afterglow

Chapter 363 Seize the oil field; why is it a seaplane?
Slightly later than the [-]st Battalion and the Heavy Firearms Battalion that parachuted, the [-]nd Battalion flying the glider landed on a flat ground farther away.

In order to match the early morning sky background, the gliders of the paratroopers were painted this blue with pink color, which can easily be confused with the sky.

One after another, blue and pink gliders rushed to the ground, made a brutal hard landing, and then slowly stopped after gliding dozens of meters across the wilderness.

Soldiers carrying guns filed out and lined up quickly under the shouts of the officers.

"Bring out all the workers there and disperse them!"

"Yes!"

After landing, Cui Quan, commander of the Second Battalion of the [-]st Paratrooper Regiment, issued a series of orders. The first was to drive away the overwhelmed Shell Oil Company employees.

Compared with parachuting, the troops landing by air were more organized and could be reorganized immediately to fight. Therefore, the officers and soldiers of the second battalion who landed later had already begun to try to take the initiative to attack.

The Heavy Firearms Battalion had only assembled three 128mm heavy mortars, and few boxes of shells had been found yet. However, they could not resist Cui Quan's request and agreed to provide fire support.

Lei Jiecheng, commander of the [-]st Paratrooper Regiment, also agreed to attack, but he warned not to underestimate the enemy and to stop and deal with it calmly once the attack was blocked.

The 128mm mortars equipped by the Ming army are equipped with two types of anti-explosive bombs, one is a 13kg light bomb with a maximum range of 6600m; the other is a 17kg heavy bomb with a maximum range of 5100m.

The 17kg shell is undoubtedly a terrifying drop. The four kilograms of TNT explosives loaded inside burst out with earth-shattering energy, blasting out a crater half a man deep. Countless deadly high-speed fragments formed a killing range of 30 meters in radius. .

"boom!!!"

Several Dutch and Indian soldiers were killed instantly. Their limbs torn off by the shock wave spun and fell in the air like branches; their clothes and pants had become pieces of rags, dangling down.

Under the cover of the Type [-] heavy machine gun, the second team of the second battalion launched a frontal attack in a sparse formation, while the third team circled to the right wing to attack its flank.

Experienced machine gunners are accustomed to adjusting the heavy machine gun to a high rate of fire, which makes it easier to fight.

A series of machine gun bullets pounced in the face, suppressing the depressed Dutch and Indian soldiers behind the bunker and not daring to move.

"Beep-beep-beep-"

Facing the Ming paratroopers who were approaching quickly amidst the sound of whistles, the Dutch and Indian troops hurriedly responded and tried their best to fire at them with all the weapons at hand.

However, most of them, who were in a hurry and frightened, only dared to hide behind bunkers and shoot randomly. Several light machine guns and heavy machine guns were also defeated in the confrontation with the Ming army's machine gun firepower.

As the distance got closer, the well-trained paratroopers with excellent shooting skills opened fire with semi-automatic rifles. The 7.36mm rifle bullet easily penetrated the helmet and skull, and brought out a red and white thing when it came out from behind.

Looking at the battlefield, the current situation is that hundreds of Ming Army paratroopers have approached the Dutch and Indian Army positions only 200 meters away. This is their chosen starting point for the attack.

The enemy in front of them has been suppressed by firepower and has lost their fighting spirit. There is no doubt that now is the right opportunity to charge.

"Brothers, go!!!"

"Beep beep beep-"

In an instant, countless figures emerged from the thousand-meter-long battle line, rushing toward the crumbling enemy position like a surging wave in a standard sparse formation.

The Dutch and Indian soldiers who were firing desperately were like weak rocks, and were instantly submerged by the fierce surge.

"Fuck! Don't let them escape!"

"Hit me hard!"

"Get down! There's fucking thunder!"

A paratrooper carrying a submachine gun jumped up and knocked down several fleeing enemies with a burst of fire. However, his reaction was slow and he was knocked down by the explosion of a grenade a few steps away.

The dust thrown up by the explosion dissipated, leaving wisps of smoke on the ground.

Two comrades next to him rushed forward one after another. One fired to cover him repeatedly, and the other bent down and dragged him back.

He was dragged into a crater nearby, and only then did he feel waves of severe pain coming from his numb body.

"Here, where the hell did you stuff the first aid kit?!"

And this is just a corner of the vast battlefield. At this moment, the defense line of the 8th Dutch and Indian Regiment is almost collapsed.

At this time, four armored vehicles suddenly drove out from behind the remains of the burning barracks in the distance, and the Lewis light machine guns mounted on them fired "thump, thump, thump".

The Ming army's paratrooper offensive stalled, and the arrival of armored vehicles seemed to barely stabilize the collapsed position?

"The ones in front are rushing away! Stop! Stop!"

"Fuck! Armored car!"

However, these four thin tin can trucks did not show off their power for long. In just tens of seconds, they were enveloped by firepower from all directions.

A little further away, rounds of 14.4mm armor-piercing incendiary bombs fired by Type [-] anti-tank guns roared towards them carrying a huge kinetic energy of more than [-] joules.

The bullet easily penetrated the thin steel plate of only 6mm. The aluminum-magnesium metal fragments filled between the bullet core and the jacket were violently squeezed and exploded, turning into blazing flames and rushing into the interior of the armored vehicle.

The rocket-propelled grenade launched by the bazooka also hit the enemy head-on. Part of the energy generated by the explosion was gathered forward, turning the soft-iron powder cover into a molten jet, which forcibly broke through the armor before continuing.

The paratroopers responsible for using rifle grenades also fired special anti-tank grenades. The grenades were pushed out by the gunpowder gas generated by the blank bombs, hit the armored vehicle in a parabolic path, and then exploded.

Usually armored vehicles are inevitably very hateful. The two home-made armored vehicles of the Dutch and Indian Army that pose the greatest threat were subjected to a spectacular concentrated fire in half a minute.

All kinds of firepower were poured into them, and the successive explosions scattered debris all over the place. The flames enveloped the twisted and pulpy wreckage, and the occupants inside were probably no longer human.

The Ming army's offensive, which had stalled for a while, continued. The 8th Dutch and Indian Regiment could no longer support it and was defeated in an instant.

For a long time, the local indigenous people have hated the Dutch rule. In their eyes, the arrival of the Ming Dynasty was simply a long-awaited good thing.

Almost everyone believes that the colonial rule of the Netherlands has reached its lowest limit. Even if it were replaced by Britain and France, it would not be so bad. I am afraid that only Belgium can compare with the Netherlands.

Facing the aggressively advancing Ming paratroopers, a large number of Sumudala indigenous soldiers simply threw away their weapons and surrendered on the spot with their hands raised.

What's more, some actually immediately switched sides and turned their guns to shoot at those Dutch non-commissioned officers and officers who were usually domineering and arrogant.

"Sir, those natives are shooting at us!"

"Damn! They will definitely pay the price! Definitely! Their hands should be cut off!" The panicked Lieutenant Colonel Burnat fled his headquarters in embarrassment and tried to retreat by car accompanied by regimental personnel.

Bullets rained down on the group of people, and some people screamed and fell from the car after being hit by bullets.

Several soldiers shot and killed the sergeant in front of them, and then fired wildly at the fleeing convoy with Thompson submachine guns and Madsen light machine guns.

"Da da da--"

"Shameless Sumatran natives, they..."

The furious Lieutenant Colonel Burnett kept yelling and cursing, but then he was hit in the head by a 6.5×53.5mm rifle bullet, killing him on the spot.

The driver suddenly noticed a sticky red and white substance on the windshield. He turned around and saw that his team leader was already thinking.The frightened driver shook his hands, and the off-road vehicle hit the ridge next to it heavily.

After the Ming Army paratroopers descended from the sky, the 3th Regiment of the 8rd Division only resisted for less than an hour before collapsing and taking countless prisoners, including hundreds of defectors.

These people could no longer look back, and they knew very well how the Dutch would retaliate against them as "rebels."

After stabilizing the airborne position, the paratrooper regiment did not dare to slack off. The first battalion and the heavy firearms battalion immediately seized every minute and every second to build a defense line around the main oil well area to resist possible counterattacks.

The Second Battalion continued to pursue the victory, and its troops were directed towards the Old Port Airport.

The paratroopers affiliated to the Ming Dynasty Air Force are undoubtedly the highest-quality combat units today. As an elite unit, their salaries and benefits are first-rate. Moreover, the Air Force is no better than the Army. The internal atmosphere has always been more open and positive, with little sluggishness. The average educational level of the soldiers is even Higher than the Navy.

Moreover, there are very few dandies in this high-risk unit. Even if the descendants of the Ming Dynasty are gold-plated, they will not be able to go here.

For the Dutch, fighting against such an opponent is undoubtedly a scary thing, because they are inferior in every aspect.

The fifth fighter squadron of the Dutch and Indian Army deployed here was completely destroyed, and most of them were blown to the ground. Several P-36s that were patrolling in the sky and fighting bravely were all shot down.

Seizing the airport means that materials and personnel can be transported more efficiently, and a steady stream of reinforcements and materials can be transported by air.

Compared to the weak Dutch-Indian army, there was the British 13th Infantry Brigade near the Old Port Airport, a force that should not be underestimated. They responded quickly and tried to besiege the Ming army paratroopers who were not yet stable.

The British 13th Brigade was originally stationed in Cairo. They were ordered to sail to Singapore for reinforcements. However, while the fleet was still in the Bay of Bengal, they received news of the fall of the Singapore Fortress and the surrender of the British Commonwealth troops.

They diverted the escort fleet to Dutch East Indu and garrisoned the old port, while the heavy cruiser Cornwall and five destroyers of the escort fleet joined the BDA coalition to work together to defend Nanyang.

At 9:49 a.m., the 13st Battalion of the 1th Brigade met the [-]nd Battalion of the [-]st Parachute Regiment head-on while marching toward the oil field, and an encounter broke out immediately.

"Enemy infantry, about 50 men, nine o'clock! One thousand yards!"

"More! There are more at one o'clock! At least 100 people!"

Facing the second team of the second battalion, D Company, which was responsible for the leading task, did not get any advantage.

In terms of small arms firepower, the Bren light machine gun has no advantage over the Type [-]; and the Enfield rifle, no matter how fast it fires, is only a bolt-action rifle and is inferior to the Type [-] semi-automatic rifle equipped by the Ming army paratroopers.

The Ming army is equipped with two 64mm mortars at the team level, with a range of up to 1300m; but the British army does not. They only equip each infantry platoon with a 2-inch light mortar, and the range of this thing is only 450m. , and are often used to launch smoke bombs.

Obviously, the firepower gap between the infantry units made the battle between the two sides unfair from the beginning.

Because it was a hasty encounter, it was necessary to seize the opportunity and fire first. The Ming paratroopers did not even set up a stand. They directly held the barrel of the gun, took a rough aim, and fired based on feeling.

"Mortar! Take cover!"

The falling mortar shells had a distinctive scream, and the officers shouted "mortar," but their words were immediately drowned out by the explosion.

Before entering the shooting range, the officers and soldiers of D Company took several rounds of artillery shells.

Two heavy machine guns were also quickly deployed and began to spray bullets at the British troops 800 to [-] meters away. The second team, which had the upper hand, seized the opportunity. The captain immediately ordered the third platoon to carry out a roundabout flank attack to the west.

The British army also responded very decisively. The 2-inch mortars belonging to each platoon fired smoke grenades towards the front of the battle, thereby blocking the field of vision and shooting range of the Ming army's heavy machine guns.

Then, they also separated into a platoon and headed west to intercept the encircling Ming army.

However, the Ming army, which had the advantage of long-range firepower, immediately launched an artillery attack. Several shells were dropped consecutively, killing several people and suppressing the more than 30 British troops into a dilemma.

The interception plan was in vain. If it continued, the British company would inevitably be attacked from both sides.

Finding that the battle was extremely difficult, the commander of D Company, knowing that he was at a disadvantage, immediately ordered a retreat.

Although the outpost battle suffered a small loss, the 13th Infantry Brigade, which had the advantage in strength, did not intend to respond passively. The brigade commander, Major General Dominic, was very clear about the characteristics of the airborne troops - although they can appear in unexpected places, it takes time. massed, and lacked heavy weapons.

Therefore, we cannot hesitate now and should decisively launch a counterattack to encircle and annihilate these light infantry who are scattered and fighting independently.

He put down the telescope and said flatly: "Relax, let us teach them a lesson. War is not won by trickery."

Three infantry regiments (battalions) lined up, marching hand in hand, menacingly marching towards the enemy in front of them.

Trucks from the 13th Regiment (Battalion) of the Royal Artillery assigned to the 18th Brigade dragged the artillery into their respective fighting positions. The artillerymen immediately unloaded the artillery and worked together to turn the muzzle and separate the tripod.

The soldiers of the communication platoon were driving in off-road vehicles in the wilderness, with rolls of wires hanging behind them. The communication lines between the artillery positions and the headquarters were quickly laid.

"...Firepower plan distribution, enemy infantry, high ballistics, high explosive bombs, instant fuses, calibrated firing, launch according to orders, complete!"

18 QF 25-pound howitzers fired a round, and the shells were scattered near the Ming army's position, exploding large clouds of smoke and dust.

Immediately, the British artillery launched effective fire after correcting Zhu Yuan.

In an instant, the rumble of cannons resounded throughout the world, and flames and blasts of wind spurted out from the barrels, sending the dust on the land ahead flying!
One after another, 87.6mm high-explosive bombs fell like hailstones, and the forward position of the Second Battalion of the [-]st Paratrooper Regiment was almost obscured by firelight and thick smoke.

Regiment leader Lei Jiecheng raised his hand and glanced at his watch and commented: "How long has it been since we started setting up positions? The British artillery's response is truly worthy of its reputation."

Although the enemy in front of them seemed to have the advantage, the Ming paratroopers were not worried - they had air supremacy on their own side, so the advantage was mine!
A few minutes later, three four-engine aircraft slowly descended, emerged from the snow-white clouds, and approached the battlefield leisurely in echelon formation.

"what is that?"

“Why did the Chinese send seaplanes here?”

(End of this chapter)