The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 498 Tank Regiment

It cannot be said that He Wei and Du Yuming hit it off at first sight, but they could be said to have similar interests. He Wei was simply interested in the Fifth Army's sophisticated equipment and mechanized forces.

Du Yuming, on the other hand, was very envious of He Wei and the Assault Corps' excellent performance in previous operations and their training methods. Therefore, the two of them had a very pleasant conversation. Their topic ranged from the organization of the advance detachment to the training of the troops, combat, and the appointment and selection of officers and cadres.

As the two got to know each other better, they also had a better understanding of each other. In He Wei's opinion, Du Yuming's greatest advantage was his love of learning. He was a student of the first class of Whampoa Military Academy and only received a few months of crash course officer education in the military academy. However, he was able to overcome many hardships and become the chief officer of a mechanized force that can be considered advanced in the world today. This shows that his learning ability is definitely not bad.

It is said that Du Yuming said that when he first joined the mechanized troops, he actually knew nothing and could only learn various professional knowledge by himself. He even got into a greasy tank and worked with the tank soldiers to learn and master the performance of various armored equipment. Du Yuming was actually already a major general when he first joined the mechanized troops. It was not easy for a major general who graduated from the first class of Whampoa Military Academy to achieve this level.

When talking about the training and combat command issues of the troops, Du Yuming did not act like a senior or superior to He Wei, but always asked He Wei for advice humbly. The questions he asked He Wei even included some trivial issues such as the training methods of new recruits in the assault corps and the offensive and defensive tactics of small unit squads and platoons. This was an important manifestation of Du Yuming's learning ability and eagerness to learn.

When Du Yuming asked He Wei questions, he behaved in a very humble manner, just like a student who was listening attentively. The details of his words and actions were also very approachable. Such a person, with such an attitude, can easily make people feel close to him and win people's hearts.

At this point, He Wei couldn't help but sigh, no wonder Du Yuming in the original timeline could become a big boss and eventually become a prominent figure who could command several corps. Such a figure who could leave a strong mark in history was not given for nothing.

Similarly, He Wei's weight in Du Yuming's heart became increasingly important. Originally, although Du Yuming was very interested in He Wei's Assault Corps, he was not clear about the specific organization of this force. In his initial estimate, the Assault Corps was just a reinforced regiment-level unit. But when he learned that the Assault Corps was a force with a total strength of nearly 8,000 people, he no longer dared to look at He Wei with the old eyes.

What does 1 people mean? The three infantry divisions under the Fifth Army, namely the Honorable 22st Division, the newly formed 200nd Division and the th Division, have a strength of just over . In other words, the Assault Corps is equivalent to an understaffed infantry division. Even in terms of mountain artillery, field artillery and other barreled artillery firepower and the automatic firepower of grassroots units, the Assault Corps is stronger than these main divisions of the Fifth Army.

Du Yuming also felt that he benefited a lot from He Wei's unique insights in leading troops and training.

Therefore, after further understanding the strength of the assault corps and He Wei himself, in Du Yuming's mind, the weight of the assault corps is no less than that of an infantry division, and the position of He Wei himself in Du Yuming's mind is far beyond that of an infantry colonel.

As for the composition of the advance detachment, the two men have also finalized it. In addition to incorporating the 200th Division and a tank battalion of its direct tank regiment into the Fifth Army, Du Yuming is also considering whether to incorporate the cavalry regiment directly under the Fifth Army into the advance detachment. As for whether to incorporate it specifically, He Wei and Du Yuming will have to conduct an on-site inspection.

Similarly, it also required careful investigation as to which battalion of the Fifth Army's tank regiment would be incorporated into the advance detachment. Therefore, He Wei stayed directly at the Fifth Army's headquarters that night. Early the next morning, He Wei followed Du Yuming directly to the Fifth Army's tank regiment's base.

On the outskirts of Jeonju, a large convoy consisting of more than a dozen jeeps, trucks, and motorcycles slowly drove into the camp of the Fifth Army's tank corps.

The Fifth Army has a large organization and a grand style. Commander Du Yuming also travels in a grand manner on a daily basis, with various adjutants, staff officers, and guards accompanying him, totaling more than a hundred people.

He Wei, who was sitting in the same car with Du Yuming, felt the pomp and circumstance around him and thought that being a division commander was different. Whenever he went to inspect the troops, there would be more than a dozen cars and hundreds of people accompanying him. It was true that the higher the official position, the greater the pomp and circumstance.

However, as the convoy gradually went deeper into the tank regiment camp, He Wei's complaints were immediately attracted by the scene in the center of the camp.

In the center of the tank regiment's camp, there were densely packed tanks, trucks, motorcycles, and special trucks neatly arranged. He Wei was almost stunned when he took a quick look.

Although he was a time traveler, the scene in the center of the playground of the tank regiment camp still shocked him greatly.

In the densely packed convoy in the center of the playground, the one in the front was a column of camouflaged tanks. Those tanks were large and small. The large ones had taller bodies and were equipped with special full-line turrets, which were equipped with long-barreled artillery, searchlights and turret machine guns.

Relying on the basic common sense of a time traveler and the fact that the Fifth Army was equipped with tanks donated by the Soviet Union, He Wei quickly recognized that these large tanks were none other than the new tanks of the Soviet Union - a type of T26 series tanks. As for which specific sub-model of the T26 series it was, He Wei could not tell for the time being.

In comparison, the other small tank was much smaller in size, with a very low appearance, and was not equipped with equipment such as turrets and searchlights. He Wei took a rough look and found that the small tank seemed to be even smaller than the jeep he was riding in. It was an absolutely 100% small pocket tank, and felt similar to the Japanese Type 94 tank.

Out of curiosity, He Wei took out a telescope and began to observe those small tanks carefully. He saw that these small tanks did not even seem to have movable turrets. From this point of view, they seemed to be inferior to the Japanese Type 35 tank. He Wei could only see two machine guns fixed in the shooting ports on the body of the vehicle. After observing for a while, he determined that these small tanks were actually Italian-made Fiat CV ultra-light tanks.

However, no matter what the model or size of the tanks, when more than a hundred tanks painted in dark green camouflage were neatly arranged together, the tank column formed was extremely powerful. The tracks, turrets, bodies, large and small road wheels, and the black muzzles all emitted a metallic luster under the sun, and a sharp and murderous aura came to the face. Next to the neatly arranged tank column was a vehicle column composed of various vehicles, some of which were Mercedes-Benz LC3000 heavy-duty trucks that were also equipped in the assault corps, some were special vehicles modified from the chassis of this type of truck, and the function was unknown, and some were heavy pallet trucks towing large flatbed trucks!

Behind these trucks, trucks and special vehicles are jeeps and motorcycles.

The vehicle queue consisting of tanks, trucks, lorries, trailers, jeeps and motorcycles was extremely spectacular. He Wei was a little dazed for a moment, although he was a time traveler, a time traveler who was accustomed to all kinds of advanced weapons and equipment before traveling through time.

But he also knew that the tanks and vehicles within his sight were actually the most advanced weapons and equipment of this era, and the most sophisticated killing weapons.

In front of the mighty vehicle column composed of tanks, trucks and other types of vehicles, there are rows of tank soldiers wearing special tank uniforms and tank crash helmets, as well as rows of drivers of various trucks. The officers and soldiers in the row are all solemn and well-equipped, standing in front of the vehicles. From their military appearance, it can be seen that they are all well-trained officers and soldiers.

Du Yuming looked at He Wei, who was a little absent-minded, with a hint of complacency and pride in his eyes, and said, "This is our army's direct tank regiment, and it is also the core of our Fifth Army. In particular, the various vehicles it is equipped with are the Fifth Army's sharp weapon for attacking and killing the enemy on the battlefield. It is also the magic weapon for our army to carry out mechanized warfare and defeat the enemy on future battlefields."

Although he and He Wei hit it off right away and had a great conversation, Du Yuming actually often acted as a student in their conversations. Especially when the two were discussing the training and tactical issues of grassroots troops, what He Wei said often made Du Yuming feel suddenly enlightened, or even refreshed. Although Du Yuming was wholeheartedly seeking advice and asking He Wei for advice in order to improve the tactical training level of the Fifth Army's troops, he did not mind this humble attitude.

But as an older brother from the first class of Whampoa Military Academy, he always treated He Wei, a younger brother from the eleventh class of Whampoa Military Academy, with a humble attitude, and he felt somewhat embarrassed. Now, seeing that He Wei was attracted by the display of the tank regiment directly under the Fifth Army, Du Yuming certainly had to get some "face back".

He Wei also saw the smug look in Du Yuming's eyes, and immediately raised his thumb and praised: "General Du is right. I have long been fascinated by the mechanized equipment and tank equipment of the Fifth Army. As the saying goes, hearing about them is worse than seeing them in person. After seeing them today, it is true. They are well-equipped, and the officers and soldiers are well-trained elites. Senior, you lead your soldiers well!"

Du Yuming laughed out loud and said, "Haha, my Fifth Army can be called a mechanized unit because of these tanks. They are the star of my Fifth Army. If I don't manage these tanks well, how can I, Du, have the face to sit in this position of army commander."

The convoy slowly moved forward in a mixed column along the tanks of the Fifth Army's Tank Regiment. Du Yuming pointed at the tank regiment outside the window with great interest and began to tell He Wei about the specific organization and personnel configuration of the Fifth Army's Tank Regiment. He also asked for the specific organization table of the armored corps from the file bag of the accompanying staff and gave it to He Wei, as if he wanted to show He Wei the muscle strength of the Fifth Army's Tank Regiment.

In this way, He Wei looked through the organization chart of the Fifth Army's direct tank regiment under Du Yuming's endless introduction, and gained a more detailed understanding of this elite tank unit, which is the only one in China.

As the star of the Fifth Army, the organization scale of its direct tank regiment is actually very large. Apart from anything else, even the commander of the tank regiment is a major general, which is one level higher than the commanders of ordinary arms.

In terms of organization, the Fifth Army's direct tank regiment has three tank battalions under its jurisdiction. Each tank battalion has four tank companies, a supply company, a repair shop, a reconnaissance platoon and a special agent platoon.

Each tank company consists of a company headquarters, three tank platoons, and a supply platoon. The company commander is a major, with 3 officers and 1 NCOs. The company has 21 vehicles of various types, including heavy motorcycles, personnel vehicles, and heavy trucks. The three tank platoons under it include two medium tank platoons and one light tank platoon. The medium tank platoon is equipped with three T-168B light tanks, and the light tank platoon is equipped with five Italian-made Fiat CV43 tanks. The company headquarters is also equipped with a T3B tank. The company has a total of 2 tanks of various types.

The supply company responsible for the supply mission of the tank battalion is equipped with 52 vehicles of various types to ensure the wartime supply and transportation mission of the entire battalion. It is also equipped with 26 T6B tanks and Fiat tanks to replenish the battle losses of each tank company in the battalion.

The reconnaissance platoon directly under the tank battalion is responsible for battlefield reconnaissance, search and guard missions during wartime. It is equipped with 7 three-wheeled sidecar motorcycles equipped with Type 3 water-cooled heavy machine guns and heavy three-wheeled motorcycles.

The special forces platoon directly under the tank battalion, which is responsible for the wartime security mission of the tank battalion headquarters, is equipped with 5 trucks and 3 T26B tanks.

In addition to the three tank battalions, the Fifth Army's direct tank regiment also has a special service company, a communications company, an engineering company, a transport company and a repair factory. The special service company is responsible for the guard mission of the tank regiment headquarters and is also equipped with tanks. Needless to say, the mission attributes of the communications company and the engineering company are naturally responsible for the tank regiment's communications and engineering operations. The repair factory is responsible for the maintenance of various vehicles and tanks within the tank regiment.

What impressed He Wei the most was the transport company. It turned out that this transport company was not a logistics supply unit, but a company specifically responsible for using motorized means to load mobile combat vehicles. It was equipped with 54 special heavy-duty trailers weighing seven tons, which were the large trailers that He Wei had just seen.

In wartime, the company can directly use these flatbed trucks to load tanks, so that the tanks can maneuver in a fast motorized manner. In addition, the company is also equipped with a number of trucks and jeeps. Therefore, in wartime, this transport company can fully accomplish the transportation mission of a tank company, allowing an entire tank company to use motorized loading vehicles for transportation instead of using its own tracks for mobile transportation. In wartime, it greatly increases the maneuverability of the tank troops, while minimizing the mechanical loss of the tank itself. The role it can play in wartime is immeasurable.

(End of this chapter)