The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 113 The next pot of steel broth
The rumbling sound of artillery lasted for an hour. The test firing procedure of a Bofors Mountain artillery battery is not complicated. It even only requires one benchmark gun for test firing. And the accuracy of this kind of artillery is very high, so the test firing efficiency is very high. Very high. Not long after the test firing, the artillery company commander who led the team returned to the position and brought back a detailed and comprehensive shooting map.

This map covers the detailed landforms and features of the first five kilometers of the position. The five kilometers in front of the position are divided into fifty shooting areas 100 meters apart. In this way, during the artillery bombardment, There is no need to observe at the time. As long as you want to bombard a certain area, you can place the artillery-specific map measuring board on the map. You can use the finely measured map to quickly obtain the range and shooting direction of the target area. You can also use the map to measure the target area. The shooting elements on the board calculate the height and angle required for artillery shooting based on the contour formula. By doing this, you can shoot quickly with high accuracy in a very short time.

Of course, all this must be based on precise on-site measurements.

This is not a difficult task for Huangpu-sheng artillery officers who are equipped with a full set of imported observation equipment and have received complete German training.

After the test firing, the construction of the artillery positions continued. The opening of two battalions of artillery positions was by no means a small project. The construction was going on outside, and inside the artillery company's command post, the atmosphere was equally hot. He Wei and several The officers of the artillery company discussed how to organize the artillery to support the infantry faster and more efficiently.

After constant discussions, the fifty shooting areas were assigned numbers from one to fifty by He Wei from near to far. As long as the number was reported, the artillery company quickly used the map to obtain the shooting elements in the area corresponding to the number and By firing, you can achieve the effect of calling for artillery fire anytime and anywhere, just like in movies and TV shows. The power of the Bofors Mountain Cannon is huge. The combat effectiveness of this company is used to deal with the Japanese infantry. I'm afraid More than one reinforced infantry battalion.

According to the Japanese attack method, the marching formation length of the Japanese infantry squadron is 75 meters. During the battle, the attack front is 200 meters wide and 336 meters deep, and the defensive front is 200 meters wide and 75 meters deep.The killing radius of Bofors 130mm mountain artillery shells is 25 meters. If a Bofors mountain artillery battery can accurately complete a salvo, the accuracy of the Bofors 75mm prompt fuze grenade can reach [-] meters.

In one round, a fully loaded Japanese infantry squadron on the march can be wiped out. Even if it adopts three lines of three advances and a low-profile assault, a few Bofors [-] Mountain Cannons The grenade was also capable of wiping out half a squadron in one salvo.

Just when He Wei was discussing the tactics with the artillery officers, the artillery position under construction once again became chaotic. When someone came into the artillery command post to report, He Wei and other officers realized that another artillery unit was approaching, and it was not The remaining troops of Cao Huiguo's battalion were a complete Shanxi-Sui Army field artillery battalion.

In the completed command post of the Bofors Mountain Artillery Battery, He Wei and others met the commander of the artillery battalion - Zhao Yinfeng, the battalion commander of the 23rd Artillery Regiment of the Jinsui Army. This was a typical northern man. When he After entering, He Wei's eyes were full of respect, because He Wei had also read a lot of historical materials before traveling through time.

The officer standing in front of him, as a mere major battalion commander, was able to leave his name in history. The reason was very simple. During the battle on the Western Front at Xinkou before the crossing, this battalion commander sacrificed his life for At the price, his name will be engraved in the history books forever!
"Hello, Camp Commander Cao!"

Zhao Yinfeng, who was wearing the military uniform of the Jinsui Army, was very cordial and warm. He was not very young. He was born in the first five years of the Republic of China and had just turned 30 this year. He greeted Cao Huiguo and He Wei cordially.

Cao Huiguo smiled and nodded in return. He Wei did not dare to do this and immediately stood up to salute.

"Hello sir!"

Zhao Yinfeng patted He Wei on the shoulder. He also came to the sixth company's position last night. He knew He Wei's record very well and did not act like a major to a lieutenant.

"Platoon Leader He, you guys fought well. I'm a native of Shanxi. I want to thank you for helping us defend our hometown."

"Sir, you don't have to say that. We are all Chinese. Everyone has the responsibility to protect our country. The principal also said that the land is not divided into north and south, and people, old and young, all have the responsibility to defend the land and fight the war. Besides, I am from Liaoning. I went into exile after the fall of the four eastern provinces in September [-], and I knew it would be hard to lose my hometown, and I didn’t want more people to suffer like me."

Zhao Yinfeng nodded and said: "It turns out that Platoon Commander He is from the Northeast, Battalion Commander Cao, Platoon Commander He, my battalion's maneuver to work overtime has finally arrived. Now I will listen to your command. Let me explain first. There are three companies in total, each with four 88mm Type [-] field guns. In addition to the artillery, each company is also equipped with forty submachine guns, sixteen machetes, and eighty grenades."

Good guy, the basics were revealed at this moment. He Wei felt very strange. Logically speaking, this was also a major battalion commander, but his posture was not high. Indeed, this battalion was assigned to the independent branch of the Central Military System. Shi Hongxi, the commander of the fifth artillery regiment, commanded, but the highest-ranking person here is the artillery battalion commander Cao Huiguo. He is a lieutenant himself. Although he is the actual commander of the sixth company of the assigned unit, he is only an infantry lieutenant after all. Why is this necessary?
When a few people walked out, He Wei was frightened by the formation of the field artillery camp. The artillerymen of the Jinsui Army were all wearing gray winter clothes. The soldiers wore cloth military caps and the officers wore dog skin hats to protect them from the cold. , all officers are equipped with Jin-made big-eye box Mauser pistols, many gunners carry Jin-made Type 29 submachine guns, and some carry ring-headed machetes similar to the iconic equipment of the 88th Army. The artillery of this battalion is It is a Jin-made [-]-type [-]mm field gun manufactured by Taiyuan Arsenal in Shanxi Province.

This 18-year-old 88mm field gun is imitated from the 88mm field gun of the Swiss Soloton Company. It is assembled by Taiyuan Arsenal after purchasing accessories. It has a caliber of 88 mm, a gun body length of 2750 mm, and a barrel weight of 386 mm. kg, the barrel diameter is 31 times, and the breech block style is a horizontal wedge type.Unlike the Bofors Mountain Cannon, which could be disassembled into eight parts and carried by mules and horses, this large-caliber field gun had to be pulled by six horses to travel properly.

The artillery of the Jinsui Army is not unpowerful. The central government has allocated ten artillery regiments from Artillery Regiment No. 20 to Artillery Regiment No. 30 of the Jinsui Army. However, these ten artillery regiments are mainly equipped with 75 mm caliber light mountain artillery. , this kind of big field artillery, in fact, the Jinsui Army only has two artillery battalions equipped with it.

Outside the command post, Zhao Yinfeng looked at the artillery positions prepared for them in advance. With envy and regret, he said the reason for such a low profile: "I leave this artillery battalion to you. In fact, I am responsible for it." The major staff officer of the Taiyuan Appeasement Office was transferred to the artillery battalion commander not long ago. He has limited experience in artillery command. A few days ago, Commander Shi came to our battalion for an inspection and learned about the tactics of the Central Artillery. I realized how backward the combat tactics of our Shanxi artillery were. So, it’s all up to you.”

He Wei thought to himself, this is where the root of being so humble towards himself comes from.

Cao Huiguo said: "Shanxi artillery tactics really need to be improved. I see that you are all direct-aiming shooting. This method of combat is indeed very backward."

Zhao Yinfeng shook his head: "Actually, it's not that we know nothing about indirect shooting, and it's not that our Shanxi artillery doesn't want to innovate tactics. I learned it when I was in the Japanese military academy. But, those Japanese, we also tried it after returning to China. That’s not the case at all when it comes to fighting.”

He Wei said: "Sir Zhao is an overseas student from a Japanese military academy?"

"Yes, I am not from the Shanxi Officer Training Corps. After I graduated from the SX Provincial First Normal School, I entered the East Asia School of Jinshan School in Taiyuan. I was then recommended to the Japanese Army Non-commissioned Officer School No. 20, Seventh Phase of the Chinese Team at the Japanese Army The artillery tactics are very advanced, indirect aiming and shooting, and mapping technology are very perfect. Unfortunately, the Japanese are keeping a secret for us Chinese students. At the beginning of the class, we were still with the Japanese students, and when the key points were discussed, we were asked to avoid them. , and then they simply taught us Chinese students and Japanese students separately. The lectures were very good, and we returned to China and fired live ammunition ourselves, which is not the case at all!"

"During field exercises in Japan, the mountain artillery, field artillery, infantry artillery, and mortars used by our Chinese students were all old, and we were not allowed to touch the new artillery at all."

Zhao Yinfeng cursed.

"Indeed, the instructors of the Japanese military academy always use their hands when teaching Chinese students. When I was in Huangpu, there was an instructor who had returned from studying in Japan. Not only did he not know how to use the equipment, he also broke the steering wheel used for artillery shooting. He couldn't even use it. , not to mention the Ministry of Education. Once we were training in Nanjing using the modified [-]-type field artillery recently purchased from Japan. It was an instructor who had returned from studying in Japan and led us. Damn it, we originally thought that those who had returned from studying in Japan would be able to use Japanese cannons. It was very good, but once I started using it, I discovered that they didn't know how to operate it at all. During the test firing, the operation was wrong, and the shell exploded as soon as it came out of the chamber. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and only the guard plate of the artillery was damaged."

"It was even more funny during the Central Plains War. At that time, more than 200 artillery pieces were concentrated to attack the Northwest Army's positions. All the people directing the firing were officers who had returned from Japan. More than 200 artillery pieces were fired all night, and not a single shell fell. When they arrived at the Northwest Army's position, they all flew away. When the infantry attacked the position the next day, they suffered a big loss. For example, our Commander Shi was also a Japanese student. After returning to China, he learned the tactics of the German instructors. Commander Shi finished learning After the German attack, they kept calling the Japanese military academy instructors bastards."

Cao Huiguo said.

Hearing that the artillery shooting technology of the Jinsui Army was lagging behind, He Wei began to murmur in his heart. If this were the case, wouldn't the combat effectiveness of these dozen [-] field artillery pieces be put under a big question mark: "Sir, if this is the case, then Can your battalion’s artillery only do direct fire?”

Zhao Yinfeng saw He Wei's worry and said: "Yes, but don't worry, our Shanxi artillery is very proficient in using direct aiming and shooting tactics. Your Central Army uses map boards and charts for indirect shooting, and we can also use them." Quadrant shooting with direct aim at three points and one line. I have seen your infantry position, and I guarantee that you can shoot very well within three kilometers of the open area in front!"

After hearing this, He Wei felt relieved. It seemed that although the new tactics and new ways of playing were awesome, it was also useful to practice the old tactics and old ways to perfection. Think about it, the artillery currently used by the Jinsui Army was directly aimed at shooting tactics. It is an ancestral tactic that has been used by the Beiyang Army in the late Qing Dynasty. After playing it for so many years, I am naturally very proficient.

These 88mm field guns have a range of up to 88 meters. Although due to insufficient shooting skills, these guns cannot maximize their power, within the close fire battle area of ​​the Sixth Company, twelve [-]mm guns fired directly. The rain of bullets formed is also considerable. If Cao Huiguo's Bofors Mountain Artillery Battalion can be fully deployed, there will be eight Bofors Mountain Cannons (the Bofors Mountain Artillery of the Independent Artillery Force is an eight-gun artillery battalion), plus twelve The [-]mm large-caliber field gun will greet the Japanese army with a pot of steel broth!

(End of this chapter)