A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

"Beware of artillery fire! Beware of artillery fire!"

"Hidden! Hidden!"

"Enter the bunker!"

The hoarse shouts of officers could be heard from the front lines.

Japanese artillery shells rained down on the front lines, causing sand and stones to fly and the sky to darken.

Yi Anhua panicked: "Commander! The front line is too dangerous, please leave here immediately!"

“If the soldiers can stay here, then I can stay here too!” Wang Youping remained unmoved. “What are you panicking about? We’re more than 500 meters away from the front line!”

As the Japanese artillery fire intensified, Yi Anhua grew increasingly anxious: "The enemy's bombardment of the forward positions will extend further! It's too dangerous here! Colonel Song is our honored guest!"

Whether Wang Youping had taken the last sentence to heart or felt it was too dangerous, he looked at Song Hongfei. Both of them were calm and composed, and they could see a fearless spirit in each other's eyes.

"Brother Hongfei is indeed a hero with courage and composure," Wang Youping said with a smile. "The enemy's artillery fire is intense, so please leave the front line immediately."

Song Hongfei also laughed and said, "It's alright, I'll just have a chance to personally experience the anti-artillery capabilities of the 87th Division's position."

Wang Youping laughed heartily and said, "Then let's not put Commander Yi in too much of a difficult position. Let's move to the 2nd Battalion's command post's bunker!"

Yi Anhua finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

In the 2nd Battalion's concealed post, Xia Sheng, the Chief of Staff of the 87th Division, conveyed in detail to Yi Anhua, Lin Xiaoxiang, the 2nd Battalion Commander, and others the research decisions on how to deploy defenses reached at the division headquarters that day.

"Dispersed forces, concentrated firepower, light forces in the front and heavy forces in the rear, and a layered deployment in the depths..." Yi Anhua pondered the key points of the operational guidelines, filled with admiration.

Then, with an expression of utmost admiration, he watched as Song Hongfei and Wang Youping stood motionless, observing the Japanese artillery fire from their concealed observation post.

The Japanese artillery barrage was extremely fierce, with large-caliber naval guns, 105mm heavy howitzers, 75mm field guns, and mountain guns bombarding the area in turn. The dense shells came with sharp, strange whistling sounds, and various fuses, including airburst and delayed-action ones, bombarded the two battalion positions at the forefront of the 522nd Regiment's defense zone.

In particular, heavy artillery shells with delayed fuses can penetrate more than a meter into the ground before exploding, resulting in immense destructive power.

"Boom!" A huge explosion rang out, and the earth trembled! The entire fortification was blasted apart, with debris flying everywhere.

Looking through his binoculars, Song Hongfei saw that the front-line positions were riddled with craters, resembling the surface of the moon. The positions were mostly made of earth and wood, with some covered and supported by logs, and many trenches had been destroyed.

Luo Jincheng, the 6th Company Commander at the front line, was hit on the forehead by shrapnel from the explosion, blood streaming down his face. Wiping his blood-soaked hands, Luo Jincheng immediately cursed, "You damn Japanese bastards! This is never going to end! Wait until your infantry gets up here, then I'll give you peanuts!"

Yi Anhua, in the 2nd Battalion's bunker, was secretly alarmed, but thankful that because their positions had been bombed so many times in recent days, they had learned how to deal with it. The countermeasure was to set up a second line of defense, constructing a second line of defense 3 to 4 meters behind the first line. When the enemy bombed, only a small number of troops were left behind, while the rest ran along the trenches to the rear to take shelter from the artillery fire, which greatly reduced casualties.

However, as Song Hongfei pointed out on the spot, the in-depth deployment is far from enough!

Song Hongfei's idea was to set up a forward warning zone in front of the front-line position. He gestured on the map with his pen: "Taking the defensive position of the 6th Infantry Company at the front line as an example, about 2-300 meters ahead, within the range of my machine gun fire cover, we should build a warning fortification in front of this nameless ditch and send out observation posts, listening posts, guard posts and patrol teams. One squad is enough. Their mission is to attract enemy fire and prevent enemy infiltration and surprise attacks."

In this way, the company's defensive area has been expanded to include a forward position, which can be roughly divided into three parts: the forward alert area, the main defensive area, and the reserve defensive area.

This adds a defense zone compared to the previous second-line configuration, and the defensive depth of each defense zone is greater than before. It also takes into account the defense of the flanks. Troops, firepower and fortifications are also deployed in a multi-layered depth configuration. The core idea is tiered depth defense.

When the Japanese army launched its air and artillery preparations, all personnel except for the sentry and observation posts which continued to monitor the enemy retreated into their anti-artillery fortifications for concealment. Once the enemy's firepower extended, the entire company immediately occupied its positions and prepared to resist any enemy assault.

When the enemy launches an attack, the sentries withdraw to their basic positions, and the entire company uses pre-set multi-layered positions to conduct tiered resistance according to the pre-arranged plan, to wear down the Japanese army's attacking power and morale, and to maintain the integrity of the defensive line at all times, so as to avoid the Japanese army from continuing to attack deeper into the territory after a partial breakthrough.

This is the theory of "flexible defense," which differs from the previous approach of holding the front line and completely blocking the enemy outside the defensive line. It avoids dispersing troops and firepower in the front-line trenches and also avoids a protracted war of attrition under the enemy's superior artillery fire.

Song Hongfei gestured and said, "When the enemy launches an attack, the area several hundred meters ahead of the warning line, including the front line of the main position, is the range of firepower prepared specifically for the enemy! Similarly, if the enemy's offensive is too strong, our army will abandon the front line and retreat to the rear reserve position, and then the front position will become our firepower range again!"

"Brilliant! Gradually wearing down the Japanese attack spearhead is truly ingenious!" Wang Youping nodded in praise.

Yi Anhua said, “Every time our front-line positions are bombed to pieces by the enemy’s heavy artillery fire, we can’t make full use of them if we make a deep elastic defense. Even if the front line is occupied by the enemy’s attack echelon, our army can not make full use of it. However, by relying on our reserve positions in the depth, we can preserve our manpower and inflict greater casualties on the enemy!”

The concept of flexible defense was first studied and developed in the German army after World War I. It was completely different from the previous fixed-position defense and was indeed a great innovation at the time.

During his visit to Germany, Song Hongfei had in-depth discussions with renowned German generals such as Blomberg, Fritsch, Guderian, and Rommel on modern warfare and infantry tactics. He also incorporated advanced tactical concepts developed and perfected by the armies of major powers such as the United States and Russia in later generations.

The officers of the 87th Division were enlightened, and they were all convinced, discussing the matter among themselves in hushed tones.

The Japanese heavy artillery barrage lasted for more than 10 minutes, causing the entire front-line position to shake violently and the sky to darken.

Enemy heavy artillery fire extends.

Another burst of artillery fire, unlike the previous ones, came hurtling through the air and exploding on the position. It was the light infantry artillery of the infantry regiment, with 75mm mountain guns and 70mm infantry guns joining the barrage in turn.

Then, another shell came hurtling in, but it didn't explode when it hit the ground. The shell itself was not visible, but billowing white smoke rose everywhere. The smoke spread along the ground and gradually enveloped the area like a tangible wall of smoke.

"Smoke grenade! Japanese infantry are coming up!" Battalion Commander Lin Xiaoxiang shouted from the observation post, grabbed the phone, and gave instructions to Luo Jincheng, the 6th Company Commander at the front: "Move to the front line! Prepare for battle!"

Heaven was on our side; the wind gradually picked up, and the Japanese smoke was blown away.

The soldiers of the 6th Company took their positions and stood ready. In the distance, they could see the Japanese soldiers advancing steadily.

Before long, Song Hongfei, who was in the rear 2nd Battalion's bunker, could see through his binoculars the small squads and combat formations of the Japanese attack echelon.

"Da da da!"

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

Our general-purpose machine guns also opened fire!

The machine gunners were highly experienced, using a combination of short and long bursts of fire, along with sustained fire, to disrupt and suppress the enemy's battle formation as they charged through the field. Under the precise and intense machine gun fire, several Japanese soldiers at the forefront convulsed and fell to the ground!

Having been observing closely, Song Hongfei witnessed the individual tactical skills of the Japanese soldiers and had to admit they were quite impressive. As soon as the Nationalist machine guns swept in, the soldiers, who had been charging forward, immediately dispersed and took cover with skillful tactical maneuvers. Although suppressed, their formation did not break apart.

Kosaka Jiro, the squad leader of the Japanese elite guerrilla unit, lay prone in a depression in the ground, his narrowed eyes gleaming with a fierce light.

Kosaka Jiro quickly located the heavy machine gun emplacement on the Nationalist army's position, which was spewing long tongues of fire from time to time. He was so angry that he cursed, "Damn it! How could those stupid infantry gunners not have spotted this emplacement?"

It was this well-hidden heavy machine gun that caused several casualties to his squad with a single burst of fire!

Jiro Kosaka roared, "Grenade launcher! Take out this machine gun!"

"Thump!" "Thump!" "Thump!" Thump!

In a depression, several Japanese grenade launcher gunners, under the command of a sergeant, set up their Type 89 50mm grenade launchers and began to return fire. They were skilled and had a high rate of fire, and a dense barrage of fragmentation grenades exploded on our positions.

The impact points of several shells quickly approached a machine gun nest of the Nationalist army, and finally a single shell hit it directly. In the dust kicked up by the grenade explosion, a deputy gunner was thrown to the ground.

Song Hongfei finally saw with his own eyes the Japanese grenade launcher that had been so vividly described in various online novels in later generations! He held up his binoculars and observed it intently, then couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly: "Those half-baked online novels are damn misleading! They've even misled me."

Grenade launchers were widely deployed to squads in the Japanese army. They were highly portable and flexible, and served the same purpose as light mortars, providing timely accompanying fire support for front-line infantry units.

Its range lies between that of a mortar and a grenade, filling the firepower gap between the two. This precise "tactical positioning" was an innovation of the Japanese army, and it was often able to effectively suppress the battalion and company-level firepower of the National Revolutionary Army.

What made Song Hongfei exclaim in disbelief was that the grenade launcher was not as described in later online articles, where "Japanese veterans had a hit rate of 85% to 95% within 400 meters in actual combat."

When he saw this kind of online article in his later years, he was very puzzled. Such a simple, handheld grenade launcher could hardly be guaranteed to be stable on the battlefield amidst the flying gunfire. How could it be more accurate than a mortar with a complete aiming system, good firing table and higher stability?

He then recalled some online articles that described how skilled ordinary Japanese soldiers were at shooting, capable of headshots from 300 meters away!

"That's all bullshit!" Song Hongfei cursed inwardly.

Today he personally observed the Japanese army's tactics of using grenade launchers and questioned the officers at the front in detail. Each Japanese grenade launcher team had 2-3 launchers, with a sergeant specifically responsible for observation, ranging, and assessment, directing the team's 2-3 small hand cannons to fire simultaneously at a single target!

Under normal circumstances, after the first firing of the Japanese grenade launcher, the sergeant would immediately make corrections, adopting a zigzag method, and concentrate several small cannons to conduct several rounds of saturation fire. In this way, the combat effectiveness of the grenade launcher could be fully utilized, and the probability of hitting the target would be greatly increased.

This weapon is flexible, portable, and can be fired from concealed locations. It is also much more powerful than a hand grenade. Our army's 82mm mortars, which can suppress grenade launchers, are only at the battalion level. At the company level, there is a lack of means to retaliate, which is a major headache for our frontline officers and soldiers.

It is clear that the core and soul of the Japanese grenade launcher operations lies in the sergeant who serves as the squad leader. If he is eliminated, the Japanese grenade launcher squad will lose its eyes and brain!

Song Hongfei pondered how to deal with the grenade launcher.

"Small hand cannon!" The machine gunner in our machine gun nest, who had been hit, was also wounded. Ignoring his wound, he roared and grabbed the machine gun: "Move!"

The other assistant gunner quickly grabbed the tripod and followed the gunner to another fortification.

Faced with the Japanese army's artillery superiority, it was too dangerous for heavy machine gunners to fire from one position for a long time, as they were likely to be destroyed by enemy artillery fire. This fully demonstrates the tactical significance of portable and flexible general-purpose machine guns.

There was a brief pause in the heavy machine gun fire on the Nationalist army's position.

"Kill him!"

Squad leader Kosaka Jiro stood up with a frantic shout, drew his Type 95 command sword, and pointed it menacingly at the Nationalist army's position.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The Japanese army's "small hand cannons" continued to provide accompanying fire support for the infantry units.

Kosaka Jiro took the lead, and the Japanese elite squad immediately launched an attack.

"You son of a bitch! Grandpa's waiting for you!" A general-purpose machine gunner from another concealed firing position on the Nationalist army's position fired a long burst.

"Da da da da da da!"

Hit by multiple bullets, Kosaka Jiro writhed and twitched, unable to utter another word, before collapsing backward.

The general-purpose machine gun, which had been moved to another firing point, was already on its tripod. The two machine guns, configured for crossfire, roared and spewed out long tongues of fire!

"Da da da!" "Da da da!"

The Czech-made machine guns at the front lines of the National Revolutionary Army also opened fire, and the light and heavy machine guns formed a dense crossfire network, plunging the Japanese attack echelon into our fire net.

Song Hongfei carefully compared the battle map, then pointed to the distance and said to Lin Xiaoxiang, the commander of the 2nd Battalion: "The Japanese grenade launcher team is hiding more than 200 meters from our front line, in the depression behind the field ridge here! We can find a way to take them out!"

Lin Xiaoxiang was overjoyed. Taking out the Japanese grenade launchers would eliminate a major threat to our forward firing positions.

Inside the bunker, Wang Youping, Xia Sheng, Yi Anhua, and the others were all secretly astonished, and they were extremely impressed by Song Hongfei's amazing battlefield observation and judgment.

Song Hongfei was deep in thought. If only our infantry companies could be equipped with 60mm mortars as soon as possible, their range, accuracy, and firepower would completely suppress the Japanese grenade launchers! However, when he thought of the difficult national situation and the extremely limited military production capacity, he could only sigh inwardly.

"Eight rapid fires! First, take out the enemy grenade launchers in the depression! Then take out the enemy's forward echelon!" Lin Xiaoxiang roared, giving the order to the battalion's 82mm mortar platoon.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The two 82mm mortars in the concealed firing positions immediately roared, inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese troops who were charging in the open field.

The Japanese attack was quickly thwarted by our dense, accurate, and effective fire, and the bodies of dozens of Japanese soldiers lay scattered in front of the position.