A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

Just as the left-wing assault force launched a fierce attack on the defending positions, the right-wing force surged ahead, crushing the southwestern defense line.

Seeing that the attack on the left flank was progressing smoothly, Song Hongfei used the vehicle-mounted radio to issue the following order: "Artillery observation team, pay attention to the enemy's anti-tank artillery positions! Battalion artillery company, advance the mortars and field guns!"

He then said to the commander of the armored command vehicle, "The outcome on the left flank is no longer in doubt. We will follow the right flank formation and advance."

"Understood!" The commander nodded and turned the command vehicle to the right flank.

Song Hongfei's battalion headquarters and engineering detachment moved with the right flank formation, equipped with one Sd.Kfz.223 communications command vehicle and two Sd.Kfz.222 fire support vehicles.

The right flank is the most important part of this battle. The key is whether the right flank formation can completely break through the newly constructed trench defenses of the Southeast Army, resolutely and thoroughly penetrate deep into the enemy's rear in the southwest, and then carry out a flanking maneuver to surround and crush the enemy west of the Chishui River!

The soldiers of the 3rd Company of the right-wing sergeant battalion deeply felt the enormous benefits brought by mechanization. In particular, the soldiers of the fire support unit, engineer unit and machine gun team were overjoyed, even happier than during the New Year. They moved some of their loads to the external storage compartments of the tanks and armored vehicles in their units. On long journeys, no one is light on their loads. Who wouldn't be happy to carry less weight?

Song Hongfei smiled bitterly to himself, thinking that if these light vehicles weren't so small, these soldiers would probably be able to hang themselves all over them like the magical motorcycles of the Indians in later generations. Well, one vehicle could hold an entire platoon!

However, this also greatly increased the ammunition capacity of the assault formation, with each general-purpose machine gun carrying four basic loads, totaling 8000 rounds. The mortar and infantry gun units, with their significantly reduced load, could also move alongside the formation, with ample ammunition and no need to worry about resupply.

The pressure on logistical support is greatly reduced, which is very beneficial to assault firepower, sustained combat capability, and long-range assault. This is the power of mechanized rapid assault, which brings about an unprecedented revolution in combat methods.

The artillery of the assault formation had never been so extravagant. The gunners were having a blast, bombarding the enemy's fortifications according to the pre-marked targets. After each salvo, they moved forward to follow the armored formation in its attack, firing another salvo. The Southeast Army defenders, on the other hand, suffered an unprecedentedly fierce artillery barrage, with enemy shells raining down on them as if they were free.

The first line of defense of the Chishui River of the Southeast Army was the 1st Brigade of the 105th Division. The three regiments were arranged in an inverted triangle with two in front and one behind. The 1st and 3rd Regiments were at the forefront, arranged in a north-south formation, with the Xitong Highway, which runs through Chishui Street, as the dividing line. The 2nd Regiment was deployed in the area of ​​Changmin Village, west of the main trench behind them.

Behind the 1st Brigade, in the area of ​​Tianjia Village, Baijia Village, and Chengjia Village, lies the 3rd Brigade. In recent days, each unit has dug dozens of miles of trenches and fortifications, deployed in tiers, and is on high alert.

Upon receiving the report from Lin Damu's 3rd Regiment that the Central Army had launched an attack and outflanking maneuver using tanks, the 105th Division was shaken. Division Commander Liu Fangdu immediately ordered the 1st and 3rd Brigades to hold their ground and plug any gaps in the defensive line. He also mobilized anti-tank guns and 150mm heavy mortars from each brigade, determined to inflict the heaviest possible blow on the Central Army's tanks.

The Southeast Army was originally well-equipped, with the largest number of artillery pieces in China. Each national defense brigade had one 6-gun 150mm heavy mortar unit, and each regiment had one 4-gun 37mm anti-tank gun company and one 6-gun 80mm mortar company, making their heavy firepower extremely powerful. The 150mm mortar, in particular, was a formidable offensive and defensive weapon, possessing astonishing destructive power, capable of destroying field fortifications with a single shot.

Furthermore, the Southeast Army was equipped with a wide variety of artillery and shells, which could be supplied by the arsenals it controlled. This was unique among the major warlords in China, including the Central Army.

However, after the Mukden Incident, the arsenal fell into the hands of the Japanese. A large number of aircraft, tanks, about 600 cannons of various calibers including a large number of unassembled artillery parts, more than 3000 finished and semi-finished mortars and other weapons and equipment were captured, and the amount of ammunition was countless.

Of the 370 Liaoning Type 14 37mm anti-tank guns originally intended for equipping infantry regiments' anti-tank artillery companies, 189 were captured by the Japanese. From then on, the Southeast Army's arms supply was naturally not as good as before, and only the most elite units could maintain their equipment organization on paper.

面对中央军猛烈的全面进攻，105师师长刘芳渡命令配属给他中央兵团的炮11团第1营、第1旅和第3旅的两个重迫击炮连奋起发炮反击，双方进行了激烈的炮战。

Trajectories visible to the naked eye crisscrossed the air, whistling as they tore through the air, crashing into their targets and exploding into flowers of death. In an instant, the earth shook, and the artillery fire illuminated almost the entire pre-dawn sky.

A 150mm mortar shell weighs 20 kilograms and has a larger explosive charge than a 155mm howitzer. It is extremely powerful, and when it hits the ground, it sends sand flying and darkens the sky, creating an astonishing crater and billowing thick smoke.

However, the gun has a relatively short range, and due to its huge weight, it is not convenient to move and aim. While it looks very intimidating against moving targets such as the Central Army's armored assault formations, it is not very effective in practice.

Because the attack area was not marked with surveying and mapping equipment and the training level was not up to par, the actual killing effect was negligible. After firing only a few rounds, the artillery of the Southeast Army completely exposed its own firing positions.

"Artillery observation group, quickly determine the location of the enemy artillery positions!" Song Hongfei ordered the observation group of the fire support unit that was following the assault formation.

The artillery observation team quickly reported the observed coordinates and positions directly to the rear artillery command via vehicle-mounted radio.

Immediately, a barrage of counter-fire from the Central Army's long-range artillery rained down. The forward observation teams continuously guided and corrected the targets, and the Southeast Army's artillery fire was quickly suppressed by precise and fierce artillery fire, resulting in heavy losses. Several artillery firing positions were effectively silenced.

Song Hongfei, Xu Tingyao, Gui Yongqing, and others were particularly worried about the anti-tank firepower of the Southeast Army's field guns. Suffering heavy losses in the first battle would be an unbearable blow to the newly established Nationalist armored forces. Therefore, Song Hongfei and his team brainstormed and made extensive preparations before the battle.

The Liaoning-made Type 14 37mm 29-caliber direct-fire gun was a copy of the Japanese Type 11 infantry gun. This gun had a small caliber, less propellant, and less power. It could not fire in a curved trajectory but could only fire in a straight trajectory. It also had a low muzzle velocity and weak anti-armor capability.

Since they had never encountered an enemy with armored vehicles on the battlefield and had never dealt with moving armored targets, the Southeast Army mainly used it to suppress enemy machine gun positions and fortifications. Moreover, the effective range of the cannon was too short, and when suppressing and destroying heavy machine gun positions, they had to advance to within the effective range of the heavy machine guns, and could only engage in head-on confrontations with the heavy machine guns.

Song Hongfei grabbed the communicator and issued a series of orders:

"The artillery battalion of the brigade will provide full coverage suppression with its howitzers and mountain guns!"

"Under artillery cover! Direct fire from the guns!"

"When the armored assault formation reaches within 500 meters of the enemy, fire smoke grenades in front for cover!"