The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 510 The Tragic 21st Regiment
Just as He Wei predicted, the Japanese army did not change the scheduled landing site, nor did they play any tricks to confuse the enemy, but instead launched the landing attack operation on Shatan Head in an open and aboveboard manner.

At noon the next day after He Wei led his troops to defeat a Japanese infantry battalion, the Japanese army began fire preparations before the landing attack. All the Japanese warships that were bombarding in Longmen and Beihai waters drove to Qisha waters and began fierce bombardment.

More than a dozen Japanese Navy cruisers and destroyers arrived in the waters directly opposite Qisha and launched a fierce bombardment on the Qisha coastline. Japanese Navy carrier-based aircraft also took off from aircraft carriers and strafed and bombed the National Army's defense line along the Qisha coastline.

The Japanese army's fierce artillery preparation and aircraft bombing lasted almost the entire afternoon. The sea was filled with continuous and deafening sounds of large-caliber naval guns. The Japanese fleet frantically launched 203mm and 140mm caliber naval gun high-explosive bombs at the Qisha beach in an uninterrupted and continuous salvo manner. The fighter planes that took off from the aircraft carriers also frantically strafed and dropped bombs at low altitudes.

It was not until nightfall that the Japanese fighter planes ceased their air attacks, but the naval guns continued to fire all night, still bombarding the beach according to the results of daytime observations.

The Japanese commander Toshiyoshi Ando, ​​who was determined to continue the landing operation in Qisha, showed his skills and determination with fierce naval and air firepower.

In the early morning of November 11, at the head of Qisha Beach, a rising sun slowly emerged, emitting a dazzling light. The originally golden Qisha Beach had become riddled with holes after an afternoon and a whole night of intensive sea and air bombing by the Japanese army. The beach was dotted with black craters emitting thick smoke, and the golden beach was covered with shrapnel from large-caliber naval guns.

The Japanese corpses and wreckage of landing craft from the 21st Infantry Battalion of the 1st Infantry Regiment that were originally piled on the beach suffered even more horrific destruction under the intensive bombing of the Japanese army. Almost no intact Japanese corpses and wreckage of landing craft could be seen on the beach.

Under the impact of Japanese naval artillery shells, all the Japanese corpses and landing craft wreckage were turned into bloody piles of meat and steel parts.

The dense craters and shrapnel on the beach extended all the way to the new 19th Division's fortifications and positions, which were one to two kilometers away from the beach. The Gui army's coastal defense positions were all set up along the coastline, and their defense positions were one to two kilometers away from the beach.

At this distance, these positions were basically within the range of the Japanese large-caliber naval guns. Therefore, these defensive positions were undoubtedly also subjected to fierce bombardment by Japanese naval guns and aircraft. Therefore, the dense craters and shrapnel on the beach and thick smoke were also spread throughout the Gui army's defensive positions.

The entire beach, as well as the depths of the Gui army's defensive positions, were reduced to ruins by the fierce naval and air firepower of the Japanese army.

Boom, boom, boom

Almost at the same time as the sun rose high in the sky, the firepower of the Japanese naval artillery, which had weakened slightly in the early morning, once again reached its peak. All the large and medium-caliber naval guns on a dozen heavy cruisers and destroyers suddenly began to fire continuously and uninterruptedly at the highest rate of fire. One shell after another flew across the sea, landing on the Qisha beach or hitting the defenders' positions along the coast. Huge smoke columns tens of meters high, wrapped in flames and soil, rose into the sky, accompanied by thick smoke and dust.

Amid the piercing whistling sound, dense bombs and explosions soon appeared on the Qisha beach and in the defensive positions of the Gui army, creating a scene of purgatory.

In the command post of the 19th Regiment of the New 56th Division, which was located deep behind the Gui Army's defense line, He Wei stood behind the observation port and looked at the scene on the beach and the Gui Army's defense position through a telescope. He couldn't help but sigh: "The damn naval gun firepower is really fucking fierce. We fought all afternoon and night yesterday. The planes bombed and the naval guns bombed. At night, the planes did not move out, and the naval guns continued to bomb. It didn't stop all night, and now it's getting intense again."

Beside him, Wang Yuanling, chief of staff of the assault corps, and Yang Tian, ​​commander of the 19th Regiment of the new 56th Division of the Gui army, also looked worried. They were quite nervous after hearing He Wei say that the Japanese army was about to launch a landing attack.

After all, it was his troops guarding the coastal positions, and when the Japanese army landed and attacked, it would be his people who filled the trenches and fought the Japanese. Captain Yang was not too worried about the fierce artillery bombardment of the Japanese army, because in fact the defensive strength of the 56th Regiment's position fortifications was very strong, so strong that it was even able to withstand the attack of Japanese naval guns. This also shocked He Wei for a time.

After learning the details from Yang Tian, ​​He Wei realized that the Guangxi clique had consciously prepared for war long before the outbreak of the War of Resistance and had begun building coastal defense positions and fortifications.

After the outbreak of the war, a large amount of manpower and material resources were invested in strengthening coastal defense. The positions of the 56th Regiment were the result of the New Guangxi Clique's meticulous management of coastal defense. Therefore, the positions of the 56th Regiment were not ordinary civil engineering fortifications, but permanent and semi-permanent fortifications mainly made of reinforced concrete structures, supplemented by civil engineering fortifications.

After nearly three years of construction and reinforcement, these fortifications are now very solid and can even withstand the bombardment of Japanese naval guns.

Therefore, although the Japanese bombarded fiercely, the defenders suffered little losses and casualties thanks to the fortifications built by the New Guangxi Clique. If it were the other way around, without such solid positions, the defenders would have been blown down by the Japanese naval gun fire long ago.

"Commander He, these fortifications have been under construction for more than two years. I am not afraid of artillery fire, but my troops have no combat experience, and the reserve troops they can use are only one regiment. If my troops cannot withstand it, I hope Commander He will provide reinforcements in time."

Yang said nervously.

He Wei replied calmly, "Please rest assured, Commander Yang, my assault team will give you our full support."

After the bloody battle yesterday, He Wei sent a telegram to the friendly forces and Nanning. He didn't know how Nanning, Guilin Headquarters and Chongqing reacted, but the friendly 46th Army was frightened.

He Xuan, commander of the 46th Army, and Huang Gu, commander of the new 19th Division, who had once had some unpleasantness with He Wei over the issue of reinforcement, made a -degree turn in their attitude towards He Wei. They treated He Wei as their "reborn parents" and were very grateful to He Wei. After learning that He Wei's troops had suffered serious ammunition losses, they transported a large amount of stockpiled ammunition to make up for the losses.

In fact, from a certain perspective, He Wei did save these division commanders and army commanders.

In the original time and space, because the Japanese army organized a landing operation in Qinzhou very smoothly, the commander of the 46th Army and the division commanders and regiment commanders under him were all punished to varying degrees, including dismissal and investigation. He Wei was equivalent to helping them keep their official hats.

The news of the Japanese landing also scared them greatly, but due to the lack of troops, the 46th Army had no way to increase much troops in Qisha. The 175th Division defending the Beihai direction could not move and had to defend the coastal defense positions there. The same was true for the new 19th Division. The only troops that could be added to Qisha were the field replacement regiment of the new 19th Division. Apart from that, the only one they could rely on was the strong army under He Wei.

Huang Gu, the commander of the new 19th Division, said a lot of good things to He Wei, hoping that He Wei could assist the 56th Regiment in holding the defense line. Although He Wei agreed, he also put forward his own requirements to Huang Gu. He would definitely do his best to help the new 19th Division to hold the position, but it would be more of a firepower support, or take the initiative to launch a counterattack against the Japanese army.

As for the task of fighting with the Japanese army in the position, or defending to the death, He would definitely not do it. After all, the officers and soldiers of the assault corps under his command were all precious treasures, and it was not worth using them to defend and fight to the death in the trenches. At least, it was absolutely not worth it now.

If the defensive line of the position of the 19th Regiment of the New 56th Division was captured and penetrated by the Japanese army, He Wei would help them fight back and take it back, but the troops of the New 19th Division must fill and guard the defensive line.

As a result, the defense line of the Qisha coastal positions was formed with the 19th Regiment of the new 56th Division guarding the main position. The forward troops of the advance detachment into Guangxi commanded by He Wei were hidden outside the range of Japanese naval guns, on standby behind the hill near the 56th Regiment command post, while the new 19th Division's supplementary regiment, which served as the reserve force, was hidden and on standby at a further rear position, ready to go up and fill the 56th Regiment's defense line at any time. This was a specific defense deployment.

Boom
Boom
Amid the rumbling of artillery fire, a faint buzzing sound was heard in the sky. Then, a large number of Japanese planes emerged from the thick smoke on the sea. After flying over the 56th Regiment's defense line, they quickly lowered their altitude and dropped bombs like a hen laying eggs. The machine guns on the planes also began to spit out flames and strafed along the 56th Regiment's defense line.

After two hours of fierce bombing, the Japanese naval gun firepower suddenly decreased. In the 56th Regiment Command Post, He Wei, who noticed the change in Japanese firepower, put down his telescope, turned his head to look at Yang Tian, ​​the commander of the 56th Regiment, and said solemnly: "Commander Yang, it looks like the enemy is about to land. The rest is up to you."

Yang Tian nodded, then left the observation port, picked up the phone to various positions and began to command and deploy, while He Wei continued to observe the battle situation with Wang Yuanling. There was no doubt that the subsequent large-scale landing and anti-landing operations would be extremely tragic and bloody, and a bloody battle was about to take place before their eyes.

Soon, as the shelling weakened, a loud roar was heard from the sea surface which was already filled with thick smoke. A large number of Japanese landing craft sped at the fastest speed and advanced rapidly towards Qisha Beach.

Unlike the failed landing last night, the number of Japanese troops involved in this landing operation was much larger, and the Japanese troops responsible for the landing attack were still the 21st Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army.

The loss of the 21st Battalion of the 1st Regiment did not intimidate this elite Japanese regiment, but instead aroused their ferocity. At the initiative of the 21st Regiment Commander Miki Yoshinosuke, the remaining troops of the 21st Regiment all joined the battle and mobilized two-thirds of the landing craft carried by the Japanese army in this landing operation to launch a beach assault.

Large-caliber artillery shells whizzed past the heads of the Japanese landing craft. With the cover of artillery fire, the Japanese landing craft carrying the 21st Regiment finally touched the Qisha beach. Then, the pedals of the landing craft were lowered, and a large number of Japanese troops jumped off the landing craft like dumplings and began to wade in and assault the landing.

Due to the fierce firepower of the Japanese naval guns, the 56th Regiment's position was almost completely covered in dense naval gun barrage and thick smoke. In addition, its defensive position was one to two kilometers away from the beach.

Therefore, it was impossible to attack the Japanese 21st Regiment that had rushed onto the beach. The 21st Regiment successfully opened up a landing site on the beach. Its 1st Infantry Battalion, 2nd Infantry Battalion, as well as the regiment's artillery company, rapid-fire artillery company and other units directly under the regiment arrived at the landing site one after another.

After stepping onto the Qisha beach, under the command of Japanese officers at all levels, the various units of the 21st Regiment that completed the landing quickly completed the unloading and assembly of equipment and ammunition, and the infantry units also completed preparations for the attack under the cover of naval gun fire. After completing preparations for the breakthrough, Colonel Yoshinosuke Miki, commander of the 21st Regiment, immediately conveyed the signal for the infantry to start the attack to the landing command post that was waiting for the signal on the sea.

Soon, the firepower of the Japanese warships' artillery that was spewing flames at sea came to an abrupt halt. At the same time, the infantry of the 21st Regiment deployed one after another and rushed towards the position of the 56th Regiment.

"Onboard!"

Almost at the same time as the Japanese naval gun fire stopped, strange noises and shouts of killing were heard on the beach. Since the Japanese army had conducted sufficient aerial reconnaissance, the 21st Regiment did not need to be careful to do any ground reconnaissance after landing. They already had a very clear understanding of the positions of the Chinese army that they were about to attack. As soon as the naval gun fire stopped, the 21st Regiment skillfully and quickly deployed an offensive battle formation and launched an attack on the positions of the 56th Regiment.

砰

砰

砰

As soon as the Japanese army launched the charge, sporadic gunshots were heard from the positions of the 56th Regiment. At this time, even the most forward position of the 56th Regiment was only about one kilometer away from the charging Japanese army. Starting shooting at this distance was tantamount to firing indiscriminately.

He Wei, who observed this situation in the command post, couldn't help but shook his head. Chief of Staff Wang Yuanling even bluntly stated that the 56th Regiment's indiscriminate shooting was due to serious lack of training.

What Wang Yuanling said was indeed true. At this moment, in the position of the 56th Regiment, facing the Japanese army they saw for the first time, many soldiers and even sergeants had already opened fire in advance, and more soldiers who were in the communication trenches and entering the firing positions and combat positions were also in a panic.

The new 19th Division was a newly established unit of the Gui Army after the Anti-Japanese War. Its combat quality was far inferior to those of the old elite units of the Gui Army. None of the officers and soldiers in these positions had any combat experience. Now facing such a fierce attack by the Japanese army, this brand-new unit simply could not calmly respond to the battle. However, He Wei and Wang Yuanling did not rush to send people to reinforce the 56th Regiment, because the performance of this unit was actually expected by He Wei. He really did not expect the officers and soldiers of this newly established and long-established unit to have any superb tactical qualities. He was not a god, and it was even more impossible for him to help them with some crash training to improve their tactical qualities. Therefore, He Wei had made arrangements long before the war.

In order to support the 56th Regiment, He Wei dispatched the assault corps' direct anti-aircraft artillery company, the tank defense artillery company, and the 81mm mortar companies of the three infantry battalions into the 56th Regiment's defensive positions. Although He Wei would not send infantry troops to help the 56th Regiment fill the line, it was necessary to send heavy weapons troops to strengthen their firepower. Otherwise, with the weak firepower of the 56th Regiment, it would not be able to withstand the fierce offensive of the Japanese army.

Therefore, although He Wei saw that the tactical quality of the 56th Regiment was not very good at the beginning of the battle, with the help of several companies equipped with heavy weapons, the position would not be lost easily. However, the losses of the 56th Regiment in the battle would be considerable.

"Da da da"

The shouts of the Japanese army became louder and louder, and soon, the sound of machine guns was heard again in the positions of the 56th Regiment. Some machine gunners who could not hold back also began to shoot, and bullets from light and heavy machine guns were fired from the machine gun bunkers one after another. After the large-scale firing of light and heavy machine guns, the position of the 56th Regiment seemed to have received a signal to open fire, and the infantry and machine guns in various bunkers and strategic defensive positions all began to shoot.

Dense gunfire and rain-like bullets spurted out from the 56th Regiment's defense line.

The Japanese troops in the charge soon suffered casualties. The intensive firepower instantly knocked down many of them. The screams and roars of the Japanese soldiers on the beach increased. The attack formation of the 21st Regiment was suddenly frustrated. The Japanese infantry, which was originally charging quickly, quickly adjusted their attack formation after suffering casualties, and crawled forward under the firepower of the 56th Regiment.

Loud shouts also broke out in the positions of the 56th Regiment. Then, the officers and soldiers of the 56th Regiment, who had achieved certain results, seemed to be encouraged. Their firepower became more intense, and the sounds of light machine guns and heavy machine guns rang out in succession.

The firepower network of the 56th Regiment was quite dense. The equipment of this new Gui army unit was naturally not as good as that of the elite Gui army fighting in other provinces, but their weapons were not too bad. Each of the three infantry battalions had a heavy machine gun company equipped with six Type Maxim heavy machine guns, and each infantry squad was also equipped with light machine guns. When they exerted all their firepower and fired at the fastest speed, the firepower network formed was quite lethal.

Of course, the 56th Regiment's style of fighting once again violated a big taboo. The light and heavy firepower on the entire position was indeed fierce, but they still opened fire in advance and exposed all the firepower points.

Under the strafing of various firepower from the 56th Regiment's position, the Japanese troops of the 21st Regiment could no longer advance quickly. Some of the attacking Japanese troops crawled cautiously on the beach, while others fired at the 56th Regiment on the spot.

The grenade throwers of the infantry squadron, the Taisho 11-type Type 99 light machine gunners, and the heavy machine gunners of each heavy machine gun squadron braved the hail of bullets from the Chinese army. Under the command of sergeants and corporals, they wielded shovels under the flying bullets and built temporary firing positions on the beach. The Japanese counter-suppression firepower soon arrived.

The Japanese army operator operating the 56mm grenade launcher began to test fire. The grenades fired from the Type mm grenade launcher flew out one after another. A series of explosions sounded in the position of the th Regiment. Long tongues of fire spewed out of the muzzles of the Type light machine gun and the Type heavy machine gun.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The Type 56 heavy machine gun sounded rhythmically with the noise of metal bullet plates rubbing against each other. The Japanese machine gunners were of very high quality, and they fired at a steady rhythm despite the firepower of the 56th Regiment. Strings of bullets were accurately fired at the light and heavy machine gun bunkers of the th Regiment, forming a suppressive shooting.

The attacking and defending sides soon engaged in a shootout and melee. After achieving certain results, the officers and soldiers of the 56th Regiment in the defensive position opened fire at full power and shot fiercely. After being attacked by intensive firepower, the Japanese army naturally had to suppress the firepower while sending out infantry to crawl forward.

On the beach, dense rain of bullets fired by both sides flew across the sky, and the fighting was very fierce. For a while, the two sides seemed to be in a stalemate.

After the melee and shooting lasted for more than five minutes, a series of loud bangs suddenly broke out on the beach, and this sound immediately broke the deadlock between the two sides.

In the melee, the infantry artillery squads of the two infantry battalions of the 21st Regiment, as well as the regiment's direct artillery company and rapid-fire artillery company had urgently completed the construction of firing positions. Thanks to the 56th Regiment's early firing and the fact that the 56th Regiment's light and heavy machine gunners had been firing continuously and recklessly in the battle, the locations of the bunker fire points where the light and heavy machine guns were deployed had long been spotted by Japanese observers. Therefore, after completing the shooting preparations, the 21st Regiment's artillery quickly began to show its power.

两个步兵炮小队的4门92式70毫米步兵炮，联队炮中队的4门41式75毫米山炮，速射炮中队的4门94式37毫米速射炮几乎都以平射的角度向56团的轻重机枪火力点开火，各种口径的炮弹带着尖利的呼啸声直直砸向了56团的轻重机枪火力点，与此同时，日军的轻重机枪手和掷弹筒手也向这些轻重火力点开火。

In an instant, streams of fire and artillery shells hit and covered almost all the light and heavy firepower points of the 56th Regiment. Sparks and black smoke filled the position of the 56th Regiment.

Black smoke suddenly rose around each firing point, and the air was filled with fumes. Given the solidity of these bunker-fire points, no Japanese artillery shells could cause penetrating damage to them, but the flying shrapnel and bullets killed and injured many shooters inside. The light and heavy machine guns that had been firing fiercely just now were silenced in an instant.

At the same time, the dense explosion of shrapnel also caused a lot of casualties to the other soldiers of the 56th Regiment who were shooting in the trenches. Shouts, chaos, wailing, and calls for help instantly filled the positions of the 56th Regiment.

"Onboard!"

"Onboard!"

"Must win!"

The Japanese troops on the beach suddenly burst into frantic shouts and roars. The Japanese infantrymen crawling on the beach jumped up one after another, waving their sabers and holding their sharp bayonets, and launched an attack. The Japanese infantrymen of two infantry battalions rushed towards the position of the 56th Regiment at an extremely fast speed, and the position of the 56th Regiment had already been in chaos under the fierce bombardment of Japanese artillery fire.

800 meter

700 meter

600 meter

500 meter

400 meter

The attacking Japanese infantry approached rapidly and were about to break into the position of the 56th Regiment, but at this moment, intensive and continuous artillery fire suddenly broke out from the chaotic position of the 56th Regiment.

bang bang

bang bang

Boom
In the position of the 56th Regiment, several bunker-fire points that had never opened fire since the beginning of the battle suddenly burst into a fierce fire. Sharp whistling sounds and red and green light-track ballistics emerged from the smoke-covered position of the 56th Regiment and smashed head-on into the oncoming Japanese formation. In an instant, screams rang out one after another, and the Japanese soldiers who were hit either had their flesh and blood flying or their limbs broken.

The anti-aircraft artillery company directly under the assault corps, which had been holding back from opening fire, once again demonstrated the power of its machine guns. The eight Suratong 8mm machine guns placed in the bunker fortifications were used as oversized machine guns. The machine gun shells fired in the fully automatic shooting mode immediately swept across the oncoming Japanese infantry.

The shells fired by the Sulutong 20mm machine gun can penetrate 500mm thick steel plates at a distance of 30m, and hitting a person is like a shell hitting tofu.

After being strafed by dense machine gun fire, the Japanese army's swift charge formation was suddenly thwarted, replaced by heart-wrenching screams and wails.

While the fierce machine gun fire was harvesting the Japanese army, the tank defense artillery company directly under the assault corps, which was also hidden in the bunker, also opened fire. However, their target was not the Japanese infantry, but the Japanese artillery in the rear. It was not difficult to aim at the Japanese artillery that was lined up and firing on the beach. One after another, 45mm tank defense gun explosive grenades broke through the air.

The sound of artillery shells breaking through the air came from far away and hit the artillery positions of the 21st Regiment with a "boom boom". Shrapnel from the exploding 45mm grenades flew everywhere, and clouds of smoke rose into the air with the sand near the artillery positions. Immediately, more than a dozen Japanese gunners were killed or wounded under the concentrated fire of the eight tank defense guns. The artillery of the 8st Regiment, which had been firing at full force just now, suddenly stopped firing. Both the 21 infantry gun, the 92 mountain gun and the 41-type rapid-fire gun were silenced.

Immediately afterwards, bursts of whistling sounds came from the heads of the Japanese infantrymen who were crying for their parents under the fire of the 20mm Surotong machine gun, and then quickly turned into loud explosions amid the blooming shells.

Boom
Boom
The 56mm mortar companies of the three assault corps battalions, which had been hiding in the solid concealment of the 81th Regiment's position, also began to show their power. After the machine guns opened fire, they quickly rushed out of the concealment and completed the rapid artillery setup operation at the designated gun positions. The Japanese infantry who were close at hand obviously did not need to aim carefully. The three company commanders directly ordered rapid fire, and 12 Brandt 81mm mortars fired fiercely. The French original 75mm heavy explosive grenades, which were as powerful as 81mm mountain artillery shells, were continuously thrown into the Japanese attack formation.

The mortar company of the 56th Regiment, which realized the situation later, hurriedly joined in and imitated the mortar units of the assault corps. The company's four domestically-made 4mm mortars also fired continuously.

81mm and 82mm mortar shells continued to explode in the Japanese attack formation, blowing many Japanese soldiers flying. The Japanese attack formation was littered with shrapnel produced by the explosion, broken limbs and bloody sand. The roaring 20mm machine guns created a horrific scene with blood and flesh flying everywhere.

The officers and soldiers of the 1st Regiment, who were originally ready to avenge their comrades in the 21st Battalion, finally felt with their own eyes what a horrible attack the 1st Battalion, which had already been annihilated, had suffered last night.

The 21st Regiment, which had just been full of vigor, fell into such a miserable situation in just a few minutes.

Colonel Yoshinosuke Miki, commander of the 21st Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army on the beach, stared in amazement at his subordinates wailing in the hail of bullets. Based on the exchange of fire between the two sides just now, he could judge that the tactical quality of the Chinese army in front of him was not very high. After suppressing their light and heavy machine gun fire points, the Chinese army's positions had obviously become chaotic. He saw that his troops were about to rush in and capture the Chinese army's positions, but he did not expect that the enemy's heavy firepower was hidden so deeply.

The tactical quality of the Chinese army in front of us is really inconsistent and difficult to predict.

Miki Yoshinosuke's focus on the destruction of the 1st Battalion under his command was the Chinese army's tanks, and he was extremely vigilant about them. When he did not see the appearance of the Chinese army's tanks, he was actually relieved. But now, the battle situation before him was simply another massacre, even more tragic than the destruction of the 1st Battalion on the sea.

Miki Yoshinosuke felt a chill down his spine at this moment. He could not blame the 21st Regiment for its honor. He immediately screamed, "Retreat, retreat to the beach, consolidate the position. Signalman, send a message to the rear immediately, requesting naval and air fire support. I need support, I need reinforcements!"

(End of this chapter)