only bought ready-made weapons and failed to successfully import production lines.

In addition, the Gallic chickens had surrendered, and the highway was forced to be blocked under the intervention of Xiao Ri. Now the ammunition in hand is naturally one less one.

Let's shift our perspective to the west side of Zhongtiao Mountain, the headquarters of the 12th Army.

Because the northern defense line was broken by the 41st Division, the defenders could neither respond east and west nor support north and south, and the battlefield situation completely turned to the devil's side.

"Division Commander! You must retreat! It's too dangerous here!"

"Your wounds haven't healed yet, leave the high ground to the brothers! We will definitely take it back!"

The speaker was Yang Yukun, the deputy division commander of the 12th Division of the Third Army. In the previous battle for the position, Division Commander Cun led the troops to fight back bravely.

However, the enemy's firepower was strong, and several volleys of bullets from several Type 92 heavy machine guns came over, causing his own division commander to be shot and fall to the ground. If it weren't for the desperate cover of the guard platoon, he might have died for the country.

Due to the shortage of medical supplies in the army, the wound on Division Commander Cun's chest had not healed yet, and the white cloth on his chest had been soaked with blood and turned red.

Seeing that Division Commander Cun didn't reply, Yang Yukun directly ordered the battalion commander beside him:

"Go and escort the division commander to the army command post, I will be responsible for the command here! If the division commander loses a hair, I will hold you responsible!"

But at this moment, Division Commander Cun stretched out his hand to wrap the bandage wrapped around his chest again. After tightening the wound, he supported the guard's arm and struggled to stand up again.

The Shuiguduo Heights on the left wing had been captured by the 36th Division, and the entire division's positions were exposed to the enemy's firepower.

After getting up, he was not afraid of danger, and barely supported himself to walk out of the command post and looked at the officers and soldiers on both sides. The soldiers on the position had suffered countless casualties, and they were even running out of ammunition and food.

"Who is the division commander among us? You want to command me before I die?"

"The head can be cut off, the blood can be shed, but the heights must not be lost. We must take this height back! Pass my order! Everyone put on the bayonet! Fight the devils to the end."

"I also know the difficulties, so I have contacted the army commander! Support is coming soon. It is much better to die desperately than to sit and wait for death."

As soon as the voice fell, the artillery shells of the 36th Division poured down on the positions of the 12th Division like a rainstorm.

One of the shells fell near the headquarters as if it had eyes, directly blowing off the right leg of Division Commander Cun. Blood gushed out like a spring, and the injury was very serious.

Several officers and soldiers died on the spot, and the command system of the 12th Division was completely paralyzed for a while.

Fortunately, most of the grassroots officers were veterans. Although they lost the command of their superiors, the companies and platoons temporarily withstood the pressure with the tacit understanding they had built over the years.

At a heavy machine gun position, more than a dozen soldiers were working together to move a Hotchkiss M1930 anti-aircraft machine gun out of the anti-gun cave.

The caliber of the gun is 13.2 mm, which can be used for both air defense and horizontal shooting. It can not only effectively suppress the enemy's machine gun firepower, but can even penetrate the Type 95 light tank.

But there are many disadvantages, the first of which is that it is too heavy. Even without the sight, it weighs more than 300 kilograms, and more than a dozen soldiers have to serve it each time it is used.

Of course, the biggest problem is the lack of bullets. There is no arsenal in the Republic of China that produces 13.2 mm bullets, and the only Eighth Route Army that uses French weapons does not use dual-purpose machine guns.

"Platoon leader, you have to think about it. This machine gun is the only seedling in the entire division. If it is killed by the enemy, our special heavy machine gun team will really exist in name only."

"And there are only 97 bullets left, and it can only last for a minute at most."

The soldier's words did not shake the platoon leader. He just dusted off the dirt on his helmet, and then showed a smile of death, as if he had already prepared to sacrifice himself.

"That's just right. There's no way to replenish bullets anyway. It's not bad to die with my old buddy after this battle."

"What a pity. He didn't even go home to see me before he died. He's been wandering outside for four years. I really want to eat some pickled pork liver from my hometown."

The soldiers didn't talk for long before the Japanese infantry began to follow the Type 95 light tank.

Feeling the vibration of the ground, everyone was sweating silently. But the machine gunner was not in a hurry to open fire. The entire heavy machine gun platoon was still waiting for the opportunity.

Opening fire now would only expose their position and firepower. The enemy's accurate grenade launcher would never give them the opportunity to finish firing 97 rounds of bullets.

When the Hotchkiss heavy machine guns and Maxim on the front position attracted the attention of the Japanese, the machine gunner took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

Dongdongdong!

The dull sound of gunfire rang out!

With the bonus of the R3B tripod, the anti-aircraft machine gun was surprisingly stable.

One 13.2mm bullet after another flew from the enemy's unguarded side, stirring up a bloody storm in an instant.

With such a large caliber, the Japanese infantry would break their arms and legs even if they just touched it, and the lucky beasts would be broken in the middle.

The powerful kinetic energy made one bullet often kill several enemies, and the pitiful 6mm side armor of the Type 95 light tank was also broken at the touch.

The ammunition operators held the magazine tightly and counted silently in their hearts. Whenever the last bullet of the previous round was fired, they would immediately change the bullet.

With such powerful firepower, a tank squadron and an infantry squadron of enemies were quickly wiped out on the way to the charge.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. Even if the machine gunners deliberately saved bullets, the pitiful amount of spare bullets made the special heavy machine gun platoon lose its ability to dominate the world.

The Hotchkiss M1930 anti-aircraft machine gun was turned off.

The soldiers in the platoon took out their rifles and close-combat weapons, ready to continue fighting the Japanese.

Half an hour later, the position of the 12th Division was in danger. But the soldiers' sacrifice was not in vain, and the support was finally in place!

The first to arrive at the battlefield was not a unit, but a half artillery battalion pouring out shells!

The depth of the west line of Zhongtiao Mountain is only 30 to 50 kilometers. From a military point of view, it can be said without hesitation that there is basically no depth here.

Because it is a rocky mountain, the first-line position cannot be built into a semi-permanent fortification, and the defense capability is very weak.

Before the war, the senior leaders of the Third Army racked their brains and discussed a way of fighting.

That is to set up a first-line position to defend the key points and stop the Japanese army from advancing further. If the first position cannot be defended, all officers and soldiers will retreat to the second-line position to continue defending.

Use this almost non-existent depth to block the enemy layer by layer.

In order to strengthen firepower, Commander Tang of the Third Army also placed the only artillery regiment in the middle of the two fronts. Once a division is in a tight battle, artillery support will be provided immediately.

If the second-line positions cannot be defended, then retreat south or break out to the north.

In fact, such tactics are no different from the King of Chu's desperate battle, leaving almost no way out for himself. Once the devils break through the two lines of defense, the soldiers of the entire army will have little time to retreat.

Choosing to retreat south means being pushed into the Yellow River by the devil's planes, artillery and tanks.

Going north is more difficult, with two divisions and a brigade blocking in front, and even if you break out, the future is uncertain.

The remaining artillerymen were supporting the 7th Division before. Because the 80th Army on the left wing was beaten back step by step, it seemed that they would give up their positions.

In order not to be surrounded, the army commander decided to give priority to covering the retreat of the 7th Division.

Now that the artillery and the 7th Division have recovered, the division commander Li Shilong personally led the reinforcements to the battlefield.

Due to the width of the battlefield, although the devils have an advantage in manpower, they can only use the tactic of adding fuel. After an hour of fierce fighting, the 7th Division and the 12th Division jointly retreated to the second-line position.

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The Japanese attacked without regard for casualties, leaving the second line like a candle in the wind.

Before the battle situation deteriorated completely, Commander Tang called a meeting of the division and regiment commanders. On the one hand, it was to check the morale and casualties of the three troops, and on the other hand, it was to discuss the next safety.

Because Commander Tang insisted on moving the army headquarters to the second line of defense before the war, on the one hand, it was to supervise the defense of the front-line positions, and on the other hand, it also showed that the army commander was willing to live and die with the soldiers and boost morale.

Unexpectedly, this move turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Before the war, the Japanese had already found out the locations of all the headquarters, including the army, army, and division, through the previous eleven attacks and the infiltration of the Special High Technology Department.

The transfer of the headquarters caused the small group of elite Japanese troops to return empty-handed.

When other army-level headquarters were unable to convey orders, Commander Tang kept in touch with the three divisions on the front line. Unlike the two armies in the north, they did not collapse without much fighting.

As a Yunnan man who exudes the blood of a soldier from the inside out, the newly awakened Division Commander Cun immediately expressed generously:

"Please rest assured, Commander, we are now fighting for the country and the nation, and the 12th Division will never embarrass the fathers and villagers of our hometown!"

"The soldiers have guns in their hands and swords on their waists. Soldiers would rather die with their chests held high than bow their heads to survive!"

Looking at the gunshot wounds and broken legs on the other side's chest, everyone present was moved.

In this situation, Commander Tang took out his suicide note from the drawer. Then he smiled and said calmly:

"The situation is extremely dangerous now. When we can do something, we should do our best to restore the original situation. Otherwise, I will save my dignity for the country and the nation. I have made up my mind to die if I fail."

"There are only army and division commanders who died in the Republic of China Army, but no army and division commanders who were captured. Don't let the Third Army start it."

"Next, I will give three options. Let's vote democratically to see where the troops will go."

The first option is to break up the troops into small units based on regiments, divide the enemy forces and break out in all directions.

This idea was proposed by Commander Tang a day ago, but unfortunately the headquarters of the Fifth Army was dispersed by the enemy, and the life and death of the commander of the army was uncertain.

A commander cannot make a decision without a clear order from his superiors. But now it is a critical moment. If we don't break out, the entire Third Army will be wiped out.

The second option is to cross the Yellow River to the south. This order was just sent by Commander Wei of the First War Zone.

Due to the critical situation, the headquarters of the Fifth Army could not be contacted. He could only skip the army group and directly issue an order to the army level to let the Third Army cross the Yellow River to the south.

As soon as the voice fell, a group of division commanders and chiefs of staff expressed their opinions.

No one had much hope for the second one. After all, it was hard to say whether the ferry could be kept if the northern defense line broke through to the north. I am afraid that even if they retreated to the Yellow River, they would not be able to cross the river.

Listening to the discussion, Commander Tang signaled everyone to stay calm.

"Orders are always orders. I have sent the 43rd Regiment to the ferry for a field investigation."

"If everything goes well, then the three divisions will take turns to cover and retreat according to the orders issued by the superiors."

At this time, Commander Cun, who was leaning on the ammunition box, asked the question in everyone's mind.

"Commander, you only mentioned two options, what is the third option? Do we have to fight to the end with the 80th Army?"

Commander Tang did not answer directly. He first looked at the watch on his hand, and then said mysteriously:

"The third option is to fight to the end with our friendly forces. Even if we have to bet on the number of our Third Army, we must fight to the death with the Japanese devils."

"Friendly forces? Where do we have friendly forces?"

Suddenly, the phone in the command post rang, and everyone's attention was immediately attracted.

The call came from the front observation post. After Commander Tang picked up the phone, everyone immediately became silent, wanting to hear what happened on the front line.

"Commander! The 36th and 37th divisions of the Japanese were bombarded! I have never seen such a bombardment in my life! It was so spectacular!"

"I saw through the telescope that every inch of land seemed to have a shell falling! This is real artillery coverage, this is real artillery support! It seems that they are all 105 heavy howitzers!"

"The Eighth Route Army's air force is back too! At least a hundred! All are single-wing fighters!"

"Commander! We are saved!"

The words of the front observation post confused everyone except Commander Tang. The air force was understandable, after all, they had been fighting side by side for the past three days.

But the 105 heavy howitzers were a bit dreamy. Such a clustered bombardment, even the 17 artillery regiments of the peak Jinsui Army at that time could not do it.

Before anyone could ask, the hum of the propeller engine suddenly came from the sky.

Everyone in the command center became nervous all of a sudden. They were afraid that the Japanese fighter planes had discovered the location of the Third Army Headquarters.

"Why are you panicking? Do you think I'm panicking?"

After their army commander spoke, the three division commanders and the chief of staff calmed down immediately. They carried the stretcher of Division Commander Cun and came to the outside of the command post.

Twenty-five huge transport planes that had never been seen before came to the sky above the headquarters with strange box-shaped planes.

In the surprised eyes of the five people, the twenty-five box-shaped planes disconnected from the transport planes and glided silently towards the area where they were.

"Guard Battalion! Follow me!"

"Let's see what good things our friendly forces have prepared for us!"

After a while, hundreds of people found those Horsa gliders. Everyone couldn't wait to open the belly of the plane to check the types of supplies inside.

"Captain! It's a bullet! It's definitely an 8mm one! I've been shooting Lebel for half my life! There's no way I'm going to make a mistake!"

"Here are guns! Type 38 rifle! Lebel! Water-linked rifle! Zhongzheng! Even the bullets are sorted! There's also a 7.92-caliber Hotchkiss heavy machine gun bullet shield!"

"Here are all mortars! 81mm! 60mm! They must be original French products! Incredible! They're all brand new!"

"Meat! Here are pork and chicken! There's also steamed bread and fried noodles!"

After the shock, everyone looked at Commander Tang in disbelief. I saw that the opponent had already picked up a box of ammunition and ran towards the second position.

"What are you looking at! Move quickly! Wait until the soldiers are full of food and drink! Then take the newly arrived weapons! Fight with the little devil! Do you want to watch the friendly troops fighting alone?

"You guys who graduated from the Army Martial Arts Hall! Have you forgotten that we have a classmate in the Eighth Route Army!"

"Quick! Everyone move!"

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Eight kilometers behind the 36th Division and the 37th Division, a bearded man holding a pipe in his mouth gave orders at the forward command post. He held a phone and shouted toward the artillery position:

"Three artillery regiments! Fire at me! The rapid-fire artillery must fire at full speed!"

"Eight months of production of cannons and shells! Just for today! Shoot for me! Shoot a third of the shells first and listen to the sound!"

"I have been fighting for half my life! What's wrong with this extravagance! Zhang Wanhe is here to take care of us! All your artillery is open to me!"

Come, come, the bearded commander with two machetes is here!