As we all know, the Eighth Route Army had three main divisions.

Among them, the main task of the 115th and 129th Divisions was to fight against the enemy, and the strength of these two divisions was very different from that of the initial ones while fighting devils and opening up base areas.

However, the situation of the 120th Division was rather special, and the number of times they took the initiative to attack was not much. It is mainly responsible for defending the border area, and is responsible for blocking all enemies east of the Yellow River.

In addition, the base areas in the northwest of Shanxi Province are mostly mountainous areas, and the living conditions are the most difficult among the three major base areas.

In the original timeline, at the end of 1940, the main force of the 120th Division and the local armed forces combined were only 51,000 people. When the 359th Brigade returned to the border area, its combat effectiveness on the surface dropped even a notch.

However, after the Yellow River entered the chaos, the base area in the northwest of Shanxi Province underwent earth-shaking changes. The most direct manifestation of this is that there is no longer a shortage of supplies, such as weapons, ammunition, and food.

With strong logistical support, the 120th Division was expanding its base areas while developing at the same time.

Although he experienced three sweeps last year, he responded to the call of the headquarters to participate in the Battle of the Hundred Regiments. But now the main force and the local armed forces together have more than 80,000 people.

Even the scope of influence of the base area has spread to Suiyuan, and it has achieved two blossoms in the true sense of arch guard and development, and even the army morale master has praised it.

In this battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, due to the geographical location of the 120th Division, it was closest to Yuncheng.

After careful consideration, the deputy commander-in-chief handed over the task of supporting the Western Front to the commander of the bearded division.

However, the hundreds of kilometers of road are not easy to walk, mainly because the troops are now larger, unlike before, there were only infantry, and the march is relatively light.

In order to take care of the three artillery regiments, it took a day and a half to ride a bicycle for more than five days.

But all the efforts were worth it, and the current situation of the 36th and 37th divisions of the North China Front showed everything.

After rigorous test firing, the three artillery regiments obtained relatively accurate Zhuyuan.

In the middle and rear of the position, there is a temporary high platform. Here is the artillery command post of the 120th Division, and the artillery commander-in-chief, armed with a portable communicator, takes a deep breath and prepares to give the order to attack.

Beside him, there was a group of artillery staff officers who were nervously calculating the data.

Here are the brains of three artillery regiments, and large-scale artillery battles are very demanding for command. The trinity of artillery observation posts, command posts and positions is needed to achieve perfect coordination with each other.

All the information transmitted from the observation post was summarized by the staff officers and then transmitted back to the artillery position, and the entire closed loop was indispensable.

With all preparations in place, the commander-in-chief of artillery gave the final order to the three regiments.

"Put!"

Before the devil could react, the first round of 144 shells with a scream that tore through the air fell on the rear of the devil's two divisions at three different angles.

Obviously, the caliber is only 75 mm, but the performance of the strong charge in the large pharmacy is still so stable.

In the eyes of the parties and the forward observation posts of the preserved defenders, this is the effect of several 105 heavy howitzer groups plowing the ground.

Although the barrel cannon has high requirements for artillerymen, they must not only understand mathematics but also be able to draw pictures.

But after nearly eight months of practice, the old and new artillerymen almost touched Miss 75 from the inside out, and everyone was as familiar with her as their own wife.

The rate of fire of a single gun was more than 15 rounds per minute, which plunged the rear of the two divisions into smoke and explosions.

The entire west side of Nakajo Mountain was shaking, as if the rocks on the mountain would shake down in the next second.

Again and again, the earth was blown away by the cannonballs, and then poured down, and the power of modern weapons was vividly realized.

Even the devils who attacked the Third Army and the Eightieth Army frequently turned back, and the earth-shattering artillery strikes frightened the island infantry who had never seen the world.

Under fire regardless of attrition, the lucky enemy was constantly being shelled.

Blood, ashes and stumps have irrigated the land of Jinnan again and again, and next year's vegetation is sure to be even more lush.

At the observation post of the 120th Division, the commander of the Bearded Division raised the binoculars on his chest, and he had an unobstructed view of the magnificent scene of the explosion of artillery shells.

The political commissar of the military region on the side shook his head helplessly, his old partner didn't think it was enjoyable to see in the forward command post, so he had to drag him here to observe.

If he hadn't stopped himself, maybe the other side would have slipped to the front-line artillery observation post.

Fortunately, portable communicators have been popularized to the regimental level, and the telephone lines have long been drawn, otherwise he would never let a division commander leave his post.

Master Hu also looked more and more energetically, fully explaining what it means to gradually increase the firepower, and the corners of his mouth began to rise.

He pulled out his beloved revolver with his right hand pointing to the sky, picked up the phone with his left hand and gave orders to the artillery commander one by one, as if returning to the days when two kitchen knives started.

"It's the gun that almost broke Zhang."

"You can't see the impact point, it's a depression! Two major artillery groups in the east and west! Give me a lot of firepower! Hit his command post and logistics support center! ”

"Push all the guns into the point! Push me as close as you can! Even if it's on the shoulders of the commandos! ”

"Do you know what it means to have a bayonet on a cannon and beat a water dog? Aim for a straight shot! Beat me up with these bitches! ”

After hanging up the phone, Master Hu took out his pipe and took a big sip of it.

After seeing the expression of his political commissar, he touched his beard with some embarrassment.

However, Political Commissar Guan also understood the other party, after all, no matter what period the army did not have such strong firepower. The scene just now, even he, who has drunk foreign ink, has never seen it.

"Haha, a whole three artillery regiments. If it is calculated according to the establishment of preserved fruits, it is a type A artillery brigade! ”

"I couldn't have imagined this kind of affluence before. In last year's battle of 100 regiments, our division's record was at the bottom. Although I specialize in art, I just don't feel happy in my heart! ”

"Well, now it's our first shot at the support campaign! Enjoyable! It's so enjoyable! ”

It is a pity that the current artillery regiment of the Eighth Route Army is somewhat unitary, and it is only equipped with an M1897 75mm cannon.

Although the number is not less than the artillery of the Devil A Division, it lacks 105 or even 155 with a larger caliber, and there is still a gap between it and the European military powers in terms of power.

However, at present, it can only be used improvised, after all, the weight of more than 1 ton has reached the carrying limit of the Eighth Route Army.

Even if the Yellow River uses scientific research troughs to point out 105 and 155, the troops can only look dry. What's more, the power of the current artillery is very good, as long as it does not hit Taiyuan, it is definitely enough.

Judging from the current road conditions in Shanxi, it is almost impossible to have a tractor like Confucius in Shandong. If you really want the field troops of the Eighth Route Army to use heavy artillery, you have to wait for the recovery of Jin Province to build more roads.

Political Commissar Guan looked at the watch in his hand, and from the beginning of the battle to the present, the artillery fire has lasted for two minutes.

The smoke and fire in front of him made it impossible for him to even see the enemy's position clearly.

"Beard, three regiments fired at least 4300 shells. In terms of weight, it is almost 26 tons. ”

"Isn't it for the artillerymen to slow down, don't be so wasteful. After all, our opponent this time is a full two divisions. ”

It's not that the political commissar is stingy, the main thing is that it will take some time for the mentality to change.

Just like when the warriors first came into contact with magic weapons, they got used to using them more.

However, the devils were originally the attackers, and there were no trenches or anti-artillery holes under them. All the fortifications on the first position of the Third Army were destroyed in the previous battles.

Coupled with the fact that the 120th Division was a surprise attack, defenseless and super-dense, the enemy had absolutely no good fruit to eat under such an artillery bombardment.

What's more, it's not just the Army that's on the offensive right now.

Above the heads of the 36th and 37th Divisions, the 100 fighters of the 1st Air Division were still immersed in licking the ground.

"What are you anxious about, people can't be untrustworthy, they have to do it if they say a third. Let the artillerymen practice their hands more, such an opportunity is rare. ”

"It's the first time I've fought with the Air Force, and it's very comfortable. In just one and a half years, we have surpassed the Japanese army in firepower, and we have to thank the Yellow River when we go back. ”

"I even suspect one thing, the Battle of Nakajo Mountain would have been two years late. Maybe on the Mother River, there will be destroyers of our Eighth Route Army to provide artillery support, and the army, navy and air force will go directly together. ”

It's a pity that the idea of the bearded division commander is going to fail, and the destroyer will definitely be useless with the water level of the Yellow River. The width is indeed sufficient, but the depth is far behind.

Replaced with a small gunboat with a very shallow draft, maybe it really helped to fire two guns.

From the beginning of the test firing to the end of the shelling, the three artillery regiments were busy for four minutes.

The troops at all levels of the 120th Division all looked at the shells like hail with shocked expressions, not to mention how high their morale was.

Even veterans who have walked through the grass and climbed over the snowy mountains have never seen such a scene.

After the last round of artillery fire stopped, the 36th and 37th Divisions seemed to be divided into two sections. One side is where the living are staying, and the other half is where the ashes are buried.

It's a pity that the soldiers don't know how many devil officers died under the shelling of their own homes.

At the observation post, the division commander Hu Zi picked up the phone on the table and began to give orders to the brigade and regimental levels to attack.

"Everyone is going on the offensive according to the plan, but don't worry!"

"We have time this time, wait for the friendly forces on the other side, and try to give the devils a combo bag!"

As soon as the command was issued, several red flares rose into the air.

The familiar sound of the warriors' blood boiled as they picked up their weapons and attacked the enemy.

"Kill!"

······

Time back to ten minutes before the attack of the 120th Division, in the joint command post of the Japanese army on the Western Front.

At this time, the atmosphere in the shed was very harmonious, and Lieutenant General Iseki of the 36th Division, Lieutenant General Adachi 23 of the 37th Division, and Major General Heiji Wakamatsu, who was independently mixed into the 16th Brigade, gathered together.

In order to deal with the kraft-like Third Army, their two divisions and one brigade gathered a full 25,000 men.

When the attack didn't go well before, Okamura Ninji would send a telegram every half an hour to inquire about the battle situation, which was really enough torture for the three of them.

Now that the first line of positions of the defenders on the Western Front has been breached, the pressure from the higher authorities is finally less.

Although the casualties among the soldiers were severe, the 16th Brigade, which had the smallest number of soldiers, had already suffered more than half of the casualties.

But what does the life and death of his subordinates have to do with these officials, anyway, there will definitely be a supply of troops after the victory, and the merits of the three of them will not be less at all.

After discussing the next offensive tactics, Anda Twenty-Three looked at the two colleagues in front of him, and he said a little depressed:

"I don't know what's going on in Taiyuan, why hasn't the new batch of supplies arrived yet, and it's an hour late."

"The consumption of our divisions is very large, there is only a day's worth of ammunition reserves left, and there is a lot of loss of weapons. The food is better, barely enough to last for two days. The situation with the medicine is far worse, even the bandages are used up. ”

"That newcomer Yoshio Iwamatsu, doesn't he want to take kickbacks?"

The two ignored each other's last complaints, and then nodded approvingly.

Due to the frequent frequenting of the battlefield by the 1st Air Division of the Eighth Route Army, the equipment of the three field units that did not go to the maintenance company was seriously damaged, and there was even a lack of heavy machine guns on the front line.

It is also reasonable to have more food reserves, after all, the dead do not need to eat.

The situation of the 36th Division and the 16th Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade was not much better, and if supplies were not in place tonight, they would have to stop the attack.

Jing Guan Yan beckoned to the staff officer who was on call, and then said casually:

"I'll send a telegram to the rear to urge me, I don't want to spit out the defense line that I have managed to break through."

"By the way, is there any change between the Eighth Route Army and the Jin Sui Army? It's been five days since this fight, and it's still one-on-one, which really makes me a little unaccustomed. ”

"By the way, ask how many Yellow River crossings the 41st Division has occupied, which is related to how many prisoners we can capture."

In fact, the three of them could no longer wait for the so-called supplies, and when the deputy commander-in-chief decided to attack the North China Front, he sent reconnaissance troops in advance to find out the enemy's supply lines and supply times.

An hour and a half ago, the five transport lines of Zhengtai, Tongpu, Baijin, Pinghan and Pingsui were attacked at the same time.

It was still a familiar sabotage battle, and the local armed forces of the Road Picker Army, with their militia and civilians, had already destroyed or captured all the supplies that the First Army had transported to Zhongtiao Mountain.

Suddenly, the sound of air defense sirens rang out over the joint command post.

The three old devils reflexively picked up their belongings and ran towards the nearby anti-artillery hole. With such a skillful action, you can tell at a glance that there is no shortage of bombings.

"Yaga! Didn't the people at the headquarters say that they could buy half a day? ”

"Why are these damn planes back after only four hours!? When will the incompetent Army Air Force regain air supremacy, and will we be ridden on the head and all the time? ”

"Let's go, let's go!"

When the three of them first came to the entrance of the anti-artillery hole, several shells fell one after another.

Some shells fell on the positions, and even shells fell to the resting places of the reserves. The troops, who were already rioting because of the air raid siren, immediately became chaotic.

They stopped and looked at each other, a strong sense of fear lingering.

Seeing that the self-owned head officer was blocking the door in a daze, the staff officer who was afraid of death pushed the old devils into the cave under the pretext of safety first.

"Gentlemen, if I am not mistaken, it seems that there is an enemy artillery test firing."

"According to the trajectory of the shells, the opposing artillery positions seem to be far away from us. I don't know if it's my delusion, but those shells seem to be coming from our north. ”

As soon as Anda Twenty-Three spoke, the atmosphere in the anti-artillery hole suddenly dropped to freezing.

The lowest rank of everyone here is Dazuo, and judging from their combat experience, if there is really an enemy in the rear, the opponent will have at least three artillery groups.

Not to mention how terrifying it was to be quietly touched behind them, an unknown number of cannons alone was enough for them to drink a pot.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, a loud explosion sounded above the gun hole, and the roof of the cave, which was still relatively strong, began to fall dirt.

Boom Boom!

Reason gradually disappeared from the eyes of the devils, leaving only a deep sense of powerlessness and fear.

Just listening to the sound of the explosion, Anda Twenty-Three was sure that the opposing artillery used at least 105 mm large-caliber heavy guns. That thing is no joke, a single shell can take out a detachment of soldiers.

Two minutes later, the shelling was still not over.

At this moment, the devils began to wonder if it was the woolly bear from the north that went south.

······

In addition to the Third Army, the position on the western line of Zhongtiao Mountain was also defended by the 80th Army.

Although this unit is the Central Army, its combat effectiveness is very poor, and it can only barely be regarded as a third-rate army.

The 27th and 165th divisions under the command of the army are both new units that have only recently been established. Whether it is an officer or a soldier, there is almost no combat experience, and the recruits are conservatively estimated to be more than 7 percent.

With such troops, not only do the friendly forces distrust, but even the enemy looks down on them.

When the 36th and 37th Divisions attacked the Third Army with heavy forces, the enemy attacking the 80th Army was only the 16th Brigade Regiment, which was independently mixed.

This independent mixed brigade was originally a local garrison force, and although it was urgently assigned to artillery, baggage and other units before the war, its combat effectiveness was not very strong.

However, Wakamatsu Heiji is good at attacking the heart, and he specially obtained the information of the 27th Division from Tegaoke, and mastered the personal information of all the officers in the entire division.

When attacking the first line of positions, the devils made the puppet army persuade them to surrender while storming.

Fortunately, the top brass did not retreat, and a group of officers and recruits resisted desperately. However, its own strength is weak, and it cannot block the enemy's advance for a long time.

In the end, the division commander, deputy division commander and chief of staff were all killed, and the regiment commanders had no effective command and could only retreat from the first line of defense to the second line of defense with their soldiers.

However, the 16th Brigade was not easy to form independently, and they suffered nearly 3,000 casualties and suffered great losses.

On the position of the 27th Division, several regiment commanders were gathering together to discuss whether to flee or fight.

But at this moment, the devil's position was attacked by heavy artillery fire. They saw with their own eyes that many devils were shelled, and the originally low morale recovered a lot in an instant.

Red supplies, small grass flowers, bald heads have to be praised. The weakness of the enemy gave the remnants of the 27th Division the courage to break through to the side of the Third Army.

It's still very underworld, and my speed is really slow......

(End of chapter)