Chapter 942: Trading Human Lives for Time
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After four huge 500-kilogram aerial bombs fell from the No. 101 airship, the entire airship quickly climbed upwards to a height of more than 100 meters. The total weight of the four aerial bombs reached two tons, and after the bombs were dropped, the weight of the airship was reduced a lot, so that the airship could quickly climb upward. The resulting violent shaking made the officers and men of the Chinese Air Force on the airship almost unable to stand firmly.
Four aerial bombs were smashed into No. 1 high ground in the shape of a free-fall shì, with a sharp whistling. After about ten seconds, four aerial bombs landed on the No. 1 height.
"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! A violent explosion sounded, and I saw 4 orange-red fireballs rising from the No. 1 highland, filled with gunsmoke, debris and dust, and the entire No. 1 highland was completely enveloped in gunsmoke.
In the explosion of four aerial bombs, the entire No. 1 heights shook. Cracks have appeared in many anti-artillery holes and tunnels, and some of the anti-artillery holes and tunnels that had been damaged in the previous bombing have collapsed directly, and the US soldiers hiding inside are even more dead and lifeless.
Twenty heavy airships in the sky, one after another, flew over the No. 1 Heights and began to drop bombs, dropping all the heavy aerial bombs they carried on the No. 1 Heights. Although the twenty heavy airships carried only eighty 500-kilogram aerial bombs, the power produced was much greater than the effect of the previous heavy shelling by Chinese artillery. The artillery could not penetrate the thick rock formations, killing and injuring the American officers and soldiers hiding in the anti-artillery holes and tunnels. The aerial bomb weighing half a ton fell from an altitude of 1,000 meters, and under the influence of its own gravity and kinetic energy, it was enough to penetrate several meters thick rock formations, plus hundreds of kilograms of high explosives contained inside, to the US troops hiding in the anti-artillery holes and tunnels. Caused great damage. However, the error of dropping bombs at an altitude of 1,000 meters was relatively large, and only half of the 80 aerial bombs fell on the No. 1 high ground, and all the remaining bombs deviated from the target. But even this caused great casualties to the US officers and soldiers defending Heights No. 1.
At half past ten o'clock in the morning, the bombing ended, and all the airships of the airship unit of the Chinese Air Force left Tiela Corollada. Return to Acapulco. After the bombing, the airship needs to be overhauled and replenished, and the crew on it also needs to rest. According to the plan of the commander of the airship unit, Major General Chen Qifeng, the airship unit could carry out two or three bombardments a day on the Tiela Corollada, weather permitting. If the weather conditions are bad. The bombing had to be canceled. After all, airships and airplanes in this era are very restricted by weather factors, and if you fly in bad weather, accidents are likely to occur.
After the bombing of the Chinese Air Force's airship units, the entire No. 1 Heights had become a mess. Many of the trenches and firing points that the US military had painstakingly built were destroyed in the bombing. Large sections of barbed wire were also destroyed, and the American officers and soldiers guarding Heights 1 suffered heavy casualties. According to incomplete statistics, in this round of bombing alone, the 101st Division of the 26th Army of the US Army lost more than 2,000 casualties. More than 3,000 people were seriously or lightly injured. Combined with the losses suffered in the previous shelling, the US 101st Division has already suffered more than half of the casualties, and it has almost lost its combat effectiveness. Among them, many officers and soldiers who died in battle were trampled on because of the bombing of the anti-artillery holes. So that the American officers and soldiers inside were buried alive inside. Those who died of suffocation because they did not receive timely rescue.
The officers and men of the Chinese officers and men and the Japanese mercenaries could not help but cheer when they saw the remnants of the US Army's No. 1 Heights after being destroyed by the airship units of the Chinese Air Force. Though. The bombing of the airship was undoubtedly very tragic for the Americans, but this was exactly what the officers and men of the Chinese Army and the Japanese mercenaries wanted to see. The greater the casualties of the Americans, the smaller the losses paid by the Chinese army and the Japanese mercenaries during the attack.
"Give an order to Yoshimasa Oshima, and after ten minutes, throw a division into the attack on the No. 1 height, hoping to take the No. 1 highland in one go!" Marshal Zhao Bo said. Of course, this is just a good wish. Although the appearance of Heights 1 looks very miserable, the commanders of the Chinese Army have no way of knowing the exact number of casualties of the American troops and the specific number of fortifications destroyed. And to carry out such a task, it is natural that Japanese mercenaries are more adept.
On Heights 3, where Tierra Corolada was inevitable, the commander of the U.S. Army, Lieutenant General Clark, lowered his binoculars, and although he wasn't sure how many defenders there were on Heights 1, it was clear that the defenders above must have suffered heavy casualties.
"Order the 102nd Division to immediately reinforce Heights No. 1, and under no circumstances can the Chinese seize Heights No. 1!" Lieutenant General Clark gave the order with a blank face. It is foreseeable that immediately after the end of the bombardment, the squadron will definitely launch kilograms. The importance of Heights 1 to Tierra Coroda is self-evident, and if Heights 1 is occupied by the squadron, then the squadron will be able to pose a direct threat to the other two heights and the urban area of Tierra Colorada, and the U.S. military's defense system will also have a big hole in it.
"General, the Chinese's bombardment is so fierce, I am afraid that the increase in troops on the No. 1 high ground will bring us huge casualties!" The commander of the 26th Army of the US Army reminded. He couldn't care about the casualties of the 101st Division, and now sending his 102nd Division to the No. 1 Heights would definitely pay a heavy price. Although there will always be death in a war, watching their subordinates go to death still makes these generals feel very uncomfortable.
"I know, but we don't have any other way anymore. If Heights 1 is occupied by the Chinese, then we will not be able to hold Iron La Colorada. The bombing of Tiela Coroda by Chinese with airships has already neutralized our superiority in fortifications. Now we can only fight with the Chinese with human lives! Lieutenant General Clark insisted.
"General, it's not a way to go on like this! There are many more Chinese and Japanese than us, and if this continues, it will be impossible for us to defeat them! Another major general also said.
"I'll get in touch with General Pershing and ask him for support. We in the United States also have airship troops, perhaps not as good as the Chinese airship troops, but we have more of them. It's just that it will take at least half a month to transport the airship troops from the United States here, and we need to buy enough time! Lieutenant General Clark said.
The other army commanders had to say no more, although they were also army commanders, but Lieutenant General Clark was the supreme commander of the entire Iron La Corolada, they could propose to build a plan, but the final decision was made by Lieutenant General Clark!
"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "After the Chinese Air Force airship unit left, the Chinese artillery once again carried out a fire strike on the No. 1 heights, although the American artillery also launched a counterattack, but in the bombing just now, the American artillery also paid a lot of losses, and the remaining artillery also moved their positions, and for a time could not form a strong suppression of the Chinese artillery. The preparation time of the Chinese artillery fire was not long, and it stopped after ten minutes. After that, the 14th Division of the Japanese mercenaries was ordered to launch kilograms on the 1st heights.
"The Chinese Empire is onboard! Day mercenaries onboard! Tens of thousands of mercenary officers and soldiers shouted slogans and launched an assault on the No. 1 high ground defended by the US army with rifles. They had red eyes and hideous faces.
On Heights 1, the surviving U.S. officers and soldiers were emerging from the anti-artillery holes and entering the dilapidated positions, preparing for the enemy's attack. However, the position was too badly damaged, and many fixed firing points were destroyed, so that the fortifications of Heights 1 were greatly damaged. This also means that if the U.S. military wants to defend the No. 1 high ground, I am afraid that it will have to pay more casualties.
"Fire! Fire! Kill all these yellow-skinned monkeys, our reinforcements are coming soon, hold on a little longer! The junior officers of the 101st Division of the U.S. Army shouted loudly to cheer up these soldiers who had just experienced the bombardment and were full of horror.
"Da Da Da! Bang bang bang! After the Japanese mercenaries rushed into the range of the American troops, the heavy machine guns and rifles of the American troops opened fire one after another, shooting and killing the attacking Japanese mercenary officers and soldiers. It's just that their firepower is much weaker than before!
"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "A platoon of mortar shells and mountain artillery shells fell in the attacking line of the Japanese mercenaries, and the Japanese mercenaries who blew up turned on their backs, but then more Japanese mercenary officers and soldiers rushed up to fill the gap.
Under the fire of the US army, the Japanese mercenaries paid a lot of casualties. Quite a few Japanese mercenary soldiers also lay on the ground and returned fire with rifles in their hands. Although the Japanese mercenaries were poorly armed, they also had some heavy machine guns and mortars, and when these heavy machine guns and mortars were erected, they immediately opened fire on the American positions, causing great casualties to the American troops.
The 101st Division of the US Army suffered heavy casualties, only a few thousand people were able to continue fighting, and their heavy weapons losses were also very large.
The 14th Division of the Japanese mercenaries gradually approached the position of the American troops, and although it suffered huge casualties, it also caused great casualties to the American troops.
Fortunately, a few minutes later, the 102nd Division of the U.S. Army arrived, and the addition of new troops boosted the morale of the U.S. Army, and quickly repelled the attack of the Japanese mercenaries. It's just that the 101st Division of the US Army has completely lost its combat effectiveness, and the current 101st Division is a lesson for the 102nd Division. It's just that the current U.S. military has no other way but to exchange human lives for time!