Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 1412 If you have any questions, please contact us!

There are many factors that determine victory on the battlefield.

The desire to win and strong will of soldiers are undoubtedly the most critical part!

But in addition, the commander's wise decision, sufficient firepower, pre-battle preparations, the strength of the fortifications, smooth communications, etc. are all key to victory or defeat.

And this time Tang Dao has upgraded the technology for the whole group, and it has nothing to do with firepower. It is the biggest shortcoming of the Four Elements Group since its formation - communications!

The little butterfly from the future certainly knows the importance of communication for an army!

Communication is a force multiplier, also allowing precise application while reducing decision-making time and information transfer.

You will know more quickly where you are being attacked, where someone is weak, and where strengths are being suppressed.

This allows those units that are overwhelmed to immediately make this fact known to others and request air support, artillery, or more to assist if available. On the other hand, in the worst case scenario, it can also tell you where to "not" commit troops.

A group of infantrymen without the ability to communicate with themselves is isolated, and isolation is one of the factors leading to defeat on the battlefield.

A famous general once said this: Communication and coordination are the difference between a thousand heavily armed thugs and an army.

The main strength of an army is organization, without effective coordination you can't take advantage of the firepower you have, and that requires communication.

On a battlefield under fire, radio communications were much faster, more accurate, and harder to interrupt than older methods such as runners, flags, or homing pigeons.

The German Empire's Blitzkrieg broke out in 1939. In fact, the German tanks were not much stronger than the Gallic Rooster tanks. The reason why they were able to quickly win the war was, in Tang Dao's view, due to two advantages: speed and communication. !

Speed ​​meant that the Germans could break through the defenses before the Gauls could react, and communications could coordinate these breakthroughs rather than fighting independently. Even if the front line advanced 100 kilometers a day, the high command would know what its troops were arriving at. Location.

Under limited conditions, Tang Dao sent the radio communications of the Si Xing Regiment to the infantry company-level combat units. Each infantry company has a low-power field radio, and the communication company needs to assist each infantry company in setting up before the war. If you have a wired telephone, once the phone line is blown down by artillery fire, you have to risk your life to connect the wire.

During the three years in the northern battlefield, as many as one hundred communications soldiers of the Fourth Line Regiment were sacrificed as a result, and their battle loss rate was not much lower than that of the front-line troops.

This kind of communication configuration has actually far surpassed the current Chinese army and even their opponents.

But in Tang Dao's view, this is still not enough, no, it should be far from enough.

In terms of military wireless communications, the Americans have indeed been at the top of the planet since this era. Even in winning this global war, many military strategists believe that without sufficiently developed wireless communications, they may not be able to win this global war. This war will still be won with strong industrial strength, but it will never be so fast.

The Japanese have accumulated nearly a hundred years of national strength for three generations. In just over three years, they were beaten to their knees by the Americans.

Therefore, as early as two years ago, Tang Dao persuaded Laura to go to the United States to find a manufacturing company named 'Calvin', even though Laura didn't understand why Tang Dao spent so much effort to acquire a company that manufactures car radios. , but out of the knowledge that Tang Dao would never do anything meaningless, Laura still chose to trust him.

Laura soon felt that this company was unusual. Even if she increased her chips to 500 million US dollars, the founder of Calvin Manufacturing Company still refused to give up the controlling stake. For capital tycoons who can do anything to their advantage, they are simply rare.

It doesn’t matter if you can’t hold a controlling stake. You can always take a shareholding and make suggestions and cooperation. Laura quickly changed her strategy and turned acquisition into win-win cooperation.

And under the secret suggestion of Tang Dao, the 'conspirator' behind it, he approached the Ministry of War, hoping to provide the army with a wireless communicator that could directly reach the squad platoon.

Faced with this kind of proactive technology and hard work, the War Department was naturally very interested. In mid-1939, it came up with a demand plan. The company and battalion-level radios that needed to be provided by the Calvin Company must be battery-powered and heavy. Not exceeding 15.8 kilograms, it is easy to carry and can be carried on the back of soldiers. Transmitters and receivers will utilize the 40.0 to 48.0 MHz FM band, divided into 200 MHz segments to produce a total of 41 channels. An operating distance of 4.8km is specified and comes with appropriate circuit noise cancellation to promote clear reception.

For such high technical parameters, Laura, who was behind all this, was not optimistic. Only Tang Dao knew that they would be able to do it.

Because, the name of this small company in the future will be Motorola! Since the United States entered the war, the famous squad walkie-talkies SCR-536 and SCR-300 were produced by this small company with a registered capital of only US$500 and an initial employee of only five people.

By the beginning of 1940, the 'Calvin' Company took out their first-generation battalion and company-level radio prototypes for testing. The communication range reached an astonishing 12 kilometers, and was used for squad-level radios weighing only 3 kilograms. The infantry wireless walkie-talkie communication distance reaches 1600 meters.

Although the radio communication distance and effect will be reduced due to terrain factors in mountainous areas and dense forests, this greatly exceeds the requirements of the U.S. Department of the Army.

Therefore, in mid-1940, the U.S. Department of the Army placed a huge order with this company. As a shareholder of this company, Laura naturally helped Tang Dao order 1500 squad walkie-talkies and 200 battalion and company walkie-talkies. grade radios and other ancillary equipment.

Hurrying slowly, we finally arrived at the headquarters of Rockefeller Far East Company in the mountain city in mid-December, near the end of the year.

But this time, Tang Dao didn't pay a penny, and even made a fortune.

Because some people within the Rockefeller Company were not optimistic about the company, they gave up 15% of the shares to the Chinese company when they participated in the shares. This made the Rockefeller Group's shareholding only 12%, which was less than Shareholdings in Chinese companies.

Since the Army Department has an order of 3 units and has paid 20% of the funds in advance, this small company’s profit this year is as high as one million U.S. dollars. As the major shareholder’s dividend, Chinese Company Nine can receive nearly U.S. dollars. , not only could this be used to pay for the goods, but he could even earn nearly $.

Moreover, Tang Dao knew that this was only the first batch of orders. With the outbreak of the Pacific War, not only would the U.S. military continue to place more orders, but it would also pay for a group of scumbag allies.

Both models of radio communication equipment start with an order of 100,000 yuan! The technicians at Calvin Company are just geeks, not stupid. After possessing this patent, the post-war gadget that the Chinese will call "Big Brother" in the future will be sold all over the world.

Of course, the reality in front of us is that the Four Elements Group has finally completely realized the most basic 'digitization' of Tang Dao's needs, even if it is analog digitization.

For front-line infantry, each infantry squad will have three walkie-talkies named "Hummingbirds", one carried by the infantry squad leader, one carried by the mortar operator, and one carried by the deputy squad leader or precision shooter.

The infantry platoon headquarters has two units, one carried by the platoon communications trooper and one carried by the health trooper, which is equivalent to having one as a backup machine.

To the company headquarters, it is equipped with two individual walkie-talkies, a radio capable of sending telegrams and voice calls, and a field radio originally equipped.

To this end, the communications company deliberately dispatched two additional communications soldiers to each front-line infantry company headquarters to avoid increasing the company's load due to the SCR-15, which weighs 300 kilograms.

At the battalion headquarters, an individual walkie-talkie, two SCR-300 radios, and two communications soldiers who have undergone brief training will be added.

It is not the four infantry battalions that are equipped with individual wireless walkie-talkies, but the reconnaissance company and the mountain infantry company, which basically reaches the density of a three-person team.

If necessary, any fire team can request troop support and artillery support within a straight line distance of 1600 meters from one's own main force.

If the Four Lines Regiment is compared to a person, then the scouts scattered outside the position are like human nerve endings, which can coordinate the overall movements of the Four Lines Regiment at any time.

Long Yan, who had already boarded the ship, used a walkie-talkie to talk to his brother-in-law Shen Laoliu who was still hiding in the woods on the shore, and his eyes turned red with excitement.

The current platoon leader is no longer the copycat man who showed off his hair to protect his heart. Saying goodbye to his comrades again and again has already matured him into a mature young man.

In the past two years, the green hair on his lips has turned into a beard. Although he occasionally looks a little out of place, due to his performance on the battlefield, even veterans with five or six years of military experience will be surprised when they see him. Be the first to stand at attention and salute.

But the moment he heard his brother-in-law's voice, Long Yan, who was already mature enough, was still as excited as a child who got his favorite toy, and almost shed tears.

He knows very well what this means, which means that no matter which group of comrades is trapped, the comrades not far away will get the news as soon as possible and rush to support immediately. Even if people cannot arrive in a short time, 60 Forced artillery shells will also provide fire support based on the coordinates provided by comrades.

What a pity it is to be too late!

He only listened to the story of his company commander Gu Xishui and Yao Meier once, and he knew why the company commander always looked in the direction of the martyrs' cemetery and why there was so much melancholy in his eyes.

I know you are in danger, but I don’t know where you are; I know you are about to leave, but my legs only have the strength to travel less than 30 yards per hour; when I arrive, I only see your gray eyes looking into the distance!

I know you have never complained about me, but I can never forget it in my life. It was the injury you left me!

But now, with this good thing, brother, you just need to tell me where you are!

Tang Tuanzuo estimated that the combat effectiveness of the entire regiment would be increased by at least 10%, but in the eyes of the grassroots officers and soldiers of the Sixings Regiment, it was more than 10%, and it was simply a life-saving artifact.

In critical moments, they can even contact the company commander directly and request fire support from the company headquarters' 82nd force or even the battalion's artillery 80mm mortar.

Of course, when issuing communication equipment, Tang Dao also compiled a communication regulations manual overnight, which strictly stipulated that under those circumstances, the infantry team could directly contact the company headquarters without bypassing the platoon leader. Under normal combat conditions, each platoon should still contact the company headquarters. Fire support and distribution are weighed by the company headquarters.

Otherwise, assuming that an infantry squad has three walkie-talkies, and a company has dozens of walkie-talkies, and all of them contact the company headquarters when a war breaks out, then the company commander will just answer the phone wherever he wants.

However, this is also the first time that the Four Elements Group has entered the era of wireless communication. Many advantages and disadvantages will be tested in battle.

The Battle of Shipai is the examination room for the officers and soldiers of the Sixth Regiment who have taken the lead in wireless communications in this era!

What was unexpected was that the first battle to test the newly upgraded communication system of the Four Lines Group turned out to be from the air. Lu Kuixian and his Minsheng Company were extremely efficient. With the large number of personnel, horses, and supplies in the Four Troops, internal personnel review, and external military secrecy, the entire fleet only took 3 days. Day and night, we gathered and set out.

This was enough for the Four Lines Regiment to arrive at the Shipai Fortress area exactly twice as early as the 20-day deadline required by the war zone.

Although the Japanese army's intentions are obvious, their forces are still gathering. Every day the Four Troops arrive in advance, they have one more day to build fortifications, which is naturally beneficial but not harmful.

Lu Kuixian did not say goodbye to Tang Dao. He, the general manager, also boarded the leading 500-ton iron-hulled ship on the day the fleet set off.

In his original words: This is a battle. The employees of our company are soldiers, and I, the general manager, am the supreme commander. How can there be any soldiers on the front line, while I, the commander, sit at the back and wait for news?

This not only showed the courage of a generation of private entrepreneurs, but also the heroic spirit of the Chinese people who were determined to serve the country. Tang Dao did not persuade him anymore, but accompanied him on the No. 1 ship.

Lu Kuixian was not a soldier, but he also knew that the leading ship was the most dangerous. If he were the enemy, he would be the first to attack the leading ship, forcing the fleet to slow down to facilitate subsequent attacks.

Just as he was about to persuade him, he saw Tang Dao's calm and calm eyes scanning the broad river. He couldn't help but smile knowingly and said no more.

As the general manager, he wanted to motivate his employees with practical actions, so how could Tang Dao, the supreme commander, not think so?

Even if he is going to die, it will be me, the biggest one, who will die first! This is the answer that middle-aged and young people quietly gave to thousands of people on the ship.

The boatmen were nervous, not because they were afraid of the water. This river was where they made a living. They had to go back and forth many times a year. What they were afraid of was the Japanese planes. However, they were shot to death by Japanese machine gun bullets during the evacuation that ended just a few days ago. The corpses of more than a hundred colleagues are still cold. As ordinary people, how can they not be afraid?

The officers and soldiers of the Fourth Line Regiment, who had been tested for a long time in war, were actually nervous. What they were afraid of was not Japanese planes and bombs, but water.

It's winter on such a big river. If the ship is blown up by a Japanese plane, it will be impossible for all the people on the ship to reach the shore alive.

They may not be that afraid of death, but they are unwilling to die before they reach the battlefield.

Tang Tuanzuo once again stabilized the morale of the army at this critical moment.

Although the day when the huge transport fleet set out was indeed a foggy day as expected by the veteran boatmen, the threat from the air was reduced, so the fleet had to slow down to avoid hitting the rocks in the dangerous shoals.

This also caused the fleet that could reach Shipai Fortress Ferry within 3 days by going down the river to be delayed for at least half a day.

It was this half-day delay that allowed the Japanese army to seize the opportunity.

At 1941 a.m. on January 1, 8, a soldier in the mast lookout rang the bell frantically.

Several black spots flew in one after another from the distant horizon, and not long after, the dull roar of aircraft engines was heard.

Four Zero fighter planes were approaching the fleet at high speed along the turbulent river at an altitude of less than 4 meters.

The Air Force fighter planes that were originally promised to escort had just passed over the fleet not long ago and should be returning home now.

Obviously, this was a well-designed ambush plan. The Japanese army should have already known that the Chinese reinforcements would arrive at Shipai by shipping, and the gap they captured was very precise. This obviously used a very high-level spy.

However, they probably didn't know the number of the reinforcements, otherwise, they would have dispatched not 4 fighter planes but 40 fighter planes.

Even if Commander Yokoyama Isamu of the 11th Army is a fool, he will know how cost-effective it is to exchange dozens of fighter planes for a four-line regiment.

"All artillery positions, remove gun jackets, first level alert! After the Japanese aircraft enters the range, each company and platoon can independently decide the shooting area!" Cheng Tieshou, who was sitting in the No. 1 cabin with Tang Dao, put down his telescope and picked up the walkie-talkie. ,give an order.

"1 consecutive orders received!"

"2 consecutive orders received!"

"3 consecutive orders received!"

The answering voices of the three company commanders of the air defense battalion came from the walkie-talkie.

Lu Kuixian on the side was confused. What is this? How can he still make a phone call? The head of China's largest shipping company is certain that there are absolutely no telephone lines between ships.

"Manager Lu, sir, you'd better take shelter in the bunker! The Japanese's airborne machine guns are no joke." Cheng Tieshou didn't have time to explain the new communication tool in his hand to Lu Kuixian, and directly addressed the two men. An eviction order was issued.

Although it cannot protect against aircraft bombs, bulletproofing is a specialty of the officers and soldiers of the Fourth Army Regiment. Ordinary soldiers built a half-meter-high bulletproof area with wooden planks and sandbags in the cabin, and also used 10 mm thick steel plates to surround the ship as a temporary bunker. .

"Brother Lu, whether we are safe this time depends entirely on Battalion Commander Cheng. Now that he has spoken, we'd better obey his orders." Tang Dao smiled slightly, took Lu Kuixian's hand and walked towards the bunker.

Tang Dao had seen a lot of bullets and bullets, so he would take a few Japanese planes seriously, but Lu Kuixian was an important figure, and he couldn't let anything happen to him here.

Each artillery position is basically equipped with walkie-talkies, and there are different frequency modulations between squads, platoons, and companies. Orders are quickly issued layer by layer. In almost less than 30 seconds, each artillery position has clearly identified the area it needs to shoot.

Has the efficiency more than doubled than before?

The anti-aircraft artillerymen of the Fourth Line Regiment, who have had countless air defense experiences, now understand the importance of collective cooperation. Unless they have to, they rarely use a 20mm machine gun to fight Japanese aircraft like Cheng Tieshou did. situation.

The anti-aircraft artillery shooters are now shooting at an area, using several or more anti-aircraft machine guns to form a barrage in the airspace. Once the Japanese aircraft flies in, it will be sieved by warheads and shrapnel.

When the Japanese plane was about 2000 meters away from the fleet, it was already preparing to start dropping bombs.

Blow up a few ships ahead, and the remaining ships that have to slow down will become prey for whatever they want.

This is probably the first reaction of any naval pilot after seeing a huge fleet of merchant ships.

The bombs carried by four fighter planes can even easily destroy a two-thousand-ton destroyer.

However, small white mushrooms bloomed in the airspace around them, which really scared the Japanese machine.

What the hell? Why are there anti-aircraft guns here?

During the emergency evasion, several 500-pound aerial bombs were dropped.

The ships in the Chinese fleet are actually small ships, and their targets are not big in the first place. They may not be able to blow them up even if they are seriously invested, let alone lost by such a blind bully.

The towering water column that was only more than 1 meters away from the No. 50 ship caused the relatively large hull to shake violently, and Cheng Tietshou's big black face turned slightly pale.

If this big guy were to hit the ship, all the more than 300 people on the ship would become martyrs, the kind who would be buried in cenotaphs.

The frightened Japanese aircraft did not give up after all. While raising their altitude to avoid anti-aircraft guns, they did not choose to change their route. They still wanted to pass over the fleet at high speed, trying to observe the situation before deciding on the next tactic.

They may not have thought that this fleet of ships, which is more than 3500 meters from end to end, is now a porcupine with its body spread out and its sharp thorns spread out. Not to mention that they are similar to the "African second brother" in combat power. It is also a male lion who wants to eat our meat. Then I have to pierce you too.

The four Japanese planes crashed into the barrage that had been coordinated with walkie-talkies at a high speed of more than 4 kilometers.

There are 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns, 20mm machine guns, 12.7mm heavy machine guns, and even MG42 machine guns.

The gunshots that instantly resounded across the river were deafening, and just the smoke dissipating from the muzzles of various calibers was like a layer of mist rising on the river.

Four smart little guys that could have dominated the skies over the Pacific Ocean crashed into the sand on this famous river in China.

In addition to dropping 4 bombs, not a single shot was fired. Before they even reached the end of the fleet, like birds with broken wings, two of them hit the mountains on both sides, and two of them plunged directly into the roaring river.

It splashed water on the faces of the anti-aircraft artillerymen on board!

What a good ice! A machine gun shooter got down from the shooting position while cursing.

So pretentious, the honest boatman who was hiding behind the bunker and shivering was dumbfounded!