mtlumby2d Chapter 523: Annihilation of the New 5th Army (4)
Chapter 523: Annihilation of the New 5th Army (4)
Xiushui River,
On the battlefield filled with smoke, two Japanese Type 94 armored vehicles painted with red five-pointed stars were charging at full speed, their tracks kicking up billowing dust, their armor reflecting a cold light in the sun, and more than fifty soldiers following behind the armored vehicles!
On top of the armored vehicle, machine guns were firing non-stop. In front of them was a group of panicked Kuomintang soldiers. They turned their backs to the armored vehicles and fled forward desperately. They fell down one by one amid the gunfire!
Just an hour ago, they were the attackers, but now they are on the defensive! Now it is the Communists who are attacking!
Not far away, several Kuomintang soldiers quickly adjusted the angle of a 37mm anti-tank gun and slowly aimed it at the armored vehicle.
With a cannon shot, the anti-tank gun let out a deafening roar, and the shell whizzed out with the force of thunder. In an instant, the shell accurately hit the charging armored vehicle.
In an instant, a huge fireball shot up into the sky, the metal shell of the armored vehicle was torn and twisted, and parts flew everywhere.
Gongzhutun, 43rd Division Headquarters,
An officer rushed in excitedly with a telegram.
"Division Commander, the 127th Regiment on the front line called and said that the Communist Army had just launched a counterattack. Two of their armored vehicles had been destroyed and their offensive had been broken!"
"What!?" Division Commander Xie Daizheng shouted!
He and Chief of Staff Wang Sen looked at each other. There was no surprise in either of their eyes. Instead, they saw horror in each other's eyes!
Something is wrong!
The Communist army actually fought back and used armored vehicles!
Xie Daizheng moved quickly and came to the battle map.
Wang Sen followed.
"Commander, the Communists have been defending until now, but they suddenly started to counterattack. Could this be a trap?"
Xie Daizheng nodded and said,
"Something is wrong, it is indeed wrong, what is going on?"
"Report, the military is calling!"
Xie Daizheng received the telegram and his expression changed immediately.
"broken!"
Wang Sen took the telegram and saw that the Communist troops were spotted in the south, southwest and west of the New Fifth Army!
Boom boom boom, a violent explosion suddenly occurred!
The two shouted in unison,
"We were fooled!"
At this time, with the fire support of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Artillery Regiments of the Headquarters, the rd Column launched a fierce attack on the New Fifth Army from the south, the th Column from the west and southwest, and the nd and th Columns from the northwest and north!
On the Xiushui River Bridge,
A Type 1 tank slowly drove over, with the flag of the st Assault Group hanging on it!
Tang Yantian’s 1st Assault Group finally joined the battle today!
Qiaotou Village,
On the road at the entrance to the village, tanks and armored vehicles were gathering one after another.
At this moment, there were rumbling sounds of artillery fire in the distance. The artillery units of the headquarters and various columns were fiercely bombarding the various strongholds of the New Fifth Army in the encirclement!
Guo Qiang stood at the intersection, looking at Tang Yantian who had jumped out of the tank and laughed,
"Deputy Commander Tang, you are here too! This time, the New Fifth Army will have no way to escape!"
After Tang Yantian saluted, he hurriedly asked,
"How is it? Captain Guo, I heard that your regiment has been engaged in sniping here for four days!"
"It's okay, I won't be hurt. With so many new equipments, the three enemy regiments can't do anything to me!" Guo Qiang said disapprovingly!
A jeep drove up.
Following the 1st Assault Group was the 6th Column's column headquarters and the 17th Division. This time, because Guo Qiang directly withstood the enemy's offensive with the strength of a regiment, the 6th Column almost maintained its complete strength!
Commander Hong of the 6th Column jumped down from the jeep. He first shook hands with Guo Qiang.
"Well done, well done. Your group fought well this time. I want to commend you for the credit!"
Guo Qiang laughed, but he was actually very happy. Last time he saw others get military merits and receive red flowers, this time it was finally their regiment's turn!
"Commander, where is our regiment responsible for this attack?"
"Rest as you regiment, your mission has been gloriously accomplished!"
The 54th Regiment suffered more than 600 casualties in the four-day battle. Currently, there are only more than 300 people left in the regiment, and the tanks they were equipped with have also been used up!
Commander Hong turned to Tang Yantian and said,
"Deputy Commander Tang, the shelling will stop in a few minutes. This time, our 17th Division will follow you!"
Tang Yantian said,
"Commander Hong, the role of the armored assault group is to attack quickly. I suggest that the 17th Division attack Gongzhutun, and our 1st Assault Group attack Paoziyan Village from the flank to directly cut off the enemy's retreat. What do you think?"
"Okay! Let's do it!"
The troops Tang Yantian brought this time were not many, only a tank battalion, an armored infantry company, and an armored reconnaissance company!
There are still more than 500 people left at the tank base, but because some of the tanks that have been offline have been given to the 6st and 1nd columns, Tang Yantian's idea of expanding the troops has not been realized. However, Yin Xinjun also promised him that the st Assault Group will be expanded into three tank battalions by the end of June at the latest!
In Gongzhutun, after thirty minutes of fierce bombardment by the Communist artillery, half of the houses in the village had collapsed!
After waiting for the artillery fire to stop,
Division commander Xie Daizheng immediately climbed out of a cellar with his men. He wanted to move towards Anfutun in the south, where the military headquarters was!
Just as the hundreds of soldiers at the division headquarters were getting ready to go, they saw a sentry running towards them, shouting,
"Communist tanks! Communist tanks!"
Xie Daizheng hurriedly climbed up to a bunker in the north of the town.
In the white snow in the distance, dozens of tanks, with their black gun muzzles raised, drove towards Gongzhutun. His hands could not help but tremble, and his voice became out of tune.
"Ready to fight!"
If you run outside at this time, you will die!
Who would have thought that the tank would go around to the right and head straight south two kilometers away from the town!
Xie Daizheng's face suddenly turned pale. The Communist army had cut off his retreat!
"Send a telegram to the military headquarters and tell them that the Communist tank troops are detouring from Gongzhutun and heading south!"
Paoziyan Village is only more than ten miles away from Gongzhutun. It is a small village with more than twenty houses. A baggage company of the New Fifth Army Headquarters is stationed here!
When Tang Yantian and his men arrived, it was noon, and the baggage soldiers were still cooking.
Tanks and armored vehicles drove to the entrance of the village. Since these people thought they were in the rear, their minds were numb and there was not even a sentry at the entrance of the village!
The soldiers rushed out of the car with PPSh submachine guns and M1 carbines!
Some of the villagers were conscripted into the army, while others moved in with their families to live with their relatives!
There were carriages and sleds parked everywhere in the village, and they were piled with all kinds of supplies!
When the reconnaissance company commander Hao Yong heard a commotion in a yard, he immediately led his soldiers to rush over.
Sure enough, dozens of Kuomintang soldiers were hiding in several rooms, eating heartily with their bowls in hand.
With a clang, the door was kicked open.
"Don't move, we are the Northeast Democratic Alliance!"
Hao Yong yelled,
Seeing the submachine guns in the soldiers' hands, the Kuomintang soldiers raised their hands obediently.
Several soldiers stepped forward, collected the enemy's weapons, and placed them in a separate room!
"Well, it's not easy in such a cold day. You should finish your meal first, and then stay here obediently. When the battle is over, I will let you go home!"
Looking at the only dish on the table,
White radish stewed with bean sprouts,
Somehow, Hao Yong also felt a pang in his heart.
Since the beginning of the Liberation War, Yin Xinjun has repeatedly asked the troops to abide by the three major disciplines and eight points of attention! In particular, they must not kill prisoners. These prisoners may be Kuomintang soldiers today, but they may be our own people tomorrow!
Sure enough, after Hao Yong said this, the captives all showed gratitude on their faces, and they all felt a lot more relaxed!