A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

After destroying the defenders' defensive system, the left-wing armored assault formation paused for a very brief moment as the tank formation waited for the infantry following hundreds of meters behind the vehicles.

The infantry of the sergeant battalion quickly followed and completed the coordinated combat formation with the tanks. They aggressively swept across the Southeast Army's positions and attacked the main trench defense position on the west side of Qinglong Village from the flank and rear.

Song Hongfei was on a command vehicle of an Sd.Kfz.222 armored vehicle behind the left-wing assault formation. He leaned out of the turret and carefully observed the entire assault through binoculars. He was quite satisfied with the assault; it was the first time in the history of the Chinese army that combined arms operations had been carried out so skillfully, and it could even be said to be a pioneering achievement in armored warfare worldwide.

Prior to this, how to use and fight tanks and armored forces was a completely new research topic, and no country had a ready answer. Major military powers were still debating and exploring.

Song Hongfei knew very well that in the Spanish Civil War that broke out in July 1936, the Soviet Union and the International Brigades supported the Republican government, while the Hans, Spaniards and other countries supported the National Army. Tank battles were also fought between the two sides. He also paid attention to collecting intelligence and conducted detailed research.

Neither side in the conflict understood how to utilize tanks, nor did they possess the concept of combined arms warfare. In real combat, the Republican Army used Soviet-made T-26 tanks to launch solo attacks on Nationalist Army positions equipped with comprehensive anti-tank capabilities, but many were destroyed by anti-tank guns and field guns. When an armored battalion of the International Brigades, equipped with 40 T-26 tanks, attacked, a Nationalist Army German-made 37mm anti-tank gun concealed inside a church destroyed 12 of them.

The T26 tank was an improved version based on the British Vickers tank. With a 45mm main gun, it was more advanced than the German- and Italian-supplied Panzer I and CV35 tanks in the National Revolutionary Army in terms of firepower, mobility, and armor. It was also stronger than the Vickers tanks currently equipped by the armored training battalions of the Chinese army. However, the T26 suffered heavy losses in the face of enemy anti-tank fire, not because of the tank itself, but because of tactical reasons, namely the lack of infantry-tank coordination.

"We must learn from past mistakes! Even the infantry regiments of the Japanese army have an anti-tank gun company, and the battalion-level 92mm infantry guns also have a certain level of direct fire capability," Song Hongfei thought silently.

Recalling the mechanization of later generations, he even felt a secret regret and a touch of helplessness: "It's a pity that we don't have infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers now. Infantry attacking on foot have to lag behind tanks by a distance, which creates a time gap in the assault process. If we had infantry fighting vehicles, after the tanks break through the defenses, the infantry fighting vehicles could directly follow the tanks and advance into the rear."

For the first time, Chinese soldiers witnessed armored weapons in actual combat. The immense power unleashed by these steel monsters was unbelievable to the soldiers. Officers at all levels of the Central Army had never imagined that a single company-sized armored assault could have such a shocking effect.

Song Hongfei stared intently through his binoculars at the surging torrent of steel advancing relentlessly. The simple earthen fortifications had been crushed and broken by the armored vehicles, and the infantrymen following behind the tanks wore happy smiles on their faces.

Song Hongfei grabbed the radio and called Liao Yaoxiang, the 2nd Company Commander: "Pay attention to the key points of infantry-tank coordination! One infantry squad should coordinate with one tank, and maintain formation! When attacking enemy defensive positions, the infantry and tanks should appropriately reduce the distance between them!"

"Infantry must compensate for the blind spots in the observation and firepower of armored vehicles! Destroy enemy anti-tank artillery fire, and be wary of enemy individual explosive charges, hand grenades, and Molotov cocktails!"

Liao Jianchu's excited words were filled with disdain for the Southeast Army's garrison: "Reporting to the battalion commander! The Southeast Army's garrison is scared out of their wits and has fled in panic! There's no one who's not afraid of death who would dare to come up and deal with the tanks. Right now, we're chasing after them and poking them in the back!"

Song Hongfei shouted sternly, "Don't underestimate our enemy!"

Liao Jianchu regained consciousness: "Yes, Battalion Commander!"

He then ordered each platoon to disperse and maintain formation with the tanks! Pay attention to enemy firing positions on both sides!

The soldiers of the sergeant battalion were in high spirits and pounced on the Southeast Army defenders, who had already lost their will to fight, like tigers descending from the mountain.

On the eastern side of the main trench, the 1st Company of the Sergeant Battalion, led by Company Commander Wang Jingxiong, charged into the defenders' defensive positions and engaged in close combat. With fierce submachine gun fire, they forced the defenders into a retreat.

The 1st and 2nd companies of the sergeant battalion advanced with unstoppable momentum. The entire main trench defense line was attacked from both sides, as if it had been peeled by two sharp sugarcane knives. It was cut off section by section from north to south, and the defensive position quickly collapsed.

The defending soldiers, especially those who had fled from the west side of the trenches, were terrified and kept repeating, "Tanks! Tanks! How terrifying the Central Army's tanks were! They overwhelmed our positions in just a few minutes!" This deadly news spread extremely quickly, fueling the panic and causing the defending troops, who had lost their will to fight, to break out and flee in disarray.

The company of the 3rd Battalion of the Southeast Army, which was defending the main trench on the west side of Qinglong Village, was the first to be routed under the unstoppable attack of the armored formation. The company commander waved his pistol and shouted angrily: "Hold on! Hold on! No retreat!"

But no matter how he threatened or intimidated them, he could no longer stop the fleeing soldiers who were only concerned with escaping for their lives. He himself was swept up in the rout, and the surging fleeing soldiers also swept up a platoon from another company stationed in the western part of the village. They fled in panic to the south towards Ganjiazhuang.

A chaotic retreat on the battlefield is a disaster. The entire defense system collapses instantly, like a pile of loose sand, unable to organize effective defense and resistance, leaving it at the mercy of others.

The remnants of Meng Guangtian's 1st Battalion, retreating from Yantou Village, were desperately resisting the fierce attacks of the 1st Company of the Sergeant Battalion and the Special Service Battalion of the Training Corps on the northern position of Qinglong Village. With the western defenses of Qinglong Village breached, the remnants of the 1st Battalion were suddenly attacked from both sides, their morale shattered, and they could no longer hold out. It's unclear who started it, but some turned and fled back into the village, one taking ten, then ten taking a hundred. The defeated soldiers, with no will to fight, fled south in panic through the village. Those slower to react had nowhere to escape and had no choice but to throw down their guns and surrender.

A company of the 1st Battalion defending the eastern position of Qinglong Village was suddenly in a desperate situation. The company responsible for the frontal defense had already suffered heavy losses under the fierce artillery fire of the Training Corps and the fierce attack of the Special Service Battalion. At this moment, the defenses on the north and west sides were wide open, and they could not retreat in the face of the fierce frontal attack of the Central Army. If they continued to fight, there would be no other outcome except the complete annihilation of the company. Continuing to resist was also meaningless. The soldiers who could escape were allowed to escape. In despair, the company commander had no choice but to surrender with the remaining soldiers.

"What! There are more than 20 Central Army tanks behind the defensive line?!"

When Lin Damu, the commander of the 3rd Regiment of the Southeast Army, received the report from the garrison of the main trench west of Qinglong Village, he felt a chill run down his spine.

From dawn onwards, the Central Army launched a fierce attack across the entire front. His entire regiment's defenses were immediately under attack, and the eastern front was barely holding on.

Unexpectedly, the Central Army broke through the Yantou Village breach in the north and penetrated directly behind their defensive lines? They even deployed more than 20 tanks and armored troops for a flanking maneuver!

Before he could reply, another piece of bad news arrived.

"Report to the regimental commander! Qinglong Village has fallen! The remaining troops of the 1st and 3rd Battalions are retreating towards Ganjiazhuang."

Lin Damu was so angry that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Gather the troops that retreated from Qinglong Village and strengthen the defenses of Ganjiazhuang and Chishui Railway Station! Try to move two of the anti-tank guns deployed on the eastern front to the west to deal with the Central Army's tanks!" Lin Damu pondered for a moment and then reluctantly made the deployment.

This is a last resort.

Even before the war, after the 105th Division of the Southeast Army learned that the Central Army had tanks participating in the battle, the division commander and brigade commander inspected the terrain of each regiment's positions and unanimously agreed that anti-tank guns should be deployed on the eastern front of the defensive line, mainly to defend against the Central Army's tanks attacking along the Longhai Railway and Xitong Highway. Lin Damu then deployed four 37mm Liaoning Type 13 anti-tank guns from the regiment's anti-tank gun company on the eastern front of the defensive line around Chishui Station and Ganjiazhuang.

At this moment, Lin Damu himself wasn't sure if he could successfully move the anti-tank guns to the west and set up firing positions on the battlefield. Moreover, what chance did he have against over 20 tanks with only two unprepared guns? He could only hope that the anti-tank guns of his 3rd Brigade could be effective!

"There's no other choice but to do this," Lin Damu sighed helplessly.

"A disorganized mess, utterly defeated!" Song Hongfei suddenly recalled a line from the later TV series "My Chief and My Regiment": "Those who fled were fleeing in utter disarray, and those who pursued were on the verge of being utterly defeated themselves!"

He put down his binoculars and sighed inwardly, feeling a little helpless.

Speaking into the vehicle-mounted radio, Song Hongfei ordered the left-wing armored assault formation: "Left-wing formation, do not cross the trenches. Continue to attack from the rear into the enemy's southwest rear! Coordinate with the 1st Company to launch a pincer attack and capture Ganjiazhuang!"