Six minutes later, the forward observation post at Highland Zero.
The clouds of gray-white smoke had not yet dissipated, and their presence had reduced visibility to about 50 to 60 meters, so the two soldiers here chose to listen.
One of them is wearing a small aluminum speaker that goes over the ears, which can slightly increase the listening distance. It is usually used for nighttime warning, but it seems to be very suitable now?
The first thing that came to my ears was the roar of the gasoline engine and the metal friction of the tracks, followed by the sound of sparse footsteps and voices.
The two soldiers had a tacit understanding. One of them threw a red smoking grenade, and the other raised a flare gun...
But someone was faster than them, and another observation post had already fired two red flares.
"Look! Erhong!"
"Captain, there's red smoke!"
The two red flares were very obvious even in broad daylight, and the slowly rising red smoke was even more conspicuous.
"Beep beep - beep beep -"
At the sound of the whistle, hundreds of soldiers hunkered down and carried rifles through the traffic trenches and quickly entered the main front-line positions. The light machine gun shooters checked the magazines, and the heavy machine gun shooters opened the receiver covers to check whether the ammunition belts were put on smoothly. Everything was in order. Proceeding in an orderly manner.
Two hundred meters away! Liu Qidong immediately ordered the four 64mm mortars of the team's machine gun platoon and the rifle grenades of each unit to open fire.
The shooting Zhu Yuan has already mapped and calculated it, and now it is written down in the notebook. When it comes to which area to hit, just flip through it. So in the blink of an eye, more than a dozen mortar shells roared up, and then hit exactly where they were. In the dissipating smoke.
Three, two, one... everyone is free to shoot!
The moment the mortar shells and grenades exploded, there was a loud sound of gunfire on Highland Zero. Bolt-action rifles, light machine guns, and heavy machine guns opened fire at the same time. From a distance, countless muzzle flashes on the hillock flickered like RGB light strips. non-stop.
It is a very important principle to wait for the explosives to arrive before shooting - the most powerful weapon of your own unit should be delivered to the unsuspecting target first.
This is easy to understand. If you shoot first, the enemy will immediately lie down and seek cover. In this way, the killing effect of the shells that fall later will be greatly reduced.
Under the guidance of six A9 cruise tanks and five Carden-Loyd ultra-light tanks, Companies A and B of the Raigar Regiment (battalion) that were suddenly attacked quickly responded.
Smoke bombs were fired at the Chinese army's position to obscure its view. The British and Indian troops lying on the ground took out their respective engineering shovels and began to dig lying foxholes on the spot.
Regardless of whether they had a clear target or not, the tanks frantically fired and strafed in the general direction, hoping to suppress the defenders' firepower.
At the same time, a dozen howitzers and six mountain cannons in the rear continued to fire according to the initial conditions.
The dense bullets and falling artillery shells significantly affected the defense of Highland Zero, and the Ming soldiers were unable to move under the ferocious fire suppression.
And at the same time, Company C of Raigar Battalion was making a detour to the southeast of the high ground, trying to launch an attack on the flank.
Defensive warfare does not mean sitting back and being beaten. Passive defense must be avoided. The field regulations promulgated by the Governor's Office in the 32nd year of Zhichang clearly stated:
"Forces in a defensive posture should not passively respond to the battle. Outer sentries and scouts must be deployed early to determine the enemy's movements and prepare for enemy surprise attacks. Under appropriate circumstances, generals can organize elite detachments to launch counterattacks to disrupt the enemy's deployment. Counterattack operations It is advisable to launch a surprise attack, morning, night and dusk are the best times."
If the Ming army is like this, it is even more impossible for Zhou Changfeng to accept a rigid passive defense.
Following his instructions, Xue Can used the first platoon of the third team as the main force to temporarily strengthen a squad of infantry, plus a Type 20 heavy machine gun and a Type 35 64mm mortar.
This infantry detachment of more than 60 people then quietly left from the south of Demaji City, making a large circle and rushing towards the east of Highland Zero.
Even the wilderness cannot be an ideal level. It is more or less undulating, and due to the shrubs and woods that can be seen everywhere, C Company of Raigar Battalion did not notice them during the roundabout.
When you are attacking in a detour, others are also detouring you.
Under the command of the company commander, Major Eben, each platoon of C Company immediately deployed into an enemy formation. Three platoons of 2-inch light mortars immediately fired smoke grenades. Several Lewis light machine guns were also set up. The remaining soldiers Even the Enfield rifles had bayonets fixed.
The 2-inch light mortar is an important support weapon for the British-Indian infantry platoon. The doctrine stipulates that three people are responsible for it. Its main purpose is actually to launch smoke bombs rather than high-explosive bombs. There are 18 smoke bombs out of the 30 standard rounds. The high-explosive bombs have 12 rounds, and the maximum range is only 600m.
At this time, the Ming army on Highland Zero had discovered them, and blocking fire followed one after another, but it had little effect because of the clouds of smoke.
Company C was now only three hundred meters away from it, and the two platoons immediately prepared to launch an attack. The overjoyed Major Eben even thought that he could rush up the hill in one go and defeat the Chinese army entrenched here.
However, at this moment, in a small forest about 400 meters away to the right of Company C, dozens of Ming soldiers were watching their every move.
A Type 20 heavy machine gun full of metallic luster was firmly placed here. The black muzzle pointed at the C Company in action in the distance. The main shooter held the grip and put his right eye on the sight. The deputy shooter held the metal bullet plate with both hands.
A few dozen steps behind them, the mortar had also been adjusted. The gunner held the shell with the fuse unplugged and placed it on the muzzle, waiting for an order.
Seeing that the enemy troops were standing up one after another and preparing to advance, the second lieutenant holding the telescope shouted: "Let go!"
With several "bang bang bang" sounds, four 64mm mortar shells flew towards Company C in succession; at the same time, the heavy machine gun also sounded "listen to it".
Where did this attack come from? ! Side and rear? !
In the explosion, more than a dozen British and Indian soldiers were knocked down in an instant, and others hurriedly fell to the ground.
The incident happened suddenly, and more than a hundred people in Company C, from soldiers to officers, were stunned.
And now they are like targets in the eyes of machine gunners in the woods. Heavy machine guns mounted on stable tripods usually have quite good shooting accuracy, not to mention this thing with a temporary triple sight. .
[Hangzhou Jingrui Optical Instrument Co., Ltd.'s 2-type triple mirror is widely used and can be installed on rifles, heavy machine guns, and combat anti-guns through different clamps. 】
Looking at the panicked enemy soldiers lying on the ground 400 meters away, the excited main shooter shot them one by one with two precise and fatal short bursts. This seemed to be easier than hitting a fixed target?
The Type 20 heavy machine gun was designed by the Ming army to eliminate the old Hotchkiss M1897. It is similar to the Hotchkiss M1914. The biggest improvement is probably just that it is lighter and more beautiful.
At that time, some people believed that there was no future for bullet-loaded ammunition and suggested that heavy machine guns should not be equipped with bullet-loaded ammunition. However, at that time, the Ming Dynasty did not have a better choice.
Because the metal bullet chain supply was also a novelty at that time, Ming Dynasty, which had a weak industrial foundation, did not dare to be the first to eat crabs. Wouldn't it become a laughing stock if it produced a heavy machine gun with constant malfunctions?
Moreover, the various Maxims equipped by Britain, Russia and Germany are no more useful than Hotchkiss. After all, canvas belts are easy to break and cause jamming, and can also become damp and moldy. As for the continuity of ammunition supply, heavy machine guns are not buckled in actual combat. The trigger does not let go, and the metal spring plates are basically enough.
But now, more than ten years later... the Ming army has taken a liking to the Czechs' ingenuity - an improved version of the VZ.35.
