afterglow

Chapter 352: Infantry and artillery tank coordination; detour to the sea!
In the middle of Mersing City, a meandering river of the same name runs from southwest to northeast and finally flows into the sea.

A battalion of the 20th Brigade deployed on the west bank was completely unable to cope with such a ferocious attack, and the shaky defense line was in crisis from the beginning.

Although the field fortifications they built preserved themselves well, with only dozens of casualties from shelling and bombing, the ground fortifications were basically destroyed, and field telephone lines were interrupted in many places. They even had to rely on messengers to convey orders and command on foot. Efficiency plummeted.

This is actually the important role of firepower preparation - to destroy and reduce the opponent's defense and command system. It is extremely rare to defeat a qualified army solely by relying on firepower.

Later, the 112㎜ howitzer battalion of the [-]st Marine Brigade Mountain Artillery Regiment turned to the east bank of Fengsheng River to carry out obstructive shooting and blocking shooting to reduce the fire damage from the other side of the river.

The 80mm howitzer battalion began to try to use Xu Jin barrage fire to suppress the enemy in front of them and support friendly forces' attacks.

On the offensive front, the officers and soldiers of the 100st Battalion of the [-]nd Mobile Brigade who implemented the central breakthrough only felt that their blood was surging. The shells fired by their own field artillery group landed more than [-] meters in front. The landing point of some shells was relatively biased, even just a few dozen meters away. Far.

The shock wave of the shell explosion hit his face like a roaring hot wind; then, the flying soil fell thinly on him.

There are a total of four artillery lines during the impact. The artillery unit fires 2 rapid fires and 4 constant rapid fires on each line, and then turns to aim at the next artillery line.

During this period, the infantrymen of each platoon and squad had to end their concealment posture, alternately leap forward and launch an attack, and eliminate the enemy troops who were stunned by the bombing in front of them.

A Vickers heavy machine gun team placed on the flank opened fire openly. A series of bullets shot diagonally from the right front, knocking down three or four people in a row, and the rest quickly fell down to hide.

Enemy troops that were able to survive the previous violent shelling and air strikes and still have combat capabilities were naturally not good at it. Even before a whole canvas bandolier was finished, these Australian soldiers quickly moved to another area with their heavy machine guns. A bunker.

For a time, the combined firepower of several Lewis light machine guns and Vickers heavy machine guns suppressed the three teams on the right and put them in a dilemma.

Although the Type [-] light machine gun is better than the Lewis, the latter's large ammunition tray takes advantage of the ammunition capacity.

"Fuck grandma, she's so cunning!"

"Hey! Send smoke to my ten o'clock direction, and I will lead a group of people around to their trenches!"

"Don't worry! Wait!"

The anxious second lieutenant wanted to break into the trench directly with the help of smoke bomb cover, but was rejected.

The tank is following right behind. Why are you so anxious?
The tank crews with limited field of vision seemed relatively slow because the friendly troops were ahead and they did not dare to shoot at will before fully confirming the situation.

The Australian heavy machine gun team, which had been showing off for a few minutes, was quickly hit by precise direct fire and was unable to raise its head.

A machine gunner using a Lewis light machine gun got carried away and fired two bullet trays in a row without moving. He then incurred several rounds of artillery shells and a stream of bullets.

The Australian soldiers, who were completely suppressed, had only sporadic resistance and looked weak.

A few soldiers who stretched out their upper bodies to aim and shoot only fired twice, and were immediately noticed by the machine gunners of the second platoon and second squad.

He was lying on the ground and was about to stand up and leap forward, but when he saw this, he immediately lay down again, quickly turned the gun, took aim briefly, and then lightly pulled the trigger.

"Ta-da-ta-da-"

Several double-shot short bursts were accurate and deadly. The 7.36×56mm heavy-pointed bullets flew out at high speed. Although they were 200 meters apart, the two Australian soldiers were knocked down in the blink of an eye.

The bullet penetrated the fragile MkI Tommy helmet without any hindrance. The impact caused the helmet to fly off, and the brain of the unlucky guy who was shot in the head exploded.

Suddenly, several dazzling muzzle flashes appeared one after another on the enemy's second-line position!

The four QF 2-pound anti-tank guns that had been silent did not fire until now, because the British and Indian 9th Division had told the Australians that the Ming army had invested heavy tanks, and the anti-tank guns could not penetrate at medium and long ranges.

Therefore, the Australian anti-tank artillerymen waited patiently for the Ming army's tank line to approach a position of only 300 meters before firing together.

Shells trailing straight traces of light flew towards the slowly advancing tank line one after another, but their precise attacks were ineffective. The 40mm tracer bullets hit the front of the heavy tank body and had no effect.

If the angle of incidence is relatively vertical, they are basically smashed to pieces; if the angle of incidence is skewed, most of them ricochet, splashing out a ball of sparks, and the entire trajectory is like a broken line.

However, the frontal armor of the Type 12 heavy tank is 50mm armor steel with an inclination of 23°. The YH520B used by the Ming army today, which is the Type [-] B surface-hardened armor steel, has a Brinell hardness of [-]HB. This small caliber projectiles pose no threat even at extremely close range.

The 80mm short-barreled gun carried by the Ming army's heavy tanks is a very good anti-fortification weapon. It is a direct modification of the 6.7-type mountain gun into a tank gun. It is loaded with 900kg heavy anti-explosive bombs. [-]g TNT has excellent impact on soft targets.

"boom!"

The flames and smoke of the explosion erupted from an anti-tank artillery position, and four or five Australian anti-tank artillerymen were knocked down instantly.

Compared with the right side, which has suffered some obstacles, the attack on the left side is much smoother.

"Follow me!"

"Throw thunder! Go!"

The Ming infantry who were the first to rush into the enemy's position jumped into the trenches one after another and began to clean up the chaotic remnants of the enemy!

Several Australian soldiers suddenly discovered that their opponent had jumped into the trench on the left, and they quickly fired their guns. Unexpectedly, a few seconds later they saw a smoking grenade being thrown over.

"Boom!"

Debris flew everywhere, and three people were injured and fell down.

The green smoke had not yet dissipated. They were in pain and dizzy as they struggled to get up. They were immediately shot by a figure rushing out of the smoke with a submachine gun.

The corporal carrying the Type [-] submachine gun with a bayonet was a lean man. In the flash of lightning, more than a dozen bullets knocked down two of them on the spot, but at this time he also happened to empty the magazine.

He stepped forward decisively and stabbed. As soon as the other man picked up the Enfield rifle, he saw a cold bayonet coming towards him and was stabbed through the stomach.

Red blood flowed from the blood groove on the side of the sword-shaped bayonet. The wide-eyed Australian soldier subconsciously let go of the gun and held the bayonet inserted into his body with both hands.

The next second, the bayonet was pulled out with a snap, a large amount of blood gushes out from the wound, and the soldier collapsed to the ground.

The corporal casually took out the magazine and replaced it, and warned the soldiers behind him: "Be quick, use as much sharpness as you can, and shoot when you have a rough aim. What you want is the momentum to get the upper hand!"

At this point, the Australian defense line on the north bank of the Fengfen River completely collapsed.

Two Type 48 medium tanks even drove directly in front of the frontline headquarters, opened fire at the observation port, and accurately fired a [-]mm anti-explosive bomb.

If the central breakthrough by the tank troops and motorized infantry was like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, then to the west, the offensive by the [-]nd and [-]rd Battalions of the [-]st Marine Brigade and [-]st Regiment was like a wind and a cloud.

The Ming army tanks parked on the river beach on the north bank and openly fired on the other side of the river, covering the Marine infantry who took small boats to forcefully cross the Fengfen River.

The Australian 20th Brigade had no choice but to push the QF 18-pound field gun to the front line, temporarily acting as anti-tank firepower to bombard the Ming army tanks.This MkV type 84mm field gun was a greater threat. Three or four vehicles were damaged in succession. Even the platoon leader's vehicle of the second platoon of the first team of the assault tank battalion was hit and the turret seat was damaged. Exit the battle.

But this has bought a lot of time, and the hundreds of Marine infantry who crossed the river quickly established a river beach position.

They wielded their shovels vigorously and dug bunkers on the spot. Heavy machine guns were placed on both wings. The positions of each row and squad were intertwined. In just a few ten minutes, a protrusion that was difficult to break was formed.

Brigadier General Weitz, the anxious brigade commander, was at his wits' end and had to ask the division headquarters for help, hoping to mobilize some tanks to assist in the counterattack.

However, Major General Cecil could provide very little help, and could only transfer a battalion from the neighboring 19th Brigade to provide support.

As for the tanks, since the Royal 3rd Tank Regiment fought with the Ming Army's tank troops, they have never dared to dispatch easily. Now they have been ordered to withdraw from Singapore, because the Far East Command is still counting on these tanks to defend Singapore.

"The British have stretched the front too long. The Eastern Front has been penetrated. There is no need to hold on to the Western Front."

"Now they should shrink as quickly as possible and concentrate their forces in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula."

"In this way, we can get sufficient material support with Singapore as our back, and we won't be bombed every day."

Zhou Changfeng commented on the opponent's defense in a rather condescending manner, but he did not know that the commander-in-chief of the Far East, Lieutenant General Arthur Tedder, was only a staff general, and his personality was somewhat hesitant.

The planning of defense is basically the responsibility of the staff at the headquarters. When there are more people, there will always be different opinions. In this case, it is obviously necessary to have a superior who can make a firm decision, but Lieutenant General Arthur is obviously not the one.

At this time, Zhou Changfeng also received an inquiry telegram from Deng Siquan.

The general idea is: Is your attack going well?If you don't have enough ammunition, don't force it. After these days of overwhelming momentum, I'm afraid it will be the end of the war.

To be honest, the assault group was indeed at the end of its tether. The daytime attack had basically exhausted the artillery shells. On average, each suppression artillery had less than ten shells left.

But the so-called killing someone while they are sick, the attack in the afternoon showed that these Australians have nothing to fear. Apart from being braver and having higher morale, they still have no ability to stop their own side.

According to feedback from aerial reconnaissance, the eastern beach south of Mersing is relatively gentle, and civilian maps also mention that there are sandy beaches and coconut groves there.

It is obvious that the Australian army's attention has been completely attracted by the Ming army in front. What miraculous effect will it have if an attack is launched from its flank and rear?

Flanking another army's line of defense?Then take a detour toward the sea!

The field artillery group has no shells?The Air Force's dive bombers are equivalent to flying cannons!

The setting sun was setting, and the sunset was like blood. The anxious Australian officers and soldiers did not know what kind of fate they would face after sleeping.

The floating tank battalion of the [-]st Marine Brigade took advantage of the night to go to the sea, and the two teams of the [-]st Marine Regiment and the [-]st Battalion also followed in small boats.

Since mines have been laid outside Mersing, the officers and soldiers acted very cautiously and sailed as close to the coastline as possible.

In order to cope with the roundabout operations, the Ming army on the entire front was constantly firing cold shots and artillery, and from time to time they also fired illumination bombs at the Australian army positions.

The roundabout troops sailed on the sea for more than an hour and successfully landed at midnight.

During this period, they almost hit a mine that drifted away from the deployed sea area, and two Type [-] amphibious tanks were abandoned due to unstoppable water intrusion.

But in the end, the troops still landed safely, and more than 30 tanks and dozens of small sampans rushed onto the beach one after another.

They immediately reorganized their formation and launched a surprise attack directly behind the Australian defense line.

After half an hour.

"Sir! We are in trouble!" A panicked major staff officer rushed across the road. "A large number of Chinese tanks and infantry appeared in Saru Village!"

At the same time, several field phones in the headquarters also rang one after another.

"what?!"

"B company of communications and company A of field engineers are exchanging fire with the Chinese army, but they can't hold on any longer."

One can imagine how devastated the Australians were at this time - God, where did these Ming troops come from?

Brigadier General Weitz, the brigade commander, hurriedly left the headquarters, picked up his telescope and looked toward the southeast.

In the vast darkness, countless tanks were seen marching across the fields from left to right, and the firelight of each firing would briefly illuminate them.

The tracer bullets flying horizontally were like daggers cutting through the darkness, seeming to tear the night into pieces.

"call out--"

A 76.2mm mortar flare was launched into the air and hung high above the wilderness. The huge light it emitted made the situation below even more shocking.

At least thirty tanks and at least three hundred infantry.

At this moment, Wei Zi felt his heart go numb.

The defense line in the southern part of the peninsula has failed, and the 20th Brigade must retreat, otherwise it will be over at dawn!
The Australian 20th Brigade, which retreated hastily, did not even have time to send a signal to the division headquarters, and fled in a hurry.

It's not that they were irresponsible, but that the Ming army's tanks and infantry who had circled to the rear were attacking everywhere unscrupulously. The small Type [-] amphibious tanks actually became invincible cavalry.

At dawn the next day, Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers crossed the river one after another and set foot on the position that had been abandoned overnight.

The Australian army retreated in such a hurry that the aluminum alloy folding camp beds in the field tents were still warm to the touch.

They left behind a large amount of heavy weapons and supplies, and more than a dozen QF 4.5-inch howitzers and QF 18-pound field guns became trophies of the Ming army.

Arthur Ted, who couldn't sleep all night because of the bad fighting situation, fell asleep in the early hours of the morning. However, he was woken up just as he closed his eyes - the battle situation on the front line suddenly changed. The Australian 20th Brigade had retreated, and the southern part of the peninsula was torn apart by the Ming army. A big hole!

Tens of thousands of troops on the Western Front are still resisting. If they move any slower, they may be cut off from their retreat, and even retreating to Singapore will become a luxury.

At this point, the Commonwealth troops in the Malayan Peninsula were in a desperate situation.

Early the next morning, the bomber formation of the Ming Air Force arrived as scheduled, but this time they did not drop aerial bombs, instead they dropped countless leaflets falling like snowflakes.

Its core idea is to torture the souls of the soldiers of the British Commonwealth Army: "Why do you have to travel across the ocean to work for your mother country? Is this a war that belongs to you?"

(End of this chapter)