GBP Chapter 125: Defeating the Japanese 4th Tank Division
Chapter 125: Defeating the Japanese 4th Tank Division
Stellan met up with the group of soldiers who had arrived. He recognized the leader, Major Liu Qi, the commander of the special operations battalion directly under the 1st Army. Liu told General Stellan that General Sun was seriously injured and had been carried away. He had come on foot with the special operations battalion and part of the anti-tank artillery, intending to take advantage of the melee to knock out the Japanese tanks.
Stellan decided to follow Liu Qi and the others, using the hillsides and brush for cover, seizing every opportunity to launch a surprise attack on isolated Japanese tanks. Several snipers, armed with bulky anti-tank rifles, began to disperse. Liu Qi and several other soldiers set up a multi-barrel rocket launcher, adjusted it for direct fire, and aimed it at two rapidly advancing Japanese tanks. Other soldiers from the special operations battalion, armed with Molotov cocktails and anti-tank mines, divided into small groups and charged towards the chaotic tank group.
"Boom——", "Boom——", "Boom——"
The tank guns bombarded relentlessly, their volleys laced with fire, each one igniting a volley of blows. Tanks were constantly being hit, ignited, and detonated. The battlefield was thick with smoke, and from a distance, it was impossible to distinguish who was who, who had the upper hand, or how much strength each side had left! Tanks from both sides patrolled the battlefield, finding the enemy, opening fire, and attacking!
Mo Shangjing rushed into battle with his 20-plus Panther tanks. His impatience caused him to distance himself from the armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and refueling and ammunition lines behind him. Cai Yong, lying in ambush, seized the opportunity and concentrated his remaining six rocket launchers on Mo Shangjing's tank group. Dozens of rockets caught the tanks completely off guard, destroying the tracks of two tanks and damaging the engines and fuel tanks of two others, igniting a raging fire.
Mo Shangjing's tank was also hit, but the tank was not damaged. The shock of the bombardment caused Mo Shangjing's internal organs to surge and churn. Mo Shangjing calmed down and did not retaliate against the attackers. He continued to order the tank group to advance at full speed, and at the same time notified the armored team behind to catch up as soon as possible and eliminate the surrounding rats.
The New 1st Brigade led by Pu Zhengsong also arrived in time. Looking at the Japanese armored forces rushing towards them, Pu Zhengsong ordered all units to immediately set up their flying thunder cannons to attack the Japanese armored forces. At the same time, several groups of gas tank mortars were also set up to attack Mo Shangjing's galloping tank group.
"Whoosh!" A gas canister shell popped out from the launcher, making a sharp "whoosh" sound as it flew towards Mo Shangjing's tank group. The gas canister shell was not flying very fast, but it was obviously faster than the speed of the tanks.
A huge, piercing "whoosh" sounded, inaudible to the advancing tanks. When the shell landed right in the middle of the tanks, a massive "boom!" explosion and the resulting shockwave toppled two nearby Panthers to the ground. The tanks sustained no damage, but the soldiers inside had their internal organs shattered by the shockwave, making survival impossible.
"What weapon!" Mo Shangjing, who was farther from the center of the explosion, felt his guts churning. The driver lost control of the tank, and it stumbled to a stop. The other crew members also cried out, "Big gun! The enemy has a big gun!"
Mo Shangjing didn't believe it, so he opened the top cover and stood up to look around. At this time, a black dot in the sky flew over with a shrill scream and landed on the side of the tank group again.
"Boom--" A huge explosion and shock wave spread in all directions. Mo Shangjing was stunned by the scene before his eyes. He quickly retreated into the tank and screamed loudly: "Scatter and run! The enemy has heavy artillery! Run!"
The remaining dozen or so Japanese Panther tanks scattered in disarray, running wildly in all directions. Pu Zhengsong, observing this, immediately halted the artillery fire and dispatched the mobile forces to attack the scattered enemy tanks. The scattered tanks exposed their greatest weakness, providing the perfect opportunity for infantry to attack them.
Pu Zhengsong and Cai Yong had finished reloading at this moment. It was the time to strangle the Japanese armored forces. A large number of shells flew towards the Japanese armored columns on the march. Their thin armor was caught off guard and immediately became prey to the artillery fire.
"Boom boom boom boom--", the continuously exploding shells harvested the completely exposed Japanese armored forces. Countless armored vehicles, motorcycles, etc. were destroyed, and the soldiers had to flee in all directions. The New 1st Brigade and the Special Operations Battalion seized the opportunity to charge and completely defeated the auxiliary forces of the Japanese 4th Tank Division. The 4th Tank Division was completely isolated in Yingluck, their grave.
After receiving the news, Stellan felt relieved and immediately gave orders to each vehicle through the radio, coordinating with the surrounding anti-tank infantry to smash the Japanese army's iron turtles one by one!
Mo Shangjing led a tank up a hill, opened the top, and observed the battle through a telescope, feeling a wave of dejection. He knew he had been defeated. His only option now was to quickly remove the remaining tanks from the battlefield and retreat to refuel and restock ammunition. If he continued there, the loss of ammunition and fuel would be a disaster for him.
Mo Shangjing passed through the regiments and battalions and ordered each tank crew to immediately and alternately withdraw from the battlefield. The Japanese still had about 70 Panthers left. Combined, they would be impossible to stop with the remaining Allied forces. Stellan was well aware of this. He also knew that the Japanese logistics line had been broken and the Japanese defeat was already certain. His own tank forces had suffered far greater losses than the Japanese, and most of the tanks were low on fuel and ammunition.
He immediately ordered all vehicles to leave the battlefield, with a small number of light tanks following behind, and the rest to quickly replenish fuel and ammunition. Stellan estimated that the Japanese Leopard tanks had few chances to escape. As long as they lost fuel, the only thing waiting for them was surrender or self-destruction!
All the units also received reports of Yingluck's battle. While everyone was excited, they were determined not to let the remaining enemy tanks escape. All the units began to exert their strength and surrounded them from all directions. A large number of troops gathered in the trenches that were originally empty again to block the escape route of Mo Shangjing's tank group.
Mo Shangjing hadn't expected these Chinese, American, and British infantrymen to risk their lives, depleting their fuel and ammunition. Shocked, he desperately pushed forward. However, without support, they were unable to break through the enemy lines. Some tanks even lost power while entering the trenches. Depleted of ammunition and fuel, they were helplessly grounded. The only fate awaited them: either they would be destroyed along with their tanks, or they would simply open their hatches and surrender!
Mo Shangjing, worthy of being the commander of the elite Japanese tank corps, immediately ordered each crew to check their fuel and gather as many tanks with more fuel as possible. He then summoned Abe and had him lead these tanks while he and the tanks with less fuel remained behind to provide cover. As many as could be escaped, as many as possible. This was the empire's last resort!
Mo Shangjing knew he was undoubtedly responsible for the defeat. After watching Abe charge out with over 20 tanks, he ordered the crews, now out of fuel and ammunition, to destroy their tanks' maneuvers and surrender. He then quietly sat in his tank and committed suicide.