Chapter 323 Four Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiments!

Fengzhen, the joint command post of the Mongolian Army.

Unlike the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, which was full of fighting spirit, the atmosphere in the combat meeting room of the devils was extremely solemn at this time, and every staff officer had a look of being in front of a great enemy on his face.

For this battle, they must go all out, after all, the Eighth Route Army is not an easy opponent.

If they continue to hold the idea of ​​​​one division to conquer the world, the Mongolian Army is likely to follow the footsteps of the First Army.

Just as everyone was preparing for the meeting, a signalman suddenly broke into the room, and then bowed his head to report to his superiors: "Lieutenant General Nishihara, Lieutenant General Yano, the headquarters sent an urgent telegram."

"Hmm?"

Urgent telegrams mean that something big has happened, and usually it is not good news.

Now is the time of the war, and the sudden telegram can only mean one thing, that is, there is a new development on the side of the Second Independent Mixed Brigade.

After a moment, Nishihara Yice took the telegram from the soldier in front of him with a very tangled mood and began to read it carefully.

"Hey."

"I really don't know what the Eighth Route Army is doing. Don't they have bombers and a large number of artillery? How come they can't even defend strategic locations like Tianzhen and Yanggao?"

"Sure enough, our ideas are still a bit fanciful."

Even at the last moment, Nishihara Issaku didn't want to take the initiative to attack.

The reason why the old devils had the above idea was not because they still had a conscience, but simply because they had no confidence in this battle.

His cavalry group was not fully staffed. He had finally added two regiments some time ago, but was killed by the Eighth Route Army's Marine Corps in the Houtao area.

The remaining troops alone could not pose an effective threat to Datong.

The 16-meter-wide city wall seemed to be a natural moat that could never be crossed.

This is why the staff held meetings for several days and still couldn't come up with a plan.

Without air superiority, the troops lacked heavy artillery. It was really difficult to attack the city with only infantry, cavalry and a small number of armored units.

Nishihara Issaku's mumbling made the staff in the war conference room full of question marks. They didn't know the little thoughts of their lieutenant generals, and now they just felt that the scene was a bit weird.

It was obviously a friendly army that fought in coordination and won a great victory on the flank, so why did the superiors look so unhappy?

After adjusting his mood, the old devil said helplessly to his colleagues around him:

"Yano-kun, our trouble is coming."

"Wanquan requires our two divisions to launch an attack today and break through the defense line set up by the Eighth Route Army in Datong in the shortest time to create favorable conditions for subsequent attacks."

"Violators will be punished by military law."

"Ah!"

Hearing this, Lieutenant General Yano Otosaburo of the 26th Division also turned bitter.

From the beginning of the war in 1937 to the present, their own firepower has always suppressed the Republic of China troops.

After all, the industrial strength of the two sides is not at the same level at all. Bullying a comprador group whose equipment is almost entirely purchased is not a piece of cake.

Even the Eighth War Zone, which has defeated the locust army many times, can only temporarily gain an advantage by clever tactics. As long as the enemy is crushed in terms of military strength, the enemy can be defeated in a short time.

But now the situation has completely changed. The Eighth Route Army, which only dared to fight guerrilla warfare, has been strengthened at an epic level.

Judging from the battle report of the Zhongtiaoshan Campaign, the enemy's firepower is several times that of the Locust Army with the same military strength. What a fight!

If the enemy did not have heavy artillery, I am afraid that the Kwantung Army would have to move.

If there was a choice, Yano Otosaburo would have wanted to retire on the spot.

After all, the mess in Shanxi Province and Suiyuan area is not a task that an ordinary Type B division can handle. Anyone who encounters it can only consider himself unlucky.

In the original plan, he and Nishihara Issaku were prepared to drag it out in Fengzhen.

Although it is not known when the headquarters will issue a specific statement, all signs indicate that the empire will definitely have a big move at the end of the year.

As long as they can drag it out until December, they may be able to withdraw their troops legitimately and do not have to worry about the war in North China in the short term.

But who would have thought that the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade would have a smooth journey, and the vanguard had even approached the area of ​​Julebao. The friendly forces were so powerful that the Cavalry Group and the 26th Division had to take action.

"Martial law, what a military law."

After muttering a few words, Yano Otosaburo's eyes showed a hint of madness, as if he had made up his mind.

"At this point, you and I can only do our best! In the next battle, we don't have to consider casualties and material losses, we must take Datong in one go."

"The worst is death! I want to see how powerful the Eighth Route Army in North China is!"

A dog will jump over the wall when it is desperate, let alone a Japanese lieutenant general who has been in the army for many years.

In the current situation, Shigetaro Amakasu and Neiji Okamura are determined to put the 26th Division and the Cavalry Group on the fire.

Fight, there is still a chance to live.

If you don't fight, you will definitely be forced to commit suicide by your superiors.

In a situation where sticking his head out would result in a knife, and hiding his head would also result in a knife, Yano Otosaburo decided to go completely crazy.

Seemingly infected by the spirit of his colleagues, Nishihara Issaku also put away his hesitant expression, and he looked firmly at the staff in the combat meeting room.

"Okay! Let's fight!"

"Pass my order! Immediately contact the Army Aviation in the rear, and let them all set off to attack Datong!"

"Hi!"

······

Three hours later, Datong.

"I didn't expect that the headquarters and the border region would agree to Lao Nie's combat plan. It's really crazy."

The combat meeting had just ended, and the tiger in the forest walked out of the command post accompanied by the guards. Hearing his own division commander's complaints, the guard platoon leader nodded subconsciously.

Although using the deputy division commander as bait will definitely make the invading devils crazy. The enemy will even launch a pursuit at all costs, and it will definitely achieve the goal of luring the enemy deep

But the risk is not small, after all, anything can happen on the battlefield.

Let's talk about the one in front of me.

As cautious as he is, he was accidentally injured by "friendly forces" on the battlefield.

If the deputy division commander has any problems, it will be a major loss for the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region and even the entire Eighth Route Army.

"Hey, this time I can only let him do it."

"But with Lao Nie's strength, there shouldn't be any accidents."

In fact, the reason why the headquarters and the border region agreed to use the army reorganization expert as bait is very simple, that is, they have absolute confidence in their own troops.

Take the Air Force for example. Once the enemy's pursuit force is too tight, the First Air Division can immediately dispatch hundreds of fighters of various types to provide cover.

In the basin, close support aircraft are the father of infantry, artillery, and tanks. As long as they are dispatched a few more times, it is not impossible to lick the entire cavalry group.

What's more, the army reorganization expert is also an old comrade, and he has experienced many ups and downs over the years.

In conjunction with the tactical arrangements tailored for him by the staff, being more cautious will surely successfully achieve the goal of luring the enemy deep into the city.

During the conversation, everyone had already arrived at the central section of the city.

Looking at the various foxholes, machine gun bunkers, barbed wire and bunkers, the tiger in the forest couldn't help but sigh.

"These years, the people of China have suffered so much."

"If everything goes well, we can recover Suiyuan after the end of this battle, and even Hebei and Chahar may be taken down."

"There is a long way to go!"

Four years ago, the devils extended their evil hands to Shanxi. Those crazy invaders had committed more than 40 murders around Datong.

Among them, there were five cases with more than 1,000 people and six cases with more than 100 people.

The most serious was the Datong Coal Mine, where tens of thousands of workers were killed and thrown into the so-called mass graves.

When the comprador group was vulnerable and the elites of the Republic of China were talking about surrender, the people of Shanxi told the invaders with practical actions:

As long as you can't kill me, we can stand up again from the terrible mass graves, from the ruins of the no-man's land, from the ashes after the three-light, and raise the sickle and hammer in our hands to fight you to the end.

Although most of the people have not read books, unlike a surrenderist with 36 doctoral degrees, they have always resisted with all their strength.

How can we forget the hatred of family and country?

It is precisely because of the above reasons that the people in the city almost unconditionally support the work of the Eighth Route Army, and they even want to go to the battlefield to fight the enemy in person.

Except for those who meet the evacuation criteria, the masses are all actively involved in the defense work.

Not only did they spontaneously organize to destroy the roads and railways between Fengzhen and Datong, they also gathered more than 5,000 workers to join the team of building fortifications.

The private chamber of commerce did not fall behind, and merchants from all walks of life donated materials enthusiastically.

The biggest contribution was made by timber merchants in several surrounding counties. They worked together to deliver 1.2 million high-quality timbers, which greatly accelerated the construction of the outer positions of the city.

Some people donated their door panels and even coffins before evacuating.

Everyone knows one thing, that is, family and country are one. If the Eighth Route Army is defeated, all these assets that cannot be taken away will become spoils of war of the enemy.

Rather than being robbed by the devils, it is better to take them out to resist.

It is precisely because the army and the people are of one mind that the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region was able to build a defensive fortification around Datong in just 20 days.

Just as the tiger in the forest was about to take the guards to the city wall, the portable communicator on his waist suddenly rang.

"Division Commander! Come back quickly!"

"The Japanese land aviation is about to attack! The battle is about to begin! The army reorganization experts are waiting for you in the air-raid shelter under the command post!"

At the same time, a harsh air defense warning sounded over Datong.

Woo woo woo!

At this moment, the tiger in the forest was not hypocritical. He immediately led the guard platoon to rush towards the command post.

······

Since Huang He did not use the scientific research slot to point out the technology related to the radar station, the current early warning function of the Eighth Route Army is still very primitive.

In order to ensure that major cities and airports are not attacked by the Japanese land aviation, the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region has deployed a large number of secret sentries on the commanding heights at the junction of the enemy and us.

As long as the enemy or the enemy's aircraft is found, the comrades will use the radio to notify the superiors as soon as possible.

Datong is more than 50 kilometers away from Fengzhen. Calculated by the Japanese land aviation's Type 97 fighter, the soldiers of the anti-aircraft artillery unit have at least ten minutes to prepare.

If the Japanese can send agents into the city to infiltrate, they will find that the entire Datong is densely covered with anti-aircraft firepower.

The Tigers in the Forest divided the entire city into four air defense command areas. Each area was guarded by an anti-aircraft artillery regiment, and they all established their own command posts.

Whether inside or outside the city, the 25 and 37 mm anti-aircraft guns on each anti-aircraft artillery position were camouflaged, and even the gun crew members were concealed according to the requirements of the manual.

These anti-aircraft artillery units have only one task, which is to hold back the enemy's various types of fighter planes before the Air Force 1st Division arrives on the battlefield and minimize losses.

Fifteen minutes later, the hum of a piston engine sounded in the sky to the north.

Through the telescope, the commander of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment deployed on the front line saw the enemy.

About two flying squadrons of Type 97 fighters, escorting a flying squadron of Type 97 single-light aircraft, were flying from the northwest to Datong's airspace.

This scene made Captain Liu's eyes light up.

Their regiment was deployed on the front battlefield. In addition to being responsible for air defense, they also worked part-time to fight infantry and tanks.

Although the essential work of laying down anti-aircraft guns is very cool, it is also good to occasionally shoot enemy aircraft. After all, it was the first time for the whole regiment to fight against the Japanese Army Air Force after receiving the equipment.

"Here they come!"

"No Type 97 heavy bombers, all of them are single-engine planes with relatively fast speeds!"

"Don't be nervous, all artillery groups, just shoot according to the level we trained! Don't forget to prepare in advance!"

As the voice of the regiment commander came out of the communicator, the soldiers of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment stared at the fast-approaching enemy planes with their eyes, waiting for an order to open fire.

A few dozen seconds later, more than 50 Japanese planes finally arrived at the outskirts of Datong, about 3,000 meters above the ground.

"Fire!"

"Anti-aircraft artillery group! Full alert!"

At an order, bursts of continuous and extremely dense artillery fire resounded throughout the battlefield.

Each artillery group had a clear division of labor, striving to maximize its firepower.

The entire anti-aircraft artillery regiment divided the airspace on the front position into nine areas, and each area was under the charge of a reinforced company.

The sky was instantly filled with orange-red tracer ballistics, and clusters of black clouds, like sharks smelling blood, continued to bloom around the enemy planes.

If it were night, it might have looked like the German anti-aircraft towers.

Logically, such a rigorous arrangement combined with a stealth-breaking attack would have a good effect.

But at this time, something ridiculous happened on the battlefield. The Japanese seemed to have predicted the operation of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment in advance. They began to increase their altitude as soon as they were attacked.

Only two lucky ones were hit, and they fell to the northern suburbs of Datong with black smoke, and they were about to become lighters in the air.