0388 Advance Team

In the mouth of the enemy, the Chinese army is shouldering combat missions while also rushing to repair the more than 1,300-kilometer-long Sino-Indian highway.

Wang Liang pointed to several locations on the map with a stick, and introduced to everyone: "As early as the spring of 1943, under the cover of the troops of a regiment of the newly formed 38th Division, our vanguard engineer regiment repelled the Japanese invaders at the Xinbinyang Pass outpost and began the road construction campaign from Leido to Xinbinyang. ”

On December 21, 1943, the Chinese army launched an attack on the Japanese army along the Talung River, and the new 38th Division crossed the river.

Wang Liang's 1st Tank Battalion was also engaged in the battle in January of the following year, cooperating with the infantry to capture Yubang and Taipaka.

Wang Liang recalled: "It was February 1944, and our tank battalion was in front, the new 22nd Division was on the right flank, and the new 38th Division was on the left flank, and at the same time it was attacking and advancing towards Mengguan, destroying the enemy's fortifications and clearing out the enemy ...... along the way."

At this time, the Sino-Indian highway had been paved to the Stilwell command post in Taipakka.

An airfield with a runway of 4,600 meters long was built to supply ammunition.

Commander-in-Chief Stilwell's best tactic is flanking from afar.

As a result, Wang Liang's chariot battalion received an order from Stilwell: the chariot battalion bypassed Mengguan, made a big circle, and attacked Waruban, ten miles south of Mengguan.

Because it was necessary to make a detour through Mengguan, and there were some large forests covering the sky and the sun, the battalion commander, Colonel Zhao Zhenyu, temporarily decided to form an advance team to find out the situation in the front.

At this time, Wang Liang took the initiative to ask Ying to be the leader of the advance team and lead the team.

Wang Liang said: "Battalion Commander Zhao, leave this task to me to carry out." ”

Battalion commander Zhao Zhenyu glanced meaningfully at Wang Liang, who was also a colonel with his own rank, and said: "This task is very difficult and dangerous. ”

At that time, Wang Liang's fame was very great.

He participated in the expeditionary force as a representative of the Eighth Route Army.

Chang Kaishen saw that he couldn't win over Wang Liang to his side, so he had already moved his mind and wanted to put Wang Liang to death.

But Wang Liang's performance on the battlefield has deeply infected every soldier of the national army, and no matter what, they have no way to attack this brother.

That's what Zhao Zhenyu thinks.

The tasks of the advance team were to choose the route of advance, build the lane, select the crossing point, build the bridge, clear the enemy snipers, small strongholds, select the camp, arrange and divide the cordon and the area of fire.

If one is not careful, he may penetrate the enemy's hinterland and fall into a place of no return.

Obviously, Zhao Zhenyu didn't want this brother of his own to take risks.

"Soldiers take dying on the battlefield as the highest glory, let me go, I promise to complete the mission!" Wang Liang has already made up his mind.

Zhao Zhenyu: "You must come back alive." ”

Wang Liang patted Zhao Zhenyu on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Invite me to drink when the time comes." ”

In this way, Wang Liang led the advance team to set off.

Seeing that some netizens asked about the staffing and equipment of this advance team, Wang Liang responded: "At that time, this advance team had a search platoon of 19 search vehicles and 76 people, a 37-man engineer platoon equipped with bulldozers, graders and logging and bridge building equipment, and a 37-man engineer platoon equipped with flamethrowers and mine detectors, and a tank platoon of 46 people equipped with five Sherman tanks and two trucks. ”

"There were supplies such as tents, ammunition and food on the car. There were more than 150 members of the advance team, and I remember seven or eight American sappers among them. Most of the guns are Thomson submachine guns with a rate of fire of 700 rounds per minute, and Type 30 rifles and Type 60 rifles. ”

"It is worth mentioning that at least one-third of the officers of the advance team at the rank of lieutenant have received strict military training in Ramgarh, so the tactical literacy of this unit is extremely high."

Speaking of which, Wang Liang really couldn't help but think of the days of the Ramgar training camp.

Infantry School: Sun Liren's New First Army, Liao Yaoxiang's New Sixth Army, and Du Yuming's New Fifth Army were all trained in this school and used all American weapons and equipment.

Howitzer School: Later, in the War of Liberation, all personnel of the howitzer battalion or regiment of the Kuomintang troops were trained from this artillery school.

Automobile School: A total of 259 classes of drivers, 80 students in each class, a total of 20,720 people.

Wang Liang said: "At that time, it was a rule formulated by American instructors, except for those who have been specially trained in driving to drive a car after graduation, all Chinese officers, no matter what branch of the army, must undergo three months of car driving training. Even the students of the senior education class of the general school are no exception. ”

I have to admit that 1943 was a year in which Wang Liang benefited a lot.

In Ramgar, he learned so much and made too many good friends.

Chariot School: Seven chariot battalions have been trained.

The largest tank for training is thirty-five tons, generally twenty-five tons, twenty tons, and the smallest is also fifteen tons.

Tank trained drivers must first undergo three months of car driving training at an automobile school, and only after graduating from an automobile school can they enter the school.

There are also engineering schools, communications schools, air force schools.

Therefore, Wang Liang's advance team, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

"Considering the safety of the advance team, Battalion Commander Zhao attached another infantry battalion to follow up a mile behind the advance group." Wang Liang said.

The advance team searched and advanced.

Naturally, it was inevitable to run into Japanese troops on the way.

After reconnoitering the enemy, if it was a small force of Japanese troops, Wang Liang would generally order the search platoon to fight silently.

In this way, even if it is exposed, the enemy will not care too much, thinking that this is just a small army building roads.

Wang Liang said: "The tank battalion fought in a roundabout way, and the most important thing was the supply of fuel, and we encountered a lot of trouble in this regard at that time. ”

The supply of the tank battalion was carried out by a fuel team sent by the supply company.

The leader of the fuel team was Second Lieutenant Wu Jiwu, a cadet of the 17th Whampoa Class, who led 44 soldiers and drove 21 fuel trucks to follow up with the tank battalion at a distance of five miles.

At first, everything went according to plan, and there were no problems.

However, the next day, the fuel team changed its route because of dodging the Japanese shells, and broke into the minefield laid by the Japanese army by mistake.

With a loud bang.

A fuel truck hit a mine and was blown up in an instant.

One squad leader in the car, two battlefields were killed on the spot.

"Stop moving! Stop moving forward! Wu Jiwu, the leader of the oil team, was scared into a cold sweat and quickly ordered the other fuel trucks to stop so as not to touch more mines.