Matvey. Kulikov's first impression of Yan'an was not good, because this small city was too backward, and he really wanted nothing, and such a place for turtles turned out to be the core of the Turkish Communist Party, so you can imagine how backward the army led by the Turkish Communist Party should be.

Kulikov was no stranger to the Chinese army, and from 1939 he served as an assistant to Marshal Blyukhel and was one of the deputy heads of the Soviet military advisory group to China. During his two years or so in China, he had fully seen the backwardness of the Chinese army, which, in his words, remained at the level of 1900 in terms of organization, soldiers, and equipment.

After arriving in Yan'an, Kulikov once again lowered the average level of the Chinese army, when he found that most of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army lacked guns and ammunition, and even had difficulty eating enough. He could only say that this army was probably not up to the average of the major military powers in Europe at the time of the Franco-Prussian War.

After a detailed investigation of the period from Yan'an to Taihang Mountain for nearly a month, Kulikov submitted this report to the Central Military Commission: The Eighth Route Army was outdated, a considerable part of the troops could not even handle a rifle per person, and the combat units could only receive five rounds of ammunition per capita, and they were unable to cope with the shoddy bunkers of the Japanese army, which were not very strong...... What makes people optimistic is that their morale and fighting spirit far surpass that of the Central Army of the People's Republic of China and other warlord troops, and the soldiers are generally eager to fight, not afraid of sacrifice, even if they only have cold weapons such as broadswords and spears, they dare to attack and harass the Japanese with agility and flexibility.

Kulikov believed that the Eighth Route Army was completely different from the Kuomintang army, and although the commanders and fighters were generally not highly educated, they could not fully understand Marxist theory. But it can already be called a revolutionary fighter of the proletariat. He suggested that the Military Commission should strengthen its assistance to the Turkish Communist Party. Let the Turkish Communist Party play a more important role in the war against Japan.

The Military Commissar attached great importance to Kulikov's opinion. It was also quick to react, and soon began to supply weapons and ammunition in large quantities, supporting 20,000 rifles and 2 million rounds of ammunition in August 1941 alone. In order to allow the Eighth Route Army to launch a larger-scale sabotage operation in September 1941, it supported 100 light infantry guns.

It is quite interesting to talk about these light infantry guns, in the Red Army the infantry artillery weapon has been basically eliminated, in the Red Army the company-level support weapons are 60-mm mortars or 40-mm grenade launchers, and the battalion level is equipped with 82-mm mortars and 100-mm recoilless guns. The regimental level is armed with 76-mm howitzers and 120-mm mortars. Light infantry artillery did not have any room to survive.

Moreover, the 76-mm infantry guns on the European battlefield are not suitable for the Chinese battlefield, because the infrastructure of China is too bad, and there is a lack of cars and animal power, and a slightly heavier artillery cannot be played.

Of course, the USSR was not without new guns with a light weight, such as a 100-mm recoilless gun, which had no problem with light weight to fight earthen pillboxes and anti-tanks. Note, however, that the USSR was also in a wartime state at this time, and the 100-mm recoilless gun was not widely used in the Soviet Red Army, and it was really unable to support the Turkish Communist Party.

So in the end the specialists of the Soviet General Armament came up with a solution. The 37mm pitot gun, which was widely used in World War I and the early days of the Red Army's armored forces, was removed and equipped with a tripod to DIY the so-called light infantry gun.

This weapon, which later became known as the 1941 Type 37-mm light infantry gun, was born in only half a month. The General Armament Department removed nearly 300 pitot guns from old stocks or scrapped tanks. After some overhaul, it was found that about 90 of them were in good condition, and the rest were either missing parts or the chambers were rusted, and after demolishing the east wall and repairing the west wall, another 30 pieces of goods were scraped together, making a total of 120 pitot guns.

Among them, 100 doors with a relatively long life (because they have been used and the rifling are worn) were selected and installed on tripods, and after a simple test, they were sent to Yan'an. It was accompanied by 20,000 rounds of ammunition. Of these, about 1,000 armor-piercing shells were rounds, the rest were grenades.

To tell the truth, the Type 41 37mm light infantry gun is really a very improvisable weapon, and its power should be said to be quite limited, but for the Turkish Communist Party, which lacks guns and artillery, it is really a blessing. From the whole army, the best soldiers with a certain level of education were selected to serve these "big killers".

Of course, the Type 41 37-mm light infantry gun is not without advantages, first of all, it is lightweight, the weight of the whole gun does not exceed 200 kg, and it is suitable for Chinese soldiers with backward infrastructure and not too good nutrition.

At that time, the Type 41 37mm light infantry gun had a squad of 7 people, four soldiers carried a gun body and a tripod, and the other three soldiers carried 60 shells and three rifles for self-defense.

As for the problem of the weak power of the pitot gun, in fact, this is not a big problem, the weak power is relatively speaking, in Europe, the pitot gun can neither hit the tank nor gnaw the reinforced concrete fortifications belong to waste firewood. But in the Chinese battlefield, the devil's bean tank is really thin-skinned, and the pitto cannon is basically enough, and the artillery tower built by the devil and the puppet army is not a reinforced concrete fortress like in Europe.

Among them, the 115th, 120th, and 129th divisions respectively formed an artillery regiment with 24 light infantry guns, and the remaining 28 were left in the artillery regiment of the Yan'an headquarters for teaching and training artillery.

In addition to the emergency supply of light infantry guns, the Soviet Union also supplied a batch of PTRS-18 anti-tank guns, a 14.5 mm anti-tank gun that was no longer up to the task of anti-tank in 1941 and was massively withdrawn from the Red Army in 1936. However, it must be noted that the PTRS-18 anti-tank is not capable, but it is still capable of attacking light armored vehicles, light tanks or earthen bunkers.

Before the outbreak of the Second Hundred Regiment War organized by the Eighth Route Army, the Soviet Union successively airlifted 2,000 PTRS-18s and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition. Unlike the light infantry guns, which required seven men to serve, the PTRS-18 was able to open with two people, although it could not collapse a pillbox. But there was no problem in suppressing machine-gun fire in enemy pillboxes. Even some good shooters can easily snipe the enemy soldiers in the bunker.

In addition to light infantry guns and anti-tank guns. The Soviet Union also provided the Turkish Communist Party with a large number of ultra-light mortars, which were a bit like sapper shovels, which were considered chicken ribs for the Red Army, and after the popularization of grenade launchers, they began to be completely withdrawn. A large number of warehouses have been piled up in the warehouses of the General Armament Department, and now it is possible to clear out this batch of inventory that occupies the space, and the General Armament is also happy to see it.

Not only did the Soviet Union send a large number of ready-made munitions, but the Soviet Union also donated a batch of machine tools to the Turkish Communist Party, mainly for the production of bullets, grenades and light artillery shells (37mm infantry guns and 37mm mortars). Although in part of the materiel. For example, explosives, propellants, copper and steel are basically not produced by the Turkish Communist Party, and it needs to rely on Soviet assistance, but it is still better than dismantling railroad tracks to make guns and cannons.

With the assistance of the Soviet Union, the Eighth Route Army's ability to attack fortified positions has been improved to a certain extent, and it will no longer have to fight with human lives when it encounters the devil's turret. In the Second Battle of the Hundred Regiments, the blockade tactics of the devils were dealt a heavy blow, and the results were even greater than those in the First Battle of the Hundred Regiments, which greatly boosted the morale of the people of the whole country and smacked the Kuomintang in the mouth.

But that's for later, so let's not mention it for now. Let's talk about the Northeast war situation. From June 15, the Kwantung Army concentrated about eight divisional regiments. Five B divisions, two mixed brigades and a considerable number of puppet troops, with a total strength of about 600,000 men, launched an offensive in the direction of the anti-Japanese allied forces in northeastern Hung Yen province, Zhanggufeng and Khabarovsk.

Three of the B divisions and two mixed brigades, as well as a considerable part of the puppet army, were responsible for the attack on Hung Yen North Province, while the remaining units were responsible for the attack on Khabarovsk and Zhanggufeng.

The battle was first fought in Hung Yen Province, and after several years of development, the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army at this time had developed into the North and South Route Army, of which the North Route Army was stationed in Hung Yen Province, with five divisions and a cavalry brigade under its jurisdiction, with a total strength of about 70,000 troops. The vast majority of the troops were armed with Soviet-made weapons, including Mosinagan 30 cavalry guns and Maxim machine guns. The level of firepower is basically the same as that of the border guards of the NKVD, they are all light infantry, and even compared with the border troops, the anti-Japanese Allied forces lack artillery.

And the devil's B division, to be honest, is not bad in strength, compared with the A division, only the cavalry has been reduced, if it is full, there will be more than 24,000 combat troops in one division. It can be said that one B division can resist two divisions of the Japanese Allied Army. What's more, the artillery wing of the devil is not discounted. In comparison, three B divisions and two mixed brigades can eat the Northern Route Army of the Anti-Japanese Allied Army in one bite, not to mention the cooperation of the puppet army.

At the beginning of the battle, the Northern Route Army suffered a great loss, hastily resisting the Japanese army for a while and then retreating in the direction of Hailar, preparing to rely on the city to resist the superior firepower of the Japanese army. Of course, whether Hailar and Hung Yen provinces can really be kept depends mainly on whether the Red Army's support is strong.

Blyukher's reaction was not slow, and at the same time as the attack on the Anti-Japanese Allied forces, he ordered the 5th Mongolian Cavalry Brigade and the 140th and 157th Frontier Regiments of the NKVD and the 90th Brigade of the Independent Artillery to reinforce the Anti-Japanese Allied Army.

Speaking from the heart, such reinforcements are really not powerful, the combat effectiveness of the Mongolian cavalry is like that, and the border guards are also light infantry, and there are only two regiments, and the only thing that is powerful is the artillery brigade.

The 90th Independent Artillery Brigade was specially prepared by the Far Eastern Military District to support the Anti-Japanese Allied Army, and the brigade had two artillery regiments, the 901st Regiment was equipped with two battalions of 107-mm Schneider cannons and one battalion of 122-mm howitzers, and the 902nd Regiment was equipped with a battalion of 155-mm howitzers and two battalions of 122-mm rocket artillery.

Although this is a bit weak compared to the support firepower of the Japanese army, for the anti-Japanese allied forces led by Ma Zhanshan, there is artillery support and no artillery support are completely different psychology. Although the anti-Japanese allies with artillery support were under great pressure from the powerful Japanese army, they held back their strength to have a good fight with the devils.

On June 24, when the Japanese 21st Division broke into the vicinity of Hailar, the devil felt a little unusual, and the aerial reconnaissance of the day showed: "In front of your department, the enemy has built at least three defensive positions, and a large number of enemy troops have entered the positions, only the enemy troops in the southwest of Hailar are relatively slow to move and fail to control all the positions, which deserves special attention." ”

Lieutenant General Takazu Kumamoto, commander of the 21st Division, reacted first when he received this report. This is a good opportunity. Immediately he ordered the cavalry brigade to be the lead. Attack along the defensive strip parallel to the western front of the anti-Japanese Allied forces. The 431st Battalion of the 43rd Regiment of the 4th Division of the Allied Army, which was defending the area, had indeed just arrived at the battlefield, and before it had time to prepare for battle, it was attacked by the Japanese army in a hurry and was forced to give up the first line of positions.

The unforgiving Kumamoto Takawa immediately ordered the cavalry brigade to continue deep and try to rush into the castle in one go. At one o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, more than a dozen Japanese cavalrymen rushed into the second defensive field set up by the 431st Battalion on the outskirts of the city from the southwest corner. But they didn't think of it. They were greeted by a dense rain of bullets.

The three Makqin of the 3rd Company of the 431st Battalion opened fire in unison and fired fiercely at the Japanese cavalry from three directions, and after the first round of pouring bullets, the devil's cavalry turned into infantry. Just as the devils were panicked looking for cover and trying to shoot at the third company, with a sharp whistling sound, mortar shells fell on the devils' heads.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

After three cannon shots, all the previously rampant devil soldiers fell in a pool of blood, which made the Japanese cavalry captain Hideya Yamamura, who had witnessed this "tragedy" in the rear, his eyes cracked, and the sword was sealed> and the rabbit was about to defend the uranium and the 15

The Japanese infantry artillery began to fire fiercely, without the slightest thought of guarding against the artillery counterattack of the anti-Japanese Allied forces. Because the artillery of the national army on the frontal battlefield is really ineffective, it can hardly cause any damage to the devils, and over time, the vigilance of the devils' artillery is getting worse and worse. In the eyes of the devil's artillery, even if the people of China can fight back, the firepower is limited, and they can be easily suppressed.

But this time the situation was different, when the devil's artillery poured bullets on the positions of the third company, in the rear of Hailar, the officers and men of the 90th Independent Artillery Brigade of the Red Army quickly completed the counterattack under the guidance of the forward observers.

12 107-mm cannons fired incessantly, grenades whizzed over Hailar and smashed into the Japanese artillery positions, and a few seconds later, when the steel rain fell on the devil's head, they were taken by surprise.

The artillerymen of the Red Army quickly finished firing five rounds, and then hurriedly put away their cantonment hoes and "fled" under the towing trucks. About fifteen minutes passed before the Japanese divisional artillery began to counterattack, and by the time their shells fell, the original Red Army positions were already empty.

Even more interesting was still to come, the observation helicopters of the Red Army artillery soon discovered the artillery positions in depth of the Japanese army, and the 12 155-mm howitzers, which had long been gearing up, immediately began to speak, greeting the Japanese prisoner's mother with a round of bursts.

It has to be said that compared with the Red Army, the Japanese army's artillery response ability is very low, and the Red Army's artillery, in addition to the front-line artillery observers, can also accept the guidance of helicopters and even air force fighters in the air, and equipped with mechanical computers, they can solve the shooting elements faster and react more quickly.

On the contrary, the artillery tactics of the Japanese army were still at the level of World War I, with limited observation capabilities, communication capabilities, and more importantly, relatively low ability to calculate ballistics and carry out counter-battery operations.

This directly caused the Japanese artillery, which had the advantage in numbers, to be suppressed by the artillery of the Red Army in this round of counterfire, and suffered a lot of losses.

Of course, the devil didn't admit or care about this, and the embarrassed Yamamura Hideya immediately reorganized three assaults in an attempt to eliminate the enemy who stood in the way in one fell swoop. But to his surprise, the anti-Japanese allies were a notch higher than the national army in terms of fighting spirit and tactical ability, and calmly repelled his attack.

Not only repelled the attack of the Japanese cavalry, but the 431st battalion also gave a "big gift" to the devil. That night, when Hideya Yamamura was considering whether to carry out the traditional project of night attack, the 1st Company of the 431st Battalion took advantage of the cover of night to launch an attack on the Japanese army from three directions. This caught Yamamura Hideya off guard, and soon the position they had successfully attacked was recaptured by the 1st Company.

Even, this successful sneak attack could have achieved better results, but thanks to the timely reaction of Takashi Kumamoto and the troops who remained behind Hideya Yamamura, they fired at the 1st Company with machine guns, and at the same time immediately called for artillery support, which repelled the 1st Company.

Hideya Yamamura, who had regrouped so easily, was furious, when did the imperial army ever be so wolfish? When will it be the turn of the people to explode the chrysanthemums of the imperial army, is it tolerable or unbearable! The cowards of China must be taught a hard lesson!

Genius was bright, Yamamura Hideya gathered troops to launch a massive all-army raid, and Zhang Sanwa, a machine gunner of the Anti-Japanese Allied Army stationed at the time, recalled: "After dawn, the devil really came to retaliate. They rode on horseback, screaming and rushing towards the position of our squad. But I didn't feel terrible at all, the regiment commander was behind me, and even an officer of his size didn't take a step back, and we soldiers can't be intimidated...... I will never forget the battle that followed, and I was even happy to think about it for half my life. Machine guns, rifles, and submachine guns all opened fire, and the sound of Tata Tata filled my ears until the cooling water of the machine gun in my hand boiled dry, and the shooting was forced to stop. No one knows how many devils were killed that day, anyway, the corpses of devils were piled up in front of our position, and the people and horses were pressed together to count......"

Hideya Yamamura's pig assault had no effect at all, except for making the devil soldiers die faster. Angry Takawa Kumamoto called him into the headquarters that morning and slapped him hard in the mouth of a dozen ...... (To be continued......)

PS: Bow and thank you cjsky, Chuanliu Huagui, the ashes of the sycamore, I don't make trouble when I read books, hzwangdd and Liangzi 913 comrades!