GBP Chapter 981 The Power of the Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun
Chapter 981 The Power of the Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun
Upon hearing this, Chief of Staff Fang asked with suspicion:
"Commander, I can understand deploying an armored battalion. We can fully rely on the tanks' armor to withstand enemy light and heavy machine gun fire, and we can also use tank cannons for close-range fire. Our infantry following behind will have a great deal of safety guaranteed."
"But anti-aircraft machine guns are usually used for air defense. Deploying them at this time probably won't be very effective."
After hearing this, Chu Yunfei said mysteriously:
“Brother Ligong, you don’t know this. In fact, the anti-aircraft machine gun battalion supported by the Independent Column is the kind of weapon that can be fired with the muzzle flat and is also highly mobile.”
"When I was at the Independent Column Headquarters, Li Yunlong even bragged to me that their anti-aircraft machine guns were dual-purpose. They were used for anti-aircraft defense in peacetime, and in their spare time they could be used for long-range direct fire to destroy enemy firing points. Sometimes they were even more effective than artillery."
Chief of Staff Fang's greatest strength is that he is easily persuaded by Chu Yunfei and executes orders very well.
The anti-aircraft machine gun battalion was overjoyed upon receiving the combat order; it was finally their turn to take the stage.
To be honest, all the anti-aircraft machine gun units formed in the base area were the most idle and also the most depressed, mainly because they rarely had the opportunity to play a role.
The purpose of forming anti-aircraft units in the past was to protect the core area of the industrial zone and to buy time for the technical personnel and key equipment of the base to evacuate in the most critical moments.
Initially, Kong Hao used the available resources at the time to modify a Maxim heavy machine gun by adding an anti-aircraft bracket. The effect was mediocre, barely better than nothing.
Fortunately, at that time, the Japanese high command looked down on the strength of the Eighth Route Army and never thought of sending out reconnaissance planes for large-scale reconnaissance.
Even if the enemy sends spies, they usually only focus on our military command posts at all levels, and would never care about a small arms factory in a remote mountain village.
Moreover, in order to cover up the existence of the arsenal, our leaders at all levels took various precautions, deliberately downplaying the fact that our family had an arsenal, complaining about being poor everywhere, and saying that our equipment was inferior.
They also set up several large repair shops in the open, which were only responsible for repairing some simple firearms and could not even produce bullets, in order to lull the enemy into a false sense of security.
These combined tactics proved remarkably effective, allowing our arsenal to safely navigate the most dangerous phase. However, the anti-aircraft machine gun units remained largely ineffective, and all that remained was daily simulated training and high-intensity drills.
Later, we also had our own air force, and the skies over the industrial area were protected by air force aircraft. A large number of anti-aircraft machine gun and anti-aircraft artillery units were transferred to the field troops and formed a new type of air defense force with the previous air defense forces.
However, later on, we mainly used infantry regiments as combat units to engage in multiple waves of firefights with the Japanese. To be honest, the probability of deploying the air force in this level of battle was too small.
After all, the Japanese First Army had a total of about 180 aircraft, and Kong Hao and his special forces destroyed many of them, so they would not appear on a small-scale battlefield.
The anti-aircraft machine gun battalion assigned to Chu Yunfei has only been formed for three months, and most of the soldiers are novices, with no combat experience whatsoever.
They originally thought they could show off their skills at Languan, but despite requesting to fight several times, Chu Yunfei firmly held them back, leaving the soldiers of the entire anti-aircraft machine gun battalion extremely frustrated.
Now that they've finally received the order to attack, everyone was so happy they almost jumped for joy.
So the eighteen anti-aircraft machine guns were concentrated at the collapsed part of the Goose City wall and fired a burst of accurate shots at the enemy's firing positions on the wall.
This operation proved highly effective, as the anti-aircraft machine gun had a long range, high accuracy, and a precise aiming device.
Of course, the most crucial point is that this weapon can fire in rapid succession. As long as you find the right spot, you can easily suppress the enemy's light and heavy machine gun positions.
As expected, with the eighteen anti-aircraft machine guns roaring continuously, many of the Japanese soldiers' firing positions were directly suppressed.
At the beginning, the Japanese machine gunners on the city wall were still firing wildly towards the direction of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment, and the dense bullets made it impossible for the attacking troops to raise their heads.
Some soldiers accidentally peeked out and were hit by stray bullets on the battlefield, sacrificing their lives heroically.
Now, with the addition of anti-aircraft machine guns, especially the large-caliber 12,7mm bullets, the brick and stone structures of ordinary bunkers really can't withstand them.
As long as the bullets hit near the firing port, the dense barrage of bullets would cut the Japanese soldier firing inside in two, instantly terrifying everyone inside.
To be honest, these Japanese soldiers had never encountered such a scenario before, and could not even imagine it.
It's important to know that anti-aircraft machine gun ammunition is extremely expensive, and using it to fire at infantry, except when shooting down aircraft, is indeed a bit of a waste.
Given the stinginess of the Japanese army, they would never have thought of such tactics, and this sudden contact definitely caught them off guard.
There's nothing we can do about it. Even in other industrialized countries, let alone in China, people wouldn't do it this way.
No, it should be said that other countries have not been pushed to a certain extent. If they were really pushed to the brink, let alone anti-aircraft machine guns, even firing anti-aircraft cannons horizontally would be routine operations.
Taking advantage of the moment when the enemy's firing positions on the city wall were suppressed, Regiment Commander Zhang ordered the vanguard battalion to launch a swift attack via walkie-talkie, and also ordered all the regimental headquarters' mortars to fire smoke grenades at the breach and the city wall for cover.
The infantry also took the opportunity to approach the breach and exchange fire with the enemy blocking it. With the advantage of our recoilless rifles and mortars, as long as we have a little time, it is only a matter of time before we break through the enemy's city wall defenses.
Just then, the battalion commander ordered all the reserves to be sent up, even at a heavy cost, to defeat the enemy in front of them.
Once the troops enter the city, everything will be much easier. At that point, their superior numbers and large numbers of automatic weapons will be put to maximum use, and everything will become simple.
Just then, the walkie-talkie next to him rang, and the communications officer accompanying him immediately answered it and handed it to him:
"Is this the battalion commander? Order all troops in the first battalion to remain in place for ten minutes, awaiting the arrival of reinforcements."
"Chief of staff, the brothers are close to the city wall. As long as we suffer some casualties, we can eliminate the roadblocks ahead and the battle will be over soon."
"At this point, we're being told to wait. The situation is constantly changing. If the Japanese react and reinforce their defenses, we'll have to pay several times the price. I don't understand this."