GBP Chapter 248: Divine Soldiers Descend from Heaven to Ren'anqiang (Part 1)
Chapter 248: Divine Soldiers Descend from Heaven to Ren'anqiang (Part 1)
A few kilometers west of Mandalay City has become a large material distribution center.
Since the Irrawaddy River does not pass through the city, but flows a few kilometers to the west of the city, even if the Japanese are still resisting stubbornly in the city, the Anmin Army still has full control of this section of the river.
This means that the troops that went south in advance to meet the Japanese reinforcements coming from the north can still have reliable logistics based mainly on river transportation, and can go forward boldly to confront the Japanese reinforcement group.
At the same time, the boat troops going down the river could also quickly reach the Yenangyaung area, and this was one of the reasons why Zhang Chi dared to launch an airborne operation and was not afraid of his paratroopers encountering the tragedy of the "Market Garden".
After all, the reinforcements can't possibly encounter a 'traffic jam' when traveling by water, right?
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The sky was blue and the wind was calm; it was the perfect moment for a parachute jump, and the weather conditions were incredibly ideal.
The sunlight penetrates through layers of clouds and shines on the earth, and everything seems to be covered with a layer of golden gauze.
The Japanese airport near Yenangyaung is in such a peaceful atmosphere at this moment, however, this tranquility will soon be completely broken.
"Buzz-buzz-" A low sound of an airplane engine came from the distance. In the air defense post of the Japanese airport, the Japanese guards raised their heads lazily and looked at the sky.
They did not show any nervousness, but rather looked a little tired.
Several air raids by the People's Security Army had already destroyed all the facilities of this base. Even the fuel depot was reduced to ashes in the previous bombing, and the fighter jets stationed here were almost completely lost.
The Japanese squad leader yawned and thought to himself, "There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a routine air raid."
The shrill air raid alarm was sounded, and more than 60 Japanese soldiers quickly crawled into the air raid shelter, huddled together, and silently prepared themselves to be bombed.
Just hide well and leave the rest to luck.
What's the point of protecting a runway with nothing on it? Let the People's Security Army bomb it.
However, the Japanese soldiers who stayed on the ground as observation posts soon discovered that something was wrong.
What fell from the sky today were not bombs, but white umbrella flowers.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" The Japanese observation post immediately shouted.
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Since the glider carrying the M22 'Cicada' airborne tank needed a flat piece of land to land, Paratrooper Colonel Lou Guangzhi arranged half of the paratroopers at the airport when making the airborne plan.
More than 600 soldiers from the 501st Parachute Battalion of the Special Operations Command Airborne Regiment landed one after another. Their landing locations were very particular, and many landed in the rainforest on the west side of the airport.
This is because paratroopers are most vulnerable when they are in the air, and the second most vulnerable time is when they have just landed and are not yet organized.
The dense tropical rainforest surrounding them can provide them with temporary shelter, giving them time to gather.
They quickly cut the parachute ropes with the knives they carried with them, then took out the folding M1A1 carbines and M3A1 submachine guns from their leg pouches, moved closer to the platoon leaders of each company, and prepared for battle.
According to Colonel Lou Guangzhi's deployment, they had to control the airport as soon as possible so that the glider carrying the M22 tank could land on the runway.
If the attack on the airport fails before the deadline, the second plan will be implemented, taking the M22 tank's glider to land directly in the wild, and then cooperating with the paratroopers to attack the airport again.
Zhu Rihe, the company commander of Company A of the 501st Parachute Infantry Battalion, straightened his helmet with a square pattern on it (the author said the picture was at the end of the chapter), and silently prayed to Guan Erye in his heart that everything would go well.
He knew very well that if the second plan was used, the casualties today would be huge.
"You, take a few people to look for the airdrop boxes." Zhu Rihe casually pointed at a non-commissioned officer and asked him to look for the airdrop supply boxes scattered in the woods.
Those large boxes contained not only ammunition and food, but also key heavy weapons including 60mm mortars, M1919A4 machine guns, and 88mm recoilless rifles.
"Old A, you take a platoon and quickly approach the airport. Stay away from the tree line and don't expose yourself to the enemy's sight. Wait for my instructions." While the team was collecting supplies, Zhu Rihe was not idle either. He asked his deputy to lead the team forward.
"Roger, brothers from the first row, follow me." Old A, with his face covered in grease paint, responded excitedly and led the team to rush forward.
Since the entire airborne regiment was trained entirely by White Eagle instructors, and the trainees were either veterans of the army or educated youth, the entire 501st Parachute Battalion not only had first-class skills and tactics, but most of them could also speak a few foreign words.
The air was filled with the scent of earth and plants. The paratroopers swiftly crossed the secret passages in the rainforest, their footsteps quick and silent, like a group of wild beasts stalking in the dark night.
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Soon after, deafening gunfire rang out over Yenangyaung Airport.
Dozens of Japanese soldiers crawled out of the air-raid shelters and quickly occupied the airport's fortifications and weapons, and engaged in a fierce battle with the well-prepared paratroopers.
Gunfire crisscrossed the air around the airport, dust and bullet holes filled the air, and the smell of smoke and blood filled the air.
Both sides were fighting tooth and nail to control the empty runway.
To prevent bombs from damaging the runway, the P-47s and F4Us escorting in the sky were cautious and could only use machine gun fire to support the ground battle.
Despite this, the fierce strafing by fighter planes failed to completely destroy the Japanese defenses, especially some machine gun bunkers. These well-concealed and covered fortifications became the biggest obstacle to the paratroopers' attack.
"Damn it, don't stick your head out. The Japanese machine guns are quite powerful." Old A grabbed the recoilless gunner who was about to stick his head out to shoot and pulled him back behind the bunker.
The next moment, several bullets pierced the air and hit the surrounding soil, splashing large amounts of dust and gravel.
"Pooh, pooh!" The recoilless gunner hurriedly spat out the dirt in his mouth and looked gratefully at Old A who saved his life.
"Damn, I almost died..."
"A water-cooled Vickers, most likely captured from John's men. The sustained firepower of this thing is far superior to that of the Type 92 with a 30-round feed." Old A calmly observed his surroundings while assessing the enemy machine gun position in front of him.
He knew that as light infantry, paratroopers did not have heavy equipment. The 60mm mortar could not penetrate the concrete bunker, and the 88mm recoilless gun had a range similar to that of the Japanese heavy machine gun. If they forced their way in, they would definitely suffer casualties.
Old A looked at the watch on his wrist and saw that it was not long before the glider troops were scheduled to arrive.
He made the decision without hesitation.
"Prepare the smoke bombs." Old A got angry, took off his clothes, picked up the recoilless gun, and was ready to fight to the death.
"This is gunship No. 11, calling brothers on the ground, do you need help?" At the critical moment, the voice of the gunship came from the radio.
"Just in time! Mortars, quickly fire at the green smoke mark." A hint of joy flashed across Old A's face as he immediately grabbed the radio receiver. "Yaodongyao, please fire immediately at the green smoke mark. There's a Japanese bunker there."
"Yaodongyao got it, just wait and see." The reply from the other end of the radio was simple and powerful, followed by the voices of the crew members operating the aircraft.