The armored train, a war beast, was introduced to the Republic of China by a certain unknown general more than ten years ago, and even performed well in warlord melees.
In the early days of the Anti-Japanese War, Guo Preserved also used the few remaining armored trains to provide heavy fire support for ground troops, such as the Yungui No. 1 in the Battle of Taierzhuang.
The styles modified by Huanghe for the troops are different from the above-mentioned types in a strict sense.
Its design concept is more like a British lightly armored train. It just reinforces the armor on an ordinary freight car and adds a little self-defense firepower.
The Eighth Route Army does not need it to provide fire support on the battlefield, as long as it can deliver materials safely and smoothly to the destination.
The Japs have never been known for their armored strength. It would be too wasteful to set up special anti-armor carriers or large-caliber turrets on trains.
Under the dominant command of Huang He, the configuration of the army's light armored trains is as follows:
The first section is an explosion-proof carriage with an obstacle clearer installed on the front end and a large number of sandbags, sleepers and rails loaded on the flatbed to prevent attacks by landmines and roadside bombs.
The Japanese army has many years of experience in fighting with many railway guerrillas, and they have some experience in how to destroy transportation.
In a situation where they are outnumbered from the front, there is a high probability that they will attack the railway. After all, it is easy to dodge open guns and hard to defend against hidden arrows. It is much easier to lay mines and dig up railways than to attack directly.
Once it is discovered that the track is damaged, the railway soldiers accompanying the train will immediately dismantle the damaged area and then use spare sleepers and rails for emergency repairs.
At the same time, they will report the situation to their superiors and ask the maintenance department to send personnel to replace all aspects of the railway afterwards.
Unless there is a force majeure event like the Hundred Regiment War, where several kilometers of railway tracks were lost overnight, the enemy's limit can only be to delay the Eighth Route Army for a period of time.
The second carriage is a tank carrying vehicle, with two M22 Cicada tanks placed on it. It can also be replaced with new models with thicker armor and stronger firepower in the future.
During transportation, this wagon can be used as a fixed firepower point.
If an emergency occurs, the tank crew can also leave the train and work with the railway troops to carry out clearance operations.
The third section is the anti-aircraft firepower compartment, on which are placed two 37mm Schneider anti-aircraft guns and four 25mm Hotchkiss anti-aircraft guns.
Since the Army Aviation of the North China Front will most likely not be able to fly into Shanxi, the role of anti-aircraft artillery is mostly anti-personnel, and anti-aircraft artillery is more effective at fighting Japanese infantry.
The fourth section is the crew car. The car has reinforced armor and has shooting holes. It mainly carries the railway soldiers and the weapons and equipment they use.
Shanxi is now the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army. Even if enemies infiltrate in batches, they will not be able to carry heavy weapons.
With the above firepower configuration, the light armored train can definitely defeat a large group of enemies. Zhang Wanhe no longer has to worry about something unexpected happening to his precious train.
Coupled with the communication network throughout the province and the troops guarding the tunnels, the trains of the Logistics Department can definitely travel unimpeded throughout Shanxi.
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After the impromptu meeting, the big guys did not leave immediately, but focused their attention on Huang.
"Huang He, what new things have you prepared for us today?"
"If there had been someone like you in the army back then, I wouldn't have even had to drag my whole family to the north to recuperate. This period of time was an eye-opener for me."
"Don't be pretentious and tell the truth quickly."
As the saying goes: A golden nest and a silver nest are not as good as our straw nest.
Since Tiger in the Forest returned to Shanxi, his mental state and health have undergone earth-shaking changes, and he even gained a few pounds under the care of medical staff.
Perhaps the material life in the north is indeed richer than in the current Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area.
But it is always someone else's territory, and only staying at your own home is truly comfortable.
What's more, the development speed of the base area is not slow at all, and the light and heavy industries have begun to take shape with the support of the headquarters. According to the current efficiency, sooner or later it will surpass the north.
The army has also developed rapidly in the past two years, with light and heavy weapons and an air force.
Recently, Tiger in the Forest has been spending his free time inspecting troops at all levels. After comparing the strength of the three main forces with those in the north, he came to a surprising conclusion.
Today's Eighth Route Army, after adding heavy artillery and placing it in the north, can definitely be regarded as a regular army-level force.
If we just talk about fighting will, morale and discipline, it can be ranked among the best in the world and is a well-deserved elite infantry group.
As long as the army can be expanded while maintaining quality, and then equipped with transport vehicles, technical units, heavy artillery, tanks and multiple types of aircraft, it will not be a dream to push the enemy flatly.
Some people may think it is a bit exaggerated, but the above changes did only take two years.
If someone had told him two years ago that the Eighth Route Army had recaptured Shanxi and was preparing to march into the Suiyuan area, he would have scoffed and told him to get out.
After all, in the original timeline, there were a few difficulties based on the situation on the ground.
At that time, there were repeated raids by the Japanese outside, and a tight blockade of preserved fruits inside. Moreover, many base areas were located in the most impoverished and remote mountain ravines in the Republic of China.
Coupled with the friction between 1940 and 1941, it was really difficult for the comrades at that time.
But now no one can accurately predict how the army will develop in 1943.
Even though the rapid changes have broadened everyone's horizons, they have also broken through the limitations of the past. But the speed of development is too fast, and everyone’s imagination is simply not enough.
Everyone present is a soldier, and new weapons have a fatal attraction for them. Hearing the words of the tiger in the forest, everyone's face was full of curiosity.
Facing the pair of burning eyes, Huang He said with a smile:
"Today I am only responsible for delivering the message. The real inviter is Li Yunlong from the 1st Marine Regiment."
"Didn't I mention airborne tanks at the beginning of June? Now that our airborne troops have received new equipment and the soldiers have completed preliminary training, it's time to review the troops."
"Let's go, the car is waiting for us at the door."
As soon as these words came out, the conference room immediately resounded with the sound of chairs being dragged. Without saying a word, the big guys got up and started packing their things and getting ready to go.
The combination of the First Marine Regiment and the Eighth Route Army's first tank directly raised everyone's expectations.
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Half an hour later, the 1st Marine Regiment was stationed.
Today's Wusu Airport has been expanded twice. The first time was on the eve of the army's attack on Taiyuan, in order to provide the Air Force with a better take-off and landing site.
How many fighter jets did Yoshio Iwamatsu have? The airport capacity at that time simply could not meet the needs of the First Air Division.
The second time was at the end of June this year. In order to ensure that the new transport aircraft could take off smoothly, comrades from the engineering office expanded the airport again according to needs.
In addition to lengthening and widening the runway, they also built an apron specifically for air supremacy.
After seeing the big guys entering the venue one after another, Zhao Gang, who was responsible for reception and introduction, immediately greeted them.
In order to ensure that this exercise was foolproof, Li Yunlong and Xing Zhiguo had to personally lead the airborne landing, and the only regiment-level commander on the ground was the political commissar.
Looking at the Air Overlord and Hamilka gliders on the tarmac in the distance, even the well-informed forest tigers widened their eyes.
Today was the first time he came to the base of the 1st Marine Regiment. Even though he had raised his psychological expectations again and again before, when he stepped into the current base, he was still shocked by the scene in front of him.
To put it bluntly, although the Eighth Route Army's airborne troops are not large in scale, their advanced level is definitely far superior to that of the Guards Parachute Brigade in the north.
"It's so big, it's a giant metal beast!"
"A plane actually has four engines. It's an incredible product."
After hearing the exclamations one after another, Zhao Gang showed a rare look of pride on his face.
At this point in time in 1941, the four-engine large aircraft was the world's top technological product. The forces that possess this thing are all countries with military and economic capabilities at the top of the pyramid.
After the Battle of Suiyuan is over, members of the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers will probably be confused.
While they were still studying heavy transport aircraft and airborne tanks, the products from cave dwellings had already proven their combat effectiveness on the steppes.
"The name of the new transport aircraft is Yun-2, and the soldiers also call it the Air Overlord privately. Its fuselage length is 29 meters, its wingspan is 36 meters, and its fuselage height reaches eight meters."
"Compared with the Yun-1 Skytrain, its maximum range is more than doubled, reaching 6,276 kilometers. The maximum speed is also slightly increased, with a limit of 441 kilometers per hour."
"The biggest feature of this transport aircraft is its transport capacity, with a maximum take-off weight of 34 tons. In addition to the two pilots and navigator, each aircraft can transport 52 soldiers at a time."
"If you add the Hamilka glider, only 20 crews can deliver three paratrooper infantry battalions and an airborne tank company to the battlefield."
The air dominance provided by Awakening the Brave Tiger is slightly different from the original version. Without affecting the maneuverability and reliability, the system slightly enlarges the capacity of the transport aircraft.
The length, width and height of the current Yun-2 are almost comparable to those of the later Airbus 320.
After hearing the specific data of the transport plane, all the big guys present took a breath.
Without him, it’s really because the voyage of Yun 2 is too incredible.
Based on the current territorial area of the Republic of China, it can completely fly back and forth between Taiyuan and Guangzhou.
This means that, regardless of security and logistics issues, the 1st Marine Regiment can appear in any theater of the Republic of China in a short period of time.
The thought of elite soldiers and tanks that can be deployed at any time is terrifying.
A joke made by an infantry expert two months ago is gradually becoming a reality that may have basis. Even if you can't have fun with Lao Du because of the size of the army, there is definitely no problem in avenging the troops who went on the Western Expedition.
The combination of armored troops, submachine guns and a large number of mortars of various calibers is a cavalry killer.
The Mongolian army not only has a large number of cavalry, but also many chariot brigades, which is definitely a good choice for training.
There will be one more chapter tonight, maybe two chapters, depending on when the next chapter is finished.
(End of chapter)
