Comrade, your ingredients are too complicated.

Seven kilometers west of the river is the temporary command post of the 2nd Armored Regiment.

Rivers and lakes are natural obstacles for any army, including the Eighth Route Army.

These special terrains not only limited the mobility of the troops, but also divided the battle formations and created many difficulties in command, coordination, communication and logistics supply.

If you want to force a river crossing in a heavily defended battlefield by the enemy, the first problem you need to solve is where to start and when to do it.

"Regarding the next operation, have your engineering and reconnaissance companies conducted a thorough survey of the hydrological conditions? Do the current water depth and flow rate meet the standards for building a heavy floating bridge?"

"By the way, don't forget to prepare a plan. You have to take all kinds of unexpected situations into consideration."

Whether it is determining the location or time to cross the river, it is inseparable from careful reconnaissance of hydrology, terrain and details of enemy deployment.

After hearing the question from their regiment commander, the commander of the reconnaissance company and the commander of the engineering company looked at each other in tacit understanding. The former then took out a hand-drawn map and aerial photos from his bag, stood up first and began to report on his work.

"Everyone, please look, this is the final choice made by our reconnaissance company after half an hour of secret investigation."

"The river here is narrow, shallow, and slow-flowing. The river bank bends toward us and there are fewer natural obstacles on the enemy's shore, making it very convenient for the troops to cross the river and to maneuver in depth."

"The only problem is that, although it is easy to cross the river here, it is also likely to be the direction where the enemy focuses their defense."

As the saying goes, know yourself and the enemy and you will be victorious in every battle.

The plan proposed by the commander of the reconnaissance company was the best option found through field investigation and analysis.

In order to find out the specific situation in the combat area, he not only personally led a team to visit the people in nearby villages, but also learned about the enemy's troop size and position locations on the other side through the Air Force.

Hearing this, Commander Liu and Chief of Staff Tian took the map and aerial photos. After confirming them again and again, they both nodded with satisfaction.

"Very good, then start crossing the river from the location you choose. Don't worry about the Japanese defenders on the other side. The artillery support company and the air force comrades in the regiment will deal with the enemy."

"Once the operation begins, the artillery will prioritize concentrating firepower to suppress the enemy's fortifications."

"The close support aircraft of the Second Air Division will deal with high-threat targets point-to-point."

With a large amount of first-hand information at hand, the question of where to cross the river was solved. After selecting the specific crossing point, Captain Liu began to consider when to start the action.

After thinking for a while, he turned his gaze to the commander of the engineering company.

"Is the floating bridge ready? Once the operation begins, how long will it take you to build a bridge across the river?"

In order to cross the river smoothly, the choice of tools is also very important.

In the past, the Eighth Route Army did not have standard equipment for crossing the river, so they could only build simple floating bridges or simply sail across the river. In very rare cases, they had to bite the bullet and cross the river even if they only had sheepskin rafts.

However, after the Second Battle of Taiyuan, the troops finally had a new engineering equipment: the Type 41 pontoon bridge, also known as the GZQ010 heavy pontoon bridge.

This device was jointly developed by the Weapons Experimental Research Bureau and the Border Region Military Industry Bureau, and the chief designer was naturally the ubiquitous Director Huang He.

From then on, river crossing operations were no longer the army's shortcoming.

Upon hearing his commander's question, the engineer company commander stood up immediately and answered decisively:

"According to calculations, our company will need one hour of construction time. If everything goes well, comrades will build a floating bridge on the river with a maximum load-bearing capacity of 30 tons."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present showed proud expressions at the same time.

Perhaps compared with the exaggerated achievements of the PLA in later generations, such as 320 meters in 1000 minutes and meters in minutes, the construction efficiency of one hour can indeed be called a snail's pace.

But it is only 1942 now. Even if we replace them with land warfare powers such as Germany and the Russians, it will be difficult for them to do better under the same conditions.

"Okay, then we'll start the action in forty minutes, and everyone should go back and prepare."

"We will definitely win this battle! Dismiss!"

······
Forty minutes later, more than a dozen artillery pieces of different calibers opened fire simultaneously at the positions on the west bank of the river.

Thanks to the range advantage, the artillery support company of the 2nd Armored Regiment has no worries about its own safety, and all artillery crews are working at full capacity.

Huge explosions resounded through the sky, and the firepower points that the Japanese defenders thought were very hidden were simply and brutally destroyed by the overwhelming artillery bombardment.

"Captain, the Eighth Route Army has suddenly launched an attack on our position! This must be a sign that they are about to cross the river!"

"Those damn bombers will definitely appear again, and the river defense fortifications can't hold out for too long. The situation is extremely urgent now, you should contact Major Nagashima as soon as possible!" Seeing a communications soldier crawling into the command center, the Japanese squadron leader Nagasugi Tokuo suddenly panicked.

That was a joint attack by the armored forces and the air force. With only one squadron of our own and hundreds of Imperial Army troops, there would be no chance of winning if a real fight broke out.

Faced with the fierce offensive, the remaining firepower points became timid and kept changing their positions, not daring to stay in the same place for too long.

But even so, the number of Type 92 heavy machine guns and grenade launchers continued to decrease, and they were successively targeted and executed by the Eighth Route Army.

After a moment, the old devil took a deep breath and gave a decisive order:

"Let the first and second squads lead the Imperial Army to the frontline immediately, and the rest of the troops be prepared to take over."

"All artillery, including the infantry's grenade launchers, cease fire. Wait until the enemy engineers show up before starting to fire back. Be sure to blow up the Eighth Route Army's pontoon bridge first!"

When the signalman heard the word "artillery", his expression changed again and again, and fear and terror were almost written on his face.

With the idea of ​​dying early and being reborn early, he simply gritted his teeth and stamped his feet, answering in a desperate tone:
"Captain, 90% of our firepower points have been destroyed. The enemy's artillery accurately struck our high ground in the first wave of attack."

"Warriors, we can't hold on any longer!"

Hearing this, Nagasugi Tokuo was stunned. After listening carefully, he could only hear the sound of artillery fire from the other side of the river.

"We have to hold on even if we can't. If we lose our positions along the river, we'll all die. Tell the front line that support from the rear will be in place soon. As long as we hold on for another fifteen minutes, the first wave of reinforcements will arrive on the scene!"

"Hi!"

After destroying most of the Japanese river defense fortifications, the engineering company of the 2nd Armored Regiment took decisive action.

At the same time, the artillery changed their offensive and released a large amount of smoke at the designated crossing, providing visual cover for the crossing.

With the help of smoke, the comrades pushed the floating boats to the river, some of which were used to build a floating bridge and some for the commandos to cross the river.

The floating boat used by the Type 41 pontoon bridge is welded from 1.5 mm thick steel plates. Before being assembled, the equipment is divided into two parts: the bow boat and the stern boat.

The former has a deadweight of 950 kg and a maximum load capacity of 6100 kg.

The latter weighs 100 kg more than the first boat due to the addition of functional components such as a grid frame, a hand-cranked crane, and an outboard boat maneuver, but its own load capacity has also been improved.

When the two are successfully assembled and used alone to cross the river, they can carry up to fifty soldiers or a 2.5-ton howitzer.

Thanks to the technical support of the Weapons Testing and Research Bureau, the pontoon can move rapidly at a speed of 18 to 22 kilometers per hour while maintaining its maximum load.

Such capacity and speed are enough to rank among the best even in the world, and this does not even include the rowing team composed of eight engineers.

Soon, the commandos successfully crossed the river under the cover of artillery fire and air cover. The soldiers quickly opened up and stabilized the landing site, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent large-scale attack.

The reserve troops followed the commandos across the river, and after landing, they quickly launched an attack on the enemy's depth and flanks.

"Engineer Company! You continue to build the pontoon bridge! Everyone else, immediately use the fortifications left by the enemy and transform them into our beachhead positions! Always pay attention to the enemy's counterattacks and artillery fire!"

······
On the east side of the river, the Japanese 3rd Infantry Battalion.

When the bad news reached his headquarters, Changdao Long was like an eggplant hit by frost, and he sat slumped in a short chair like a dazed man.

The Japanese had anticipated that the enemy's hard power would be strong, but they never expected that the opponent's pre-war preparations would be so thorough that even equipment such as pontoon bridges appeared on the battlefield.

God swears to me, the Eighth Route Army had a hard time crossing the moat in Taiyuan.

Who would have thought that in just one year, they had already made up for another shortcoming.

Confused, Nagashima Tatsuya couldn't help but mutter to himself: "Why should I be the first one to face the enemy's new equipment?"

"I told you that three thousand people can't defend a river that's more than 20 kilometers long."

Seeing his commander in a low state and about to lose his fighting spirit, the staff officer Tsuchiya Nobuhiro could no longer sit still and then spoke to comfort him:
"Major, we are not without a chance. As long as the Second Squadron can successfully launch a surprise attack and destroy the tanks and armored vehicles of the Eighth Route Army with mines and explosive packs, then who wins and who loses will be another matter."

"After all, when it comes to the elite level of infantry, we, the Great Japanese Brotherhood, are not afraid of anyone."

As if he remembered the foreshadowing he had arranged before, Nagashima Ryuya regained his spirits. But the good times didn't last long, and the battle report sent by the signalman once again pushed him to the bottom.

"Report! The Second Squadron encountered the enemy's tanks head-on, and all of them have been killed!" (End of this chapter)