Bright Sword: Japs, times have changed

Gourd mouth.

All the Japanese soldiers of the Fourth Brigade who were hiding in the mountains watching the show were dumbfounded. They could hardly believe their eyes.

Since joining this battlefield, any use of bombers will yield huge gains. The Japanese have apparently regarded bombers as their last trump card.

However, this time it suffered a Waterloo.

Not only were a large number of planes shot down, but no losses were caused to the Eighth Route Army in Xiaowangzhuang.

Brigade commander Haradaira Koizumi put down his telescope and picked it up again again and again, and he still refused to believe what he saw.

He originally thought that after the bombing, it would be the time for the Fourth Brigade to flatten Xiaowangzhuang, but his eyes told him that everything was in vain.

"Quick, telegraph Commander Okamura Neiji and tell him everything that happened here!"

"No! Tell him that the Eighth Route Army in Xiaowangzhuang possesses powerful anti-aircraft weapons. Aerial bombing is no longer effective against them. Request the use of armored formations and tanks to coordinate with the infantry for a ground attack!"

This time the Japanese mobilized troops on a large scale, not only bringing armored vehicles, but also deploying the most lethal weapon on the battlefield, light tanks!

Such an iron-clad turtle is unstoppable on the Chinese battlefield.

The tank's fighting style is very simple and brutal. Once on the battlefield, it will charge around like a mad bull.

Ordinary weapons cannot cause any damage to tanks at all, but the coordinated combat method of Butan can easily intercept suicide bombings.

Whenever we faced the Japanese tanks, our soldiers would not fear life or death and would rush forward to find ways to blow up the tanks. Even if they could not destroy them completely, they would make the Japanese tanks lose their combat capability.

The tracks became the target of the soldiers' attack. As long as the tracks of the Japanese tanks were destroyed, the tanks would be unable to move.

However, the coordinated operations of Butan caused great trouble to this mission, and the soldiers could not get close to the bottom of the Japanese tanks at all.

However, the soldiers have plenty of ways to deal with it. They will hide in places where tanks may pass, and once the tanks pass over their heads, they will detonate the explosive packs prepared in advance.

This method is very effective, but also very tragic.

Of course, the appearance of Lin Qiang will completely change this way of fighting.

Four 37mm PAK anti-tank guns had been deployed on the Xiaowangzhuang position long before the war broke out, specifically to deal with possible tanks that the Japanese might deploy.

In fact, at the beginning, Lin Qiang believed that the Japanese would use tanks first, and only after failing would they mobilize bombers for air strikes.

Unexpectedly, the Japanese were the first to use bombers. It seems that the Japanese have a deep hatred for the independent battalion!

The 37mm anti-tank gun was the lowest-level anti-tank weapon that Lin Qiang could buy. It was not because he was stingy, but because according to intelligence, the Japanese only had seven tanks and fourteen armored vehicles arriving in northwestern Shanxi this time.

Moreover, only half of the tanks and armored vehicles appeared in Laiyuan, Ping'an, and Anhua counties. Even if the Japanese used all of them, there would only be four tanks and seven armored vehicles.

Lin Qiang didn't even need to use the T-34 medium tank. He could deal with the Japanese's thin-skinned tanks with just the DShK and anti-aircraft guns.

During World War II, although the Japanese had a strong industry, their achievements in tanks were not very good. The tank armor was very weak, and there were gaps between the plates.

When facing tanks made in Germany or the Soviet Union, it is like a toy car meeting a 100-ton king. The gap is very obvious.

Of course, the Japanese tanks were not very good, but it was extremely difficult for the Eighth Route Army, which only had millet and rifles, to deal with them.

But the independent battalion had anti-tank guns, DShK anti-aircraft machine guns, and anti-aircraft guns. Just one shot could turn the Japanese tanks into a pile of burning scrap metal.

As night falls, the temperature drops rapidly.

All the soldiers in the independent battalion were equipped with thick cotton-padded clothes and were not afraid of the severe winter.

The more than 3,000 reserve troops were returning to the base for the first time, so they did not have the cotton clothes produced by the clothing factory.

But they were wearing thick clothes, and with the help of the fire, they were able to spend this cold night warmly.

Zhao Dezhu led the soldiers from the kitchen team to deliver meals. This is the advantage of playing at home, as they can always have a hot meal.

It took a full three hours for the kitchen team and a team of more than 300 people to provide hot meals for all the soldiers of the independent battalion.

The scouts also reported the latest movements of the Japanese to Lin Qiang every once in a while. The Japanese from the 4th Brigade built a fire at Hulukou, trying to use the flames to dispel the cold of the winter night.

Of course Lin Qiang would not let them have an easy time, so he sent out a special forces team with the goal of extinguishing all the Japanese fires.

Until the next morning, the Japanese soldiers' fires were still not lit, and they suffered from hunger and cold all night.

"Commander, it's snowing!"

Lin Qiang, who was making plans, rushed out of the command post quickly upon hearing the words. The moment he opened the door, a biting cold wind blew in his face. The cold wind rushed in through the gaps in his clothes, causing Lin Qiang to shiver three times.

Looking up, I saw scattered snowflakes floating in the sky.

Lin Qiang looked at the sky and muttered to himself, "Looking at this weather, I'm afraid there's still a tough battle to fight."

The guard monk next to him hurriedly handed him a military coat and put it on his shoulders.

At this time, the scout came running to report: "Battalion Commander, the Japs seem to be preparing to advance through the snow and intend to surprise us."

Lin Qiang's eyes glared, and he shouted, "Hmph, let them suffer. Notice all combat teams to enter ambush positions, using the snow for cover, and wait for the enemy to get close before striking hard."

The reason why Yuanping Koizumi dared to launch the attack at dawn was entirely due to the four armored vehicles and two tanks that arrived at Hulukou last night.

With the support of the tank, Yuanping Koizumi felt that he could definitely kill Lin Qiang.

The independent battalion has anti-aircraft weapons, but Harahira Koizumi does not believe that the independent battalion also has weapons to deal with tanks on the ground.

There was a fear that the tanks would be bombarded by howitzers, and there were still remaining bombers and attack aircraft in the sky to provide cover, so a two-pronged approach was adopted.

The soldiers quickly followed Lin Qiang's orders and entered the ambush site. The cold snow fell on their bodies, but no one moved. Soon, the Japanese vanguard appeared in sight with the roar of tanks.

Lin Qiang clenched his fists tightly and whispered, "Don't be impatient, wait until they get closer."

When the Japanese were almost within the optimal shooting range, Lin Qiang shouted, "Shoot!"

Instantly, gunfire and grenade explosions rang out. But the tank continued to slowly advance. At this moment, the anti-tank gun, which had been waiting for a long time, roared.

The shell whizzed out and accurately hit the front tank, and a huge explosion resounded throughout the battlefield.

While the Japanese were in panic, the bombers in the sky also encountered trouble.

Seeing that the tanks were damaged and the air force was obstructed, Harahira Koizumi shouted and ordered the soldiers to fight back.

However, the soldiers of the independent battalion were in high spirits, and they used the cover of the snow to constantly change positions and attack, forcing the Japanese to retreat step by step. In the end, Harahira Koizumi was forced to flee in disgrace with his remaining troops.