roccoschili Chapter 46: Capture of a Japanese 150mm Heavy Artillery Pistol
Chapter 46: Capture of a Japanese 150mm Heavy Artillery Pistol
The Japanese artillery units were caught completely off guard by the sudden roar of artillery fire from their flanks and rear, and were instantly engulfed in a hail of exploding shells.
At the moment the shelling began, soldiers traveling in trucks and motorcycles also launched surprise attacks on the Japanese positions.
At the same moment, the troops on both flanks also sprang into action, charging towards the Japanese infantry positions.
Seeing that the artillery positions were being bombarded, the Japanese infantry deployed on both flanks wanted to go and provide support.
But the next moment, the roar of a motorcycle could be heard, and the machine gun on the sidecar roared at the same time.
This caught the Japanese army off guard, forcing them to hastily engage in battle.
On the artillery position, the Third Battalion, led by Wang Dayong, charged the fiercest and most aggressively.
The moment they rushed into the artillery position, a large number of soldiers on the trucks raised their submachine guns and began firing at the artillerymen.
These Japanese artillerymen were issued very few rifles, and naturally had no way to resist such a large number of assault troops equipped with submachine guns.
The two infantry companies that could have been flanked were now in dire straits, having been overrun into the position by the soldiers of the 3rd Regiment and engaged in close combat.
The Japanese soldiers discovered that the soldiers who rushed into their positions were mostly carrying submachine guns, and some were carrying flamethrowers and other weapons.
These are all powerful close-combat weapons. In comparison, the Japanese army only had their Type 38 rifles and their retro bayonets to rely on.
The battle was essentially over from the start. The two Japanese companies were unable to withstand the rapid onslaught of the trucks, let alone the scorching heat from the numerous submachine guns and flamethrowers.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!"
Many Japanese soldiers hidden in the trenches were forced out by the scorching flames, their bodies engulfed in flames, letting out mournful screams.
The commotion at the artillery positions naturally attracted the attention of the 6th Division command.
Hisao Tani picked up his binoculars and looked at the area where the heavy artillery battalion was located.
"What's going on? Why are there gunshots and explosions coming from the artillery positions? Is it an enemy surprise attack?"
"That should be right, I'll send people over to help immediately."
Chief of Staff Ichiro Shimotsuke hurriedly said.
Gu Hisao was somewhat surprised, after all, the enemy forces at Niushou Mountain were already stretched thin, so where did these enemy troops come from?
Could it be troops drawn from Nanjing?
Thinking about this, he felt that Tang Shengzhi was foolish to spend his main forces on the outer defense. Would there be any soldiers left to defend Nanjing then?
Meanwhile, on the right flank of Niushou Mountain, the Japanese 42nd Regiment, after a detour, finally arrived at the designated area, where Regiment Commander Sato Masakazu issued the order for a surprise attack.
If they can break through the flank of Niushou Mountain, they can take this strategic location before dawn.
The southern part of Nanjing will also be wide open.
On the artillery positions, after more than half an hour of fighting, the artillerymen suffered heavy casualties, and most of them fled.
As for the Japanese troops on both flanks, they were also unable to resist and were defeated by concentrated firepower in the darkness.
Li Jianghe looked at the remaining six heavy cannons, his mouth practically watering.
A Japanese heavy artillery battalion was typically equipped with eight artillery pieces, including the Type 96 150mm howitzer and the Type 92 105mm cannon.
Although some artillery pieces were destroyed in the battle, the remaining six artillery pieces include four Type 96 150mm howitzers and two 105mm cannons.
(Japanese Type 96 150mm howitzer)
These two artillery pieces are far superior to the field artillery currently in Li Jianghe's possession, both in terms of range and power.
"Capture Japanese artillery and shells, then retreat immediately."
As Li Jianghe was speaking, he heard gunshots coming from the outside.
He knew it must be Japanese reinforcements, but the gunfire... it must be the soldiers of the 88th Division led by Hua Pinzhang, blocking the Japanese army.
Sure enough, Long Wenzhang rushed over at that moment.
"Commander, the brothers of the 88th Division are fighting the Japanese."
"The supply battalion will stay behind to clean up the battlefield. Lin Yongzhi, you lead the troops to scout ahead. The rest of you, come with me."
Li Jianghe said decisively.
Several infantry battalions quickly assembled, boarded trucks and motorcycles, and headed towards the combat zone.
The reinforcements consisted of a Japanese infantry battalion, which was already engaged in battle with the two battalions brought by Hua Pinzhang.
After being replenished with ammunition and food, the soldiers of the 88th Division have now recovered most of their combat effectiveness.
Although only five or six hundred people came this time, they were not afraid at all when facing a battalion of Japanese troops.
In just twenty minutes, they repelled two Japanese attacks and even launched a counter-offensive against the Japanese under the leadership of Hua Pinzhang, a hot-tempered Sichuanese.
The person who personally led the way was Shimono Kazuho, the chief of staff of the Japanese division. He did not expect that the group of Nationalist soldiers opposite him would be so fierce and dare to launch a counterattack.
He decisively called for artillery support from the rear, which infuriated Hua Pinzhang, who then launched into a tirade of curses.
"You son of a bitch, if you can't beat them, use artillery. If you're so capable, fight infantry against infantry, don't use artillery."
Hua Pinzhang muttered to himself, but he could only obediently retreat back inside.
When the Japanese troops saw that they had retreated, they launched another attack under the orders of Shimono Ichikō.
The soldiers of the 88th Division had suffered heavy losses in the previous artillery bombardment. Faced with the Japanese army's renewed charge, they could only grit their teeth and hold on to buy time for Li Jianghe's troops.
Shimono Kazuki looked at the battlefield ahead and said coldly:
"Hmph, as expected, they are just a bunch of defeated soldiers. They can only go as far as they want, then they will be exhausted and then they will be weak. I want to see what kind of tricks you ants can pull off."
He was full of confidence, knowing that the enemy's position was only a temporary construction and that the shelling just now would surely cause serious losses to the enemy.
If they're lucky, this charge could break through the enemy's defenses.
Just when Shimono Kazuho thought that the battle was about to be decided, a loud roar suddenly came.
"Boom!!!!!"
At that moment, a large number of artillery shells were unleashed upon the Japanese troops.
This even includes 105mm cannons and 150mm howitzers.
There were also mortar shells and field artillery shells.
These shells landed not far in front of the 262nd Brigade's position, hitting the Japanese troops who were engaged in combat.
The Japanese infantrymen who were charging forward couldn't help but start cursing.
The Japanese artillerymen could tell that many of the weapons bombarding them were their own Type 96 150mm howitzers and 105mm cannons.
"Why are those artillery idiots bombarding us? Don't they know where the bullets should hit?"
"Should we make these artillery idiots commit seppuku, or bombard us with heavy artillery?!"
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