kingnovel Chapter 368 Joint Operation 2
Chapter 368 Joint Operation 2
Boom boom boom!
Several shells were fired from the direction of the Japanese and then accurately landed on the heads of several Eighth Route Army machine gunners. The fragments produced by the explosion instantly knocked several soldiers to the ground.
The Japs' proficiency is not only reflected in their shooting, but also in the accuracy of their cannons.
Boom boom boom!
The Japanese took action, and the Eighth Route Army was not willing to be outdone. Several grenade launchers were fired at the Japanese machine gunners.
When it comes to using small cannons like grenade launchers, the Eighth Route Army is not much worse than the Japanese.
As the battle unfolded, casualties on both sides gradually increased.
At the rear of the position, Ji Guangshun watched for a while and suddenly said, "It's time to use the heavy artillery. The Japanese are better equipped than us. We have to attract their attention."
Chen Zhengrong agreed with this and nodded, saying, "Go ahead, but the damage will be greatly reduced."
The Japanese's battle line was spread out very wide. Normally, a small squad of Japanese would be destroyed by a heavy artillery shell, but now it is no longer possible. It would be good if they could destroy a small squad.
Chen Zhengrong and his team's initial mission was to attract a large-scale attack from the Japanese, which would be difficult to achieve with their current firepower without bringing out heavy artillery.
The order was given to the Eighth Route Army artillery, and five minutes later, heavy artillery bombardment began.
Rumble!
Two large-caliber grenades caused heavy casualties to a group of Japanese soldiers in the middle and rear of the position.
Two artillery shells killed almost one and a half squads of Japanese soldiers. Large-caliber grenades are still very brutal.
Half an hour later, after forty or fifty shells were fired, the Japanese soldiers could no longer bear the pressure and retreated.
As soon as the Japanese retreated, the Eighth Route Army soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and gradually withdrew from the first line of defense.
Ji Guangshun had already instructed the soldiers to fight once and then leave, and not to fight the Japanese to death, so the soldiers retreated completely.
The Japanese were actually just launching a tentative attack this time, and had no intention of fighting to the death. Moreover, Maki Seiichi's mission was to delay the Eighth Route Army, so he was not in a hurry.
Boom boom boom!
The Japs evacuated, and the artillery bombardment naturally followed.
The Japanese's artillery bombardment this time was almost all targeted, and they swept almost all the exposed firepower points of the Eighth Route Army.
The firepower of an artillery squadron of the Changgang Regiment was quite good, especially when facing the 115th Regiment of the th Division, they had no worries at all in the battle.
Especially now that the Japanese have learned to be smart, their artillery positions are spread out widely, and they leave after firing a few rounds, just to avoid being targeted by the enemy.
The Japanese artillerymen were also feeling miserable. They had to arrange their artillery bombardments like this every time, which was very uncomfortable.
After this round of fighting, Changgang Xiongxiong also realized that the firepower of the Eighth Route Army in front of him was seriously insufficient. If it were not for the heavy artillery, these Eighth Route Army soldiers would have to retreat in disgrace as soon as they launched a general attack.
"Maki-kun, what do you think?"
"Sir, the Eighth Route Army's combat effectiveness is not strong, but the two heavy artillery pieces can cause considerable damage to the warriors."
After only half an hour of fighting, the enemy's heavy artillery alone caused more than 300 casualties on their side, a result that made Maki Seiichi feel a little uncomfortable.
This time, their regiment only had some infantry guns and mortars, and even only two mountain guns, which was no match for the enemy.
Hearing what Maki Seiichi said, Colonel Tsuneoka's expression remained unchanged. He said calmly, "Maki-kun, let the warriors rest for ten minutes. After ten minutes, the Hatta Battalion will cooperate and continue the attack."
He had received news from the Kobayashi Brigade that a flying squadron had already set off and would arrive here in half an hour at most. All he had to do now was to delay these Eighth Route Army soldiers.
As long as these Eighth Route Army soldiers were here, he believed that the independent regiment's artillery battalion would never leave.
The Empire's brave warriors in Jinzhong have fought with the Independent Regiment for such a long time. No matter from which perspective, the Independent Regiment will never abandon the Eighth Route Army. Colonel Tsuneoka is very confident about this.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, one and a half battalions of the Japanese army, nearly 1800 people, continued to attack the Eighth Route Army positions.
This time, Colonel Tsuneoka deployed more troops, also wanting to see whether the independent regiment's heavy artillery battalion would appear.
He needed to put pressure on the Eighth Route Army in order to draw out all the firepower of the independent regiment.
Until now, he still doesn't know where the independent regiment's artillery battalion is located, which is very important to him.
At the second position, the Eighth Route Army soldiers were already on full alert, waiting for the Japanese to arrive.
There is nothing new in the Japanese attack, and the opening artillery bombardment is a must.
As the shelling ended, the Japanese soldiers formed a formation and charged towards the position.
The Eighth Route Army has just deployed only half of its personnel, and there is really nothing they can do now.
After receiving the news from the Japanese, Ji Guangshun and his companions immediately chose to send all their troops forward, as success or failure depended on this one move.
Boom boom boom!
Under the suppression of several Japanese mortars, the Eighth Route Army machine gunners and grenadiers had no choice but to quickly change positions as soon as they were exposed. The Japanese artillery fired quickly and accurately.
The two sides fought for only more than ten minutes, and two machine guns were knocked out by the Japanese mortars.
Fortunately, the Japanese did not remain arrogant for long. Under the suppression of heavy artillery, three of their mortars were successfully destroyed, which was considered a win.
The Japanese artillerymen were no longer so arrogant, and the offensive threat posed by the infantry was greatly reduced.
On the side of the independent regiment's artillery battalion, seeing that they had not found a good opportunity for a long time, Lu Daya suddenly became a little anxious.
"Damn it, the Japs have really gotten smart. They've come up with this formation. How can I fight them?"
He wanted to take action but was a little hesitant. Ji Guangshun in front of him didn't send any message, which made him helpless.
"Battalion Commander, let's wait first. Captain Ji and the others can still hold on anyway." Zhong Guoliang said with a smile.
The Japanese were right in front of him, and they would have to take action sooner or later anyway, so he was not in a hurry anymore.
Lu Daya shook his head and said worriedly, "I'm just worried that the devils can't hold their farts well."
The longer he stayed here, the more uneasy he felt, as if something was about to happen. This was also his battlefield intuition.
Zhong Guoliang was speechless. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Commander, let's wait another half an hour. If the situation persists, we'll attack. No matter how many devils there are, with one round of grenades and rockets, they'll at least leave some of their men behind."
Just as he finished speaking, the signalman hurried over and said, "Report to the battalion commander, the brothers on guard have spotted the Japanese planes approaching."
Lu Daya was still very cautious. He set up a guard post on the top of the mountain behind to prevent the Japanese from having any backup plans, and it has now played a big role.
"Order the soldiers to disperse and never show their heads."
Without anti-aircraft guns, Lu Daya did not dare to let the soldiers of the artillery battalion take risks.
As for Ji Guangshun and Chen Zhengrong at the front, they can only rely on themselves.