At this time, the Australian officers and men of the Kurong Regiment (battalion) were leaving the assembly area one after another, preparing to go to the reserve position through the four trenches, and then launch a counterattack.

The blue sky was filled with orange-red meteors, which dragged their long gray-white trails down here.

"What are those?"

At first, the Australian soldiers, who did not know the truth, looked up at the sky, puzzled by this strange sight.

The first to react was a lieutenant, who only felt his heart tremble, and then shouted in a voice that almost broke his throat:

"Get down! Get down, everybody! ”

A few seconds later, the row of meteors smashed down on the head and face.

As the distance closes, the Doppler effect makes the sound of the rocket rubbing against the air sharper and louder, as piercing as the heart and lungs.

"Huhuhuhu"

[Audio]

But most people couldn't stand it for long, because hundreds of rockets had landed.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

In an instant, the staging area was completely enveloped in flames and smoke!

The earth trembled with a violent series of explosions, and the roar of rolling thunder alarmed the division commander Vernon, who was in the middle of the command.

The officers rushed to the observation port, or rushed straight out of the headquarters.

They saw that the assembly area for the reserve was now swallowed up by the flying dust, and it was impossible to tell what was going on there.

The officers' faces were full of consternation, and with a few "clicks", several colored pencils held in the hands of a major staff officer fell to the ground.

He muttered, "Oh God......"

It takes about 20 seconds for the fifteen-mounted rocket launchers to complete a salvo, and the three fire support ships can project a total of 3×7×15 rounds.

Because rockets do not need to withstand the bore pressure when fired like ordinary artillery shells, the body of the projectile can be made very thin and the reload coefficient is high.

The body of the Type 35 144mm rocket is made of thin-walled seamless steel tubes, and the 46kg rocket is loaded with up to 7.7kg of TNT, which is more than the 150mm high-explosive bomb.

What's even more terrifying is that because the Ming Army believes that this kind of MLRS is not suitable for striking field fortifications - the projectile body is thin and the strength is low. Therefore, it is positioned as a sharp weapon against soft targets.

Therefore, even ordinary rocket anti-personnel blast shells are doped with some prefabricated fragments by default, about 600 short steel rods or steel balls.

This is the end of the rocket artillery salvo, and it seems that everything is silent.

Although several Ming destroyers were also firing, people could choose to ignore the shells they fired.

The short half minute can be said to be like a year for the entire 8th Infantry Division of the Australian Army, and the only traces that have ever existed in the No. 2 Reserve assembly area are countless craters and messes everywhere.

The smoke and flying dust had not yet dissipated, and the stumps and severed arms that had been lifted up to the sky by the air waves were sprinkled one after another, and the tattered clothes and trousers fluttered down......

Moments later, medics and stretcher bearers from nearby units rushed in scattered, followed by ambulance teams from the field hospital of the 8th Infantry Division.

They rushed desperately with the 128mm anti-explosive bombs that were still falling, but what was in front of them was a bloody scene like hell.

Even though they have to deal with the wounded who are missing arms and legs from morning to night, there are still many people who are so frightened by this scene that their faces are like earth and their legs tremble.

I don't know who vomited first, and it triggered a chain reaction at once, and the vomiting sound came and went.

In this area of several hundred meters, the grass is gone, and the soil is soft and soft. When I reached out, some of the dirt was still slightly hot, and from time to time I could touch the sharp shrapnel or hard short steel rods mixed in with it.

"Horizontal, Vertical, Eight" is no longer suitable for depicting the scene here, because some of the corpses are in a state of fragmentation and decomposition, and the rest are basically missing arms and legs.

The internal organs and intestines can be seen everywhere, and there are canvas and leather fragments of carrying equipment and military uniforms everywhere.

"Let's go! Find a Survivor! ”

"What are you waiting for?!"

Rescuing the wounded? Are there really any wounded? I'm afraid that there are not even a few intact corpses in this human purgatory.

Of the four infantry companies of the Kurong Regiment (battalion), Company D was the first to enter the trench and began to rush to the reserve position, and they were basically saved from annihilation, with only a few casualties.

The rest of the three companies A, B, and C were all devastated, and the ambulance team sent by the field hospital initially estimated that there were about 400 casualties.

Due to the sudden and dense fire, many people were engulfed by the explosion before they could lie down to find cover, which made the death rate extremely high.

Generally speaking, the ratio of killed to wounded is about 1 to 3, and if the level of medical security is good, it can reach 1 to 4.

But in this human purgatory, everyone only found more than 90 survivors in the end, and they couldn't even make up the triple digits.

The blood of the fallen Australian officers and soldiers was sprinkled all over the land here, soaking it wet.

On the premise of ensuring the suddenness of the strike, the characteristics of the rocket artillery make it very effective against unprotected soft targets.

The Ming army didn't know about it at first, and at first thought that it was just a supply depot or reserve headquarters, and there were probably only a few dozen enemies.

These days, the three fire support ships have not been used, because Zhou wants to find a suitable opportunity to make this sharp weapon powerful, but he has not found it since the battle began.

His patience had been exhausted, so he felt that there was no need to hide it anymore, so he simply started with this goal that felt okay.

The spectacular firepower coverage came to an end, and Zhou Changfeng and other officers also admired it with great interest.

"I think you should be cautious about such a fierce large-scale attack, it's best to let the scouts touch the sentry first, and then report back to the situation, and guide the artillery fire to suddenly cover the ......" Xie Wancheng talked eloquently about his thoughts, "Hehe, that's happy." ”

The officers talked and laughed with relish.

They didn't realize what was going on, and thought it was just a trivial destruction of a supply depot or something.

Moments later, both the rear positions and the radio listening group of the battleship Yuanding noticed a surge in the frequency of communications, and several common channels were almost occupied.

A reconnaissance group infiltrated the line and found a telephone line behind the side of the Australian position.

Several veterans were very skilled, put the small switch on the ground, put the headset with it, used a dagger to peel off the outer skin of the telephone line, and then put on the wire.

This kind of wired listening is not uncommon, and it is complementary to radio listening, and it exists at the same time.

The headphones are filled with grunting Australian English, which is much more difficult to understand than the standard British accent.

The corporal's eyes widened as he grabbed the headset in one hand, trying to make out the words.

Someone next to him complained: "What's the matter? Do not understand? If it doesn't work, let Lao Tzu come. ”

The corporal waved his hand impatiently and shouted in a low voice, "Get out!" Shut up and be silent. ”

A few people pondered it, listened to half and guessed half of it, and the more they got to the back, the more bizarre they felt.

What the heck?

Listening to these Australian Baiyi beep, it seems that there is a battalion with heavy casualties, and one moment it says that it will stop the counterattack, and the next time it says that it will retreat to the next line of defense.

Because the entire front was in a state of firefighting, it was too dangerous, so the reconnaissance group did not choose to return in a hurry, but first found a hidden place to hide.

After sunset, they slipped back to the Ming-controlled area under the cover of night.

"Annihilate an entire battalion of the enemy?"

In the rear headquarters, Zhao Hanfeng, Yao Liangchuan, and Xie Wancheng said in unison.

Zhou Changfeng, who was eating canned oranges, was also a little confused, and said in surprise while swallowing: "Uh... What? The result... How did it come about? ”

The scout lieutenant of the 13th Infantry Division said excitedly: "Tell Chief Zhou that the enemy situation detected yesterday afternoon was different from what we expected, and that place was estimated to be used for assembly. ”

The fully equipped Kurong Regiment (battalion) was dealt a annihilating blow, and only one of the four infantry companies remained, which must have left an unforgettable lesson for the Australian army.

Give the Australians a little rocket shock – boy! Tigers are running together!

Half of the reserves were lost in one go, and it can be said that Major General Vernon's heart was bleeding.

This meant that the 8th Infantry Division of the Australian Army basically lost the possibility of a counterattack, and the remaining reserves could only be used to stabilize the situation in the event of a collapse of the front, nothing more.

Nearly a week of fighting had exhausted the troops, and while holding on to them could delay time, they also looked dull and stupid.

Many battles have evolved into a fixed pattern in the past few days-

The Australian army took the opportunity to kill and injure the Ming army with various firepower, and after the obstacle clearance was completed, the Ming army carried out the old-fashioned infantry artillery tank coordinated attack to break through the Australian position.

This combat mode made Zhou Changfeng very unhappy, although as a commander, he didn't have to worry about it, but it was too stupid.

The casualties of the Ming army participating in the war have exceeded 3,000, and the losses of the Australian army are conservatively estimated to be about the same, but because the medical conditions cannot be compared with the Ming army, which has a second-level field hospital and the support of medical ships, the mortality rate is much higher.

The Yangbai hospital ship has treated a large number of seriously wounded and provided the highest standard of medical care that can be achieved in such a situation, so that the number of killed and dead so far is only 784, while the total number of casualties is 2,980, which can be said to be quite good.

In addition to the accumulation of experience, the 150 sticks of penicillin flown in from Daming also played a key role.

Because no suitable mass production method has yet been found, each of these penicillin injections, which only has 20,000 units, is extremely valuable.

Only those sick and wounded with severe symptoms of infection were eligible for use, and in an age when drug resistance did not exist, the efficacy of penicillin was so remarkable that the doctors were deeply staggered.

Although some medical journals have published the efficacy of this miracle drug, everyone looks at it with half-faith.

Who would dare to believe that patients with severe bacteremia due to wound infection quickly become refreshed when they are dying?

At the beginning, everyone was still chuckling in their hearts, thinking that this should be a return to the light, and they didn't let go until they were really sure that they were getting better.

"Where's the Partiality of the Kokoda Trail? They were already half a day later than scheduled. ”

In view of the heavy losses of the living forces of the enemy in front of him, Zhou Changfeng considered that it was time to carry out a general attack.

He envisaged a beautiful pincer offensive with tanks and infantry from the southwest and due south; During this period, the flanking division should also take the opportunity to stab the rear of the Australian army hard.

When his telegram of inquiry was sent, more than 1,000 officers and men led by Youzi Tao were still trekking on the southern section of the Kokoda Trail......

They were already approaching a small town called Runa, the last village stronghold leading to Moresby, only a dozen kilometers away.

However, the most worrying thing will inevitably happen.

The incubation period for malaria is about 10 days, and dengue fever is a little shorter, and since the day before yesterday, patients with high fever and rash have appeared one after another in the army.

Before the war, everyone knew that they would not be able to escape the invasion of tropical diseases, so they were prepared.

But when the disease really spreads, people still lament that they are not well prepared.

Hundreds of patients suddenly appeared overnight, hot and cold, high fever and shivering, and the continuous headache made people moan uncontrollably.

The accompanying military doctor immediately administered the medicine, quinine, aspirin, and guizhi poria pills, although they could ensure that the soldiers were not tortured by disease, but they could not recover their combat effectiveness in a short time.

"The headquarters of Mocheng sent a telegram that the general attack would be launched in the early morning of the 14th, asking our troops to rush to participate in the battle in time, break through the enemy's rear, and disturb the enemy's heart."

The signal soldier read the telegram aloud, then handed it to the bearded wanderer.

After days of trekking, the latter has no time to take care of himself.

He frowned and said, "If you can't catch up, you have to take the town in front of you." Call back to inform the situation, and the department will not be in place until the day after tomorrow at the earliest. ”

After learning about the situation, Zhou quickly replied: the general offensive can be postponed for a day and night, and then it will be launched on time.

Everyone knows that taking a small road to attack the enemy's flank is the icing on the cake, which can make the normal battle more beautiful, but without them, it will not affect the overall situation, and the frontal troops are just as capable of annihilating the enemy army.

Don't blame others for not getting the battle exploits in front of you in the end.

You Zitao has his own selfish intentions, and he is also a very shrewd person.

If the enemy does not retreat, I am afraid that a day's work may not be able to defeat the enemy in front of him.

In order to get the credit for himself and more than 1,000 officers and soldiers, he ordered to recruit 50 brave men from the Ming and Southern armies, bring two 64mm mortars, look for cliffs to climb from the vicinity, bypass the town of Runa, and go straight to the direction of Moresby.

Even if it's just a formality, at least partially, the mission has been achieved.

While making preparations with both hands, the infantry of the Ming Army and the Southern Army of the four teams successively entered the starting position of the attack, preparing to launch the offensive.

The enemy in front of them was the remnants of the 53rd Militia Battalion and the Papuan Militia Battalion, which had just arrived, totaling 500 people.

"Success or failure is here, brothers, it's the last moment!"

"After so many days of suffering, you can't be stuck here."

"Ready... Above! ”

"Beep-beep-"

Hundreds of Ming and Southern infantry attacked the Australian positions about six hundred meters long under the cover of heavy machine gun and mortar fire!

They spread out into loose formations, wave after wave like a summer swell......

(End of chapter)