novelden Chapter 116: Battle of Kursk in East India (4)
Chapter 116: Battle of Kursk in East India (4)
Sun Liren, Yang Hong, and others were summarizing the combat status of each brigade and reviewing countermeasures. Chief of Staff Martin kept inquiring about the progress of digging anti-tank trenches on the northern and southern fronts. The 1st Army had discussed with the theater of operations that the Japanese tanks could not be allowed to circumvent the enemy's movements to the north (Hafron) or south (Silger Railway). Deep trenches were needed to prevent large-scale assaults by Japanese tank groups and avoid attacking on multiple fronts. This was the best solution for the time being.
Mountbatten and Wedemeyer also urgently dispatched a heavy artillery brigade to establish positions behind the 1st Army, assisting the army in blocking the Japanese advance if necessary. There was also good news: a batch of Soviet-style anti-tank sniper rifles had been airlifted to Silchar Airfield, and Mountbatten was organizing personnel to familiarize themselves with the weapons before deploying them to various units of the 1st Army.
Yang Hong ordered all divisions and brigades to use all time and means to dig deep trenches and deploy more explosive devices and anti-tank mines. When the rocket artillery groups moved forward, they had to be willing to discard their weapons and adopt the method of attacking and retreating. They had to use rocket artillery to harass and kill Japanese tanks and delay their attack.
The method of organizing assault teams by the 113st Battalion of the 1th Regiment was promoted, but each battalion was required not to do so at the expense of the lives of soldiers. Instead, they had to organize corresponding groups for attack, cover, and support to ensure that while counterattacking, the soldiers could be withdrawn alive!
Pu Zhengsong, deputy commander of the new 28th Division, is organizing engineering personnel from various units to make "gas tank cannons" in preparation for using the weapons again to launch a surprise attack on the Japanese tank forces.
Prior to this, Wedemeyer personally visited the 1st Army and conveyed the theater order to Sun, Yang, and Martin. The 1st Army, with its main force, was to defend the Silger line for at least 15 days. The Allied forces' new tank and anti-tank units would require time to organize and integrate, and the new armor-piercing ammunition would also take time to be shipped from the United States.
On the Japanese side, based on the advice of the 4th Tank Division, the supreme commander of the Silchar direction, Lieutenant General Okamura Domi, ordered the tank armored units of the 1st and 2nd Divisions to be transferred to the 4th Tank Division. At the same time, the regiments of the 2nd Division and the 53rd Division formed assault detachments to accompany the tank regiments of the 4th Division to seize the captured enemy positions.
The Japanese army indeed adopted a three-pronged attack pattern, with a tank regiment (equivalent to a brigade) as the main force, and a mechanized battalion, an artillery battalion, and an infantry regiment as assault detachments in one direction, attacking from the south, center, and north.
On the northern front, the 112rd Company, 4th Battalion, 3th Brigade's position, northwest of Silchar, was a crucial area for the Japanese to maneuver northward. This area consisted of a single hillside, approximately 80 meters high, surrounded by low-lying terrain with drops of 3 to 40 meters. Battalion headquarters assigned four 4mm mortars to the 120rd Company, along with two rocket launchers and several bazookas.
In theory, the firepower configuration of a company is already very strong, but combined with the terrain factors and the Japanese tank cluster they will face, it appears very weak.
After a flurry of Japanese artillery fire, the tank column, billowing thick black smoke and swirling with dust, rushed towards the position again. Just an hour earlier, halfway through the Japanese attack, a fierce air battle broke out between the air forces of both sides, forcing the Japanese tanks to retreat to their hiding places to avoid being attacked by Allied fighter planes. Now, as soon as the planes of both sides left, the Japanese tanks immediately rushed over!
"Boom!" A grenade landed in front of the second row's position, destroying an exposed machine gun fire point. As the frontline commander, Chen Qiaode shook the dust off his helmet, quietly raised his head, looked at the charging enemy, and calculated the speed and distance of the Japanese tanks.
This time, the Japanese army was led by two Panthers and accompanied by about three Type 97s. Behind them, there should be a number of armored vehicles, infantry, approaching Type 92 rifles and mortars (grenade launchers).
"Damn it! They sent out so many tanks to deal with my platoon!" Chen Qiaode cursed, then retracted his head and quietly called several squad leaders together. He ordered: "Use firepower to take out the Japanese Type 97 tanks first, and let the Panthers go. The company commander and his men have ways to deal with them. Each squad should take turns to provide cover and don't give the Japanese infantry behind them a chance to pass."
After everyone dispersed and prepared, Chen Qiaode grabbed a nearby cluster grenade—more like four or five grenades tied together—and his guards picked up two Molotov cocktails. The two men crouched and moved sideways along the trench. Based on the Japanese tanks' trajectory, a Type 97 tank would cross the trench about 20 meters to the left. This was the best position to launch a surprise attack.
The shrill sound of the tracks rubbing against the uneven ground reached Chen Qiaode's ears, and the ground shook constantly. Chen Qiaode and the guards stayed close to the tank-facing side of the trench, both to avoid being discovered by the Japanese and to make it easier to attack the enemy.
Sure enough, the enemy tank raised its head above the two men, slowly extending most of its body, with its head held high, attempting to cross the trench. At this point, the two men were in the tank's blind spot. After nodding to each other, they quickly turned. The guard lit the Molotov cocktail and threw it at the tank. Chen Qiaode stood up and swept his submachine gun at the enemy infantry behind the tank.
Chen killed several Japanese infantrymen, but the guard was exposed in front of the armored vehicle behind him. With a sudden burst of bullets, the guard was cut into two pieces!
Chen Qiaode angrily detonated a cluster grenade and hurled it at the enemy armored vehicle. A loud boom erupted, and the armor erupted in flames. By then, the Molotov cocktail had already ignited the Type 97 tank's armor. The enemy stumbled across the trench and stopped. A Japanese soldier hurriedly opened the top cover and attempted to escape, but was killed by a burst of bullets from Chen Qiaode. A Japanese tank driver, emerging from the bottom, drew his arsenal and fired two shots at Chen Qiaode, but he nimbly dodged them. A grenade launched from a Japanese grenade launcher landed not far from Chen Qiaode, and the shockwave from the explosion knocked him to the ground.
Chen Qiaode didn't care about all this. He bent down, quickly crossed the bend and hid to one side. The Japanese tank driver also hurriedly climbed out of the tank and crawled not far away. He had to prevent the tank from burning and exploding, causing harm to himself, and also to prevent enemy attacks.
More Japanese soldiers rushed over, and one of them threw a grenade toward where Chen might be hiding.
"Boom——" the explosion created a shock wave and a huge cloud of dust. Chen Qiaode took advantage of the momentum and quickly retreated along the trench into the second position.
"Well done, Platoon Leader!" Several soldiers gathered around and gave Platoon Leader Chen a thumbs-up! In his heart, Chen Qiaode was thinking back to the youthful face of his own guard...