For a time, the eyes of the whole world were attracted by this news, and almost everyone thought that the Germans would certainly not be able to stand this naked provocation, and that 99 percent of the two sides would declare war on the same day.

But nothing happened, and Berlin did not even respond to this, instead the German offensive on Madrid was launched a day earlier.

And Washington also strangely did not speak out, and some politicians in the Ming Dynasty wrote editorials in newspapers, analyzing that it can be seen that Americans are generally more cautious, leaving a trace of leeway and buffer time.

Although a substantial conflict was almost certain to follow, Washington still adopted the means of signing a military treaty first to deter Berlin.

However, in Zhu Lingjing's view, this is to hang people's appetites, drag mud and water, and simply declare war straightforwardly, and there is no need for mediation and game - isn't the previous game enough?

But her father didn't think so, and Zhu Shiyan felt that this move might buy five to ten days for the deployment of US troops, which was a very good practice.

On the same day, hundreds of soldiers left the second-line positions under the Adelson Heights in the north of Kuah Island, carrying rifles and heavy machine guns, and walked to the muddy starting position for the attack.

This time, Zhou Changfeng decided to launch a strong attack from the west of the position on the western flank, and the southwest and south sides used feints to contain the US troops.

After these days of hard fighting, the three battalions of the 1st Marine Regiment suffered heavy casualties and suffered a lot of attrition in the battle.

Since the two teams of the field supplementary battalion, totaling more than 300 people, could not fill all the vacancies, only the second and third battalions were replenished in a concentrated manner, and the combat strength of the two battalions was basically restored.

It is the third battalion that is in the best state to sing the leading role and take on the main attack task; The 2nd Battalion carried out a feint attack on the southwest and due south; The battalion, which had lost more than half of its strength, was unable to attack and was responsible for staying behind.

Zhou Changfeng personally arranged five breakthrough detachments, each of which was composed of an infantry squad and a team of anti-chemical warfare troops, with a total of 18 people.

In addition to one light machine gun, the infantry detachments were equipped with submachine guns and automatic guns, as well as one rocket launcher and one flamethrower, and carried a large number of blasting canisters and explosive packs.

The follow-up troops also prepared five full echelons, a total of five platoons. Grenades are stuffed into the places that can be loaded on everyone's body, and the experience of blood has taught us that grenades are often more useful than submachine guns.

In accordance with Zhou's instructions, the officers and men of the second squadron of the air defense battalion disassembled six 20.8mm anti-aircraft guns into parts and reassembled them on a hill one kilometer away from the southwest to provide powerful direct-aim fire support for the attacking troops.

At 7:30 a.m., the roar of 128mm mortars first tore through a moment of silence on the battlefield, and Adelson Heights was once again enveloped in smoke.

Several breakthrough detachments left their positions one after another, and immediately sporadic bullets came from the front, front, and right front.

Bullets scream past and sound scary, but they are often still a few meters away, so there is no need to be afraid; But if you hear a low pop, you should immediately be vigilant to find cover, because it means that the bullet is passing by.

The exposed US firepower points were subjected to spectacular concentrated fire, heavy machine guns, recoilless guns, infantry guns......

"Knock knock knock—"

On the hill to the southwest, the Type 34 anti-aircraft guns that were flattened and strafed spewed out muzzle flames several feet long!

The white light of the 20.8×112mm tracer blaster projectile was as dazzling even in daytime, and the projectile containing 40,000 joules of terrifying kinetic energy burst out of the muzzle and flew towards the target a kilometer away.

"Okay, okay? It's going to be on. ”

"Cover!"

The two mud-stained figures crept forward deftly, crawling a few meters in front of the reinforced bunker, which had been suppressed by multiple firepower.

A blaster that had already pulled the fuse rattled and was quickly stuffed into the firing port.

The deafening roar came a few seconds later, shaking people's eardrums, falling on their bodies with clods of dirt in the sky, and high-speed flying sawdust scratching their faces with blood.

After several days of fierce fighting, most of the bunkers and reinforced firepower points built by the US troops have been destroyed, and now the breakthrough detachment has actually uprooted only a few remnants.

At the same moment, six Type 38 dive bombers had already flown over the Ming army's position according to the blue plume of smoke raised from the smoke canisters and began to hover for standby.

The Type 38 dive bomber is the work of Shanghai Changyang Aircraft Company, all equipped with the Ming Air Force, and the Navy's Type 37 carrier-based dive bomber are two completely different models.

They now carry a large cylindrical drop tank under the belly and a small modified drop fuel tank under the left and right wings to ensure a long stay in the air.

Now, all the exposed fire points have been destroyed, and all these annoying nails have been removed.

During this period, the participating troops also entered the starting position of the assault one after another, and as two red flares were lifted into the air, the piercing and penetrating sharp whistle sounded throughout the area.

"Brothers, listen up! How many times has this been? Our brigade claims to have never lost a battle, so is it possible to make an exception in this place? ”

"If you can't take it again, how can you have face in the future? The enemy is only left to hang in one breath, and we have no reason to retreat when we reach this point. ”

The whole group was full of reluctance to this mountain stained red by the blood of both sides, and no matter what, there will always be a moment when the Americans on the opposite side will be killed and wounded.

A loud voice echoed through the loudspeakers, echoing through the mountains, "American soldiers, surrender now!"

Dozens of soldiers in the first echelon jumped out of the assault starting position, shouting and rushing forward!

The officers and men of the 5th Marine Regiment on the position have already changed several times, and the existing more than 90 people belong to five combat units, and the 5th Marine Regiment has suffered more than half of the casualties in the bloody battles of the past few days, and there is no more available troops to put together reserves.

The U.S. Marines immediately met with all their strength with the weapons at hand, but they were immediately bombarded by anti-aircraft fire from the southwestern hills.

The dirt bag could not withstand the shells, and the tracer blasting shells exploded after piercing the dirt bags, and the tiny fragments sputtered in all directions, and people were constantly injured and fell to the ground.

Several 64mm smoke bombs landed in front of the position, and by the time the gray-white smoke spread, more than a dozen figures had already penetrated.

In the blink of an eye, they had passed through the clouds of gray smoke and fearlessly strafed and plunged into the mutilated trench.

"Sergeant! The enemy is in the trenches! ”

"I see that, knock them down!"

The two sides fired at each other from a distance of only a dozen meters, and the gunfire was particularly loud in the narrow and winding trenches, which shook the eardrums.

To the surprise of the US officers and soldiers, they clearly hit the enemy with their Resing submachine guns, but the other side continued to act as if nothing happened.

This reminds many people of the old rumors circulating among the U.S. military - when suppressing the Philippine resistance, those indigenous fighters who are not afraid of death are often shot several times but can still continue to charge.

The desperately resisting marines fiercely fired at the Ming troops who broke into the trenches with automatic rifles, while the Ming soldiers used submachine guns, automatic guns, bayonets, and grenades to fight the enemy who was close at hand, gradually tearing the American positions to pieces.

"We can't hold on anymore! Please support here with any feasible artillery fire! Right now! ”

In the crumbling reserve headquarters, Captain Demps shouted hoarsely.

The dense gunfire seemed to be in my ears, and the shouts in Chinese that I couldn't understand were getting closer and closer.

Finding that the resistance of the enemy in front of him was gradually weakening, the captain of the third battalion and the third team who led the attack waved his hand and ordered: "Send a signal!" Fast! Signal! ”

Several blue smoke canisters were thrown out, and billowing blue smoke spread into the sky.

At this moment, a few bullets suddenly shot out of nowhere, and the captain who was shot in the chest immediately fell to the ground, and the Type 20 automatic gun in his hand also snapped and fell.

The soldier on the side exclaimed and pulled out his first aid kit, but when he picked up the bandage, he found that their captain was out of breath.

It was discovered that the attacking force had released blue smoke as agreed, and the six planes hovering on standby immediately headed straight for the target.

Six dive bombers, in groups of two, flew low over the western side of Adelson Heights and dropped modified fuel tanks mounted under the wings.

The white phosphorus grenades and blasting canisters inside detonated one after another, and in an instant, a radius of tens of meters was ignited by the mixture of gasoline and heavy oil that was sprinkled.

The sea breeze blowing through the mountains further fueled the fire, and the sea of fire completely blocked the north and east sides of the position.

The officers and men of the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Regiment who had just captured the US military position and were still clearing out the remnants of the enemy could not help but raise their hands to cover their faces and feel the raging flames in front of them.

"! Well done! It's time to burn them all! ”

"Look at what they are doing this time, if there is a kind of fire, they will really go to the sea of fire!"

Then, everyone saw bursts of white mist rising from the sea of fire—it was actually stagnant water that had evaporated under the heat.

The smell of burnt paste and the smell of the steamer are mixed together, and it is unspeakably uncomfortable to burrow into the nose.

Limited by such a terrible barrier, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Barrett, commander of the 5th Marine Regiment, could only sigh heavily.

The counterattack force that had been put together with great difficulty was useless for the time being, and the fall of the positions on the western flank was inevitable.

A red pennant strewn with bullet holes planted in a position that had long been unrecognizable, and in this place, all the turf that had covered the ground was gone, leaving only the black soil.

Everywhere you look, there are tattered weapons and severed limbs, and the water in the craters and potholes of the trenches has an eerie dark red, the product of the blood spilled by the soldiers of the Ming and American armies mixed with the rainwater.

One by one, the exhausted soldiers sat down, and no matter how dirty and muddy the ground was, they casually found a comfortable position, their eyes straight.

After many days of bloody battles, a phased breakthrough was finally achieved.

In an instant, the command broke out with an eager cheer of "Hurray".

For the entire 1st Marine Brigade, this is a proof of glory.

The most stubborn enemy it had ever encountered was also overcome, and the 1st Marine Brigade's record of not tasting a single defeat since its formation still remains.

Unlike the other officers who were elated, Zhou Changfeng was silent, and Xue Can and Xie Wancheng couldn't laugh.

The strangeness of their two made the others who were cheering also restrain their cheers one after another.

Zhou Changfeng said calmly: "Take a rest and prepare to attack the ninety-second heights." ”

With the western defense line completely shattered, the right flank of Adelson Heights was all exposed to the Ming army.

In order to achieve the original plan, the Ming army had to capture at least one of the 123rd Heights, 92nd Heights, and 80th Heights.

Among them, the best effect is the northernmost 123 Heights, but everyone has always thought that it is difficult to capture it, so they finally chose the 92 Heights in the middle.

The well-prepared attack did not lose much of its troops, and the 1st Marine Regiment, which still had some remaining strength, was soon ready to attack the 92 heights.

Zhou Changfeng planned to do the same - while seizing the position, he relied on bombers to throw a wide range of incendiary bombs to block the counterattack of the American army.

On the morning of 30 March, eight Type 38 dive bombers transiting from Rabaul to Bougainville Island flew again to Kuah Island.

At this time, it was drizzling, and the pilots, who were worried about the deterioration of the weather conditions, urged the ground forces to attack as soon as possible.

After routine firepower preparations, a number of breakthrough detachments once again took on the heavy task of breaking the enemy's attack, and forcefully uprooted five bunkers and firepower points on the offensive road.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the Air Force didn't want to take any chances, so the pilots hurriedly dropped those special fuel tanks north of Heights 92, setting off a raging flame.

But at this time, the official offensive of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Marine Regiment had just begun.

"Boom!"

The thunder resounded in the sky, and the raindrops the size of beans poured down from the sky, as if the dark clouds had been torn open.

The continuous thunder was even louder than the sound of cannons, the sky darkened, and the dazzling lightning pierced between the heavens and the earth, illuminating the dim ground for a moment each time.

In contrast to the raging storm was the fierce offensive of the Ming army.

After capturing the position on the western flank, the morale of the 1st Marine Regiment had risen somewhat, and the officers and men shouted "We must drive out all the enemies who got in the way" and rushed to the US positions in the torrential rain.

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Barrett asked for full support from the artillery unit, who was hesitant for fear of being bombarded by the Ming fleet.

Annoyed, Charles grabbed the artillery commander by the collar and shouted, "If we lose Adelson Heights, you'll all be doomed!" Do you understand? Major! ”

The 5th Marine Regiment's 75mm howitzers opened fire, and the remaining nine barreled guns fired shells in a southerly direction.

The two Marine infantry platoons that followed up were cut off by the sudden artillery fire, and the hail-like high-explosive shells killed and wounded more than a dozen people in a single effort.

At the main position on the high ground, four breakthrough detachments and a platoon of the first echelon were fighting fiercely with the American Marines who were desperately defending the place.

Sergeant Mitchell, the deputy platoon commander of the first platoon of Company E, was almost all killed, and after being stunned by a rocket-propelled grenade, he woke up alone and took turns shooting at the Ming soldiers with Browning automatic rifles and Reising submachine guns, holding on for a full ten minutes, until finally he was killed by a grenade.

At 11:20 p.m. that day, Company E, which had suffered all casualties, was driven off the 92nd Heights.

The remaining thirty or so people were devastated, and the captain, who had been wounded in the leg and had been carried down, cried and said as soon as he saw Lieutenant Colonel Charles: "We did our best, sir......"

(End of chapter)