The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 520: Tank Battalion! Assault!

The Japanese army's order to reinforce troops was quickly issued. The 42rd Battalion of the 3nd Infantry Regiment, which was on standby in the position, immediately organized an attack after receiving the attack order. With three infantry companies as the vanguard, they were the first to rush out of the position and rushed towards the position of the New 19th Division where a fierce battle was going on.

Its subordinate heavy machine gun squadron and infantry artillery squad followed in turn, and tried their best to launch an attack along the attack route of the 42nd Regiment.

More than a thousand Japanese troops either deployed in infantry skirmish attack formations, charged quickly with bayonets pointed, or carried heavy machine guns and infantry cannons, and advanced forward closely following the infantry in front. The battlefield was filled with bursts of Japanese shouts and cries of killing.

The 42nd Regiment has put all its forces into the attack. The main force of an infantry battalion began to engage the enemy at an extremely fast speed. This complete infantry battalion rushed forward shouting and killing, with an unstoppable and decisive momentum, and broke through the position of the New 19th Division which was still in the melee.

In the rear, in the command post of the assault corps, He Wei sneered as he listened to the increasingly approaching shouts of killing and the Chinese and Japanese armies fighting each other in the telescope.

The Chief of Staff Wang Yuanling showed an excited look on his face and said anxiously: "Captain, the enemy has begun to reinforce. Can we start the action now?"

"Of course, after waiting for so long, the enemy finally got reinforcements. It looks like there are quite a few new ones. Pass on my order and start attacking!"

"Yes!"

Just as Yang Tian, ​​the commander of the 19th Regiment of the new 56th Division, guessed, the reason why the assault corps was slow to act was because He Wei was preparing to give the Japanese a hard time.

Based on the battle situation at the front, he and the staff office judged that the number of Japanese troops that had invaded the position was probably between one and two battalions. With the strength of the new 19th Division at the front, it should not be a problem to resist the Japanese for several hours. Therefore, He Wei did not send anyone to launch a counterattack. He had a big appetite, and one or two battalions of Japanese troops were not worth him putting all his heavy troops into it.

When the Japanese army sees that the troops that have broken into the frontline positions are unable to resolve the battle and send out reinforcements, it is time for the assault corps to be dispatched.

The tank battalion attached to the infantry unit was used as a mobile strike force to directly attack the Japanese reinforcements that were in the reinforcement state, and at the same time to form a split and encirclement situation against the Japanese troops and the Japanese reinforcements that had already entered the positions of the New 19th Division. In this way, the Japanese troops that had already entered the positions of the New 19th Division were trapped. As long as the assault corps invested enough troops, it could form an annihilating blow to them.

As for the Japanese reinforcements, as well as the Japanese artillery and heavy machine gun units in front of the new 19th Division's position, He Wei planned to use a coordinated attack by tanks and infantry to deal with them.

Of course, He Wei's tactical plan to annihilate the enemy that has already invaded and inflict heavy damage to the enemy reinforcements must be based on a major premise, that is, the new 19th Division Field Replacement Regiment and the 56th Regiment in the frontline positions can withstand the attacks of the Japanese army and not collapse in the melee with the Japanese army. If they can't hold on, then another conservative style of play will be adopted.

But now it seems that although the Gui army troops on the front line are new troops, they have lived up to the reputation of the Gui troops and have been fighting with the Japanese army to a stalemate until now. They have fought hard and tough enough!
Then, it’s time for the assault team to go into battle! —
At the rear of the hidden area of ​​the assault corps, the commander of the tank battalion, Zhao Huzhen, put down his gun and jumped up. He said to Fu Chen, the commander of the first infantry battalion of the assault corps, "Commander Fu, the order has arrived. It's time for us to go."

Fu Chen nodded and said, "Okay, let's try out the effect of our infantry-tank coordination today."

Soon, the tank battalion and the 26st Infantry Battalion of the Assault Corps, which received the order first, took action first. The entire tank battalion's 35 TB tanks and Fiat CV tanks started moving one after another.

The tanks with hidden branches hanging on them rumbled under the drive of the engine and slowly moved forward. Four tank companies moved out in a line from the right wing of the assault corps' hidden position. The 20 Italian Fiat CV35 tanks of the four tank companies were gathered together and drove in the front, followed by 37 T26B tanks.

Amid the loud roar, the officers and soldiers of the 35st Infantry Battalion of the Assault Corps followed up in company units according to the previously trained infantry-combat coordination formation. This infantry-combat coordination team continued to accelerate after setting off. The leading CV19 light tank group quickly drove out from the right wing of the new 19th Division's position defense line, then accelerated, made a turn and rushed towards the Japanese troops in front of the new th Division's position.

After all the 19 small tanks passed the right side of the new 26th Division's defense line, they accelerated suddenly, directly leaving behind the T19 tanks and the infantry of the assault corps behind them, and quickly deployed in two horizontal columns, rushing towards the Japanese troops in front of the position. The first assault of the light tanks was a tactic agreed upon in advance by He Wei and Zhao Huzhen. Through observation of the front positions and the report from the artillery observation station, He Wei had determined that the Japanese army's regiment artillery, infantry artillery and rapid-fire artillery, as well as heavy machine gunners and other heavy weapons units were in front of the new th Division's position.

This Italian-made light tank had very poor protection and could not withstand the fire of the Japanese infantry guns and rapid-fire guns. Therefore, the safest way to use it was to break away from the T26B medium tanks and infantry in the rear, take advantage of its speed, and rush forward to attack the Japanese artillery and heavy machine gun units in front of the position, quickly kill them, and then quickly break away.

Faced with the sudden appearance of a group of light tanks charging at them at high speed, the artillerymen and heavy machine gunners of the 42st and 1nd Battalions of the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army, as well as the artillerymen of the regiment, who were fully focused on the chaotic fighting in the positions, had no time to react. They only heard a loud roar, and saw 20 small light tanks covered with tree branches rushing over from the flank like galloping horses and light cavalry.

Immediately afterwards, flames spurted out of the machine gun turrets of 20 light tanks arranged in two horizontal rows. The dense rain of bullets fired by the Italian-made twin 8mm Fiat M35 machine guns on each vehicle immediately covered the temporary firing positions of the Japanese 42nd Regiment's direct regimental artillery company, rapid-fire artillery company, and the heavy machine gun company and infantry artillery squad of the 1st and 2nd Infantry Battalions.

Amid the dense sound of gunfire, many Japanese soldiers who were caught off guard were knocked to the ground. Bullets continued to hit the Type 19 mountain cannon, Type 41 rapid-fire cannon and Type 94 infantry cannon facing the position of the new 92th Division. The bullets hit the artillery's shield and created golden sparks.

Amid the twisting sounds of collision, a large number of Japanese gunners and machine gunners were killed or wounded, screaming in agony.

After realizing that they were under tank attack, the Japanese rapid-fire artillery quickly turned their guns and prepared to launch anti-tank fire. However, the ultra-light tanks that had already rushed into the Japanese firing positions did not give the Japanese gunners a chance to fire.

Although the rampaging CV35 ultra-light tank had weak protection, a small body, and poor firepower, its overall level was equivalent to the Japanese Type 94 ultra-light armored vehicle. However, such a weak tank was like a steel behemoth in front of the Japanese artillery, and it knocked over the four Type 94 37mm rapid-fire guns effortlessly.

The gun barrel that was run over by the tank tracks immediately became twisted and deformed, and the wooden gun wheels were crushed to pieces. Some of the Japanese gunners who had no time to escape fell under machine gun fire, while others were dragged into the tank tracks with screams, turning into a ball of flesh and blood.

Immediately afterwards, the artillery company directly under the 42nd Regiment of the Japanese Army, the infantry artillery squads of the two infantry battalions and the heavy machine gun company also suffered the same fate. Four Type 41 mountain guns were knocked over, four Type 92 infantry guns were all crushed, and most of the sixteen Type 92 heavy machine guns of the two heavy machine gun companies became parts under the tank tracks.

The Japanese artillery and heavy machine gunners were smashed to pieces by the impact of 20 ultra-light tanks. After losing their weapons of resistance, they could only flee in all directions under the machine gun fire of the tanks.

The fire from forty twin-mounted 8mm Fiat M35 vehicle-mounted machine guns never stopped as the tanks were charging forward. The dense machine gun fire swept everywhere, knocking down the Japanese troops who were scattered like headless flies in large numbers. Screams, wails, heart-wrenching wails and the sound of machine guns were intertwined together, and the scene was extremely miserable.

In just less than five minutes, under the ramming attack of 20 ultra-light tanks, the artillery company of the 42nd Regiment of the Japanese Army, the rapid-fire artillery company, the heavy machine gun company and the infantry artillery squad of the 1st and 2nd Infantry Battalions were almost completely wiped out. Except for a few Japanese soldiers who managed to escape, the remaining Japanese soldiers were all either shot to death or hit and crushed by the tanks.

Their makeshift firing positions also became a mess, with bloody tank tracks everywhere, broken limbs and arms, bloodstains, ammunition boxes, weapon parts, mountain artillery shells, rapid-fire artillery shells, cartridges, heavy machine gun magazines, twisted and deformed mountain artillery, rapid-fire artillery and heavy machine gun parts, and various communications and observation equipment.

This makeshift firing position, which had been firing fiercely not long ago, was now filled with only the wailing of wounded Japanese soldiers, the roar of tank engines, and the "clacking" sound of tracks rolling over the ground.

After the attack, the 20 ultra-light tanks did not continue to pursue the retreating Japanese troops. This round of vigorous attack also consumed all the onboard machine gun bullets of these tanks. The 20 tanks that completed the attack mission quickly retreated.

The next infantry-combat coordinated attack mission will be taken over by the 37 T26B medium tanks and officers and soldiers of the st Infantry Battalion of the Assault Corps following behind.

At this time, the shouts and screams of the newly reinforced 42rd Battalion of the 3nd Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army were getting closer and closer. However, under the cover of the smoke and dust, the dust raised by the flames of the Japanese artillery fire on the position of the New 19th Division, and the shouts and screams of the officers and soldiers of the two armies fighting fiercely on the position of the New 19th Division, the 3rd Battalion, which was advancing at full speed, did not notice the group of T19B tanks that were accelerating from the right side of the New 26th Division's position.
(End of this chapter)