Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 2292 The Expendables

The Sixth Division gained a lot in this battle. After dawn, the Japanese left more than 4000 corpses. Only two people in the Sixth Division were slightly injured. One burned his hand and the other sprained his foot.

Li Anping was not in a hurry to attack, and he did not forget to send a telegram to An Qi and MacArthur while cleaning the battlefield. He killed [-] Japanese troops overnight, which was a rare victory since the war broke out. The Japanese now know the strength of the East India Army. Difficult to replicate next.

After a day's rest, the troops continued to move forward. This time, the Japanese learned their lesson and no longer took the initiative to attack. Instead, they used the terrain to create trouble for the Allied forces equipped with a large number of vehicles.

Destruction is always easier than construction. The Allied forces built roads while walking, which was already very difficult.

The Japanese planted explosives on the road ahead of the Allied forces, completely destroying the already rugged mountain paths.

The Allied offensive became more and more difficult. On the second day, they only advanced three kilometers. Officers and soldiers of the Sixth Division began to get sick because of acclimatization, and ambulances transporting patients drove into the field hospital one after another. Hundreds of people were hospitalized due to illness.

"Tell the soldiers, don't drink unclean water, don't eat things of unknown origin, and don't need to hunt to improve food. Isn't our logistics rich enough?" Li Anping was very angry. After fighting all night, only two people were injured. Now there are hundreds of non-combat downsizing in one day, so the Sixth Division will have to withdraw in a few days without waiting for the Japanese to attack.

The logistics standards of the East Indian Army are the same as those of the Southern African Army. They have what they want. Soldiers can eat meat for three meals a day, and each meal has fresh vegetables and fruits. There is no shortage of coffee, chocolate, etc. Many East Indian soldiers During this period of time, my weight has risen sharply, and my standard of living is better than that of New Years.

"Our soldiers are not used to fighting with such abundant logistical supplies. They need a process of adaptation." Huang Xiumin sat in the sweltering armored command vehicle with no image, shirtless and sweating profusely. He didn't want to leave the armored vehicle , The shooting skills of Japanese veterans are still very good.

The performance of the 300 cover is still very good, with a long range and high accuracy. Japanese soldiers who have received strict training can shoot a single target within 700 meters, and shoot cluster targets within [-] meters. This range is what most rifles in other countries do. Less than that, it is already comparable to the range of most sniper rifles in later generations.

Japan's Type 97 sniper rifle is actually a quadruple scope mounted on the [-] cover.

The current Japanese army has just expanded. Before the outbreak of the Pacific War, Japanese soldiers had undergone years of rigorous training. Each soldier consumed thousands of rounds of bullets for training each year. This amount of training is actually similar to that of the southern African army. Sharpshooters are fed by bullets.

Just three days ago, Major General Adelaide, the deputy commander of the U.S. Rainbow Division, was killed by Japanese snipers in Mindoro Island, which sounded the alarm for the senior Allied commanders.

The bullets of the [-] cover will definitely not be able to penetrate the armored vehicle, so sitting in the armored vehicle is the safest.

"Order the troops to advance at a faster pace. We must reach Manila before June [-]." Perhaps it was because of the heat that Li Anping was irritable.

Before Huang Xiumin could speak, the adjutant knocked on the car door.

"Report, the forward troops encountered the Japanese army, fierce fighting broke out, and artillery support was requested."

finally come!

Li Anping and Huang Xiumin instantly lifted their spirits.

What the Allies fear most is that the Japanese and the Allies are playing hide-and-seek on Luzon Island.

The area of ​​Luzon Island is 10.99 square kilometers. If the Japanese really play hide-and-seek with the Allies, the battle will definitely be protracted and impossible to end in a short time. Onoda can persist in fighting for 30 years without any support, which is really impossible for ordinary people .

Although Onoda's case is an extreme case, it fully demonstrates the tenacity of Japanese soldiers.

Not to mention living in an extremely tense battle every day for 30 years, even if you throw a person on an isolated island without any companionship for 30 years, I am afraid that person will be driven crazy.

There are 30 Japanese troops on Luzon Island.

At this time, Li Anping and Huang Xiumin hadn't realized that the most brutal Battle of Manila in the East Asian battlefield of World War II was about to begin.

The first to exchange fire with the Japanese was the Surabaya Rifle Regiment from Surabaya, headed by Colonel Bruce, a senior instructor of the Umbrella Company.

After the battle broke out, Bruce realized that the Japanese army on the opposite side was not a small force. A small Japanese army lacking heavy weapons could not be equipped with heavy machine guns and 92 infantry artillery.

After the battle broke out, Bruce sent "Clouded Leopard" tanks to attack the Japanese positions.

The "Clouded Leopard" tank, which was invincible in the Malay Peninsula before, finally hit a nail this time.

The Japanese army has accumulated rich experience in combating the "Clouded Leopard" tank during its operations in the Malay Peninsula. The most effective way is to send out death squads, wrapped in explosives or grenades, to hide on the route of the "Clouded Leopard" tank, and wait for the "Clouded Leopard" to attack. "The tank detonated the explosives as it passed by.

This was a last resort. The Japanese army was seriously short of anti-tank weapons, and the lives of soldiers were worthless. It was a good deal for the Japanese commander to exchange a soldier for a "Clouded Leopard" tank.

The fact is indeed the case. The East Indian Army imported the "Clouded Leopard" tank from southern Africa, and the price of each tank was 4.5 rand. The cost is as high as 11 rand.

The "Tiger" type is the most expensive, and the cost of each one is 15 rand, which is the most expensive among all tanks in the world.

Compared with the "Clouded Leopard" tank, the cost of Japanese soldiers is too low. The monthly salary of recruits is only 5.5 yen, which is only enough to buy two pairs of shoes, and the shoes are still made in Japan. If they are made in southern Africa Yes, that's only enough to buy two pairs of insoles.

Speaking of salary, before the First World War, Japanese soldiers had no salary, and only wounded and dead soldiers had pensions, so this can also explain why Japanese soldiers had poor discipline during combat. All the income comes from robbing, and the top Japanese army also regards this as the legal income of Japanese soldiers.

Life was not easy for officers, either.

The salary of senior officers is very high, which can reach hundreds of times that of ordinary soldiers.

The low-ranking officers are very pitiful. Not only are their salaries low, but they also have to buy their own military uniforms. Even boots and sabers cost money. Therefore, the corruption of Japanese military discipline is from top to bottom.

Not long after the "Clouded Leopard" tank set off, it was attacked by Japanese death squads.

The Japanese are indeed very tolerant, digging a shallow pit on the battlefield that can only hide for one person, and strapping grenades to their bodies.

When a "Clouded Leopard" tank passed by the Japanese soldier, the Japanese soldier jumped up, howled and rushed towards the unsuspecting "Clouded Leopard" tank.

The infantry and tank coordination of the East India Army is very skilled, and the "Clouded Leopard" tank is also protected by infantry during combat.

Although the death squads of the Japanese army were immediately killed by the accompanying infantry.

But the death squad has already detonated the grenade on his body.

The violent explosion destroyed the tracked bomb of the "Clouded Leopard", and the communication system was also destroyed. The tank driver at the front suffered a mild concussion and vomited endlessly. The commander, gunner, and loader sitting in the turret were also having a hard time. Severe physical discomfort developed.

The number of death squads sent by the Japanese army was large. Of the six "Clouded Leopard" tanks sent by Colonel Bruce, four of them lost their combat capabilities shortly after they set off. One of the Japanese army's death squads rushed to the infantry group before detonating the explosives. Seventeen East Indian soldiers were killed. 17 people were injured.

Frustrated in the first battle, Colonel Bruce gave full play to his superiority in firepower and ordered the troops not to let go of any doubts when attacking, and resolutely refused to give the Japanese death squads a chance to get close to the "Clouded Leopard" tank.

This is actually impossible to achieve in battle. The Japanese death squads did not even want their lives. The bullets hit their bodies and could hold back the pain and remain motionless. Three consecutive attacks were repulsed, and Colonel Bruce had to call for artillery assistance.

The infantry division of the East India Army is equipped with a powerful heavy artillery unit, equipped with 12 150mm howitzers and 36 120mm howitzers.

In fact, there is still a gap between this and the southern African army. The southern African army is gradually replacing field artillery that needs to be towed by cars with self-propelled artillery so that it can keep up with the speed of large troops.

Compared with towed artillery, self-propelled artillery requires less preparation time for combat, and it is more convenient to transfer positions. It does not give the enemy artillery a chance to counterattack after fighting. The only disadvantage is that the cost is too high.

Compared with southern Africa, East India is still poor. Self-propelled artillery cannot be afforded, but towed artillery can manage enough.

Self-propelled artillery was replaced in southern Africa, and the obsolete towed artillery was just sent to the Southern African Union troops.

It can't be a free gift, half-sold and half-given is enough, and don't expect to sell second-hand goods at a brand new price.

The 155mm howitzer equipped in East India is an improved version of the Schneider 1917 155mm howitzer. Compared with Schneider, its performance has been improved to a certain extent. It has a total weight of 3.2 tons, a range of 13.5 kilometers, and a rate of fire of two rounds per minute. Compared with infantry artillery, it has an overwhelming advantage.

To Colonel Bruce's surprise, the fire support provided by the division headquarters not only included 155mm howitzers, but also "Sea Eagle" ground attack aircraft, which Li Anping applied for from the headquarters. In terms of fire support, " "Sea Eagles" are certainly more effective than artillery far from the battlefield.

The efficiency of warfare is indeed very high now. During the last world war, artillery observations required flying school shooting balloons. Now a single phone can handle everything.

The East Indian artillery was trained by the southern African artillery, and the technology is indeed good. It only took three rounds of calibration to determine the parameters, and then the overwhelming shells came.

When the Japanese army attacked, they actually had to prepare for firepower.

Of course, the strength is much worse than that of the East India Army. According to the "Infantry Manual", the East India Army must carry out fire strikes for at least half an hour before each attack. The Japanese can complete the task with just a few shots. In the eyes of senior Japanese officers Therefore, the lives of Japanese soldiers are probably not worth as much as shells.

Li Anping and Huang Xiumin were not afraid to spend money, and the firepower strike lasted for half an hour. At the same time, the "Sea Eagle" attack aircraft also dropped at least five tons of high-explosive bombs and incendiary bombs on the Japanese positions. A division's morale may also collapse.

After the firepower began to extend, Colonel Bruce ordered the troops to continue the attack.

This time, Colonel Bruce made a desperate bet and put all the remaining 9 "Clouded Leopards" in the Surabaya Rifle Regiment into it, trying to complete their merits in one battle.

The Japanese were more tenacious than Colonel Bruce imagined.

In the fire attack just now, the Japanese army's position has been plowed back and forth several times by shells, and the hard-working trenches have been almost completely destroyed. On the surface, there is not even a complete firepower point on the Japanese army's position. "Sea Eagle" The flames from the thrown incendiary bombs hadn't even been extinguished yet.

In Colonel Bruce's view, no one in the Japanese positions should have been spared, and even if they were not burned to death, they would be buried alive.

However, when the East Indian infantry rushed to the Japanese position under the cover of the "Clouded Leopard" tank, countless Japanese troops suddenly appeared densely from the position like mice hiding in the hole, and the attack failed again. Seven tanks were lost, and only two fled back to the starting position in embarrassment.

This battle is out of the question.

In the attack just now, if the East Indian soldiers were more tenacious, they could completely wipe out the entire Japanese army with the cooperation of the "Clouded Leopard" tanks.

The East Indian soldiers seemed to be frightened by the tenacious Japanese soldiers. When the Japanese soldiers howled and charged with bayonets, some East Indian soldiers turned around and ran away without firing a shot. These people must be unlucky, East India According to the army's regulations, those who flee in battle can be executed on the spot.

"These Japanese are devils, they don't feel pain, they don't fear life and death, tanks run over them and they can't say a word - our soldiers need a break, they fight for days, go on There will be problems." Chief of Staff Li Cha is of East Indian Chinese descent, and he is deeply saddened by the loss of the troops.

"Order the military police to arrest all the soldiers who ran away just now." Colonel Bruce's expression was cold. It was precisely because of the soldiers who fled the battle that caused all the soldiers to collapse collectively. If no punishment is given, everyone will follow suit in the future.

"What do you want to do?" Li Cha hesitated. There were hundreds of soldiers who escaped just now, and they were all shot?
"What do you think should be done?" Colonel Bruce asked Richard.

Li Cha was speechless.

It is a good thing to love soldiers, but only those soldiers who are loyal to their duties are worthy of love.

Leaving Pao Ze on the battlefield and running away, this kind of behavior is almost like betrayal, if Bruce let it go easily, then the superiors will definitely hold Bruce accountable.

At that time, Li Cha will not be able to escape.

Of course, An Qi would definitely not be able to deal with these small problems at this time.

While the Surabaya Rifle Regiment was in a bitter battle, fierce battles broke out between the Allied forces and the Japanese forces in many places on the [-]-kilometer-long front. decisive battle.

This is exactly what Angie wanted.

(End of this chapter)