afterglow

Chapter 521 How long can you wait to die? stuck there like an awl
The National Guard stationed at the mountain pass checkpoint could not have expected the Ming army to attack so soon. The phone call they received an hour and a half ago informed them that "some civilians evacuated from Kaneohe Town may pass through here."

Now, they can only keep shooting to relieve panic and fear.

The BAR Browning automatic rifle adopts a fixed barrel design and is not designed to be used as a light machine gun. In order to make it barely competent for the task of a light machine gun, the US military specially switched to a weighted barrel model.

But the inexperienced rookies didn't know how to control firepower. The three Browning automatic rifles fired continuously, which looked particularly fierce, completely overwhelming the three light machine guns of the Ming army's forward platoon below.

But the price of this is that after several 20-round magazines are used up in a row, the automatic rifle with a red-hot barrel will no longer be able to shoot. The bullets flying out of the muzzle will fly around, and the spread will be so large that it is impossible to see.

The soldiers of the Ming Army used rifle grenades to attack the enemy from behind. The gunpowder gas fired by the blank ammunition pushed out the grenade, which fell near the enemy and exploded.

Under the cover of smoke bombs, dozens of people from the reconnaissance battalion divided into two echelons and launched an attack. The sound of whistles and shouts of death echoed among the mountains of Koolau Ridge.

Because the mountain road is narrow, the formation appears dense even though it has been stretched. The grenade dropped by the enemy exploded in the crowd. The officers and soldiers knocked down by the fragments and shock wave fell and rolled down the hillside.

After the first echelon's attack was blocked, they lay down on the spot and refused to retreat. They insisted on shooting at the enemy who were only a few dozen meters away.

The second echelon that followed stepped over the wounded and injured comrades and rushed towards the mountain pass not far away.

Due to the overheating of the Browning automatic rifles, the firepower of this National Guard infantry detachment suddenly became sparse. The rest were equipped with Springfield bolt-action rifles, which were incomparable to the semi-automatic rifles used by the Army.

When the first Marine scout rushed up to the Nuuanupali Pass, the balance of battle favored the Ming army.

The uniforms of the National Guard were different from those of the army. They also wore British Tommy helmets. Faced with the aggressive Ming army, panic quickly enveloped everyone's hearts.

"Sergeant, they're closing in! We can't hold on any longer!"

"Shut up! You idiot, hold the line!"

The big sergeant scolded Lu Qie's men, but he was injured by a smoking grenade within a few seconds.

Then, two 7.36×40mm rounds were ejected with great power, piercing the sergeant's torso like chopsticks poking through tofu.

Officers and soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion generally do not like bulky steel helmets. They feel that it is an obstacle when penetrating and detecting the enemy. This "custom" originated from the 1st Marine Brigade.

Ming soldiers wearing felt hats and canvas triple breastbands opened fire in all directions with automatic rifles and submachine guns, sweeping across the Nuanupali Pass.

The remaining dozen or so National Guard soldiers fled, and some of the extremely timid ones even rushed out of the cliff in a panic, and the mountains echoed with the tragic howls of falling off the cliff.

At 10:19, the forward platoon basically controlled the mountain pass. Only corpses and a mess were left at the checkpoint.

A quarter of an hour later, the forward platoon discovered that there were crowds of people to the west of the gravel road in the mountains to the southwest. Looking carefully, they saw countless gray figures trotting forward.

This is... the enemy's reinforcements!

At the same time, at the foothills southwest of Nuuanupali Gale Pass, the defeated National Guard soldiers were brought to Major Barron, who was ordered to come for reinforcements.

"How many are they?"

"About fifty...or more, sir..."

Upon hearing this, Major Barron, whose blood pressure soared, blurted out the word "nuts."

Please! Occupying a commanding position that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, to be attacked by a small number of enemies is really infuriating.

"No matter what, we must take back this place. Do you understand? Now, let's go!"

Major Barron took an M1 steel helmet from the adjutant's hand, took off his big-brimmed hat and put it back on.

There is no use being angry now. The only hope is that the Ming army that suddenly captured the mountain pass may be just a small team that rushed here in a hurry?

If this is the case, then its military strength must be very small, probably only the so-called dozens of people. As long as we are decisive and brave, there should be no problem in recapturing it.

Major Barron led the Second Battalion of the 24st Regiment of the 21th Division. Their station was in the northern suburbs of Honolulu, so they were the first to receive the order for reinforcements after learning that the Ming Army had landed in Mokapu.

Now, the battalion and company mortar detachments began to place 60㎜ and 81㎜ mortars. The signal soldiers laid the telephone lines from front to back. The officers tried their best to seize the time to organize the attack.

At 10:45, as mortar shells roared into the mountain pass, the US military's first counterattack began.

Excluding those who had been killed in battle, those who were seriously injured, and those who were slightly injured and could not leave the firing line, there were only a few thirty people in the forward platoon.

There is a lack of bunkers and fortifications here, so the soldiers can only rely on depressions, ridges, and rocks to block the attack.

All the weapons and equipment abandoned by the enemy were also used. However, the officers and soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion did not like the captured Browning automatic rifle. They felt that its recoil was too great and could not be compared with the Type 40 short automatic rifle.

The grenades became a defensive weapon. The American soldiers rushing along the gravel path were blown up by the thrown grenades and howled like ghosts.

What is it like to fight against the elite? This will make people feel at a loss in all aspects, because many military elites have their own unique skills.

Through binoculars, Major Barron saw small black dots thrown from the mountain pass in the distance exploding in mid-air - many grenades exploding in the air a few meters above the ground.

The American infantrymen who were hit by bullets and fragments shouted for help, and some rolled down the hillside.

The dense prefabricated fragments ejected when the directional mine explodes are frightening, and a large number of steel balls and short steel rods beat the body to a bloody pulp.

Six minutes later, the first counterattack collapsed, and the officers and soldiers of Company F who participated in the attack retreated.

The current situation is not better, no matter who it is, Major Barron can only order his men to attack one after another.

Due to the limited width of the battlefield, it was really difficult for the troops to deploy. Only two platoons could be put into an attack, and no more than one company at most.

The geographical advantage is so vividly reflected here that some passes have the title that one man can pass it but ten thousand men cannot pass it.

Seeing that the frequency of his own mortar fire had decreased, he angrily asked loudly into the field phone's microphone.

"Damn it! Why do you have so few bombardments?!"

"Sorry sir, we (carry) a limited number of artillery shells. If we keep firing rapidly, we will run out soon."

"My God, if we lose this mountain pass, what's the use of having more artillery shells? Now, fire as hard as you can!"

At 11:37, the US military launched its third attack.

One after another, 60mm and 81mm mortar shells flew out of the muzzle and landed on the Nuuanupali Pass with a towering parabolic trajectory. The simple position of the forward platoon was filled with fragments and smoke.

Not to mention trenches, there are not even the most basic foxholes. The Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers who lacked the cover of field fortifications continued to suffer casualties.

An 81mm high-explosive bomb landed behind the light machine gun team of the third squad, only two meters away.

"Boom!" The main shooter's two calves were broken like branches, and the shock wave flew them away; the deputy shooter's left foot was nowhere to be found, because he happened to be changing the magazine of the light machine gun, so his upper body was straightened up. Two high-speed fragments hit him in the back and pierced his lungs.

"Captain, why haven't they come yet?!" someone asked loudly and eagerly.

The current situation does not allow for any more entanglement. Dozens of enemies can be seen approaching, and English shouts can be heard coming from diagonally below.

The American infantrymen holding Garand rifles fired and bent forward as they advanced. They were only forty meters away from reaching the top of the mountain.

The grenades have been used up, and the last two thrown out only bought one more minute of breathing time.

The U.S. military gradually approached the position, only a dozen steps away.

"Machine gun! Keep up the machine gun fire!" someone shouted sharply.

The fierce fighting caused the barrel and spare barrel of the Type 33 light machine gun to seriously overheat, making it impossible to fire anymore.

The left arm of the main shooter of the first class was wounded by a bullet. He casually tied it with a triangle scarf and pulled out the revolver from the holster on his waist.

Zhao Cheng threw aside the empty Type 40 short automatic rifle, picked up a Springfield rifle on the ground, and took out the bayonet from the waist of the National Guard soldier who was killed and installed it.

He closed his eyes and shouted loudly: "This place cannot change hands before I die. Brothers, the time has come to be loyal to the country and earn a posthumous reputation!"

Two, four, six... a steady stream of American infantrymen climbed onto the mountain pass. They threw out grenades, raised their rifles and fired, advancing cautiously little by little.

At this time, a 7.36×56mm infantry bullet fired from a dark place hit the US military sergeant who was giving orders.

This blow was like blowing a trumpet. In an instant, the remaining officers and soldiers of the forward platoon on the position got up from their respective positions and rushed forward.

The two sides immediately started a close-quarters battle, and the mountains echoed with the sounds of bloody hand-to-hand fighting.

The bayonet no longer shines because it is stained with dark red blood.

The main light machine gun shooter of the first squad fired six shots with the revolver but failed to hit the enemy in front of him. He rushed over angrily and threw the American soldier who had just drawn his pistol to the ground.

Amidst the continuous muffled gunshots, he felt his abdomen being punched several times. At this juncture, he saw the grenade hanging on the blue-eyed enemy, so he reached out and pulled it off and pulled out the tab.

The only sergeant who spoke English used a submachine gun to knock down two people in succession, and shouted sternly: "Go to hell, how long can you be behind us?!"

At the same time, the foothills east of the Nuuanupari vent.

The detachment led by Xiao Wenquan arrived. They just heard the intensive gunfire coming from the mountain pass, but it became increasingly sparse.

This was a bad sign, and the officers and soldiers couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Run! Run! Run! Leave Gaoji alone for now!" Xiao Wenquan ordered as he pulled out his legs.

After a few minutes, the shouts of death on the mountain pass subsided.

The officers and soldiers of Company F of the 21st Infantry Regiment walked cautiously, inspecting the battlefield where a brutal and fierce battle had just come to an end.

In a bush on the southeast side, Zhang Tianshan, the sniper of the forward platoon, did not participate in the previous close combat.

He held a Browning automatic rifle magazine in his hand, with several empty Garand eight-round clips scattered around him. He pulled out the 7.62×63mm rifle ammunition one round at a time and pressed it into the magazine. Now I have enough for two.

Zhang Tianshan calmly loaded the magazine, loaded the gun, turned on the safety, and aimed at the enemy dozens of meters away.

"Da-da-da-da-"

With the rhythmic single-shot shooting, the American soldiers fell to the ground one after another like autumn leaves. The fatal bullets fired from the side hit five or six people in ten seconds.

At a distance of fifty meters, it seems easier to hit an enemy lying on the ground?
A rifle bullet flew out of the muzzle of the Browning automatic rifle, easily penetrated the M1 helmet, penetrated the head of an American infantryman, shattered the back of the head, and the helmet covered with brains flew several meters high...

A second lieutenant raised his hands in salute excitedly and reported to Major Barron: "Sir! We have controlled the mountain pass! Now..."

Suddenly, a red flare shot into the sky, and everyone looked over in unison.

At this time, a faint whistle suddenly came from the other side of the mountain pass.

A team of officers and soldiers from the reconnaissance battalion who rushed up the mountain pass had no time to rest and charged directly towards Company F, which was not yet firmly on its footing.

The American soldiers who were caught off guard were unable to parry, and the cowardly escape of a few people triggered a large-scale retreat.

More than a hundred men of Company F fled in panic and ran into Company G, which was following up for reinforcements. As a result, Company G, who had no idea why, was also dragged back by the crowd.

"A bunch of rats! Eat Grandpa Wei's bullets!"

The Ming soldiers who were following in pursuit stopped at the mountain pass, shooting down with their guns.

The US officers and soldiers who were shot turned into human rolling logs, and one person could often knock down a group of people.

"Everyone enter the fighting position, don't be idle, dig fortifications!" Zhao Cheng quickly inspected with a gun, and said as he walked: "Also, send a report, the staff has captured the target mountain pass and is fighting the enemy."

In the waters north of the Mokapu Peninsula, the Ming Army's landing fleet was observing an air battle.

The subsequent arrival of several landing ships and cargo ships went smoothly. They delivered the technical equipment and hundreds of officers and soldiers of the 4th Marine Brigade and 7th Regiment.

The unloading mission was in progress, and a group of US military aircraft taking off from Lanai Island pounced on them.

A 500-pound aerial bomb fell directly into the second chimney of the Yuanliang cargo ship, triggering a series of dull explosions.

Some of the other aerial bombs exploded into columns of water, while others landed on the decks of ships and erupted into dazzling flames.

The Ming fleet opened fire with all its strength. Minesweepers, destroyers, cruisers... shells of different calibers were fired into the sky, forming a dense barrage.

Pan Mingbiao, commander of the 4th Marine Brigade, looked at those ships helplessly and was at a loss. Most of his troops' trucks, mules, wheeled armored vehicles, heavy mortars, and supplies were still on these transport ships and cargo ships, but among them Two were already on fire.

At this moment, several blue-painted twin-engine aircraft suddenly emerged from the clouds. They were the four Air Force Type 38 heavy fighter jets patrolling here.

They swooped down at high speed, and within a few seconds everyone saw an enemy plane dragging black smoke towards the sea. Everyone in the fleet suddenly cheered loudly.

Zhou Changfeng was also watching the battle from the platform outside the bridge of the Kunlun Mountain, but he was absent-minded.

The communications staff officer suddenly ran over in three steps and two steps at a time, clasped his fists in salute, and happily reported: "The partial division has called! The Nuuanupali Pass has been captured, and we are fighting the enemy reinforcements!"

Zhou Changfeng's expression suddenly relaxed. He took a deep breath and ordered firmly: "Keep them stuck in place like awls!"

(End of this chapter)