Chapter 1516: Debut (Part 2)
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The earth-shattering explosion sounded throughout the battlefield.
The sky-high flames almost filled the eyes of the Japanese Army Lieutenant General at that moment!
Before the violent air wave swept over a distance of nearly a thousand meters, what surged into Ochiai Jinjiurang's eyes was endless pain and a little loneliness!
"Fuck, this is also the artillery of our regiment? This is too scary!" Luo Dahu, who was hiding in the trench, ignored the dust and smoke that were blowing in his face, and still opened his mouth wide.
This devastating scene is no less than the 150 heavy artillery shells fired by the Japanese army before, or for Luo Dahu, it is more awesome in terms of visual, auditory and tactile effects.
After all, when the Japanese artillery bombarded in turns, he and his friends were hiding in the tunnel eating steamed buns, and at this time he was only more than 200 meters away from the explosion site.
In the face of such devastating artillery fire, even the fearless squad leader Adong immediately hid himself in a deep trench and curled up in a circle after receiving the news that his own artillery fire was about to cover the front of the position, fearing that he would be affected by the artillery fire.
As a new recruit, Luo Dahu was a little unconvinced at first, thinking that he was hiding in a trench more than 2 meters deep, and there was a single-soldier anti-artillery hole behind him to hide. What kind of artillery could scare the veterans like this?
In fact, not only Luo Dahu, the new recruit, thought so, but Adong also thought so at the beginning. Even a 150-mm heavy mortar would not be so powerful. What new artillery could make Platoon Leader Cao notify all officers and soldiers on the front line to prepare for artillery avoidance in a very serious manner on the walkie-talkie?
"The battalion commander said that this is a new type of artillery that the arsenal spent two years developing. It is powerful, but its accuracy is a little poor. The regimental commander has been reluctant to use it, waiting for the Japanese to attack with all their strength to teach them a lesson. If anyone fails to manage his own squad and peeks out to see the damage, he will go to the battalion commander for military punishment after the war." Boss Cao roared in the walkie-talkie.
When A Dong heard that this was a secret weapon specially made by the regimental commander, the alarm in his mind went off like crazy.
His regimental commander was definitely a god in the eyes of all the officers and soldiers of the Four-Line Regiment. It is said that the three-edged military bayonet that can leave blood holes that are difficult to heal and the anti-infantry mines that are specially used to blow up eggs were all from his hand. This powerful artillery with poor accuracy can't help but remind him of the "Flying Thunder Cannon".
Is it possible that this new type of artillery is the "Flying Thunder Cannon" with an extended range? The accuracy of that thing is not just a little poor, but very poor!
When he thought about the possibility that the 20-kilogram explosive pack would hit his head, even Adong, who had 4 years of military service, felt his bladder tighten.
Let alone the fragile human body, even a solid bunker could be blown open by such a shot, right?
Soon, Luo Dahu paid the price for his "irrational" behavior. The wind and sand were swept to the Chinese position by the terrible air wave. The half-meter thick sandbag was as fragile as an eggshell in front of such a huge force. It was easily rolled into the air and thrown to where it was thrown. Luo Dahu, who opened his mouth in fear, was filled with dust and ate it.
Of course, eating some dirt is nothing. On the way to escape, the hungry northern men have eaten leaves, grass roots, and dirt is almost on their diet.
What is scary is that the stones and soft human tissues falling from the air hit the surrounding trenches like rain.
Luo Dahu was hit so hard that his teeth were gnashing. He was lucky enough. A fist-sized stone hit his helmet and made a hole. His head was buzzing, but at least he was fine.
At this time, he knew the use of squad leader Adong curling up. It was like being beaten up by a group, trying to reduce the body area that was beaten.
Fortunately, the front-line position was more than 200 meters away from the bombarded area, otherwise the falling stones would not be the size of fists, but the level of washbasins. The infantry of the Four-line Regiment in the front-line trenches would really be beaten by their own artillery.
This is the case in the trenches of Huangchaling, so what about the Japanese infantry area under bombardment?
People and various human tissues flew together, and the flames and sunset were the same color. This was the normal state of the Japanese infantry on the open ground at this time.
"Baga! Damn Mao Bear Man" The eyes of the Japanese Army Lieutenant General were full of pain, but he couldn't help but clenched his fists.
Because he knew that his old rival, the Four Lines, had evolved again. Damn it, they actually had the secret weapon that the bears were proud of - the rocket launcher!
Yes, rocket launchers are not a new term in this era. As early as three years ago in the Battle of Orsha in the Bear Country, the bears had used the first generation of rocket launchers to stun the German Empire's famous general Guderian, and thus had the title of "Devil's Artillery".
And this artillery, which was eventually named Katyusha Rocket Launcher, relied on its powerful firepower to launch all 16 rockets within 10 seconds, and eventually became the well-deserved "King of Firepower" in land warfare during the entire World War II.
The German Empire Army conquered nearly 10 million square kilometers of land, almost invincible in Europe, but was afraid of the "Devil's Artillery".
Because, facing this kind of terrifying artillery that can launch hundreds of rockets in a few seconds and cover tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of square meters of battlefield within its attack range, even the infantry in the trenches can hardly escape the fate of death, not to mention the infantry exposed on the surface.
In the Ice Field War several years later in time and space, the Chinese army put the Katyusha rocket launcher into actual combat for the first time. 24 "devil artillery" fired 389 rockets in one salvo, and the two infantry battalions of the American cowboys in the trench fortifications were directly destroyed, with more than 700 casualties!
At this time, the Four-Line Regiment was not so awesome. There were only 9 artillery named "Storm 3" transported this time, each with 12 barrels, and only 108 rockets could be fired in one salvo.
A single rocket weighing 18 kilograms, with a flight speed of 370 meters per second, is as slow as a snail compared to the shells fired by traditional artillery. This is also the reason why the human eye can see white gas marks in the air. If it is placed at night, perhaps the scene of hundreds of rockets attacking is beautiful.
It was like a meteor shower!
However, those who were lucky enough to witness the meteor shower with their own eyes did not have the opportunity to record the shock from their hearts in words at that time.
Because they are all dead.
The Taihang Arsenal spent two years developing a rocket with a weight of 18 kilograms. The warhead alone weighs 8.5 kilograms. With the support of cyclone explosives, its killing radius reaches a dizzying 16 meters.
In other words, the effective killing area is a terrifying 800 square meters, close to the area of two standard basketball courts.
If these 9 "Storm 3" artillery fires 108 rockets at a time, the total killing area will be about 80,000 square meters, equivalent to the size of 12 standard football fields.
Perhaps someone will calculate the huge size of this "Storm 3" rocket launcher based on the huge power of the rocket, and the actual situation may shock you.
This rocket launcher, whose design concept and principle were proposed by Tang Tuanzuo and jointly developed by future Chinese scientific giants, can be described as "small and exquisite".
The entire gun is 2.6 meters long, 1.4 meters wide, and only 1.1 meters high. When placed on the ground, it is only the size of a cart.
In addition, in terms of weight, the full weight in marching state is 390 kg, and the full weight in combat state is 620 kg. Not to mention using pack horses to march, even the 12 people in the artillery squad can take turns to pull it.
Of course, the storm rocket launchers in several launch positions in Hengyang City, 4 kilometers away, are now pulled by assault jeeps. After a round of salvos, they will be moved immediately.
There is no way. The biggest shortcoming of rocket launchers is that the noise is too loud when launching, especially the flames ejected from the tail of the rocket, which are extremely obvious even in broad daylight.
Are the parameters familiar? Yes, this rocket launcher is the black technology of China's military industry in the future, and it is the famous 63-type 107mm light towed rocket launcher on the global battlefield.
At that time, the Chinese military industry, who just wanted a firepower support artillery that could walk freely in the mountains, might not have dreamed that they would design an artillery that could change the world's war mode.
There is a saying that goes, "If you are poor, you can move around, and if you are rich, you can bomb and bomb for me!" ', since its establishment until the Ice Field War, the Chinese army has always used Xiaomi rifles to fight against domestic opponents, Japanese or Americans.
Although they all won in the end, only the Chinese soldiers themselves know the hardships. They used blood, life and the enemy's steel flames to fight. Both the first and second generation of Chinese soldiers suffer from extremely strong "fear of insufficient firepower".
The pursuit of powerful firepower is something engraved in the genes of every generation of Chinese soldiers. It has never been cured by the passage of time. It is a "terminal disease".
The same is true for the 107 rocket launcher. Although it is small in size, its firepower is not weak at all. It can be equipped with up to 12 launch tubes, and can complete a salvo in 7 to 9 seconds, with a maximum range of 8,500 meters.
In other words, the 107 rocket launcher, which weighs only one-tenth of the original Katyusha rocket launcher, has gained great mobility, but only sacrificed a quarter of the ammunition in terms of firepower, which can be called a masterpiece of military industry.
While gaining powerful firepower, Chinese soldiers have never forgotten their origins. The positioning of the 107 rocket launcher with strong mobility is also very clear - born for guerrilla warfare.
When it comes to guerrilla warfare, no one in the world understands the tactical essence and equipment pain points better than Chinese soldiers - in guerrilla warfare, all weapons and equipment must meet one premise: portability.
Therefore, the entire structure of the 107 rocket launcher has been designed to be detachable, from the gun mount, slide to the launch tube, high and low wheels, all of which can be disassembled and assembled. The weight of a single component does not exceed 30 kilograms, which is only slightly heavier than a bag of rice.
When designing, the army also clearly put forward requirements: not higher than the neck, not lower than the hips, not wider than the shoulders, and the center of gravity is close to the body. Therefore, even if it is carried on the shoulder or by hand, it will not cause too much burden on the soldiers.
In addition, a towing ring is reserved on the towing rod of the rocket launcher, which is specially used to connect with vehicles, mules and horses, etc. This makes the 107 rocket launcher fundamentally different from the bulky traditional rocket launchers - as long as people can go to a place, a 107 rocket launcher can be set up.
These design concepts have been perfectly inherited by the Taihang Military Factory. In the most urgent time, the "Storm 3" artillery can even be disassembled and fired at the enemy at close range with a single tube and a single rocket.
The launch principle is the same as the "sky rocket" we played with in childhood. The muzzle is aimed forward and the rocket is ignited. The only difference is that the rocket, which is driven by the tail flame to enter the spiral flight state, can maintain a relatively straight trajectory for a long distance, unlike the sky rocket.
The mobility is so awesome, so what is the power of the 107 rocket launcher? After all, firepower is proportional to size in principle.
For example, the 75mm mountain gun is generally around 800 kilograms, the weight of the 105mm caliber howitzer has soared to about 2,000 kilograms, and the Japanese Taisho 4th Year 150mm howitzer is even closer to 3,000 kilograms.
For the answer to this question, I am afraid no one knows better than the American cowboy.
30 years later, in the Southwest Jungle War, the fledgling 107 rocket launcher was given to the poor Jiaozhi people as aid.
In the eyes of American cowboys who pursue extreme power and violent aesthetics, "little guys" like 107 rocket launchers are not up to par. However, the Jiaozhi people soon used practical actions to let the Americans understand what "Chinese products must be fine products."
At 1 a.m. on August 1, 1972, the Jiaozhi Special Forces sneaked to the edge of the US Air Force base with 4 single-tube and 2 12-tube 107 rocket launchers.
They fired at the US military base from 6 different directions. Under the ground-washing attack of more than 250 rockets, the oil tanks in the US military base exploded, a B-52 heavy bomber and 74 fighters were blown up, the entire airport became a sea of fire, and thousands of US soldiers died. Until the last stage of the war, the airport was not fully restored to its original state.
In addition, in China's southwest counterattack against Jiaozhi, the Chinese army also used 107 rocket launchers to educate the Jiaozhi people.
According to Jiaozhi Colonel Nguyen Shaoxiong, during the Battle of Lang Son, his regiment was ordered to defend Hill 331 and was fiercely attacked by at least 20 107 rocket launchers of the Chinese army.
Under the attack of the 107 rocket launcher, only 72 of the 1,450 soldiers of Nguyen Shaoxiong who were hiding in trenches on the top of the mountain were left.
Perhaps some Jiaozhi people relied on tunnels and deep trenches to avoid air waves and shrapnel, but there is another type of 107 rocket called phosphorus aluminum incendiary bomb, which can not only attach to any object and burn, but also consume a lot of oxygen, causing creatures hiding in narrow spaces to die of suffocation.
Among the 108 rockets fired by the artillery battalion of the Sihang Regiment, there are as many as 30 incendiary bombs!
The flames scattered like flowers scattered by fairies at the front of the vast Huangchaling position are actually a bit magnificent in the afterglow of the setting sun.
But under these short-lived magnificence, countless flowers of life have withered!
Countless Japanese infantrymen avoided the surging air waves and shrapnel by sticking to the ground, but when these almost beautiful flames fell on their bodies, they rolled on the ground with a scream, and then were swept away or torn into pieces by the next air wave, which all depended on the angle of the air wave.
In short, it was this round of volleys that stopped the Japanese army, which had advanced to less than 200 meters from the front position of Huangchaling.
According to post-war statistics, it was this round of firepower output that caused more than 700 infantry casualties in the 27th Division on the spot, and almost wiped out an infantry battalion.
But this was by no means the biggest loss of the Japanese army in front of the "Storm 3" artillery on July 9. After being stunned by a heavy punch from his old opponent, Lieutenant General Ochiai Jinjiro, who had been waiting for the old opponent's trump card, immediately became cautious and only deployed squadron-level infantry to attack in turns in the next attack.
This level of attack was obviously not taken seriously by the ‘Storm’ rocket launcher. The 9 rocket launchers that moved their positions again aimed their muzzles at the artillery coordinate area sent by the 10th Reserve Division.
In front of the position of the 9th Company of the 28th Regiment of the 10th Reserve Division at the southern end of Wuguiling, the 116th Division threw in a whole infantry battalion like crazy, with a troop ratio of an astonishing 1:5.
After half an hour of hard fighting, the infantry company suffered nearly half of its casualties, and the entire defense line was already shaky, and it couldn’t even wait for an infantry company of the 10th Reserve Division to arrive for emergency support.
Ge Youcai, the commander of the 10th Reserve Division, even had to call Tang Dao again 5 minutes ago, asking him to give fire support, even if 9 guns fired 9 shells in one round.
It can be said that a lieutenant general division commander was already humble to the bone at this time. For the legendary 9 shells, he had to call an army colonel in person.
But even so, the legendary 9 guns waited 5 minutes before firing.
Because, after a salvo of the Storm rocket launcher, even the most skilled gunner needs 10 minutes to reload the rockets.
Hearing the earth-shaking explosion and the flames from afar, the heart of the commander Ge was finally "dead".
He did not wait for the artillery support of the Tang Dao, but waited for the terrifying 150mm heavy artillery bombardment of the Japanese army.
In this situation, what other artillery can do except the 150mm howitzer.
"Tell Zeng Jing that I will send him another company. If the position is lost, take it back for me. If it cannot be taken back, let him die in Wuguiling, and I will personally lead people to take it." Ge Youcai gnashed his teeth and roared.
This time, there is no need to make a story in the newspapers about "Commander Ge fighting the Japanese invaders bare-chested", but it is really going to be done.
Before the combat staff of the division headquarters had time to call, the call from the 28th Regiment came.
"Commander, Commander, the 9th Company has held its position, it has held it." Zeng Jing's surprised and happy voice on the phone was like a thunderbolt, which made the knowledgeable Master Ge speechless.
They were bombarded by 150mm grenades, but they still held it? Who are they trying to fool!
"You dare to lie about military intelligence, I will kill you!" Ge Youcai's eyes flashed coldly.
"Commander, it's true, it was not the Japanese artillery attack just now, it was our artillery support, it should be the 9 guns of the Four-line Regiment that you mentioned. That is, the artillery of the Four-line Regiment is so terrible, there are no 9 guns, I think it's more than 90 guns!" Zeng Jing explained hurriedly on the phone.
"Bullshit, if there were 90 extra guns, we would have flattened the damn Japanese long ago, and it's their turn to besiege us?" Ge Youcai refused to believe it.
But the position at the southern end of Wuguilin was indeed held. With just one round of artillery fire, the Japanese infantry battalion that was shouting the slogan "board" and attacking was directly wiped out from the battlefield.
According to the battle report of the 116th Division, after that round of artillery fire, only 42 of the 830 infantrymen of the infantry battalion who were engaged in the attack remained, with a casualty rate of up to 95%.
It was not until the front position of Zhangjiashan was hit by another round of volleys of 9 storm rocket launchers that Master Ge, who arrived at the headquarters of the 30th Regiment in person, realized that the round of volleys promised by Tang Tuanzuo was not 9 rounds of artillery shells, but more than 100 rounds.
In fact, the 6 rounds of volleys were not completed at all, and only 3 rounds were fired. The 116th Division was scared. The tactical plan that was originally expected to attack until 12 o'clock was called off before the battle reached 8 o'clock.
The 15 infantry battalions that were deployed were reduced to 11 in these two hours. Three of them could be declared rebuilt, and the infantry battalion in front of the Wuguiling position could even be declared disbanded.
As soon as the Storm 3 rocket launcher appeared, it fired four rounds of salvos, causing the Japanese army to pay a price of more than 3,000 casualties, and directly stunned the four Japanese army lieutenant generals in front of Hengyang City and Hengshan Yong who was far away in Tanzhou.