afterglow

Chapter 487: An appetizing declaration of war; our glory is preserved

For a time, the whole world's attention was attracted by this news. Almost everyone believed that the Germans would definitely not be able to stand this naked provocation, and 99% of the two sides would declare war on that day.

But nothing happened. Berlin did not even respond. Instead, the German offensive against Madrid was launched one day ahead of schedule.

Washington was also strangely silent. Some politicians in the Ming Dynasty wrote editorials in newspapers. Analysis said that this shows that Americans are generally more cautious, leaving a little leeway and buffer time.

Although a substantive conflict is almost certain to break out next, Washington still adopts the method of signing a military treaty first to deter Berlin.

However, in Zhu Lingjing's view, this is just to tantalize people, dragging the water, simply declare war straightforwardly, and there is no need for mediation and games - isn't the previous game enough?

But her father didn't think so. Zhu Shiyan felt that this move might buy five to ten days for the US military to mobilize troops, which was a very good idea.

On the same day, under the Edson Heights in the north of Guadalcanal, hundreds of soldiers left their second-line positions, carrying rifles and heavy machine guns toward the muddy offensive starting position.

This time Zhou Changfeng decided to launch a strong attack from the due west of the western position, while using feint attacks from the southwest and due south to contain the US military.

After these days of hard fighting, the three battalions of the 1st Marine Regiment all suffered heavy casualties and suffered a large number of combat casualties.

Since the two teams of the field supplementary battalion, with a total of more than 300 people, could not fill all the vacancies, only the second and third battalions were replenished, basically restoring the combat effectiveness of the two battalions.

"Dong dong dong dong dong——"

The follow-up troops also prepared five echelons, a total of five platoons. Everyone's body is filled with grenades wherever they can hold things. Blood experience tells everyone that grenades are often more effective than submachine guns.

Bullets screaming past sound scary, but such bullets are often several meters away, so there is no need to be afraid; but if you hear a lower popping sound, you should immediately be vigilant and look for cover, because this means that the bullet is passing by. And passed.

Zhou Changfeng personally deployed five breakthrough teams. Each team was composed of an infantry squad and a team of processing troops and chemical defense troops, with a total of 18 people.

A blasting tube with the fuse ignited made a sizzling sound and was quickly inserted into the firing port.

On the hill in the southwest, the Type 34 anti-aircraft guns firing flatly fired muzzle flashes several feet long!

The white light produced by the 20.8×112mm tracer explosive projectile is as bright as daylight. The projectile containing joules of terrifying kinetic energy rushes out of the muzzle and flies towards the target a thousand meters away.

The exposed US military firepower points were hit by a spectacular concentrated fire, including heavy machine guns, recoilless rifles, infantry artillery...

The third battalion, which was in the best condition, played the leading role and was responsible for the main attack; the second battalion carried out feint attacks in the southwest and south directions; the first battalion, which had reduced its strength by more than half, was unable to attack and was responsible for staying behind.

The two figures covered in mud crawled forward nimbly and climbed a few meters in front of the reinforced bunker that had been suppressed by multiple firepower.

After these days of fierce fighting, most of the bunkers and reinforced firepower points built by the US military have been destroyed. Now the breakthrough team has actually removed only a few remaining ones.

Now they carry a large cylindrical auxiliary fuel tank under the belly of the aircraft, and a modified small auxiliary fuel tank under each wing to ensure a long enough time in the air.

At the same moment, six Type 38 dive bombers had already flown over the Ming army's position based on the blue smoke column rising from the smoke canister, and began to circle and stand by.

At 7:30 in the morning, the roar of the 128mm mortar was the first to tear apart the moment of silence on the battlefield, and the Edson Heights was once again shrouded in gunpowder smoke.

The infantry unit formed in this way was equipped with submachine guns and automatic guns in addition to a light machine gun. It also had a rocket launcher and a flamethrower, and carried a large number of blasting tubes and explosive bags.

Following Zhou's instructions, the officers and soldiers of the Second Team of the Air Defense Battalion dismantled six 20.8mm anti-aircraft guns into parts, moved them to a hill one kilometer to the southwest and reassembled them to provide powerful direct fire support for the attacking troops.

Several breakthrough teams left their positions one after another, and then sporadic bullets were fired from the front left, front, and right front.

The Type 38 dive bomber is the work of Shanghai Changyang Aircraft Company. It is all equipped with the Ming Dynasty Air Force. It is two completely different models from the Navy's Type 37 carrier-based dive bomber.

"cover!"

"Are you ready? It's time to go."

A deafening roar came a few seconds later, making people's eardrums hurt. Clods of soil fell from the sky on their bodies, and sawdust flying at high speeds drew blood marks on their faces.

At present, all the exposed fire points have been destroyed, and all these annoying nails have been pulled out.

During this period, the participating troops also entered the impact starting position one after another. As two red signal flares were launched into the air, the harsh and penetrating sharp whistle sounded throughout the entire area.

"Brothers, listen up! How many times has this happened? Our brigade claims to have never lost a battle. Is it possible that we should make an exception here?"

"If we can't take it again, how can we have any dignity in the future? The enemy has only one breath to hang on. We have no reason to retreat at this point."

Everyone in the group was full of unwillingness to see the mountains stained red by the blood of both sides. No matter what, the Americans on the opposite side would eventually be killed and injured.

A loud voice came from the loudspeaker, echoing across the mountains, "American soldiers, surrender immediately!"

Dozens of soldiers in the first echelon jumped out of the assault starting position, shouted and rushed forward!

The officers and soldiers of the 5th Marine Regiment on the position have been replaced several times. The more than 5 people currently in existence belong to five combat units. Moreover, the th Marine Regiment has suffered more than half of its casualties in the bloody battles in the past few days, and there is no longer anything available. The troops came to assemble the reserves.

The U.S. Marines immediately attacked with all their weapons, but they were immediately bombarded by anti-aircraft fire from the southwest hill.

The earthbags could not withstand artillery shells. The tracer blasting bombs exploded after penetrating the earthbags, and small fragments sputtered in all directions. People were constantly injured and fell to the ground.

Several 64mm smoke bombs landed in front of the position. When the gray-white smoke spread, more than a dozen figures had already gotten in.

In the blink of an eye, they passed through the clouds of gray smoke, and jumped into the incomplete trench while shooting without fear.

"Sergeant! The enemy is in the trenches!"

"I saw that, knock them down!"

The two sides exchanged fire at a distance of only ten meters. The sound of the gunfire was particularly loud in the narrow and twisting trench, which made the eardrums hurt.

What surprised and puzzled the US officers and soldiers was that they clearly hit the enemy with their Raisin submachine guns, but the enemy continued to act as if nothing happened.

This reminded many people of old news circulating among the US military - when suppressing resistance in the Philippines, those indigenous warriors who were not afraid of death were often shot several times but could still continue to charge.

The desperate Marines held automatic rifles and fired fiercely at the Ming army that broke into the trenches. The Ming soldiers used submachine guns, automatic guns, bayonets, and grenades to fight the nearby enemies, gradually tearing the US military positions to pieces. .

"We can't hold on any longer! Please support this place with any available artillery fire! Now!"

In the crumbling reserve command post, Captain Demps shouted at the top of his lungs.

The intensive gunshots seemed to be in my ears, and the incomprehensible Chinese shouts were getting closer and closer. Finding that the resistance of the enemy in front of him was gradually weakening, the captain of the third battalion and the third team who led the attack waved his hand and ordered: "Send the signal! Quick! Send the signal!"

Several blue smoke cans were thrown out, and billowing blue smoke spread into the sky.

At this moment, several rounds of bullets were suddenly fired from nowhere. The captain, who was shot in the chest, fell to the ground and the Type 20 automatic gun he was holding fell to the ground.

The soldiers on the side screamed and took out the first aid kit, but when they picked up the bandage, they found that their captain had expired.

It was discovered that the attacking force released blue smoke as agreed, and the six aircraft circling on standby immediately headed straight for the target.

Six dive bombers flew in groups of two and flew over the west side of Edson Heights at low altitude, dropping modified drop tanks mounted under the wings.

The white phosphorus arson grenades and blasting tubes inside detonated one after another. In an instant, a mixture of gasoline and heavy oil was spread over a radius of tens of meters and ignited.

The sea breeze blowing through the mountains further fueled the fire, and the sea of ​​​​fire completely blocked the north and east sides of the position.

The rolling heat wave made it difficult to open one's eyes. The officers and soldiers of the third battalion of the regiment who had just captured the US military position and were still clearing out the remaining enemies could not help but raise their hands to cover their faces, feeling the blazing flames in front of them.

"Damn it! Well done! You should burn them all!"

"Let's see what they do this time. If they dare, they will really go into the sea of ​​​​fire!"

Later, everyone saw bursts of white mist rising from the sea of ​​​​fire - it was actually water that evaporated under the high temperature.

The burnt smell mixed with the steamer smell, making it indescribably uncomfortable when it penetrated the nose.

Limited by such a terrible barrier, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Barrett, commander of the 5th Marine Regiment, could only sigh heavily.

The counterattack force that was finally put together was temporarily useless, and the fall of the western position was inevitable.

A red pennant riddled with bullet holes was planted on the already unrecognizable position. In this place, all the turf that originally covered the surface was gone, leaving only the dark soil.

Broken weapons and equipment and broken limbs can be seen everywhere. The water in the craters and trenches shows a strange dark red color. It is the product of the blood spilled by soldiers of the Chinese and American armies mixed with rainwater.

The exhausted soldiers sat down one by one, casually finding a comfortable position regardless of how dirty and muddy the ground was, looking straight ahead.

After many days of bloody battles, a phased breakthrough was finally achieved.

In an instant, enthusiastic cheers of "Long Live" broke out in the headquarters.

For the entire 1st Marine Brigade, this is a testament to glory.

The most tenacious enemy we have encountered so far has also been conquered, and the 1st Marine Brigade's undefeated record since its founding still remains to this day.

Unlike other officers who were in high spirits, Zhou Changfeng remained silent, and Xue Can and Xie Wancheng couldn't laugh either.

The strangeness of the three of them caused the other people who were cheering to stop cheering one after another.

Zhou Changfeng said calmly: "Take a rest and prepare to attack Highland 92."

With the western defense line completely shattered, the entire right wing of Edson Heights was exposed to the Ming army.

In order to achieve the original plan, the Ming army had to capture at least one of Highland 123, Highland 92, and Highland 80.

Among them, the most effective one is Highland 123 in the north, but everyone has always thought that it is too difficult to capture it, so they finally settled for Highland 92 in the middle.

This carefully prepared attack did not lose much troops, and the 92st Marine Regiment, which still had some remaining strength, quickly prepared for the attack on Highland .

Zhou Changfeng planned to follow the same pattern - while seizing the position, he would rely on bombers to drop large-scale incendiary bombs to block the U.S. military's counterattack.

On the morning of March 3, eight Type 30 dive bombers transiting from Rabaul to Bougainville Island flew over Guadalcanal again.

At this time, it started to drizzle, and the pilots, who were worried about the deterioration of the weather conditions, urged the ground troops to launch an attack as soon as possible.

After the routine firepower preparations, multiple breakthrough teams once again shouldered the important task of breaking through the enemy's front line and abruptly removed five bunkers and firepower points on the offensive path.

The rain was getting heavier, and the Air Force didn't want to take risks. The pilots flew their planes north of Hill 92 and hurriedly dropped those special auxiliary fuel tanks, setting off blazing flames.

But at this time, the official offensive of the Second Battalion of the 1st Marine Regiment had just begun.

"Boom!"

The sound of thunder resounded through the sky, and huge raindrops poured down from the sky, as if the dark clouds had been torn open.

The continuous thunder was even louder than the sound of cannons, the sky darkened, and dazzling lightning penetrated the sky and the earth, lighting up the dim ground for a moment each time.

In contrast to the violent storm, the Ming army's ferocious offensive was as violent as the storm.

After capturing the position on the west side, the morale of the 1st Marine Regiment improved. The officers and soldiers shouted, "Kill all the enemies who are in the way" and rushed towards the US position in the heavy rain, shouting.

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Barrett requested full support from the artillery force. The latter was very hesitant for fear of being bombarded by the Ming fleet.

The angry Charles grabbed the artillery commander by the collar and shouted: "If we lose Edson Heights, you will be finished too! Do you understand? Major!"

The 5mm howitzer of the 75th Marine Regiment opened fire, and the remaining nine barrel-barreled artillery fired shells in the south direction.

The two Marine infantry platoons that were following up were cut off in the middle by the sudden shelling, and the high-explosive bombs that fell like hail killed more than a dozen people in just one encounter.

In the main position on the high ground, four breakthrough teams and a platoon of the first echelon were fighting fiercely with the US Marines who were defending this place.

Almost all of Sergeant Mitchell's men, deputy platoon leader of E Company, were killed. After being knocked unconscious by a rocket-propelled grenade, he woke up and took turns using a Browning automatic rifle and Raisin submachine gun to shoot at the Ming soldiers. , persisted for a full ten minutes, until he was finally killed on the spot by a rifle grenade.

At 11:20 noon that day, E Company, which had suffered all casualties, was driven off Hill 92.

The remaining thirty or so people were in despair. The captain who was carried down with his leg injured cried when he saw Lieutenant Colonel Charles: "We tried our best, sir..."

(End of this chapter)