The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 394 Chapter 395: Annihilation of a Battalion's Artillery Bombardment (Part )

He Wei's deployment was quickly implemented. After discussing the deployment of various units, Luo Guangwen, who had no combat missions, led the 18th Division to withdraw to the vast open area behind the 385th Brigade's defense zone and in front of Banbi Mountain, resting and building defensive positions.
The 18th Division's direct artillery battalion also moved to the Big and Small Bear Mountain heights following Luo Guangwen's order and was placed under the command of He Wei.

After obtaining this artillery battalion equipped with 12 Type 82 mm mortars, He Wei further arranged the various artillery firepower resources at his disposal.

At present, the three infantry regiments of the 385th Brigade are lined up in a row. Its subordinate 1124th Infantry Regiment is deployed in the left open area defense zone of the Big and Small Bear Mountain Heights, the 1125th Infantry Regiment guards the Big and Small Bear Mountain Heights, and the 1126th Infantry Regiment guards the right open area defense zone of the Big and Small Bear Mountain Heights. Given the natural terrain and topography within the defense area of ​​the 385th Brigade, the focus of defense is naturally on the commanding heights of the Big and Small Bear Mountain Heights guarded by the 385th Regiment of the 1125th Brigade.

The Big and Small Bear Mountain heights, which overlook the surrounding areas, are not only easy to defend and difficult to attack, but can also use the terrain advantages to provide timely tactical warnings and firepower support for the open defensive positions on both wings. Its importance is self-evident.

Therefore, He Wei not only had to firmly control and hold this high ground, but he also had to concentrate all the artillery firepower he controlled on the Big and Small Bear Mountain high ground, which could serve as natural cover.

突击总队炮兵营山炮一连和山炮二连的6门94式75毫米山炮和6门俄造76毫米山炮被何炜集中起来使用，将炮兵放列阵地设置在了大小熊山高地反斜面侧背的山脚下。

150毫米机械化重炮营的8门德式sfh18型150毫米榴弹炮则与突击总队的两个山炮连齐头并进一字排开，在距山炮阵地1公里的大小熊山高地的反斜面山脚下设置放列阵地。

He Wei also pulled out three mortar companies under the three infantry battalions of the assault corps, each equipped with four Blonde 4mm mortars, and together with the artillery battalion directly under the 81th Division equipped with 12 20mm mortars of the 82th year of the Republic of China, they formed a small artillery group equipped with 18 mortars. Relying on the advantages of the mortars' light weight and high mobility, they all drove to the reverse slope on the side of the Big and Small Bear Mountain Heights and deployed the artillery positions of the mortar group on the reverse slope of the Big and Small Bear Mountain Heights.

According to He Wei's arrangement, whether it is the mortar group deployed on the reverse slope, or the barreled artillery position close to the foot of the reverse slope, they can rely on the terrain to get the greatest degree of protection.

The killing effectiveness of various Japanese firearms on artillery positions also made the Japanese direct-fire artillery completely useless against the reverse slope positions, and their indirect-fire artillery also had many blind spots in bombarding the reverse slope positions.

Moreover, with the natural cover of the mountain, the Japanese army could not observe the conditions of the artillery positions on the reverse slope with their naked eyes, let alone directly calculate the target firing parameters of the artillery positions on the reverse slope using conventional artillery observation methods such as artillery telescopes.

If the Japanese army wanted to obtain the precise firing parameters of the artillery positions on the sides and reverse slopes of the Big and Small Bear Mountains, they would either have to use more cumbersome and complex observation methods such as aerial observation or sound and light coordinated measurement, or they would have to wait for the infantry to capture the Big and Small Bear Mountains and then conduct close-range observations with the naked eye.

Of course, even if the Japanese army could successfully observe the reverse slope artillery positions through various means, it would be an extremely difficult task to use artillery to launch effective artillery strikes on the reverse slope artillery positions hidden on the side of the mountain and protected by blind spots.

In addition, the tank defense artillery company of the assault corps artillery battalion, three infantry battalions and a number of direct-affiliated units were all on standby in the fortifications and concealed areas near the foot of the reverse slope positions of the Big and Small Bear Mountains. They could not only support the troops of the 385th Brigade at any time and place, but also provide timely protection and strong support when a small group of Japanese infantry units launched an infiltration and roundabout attack on the artillery positions on the reverse slope.

After each artillery unit entered its respective firing position and prepared for battle, the artillery firepower of the defense area jointly guarded by the Assault Corps and the 385th Brigade, with the Big and Small Bear Mountain Heights as its core, was actually quite considerable.

Not counting the dozens of mountain cannons, howitzers and mortars deployed on the reverse slope positions controlled by He Wei, the three infantry regiments of the 385th Brigade, which were deployed in sequence with the Big and Small Bear Mountain Heights as the center, also had an 82mm mortar company each. After the mortar companies under these three infantry regiments received the equipment stolen from the 18th Division by He Wei, the number of artillery pieces equipped by each mortar company reached 6.

如此一来，整个大小熊山防区内的80毫米口径以上火炮的总数实则达到了12门75毫米，76毫米口径山炮，8门150毫米榴弹炮和12门布朗德81毫米迫击炮，30门20年式82毫米迫击炮。

Although such an artillery group is still far from achieving a devastating artillery fire attack, it is no problem to stew a pot of steel broth for the Japanese!
Almost at the same time when He Wei made full preparations for battle, the main force of the Japanese Hata Detachment, which had crossed the west bank of the Fuchi River, was also attacking towards Banbi Mountain with great momentum.

Before crossing the Fuchi River, the fighting spirit and morale of Hata Shigekazu, the supreme commander of the Hata Detachment, were pretty good. However, the subsequent Fuchi River crossing attack cast a shadow over Hata Shigekazu's heart. With hundreds of casualties, an empty position was captured, which really made Hata Shigekazu feel like he was being fooled. Hata Shigekazu, who had powerful troops and firepower, would certainly not give up.

Just after Hata Shigeichi issued a combat order to the various units of the Hata Detachment to launch a fierce attack on Banbi Mountain, he himself could no longer hold back and decided to personally lead his troops to advance rapidly towards Banbi Mountain and launch an attack.

However, it is naturally impossible for a heavy military group like the Hata Detachment, which is equipped with a large amount of heavy equipment, heavy artillery, and truck supplies, to advance quickly according to a single order from Hata Shigekazu.

Of course, even if the Hata Detachment wanted to move faster, it couldn't, because long before the arrival of the Hata Detachment, the highway and various dirt roads between the Fuchi River and the 385th Brigade's defense zone had been thoroughly destroyed by He Wei. He even blew up several nearby paddy fields, directly diverting water to flood the roads, and completely destroyed the nearby traffic roads.

Not to mention that the 150mm howitzer battalion and truck baggage pulled by tracked tractors of the Hata Detachment had to wait until the engineering troops completed the paving work before they could pass through the area. Even the mountain artillery carried by mules and horses could hardly be said to be smooth.

However, it was obviously impossible for Shigekazu Hata, who was impatient to launch an attack in the direction of Banbi Mountain, to wait until the engineers had paved the road and all the heavy equipment was in place before launching the attack.

So, while heavy equipment, howitzers, trucks, and baggage were still advancing slowly on the muddy road, Shigekazu Hata had already led the 1st Infantry Regiment of Taiwan Island and the 8th Independent Engineer Regiment, which were mainly equipped with light equipment and had strong mobility, and the demolition engineer squadron moved forward and quickly rushed towards Banbi Mountain.

Of course, as a senior Japanese commander who had won many military honors, although Hata Shigeichi was upset because of the brief setback in the battle at Tomichi River, he would never lose his mind because of a small setback, otherwise Hata Shigeichi would not have been promoted to the rank of major general.

The reason why Hata Shigekazu was so eager to launch an attack in the direction of Banbi Mountain was that he wanted to avenge the defeat in the Fuchi River crossing battle, but his main purpose was to launch a quick attack while the Chinese troops guarding the east bank of the Fuchi River were probably still in a state of rapid retreat to Banbi Mountain. It would be great if he could cause chaos to the Chinese troops who had just withdrawn, or even severely damage them. Even if he could not achieve this tactical goal, he could turn this quick attack into a tentative, contact attack to test the strength of the Chinese army's defense.

The afternoons in Hubei in summer are also extremely hot. The high sun is constantly scorching the earth's surface. In the hastily built temporary command post, Hata Shigeichi raised a telescope and looked at the Big and Small Bear Mountain heights and the densely covered barricades, chevaux de frise, barbed wire and other obstacles below the heights, as well as the wide open defensive positions on both sides of the heights which are also densely covered with various obstacles, bunkers, machine gun nests and countless communication trenches. Hata Shigeichi's expression became more and more solemn.

After more than an hour's forced march, Shigekazu Hata finally led his troops to the defense zone of the 385th Brigade and stopped in front of the wide front defense line centered on the Big and Small Bear Mountain Heights.

The 1st Infantry Regiment of Taiwan Island and the 8th Independent Engineer Regiment's Demolition Squadron, which had been advancing along with Hata Shigekazu, also deployed immediately and quickly completed their combat preparations.

Among the various positions within the defense zone of the 385th Brigade, the Big and Small Bear Mountain Heights were regarded by He Wei as the top priority, and Hata Shigekazu was also well aware of the importance of controlling high points. Therefore, after observing the various positions of the Chinese army, the Big and Small Bear Mountain Heights were also regarded by Hata Shigekazu as the key attack area, and were naturally selected by him as the number one attack target.

However, after taking a look at the overall picture of the Chinese army's defensive positions, Shigekazu Hata quickly realized that this would be a tough nut to crack. Apart from anything else, the densely packed obstacles in front of the Chinese army's positions alone would not be able to be set up in just a few days.

Obviously, the Chinese troops in the opposite position had been well prepared, and without sufficient artillery firepower, it would be difficult to take down such a position with only the infantry regiment and engineer demolition squadron currently under the control of Hata Shigeichi.

Therefore, Shigekazu Hata wisely defined the nature of this attack as a contact and exploratory attack, and he limited the force launching the attack to one infantry battalion.

In Shigekazu Hata's opinion, based on past experience in fighting with the Chinese army, a battalion can often fight evenly with the brigade-level units of the Chinese army and not be at a disadvantage. When facing some Chinese troops with poor combat effectiveness, an infantry battalion can even fight against an infantry division of the Chinese army.

Therefore, he launched an attack on the Chinese troops on the high ground in front of him with an infantry battalion, which could not only put considerable pressure on the Chinese troops guarding the Big and Small Bear Mountains, but also would not cause excessive losses due to the excessive deployment of troops. This was in line with the needs of tentative and contact attacks.

"Well, if a battalion of troops deploys a battle formation to attack this high ground, it should be able to detect the firepower of the Chinese army without suffering too many losses." Hata Shigeichi muttered to himself. After giving himself a reassurance, he put down the telescope and waved to the adjutant beside him, "Let's get started!"

"Yes!"

The adjutant shouted, then waved to several officers outside the command post and shouted, "Attack begins!"

Whizzing
Whizzing
Two red flares flew into the sky with a long whistling sound, and then the "boom bang" sound of shells being fired suddenly rang out. The four Type 1 41mm mountain guns of the artillery company directly under the 75st Infantry Regiment of Taiwan Island began rapid firing at the Big and Small Bear Mountain Heights.

The muzzles of the four Type 4 mountain cannons flashed white light frequently, and they fired at the Big and Small Bear Mountain heights at a frequency almost equal to the theoretical maximum firing rate.

Boom
Boom
In just one minute of fierce and rapid shooting, more than twenty shells hit the front of the Big and Small Bear Mountain heights.

However, the mountain artillery shells that hit the front of the Big and Small Bear Mountain heights did not produce the dense shrapnel and gunpowder smoke unique to lethal explosive grenades after exploding, but instead scattered thick white smoke, because the rapid fire of these four Type 4 mountain artillery pieces only fired non-lethal white smoke bombs.

Blown by the breeze, the smoke produced by more than two dozen smoke bombs fired rapidly by four 4mm mountain cannons of the Japanese army quickly spread over the high ground of the Big and Small Bear Mountains.

The rumbling sound of explosions continued, and the smoke bombs fired by the Type 41 mountain cannon, which was still firing fiercely, hit the Big and Small Bear Mountain Plateau one after another, producing waves and bursts of continuous thick white smoke, which soon covered the entire Big and Small Bear Mountain Plateau.

At the same time, nearly 8 Japanese engineers from the 6th Independent Engineer Regiment's Demolition Squadron, under the cover of smoke, carried six of the latest Type 98 50mm engineer obstacle-clearing mortars and quickly advanced to a position meters away from the underground obstacle area of ​​the Big and Small Bear Mountains.

After placing the six engineer obstacle-clearing mortars in a line and loading multiple sets of serial explosive packs and 6mm special blasting tubes into the gun barrels, the Japanese engineers approaching the obstacle area immediately fired the engineer obstacle-clearing mortars, and strange and harsh whistling sounds followed one after another.

Amid the strange sounds of explosions and whooshing through the air, six Type 6 98mm engineer obstacle-clearing mortars instantly launched a large number of serial explosive packs and 50mm blasting tubes into the obstacle area below the Big and Small Bear Mountains. Before the explosive packs and blasting tubes launched by the six engineer mortars could hit the ground and explode, the skilled Japanese engineers loaded and launched the second, third, and fourth rounds of explosive packs and blasting tubes.

The explosive packs and blasting tubes thrown into the air flew in a large arc and landed in the obstacle area on the high ground of the Big and Small Bear Mountains. A large number of explosive packs and blasting tubes exploded one after another after landing, and the densely packed stockades, chevaux de frise and barbed wire in the obstacle area were collapsed one after another with the rumbling sound of the explosion.

After five minutes of fierce bombardment by six engineer mortars, which had used up all the serial explosives and blasting tubes carried by the Japanese engineers, the obstacle area underneath the Big and Small Bear Mountains had been blasted open into a path that was not very wide, but large enough to accommodate an infantry charge.

Almost at the moment when the Japanese engineers stopped firing, a burst of crazy drumming and shouting suddenly rang out. Thousands of Japanese officers and soldiers from the 1rd Infantry Battalion of the 3st Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Taiwan Island jumped out of the scattered trenches with cold bayonets flashing, and rushed towards the gap opened by the engineers.
(End of this chapter)