The 18 tanks of the Japanese tank brigade were advancing slowly in a row, followed by various wheeled vehicles and a large number of infantry. It was like passing through an uninhabited land in this open land.
On the command vehicle, Colonel Kato opened the roof of the tank and leaned out half of his body. He confidently raised his head and looked proudly, enjoying the breeze and the pleasure of victory.
The fleeing figures in front were getting closer and closer, making Kato feel as if he was on a hunt.
There were scenes of Chinese soldiers "abandoning their helmets and armor" everywhere along the way. Supplies and ammunition boxes that were too late to be taken away were just left there, and countless guns were abandoned halfway.
"Hmph, the Chinese are really vulnerable, Yikusuo! Grind these pigs into pulp!"
Kato decisively ordered all vehicles to speed up. He had just received the order from the division commander. The Chinese headquarters was likely to be in front, and these escaping soldiers might lead them to their target.
The 18 Type 95 and Type 97 tanks began to increase their accelerator and speed up crazily. This unobstructed open space was completely a slaughterhouse designed for them. The Japanese soldiers in the tanks all showed evil smiles like wealthy wolves.
In a Type 97 tank, the driver stepped on the accelerator and joked with his companions in great spirits: "Shangshu, today's bet is not over yet. If I lose, your pocket watch will be mine." Yes, haha!"
"Don't even think about it! Just wait and see, I can definitely kill 50 Chinese people." The machine gunner retorted unconvincedly.
He always likes to brag about how good his marksmanship is, so today he made a bet with his questioning companions. If he can kill more than 50 Chinese people with a machine gun, his companions will lose 2 months of military pay to him. Otherwise, his father will be killed. The pocket watch left for him was lost to the other party.
"Yoshi, no matter who of you wins or loses, you will treat us to a drink."
"Dedes, we are all witnesses, hahaha..."
The commander laughed out loud at their conversation and joked with the other loader.
The battlefield seemed to become extremely relaxed. They were here as if they were on vacation. They only needed to walk by to kill all the enemies.
"Okay, stop making trouble, there's a situation."
At this time, the commander leaned out of the roof of the car and observed through the telescope that the flagman on the command car simply waved the flag a few times, which was an order to move forward at full speed.
"The captain has given the order, combat formation, move forward at full speed." the commander roared.
call out……
At this moment, a piercing scream suddenly came out from the sky, and five artillery shells instantly fell into the tank convoy!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Gah!?" The driver let out a strange cry, hurriedly retracted his body into the car, and at the same time closed the top cover heavily.
The shock of the explosion was transmitted inside, and everyone felt the vehicle shaking violently. They no longer dared to be careless at this moment, and they mustered up their energy and stared straight ahead.
"Baga! Where are the cannons firing!?"
Kato looked at the scene in disbelief. Although this wave of shelling did not hit any vehicles, the huge crater was by no means powerful enough that a small-caliber mountain cannon could reach.
call out……
Before he could make any more moves, the fatal roar sounded again in the sky!
"boom!"
"boom!"
"boom!"
"boom!"
…
Artillery shells struck again, and this time it was not as simple as a few artillery shells. There were screams in the sky one after another, and the dense barrage instantly engulfed the entire convoy.
The artillery regiment, which had been waiting at the rear of the entire battlefield for four full days, finally began to show their terrifying firepower to the enemy.
Twelve 155mm howitzers and twenty-four 105mm howitzers fired a salvo. The terrifying coverage area was daunting.
In an instant! Three or four unlucky Japanese tanks were blown into a pile of scrap metal on the spot. The wheeled chariots behind were even more fragile. Even if they were not hit by the shells, they would be overturned by the shock wave of the nearby explosion.
The Japanese tank convoy bore the brunt, and the people in the car could no longer hear any other sound except the endless roar of explosions.
The armor that was originally strong and safe in the hearts of the Japanese was like paper in the face of large-caliber grenades. Faced with this terrible firepower, even if all the vehicles were dispersed, there would still be unlucky people who were blown to pieces.
The terminal kinetic energy of a 155-caliber grenade alone is as high as 15 megajoules, which is greater than the muzzle kinetic energy of all anti-tank gun armor-piercing projectiles of this era. It is not difficult to hit any tank from any angle and destroy it.
This is without considering the charge. No matter how strong the tank's armor is, if it is blown up by a 155mm howitzer, it is likely that only the shield and other relatively solid parts will be left.
The situation is probably like a person holding a shield to block an 81mm mortar shell. The shield may still be there, but other parts, including the person, are no longer there.
As long as the thin-skinned Japanese tank is hit, even its basic shape will not be left, and the people and the vehicle will be turned into a pile of debris. Even if it just passes by, it will cause great damage to the body.
"Accelerate, accelerate, and escape!"
The frightened Kato shouted urgently to the driver that the current situation was a complete gamble, and they couldn't do any resistance except pressing the accelerator to the bottom.
…
"Attention everyone, the direction remains unchanged, the elevation angle is increased by 3 degrees, and full fire coverage continues!"
On the artillery regiment's position, Krupp was naked from the waist up and was holding a walkie-talkie and giving orders to various artillery units.
Big beads of sweat couldn't help but flow down from his stocky back. Almost all the artillerymen present looked like this. The high-intensity and rapid shooting made each of them sweat profusely, and the hot bullet casings were piled on the floor.
Krupp did not continue to attack the enemy tanks. After all, the howitzer was not an anti-tank gun. The rate of fire and angle adjustment were much slower, and the trajectory was curved. It was difficult to chase the enemy and shoot after the first wave of strikes.
And his target of attack is not only the enemy armored units, but the uncovered infantry behind him is his ultimate target.
After experiencing a hellish test, the Japanese tank convoy finally broke out of the range of the heavy artillery. However, in just seven or eight minutes, nine tanks and more than ten infantry fighting vehicles were completely destroyed by Krupp and the others.
The tattered remains behind them were still burning. The Japanese only had 3 Type 97s and 6 Type 95s left to survive. Every Japanese soldier was frightened. They had just escaped from the gate of hell.
"Kesho! Rush over and kill all those artillerymen!" Kato roared angrily after suffering a heavy loss. No words could express his fear and rage at the moment.
"Captain...Captain, there's a situation on the left front!"
"Nani?"
Kato quickly looked out through the observation mirror.
7017k
