At 3 o'clock in the morning on December 4, 1941, ten kilometers north of Dai County.
This moment is the time when normal people are most likely to become sleepy, and it is also the most suitable time to launch a night attack.
"Gentlemen, you must be careful in your next actions. Pay attention to your steps every step you take. The enemy may very well have deployed a minefield ahead."
"No one should act rashly. If there is any situation, they must report it to their superiors in time."
"There are no war horses or armored vehicles this time. But as the only search wing in the group, we must give the decisive battle a good start."
Since the Third Motorized Infantry Regiment was crippled by the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region during the day, the vanguard of this night attack consisted of the search wing of the cavalry group and the remnants of the independent second brigade.
The search wing is a new organization added by the Japanese army to division-level units in 1940.
Although this unit bears the title of a regiment, its actual strength is only about 500 people.
It is responsible for reconnaissance, breakthrough, pursuit and other tasks in important battles, and has high mobility and good combat effectiveness.
If it is a battlefield with low intensity, the search wing can really run amok to a certain extent with its armored vehicles and horses.
It's a pity that in order to covertly approach the positions of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, the Japs were forced to give up the vehicles they relied on for survival, and could only temporarily transfer to cannon fodder infantry and advance on foot.
In a sense, the cavalry group has really reached the end of its rope.
As for the artillery of these two units and the 17th Tank Regiment, which is the trump card, they are on standby in prepared attack positions.
The former will open fire when the advance army approaches the Eighth Route Army's position, using artillery shells to open an attack channel for the infantry.
The latter needs to know the enemy's firepower point before taking action. After all, the enemy's equipment list includes French anti-tank guns and a powerful artillery unit.
The remaining light and medium tanks are the lifeblood of Nishihara Issaku. He must ensure that these armored units appear at critical moments to deliver a fatal blow to the Eighth Route Army.
As for the candidates for the reserve team, they can only be filled by the half-disabled cavalry regiment, wounded soldiers, engineering team, baggage team, brigade and group direct guard.
Such an arrangement shows that the two old devils Nishihara Issaku and Mano Goro are ready to sacrifice their lives for the Locust at any time.
The two men, who had not been fighting on the front line for a long time, even selected rifles that would fit in their hands in advance, showing their grassroots commanders that they would never settle for anything less.
Half an hour later, the search wing and the independent mixed second brigade arrived at the planned starting point of the charge.
More than two thousand Japanese soldiers took out the awakening potion from their pockets and drank it. They transformed into ice shooters and prepared to launch the last pig-like charge in their lives.
"What a black card! Onboard!"
At the current position, even if you move forward silently, there is a high chance that you will be discovered by the Eighth Route Army's light and dark sentries. Instead of advancing in fear, it is better to shout slogans to enhance the momentum of the troops.
Accompanied by the loud shouts of the three colonels, the Japanese charged forward as fast as they could with their bayonets drawn.
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"Calm down and don't rush to activate the equipment. That thing makes a lot of noise and will alert the enemy."
"Waiting for instructions from our superiors, there will be flares and flares launched into the sky. In winter, it gets late in the morning, so we have plenty of time to play with the little devils."
Night fighting is the most important skill of the Eighth Route Army.
After confirming that the enemy would attack at night, Commander Yang deployed a large number of hidden sentries on the first line of defense. Such a large formation is only intended to detect traces of the enemy as soon as possible, so that troops at all levels can be prepared to engage the enemy.
After all, the number of infantry in a cavalry group is only half that of a normal division.
As long as a large number of infantry can be killed and the Japanese infantry-tank coordination system is destroyed, the remaining armored units will become lambs to be slaughtered.
At that time, let alone a mere Type 97 medium tank, even if you replace it with Desan's Tiger and Leopard, the Eighth Route Army supermen will be able to perform individual anti-tank feats.
While the 121st Searchlight Regiment was waiting, some of the charging Japanese broke into the minefield and stepped on the mines. A series of explosions sounded in front of the position.
Boom boom boom!
Almost at the same time, nearly a thousand red and white flares suddenly rose into the night sky over the Xinding Basin, illuminating the endless land as bright as day.
It was at this time that the 121st Regiment on the position received an order from their superiors: Light the fire! start up!
In an instant, nearly a hundred ninety-centimeter carbon arc lamps hidden everywhere, as well as searchlights captured from the First Army gun towers, were powered on at the same time.
The bright lights extended to one kilometer behind the Japanese frontline position. The night, which was completely covered with only a few stars, was illuminated like day.
The dazzling light beam made it impossible for the enemy's night attack troops to see ahead, and even the Japanese in the front row shed tears of blood.
When future generations of high-gloss dogs see such a spectacular scene, they will directly call the ancestor to appear. Players of Magic Thunder who have played the night battle mode will understand how much the searchlight in the game has been weakened.
Compared with the Japanese who were extremely frightened and blind, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region was aware of every current move at a glance.
"put!"
Following the guidance of the lights, mortars of various calibers on the forward position began to roar.
Under the instructions of the observation post, rounds of well-made artillery shells flew towards the enemy's queue like meteors. The violent explosion instantly sent the drugged Japs to see the locusts of all ages.
The military district artillery regiment and the headquarters artillery brigade in the rear were not idle either. They also started a fierce bombardment with the help of lights, and continued to correct their position with the help of the school shooting aircraft.
A violent storm of artillery shells poured into the Japanese positions for a full twenty minutes, as if these weapons were about to expire at dawn and must be used up in the early morning.
Didi-dee-dee-dee-dee.
"Comrades! Follow me!"
The loud charge horn sounded from the position, and the artillery fire began to spread.
Under the leadership of grassroots commanders, the infantry jumped out of the trenches with dazzling lights, and followed the Cicada tanks to take the first step to regain North China.
The attack of the fourth column went very smoothly and encountered almost no decent resistance.
As the comrades expected, the fierce artillery fire wiped out most of the Japanese troops on the front line. Most of the Japanese who survived were deaf, blind, and confused.
The balance of victory is tilting towards the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region.
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Cavalry group, underground command post.
Nishihara Yice was wearing a shabby lieutenant general's uniform, with a samurai sword gifted by Tianchu on his waist, sitting upright. At this time, he listened to the staff report on the battle situation with a serious face.
"Your Majesty Lieutenant General, we have been defeated, completely defeated."
"Maybe if we don't hold out until dawn, the Eighth Route Army will hit the group headquarters."
As soon as the staff officer finished speaking, the expressions of several Japanese officers all changed, with obvious despair in their eyes. The only ones who can still remain calm are Nishihara Issaku and Mano Goro.
The gap is really too big.
The cavalry group plus the independent mixed second brigade only had 25,000 people, while the Eighth Route Army opposite had a conservative estimate of 45,000 people, almost twice as many.
If the force is only two to one, we can still fight.
The army of Japan's sister country is not afraid of any enemy. Back then, Guobo's manpower was countless times higher than its own, but it was still pinned to the ground and hammered.
Bushido, elite soldiers, and advanced tactics more than made up for the difference in numbers.
But the biggest problem now is that the difference in firepower and equipment is so great that it makes everyone despair.
The Eighth Route Army still has at least a hundred tanks, two hundred barrel artillery pieces of various calibers, and more mortars than its own grenades.
The cavalry group and the independent mixed second brigade, even at full strength before departure, only have less than fifty guns, field guns and eight 105 howitzers.
The most uncomfortable thing is that the range and power of the 91-type 105 grenade, the pride of the empire, are no match for the Eighth Route Army.
Such a huge gap in firepower and equipment cannot be made up by courage and tactics, not to mention that the enemy has an unparalleled air force.
boom!
Before Issaku Nishihara could speak again, a violent explosion sounded from above, and at the same time, the kerosene lamp above his head became shaky.
Inside the headquarters, the Japanese were visibly panicking. Now you can feel obvious vibrations and even feel a little unsteady, which means that the enemy's shelling has arrived nearby.
"Your Excellency Lieutenant General! The 17th Tank Regiment is on the attack. Colonel Montenegro has just sent a farewell telegram."
"Oh, I see."
Nishihara Yice nodded expressionlessly, letting the dust and dirt fall all over him.
Now that we are dispatched, we can desperately replace a few tanks, and at the end we can kill some infantry. If we delay for a few more minutes, we might actually be called upon by an enemy dive bomber.
Infantry-tank coordination, infantry-artillery coordination, plus air-ground coordination, it turned out that this was the situation of the French back then.
"Pass my order and send people to destroy all transport trucks and supplies. Leave nothing to the Eighth Route Army!"
"If we send power to Lieutenant General Amakasu Jutaro and General Okamura Neji, we will say that our cavalry group has done its best, but the enemy is tens of thousands."
"Everyone who is fine, come with me to the battlefield and be loyal to His Majesty Tian Locust!"
The middle-level officers of the Japanese army may have various problems. But his loyalty to his brother country is absolutely worth it.
Amidst the howls of ghosts and wolves, Nishihara Issaku and Mano Goro led a group of staff and commanders towards the position in the firefight. (End of chapter)
