The total weight of the Le.FH18M howitzer is 1980 kilograms. Although it is slightly heavier than artillery of the same caliber from other countries, the benefit of the weight is the increase in range and accuracy.
Comparing the various types of artillery with a caliber of 150 mm and below equipped by the Japanese army now and during World War II, regardless of the power, just in terms of range comparison, the artillery with the longest range of the Japanese army is the Taisho 14th-year-old 105mm field cannon.
Although this weapon has a theoretical range of nearly 15 kilometers, its weight of more than 3 tons requires relatively high requirements for automobiles, railways and roads. It is generally impossible to be assigned to a division-level combat unit, but is used as a part of the Japanese army's army strategy. Unit - part of the heavy artillery brigade that participates in the battle and is basically useless in mountain warfare.
In addition, the Japanese artillery that can accompany divisions in first-level operations has the longest range of about 10 kilometers.
The Le.FH18M howitzer has a range of 12.3 kilometers. In other words, at its maximum range, the Le.FH18M howitzer can hit you, but you pose no threat to it.
In future battles, the only threat to the Le.FH18M howitzer equipped by the mercenary regiment is Japanese aircraft from the sky. As long as the anti-aircraft camouflage is done and there is a solid bunker, the Le.FH18M howitzer will be invincible in artillery battles.
Moreover, Zhou Wen's purpose of equipping the Le.FH18M howitzer was not only fire support. Its greatest role was to use its range and accuracy to counter and suppress the Japanese artillery.
Zhou Wen's idea is to turn the Le.FH18M howitzer into a sniper artillery, specifically targeting the Japanese army's various howitzers and field artillery, turning it into a nightmare for the Japanese artillery.
Each gun is equipped with two cars, one car pulls people to pull the cannon, and the other pulls the artillery shells, hey, howitzer guerrillas.
If it is a mountainous area, you can also equip a large number of mules and horses at the same time. In Shanxi, horses are hard to find, and mules and donkeys can be found everywhere.
Anyway, the size of the mercenary group limited Zhou Wen's ability to equip a large number of howitzers. The platoon he formed was only equipped with two. Although the number was small, it was enough artillery to counter the Japanese army.
Think about it, the Japanese artillery has always been arrogant. As soon as the Chinese army's artillery fires, they can think of ways to counterattack. This is because they have more artillery than you, the range of their artillery is farther than yours, and their artillery is more powerful than you.
But if these Japanese troops are firing vigorously, and two artillery shells suddenly fly in, even if they don't suffer heavy losses, can you still fire at the same place with peace of mind? Aren't you afraid? Aren't you so frightened that you quickly moved your position? To intimidate you from firing is also a form of suppression.
What's more, Zhou Wen's plan goes beyond that. What if he can add eyes to these two cannons? Then it is no longer a matter of deterrence, but a fatal blow. It's like putting a scope on a rifle.
The eyes of the howitzer are these soldiers of the first team, and with the help of the killer weapon of the intercom, once the brothers of the first team discover the Japanese artillery position through lurking reconnaissance, they only need to report the location coordinates to the headset, and the artillery shells will be fired within a few seconds. will fall.
The Le.FH18M howitzer has a rate of fire of 7 rounds per minute. 14 105-caliber shells will explode within one minute, causing a damage radius of nearly 300 square meters, leaving you with no time to run.
And the advantages of the Le.FH18M howitzer are not limited to these. It can not only carry out long-distance curved suppression shooting, but also flexibly adjust the artillery trajectory. It has the direct trajectory characteristics of an anti-tank gun at close range, and can carry out direct-aimed shooting.
When necessary, use it to direct artillery fire at the Japanese bunkers and gun towers. It's not just one shot at a child, it's just like playing.
In fact, during the period of the All-out Anti-Japanese War, the Chinese army also purchased about 30 German-made 105 howitzers, and they also exerted considerable power. The gun has the characteristics of long range, accurate impact point and huge power. When the Japanese heard the roar of the howitzer, they often panicked and ran around with their heads in their hands. Wherever the shells hit, Japanese flesh and blood flew everywhere. The Le.FH18M105 howitzer appeared in the famous Battle of Changsha and the Third Battle of Changsha.
However, because the amount of equipment was too small and it was a thorn in the side of the Japanese Air Force, it was basically exhausted in the subsequent years of the Anti-Japanese War.
And now, Zhou Wen plans to let the little Japanese feel what it feels like to be beaten but not able to fight back during the Great Wall War.
In this way, Zhou Wen and the others rushed to Yangqu Military Camp with anticipation.
…
Early the next morning, Zhou Wen drove back to Taiyuan and went directly to the Appeasement Office to report to the Marshal.
When the marshal heard that Zhou Wen was coming, he quickly asked someone to bring him into the office. When he met, he didn't give him a good look and scolded: "You little bastard, where did you go? Raising troops for a thousand days and using them for a while, now we have to use them." You disappeared when I arrived, don’t tell me those nonsense about going back to Lishi to visit relatives."
Zhou Wen cursed for a while, "I haven't even eaten a meal from you. How dare you say that you support me? You, an old man, can't afford to support me with my current wealth?"
But with a smile on his face, he said, "What's the emergency, Commander?"
He just didn't say where he went. He first listened to what the commander was looking for to see if it was what he had guessed.
Sure enough, the commander-in-chief didn't want to know where this little bastard had gone. He now had an undecided problem that needed to be solved.
He handed Zhou Wen a telegram from the table and said, "Read it yourself."
Zhou Quan took a quick glance at it and felt a big shock in his heart. Sure enough, it was sent by Shaoshuai Zhang of the Peking branch, and it was sent three days ago. It seems that a decision will be made today.
The main message of the message is that the Japanese army is constantly provoking in Rehe and Shanhaiguan. The Peiping branch predicts that the Japanese army will make big moves in the near future and needs the commander-in-chief to lend a helping hand and send some Jin troops north to help fight the enemy.
Zhou Wen pondered for a while and asked: "Commander, what are the considerations of the Office?"
The commander sighed and said: "You don't know the people here in the office. The army must want to fight. It has been idle for several years. They all think about making achievements, getting promoted and getting rich, and don't think about little Japan being easy to get along with?" Don’t let this old man lose all his family assets if he fails to do so. Damn it, don’t you feel bad for selling your land?”
"What are the opinions of the senior counselors in the Office?"
"Those literati are all eggless, and they all tried to persuade me not to send troops."
Zhou Wen knew that the commander-in-chief was actually a warlord, and he only wanted to live a life guarding his own three-thirds of an acre. However, as the call for anti-Japanese resistance across the country became increasingly louder, as one of the most prominent princes in the country, , but there must be no response measures.
