When the battle reached this point, Ishikawa, who was originally confident that he had the advantage, thought that by gathering the main elites of the three major brigades, he would be able to eliminate the main force of the Eighth Route Army in the 385th Brigade in one fell swoop.
Because of the heavy casualties suffered by the Eighth Route Army's astonishing artillery attack in just a moment, they were a little shaken.
Such a cunning, powerful and well-equipped Eighth Route Army.
Can they really be eliminated smoothly?
Unfortunately, the evolution of the battle situation has long been completely beyond Ishikawa's control.
At this time, not only his 3rd Mixed Brigade, but also a considerable number of elites from the 9th and 16th Mixed Brigades who had been reinforced successively, had also fallen into the quagmire of the 385th Brigade base area.
Many imperial troops were engaged in bitter fighting.
Even Ishikawa has made up his mind now and issued an order for the entire army to evacuate.
It is not that easy for the Japanese army to escape from the deep trap set by the 385th Brigade.
As Brigadier Chen at the headquarters said:
"I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Now that the fish has been hooked, how can it be so easy to spit the hook out of the mouth again?"
The Chief of Staff simultaneously delivered good news via the Communications Department.
"Brigadier Commander, there has been communication from Ding Wei that the reinforcements of the offensive troops are making a detour in the direction of our 385th Brigade.
As long as we can contain the main force of these Japs in front of us within our base area as much as possible.
Wait until the Iron Triangle's offensive troops sent over by Ding Wei launch a surprise attack from the back of the Japanese.
Our two armies can attack from both sides and severely damage the Japanese army! "
Brigadier Chen said excitedly: "Haha, that's great, this time I want to see where his little devil can run.
This guy Ding Wei really has two skills!
The several teams of the Iron Triangle were clearly commanded by him. Not only were they able to block the attack of the Mongolian army, but they were also free to divert the attacking troops back to our side to help.
If our 385th brigade doesn't work harder this time. He was really outclassed by the commanders of the 386th Brigade! "
"Hey, they all carry one head on two shoulders, who is afraid of whom?
Brigadier, just look and see, our 385th Brigade can still show its prestige this time! "The chief of staff said with confidence.
The battle continues to evolve.
At this time, the Japanese third, including the ninth and sixteenth mixed brigades, were basically trapped in the quagmire of the 385th brigade base area.
The other direction.
In the Iron Triangle Defense Area of the 386th Brigade, the Eighth Route Army troops, dominated by the three Iron Triangle regiments, and the elite infantry and cavalry units of the Japanese army stationed in Mongolia that moved south became increasingly fierce.
What is the strength of the troops stationed in Mongolia going south?
The main combat force is the elite infantry of the 11th Regiment of the 26th Division, with a total of about 5,000 elites.
In addition, there are two cavalry regiments with more than 3,000 cavalry troops that launched a sudden advance into the Iron Triangle base area in advance.
In other words, the total number of elite troops stationed in Mongolia is only about 8,000.
It's amazing, plus some reinforcements from the security forces from the Japanese security areas.
In the eyes of the main field elites of the Iron Triangle, the security forces are now well-equipped and their military literacy has gradually become extremely solid through training after training. Their combat effectiveness is not even considered second-rate.
Basically it can be ignored.
Under the arrangement and command of Ding Wanwan.
First, they lured the enemy deeper. Two Japanese cavalry regiments strayed into the hinterland of the Iron Triangle base area and were almost annihilated. After they evacuated in embarrassment and joined the main force of the Mongolian army stationed in the south, Ding Wei took the initiative to abandon the soldiers. Another wave of raids was carried out with remotely detonated explosive bags hidden in the stronghold's gun towers.
After these two waves of attacks, the Japs Company Captain Kawatani Ichiro, who led the 11th Regiment of the Mongolian Army southward, immediately realized that the Iron Triangle was far more well-equipped and more powerful than he had imagined.
As the two sides continued to fight.
For the Japanese army, the exaggerated battle situation seems to be repeating itself.
If we talk about the Eighth Route Army troops of the 385th Brigade, small-caliber artillery has been assigned to company platoons, including some combat squads of the main companies.
Then, the 50-type artillery pieces, 60-type mortars, rifle grenades, etc. of each regiment in the Iron Triangle have been assigned to each squad.
In addition, a platoon will even strengthen a small artillery squad.
A company will even be assigned a special artillery platoon.
After the confrontation between the two sides broke out, the superiority and intensity of the artillery fire was not exaggerated.
This seems to be a common problem among the Eighth Route Army troops. They were tortured too hard by the lack of guns and ammunition in the past, but when given the opportunity, they would try every means to increase the intensity of their firepower.
Most of them suffer from the phobia of lack of firepower.
Although the detachment leader Kong Jie has repeatedly explained that no matter how good the equipment is, it is indispensable for excellent soldiers who can use these equipments. Therefore, we cannot put the cart before the horse. We must not only ensure the improvement of the equipment level, but also keep up with the training of the troops.
It is necessary to ensure that after the soldiers obtain these sophisticated equipment, they can exert corresponding combat effectiveness.
Otherwise like what?
It’s like a freebie!
Good guns and shells are given to the little devils for free.
After a battle, no matter how many sophisticated equipments there are, all the damn equipment will be captured by the devils.
This is simply a disguised act of supporting the enemy.
However, the soldiers will still continue to increase the firepower density of each combat unit to an appropriate extent.
When we were discussing at the headquarters how to determine the basic firepower configuration of the combat squad, a company commander even said cheerfully:
"At the very least, there must be machine guns, as well as 50 small cannons and 60 mortars, and rifle grenades. It is best to have a grenade launcher that can fire continuously, and it is best to be equipped with one or two submachine guns.
Plus, some semi-automatic Garand rifles, and that's about it! "
In the end, Kong Jie asked with a dark face: "Then let me ask you, how many people are there in our class?"
The company commander was stunned for a moment, clapped his fingers and replied: "Generally, there are about 12 people."
Kong Jie said: "There are only 12 people in total, and one machine gun, no matter how small it is, you still have to have a machine gunner, an assistant shooter, and an ammunition hand, right?"
A small cannon requires a loader and a gunner. You must have at least two people, right?
In addition, you must have a shooter and an ammunition hand in charge of grenades. The one holding a submachine gun cannot carry a rifle, right?
Calculated in this way, once the battle starts, a squad may have one or two riflemen, and the others are either artillery or machine guns.
Even if our team has a big business, we can't play like this. Sooner or later, it will collapse.
I said, why don't you guys suggest it? Why don't we just have 12 people in a class, each holding a machine gun? "
The discussion at the time was somewhat tongue-in-cheek.
But the company commander's tendency to increase firepower can basically represent the thoughts of all Eighth Route Army officers and soldiers.
Of course, the firepower configuration of specific combat units is very particular. It requires a variety of weapons to cooperate with each other in coordinated operations, rather than a single weapon to purely increase firepower.
Do you really think that if a squad holds 12 light machine guns, their combat effectiveness will suddenly increase?
Not to mention too much, the little Jaap took the bullet-making tube and fired it into the blind corner, and then several rounds of artillery shells came down. A squad of 12 soldiers plus 12 light machine guns would all be wiped out in a matter of seconds.
Therefore, the basic combat squad and conventional combat performance must not be neglected.
It's amazing that when you have a platoon or a company, you can form a firepower squad to take on the problem of insufficient firepower for the entire platoon or the entire company.
This kind of coordinated combat, with multiple weapons and multiple arms, is the way to go.
at this time……
The little devils stationed in the Mongolian Army deeply felt the strength of this Eighth Route Army unit that had undergone special firepower transformation.
In the squad-level confrontation, the little devil was almost suppressed by firepower.
The fighting style of these Iron Triangle Eighth Route Army is quite simple and crude.
If you are close, you will be greeted by rifle grenades, if you are far away, you will be greeted by machine guns and semi-automatic rifles, and if you are farther away, you will be directly bombarded with small artillery or mortars.
After several confrontations, Ichiro Kawatani, captain of the Japanese company who was commanding the operations in the rear, was so frightened that his eyelids jumped.
Kawatani did have a trump card, which was an artillery squadron attached to his 11th Regiment. It had more than a dozen artillery pieces, including some Type 92 infantry cannons and Type 41 mountain cannons.
The battle has reached this point, which has been quite a torture for the little Japanese soldiers stationed in the Mongolian army.
Originally used to deal with the Eighth Route Army troops, the combat troops organized by their regiments would carry some infantry artillery and mountain artillery.
But there have not been many opportunities to use these larger-caliber artillery.
First, the Eighth Route Army troops have always been poorly equipped and have scarce ammunition. The Japanese army's squadron and squad-level combat units could easily defeat the Eighth Route Army troops using some grenades.
Why use a butcher's knife to kill a pig?
That means there is no need for rear-mounted artillery units at all.
Secondly, the Eighth Route Army was good at guerrilla warfare and used mountains as cover, so its position was always erratic.
As for the Japanese artillery units at the rear, those infantry artillery and mountain artillery are actually very suitable for fighting positional warfare or siege warfare.
If you really use these larger-caliber artillery to bombard the small groups of Eighth Route Army troops that are moving quickly in the mountains and forests.
It's a bit like using a cannon to kill mosquitoes. It's just a waste of shells and may not have any effect.
However, the battle has reached this point, and the Eighth Route Army has completely gained an artillery advantage in the grassroots combat units.
Even if they use cannons to kill mosquitoes, the Japanese army can only do this.
We can only use infantry artillery and mountain artillery to gain the advantage of artillery fire and reverse the situation of the battle.
until……
About dusk.
In less than 30 minutes, it will be completely dark.
The infantry guns and Type 41 mountain guns transported by the Japanese artillery squadron were actually quite troublesome to transport due to the heavy weight of the gun bodies.
Transport vehicles are often used as transportation vehicles to transport these disassembled artillery pieces to designated locations.
The soldiers then quickly disassembled and transported the artillery pieces, unloaded the vehicles and reassembled them to build artillery positions.
More than a dozen artillery pieces were lined up in three or four rows on the not-so-wide mountain road.
There are three or five artillery pieces in a row.
Due to their different performances, infantry artillery and mountain artillery are placed one behind the other, and each has its own division of labor.
Little Japs No. 100 is busy quickly.
After first selecting the bombardment position, the transported artillery will be disassembled and reassembled immediately.
Just when the Japanese artillerymen were busy.
Hula——
The originally dead silence on both sides of the mountain road was suddenly broken by this sound.
Then some Japanese artillerymen who were busy stopped what they were doing and stopped to look into the distance. They saw that the branches and shrubs on the hillside one or two hundred meters away were overwhelmed in an instant.
It wasn't until the little devils realized what happened.
Immediately afterwards there was a cry of killing.
A small group of Eighth Route Army soldiers, covered with dead branches and green leaves, looked like savages. From the originally leafy dense forest on both sides, like tigers descending the mountain, they used the terrain of the raised soil slopes to move towards the Japanese artillery. The position rushed over.
"Enemy attack enemy attack!"
The Japanese captain who was directing the assembly of artillery saw this scene and quickly reminded him with a look of horror on his face.
The Japanese artillerymen had no time to continue assembling the artillery, so they used the gun body as a bunker to launch an attack.
The series of reactions was nothing short of unpleasant.
Boom——
There were flying artillery shells hitting the artillery position that the Japanese had not yet completed, and violent explosions spread.
The Japanese artillerymen who were counterattacking realized in horror.
What on earth were the several monsters covered with withered vines and green leaves that rushed down from the mountain forest at once?
——Armored vehicles!
"Damn it, why are there armored vehicles on these Tubal roads?"
The Japanese captain cursed angrily, feeling a little desperate. Rushing down from both sides, there were four armored vehicles, all covered with armor. In addition, they seemed to be slightly different from the armored vehicles of the imperial troops they were familiar with.
The body styles are roughly the same.
It's just that the number of machine guns and artillery loaded on the vehicle is several times more than that of conventional imperial tanks.
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Another machine gun, another loaded artillery piece.
Amidst the firing of guns and cannons.
These four big monsters themselves are covered with thick defensive armor. The little devil's bullets hit them, leaving only shallow bullet marks.
Nothing could stop the advance of the opponent's armored vehicles.
What followed was almost a one-sided massacre.
First, the small group of assault troops that rushed out attracted the attention of the Japanese artillery.
Immediately afterwards, four armored vehicles that had been hidden by soldiers in the mountains and forests on both sides for a long time, with camouflage everywhere on the car and even buried under the ground by the soldiers, appeared like ghosts and charged directly towards the Japanese artillery positions.
This is a surprise attack by armored forces.
In order to achieve today's combat effect, these four armored vehicles, including the armored soldiers inside the armored vehicles, as well as the soldiers of the assault force lurking on the ground, lurked for nearly three days and three nights.
He almost never left this area while eating, drinking and eating.
The soldiers used amazing willpower to hold on until the perfect opportunity to take action.
This is what Ding Wei pointed out when the command headquarters was analyzing the situation. Once the Japanese army launched a major sweep of the Iron Triangle.
The Japs' baggage and artillery units were most likely to pass by.
So the soldiers of this armored company, which belonged to a team, hid the armored vehicles in the mountains and forests on both sides in advance, or even buried them shallowly under the ground, and made various camouflages around them.
The soldiers also dug some temporary tunnels and lurked in them, like groundhogs hiding underground.
Even if the Japanese launched a large-scale sweep and the reconnaissance troops who took the lead in advancing passed through, they did not find any flaws.
The huge Eighth Route Army base area is in the mountainous area.
It is impossible for a little devil to dig deep into the ground to search.
The little devils stationed in the Mongolian Army never imagined that when they went south to reinforce the First Army, they would have to search carefully with military dogs.
He was caught off guard directly.
Amidst the carnage of four armored vehicles advancing first.
After a brief confrontation, the Japanese's more than 100 artillery units at the rear were almost completely destroyed.
"Company commander, the Japanese reinforcements heard the noise and will be here soon!"
A mile away, the soldier in charge of the investigation held a somewhat bulky walking machine in his hand and delivered a timely message.
The company commander looked at the dozen or so artillery pieces in front of him. Although a few were damaged by previous attacks, most of them were still in good condition.
He was a little reluctant, and finally gritted his teeth and ordered:
"Grandma, don't worry about your heartache. We can't leave it to the little Japs anyway. We still have combat missions ahead. Comrades, blow up all the Japs' artillery for me, and then evacuate immediately!"
…
