Chapter 264 Each has a new trick
At the end of September 1942, Hyakutake Haruyoshi waited until his trump card - the three troops personally coordinated by the base camp finally arrived at Guadalcanal Beach.
[The 8th Tank Regiment of the North China Expeditionary Force]
[The 4th Heavy Artillery Regiment of the Kwantung Army]
[The 10th Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment of the 23rd Army]
The arrival of these three heavy weapons troops greatly emboldened Momotake Haruyoshi. At the same time, the sharp increase in the number of troops also made the Japanese army's already nervous supplies even more difficult to make ends meet.
So after confirming that he had a trump card, Lieutenant General Hyakutake decided to give up the previous petty fight and take the lead in taking action.
Boom, boom, boom! ! ! ! ! !
There were constant flames rising near the Red Dragon Airport. This was the long-range fire suppression from the Japanese battleship King Kong and other ships coming for reinforcements.
In order to fight this battle successfully, Hyakutake Haruyoshi also used his influence to let the naval battleships risk being bombed to bomb Guadalcanal without gaining air supremacy. At the same time, the Kwantung Army's third The Type 92 105mm howitzer of the Fourth Heavy Artillery Regiment also began to bombard the US military positions regardless of ammunition.
"The food will be used up before the shells anyway, so it's better to shoot them all out!" These were the exact words of Captain Kato.
Dong dong dong! ! ! The previously established barbed wire defense line was blown to pieces by heavy artillery. At least one brigade of soldiers began to charge towards the US military position under the cover of supporting fire.
"Onboard!!!!"
Puff puff puff puff! ! ! !
The soldiers at the front were swept to the ground by the sudden firepower. Six US M3 light tanks in the distance used 7.62mm machine guns to make up for the lack of firepower on the front, blocking the Japanese infantry in the gap in the barbed wire fence. outside.
Bang! ! boom! !
A huge noise was heard. The M3 tank at the front was attacked from an unknown direction. Its armor was directly penetrated and it fell to the ground.
In the jungle in the distance, several Type 1 47mm anti-tank guns were revealed. This gun was imitated from the Soviet 45mm anti-tank guns captured in Nomenkan. It is Japan's latest anti-tank weapon and also He was sent to Guadalcanal by the base camp.
"Reverse! Reverse quickly!" the commander of the lead vehicle ordered loudly, but just as the M3 tank started to retreat, the Type 1 anti-tank gun on the opposite side opened fire again.
Boom! ! boom! ! As the explosion sounded, two more M3s were destroyed.
This anti-tank gun has an improved rate of fire. In theory, it can fire up to 20 rounds per minute, and skilled artillery can basically fire 12-15 rounds per minute on the battlefield. It is a nightmare for high-mobility light tanks.
"Onboard! Onboard!" Seeing the results of their artillery, the morale of the Japanese infantry was greatly shaken and they launched a charge again, but eight Type 95 light tanks appeared behind them.
"He, it seems that it's almost Halloween, and the Japanese have shown off all their new toys." Edson, who was holding a telescope, said to He Chi on the side, facing the menacing attack of the Japanese Didn't show any panic.
"It seems like we need to give out some sweets to make these guys behave." He Chi nodded, then picked up the wired phone next to him and said something.
Soon on one side of the battlefield, the military flag of the First Mixed Brigade of the New Japan Founding Army was erected. (We were still in the same team a few days ago, and Kojiro is getting better and better.)
The military flag with chrysanthemums and rice ears as the main body fluttered in the wind, launching a massive mass taunting attack on all Japanese troops on the entire battlefield.
"Baga! Assault! Kill these shameless traitors!" The first to lose his composure was the commander of the chariot regiment. These troops transferred from North China were very arrogant and had many thoughts in their minds. With the illusion that the "imperial army is invincible", he actually mobilized the light tank troops to play pig-attack.
Soon, the Type 95 tank rushed to the front of the team with its super high mobility, charging straight towards the position of the New Japan Founding Army, and leaving behind the infantry that should be protected. .
Brush!
Long steel pipes suddenly appeared on the New Japan Founding Army position in front, and the black front ends were aimed at the tanks in front.
Woo! ! ! ! Woo! ! ! ! ! ! Woo! ! ! ! ! ! !
Some kind of special sound sounded, and in the eyes of the hand observing the 95th pose, there were small black dots in front of it that were enlarging like a swarm of bees.
Boom! ! ! ! boom! ! ! ! ! boom! ! ! ! ! ! !
Explosions sounded one after another. The Type 95 tank with only 12 mm front armor was torn apart effortlessly by this sudden weapon. The inside of the tank was instantly penetrated and then caught fire.
The Bazooka rocket launcher was still in a small amount of production at the end of 1942. He Chi emptied the entire General Electric Company's inventory through Roosevelt's relationship. 1,200 first-generation M1 bazookas were purchased by General Turner. The fleet was delivered to Guadalcanal at the last moment, and was put into the battlefield almost as soon as it was unpacked. This kind of can opener prepared for the medium and large tanks of the German army is simply overkill for the Type 95, and every Japanese tank has at least three bazookas taking care of it at the same time.
All 8 Type 95 vehicles were destroyed.
The sudden blow stunned the Japanese infantry who were halfway forward. They were supposed to follow the tanks and did not know whether to advance or retreat next.
But soon they no longer need to think about it.
A dozen large gasoline barrels in the trenches on both sides had their camouflage removed, and a few seconds later a group of explosive bags weighing more than 6 kilograms "flew" above their heads.
boom! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
When the smoke cleared, a piece of the front of the entire Japanese charge formation seemed to have been bitten off. At least more than two hundred people were knocked to the ground. Some people were obviously blinded by the explosion and were holding up their rifles without knowing the direction. Spin in circles.
As several P39 fighter jets began to dive and shoot at the ground, the Japanese attack finally retreated.
Both sides suffered losses in this battle.
Part of the US military's forward fortifications were destroyed by heavy artillery, but at least they held their position.
In terms of combat vehicles, the US military lost three M3 light tanks, while the Japanese army directly scrapped a Type 95 squadron.
In terms of infantry, more than 80 American soldiers were killed in the shelling, while the Japanese suffered more than 400 casualties.
And this is only the first day of high-intensity fighting between the two sides.
"Gentlemen, what do you think about today's battle?" Major General Vandergrift asked everyone at the military meeting in the evening.
“It’s not good. The Japanese’s firepower has obviously been greatly enhanced, and it has reached a level where they can fight with us, especially their new rapid-fire anti-tank guns, even the new Sherman Also under threat." The first to speak was Lieutenant Colonel Charles Walker, the artillery commander.
"Their tanks have poor performance, but as far as I know there are at least 30-40 of them on the other side, so we don't have the upper hand in terms of numbers." Tank commander Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Rich also expressed his concerns.
"The firepower of the infantry seems to be stronger than before."
"There are also shellings from the opponent's battleships..."
Several officers each talked about the strength of the Japanese army. Enhancement, but at this time Major General Vandergrift found He Chi standing aside without saying a word.
"He, why don't you speak."
He Chi raised his head and looked at the people in the room, and then said, "Everyone is right, but the other party actually has a very serious problem."
"What problem?"
He Chi Chi Qing coughed and assumed the role of an intelligence officer, "Everyone, according to British intelligence, the enemy on the other side is the Tokyo Base Camp. In order to completely eliminate the New Japan Founding Army, the Kwantung Army, the North China Garrison, the 23rd Army, and the 17th Army have never cooperated with each other before. I don’t even know him..."
"He, you mean..." Edson seemed to remember something.
"You said that with so many troops mixed together, if the sentries saw new faces, would they be as alert as usual?" After He Chi said this, he took out several different sets of military uniforms obtained from the battlefield.
(End of this chapter)