Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 617 Tank Piercing Tactics
Van Fleet was unwilling to accept the forced retreat of the 2nd Infantry Division.

Looking at the sand table, Van Fleet asked, "What is the specific situation of the 2nd Infantry Division? Is it still capable of undertaking attack missions?"

Chief of Staff Dane, who was standing nearby, explained, "The injuries are considerable, numbering two or three thousand."

"If we want to continue the offensive, I suggest we consolidate the three regiments into two, and then bring in a Southern regiment."

"In this way, although our combat strength is somewhat weaker than before, we can still put up a fight."

“Okay, we’ll do it your way,” Van Fleet said. “Have the 2nd Division get back into order as soon as possible.”

"Order the 3rd Division to advance and attack, with the objective of capturing the positions east of the Imjin River and north of Jinping."

"Eliminating the threat posed by the central army to the Lianchuan-Jinping transportation route will create conditions for the next step of capturing Kaesong."

Van Fleet's plan was to give the Chinese People's Volunteer Army no chance to catch its breath.

He believed that with wave after wave of attacks from the US military, a breakthrough would eventually be found.

As soon as the US military made its move, the headquarters of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army received the intelligence immediately.

"It seems the US military's attacks will not stop. They just finished fighting on the eastern front, and now they're attacking the central front. I estimate the next step will be to attack the western front."

"Sir, there's nothing we can do about it," the deputy commander said with a smile.

"Although the peace talks have been suspended, everyone knows that the negotiations will have to continue sooner or later, and the US military is now eager to develop some leverage for the next round of talks."

"If there is no progress on the eastern front, then we must look for opportunities on other fronts."

"What are your thoughts?" the commander asked.

"Based on the current movements of the US military, I judge that the enemy's next target will be Kaesong."

"However, the western front is currently being defended by the 3rd Army Corps, with two army corps as reserves behind it. With five army corps, there shouldn't be any major problems."

"The central positions are currently being defended by Army A and Army B. The main direction of the US attack should be Army B's positions."

"Kong Jie is good at defense; he can hold off the US 3rd Division without any problem."

"My only concern now is whether Van Fleet will get angry and choose a location to send his army there."

If the US military were to launch a large-scale invasion, B Army's current location would be the most likely candidate.

Once the US military breaks through this area, they will have more options for the next step.

The commander nodded: "That's very likely. We must increase the defensive capabilities of Army B."

"The re-equipment of Li Yunlong's troops is almost complete. The artillery has been received. They are to move south immediately."

Shiji's judgment was very accurate.

Facing the defenses of Army B, the US 3rd Division took a whole week to advance only 400 meters, which made Van Fleet lose face.

In an attempt to save face, Van Fleet amassed a large force.

The US 3rd Regiment, the US 1st Cavalry Division, the Thai 21st Infantry Regiment, and the newly replenished British 27th Brigade launched another attack on the 40-kilometer front defended by Army B.

To bolster the offensive, Van Fleet also deployed a large number of additional tanks, aircraft, and artillery.

Under the cover of a large number of heavy weapons, the UN forces fought desperately for half a month.

After suffering more than 20,000 casualties, the UN forces "successfully" advanced less than three kilometers.

While the UN forces were launching a full-scale offensive along the Imjin River, the US 2nd Division had completed its reorganization.

Seeing that the main force was making slow progress, Van Fleet ordered the US 2nd Division and the South 8th Division to advance again to threaten the 2nd General Staff's position.

Inside the 2nd Infantry Division headquarters, Bradley pointed to the sand table and said, "These past few days, the troops have been reorganizing, and I've been thinking about it too."

"We clearly had a numerical and firepower advantage before, so why didn't we capture any positions?"

He glanced around and saw that everyone was looking at him with puzzled eyes, but no one took the initiative to speak.

Bradley knew he needed to find a competent chief of staff.

While thinking to himself, Bradley didn't stop talking: "My conclusion is: the firepower is still insufficient! The breakthroughs aren't fierce enough!"

Upon hearing Bradley's analysis, someone spoke up: "Sir, we only have this many troops and this much firepower. If that's the case, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for us to break through Hill 913 in front of us."

The mood of everyone became somewhat heavy.

Not to mention them, even the 1st Cavalry Division and the 3rd Division are having a very difficult time.

Seeing the crowd fall silent again, Bradley said confidently, "You're right, we only have this many troops and this much firepower, but we're not without other options."

"Sir, do you have any ideas?"

Bradley nodded in satisfaction at the staff officer's initiative.

"It's simple, if infantry can't break through, then tanks will!"

"I've decided to implement the tank-cutting tactic!"

The tank-cutting tactic was not invented by Bradley; it was a tank-specific tactic pioneered by the German army during World War II.

They abandoned infantry and used a large number of tanks as the vanguard, utilizing the tanks' powerful firepower and armor protection to directly break through the enemy's defenses.

Once the tanks cut off the enemy's communication, the infantry can follow up and defeat them one by one.

"Sir, the tank-cutting tactic is indeed very suitable for our army's powerful mechanized forces."

"However, the central positions on Hill 913 and the surrounding area are completely unable to operate."

Tanks may have many advantages, but they can't fly or climb mountains.

North Korea has few other things, but it has many mountains.

Hill 913 is a good example.

Let alone large-scale tank warfare, even getting tanks onto the battlefield would be extremely difficult.

When we attacked Hill 894 before, the tanks moved very slowly.

In other words, no anti-tank guns were deployed on the positions of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army; otherwise, the American tanks might not have been able to reach the front lines.

Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Bradley laughed.

"Your concerns are valid."

"But my solution takes a completely different approach!"

As he spoke, Bradley slid the command stick in his hand across the sand table.

"Since the central army has deployed a large force at the front, let's attack from another direction!"

"Our infantry will continue their frontal assault, but their mission is no longer to break through, but to hold the line."

"Then the tanks will bypass the area to the west and launch an attack in the Wudeli area."

"After breaking through the Wudeli defense line, the tanks can continue north to cut off the central army's retreat, thus forming a complete encirclement of the enemy."

"I don't need to explain what to do next, right?"

Bradley was confident that he could annihilate the enemy forces within the encirclement, provided he could complete the encirclement.

After hearing Bradley's explanation, everyone became excited and began to praise him in various ways.

If this battle succeeds, Bradley will be credited, and their military achievements will be equally significant.

After careful discussion, Bradley said, "Since everyone agrees, let's get ready and reap the rewards of this victory together!"

Bradley was well aware of how difficult the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was to deal with, so although he had developed a complete plan, he did not act rashly.

The US 2nd Division and the South Korean 8th Division deployed outside Hill 913 as planned. Zheng Hua was not surprised to see the UN forces launching their attack methodically.

After a week of no progress, Bradley was not surprised at all.

While the two sides remained deadlocked, the US 2nd Division quietly began to move.

"Sir, the enemy's attention is now entirely focused on the front lines. Our chance has come!"

In addition to the South 8th Division's offensive, the US 2nd Division also deployed two infantry regiments for a frontal attack on the main battlefield.

With the support of more than 40 tanks, the US military's feint attack was not weak.

Although it did not pose a fatal threat to Hill 913, the pressure exerted by the UN forces was still very high, and the 22nd Detachment had to deal with it with all its might.

Upon hearing the staff officer's report, Bradley stood up: "It's time!"

"Pass on my order: the tank units shall proceed as planned!"

More than 30 tanks drove past the flank of Hill 965 and headed straight for Wudeli along the relatively flat road.

At this time, all the attention of the 22nd Detachment was on the front of Hill 913, and there was not much defense on the Wudeli line, which was more than ten kilometers away from the flank and rear.

The only force blocking the way for the American troops was a detachment of the 222nd Regiment.

At this time, all of the heavy firepower of the 22nd Detachment was placed on the front line, and the anti-tank firepower on the main road was severely insufficient.

Therefore, the US tank forces advanced almost unimpeded into the rear of the 222nd Regiment.

Upon hearing the report from the flank positions that dozens of tanks had suddenly attacked, Ye Zhifei, the commander of the 222nd Regiment, broke out in a cold sweat.

Once the 222nd Regiment's position is breached by American tanks, the 22nd Detachment's artillery regiment and logistics will be immediately exposed to the enemy.

"Order the 6th Company's rocket launcher squad to launch!"

"Fix bayonets on infantry guns and recoilless rifles! Engage enemy tanks in close combat!"

"We must withstand the attack of the American tanks no matter what!"

Fixing bayonets to artillerymen was a desperate tactic used during the Liberation War.

At that time, the artillery of the troops was severely inadequate, so in critical moments, they would push the cannons directly into the enemy's face and aim and fire at close range.

Upon receiving the order, the two infantry guns and three 57mm recoilless rifles on the flank were moved directly to the front of the position.

As soon as the American tanks appeared, all artillery, including mortars, opened fire immediately.

The US military tanks were engulfed in a burst of explosions.

Although these shells were largely ineffective against the frontal armor of the American tanks, the explosions still threw the American tanks into disarray.

After recovering, the American tanks began to bombard the 6th Company's position.

In an instant, the battlefields on both sides were engulfed in flames from the explosions.

However, compared to the US military, the 6th Company's position was clearly at a greater disadvantage.

The 6th Company's artillery couldn't even leave a dent on the American tanks, but the American tanks could destroy the 6th Company's fortifications with a single shot.

However, the soldiers of the 6th Company did not back down, and the 6th Company Commander stayed at the front line, directing operations with binoculars.

"The enemy's vision has been obscured. Send the rocket launcher teams to attack immediately!"

Tanks have strong firepower and high defense, but their field of vision is limited.

The artillery of the 6th Company engaged in a firefight with the American troops despite knowing it was ineffective, in order to give the rocket launcher team a chance to get closer.

The two rocket launcher teams, each carrying three rocket launchers, took advantage of the opportunity given to them by the artillery and quickly and covertly approached along the ravine.

The penetration depth of a rocket is not affected by distance, but in order to kill with one shot, the soldiers still chose to get as close as possible.

At a distance of less than ten meters, six rocket launchers fired simultaneously.

The two lead Pershing tanks were immediately destroyed.

The sudden attack startled the American troops.

"Ditch! Ditch! Ditch!"

"There are enemies in the ravine!"

The rocket launcher uses black powder as its propellant, making its launch characteristics quite obvious.

"Suppressive firepower! Suppress!"

"Reverse! Reverse! Create distance!"

The U.S. military's radios were filled with all sorts of sounds.

All the American tanks were frantically reversing and retreating, while simultaneously adjusting their gun barrels and unleashing full firepower at the ravine.

After the first round of firing, the rocket artillery team immediately moved back a short distance before poking out again to fire.

After a barrage of attacks, the rocket launcher team, at the cost of more than half its personnel, damaged three more American tanks.

The US tank units were unaware of the specific situation they were facing; they only knew that things were not going well, so they decisively chose to retreat.

The crisis of the 222nd Regiment has been temporarily resolved.

Although the crisis was resolved, Zheng Hua was still verbally abused by Chen Chengxing over the phone and couldn't lift his head.

After finally waiting for Chen Chengxing to hang up the phone, Zheng Hua wiped the sweat from his brow and said with lingering fear:
"Damn it, thank goodness the headquarters moved to Jincheng, otherwise things wouldn't have been so easy this time."

The political commissar standing nearby said, "It's understandable that the commander-in-chief is annoyed that the position was almost breached on the first day."

"This crisis has been resolved, but the next one could come at any time. The most important thing now is to plug this hole."

Zheng Hua nodded: "Don't say anytime, I feel like the next time could be tomorrow."

"The US military deployed roughly half medium tanks and half heavy tanks, with heavy tanks in front and medium tanks behind."

"Our rocket launchers have a range of only about 100 meters, and our recoilless rifles can only pose a threat to American tanks at a range of 300 to 400 meters."

"If we really face a large-scale attack by US tanks, these weapons will be ineffective from a distance."

The 22nd Detachment's cannon battalion and the reinforced anti-tank company were capable of inflicting effective damage on American tanks, but these artillery pieces were currently on the front lines.

It is unlikely that the adjustments will be completed in a short period of time.

In other words, if the US military continues its tank assault tomorrow, the 6th Company's position will likely be unable to withstand the attack again.

"Old Zheng, since we can't fight them from a distance, let's find a way to get closer, or maybe we can give them a good thrashing."

Tanks generally have strong frontal defense, weak side defense, and even weaker rear defense.

Even a 57mm recoilless gun could blow up the rear of an American tank from a great distance.

“We must close the distance.” Zheng Hua nodded. “Ideally, we should put the anti-tank weapons right under the enemy’s nose.”

"Only by forming crossfire can we stop the enemy's large-scale tank assault."

As he spoke, Zheng Hua looked at the map, where there was a place where he could achieve his goal.

"The US military is relying on the power of its tanks, and will definitely launch another tank attack tomorrow."

"I think we should turn the tables on him and concentrate all the anti-tank equipment in the entire detachment to give him a good beating!"

More than a ton of artillery could not be deployed in a short time, but the 75mm recoilless rifles and 57mm recoilless rifles of each regiment could be quickly put into place.

Add to that the rocket launchers of the 222nd Regiment, and the US military will be in serious trouble.

(End of this chapter)