Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 224 The First Battle of Songjiang

The Huangpu River in the morning.

This is the most important water system in the south of the Yangtze River.

Gone are the days of prosperity.

The fishing boats and cargo ships that used to come and go have long since disappeared.

On the wide river surface, there are only slowly rising mist and undercurrents hidden by white mist.

Three black figures appeared in the mist.

From far to near, it can be seen that it is not an ordinary ship. The high gun muzzle on the bow proves their identity, a warship!
A warship flying the flag of the sun.

Or more accurately, it was a gunboat instead of a warship.

Three gunboats belonging to the 11th Squadron of the Japanese Navy's Third Fleet.

However, don't think that gunboats are just small scumbags. The reason why the Japanese Navy is still equipped with more than a dozen gunboats despite having large ships such as aircraft carriers, heavy cruisers, destroyers, and minelayers is because considering the inland rivers in China. combat needs.

Because of the shallow draft in China's inland rivers, the freeboard of these gunboats is very low, so they are commonly called "clog boats". Therefore, the inland river gunboat fleet of the Japanese Navy is also named "clog fleet". Its hull structure is large, and its endurance is long. Because there are many parts of inland rivers in China where the water flow is turbulent, the horsepower of the engine unit is also large enough to maintain a high speed of more than 10 knots even when the flow is reversed.

The three Toba-class gunboats that came from the confluence of the Huangpu River and the Yangtze River are the best among the inland river gunboats equipped by the Japanese Navy.

The design blueprint of the Toba-class gunboat is basically copied from similar ships of the Empire on which the sun never sets, but the Japanese have carried forward it, making it have a larger size and a more powerful engine set.

The ship has a total length of 54.86 meters, a width of 8.23 ​​meters, a normal displacement of 250 tons, and a draft of 0.79 meters.

The power system is two ship-type coal-fired boilers driving two reciprocating engines for three-axis drive, with an output power of 1400 horsepower and a maximum speed of 15 knots per hour.

武器系统配置为一门80毫米28倍径火炮和6挺6.5毫米机枪，载员超过60人，舰艇上的指挥官也为少佐军衔。

Such a gunboat can completely maneuver in the center of the river, and form artillery strikes on the enemies within 3000 meters on both sides of the river. Throughout the Great Patriotic War, this gunboat has been the main force of the Japanese army to control large inland rivers such as the Yangtze River in China.

Even in the future, after the Japanese army was forced to surrender, these gunboats abandoned by the Japanese army have been in service by the Chinese army for more than ten years after the end of the war.

Such a big guy, not to mention three ships, even one is daunting.

Otherwise, Hirasuke Yanagawa knew that he was about to kneel down, and the navy sent three "small" gunboats, and they must not spread the banners of "Navy Malu" all over the world!

The vice admiral of the Japanese Navy is already very face-saving. The reason why he didn't send a thousand-ton destroyer is mainly because he is not familiar with the waterway of the Huangpu River system. a nuisance.

It's just that the Japanese army underestimated the Chinese, just as the Chinese didn't expect the Japanese to be so stingy.

Three 'big men' gradually emerged from the mist, and Tang Dao, who was hiding in a wood 300 meters away from the river, was also slightly stunned.

This is quite different from what he imagined that the Japanese army should send a fleet led by at least light destroyers!
The three small gunboats are not in vain. He spent most of the night convincing two lieutenant generals and leading six cavalry companies and an artillery battalion to find an ambush location!
In order to be able to keep the Japanese in mind, Tang Dao persuaded General Wu to agree that he brought four 37mm rapid-fire guns, ten 150mm large-caliber mortars, and six Oerlikon 6mm single-barreled machine guns. .

And, he decided to personally act as the commander of the 'Big Stick' project.

The two lieutenant generals might also want to see how the world-renowned Four Elements Battalion Commander was doing in the field, and they agreed without even a symbolic stop.

It's like this in the army, if it's a mule or a horse, you'll know when you pull it out.The Battle of the Four Elements had an excellent geographical location, coupled with a brave enough heart, the tactics actually took a back seat.

Of course, Lieutenant General Wu didn't mean to test Tang Dao. Isn't this critical point training soldiers?

He even hoped that as Tang Dao said, he would give the Japanese army a dismount first, and directly gave Tang Dao the highest command authority, and all six cavalry companies and a mixed artillery battalion that were drawn out had to obey his orders.

As a result, this is it?
"Damn it, why isn't Liu Chuanpingzhu so proud at all! Just use this scrap of metal to fool people?" Tang Dao frowned and said to himself.

He remembered that the Japanese in the time and space were so proud to send two light destroyers and five or six gunboats. Otherwise, the theater command, which received a request from the 67th Army to bomb enemy ships, would not have asked the air force with heavy losses to come to assist. .

The 127mm main guns on the prows of the two Fubuki-class destroyers are really terrible. Once fired, a house and its personnel will be reduced to dust. The 67th Army, which went into a defensive battle without preparation, could not just watch With 30,000 people consumed in artillery battles, the two infantry brigades were forced to fight in the field with the Japanese army, resulting in the death of two major general brigade commanders on the spot, and the loss of more than two thirds of the two infantry brigades.

But what about three small gunboats coming to Mao at this moment?What made Tang Dao temporarily depressed was not the failure to catch the so-called big fish, but the current situation on the battlefield, which seemed to be deviating from the original historical track.

Tang Dao was talking to himself depressedly here, but the two majors beside him who were also observing the river with binoculars were stunned by his words.

This one, it's fine to propose using cavalry to bring artillery to the riverside to fight the Japanese navy's ambush. There has never been a lack of boldness in the army.

But where does this rags come from?Didn't you see that they were gunboats?The high-hanging 80mm artillery is much more powerful than the 75mm mountain cannon. The hull of the more than 50-meter-long ship is covered with steel plates. Our mortars and machine guns don’t say whether they can accurately hit others, just hit them Going up, how much effect it has depends on the actual combat effect.

The 67th Army had fought the Japanese army in North China, but it was on land, and it was the first time that it used artillery to hit a warship running fast in the middle of the river like it is now.

The cavalry major and artillery major who accompanied Tang Dao to observe the battlefield looked at the three gunboats cruising in the river with no confidence.

As a result, Tang Dao was fine, and he directly disliked that the warships sent by the Japanese were not strong enough.

If it wasn't for the fact that the Chief of Military Staff had introduced Tang Dao to several of their school officers before coming here, they would really have the feeling that Tang Dao was a rookie.

But no matter what they thought, and no matter whether the three Japanese gunboats were strong enough, Tang Dao had already raised the "big stick" that he had prepared for a long time, and there was absolutely no reason to put it down.

"After 10 minutes, all the artillery in the artillery battalion will attack the Japanese ships according to the previously formulated battle plan; in the cavalry battalion, except for one cavalry company to guard the eight-kilometer periphery, the remaining five cavalry companies will follow the previous arrangement. Is there any problem with establishing a blocking position at the selected location to prevent the Japanese infantry from landing ashore?" Tang Dao ordered as he watched the Japanese gunboat formation slow down and seemed to be looking for a landing place.

"No problem!" The artillery major nodded and accepted the order.

The main attackers were the artillery, and naturally their position was selected first, behind the hills. According to Deputy Director Tang, it was a natural reverse slope fortification.

The Artillery Major didn't know what anti-slope fortification was, but he knew that no matter how powerful the Japanese naval guns were, it was really not easy to hit behind the hills, unless they could turn the cannons into mortars and Cannonballs fell from the sky.

"I'm fine, that's it." The cavalry major hesitated a little.

"Just tell me if you have any questions, Battalion Commander Gong, you have already wasted thirty seconds." Tang Dao frowned.

If the order is not stopped, it will undoubtedly reduce efficiency.As a commander, he must contain this momentum.

"That is, Battalion Commander Tang, do you have a specific time to stop the enemy? Otherwise, when the Japanese fighter planes fly in, everyone here will not be able to leave."

The battalion commander of the cavalry major was obviously a little suffocated, and he simply called the official position of the Tang Dao Sixing Battalion, which means that they are all battalion commanders, and you don't have to be so condescending.

"Is it a Japanese plane?" Tang Dao didn't seem to understand the careful thoughts of the major cavalry battalion commander. Looking at the mist that was still rising in the river, he said with a faint smile. "I'm sure they won't come for at least an hour and a half. However, since Battalion Commander Gong is worried, I'll give you some time. Within an hour, regardless of the outcome, we'll pack up and leave."

"Yes!"

Although I don't understand how Tang Dao's one and a half hour time was calculated, since Tang Dao gave him a time limit, at least he gave him face as the battalion commander of the cavalry battalion of the special service regiment directly under the 67th Army.

The cavalry major stopped competing.

Of course, Tang Dao is not just talking about time calculations.

The aircraft carrier of the Japanese Navy is still on the sea 90 kilometers away from Songjiang. When it receives a call for help, it will take 15 minutes to fly here at the speed of a propeller fighter.

Furthermore, the Japanese gunboats are shameless?As soon as the war started, he asked his own fleet headquarters for reinforcements, and he would not be swollen when he went back!By the time they were beaten black and swollen and called for help, at least half an hour had passed.

Of course, what's more important is that it's seven o'clock in the morning, the river is thick with fog, and the sky is extremely gloomy. Could it be that the sea is calm and clear?When Japan's Hainan Airlines is an all-weather pilot!
Tang Dao remembers that in the time-space Jinshanwei landing battle and the later period of the Songjiang battle, the Japanese Navy fighter planes arrived at around 10 o'clock to participate in the battle, which already shows that the weather in the early morning of these few days is not suitable for planes to take off.

As for Army Aviation, hehe, let’s not say that their airport is farther away, but with the coordination ability of the Japanese army, navy and army, when they coordinate and communicate well, I guess lunch will be ready!
"Boom!" A 37mm rapid-fire gun hidden in the hilly woods fired.

The first battle of the Songjiang defensive battle officially started.

But it's not in Songjiang City, but on the banks of the Huangpu River.

(End of this chapter)