Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 618 Give Him a Shot

While the 22nd Detachment was studying how to counter American tanks, Bradley was also analyzing today's tank tactics in the command post.

"Although this attack did not break through the Chinese army's defenses, the Chinese army was clearly powerless against the attack of the tank formation."

"In order to gain the necessary firing range, they had to resort to close-quarters combat."

"This convinced me that the tank-cutting tactic was correct."

Although two US tanks were destroyed and three were damaged in this attack, it was entirely within Bradley's acceptable range.

To him, these were just some steel pieces; if they could eliminate the central army, it would be perfectly acceptable.

Meanwhile, the others in the command post were also somewhat excited.

They saw a glimmer of hope for victory.

After a brief discussion, Bradley turned and asked, "How many tanks are in place now?"

The operations staff officer standing nearby immediately reported: "16 Pershing tanks and 34 Sherman tanks."

"Why is there so little?" Bradley frowned.

According to his plan, after the first day of probing, the second day would be a full-scale assault, but there are still more than a dozen tanks that have not arrived.

"Sir, the tanks of the 38th Regiment have withdrawn from the front line, but the mountain roads are too rugged, making it difficult for them to move quickly. They are expected to arrive by noon tomorrow."

During the previous frontal assault, tanks from all regiments of the US 2nd Division were fighting on the front lines to enhance the attack.

They only regrouped after Bradley gave the order.

However, the 38th Regiment was located in the most remote area, which made it impossible for them to reach the assembly point within the allotted time.

“I understand!” Bradley said. “Fifty tanks it is! That’s enough to rout the enemy!”

"Tomorrow, continue with tanks as the vanguard and attack Wudeli!"

"Yes!"

Under Bradley's command, the U.S. military again did not use infantry on the second day.

Fifty tanks accelerated to their maximum speed and roared towards the 222nd Regiment's position.

Because of yesterday's lesson, the US tanks were clearly more experienced this time.

Faced with artillery fire from the 6th Company of the 222nd Regiment, the tanks did not stop to retaliate, but instead chose to fire while moving.

As they advanced, all the tanks also covered each other's flanks to prevent being ambushed at close range by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

This time, the 6th Company failed to stop the American attack as it had the previous day.

In just over ten minutes, American tanks had crushed the 6th Company's forward positions.

The 6th Company Commander shouted, "Retreat! Retreat immediately!"

Upon seeing the Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers scatter and flee, the US tank commander became excited.

"Haha. I knew it! We were just careless yesterday!"

The US commander grabbed the microphone from the command vehicle and shouted:
"Guys! We have achieved the first victory!"

"Wu Deli is just ahead. Let's speed up and capture Wu Deli before the retreating central army returns!"

An excited wolf howl immediately came through the radio; all the American soldiers were howling.

The distance from the 6th Company's position to Wudeli is less than ten kilometers.

The US forces quickly broke through the sporadic resistance and advanced all the way to Wudeli.

The fighting situation in Wudeli excited them even more.

The defenses in Wudeli were very weak; they broke through with only one tank damaged.

Full speed ahead! Full speed ahead!

"Let's cut off the retreat of the central army on Hill 913!"

"We are about to achieve the most glorious victory in the Korean War! Our names will be recorded in the annals of war!"

"Charge! Ladies!"

The American tanks advanced at full speed through the valley with a sense of triumph.

They did not notice that a large number of rocket launcher soldiers from the 222nd Regiment were lying in the grass right next to him.

The valley north of Wudeli is a long and narrow road with many valleys and small hills on both sides, forming a natural Bagua (Eight Trigrams) formation.

Overjoyed by victory, the American troops entered without a second thought.

Just as the US military was thinking about how they would successfully break through, several rockets suddenly flew out of the bushes by the roadside.

A Pershing tank leading the US forces was hit repeatedly on the side and was reduced to scrap metal.

Upon seeing the attack, the US commander did not panic, but immediately shouted into the radio:
"Don't panic! This is a Chinese army individual rocket launcher!"

"They're deliberately slowing us down!"

"Tank number 2 rams the vehicle in front! Everyone accelerate! Accelerate!"

"We're fast; the Chinese rocket launchers can't catch us!"

They were hit by rocket launchers yesterday, and Bradley even sent an expert with the captured rocket launchers to explain the situation to them.

Therefore, the US military now feels that it has a good understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the Type 71 rocket launcher.

They were convinced that as long as they could pick up speed, the rocket launchers would pose no threat to them.

The US commander's judgment was also very correct. When the US tanks reached a speed of 30 kilometers per hour, the hit rate of the rockets was already very low.

This solidified the US military's resolve to advance northward!
However, the US military's good mood did not last more than a few minutes. As they rounded a sharp bend, the US commander broke out in a cold sweat.

Less than two hundred meters in front of them, an artillery position suddenly appeared, with countless cannons pointing directly at them.

The US military commander was well aware of what had happened.

"Fuck! We've been tricked!"

At this moment, the artillery command flag was raised heavily on the position.

"Fire!"

"Boom!" "Boom!"
The infantry guns, recoilless rifles, and mountain guns on the artillery positions opened fire simultaneously, creating a deafening roar.

At the same time, rocket launchers that were lying in ambush on both sides of the mountain were also fired.

The American tanks were instantly routed.

"Don't stop! Advance! Advance!" the US commander shouted until his voice was hoarse.

The first few tanks floored their accelerators instantly, roaring forward as they billowed black smoke.

But having established an ambush position, Zheng Hua would not leave any loopholes.

Several Pershing tanks had just forced their way through the bayonet gun emplacement, and after driving less than fifty meters, they collapsed the road and plunged into the anti-tank ditch.

The gun barrels of the American tanks were deeply embedded in the ground, their tracks spinning futilely.

Faced with immobilized American tanks, the recoilless rifle easily ripped open their rear ends.

"Fake!"

The US commander's face turned ashen as he watched several tanks being reduced to scrap metal.

However, he still didn't give up: "Form a ring defense! Suppress them with firepower!"

According to his assessment, although the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had a lot of artillery, only a few of them could pose a direct threat to the safety of tanks.

As long as a ring defense is formed, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army can destroy the tanks on the outer perimeter at most, while the tanks inside will remain safe.

Once they have driven away the annoying rocket launchers around them, they will be able to outflank and attack the artillery positions of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

We will still be able to achieve our established strategic goals.

The US military's plan was sound, and their tactics were very appropriate, but the rocket launcher teams did not retreat as they had expected. The two sides exchanged fire continuously, and the battle reached a stalemate for a time.

Just as the US military commander was observing through the periscope, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the sun next to the mountaintop.

The sunlight was gentle, yet it pierced the hearts of the US military commander.

"Fuck! It's getting dark!"

The moment the U.S. commander saw the setting sun, he immediately recalled the fear of being dominated by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army that night.

"Everyone! Retreat! Retreat immediately!"

The American commanders, realizing what was happening, no longer cared about targets; if they didn't leave now, they might never be able to leave again.

Without any hesitation, the US military floored the accelerators of all its tanks, and the engines roared as they sped off.

As for those damaged tanks awaiting rescue, we'll have to deal with them another time.

Watching the American tanks flee in a flash, several rocket launcher gunners chased after them and fired two shots, but in the end, they could only watch as the remaining tanks escaped.

"Commander! The battle in Wudeli is over!"

"What was the result?"

"21 tanks destroyed! 8 heavy and 13 medium tanks!"

"Good! Well done!" Zheng Hua chuckled. "This time, the Americans will be in for a while."

"However, we cannot relax yet. I estimate that the US military will not give up the Wudley road."

"Tell the 222nd Regiment to remain on alert, and if the American troops come again, try to capture them all!"

"yes!".
Unlike the cheerful laughter of the 22nd Regiment, the 2nd Division command post was deathly silent.

Twenty-one tanks, which is one-third of the number of tanks in the US 2nd Division, is an extremely heavy loss.

At this point, no one mentioned the tank-cutting tactic anymore.

After a moment of silence, Bradley suddenly ordered, "Dismiss that armored commander! Send him to a military court!"

"Immediately convene a meeting of all regimental commanders!"

"Yes, sir!"
After a night of discussion with officers at all levels, and amidst widespread opposition, Bradley was forced to abandon the tank-cutting tactic and instead reinstate the old method of combined arms operations.

After two days of rest, the US military finally recovered and launched another attack.

Although Bradley abandoned the tank-cutting tactic this time, he did not change the direction of his attack.

For the U.S. military, the Wudley direction is more advantageous than the 913 Hill direction, no matter what.

Watching the American troops advance with eight tanks providing cover for their infantry, Ye Zhifei lowered his binoculars and gave the order:

"Tell the front lines to let the enemy tanks pass and focus all their efforts on attacking the enemy infantry."

"I'd like to see what the US military does!"

As soon as the American tanks entered the valley, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army on both sides opened fire.

The US infantry were pinned down at the bottom of the valley by the fierce attack and could neither advance nor retreat.

This has put the US military tanks in a difficult position.

If we keep advancing, the infantry can't keep up; if we stop to provide cover for the infantry, they'll be hit by rockets sooner or later.

After hesitating for a moment, the US tank company commander decided to move forward anyway.

His company only had these 8 tanks left, and they couldn't afford to lose them. Getting out of the danger zone was the most important thing.

However, the US military suffered a major loss yesterday and has now learned its lesson; they dare not advance rashly at all.

The US tanks advanced at a snail's pace in battle formation.

It must be said that the US military learns from its mistakes very quickly.

Although the artillery positions of the 22nd Detachment had been secretly moved, their location was still near the previous artillery positions.

After all, that area is the most suitable place for an ambush.

Given the speed of the US tanks, it would probably be dark before they reached the artillery positions, at which point they would definitely have to withdraw.

Theoretically, US tanks shouldn't have too much of a problem as long as they don't enter the ambush zone.

At this time, among the artillery responsible for the ambush, the only ones who could see the American tanks were a 57mm recoilless rifle team from the outermost 3rd Battalion Artillery Company of the 222nd Regiment.

Seeing the American tanks moving slower than people, Wang Hu looked at Li Lian beside him.

"Gunner, it seems the Americans are determined not to come."

The movements of the US tanks looked like they were waiting for the infantry, but the US infantry were currently being suppressed and unable to move.

If the front lines are not secured by the sea, the US military will never be able to break through the fire blockade.

Li Lian was also very annoyed by the American tanks that kept coming in and out but wouldn't move forward.

"Damn it, what are those Americans doing loitering around the valley entrance?"

"I just replaced my old recoilless rifle with a brand new one, why don't you come in and try it out? These are all your fellow villagers!"

The distance was less than 800 meters, and they could have easily entered the safe zone with a single step on the gas, but the US troops refused to move forward.

However, no matter how much Li Lian and his companion cursed, the American tanks did not make any further moves.

Seeing the tanks that weren't moving forward, Li Lian couldn't hold back any longer.

"Grab the shells, let's move to a new position."

"Damn it, we're going to give him a good blast today!"

Despite the fact that the US military had eight tanks while they only had one cannon, the two men were not afraid at all.

Li Lian and Wang Hu, one carrying the cannon and the other carrying the shell, approached the American troops within 200 meters without even needing a support frame.

Li Lian hoisted the recoilless rifle and aimed at a Sherman tank: "Load!"

"boom!"

"Keep it up!"

"boom!"

"Keep it up!"

Before the American tanks could react, four shells hit the target in quick succession.

The tank that was hit immediately caught fire.

"High ground at 11 o'clock! Suppress! Suppress!"

The American tank company commander, realizing what was happening, ordered the remaining seven tanks to keep firing, and the location where Li Lian was was immediately covered by explosions.

The shelling lasted for two minutes, and the hill where Li Lian had been was reduced to rubble.

After the ceasefire, the US tanks remained on high alert for half a day, and only when they found no other issues did they feel relieved.

"It seems to be just sporadic resistance; we can continue our slow advance!"

The US military tanks were planning to avoid the sharp bends where they had previously been ambushed.

Their goal was to retreat before nightfall when they reached the big bend.

On the other side, looking at the high ground riddled with craters, Wang Hu wiped his forehead.

"Damn, that was close!"

"Luckily we retreated quickly, otherwise we might have been reduced to dust."

"I anticipated the American devils' reaction; they still can't hit us." Li Lian was very confident in his abilities.

“The American devils will definitely keep going forward. Let’s move to another place, dig a position ahead, and launch another attack.”

(End of this chapter)