readx; The Americans taught them how to use radio stations, guns, explosives, to gather intelligence, to communicate, to blow up bridges, to subvert trains

In only half a year, the members of the Savage Rangers have completed all the courses carefully set for them by the Americans. In the Lambgar jungle www.biquge.info when a group of Chinese officers and soldiers could not swallow in the face of a bloody python, or faced with a towering ancient tree that was difficult to climb, the members of the Savage Rangers had learned to parachute from airplanes, or use walkie-talkies to send secret signals to their partners dozens of miles away.

Today, on the road from Mengguan to Myitkyina, the members of the Savage Rangers who are at the forefront of exploring the way can find the path of the local savages from the barren hazelnuts. For the various forest paths, they can distinguish which one is trodden by man and which one is walked by wild animals. Just look at the dew on the side of the road to see if anyone has just walked on this road. In the sparsely populated mountain forests, they can find the cottages inhabited by savages with great accuracy. As long as they stay at the cottage for five minutes, they can find out from their compatriots whether there are any Japanese troops in the vicinity.

They are blessed with intelligence in Savage Mountain. Let them lead the way, and you'll be able to walk with confidence.

The main force of the task force followed the signposts left by the Savage Rangers. Keep a day or two of travel distance between them.

The American "looters" are formidable guys. At first, the Chinese officers and men thought that since they were selected from various US units, they would definitely be first-class in terms of size, appearance, character, and ability. Later, after living together in the jungle for a few days, I realized that it wasn't quite like that.

These American soldiers, the old and the young, the tall and the short, are also ten fingers, which is not ordinary. Some of them have stubble, wrinkled faces, and pimples, like old orange peels. Some have round waists and broad backs, tall heads and big horses, while others are very short and not as tall as the Chinese.

I also heard that these guys are not all outstanding characters, and many of them are of low intelligence, rude in surnames, undisciplined, and have long-term dissatisfaction. Some of them had "criminal records" before the war. No wonder they love the nickname "looter" so much. Many people have disabilities, malaria and typhoid. And the psychopaths!

However, he is indeed a veteran of jungle warfare.

American soldiers like to be unconventional and engage in bells and whistles. Each of them drew two vivid cobras on their steel helmets, with large heads and exaggerated eyes as big as small light bulbs. The costumes they wear are also bizarre. The color is mottled and lumpy, and when worn on the body, it is simply not called clothing. Jacket trousers, pockets everywhere. People say it's a uniform adapted to jungle warfare. When I was marching, I don't know whether I used oil paint or mud to paint my face in a mess, so that no one was human, and no ghost was ghost. I heard that it is also a means of camouflage.

It is also said that with this costume, it is difficult to spot them when marching in the jungle, or in ambush.

The "looters" often applauded the Chinese officers and soldiers for their various life skills in the jungle.

In addition to the 18th Regiment of the New 9th Brigade, one of Gao Fei's ace troops, the 18th Regiment of the New 9th Brigade, which had been trained in jungle warfare in Ledo relatively early, the officers and men of the 19th Regiment of the New 9th Brigade had just been airlifted from China to the battlefield in northern Burma, and the jungle was still a rather strange and terrifying world to them. So, they widened their eyes and watched and imitated the actions and techniques of the Americans like schoolchildren.

When marching in the rainy season, the whole body is drenched, but the Americans can always find a dry place on their bodies and keep their matches. The dry rations of the Chinese soldiers were often soaked in rainwater, and they were always packed so firmly and strongly. Boil a glass of boiling water, and the American soldiers will always burn faster than the Chinese soldiers. Scratching the skin, Americans can easily find some herbs to help stop the bleeding. A shaving blade, in the hands of the Americans, also has many more uses than the Chinese.

What makes the Chinese even more envious is the mentality of the "robbers" who are not afraid of the sky, the earth, do not care, and are at peace with the situation. Eat when you should eat, sleep when you should sleep, and do what you should do, just like at home. Unlike some Chinese who have not fought in the jungle, they have a sad face all day long, and they feel very awkward, unsteady, and worried everywhere. I can't sleep at night when I hear monkeys calling.

In early May, the task force entered the Kuman Mountains. The mountains here are undulating, the cliffs are numerous, and the danger is full of dangers. The ancient trees in the mountains are towering, thorns are everywhere, insects and birds are singing, tigers are roaring and apes are crying, fog and swamps are chaotic. It's a terrifying world that is both hard and savage.

At the top of the mountain, there is not even a trail for the local Kachin savages to hunt. Task Force members climbed cliffs and canyons, sometimes crawling with their hands and knees, and sometimes carved steps into the rock walls to climb up.

The draught transport company is even more bitter. They carried artillery and baggage on mules and horses. Horses and mules often do not walk the same path as people. In order to get around a certain cliff, you have to take a long detour. When going uphill, the mule does not go immediately, and the man carries it behind the mule's buttocks. When going downhill, it's even harder, because someone has to hold its front blade in front of it, and someone has to pull its tail behind it to prevent it from rolling down to the bottom. When the mule and horse fall, they have to be lifted up, and when they camp, they have to be fed. People are more tired than mules and horses. At the end of the day, the riders were so tired that they didn't even have the strength to pee. In less than a week, 1/3 of the mules and horses had died of exhaustion, and more than 20 horses had fallen to their deaths from the narrow and slippery mountain road.

The disease is spreading horribly. Someone had abscesses on his legs, bleeding and pus, and wherever he went, flies buzzed and chased after him. Some of them had relapsing fever and malaria, and their faces were red and they were talking nonsense. People who have red diarrhea are also very pitiful, I don't know how many times a day they have to pee, and the spitting is blood, pus, fishy and smelly. Even those tall American soldiers couldn't resist, and within two days, they were already skinny and skinny, and their noses were even higher. Deeper eye sockets. Sometimes it's too late to untie your pants. The American soldiers were practical, and simply cut off the back piece of the crotch, like a three-year-old child's open crotch pants.

There were even fatal infectious diseases. The commander of detachment K, Colonel Kinnison, died of typhus.

The "looters" cursed and lost their temper. They believe that in the damned jungles of Burma, they have shed their blood and sweat, and the 90-day combat contract has expired. Now, they should lie down in a nursing home in the back to recuperate and have fun with the nurse. Or get drunk at the bar and go do what you want. They shouldn't be in jungle hell anymore.

The reason why he is still suffering is because he is persecuted by Stilwell. "That damn piggy!" The "looters" believed that Stilwell wanted them to die in the jungles of Burma in order to set a record for the Chinese, "and if necessary, sacrifice an American infantry unit in this theater." ”

Someone once gritted his teeth and threatened: "When you see an old bastard, you will make his head bloom." ”

Some also claimed: "Stilwell violated the provisions of the wartime soldier law and should be sued in federal court." ”

Scolding and scolding, you have to go. Now that you have entered the jungle, the important thing is to get out alive. Stilwell is also very good at that, when he sent us in, the contract did not expire, as for when to get out of the jungle, it is up to him. Didn't he already promise to withdraw us as soon as he took the Myitkyina airport?

So, hurry up!

Despite the exhaustion and extreme decline in physical strength, the "looters" still vigorously moved forward.

The Chinese officers and soldiers did not say anything! No one had any contracts with them. With their blood, they voluntarily threw themselves into the battlefield in Burma.

"An inch of mountains and rivers, a drop of blood, 100,000 young people and 100,000 soldiers."

They went on the international battlefield in the frenzy of joining the army all over the country. If there is a time limit for their operations, it is longer. Not only to take Myitkyina, but also to take the whole of Burma, but also to take back the whole of China, and finally, to sweep away the devils from the Asian continent.

The Chinese and American officers and soldiers in the task force and the members of the Savage Rangers have different skin colors, different languages, different clothing and weapons, and even different ways of eating, sleeping, and peeing. However, their goal is highly unanimous, which is to make it through the jungle and take the Myitkyina airport.

The jungle could not stop them, and the disease could not shake their will. The team is still moving at a speed of 10 kilometers a day, tenaciously advancing.

The jungle is also not an impermeable wall. The army laid an extensive search net on the southern edge of Kuman Mountain, and the whereabouts of the advance team were finally detected by the spy team of the army. However, for a while, the army could not figure out the intention of the [***] team, and did not know whether it was going to attack Wazha in the east or go south to Myitkyina.

The army quickly dispatched a blocking force. On June 6, in Letopia, in the Kuman Mountains, the task force encountered the enemy.

The enemy chose favorable terrain and built bag-shaped fortifications, intending to take advantage of my unpreparedness and carry out an ambush. However, their ploy could not be concealed by the Savage Rangers, who had a keen sense of smell.

As they approached Letopia, the Einsatzgruppen who was walking ahead heard the panicked chirping of apes on the mountain, and the herons that were roosting in the chestnut groves scattered and fled. From experience, the savages concluded that there were people on the hill.

Climbed the palm tree to reconnoitre, and sure enough, he found an ambush position for the Japanese army.

The Einsatzgruppen only provided intelligence, and as for how to deal with this army, that was the business of the Americans and the Chinese.

The first to arrive at Letopia was Detachment K. They consisted of the 3rd battalion of the "looters" and the 9th regiment of the 18th brigade of the new Chinese brigade. They had been walking in the forest for ten days since they left Meng Pass, and now they needed to fight a battle to boost their morale.

"In that case, no matter what is good or bad, half of the family." The U.S. commander immediately decided that the Chinese and American forces would strike upwards from the left and right flanks at the same time.

For the first time, heavy gunfire rang out from the Kuman Mountains. The sharp weapon of human civilization shook this terrifying valley in the age of ignorance.

On the first day of the attack, it was unexpectedly unsuccessful. Due to the failure of the plan, the army changed from preparing for an ambush to holding on. Relying on the favorable terrain and strong fortifications, they defended quite stubbornly.

Lieutenant Colonel Hanson, who had just taken over from the dead Colonel Kinnison as commander of Detachment K, had no choice but to withdraw his troops, and he looked at the enemy on the top of the hill and said fiercely:

"Leave you alive one more day, and I'll clean you up tomorrow."

The next day, Detachment H also arrived. The commander, Colonel Henry, asked Hanson, "Do you want to help?" ”

Hanson replied, "Go ahead of your business!" There's nothing to do with you here! ”

Colonel Henry then led his men and made a detour.

On the 6th and 7th, Detachment K attacked two consecutive days and occupied all the enemy's forward positions, but the enemy who was stationed at the core position on the top of the hill did not retreat. After all, the Chinese and American officers and men marched hard in the jungle for ten years, and their physical strength was lacking, and they did not have heavy firepower in their hands, so it was difficult to achieve results in a strong attack.

Lieutenant Colonel Hanson made a last resort and performed "heart removal surgery" on Yue Jun. On the night of the 8th, he selected 20 sturdy soldiers from the US army, led the way by members of the Savage Rangers, climbed the hill at night, smashed the enemy's command post, and killed the enemy's commander Shaozuo.

The command of the enemy army was paralyzed and retreated without a fight. On the morning of the 9th, Detachment K occupied Letopia.

The Hanson was unlucky. They fought hard against the enemy in Letopia, and their journey was already behind others. Unexpectedly, not long after leaving Letopia, he was dragged by the army in Chincirkan.

Lieutenant Colonel Hanson knew that it was important to be in a hurry and not to fall in love with war. He left the 3rd Battalion of the 88th Regiment in Chincirkan and fought the enemy. The rest of the troops broke away from the enemy and continued to advance in stealth.

A battalion of the H detachment "Marauders" and the 150th Regiment of the 50th Chinese Division under the command of Colonel Hunt moved very quickly. On June 10, they entered and occupied Alan and broke out of the Kuman Mountain. On the 14th, they reached the outer edge of the enemy's defensive line in the Myitkyina area. 15 And he crossed the Myitkyina to Mon Kung road. At 2 a.m. on 16 May, the Chinese and American task forces covertly entered the Nam Kwwe River, 8 kilometers northwest of Myitkyina Airport, and immediately began to collect intelligence on the Myitkyina defenders.

The sword of Damocles has been suspended over the heads of the enemy in Myitkyina.

Yue Jun was still asleep.

In the eyes of the enemy, Myitkyina was still their strategic rear at this time. The battle with Unit X of the Chinese Expeditionary Force is raging in the Menggong River Valley. The flames of war will burn from the jungle of the Menggong River valley through the Kuman Mountains, and it will be too early to burn to the Irrawaddy River Valley!

The troops and munitions and supplies that were being reinforced, which were fighting in the Mong Gong River valley from the direction of Bhamo, were being transported forward through the Myitkyina Railway. Military vehicles at Myitkyina railway station come and go from south to north, running all night. On the platform, there was a mountain of munitions and materials, and the military bands beat gongs and drums to see off the troops heading for the front line. Some of the Burmese men who believed that the thief was their father gathered around the platform and shook the paper flag in their hands with great vigor, on which Buddhist runes were drawn, and they thought that they could use these runes to bless the imperial army to win the battle.

Myitkyina's defense is not said. There is a Kuman Mountain in the northwest as a barrier, and there is the Irrawaddy River in the southeast to rely on. Unless he has wings, he wants to enter Myitkyina. Even if the [***] team can fly and fly to Myitkyina, it doesn't matter, the fortifications inside and outside the city, after many years of operation by the army, can be said to be "impregnable". On the outskirts of Myitkyina, there are patches of rice paddies, and the ridges of the rice paddies crisscross and are as dense as spider webs. These mounds have been built and trampled by the people for many generations, hammered by wind and rain, and are as strong as reinforced concrete, which is a natural fortification. A little closer, there are also vast chestnut forests. Scattered among the woods and fields are the houses of the people. Ridges, houses, and dense forests skillfully form a complex defense system. On the northern outskirts of Myitkyina, there was an open swamp that allowed the defenders to develop their firepower and effectively deter the attackers.

Even if the battle reaches the city, do not panic. There are more than a dozen streets and thousands of buildings in Myitkyina, and the army has reassessed its value according to the demands of the battle. Fortifications were built at the main street entrances, and the shop buildings facing the street were all renovated and reinforced, and fire points were arranged. Once the battle began, every street was a powder keg.

The ground fortifications are not yet the most proud of the army. Most of the officers and soldiers of the Myitkyina garrison were coal miners from Kyushu, who were accustomed to digging holes in the ground and were very handy at constructing tunnel-type underground fortifications. The underground bunkers they built were all more than 10 meters underground, and the entrance of the cave was reinforced by layers of logs, covered with tinplate plates, to prevent flamethrowers from attacking. It is really an underground fortress that cannot be blown up, burned or destroyed. Myitkyina's underground fortifications were extended in all directions, and the entire city was about to be hollowed out by the army. He said that if the battle of Myitkyina reached this level, it would be called lively.

Therefore, despite the heavy artillery fire in the Mong Gong Valley, the Myitkyina defenders were still unhurried. During the day, the soldiers wandered around the streets of Myitkyina, entering shops and restaurants. The restaurants run by the merchants in the eastern neighborhood of Myitkyina were particularly favored by the soldiers. The food sold there is really a hometown flavor! The big carp caught from the Irrawaddy River is fat and big, and after the processing of the chef, it is made into a smoked fish, with charred skin and tender meat, and the fragrance is overflowing. It is said that the soldiers all ate with relish, and their mouths were full of oil. The rice balls steamed with good rice from Myanmar are fragrant and fragrant, and you don't know how full you can eat them. It is said that the soldiers are proficient in the tea ceremony, and they have a unique flavor when they taste tea in Myanmar. In the teahouse facing the street, the soldiers gathered around a table, drinking tea, smoking cigarettes, and laughing and chatting while picking their feet with their hands.

In the teahouse, several Burmese women who waiter are busy, lighting cigarettes for guests, pouring tea and refilling water with fans, flying around like butterflies. They were barefoot, dressed in brightly coloured sand cages, with intricately crafted tight-fitting cardigans and loosely tied buns on their heads. The two earrings tinkle like wind chimes hanging on a pagoda. Down a pair of round white and tender arms, there are two large bracelets. The soldiers were holding the teacups while staring at the waiter girl in a daze. Their penetrating gaze was fixed on the woman's thin sand cage for a while, and then on the woman's upper body, and let out a burst of silver laughter. While the waitress came over to pour tea, the soldiers wrung it on the woman's sweaty thighs, or groped the waitress's towering chest.

It's like a pear from your own tree, and you can pick it when you reach out.

At night, it is a good time for the soldiers to have fun. It's not interesting to walk on the road, watch a movie, or enter a café, and it is said that Benbing's greater interest is to find women!

(To be continued)