20demayo Chapter 294 Tasaka 88, terrified – Is this firepower really from the Chinese army?
Chapter 294 Tasaka 88, terrified – Is this firepower really from the Chinese army?
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A dozen or so Type 89 medium tanks and Type 97 light tanks lined up in a row, providing cover for the infantry as they advanced.
The tank tracks creaked heavily as they rolled over the muddy ground, and the gun barrel occasionally spewed out a burst of fire.
As a result, the Iron Fist 60 of the Third Column became their nightmare; this man-portable anti-tank weapon was incredibly powerful.
The gunners pulled the trigger from a distance of tens of meters or even a dozen meters, and the rockets flew out with trails of flame, accurately hitting the side or rear of the tank.
The 60mm hollow charge warhead could penetrate the thin armor of Japanese tanks, and the Japanese light tanks simply could not withstand it.
The tanks that were hit either exploded on the spot, with their turrets blown off, or burst into flames, with the crew members jumping out covered in fire.
Various anti-tank guns and machine guns also joined the hunt for armored targets.
The 20mm autocannon, firing armor-piercing rounds, could penetrate the side armor of Japanese tanks at a distance of 500 meters.
The tanks, like punctured balloons, lay paralyzed one after another, belching black smoke, unable to move.
The 107th Division gained almost nothing from the entire morning's offensive, except for piling up the wreckage of Japanese soldiers and tanks in front of the enemy positions.
The wreckage lay scattered haphazardly on the front line, some still burning and emitting a pungent, acrid smell.
Lieutenant General Yasaka Hachijuro looked ahead through his binoculars, his surprise undisguised.
His lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't, his eyes filled with confusion and shock.
"What's going on with these enemies?" he muttered to himself, his voice so low that only he could hear it.
He couldn't imagine that his once invincible tactics were utterly powerless against the enemy's barrage of fire.
The soldiers charged forward in battalions, only to be driven back in battalions, leaving behind dozens of corpses each time.
The enemy's positions didn't seem to have many soldiers, but their firepower was astonishingly strong.
The chief of staff reminded him in a low voice, his tone tinged with helplessness: "His Excellency the Commander said before that the Chinese army we are facing will be completely different from the ones we have encountered before."
"The air force has also suffered considerable losses and it will be difficult to provide support in the short term."
"We're afraid we can only rely on ourselves now; we can't put our hopes on airplanes."
Tasaka Hachijuchi pondered for a moment, his gaze falling on the still-burning battlefield in the distance, and slowly spoke.
"It seems there was a reason why the 6th and 10th Divisions were annihilated by this force."
"No wonder Yoshizumi Ryosuke was so angry about fighting this unit that he was hospitalized for a period of time."
"They are indeed an infuriating enemy, like a smelly and hard rock that you can't bite or move."
"Should we continue the attack?" the chief of staff asked, his tone tinged with a hint of probing.
"Continue the attack!" Tasaka Hachijuchi said coldly, his tone full of determination.
"Expand the attack range and attack both flanks simultaneously, dispersing the enemy's forces and firepower as much as possible."
"I don't believe that a few thousand people can withstand the repeated attacks of tens of thousands. They will eventually run out of ammunition and exhaust their strength."
The attacks around Minshan Township continued until that afternoon, with gunfire almost never ceasing.
The town, which was originally half under their control, was finally completely taken over by Li Jianghe's third column after being razed to the ground.
The ruins were littered with spent shell casings and rubble, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder and blood.
Although it was just a change of ownership of ruins, it seemed like a signal—the end of the Third Division was not far off.
The Third Division was finding it increasingly difficult to organize a counterattack in the front and retake Minshan Township; even self-defense had become a problem for them.
Yu Chuanxiang put away the binoculars with a deathly pale face, his fingers trembling slightly, almost unable to hold the heavy binoculars.
In the distance, the wreckage of Japanese warplanes shot down by the 88mm anti-aircraft guns of the Third Column can be seen under the setting sun.
The wreckage was scattered on the hillside, some still smoking, and the sun emblem on the fuselage was burned beyond recognition.
Just like before on the Huainan battlefield, the Japanese air force units, after confirming that they could not bypass the enemy's air defense positions,
They began bombarding and strafing these positions like madmen, willing to perish together to destroy the anti-aircraft guns.
The pilots, their eyes bloodshot, swooped down, bombs and machine gun bullets raining down on the air defense positions.
As a result, the anti-aircraft guns of the Third Column seemed to have an endless supply. After destroying one anti-aircraft position, a second anti-aircraft position would soon take over and start firing.
Those gunners were like unkillable cockroaches; when one fell, another immediately took its place, and the cannons were always roaring.
"The air force has suffered heavy losses and it's difficult to provide effective support," Yukawa Shota said slowly, his voice full of exhaustion.
He looked up at the darkening sky, where the setting sun was as red as blood.
"Night has fallen again..." His voice was soft, yet it carried an indescribable despair.
His unease was growing stronger, and tonight was destined to be even longer than last night.
Because the intensity of the Third Column's attacks far exceeded their expectations; they couldn't stop them even during the day, let alone at night.
The most crucial point is that last night, several artillery positions were destroyed in a surprise attack by the enemy.
A large number of artillery pieces were lost, and almost all of the heavy artillery pieces with a diameter of 105 mm or more were destroyed. What remained were small-caliber infantry guns.
The importance of artillery as the "king of war" on the battlefield is undeniable; losing heavy artillery is tantamount to losing half the sky.
Although the Japanese army also had a number of medium-caliber artillery pieces assigned to brigades and regiments, such as 75mm mountain guns and field guns.
However, without heavy artillery, they were no longer on the same level as the Third Column in terms of firepower and were completely overwhelmed.
Especially when the 105mm howitzers concentrated their bombardment on the Japanese positions, they were unable to mount an equal counterattack.
They could only watch helplessly as entire swathes of the positions were blown to pieces, and the soldiers were blown to pieces, without even a chance to fight back.
Many Japanese soldiers had to seek shelter in shell craters, using the craters created by the shells as temporary cover to continue fighting.
They huddled in the pit, helmets on their heads, surrounded by the sounds of explosions and shrapnel, as if they were in hell.
"What's the situation in Huangkan Village?" Yu Chuanxiang asked, his voice carrying the last glimmer of hope.
"Uh... there's been no progress," the chief of staff said in a low voice, his head bowed, avoiding Yu Chuanxiang's eyes.
"The enemy's tenacity far exceeded expectations. They haven't even broken through the outer defenses yet, and the 107th Division has suffered heavy casualties."