The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

Chapter 198 Bombardment of Reinforcements (Subscription Request)

Combined battalion camp.

The two tank companies were replenishing their ammunition.

After a morning of fighting, all the shells were used up.

All the bullets in the heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft machine guns were used up.

The surface of each tank has clear marks left by enemy shells and bullets.

Liu Tao checked each tank and found that more than half of the tanks had some minor problems.

Liu Tao repaired them one by one.

Only he can cheat, otherwise the tank’s combat effectiveness would have been compromised by now.

The soldiers used the lunch time to rest.

In the afternoon, they also have to cooperate with the troops on the mountain to eliminate the enemy's firepower points on the south side, so that the southern route can be safely supplied.

Only after clearing the enemy's artillery positions, bunkers and caves can we safely carry out supplies at any time.

Although the artillery regiment of the 42nd Division was also constantly attacking the enemy.

But the artillery regiment cannot move as fast as the tanks after all.

For example, the 42nd Division Artillery Regiment was equipped with 10 130mm cannons, 12 122mm howitzers, and 18 85mm cannons. Its firepower was absolutely fierce, but at the same time, it was not easy to move these cannons.

The firepower advantage that an artillery regiment can exert is not even as good as that of 20 Type 80 tanks and two Type 80 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns.

Liu Tao repaired the tanks and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns one by one, and the surface traces still remain.

In the afternoon, the battle started again.

The sounds of artillery fire and gunfire continued to ring out.

Even though Liu Tao was at the back, he could still hear it clearly.

The situation at the front line was constantly reported to the headquarters.

The map of the headquarters constantly shows changes in the battle between the enemy and us.

The artillery regiment of the 42nd Division once again bombarded enemy positions in other directions. With the observation of the main peak, the effect of the bombardment was obviously greater than in the afternoon.

In addition, the two tank companies of the combined battalion were moving up and down the southern attack route, clearing out bunkers and cat-ear holes one by one. The soldiers of the infantry company were also clearing out the area. At the very least, there must be no enemy bunkers and cat-ear holes on the route.

As for the high ground like the Big and Small Qingshan Mountains, we have to destroy their artillery.

Without artillery, the threat is greatly reduced.

Two Type 80 tanks on the main peak acted as mobile turrets, continuously providing fire support to the troops.

"Report! The main peak has observed that an enemy regiment is coming to support and is now 7 kilometers away!" At this moment, a new situation emerged.

Liu Tao was secretly surprised. Only then did he understand the importance of this main peak.

As long as you occupy the main peak, you will not only have the advantage of firepower from a high vantage point, but you can also take the initiative in vision.

Now they occupy the main peak, and there are no secrets within 27 kilometers to the south. As long as the troops are mobilized, it will be seen clearly, so that the deployment can be adjusted according to the situation.

He finally understood why the enemy would rush to the main peak at all costs in the morning, and even after the main peak was occupied, they continued to organize troops to retake the position.

This kind of high ground is really too important.

"Order, have the combined battalion fire at the enemy reinforcements to slow down their advance." Division Commander Wang immediately made arrangements, "Order the 123rd Regiment to move from the direction of Koulin Mountain, to take an offensive posture and deter the enemy! Order the 122nd Regiment."

The 123rd Regiment was the infantry regiment that remained in Koulin Mountain for defense.

The 122nd Regiment serves as a reserve support force in Laoshan.

Under normal circumstances, the effective range of a tank is naturally not that far.

But you have to know that it’s different when you’re looking down on others!

The range will be greatly increased. Because the fuel-air explosive bombs have been used up, the Type 80 tank can only use anti-explosive bombs.

After calculating and adjusting the angle, the launch begins.

One salvo consisted of 20 120mm explosive bombs, which fell among the enemy reinforcements.

The enemy had only one marching route, and that was the road along the river.

A regiment consists of 2150 people, forming a long line.

After all, this important traffic route is not actually very wide.

At this time, the Type 80 tanks were divided into three sections to attack the enemy.

I saw artillery shells falling on the enemy's marching route, blowing the enemy soldiers off their horses.

The explosion of explosive bombs was like an earthquake.

After repeatedly determining the shooting angle, parameters, etc., the hit rate is extremely amazing.

The enemy did not expect to be bombarded, and only some experienced soldiers quickly lay down on the mountain, while most of the soldiers were caught off guard.

20 Type 80 tanks and 2 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns constantly adjusted their angles and bombarded the support troops.

A total of 860 120mm tank shells and 1280 anti-aircraft shells.

This amount of artillery shells fired even exceeded the amount consumed by the 42nd Division's artillery regiment in the half-hour bombardment that morning.

It was also because at this time, many places were still under the control of the enemy. Otherwise, if they could directly encircle the rear, an annihilation war would be easily won.

After all, with so many shells falling, an entire regiment was basically destroyed.

How can a surviving soldier have any combat effectiveness?

This was how the combined battalion had fought annihilation battles before. They directly provided firepower coverage, defeated the enemy, and then caught them in a trap. The remaining enemy soldiers had no fighting spirit and either surrendered or were shot dead while trying to escape.

The photographer on the mountain captured this scene.

Although it was impossible to clearly capture the situation of the enemy several kilometers away, the power of the Type 80 tanks and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns was fully demonstrated.

After firing all the shells, the tanks and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns went down the mountain to restock their ammunition.

The soldiers on the main peak used telescopes to observe and count the results of the battle.

The results of the battles on the battlefield are not completely accurate figures, but a rough estimate.

For example, in this shelling, the establishment of a regiment was 2150 people. After deducting those who escaped, that was the number of people who were annihilated.

In order to attack the opponent, you can even directly declare that you have annihilated or defeated this army.

At this time, the enemy reinforcements were hit hard, which was definitely good news, because it was a win-win situation, meaning that the enemy's strength was greatly reduced, and once the enemy knew about it, their morale would inevitably be greatly weakened.

But there is bad news for the combined battalion, that is, they cannot fight.

The ammunition supply can’t keep up!
We cannot continue fighting today. We have to wait until weapons and ammunition are delivered from Masupo County.

Liu Tao was also quite speechless. He had not expected that the weapons and ammunition that had been prepared for the army would be completely consumed. The tank company was left with only some armor-piercing shells. The other high-explosive shells had been used up, and the self-propelled anti-aircraft guns had no shells left.

All the Type 80 rocket launchers were also used up.

Even the heavy machine gun bullets were used up.

That is, rifle bullets and general-purpose machine gun bullets can be replenished from the 42nd Division and captured on the battlefield.

Without weapons and ammunition, the combined battalion is like a tiger with its teeth pulled out and can no longer fight.

Liu Tao discovered that he had underestimated the consumption of weapons and ammunition in a battle, or in other words, he had underestimated the combined battalion's ability to consume weapons and ammunition.

From the beginning of the war to now, the weapons and ammunition consumption of the combined battalion has exceeded that of the entire 42nd Division.

The combined battalion's impressive combat record is based on astonishing consumption of weapons and ammunition.

(End of this chapter)