Anti-Japanese War: The whole world is a base vehicle

Chapter 71 Let’s build a bigger cannon! (Subscribe!)

"The city wall of Nanning is in front of us. The fortifications are built very neatly. The Japanese are really capable." Lu Yuhua brought Long Wenjian and others to a high place and looked at the fortifications on the city wall of Nanning through a telescope. He couldn't help but smack his lips.

"Commander, I'm afraid it will be difficult to take Nanning City in one go. This fortification may cost the lives of many brothers, unless the heavy artillery is transferred to the front line." Long Wenjian put down the telescope, looking worried.

The Japanese reinforced the city wall with cement overnight, which was much stronger than the previous fortifications.

If we try to destroy these fortifications with small-caliber artillery, it would probably be just a scratch.

More importantly, the terrain here is complex and it is all mountainous.

It is somewhat difficult to build an artillery position, and the excavation efficiency is not very high.

Then all that's left is an infantry assault.

The casualties will definitely not be too small.

The lightly wounded soldiers from the last war have returned.

The combat effectiveness of the troops has also been slightly improved.

But facing the fortified city, it may not be easy to take it in a short time.

"Commander, how about we seek support?" Long Wenjian suggested.

"Support?" Lu Yuhua sneered. Zhang Fakui's status was like a puppet, so he still needed reinforcements.

Which troops can he mobilize now?

I'm afraid no one can mobilize it except myself.

The Guangdong Army that ignored him was directly disbanded.

Xu Tingyao was directly transferred to serve as the principal of some armored school.

The rest were the Gui army and a small number of miscellaneous troops.

Not to mention the Gui army. Without the orders of the three commanders Li Bai and Huang, Zhang Fakui had no chance of mobilizing them.

As for the ragtag troops, each of them only wants to preserve their strength and probably are unwilling to get involved in this muddy water.

After all, the casualties in the siege were absolutely huge.

"Don't think about support. There won't be any. We can only rely on ourselves this time." Lu Yuhua shook his head and said.

"Commander, with just these few people, can we capture a fortified city?" According to Long Wenjian's logic, with tens of thousands of Japanese troops here, it would not be so easy to capture the city.

"Is this number of people not enough? There are about three or four thousand people, and we can replenish them at any time. There will be new recruits after the battle. I want to see how many new recruits the Japanese army has to fill the line." Lu Yuhua sneered.

"Commander, I still suggest that you report to the commander of the war zone first to see if you can request support." Long Wenjian thought about it and advised again.

"Okay, let's go back and call and ask." Lu Yuhua responded casually. He didn't expect any support.

…………

In Nanning City, Lieutenant General Imura Hitoshi of the Fifth Division frowned as he looked at the telegram that had just been delivered.

At this time, the troops stationed at the gate of Nanning reported that several imperial soldiers who had survived in Shitang requested to enter the city.

After verification, the identity was correct, but Lieutenant General Kuna Seiichi had issued an order that the entire area was under martial law and no one was allowed to enter or leave without a pass.

But after considering that they were his own people, the officer at the city gate decided to report the matter and ask whether they should be allowed to enter the city.

"Could it be a spy?" The chief of staff felt that it was nonsense as soon as he finished speaking.

Isn’t this nonsense?

We are all one of us, how could they become spies?
"Your Excellency the Division Commander, there is no problem with the identities of these people. How about letting them enter the city? It happens that there are not enough troops in the city right now, and defense is needed everywhere. Why don't we let them return to the team after the battle is over?" The chief of staff hesitated and made a suggestion.

"Yoshi, let's do it according to your suggestion." Lieutenant General Imura Hitoshi thought about it and decided that this was the only solution at the moment. He couldn't just prevent them from entering the city and eventually let them starve to death outside the city.

Or watch them being killed by the Chinese army?
This is really detrimental to morale.

"How is the position on the city wall being constructed?"

"Sir, please rest assured that our positions are very solidly built. It will be impossible for the Chinese army to capture them without a month." The chief of staff said quickly.

"Yoshi." Imamura couldn't help but praise.

This time, in order to strengthen the fortifications of Nanning City, he specially brought in cement for construction in order to increase the defense capabilities.

After all, the Chinese army’s heavy artillery is too powerful.

Without cement construction, it is impossible to stop the enemy's artillery attack.

Then, a hint of bitterness appeared on Imamura Hitoshi's face. They were the Fifth Division.

It has always been known for its offensive capabilities, but what is the result?

Now we have to learn defense and anxiously wait for the enemy to attack.

What's going on.

Are they still the Type A division of the Empire of Japan?
When did the Type A Division fall to this level?
In the past, they swept across half of Jin Province.

In the end, he returned empty-handed at Taierzhuang.

"Tell the frontline troops to pay attention to the Chinese army's artillery fire. If they encounter artillery fire, hide immediately." Imamura Jun was silent for a while and gave the order to his subordinates.

"Hay."

"Isn't the heavy artillery brigade ready yet?" Imamura asked again.

"No, the soil here is too difficult to dig. It is estimated that it will take another day, especially those large-caliber heavy artillery. Unless they are deployed in the city, they cannot be built in a short time." The chief of staff explained hurriedly.

"We can't do that inside the city, as it's easy to leak the location of the heavy artillery. The Chinese inside the city can't be trusted. It's more reliable outside the city. Tell the logistics regiment to ensure the safety of the heavy artillery brigade. The commander is very concerned. If there is a problem with the heavy artillery brigade, our Fifth Division will definitely be in trouble." Imamura Jun reminded again.

"Hai, I will remind them again." The chief of staff responded again.

……

"Request reinforcements? What are you going to do? Attack Nanning? You took over the Sitang position? So fast? And wiped out another 2,000 Japanese troops?"

"Don't want to report? You think you killed too few enemies? At least report to me after you kill one brigade?" Guilin, Zhang Fakui, commander of the theater, held the phone and asked a series of questions, which made his subordinates look at each other in bewilderment. What was going on?
Is this anger?
Not like ah.

But, if this isn’t anger, then what is it?

They had never seen Zhang Fakui so angry.

"You are getting bolder and bolder. You even dare to attack Nanning city directly? You don't take me, the commander-in-chief of the war zone, seriously at all." Zhang Fakui joked.

"Hehe, I was thinking of giving you a surprise. We are indeed in trouble now. The Japanese have reinforced the Nanning city wall with cement. Also, the heavy artillery position at Shitang is difficult to dig and requires time." Lu Yuhua reported to Zhang Fakui on the other end of the phone.

"Well, I know the location of Nanning. It is indeed difficult to build artillery positions. Moreover, if we delay, something might happen. The Japanese will not just watch them suffer such a huge loss without fighting back." Zhang Fakui agreed with Lu Yuhua's words. He pondered for a while, constantly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

"I won't lie to you. The support I can give you is very limited. Forget about the air force. There is definitely no air force. The only thing is that the heavy artillery will obey your command. The other 2,000 recruits can all be allocated to you."

"In addition, the 36th Army has just received a batch of new soldiers, and its combat effectiveness has been restored a little. If necessary, I can send them to support us. However, you should be aware of the combat effectiveness of the ragtag army, so don't hold too high hopes."

"My suggestion is to suspend the attack first, retreat to Wutang, use the hills there to build positions, and slowly consume the Japanese army. The Japanese army will eventually collapse, and then Nanning will definitely be recovered."

What he said was well-founded. In fact, Zhang Fakui did exactly that. In the end, the Japanese army could no longer hold on and voluntarily gave up Nanning.

It is enough to see that Nanning is not that easy to attack.

Lu Yuhua did not agree with what Zhang Fakui said.

"Sir, that being said, can we, as soldiers, just watch our country fall? Maybe to you, Nanning is just a city, but to me, it is my hometown. As a soldier, Yuhua has the responsibility to defend the land and fight the war."

"I believe that even if Nanning is a tough steel city, I will take it down."

"But if that happens, only one in ten of your garrison regiment will survive," Zhang Fakui reminded.

"Commander, everyone is trying to preserve their strength, which led to the situation today. I just want everything to return to the way it was before. Even if I die in battle in the end, I don't mind." Lu Yuhua said passionately.

Hearing this, Zhang Fakui fell silent, as if Lu Yuhua's words reminded him of his past self.

Wasn’t I also a passionate young man at that time?
What made you become like this?

"In that case, just give it a try. If it doesn't work, just withdraw. There is still a long way to go. I will let the 36th Army support you, and the new soldiers I recruit will also support you immediately." Zhang Fakui took a deep breath and promised Lu Yuhua.

"Yes, thank you, sir." Lu Yuhua did not expect that Zhang Fakui would support him so strongly.

"It's a pity that the Fourth Army was transferred to Changsha, otherwise I could have asked them to support you." Zhang Fakui said with a look of regret. "Sir, your words are enough." Lu Yuhua was waiting for his words, and now he could raise troops openly.

Someone asked and directly blamed it on Zhang Fakui.

They are all reinforcements.

As for weapons and equipment, the captured Japanese weapons were distributed to the new recruits.

Not to mention what it can do, it’s enough to show off its strength.

It would be nice to fire a few shots to scare the Japanese army.

After hanging up the phone, Lu Yuhua was satisfied and was about to speak.

boom!
The sudden explosion startled him.

"Where did the explosion come from?" Lu Yuhua shouted hurriedly after coming to his senses.

"Report, judging from the location, it should be fired from the Japanese position." Liu Yi immediately walked in and reported.

"That was probably a test fire, and what's coming next should be a large-scale artillery bombardment. I suspect the Japanese heavy artillery brigade has arrived."

Hearing this, Lu Yuhua was stunned. Heavy Artillery Brigade?

Damn it, it’s finally here.

Could there be large-caliber heavy artillery?

and many more!

It's really possible!
If he remembered correctly, the Japanese heavy artillery brigade probably had heavy artillery with a caliber of more than 200 mm.

Grass!
Should I get some giant cannons, too?

But given the terrain in Nanning, the heavy artillery is not so lucky.

Just when Lu Yuhua was daydreaming.

boom!
boom!
boom!
boom!
The Shitang position came under fierce artillery fire from the Japanese army.

"150mm howitzer? Troops, this should be a heavy cannon. As for the 240-caliber heavy cannon, it should have arrived as well. Otherwise, this amount of heavy artillery is not enough." Lu Yuhua frowned slightly as he watched the soil on the position being blown everywhere again.

"First, let the infantry withdraw. There is no point in staying in the position. Also, let the artillery commander find the Japanese artillery positions and destroy them for me."

"Commander, I'm afraid the 150mm howitzer can't reach it unless we move the artillery position further forward." Liu Yi suggested.

"No, that would make us a sitting duck for the Japanese. Use the 170mm cannon to destroy their 150mm howitzer positions first." Lu Yuhua has decided to use other countermeasures.

The means he can use now include fighter jets.

But the Japanese also had fighter planes and had even begun preparations.

Although he was confident that his BF109 fighters could destroy the Japanese aircraft, it would give the enemy's heavy artillery a chance to relocate.

Moreover, Nanning has many mountains. Once the other party moves, it would be difficult to find them again.

More importantly, if a few guns suddenly come when our own troops are attacking, the casualties would probably be huge.

So the best option is to produce larger caliber heavy artillery.

In the later stages, heavy artillery can also assist in sieges by directly blowing down the city walls, allowing the enemy to enter the city in one go.

Thinking of this, Lu Yuhua began to look for a suitable cannon.

.........

At the same time, an open space in Shitang.

There are four 170mm cannons lined up in a row.

Further away was the position of the 150mm howitzers, but at this time, they had lost the qualifications to participate in this artillery battle.

There is no other way, limited by the terrain, unless we move our position forward.

But their positions had already been built and could not be moved easily.

Because their mission was to target the Japanese positions in the city.

As for the specific coordinates of the Japanese troops in the city, we still need to wait for the spies to provide them.

So for the time being they couldn't move and could only watch.

"Sir, we have roughly calculated that the Japanese artillery positions should be within this range." The artillery staff quickly reported.

"It's almost done, let the heavy artillery fire." Sun Qi knew that it would be a bit difficult to accurately calculate the enemy's artillery positions, so he could only try it slowly, bit by bit.

"Yes."

Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
With an order, four heavy artillery pieces roared at the same time and flew towards the Japanese artillery position opposite.

"boom!"

The shells landed and did not hit the Japanese artillery positions.

But it also scared the Japanese army.

"What a fast speed." At this time, Major General Tadayoshi Sano, commander of the 4th Field Heavy Artillery Brigade of the Japanese Army, looked at the artillery shells falling not far away and said in surprise.

How long have we been firing? We have already found the approximate location.

No wonder the Imperial Guards Division suffered so miserably.

The enemy's artillery strength is indeed not weak.

And judging from the sound of the shell exploding, it doesn't seem to be a 150mm howitzer?
"Sir, division commander, based on the calculation of the impact point, the Chinese Army's 150mm howitzer position should be near Shitang. But based on our understanding, this place should not be suitable for deploying heavy artillery positions, unless they move the artillery positions forward again. If that is the case, the frontline positions should be able to find it, but their report did not find the Chinese Army's heavy artillery positions." At this time, the combat staff came over and reported with the drawn coordinates.

"Yo, do you mean that the Chinese army has used larger caliber heavy artillery? Well, that is indeed possible. The explosive power is indeed far beyond the 150mm howitzer. If they are using the German heavy artillery series, then it is very likely the K18 170mm cannon." Major General Tadayoshi Sano put down the pen in his hand and said to the combat staff in front of him.

"The gun weighs 17.52 tons, and its marching weight is 23.3 tons. The actual caliber of the gun is 172.4 mm, and the total length is 8.53 meters. It uses a 48-caliber barrel, and the barrel length reaches 8 meters. The muzzle velocity reaches 925 meters per second, and the maximum range is 29.6 kilometers."

Major General Tadayoshi Sano listed all the data of the gun in detail, and at the same time, he took a look at the location where the shell exploded. After estimating the power, he confirmed that it was this heavy artillery.

"It is really unpredictable that the Chinese army possesses this type of heavy artillery. In the German army, this type of heavy artillery is only equipped by army-level units. Logically speaking, the German army would not sell such heavy artillery to the Chinese." Major General Tadayoshi Sano shook his head and said.

Fortunately, we brought the 240mm heavy cannon this time, otherwise, we would have suffered a great loss if we only relied on the 150mm howitzer.

"Forget it. These issues are not our business. Let's record them and report to Lieutenant General Kuna Seiichi, who will report to the headquarters." After Major General Sano Tadayoshi finished speaking, he began to calculate the distance between the enemy and the enemy.

"Mr. Brigade Commander, based on the range of this heavy artillery, the distance we calculated is most likely between here and here."

"But we can't guarantee that the other side will have larger caliber heavy artillery. If the Germans also sell the 240mm K3 heavy artillery to the Chinese army, I'm afraid our subsequent shelling will not be so smooth." The operations staff looked worried.

Who knew that Major General Tadayoshi Sano would just shake his head.

"Impossible, the Germans will never sell them such a huge cannon."

Are you kidding? The 240mm K3 heavy artillery is the army’s national treasure.

In an era where caliber is justice, it is undoubtedly a national treasure.

The weapon was developed by the German company Rheinmetall beginning in mid-1934.

In order to increase the range of the artillery, the Germans applied the "conical bore gun" technology from the anti-tank gun to this gun. The bottom of the gun barrel is 240 mm, the muzzle is 180 mm, and there are two sections of the gun barrel connected in the middle. The entire gun barrel has a heat jacket.

More importantly, after the Germans extended the range, the maximum range of this artillery is 52 kilometers.

If we find their position, we can destroy them with one shot from 50 kilometers away.

They're still playing with hammers.

"Forget it. Send a telegram to the headquarters and ask them to send out reconnaissance planes to immediately investigate the Chinese army's artillery positions." Major General Tadayoshi Sano said after thinking for a while.

"Your Excellency the Brigade Commander, the Chinese Army has anti-aircraft weapons. The risk of low-altitude reconnaissance is too great. If we conduct high-altitude reconnaissance, there will be errors." The combat staff reminded again.

"This is the air force's job. Tell them that we must have accurate coordinates. We don't carry many shells and we must not waste them easily." Major General Tadayoshi Sano shouted loudly.

"Hay."

There are already 10,000 updates, I will update the old book again!


(End of this chapter)