Chapter 273: The End of North American Domination (3)
Cavalry, the absolute ruler of the battlefield in the age of cold weapons. Every general who is good at using cavalry has left a deep or shallow mark in history. Whether it is infamous or famous, at least people are also famous in history. There are two main reasons for the official withdrawal of cavalry from the war, the emergence of automatic fire weapons such as machine guns and the maturity of armored vehicle tank technology. The cavalry has been able to dominate for thousands of years, mainly because of its mobility. There was not enough firepower to block, and once the cavalry charged, it was difficult for the infantry to resist.
The Spanish phalanx and the Modao battle formation were effective strategies for infantry to defeat cavalry, but if they were not careful, they would also be defeated by cavalry breaking through from the flank. The fire network formed by the machine gun has a greater effect on the cavalry than these two battle formations. The armor of the cavalry, neither the medieval tin can equipment, nor the cuirass in the back, could not block the fire of machine-gun bullets. But if they were close to the cavalry, the machine gunners could not escape the fate of being killed on the spot, and this trouble did not last long, and the real cavalry nemesis appeared.
Truly well-established tanks, such as the German tanks No. 2 and No. 3, had a general advantage over cavalry. In terms of protection, the armor of the cavalry is not at all comparable to the tank armor of more than ten millimeters and tens of millimeters, and the armor of the same thickness can only be equipped by the most elite knights of the Middle Ages, and the cavalry at that time has long abandoned this heavy armor. And in terms of mobility, the tank is not inferior to the cavalry, as long as there are no accidents, the fuel is sufficient, the tank can drive all the time, and the physical consumption of the soldiers inside is also less than that of the cavalry.
In terms of firepower, it is even more notch. Cavalrymen would not carry heavy machine guns and artillery unless specifically requested, and without these things, they would have had to rely on carbines, sabers, and light machine guns to fight the enemy. And tanks, anyway, have more than two tank guns and machine-gun weapons, and the same goes for armored vehicles. Therefore, tanks and armored vehicles became the natural nemesis of cavalry. This restraint was vividly displayed in front of Apache's eyes.
Apache had been observing the battle at the forward command, which was only eight hundred meters from the frontline and just outside the range of the enemy's possible artillery. If the cavalry breaks through, it won't be long before they can rush here. So, this also inspired his soldiers to desperately block the enemy's cavalry. Behind him is the supreme commander of the battlefield on their side, and no one dares to take it lightly. Tanks and armored vehicles rushed into the enemy's cavalry camp, and the Apache was very worried until he saw the results.
Compared to all the tanks, there are only about 30 in total, and the cavalry still has nearly 30,000 after being blocked by the machine gunners. That's a 1,000-to-1 ratio, so Apache can't be worried. However, his fears proved unnecessary. Thirty tanks, rampage through the cavalry, with ten Type 59-1 tanks as arrows, ran all the way and rushed directly into the center. The Type 59-1 tanks had a frontal armor of up to 100mm thick and a thinnest rear armor of 60mm (deliberately attached), allowing them to completely ignore enemy cavalry attacks.
Whether it's a spear, a tomahawk or a stick, there isn't even a white mark on the tank. And the Type 59-1 tank, if it rubs the enemy cavalry, it is a crippled birth, and if it collides directly, the cavalry will have only one ending, being crushed under the ground and squeezed into a pile of rotten meat. Even if he didn't die, after the White Tiger 1 tank and armored car in the back ran over, even the intact corpse could not be preserved. The cavalrymen were not intimidated and still rushed frantically towards the thirty-five chariots. When there are more people, it will be more fun, and the artillery and machine guns will be in unison.
Attracted by them, the cavalry no longer even stormed the defensive lines of the warriors. The artillery regiment began to turn around, and the heavy howitzers and mountain artillery had stopped shelling the cavalry and began to bombard the enemy's infantry. Only love mortars and rapid-fire guns remained, still assisting the chariot unit to clear the pile of enemy cavalry. By this time, the fighters of the three divisions had already suffered some casualties. The enemy's hunter troops, numbering 50,000 men, had already rushed forward, and the fighters at the forefront had already entered their effective range.
The Indians lived mainly by hunting, and there are not many prairies on the North American continent that can be used for grazing. It is not a fully developed North American continent in the 21st century, but a North American continent that still retains a large original appearance. Therefore, in fact, every tribal warrior was a qualified archer, able to use their own home-made bows and arrows to obtain the necessary food for daily use, and their own quality was even comparable to that of the elite English longbowmen of the Middle Ages.
It's just that these weapons are too backward, and the strongest is the 3,000 composite bow sets sold by the company. These weapons, however, were sold at ten times the cost price, and the profit was too great. The range, accuracy, and power were better than their home-made shortbows, and even more powerful than the muskets sold to the Indians by some black-hearted arms dealers. However, it is still not in the eyes of the company's soldiers. However, they did not expect that the quantitative change actually produced a qualitative change.
There were 50,000 archers, and the arrows they shot were overwhelming. The fighters in the front row are all from the field division, and they are all equipped with helmets and steel plate body armor for company assets, plus a lot of rubber bulletproof shields, which can be said to be armed to the teeth. But in the face of the overwhelming number of arrows, there were still casualties. In order not to affect the movement, many parts of the warriors were without body armor, such as limbs and throats, and more than a thousand extremely unlucky fighters were shot by arrows in these positions, fortunately, the most unlucky ones were only more than ninety.
More than 90 people were shot in the throat and were difficult to resuscitate. On the other hand, more than 900 people, even if their hands and feet were shot through or cut by arrows, according to the medical methods of the field division, they would not be worried that their lives would be in danger. Only a dozen people may have to leave the main field division after being cured, injuring nerves and tendons. Fortunately, at this time, the artillery turned around in time. Because there was a huge number of ordinary infantry in front of them, the rifles and machine guns in the hands of the soldiers could not hit, and at this time, they could only rely on artillery.
The artillerymen are also a little tired, the barrel of the mountain cannon is a little hot, and the heavy howitzer has no problems for the time being because of the strong craftsmanship of the gun body. There is no shortage of shells, but Xiao Lin has invested heavily this time, and all ordinary explosive shells are openly supplied. The company's arsenal has completed the imitation of blasting shells of all calibers, and there are no production problems. The Apache sent the logistics troops to deliver shells to the artillerymen. For artillery, the Indian warriors really had no choice.
None of the defenses they knew could withstand the artillery bombardment, and the reason why they were still holding up here was because the commander here, the patriarch of one of the three strongest tribes, told them about the actions of Coulson and the others. Because the sound of the cannon has not stopped, the cover of the loud sound makes them not know that Coulson and the others have been almost wiped out. However, if this continues, they will not be able to support it for long. The bombardment of heavy artillery is really terrifying, and within a few tens of meters, no living thing can exist.
The real casualties were not much, less than 10,000 people were incapacitated in thirty minutes, but the proportion of casualties made everyone deeply desperate. After fighting for so long, their casualties have reached 50,000, but the opponent has less than 3,000 people who have lost their combat effectiveness. If this continues, they are all dead, and less than half of the casualties are killed. The warriors are not fools, they are just too hot-blooded, and once the battle rises, their brains are a little insufficient.
But now, their blood is cooled by the blood of their companions. They can't help but wonder if it was a wise decision to be the company's enemy. Regardless of whether Shoren is an Indian or not, at least he has really contributed to the Indian world, and many Indians live a paradise life under the protection of the company, without lack of food and clothing, and can learn all kinds of knowledge, as well as all kinds of colorful entertainment life. Many people have also become warriors that they cannot defeat.
The strength of the company, they felt it very clearly on the battlefield. The most powerful weapons in their hands are actually sold by the company. Even the firearms smuggled by the white people are not as good as the company's cold weapons. In fact, this is all their delusion, because these people have very little contact with firearms, but have been using cold weapons since childhood. If you look at the routine of the game, their firearm level may only be a few levels or ten, and the cold weapon level has not been below ninety, which is the feeling of skill bonus.
An hour later, the Indians' casualties expanded to seventy thousand, and then they began a great rout. It is their savage character that has been able to persist until now. If it weren't for the bloody support, they would have fled an hour ago. Apache brought back the chariot troops, replenished their ammunition and began to pursue the enemy's remaining few thousand cavalry. Despite the oath, Apache could not guarantee that there would be no backshit, and the fighters had to work a little harder for the safety of civilians.
The infantry began to build a defensive line, so as not to let a large number of enemy infantry enter the rear, and the rout did not pursue them. Everyone was tired to the extreme, and there was no need to hunt down those frightened enemies anymore. At this time, the best option is to clean up the battlefield. There are so many corpses that if they are not buried or burned in time, there will definitely be a plague. Although the company has enough medicines, it can't happen if it doesn't happen, and Apache doesn't want an accident at this time.