GBP Chapter 668: Battle of Mandalay
Chapter 668: Battle of Mandalay
On September 9, the main Japanese army arrived, including two heavy artillery regiments, hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles, and dense field and mountain artillery, launching a full-scale attack on the Mandalay defense line.
First, there were hundreds of aircraft bombings, followed by artillery shelling of various calibers. Before the tank cluster launched a charge, the British army evacuated at night. Because the losses from the shelling and bombing were too great, they took the initiative to withdraw from the first line of defense.
The Allied commander was furious. He had wanted to win a beautiful joint battle, but his hopes were dashed at the very beginning.
The British army can withdraw, but the expeditionary force cannot follow. The country still needs a lot of aid, and now it dares not offend the United States and the British. The commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force ordered the troops to take over the position quickly and continue to build fortifications before the Japanese attack.
At daybreak, the Japanese army continued their bombing, with hundreds of planes wreaking havoc on the positions. After the bombing, the artillery group began shelling again.
At ten o'clock in the morning, the Japanese army finally launched an attack, led by tanks and armored vehicles, and madly advanced on a thirteen-kilometer-long position. They never took the group of corrupt Chinese who only knew how to escape seriously.
"Hold steady, don't fire, wait for the flare."
"Commander, the Japanese are coming. If we don't attack them, their tanks will overwhelm us."
"When they come pressing forward, we'll dig into anti-artillery holes, wait for the tanks to pass through the trenches and attack the infantry, and wait for the signal flares. No one can open fire."
In order to destroy the Japanese tanks and armored forces as soon as possible, the expeditionary force formulated a unified plan. All anti-aircraft machine guns had to fire at the same time when the signal flares were launched, killing the Japanese armored forces to the greatest extent possible.
Some tanks rushed through the trenches, and the Japanese infantry behind them rushed up. The soldiers in the trenches started firing as soon as they showed their heads. The first two trenches were full of automatic firepower. The Japanese were completely caught off guard. They thought that the tanks had rushed through and the corrupt troops in the trenches had already retreated. They did not expect that they would suddenly expose dense swarms of Chinese soldiers.
The positions where the tanks were running slowly were fine, but the fast ones rushed through the trenches and the Japanese soldiers behind them were instantly slaughtered. After being slaughtered, the Japanese soldiers immediately lay down and threw grenades into the trenches. The gunfire was intense, and the tanks in front didn't know what was going on before explosions broke out behind them.
The commander-in-chief of the position was the commander of the 200th Division. When he saw that the Japanese armored troops were within the range of the anti-aircraft machine guns, he immediately ordered the guards around him to fire signal flares.
call out!
shhhhhh!
Signal flares were launched one after another. All the machine guns hidden in the positions behind were unhidden. They could not wait any longer. Hundreds of machine guns were targeting tanks and armored vehicles. The tanks and armored vehicles that came within range were shot with sparks flying everywhere. Finally, bullets penetrated the cockpit and detonated the ammunition storage room.
boom! Boom boom boom!
The Japanese tanks' turrets quickly counterattacked, and the artillery behind them also fired indiscriminately. The explosions continued, and the entire battlefield fell into a scorching heat in an instant.
The soldiers in the first trench ignored the tanks that had passed by and focused on dealing with the Japanese troops that were following them. They emptied their three magazines and threw out all the grenades around them, finally stopping the Japanese charge.
The anti-aircraft machine guns continued to suffer losses, and seeing that most of the Japanese tanks were grounded, the commander of the 200th Division ordered his men to fire signal flares.
The remaining machine guns were dragged into the anti-artillery holes, and the machine gun fire stopped. The remaining Japanese tanks and armored vehicles were already retreating, and the shelling became more intense. In addition to heavy artillery, mountain artillery and field artillery, mortars also fired at high speeds. Intensive explosions rang out inside and outside the trenches, and the casualties of the expeditionary force continued to increase.
Half an hour later, the Japanese artillery bombardment stopped. Before the expeditionary force could catch its breath, Japanese planes came again. Dozens of planes took turns strafing the positions. The bombers dropped a string of bombs. Many trenches were flattened, and some soldiers in the anti-artillery holes fell into endless darkness.
It was almost noon and the Japanese army did not continue the attack. After the planes flew away, they began endless shelling.
"Captain, Xiao Wuzi has been buried."
"Hurry, save people, dig it up quickly."
"Captain, Xu Dasheng's arm was blown off."
"Health worker, call the health worker quickly."
Although the Japanese army stopped attacking, the expeditionary force was still busy digging out comrades, transporting the wounded, and tidying up trenches and anti-artillery holes. They could not take care of the corpses for the time being and could only leave them lying in the trenches.
The Japanese artillery shells seemed to be endless, and the damage caused by the heavy artillery was too great. The 599th Regiment of Liushu people suffered one-third of casualties, and this was just a charge! Although a large number of Japanese tanks were destroyed, the tanks did not cause much casualties at all. The main factor causing the casualties was the heavy artillery bombardment.
At the frontline command post, several commanders of the 200th Division looked heavy-hearted. Chief of Staff Zhang Zhige couldn't help but say:
"Division Commander, the Japanese heavy artillery is causing too much damage. We can't withstand such endless bombardment for more than a few days. We must destroy it."
The division commander glanced at the chief of staff:
"Who will build the artillery position, you or me? Are we the same as the Fifth War Zone? The same as the Ninth War Zone? They have special operations teams, what do we have? When we asked you to build it, each of you made excuses. What about now? Who can do it?"
The deputy division commander and the chief of staff looked ashamed. The National Army had carried out special operations throughout the army. The documents had been issued and the instructors had been given instructions. Except for the division commander who asked a few questions, no one else was involved.
"Commander, we are short-sighted in this matter, but the most urgent task now is to find a way to destroy the Japanese heavy artillery, otherwise we will not be able to hold on for a few days. Commander, have you thought about it? In a few days, we will be in complete retreat, and the Japanese army will definitely pursue us. Even if we retreat, where can we retreat to?"
boom! Boom boom boom!
Several dull explosions were heard, and it sounded like they were definitely not coming from their position. The division commander and several deputy staff officers immediately got out of the bunker and checked the situation amid the endless explosions overhead.
"Report to the division commander, violent explosions were heard from two directions behind the Japanese army."
"I saw it."
boom! Boom boom boom!
The sound of explosions behind the Japanese army continued. The commander of the 200th Division looked very excited. This direction was most likely the heavy artillery position of the Japanese army.
"Chief of Staff, contact all friendly forces and ask which sequence sent people to build the heavy artillery position. I want to toast him personally."
"Yes"!
Deputy division commander Zhou Zhi looked confused.
"Commander, among the group we came with this time, I haven't heard of anyone setting up a special forces team!"
"These bastards probably did it secretly. Damn it. No matter who they are, they have helped a lot this time. I will thank them once I find out who they are."
Wang Hanqiang led the artillery battalion to evacuate and went into the vast jungle. The Japanese army was still confused. Who was it? Who was it? Why were there still enemies behind them?
Also, why are the sounds of the mortars so chaotic? Our Type 34 mortar, the British two-inch mortar, and the GT mortar from Gaoluji, are they crazy? How can someone be equipped with these three types of mortars at the same time?