Canteen System Assistance Notes

Chapter 37 Battle Screws

Canteen System Assistance

By Forgotten Maple X

2127 words

2020-10-13 12: 00: 00

Fanshi Pass, a crucial pass on the Japanese offensive against Shanxi Province, guarded the flanks and rear of Yanmen Pass and the flat, open river valleys of northern Shanxi Province, making it a crucial strategic location. While this importance stemmed from the Japanese army's somewhat mysterious strategic attack routes, the defenders were bound to hold this crucial pass along the enemy's path. By September 1937, the Japanese were approaching the Great Wall, intent on repeating their north-south advance.

The 115th Division where Brother Biao is located will also play an important role in this battle. Although it does not need to fight the enemy head-on like the 83rd Division and the 33rd Army of the National Army, it will also play the role of raiding the rear of the Japanese army, cutting off the Japanese army's retreat, and forming a pincer attack.

The above is completely clear and understandable to Squad Leader Wang Tiechui.

Unlike warlords and even the Japanese army, the Eighth Route Army held mobilization meetings and "Zhuge Liang meetings" before the battle, clearly explaining the general process, purpose, and significance of the battle to the grassroots commanders and even ordinary soldiers. Therefore, squad leader Comrade Tiechui not only had a general idea of ​​what the 115th Division would do this time, but also roughly knew where the Japanese army would attack from. He even had a rough idea of ​​several key points in the battle:

First, how well were the friendly forces coordinating? Could the friendly forces, circling the KMT positions from the north, arrive on schedule? If so, they could coordinate with our forces in the south, attacking the Japanese from both sides and creating a closed-door attack. However, when addressing his new squad leaders, Commander Li emphasized: Don't count on this; it's good enough if they can manage themselves.

Second, could we quickly seize control of Laoye Temple, the commanding heights of the battlefield? This was the commanding height of the Japanese supply route, and also a "salient" at a corner. If we could capture this point, we could attack from above, leaving the Japanese with nowhere to hide. Conversely, if the Japanese occupied this point, our forces would be forced to attack from above, a difficult task. The enemy would then be difficult to defeat, and the two more distant counties would likely send out multiple regiments of Japanese troops to rescue them.

Of course, our biggest advantage now is that the Japanese are unaware of our existence - without any additional instructions, Wang Tiechui and his company commander have already ordered that all troops are only allowed to open fire at night, no firelight or smoke is allowed, and they are only allowed to eat dry food during the day and hot food at night.

In this way, in silence, Wang Tiechui led his squad, following the marching column of the 686th Regiment, quietly and quickly advancing along the river valley.

It takes a lot of skill for troops to operate at night. When Wang Tiechui first joined the Red Army, he couldn't see clearly at night. The then squad leader Wu Jin taught him a trick: find pine needles, dry them, and soak them in water to drink.

This trick really worked. Gradually, Wang Tiechui's nighttime blindness was no longer as severe as a bear's. As he continued to learn, he gradually realized that this was due to a deficiency in vitamin A, which could be cured by drinking pine needle water and eating livestock liver. Now, the kitchen staff added a handful of shredded carrots to the pancakes they distributed to everyone, which seemed to have the same effect.

He also discovered a novel gadget on the 686th Regiment's side—a board that glowed in the sun during the day and fluoresced at night. The guide leading the group now carried a wooden sign with the perfectly accurate fluorescent "686" on it, ensuring the new recruits stayed in formation and maintained their formation intact at night.

But as if to make their task more difficult, not long after the Hammer's troops set out, a few raindrops began to fall from the sky, and soon, it turned into a heavy downpour.

It was already late autumn, and the night temperatures were already very low, especially after the rain. The Eighth Route Army couldn't afford to provide each soldier with a raincoat like the US Army did. Wang Tiechui and his men did bring some oilcloth with them when they left Fushe, but they had all been used on the baggage train's carts, leaving no room for anyone else.

Should we get everyone something to eat? Wang Tiechui thought of the small mooncakes distributed as an "emergency reserve." These were wrapped in transparent cellophane and hidden in the inner pockets of everyone in his class.

Before he could react, a messenger caught up with him from the back of the column and said something to the company commander who was running in front. Immediately, the messenger from the company passed down a new order:

"Everyone, keep up the pace and get the bowls ready. Go to the rest area up ahead and, in order from youngest to oldest, separate by odd and even numbers, with odd numbers on the left and even numbers on the right, go to the kitchen to get the brown sugar and shredded ginger water!"

Brown sugar and shredded ginger water, great!

"Alright! Everyone, take out your iron bowl! Starting with the deputy squad leader at the front of the line, each person has a bowl and drinks as they walk! It's already this late, don't burn your mouth!"

Tiechui slowed down his pace, slipped to the end of the marching line, and pulled out his bowl from the side of his backpack. This thing was double-layered and made of metal, so it wouldn't burn your hands when eating, but it was lighter than a wooden bowl. It was a prize only awarded to classes that performed well during training.

Look at other classes, some are still using wooden bowls, and the better ones are just cans. This kind of thing that can really bring convenience can make the whole class of Tiechui feel proud.

As they ran, a tiny, tiny light suddenly appeared in the pitch-black night. On the flat side of the valley, the kitchen team suddenly appeared. Several large iron pots were lined up, and several old acquaintances from the kitchen team were simmering pots on the stove over a fierce fire. A sweet aroma rose from the large, deep pot. On both sides of the road, soldiers were already helping, holding large spoons of soup, and beckoning the marching troops to form a column and line up to receive their share of brown sugar soup!

The marching troops were not in disarray at all. According to the previous arrangement, each team found a table with an empty seat. The odd-numbered team was on the left side of the road, and the even-numbered team was on the right side of the road. Each person had a bowl of wine, drank it, and left without any delay.

The lantern lights behind the curtains flickered. After everyone else had received theirs, Tiechui also received a bowl of steaming hot brown sugar and ginger tea. He blew on it twice and drank as he walked, finishing the sweet and spicy drink. Although the brown sugar and ginger tea had begun to cool in the few minutes he'd been drinking it on the rainy night, it still made Wang Tiechui breathe a sigh of relief.

The slightly numbing taste of ginger flowed from his mouth into his stomach along with the sweet syrup, causing him to shiver involuntarily, as if all the coldness in his body was being forced out, and his feet, which had become a little numb, seemed to have more strength.

They seemed to have added a little salt to it?

Anyway, praise the ginger soup!

The power of carbohydrates is great. In the late night of September 24 and the early morning of September 25, the 686th Regiment where Wang Tiechui was located arrived at the high ground southeast of Laoye Temple ahead of schedule.

They immediately started building their position fortifications in an orderly, calm and serious manner.

Chapter 38 The Second Wave of Assault

Canteen System Assistance

By Forgotten Maple X

2459 words

2020-10-14 12: 00: 00

While the 115th Division and Wang Tiechui's replacement regiment had both been standardized with purchased Soviet-style equipment, it had only been less than six months since Liu He's company purchased the supplies. Factoring in the time it took to transport and deliver them, the 115th Division's refit was somewhat rushed. Even Wang Tiechui and his men weren't given "water-link" training aids during training, instead using Japanese Type 38 rifles. It was only in the latter half of training, as the unit's future deployment became clear, that they switched to Soviet Mosin-Nagant rifles to maintain equipment consistency.

Fortunately, the Supplementary Corps had the foresight to separate the training of the machine gunners. From the beginning of their training, they had been using Maxim and DP machine guns, so there was no need for modification. While Wang Tiechui was building fortifications, he unexpectedly saw his old platoon leader.

Wu Jin.

But after not seeing each other for more than half a year, how come the old platoon leader became the new company commander?

"It's time to upgrade our weaponry. I have four Maxims and six... what's that called, 'Turtle Fist'? Yeah, that thing." Wu Jin pointed to a bunch of plastic bottles he was holding. "For machine guns only, don't drink," was written in red on each bottle. "I'm in charge of so many guys, and you don't give me the position of machine gun company commander?"

Machine guns refer to both machine guns and artillery. Indeed, Tiechui's machine gun platoon had only two light machine guns. Wu Jin, on the other hand, had three platoons under his command: two heavy machine gun platoons each with two heavy machine guns, and a firearms platoon with six "turtle fist" firing crews. The rest of the troops were stationed in the regimental baggage line, driving carts laden with ammunition. It was a massive organization.

Suddenly, the submachine gun in my hand didn't seem so useful anymore.

Wang Tiechui suppressed this strange feeling of frustration. While helping the new recruits dig footholes in the side of the trench, he said to Captain Wu, "Plague Leader Wu... Oh no, Captain Wu, what are your instructions?"

"Okay! I haven't seen you for half a year, why are you speaking in an official tone now? Oh, now I remember, Chui, you're a squad leader now. You're an official, so you talk differently!" Wu Jin poked Tie Chui's chest with his elbow and teased him, "Just call me like you used to... You've grown a lot stronger, it seems the food in Fushi is pretty good."

------

"It's nothing serious. After this battle, the people in the replenishment regiment will be dispersed and replenished in various regiments. I came to ask you, do you want to join the machine gun company? If you are willing, I will talk to the regiment commander and you can submit a report. It will definitely be no problem." The two of them had been working together and had a tacit understanding. Wu Jin was inviting him. "You can read and write, and you can do arithmetic. Someone needs to learn the new guns and cannons. I know your qualities, and you will definitely learn quickly."

amount……

Wang Tiechui looked down at the two magazines strapped to his chest, now filled with yellow bullets. Their "owners" were strapped to his back. Honestly, the MP submachine gun he was so proud of was no match for heavy machine guns and shoulder-fired artillery. If he had been assigned to the machine gun company during the reorganization, doing his old job under his old comrades, he would have been able to catch a snail with three fingers, with almost no chance of success.

But there were a total of 12 people in his squad. Including himself and the deputy squad leader, there were only two veterans. The rest were greenhorns from the northwest. Tiechui felt like a worried father. If he was transferred away, what would happen to these young guys? Would the new squad leader or something bully them?

There is division of labor in the revolution, old platoon leader. Does this count as poaching your revolutionary comrades?

Just as Wang Tiechui was pondering how to respond to Wu Jin, a messenger from the company headquarters came running up. The soldier, carrying a shoulder bag, saluted the two men and briefly relayed the latest order from the regiment headquarters:

Wang Tiechui's company immediately turned in their automatic weapons. The regiment was organizing an assault battalion! After the new recruit company turned in their automatic weapons, the machine gun battalion split into squads and platoons, gathering as the second wave of assault force. They would follow the reinforced assault battalion to seize the high ground ahead and establish positions to prevent an enemy counterattack!

-------

Wang Tiechui knew the core of this battle: the 686th Regiment was currently lurking behind the Japanese offensive position on the hills south of the Weidai Highway. To the north of the highway, there was a place called Laoye Temple, a high ground that must be captured.

Although reconnaissance showed that there were no Japanese on the high ground, there were Japanese military police on bicycles patrolling the Weidai Road, and the 686th Regiment could not secretly cross the road and climb to the high ground without alerting the enemy.

Therefore, the attack on the high ground must be launched after the battle begins.

This placed high demands on the comprehensive qualities of the infantry. Although the straight-line distance of this short-distance assault may be less than 2 kilometers, they must advance with lightning speed, clear obstacles, and quickly climb to the heights. This also meant that they had to travel light while maximizing their firepower density.

The regimental headquarters' guard company arrived. Though extremely reluctant, Tiechui resolutely surrendered his still-warmed portable machine gun in exchange for a Mosin-Nagant. Behind the lines, the soldiers preparing to serve as the assault battalion were removing their backpacks and other belongings, replacing them with submachine gun gear, weapons, and ammunition. They were then strapping as many grenades as possible onto their belts. Some of the more physically fit even carried machetes.

"Don't just watch the thief eat the meat and forget about the thief being beaten."

Wu Jin's words pulled him out of his thoughts. "The commandos are fighting with their spirit and momentum. On the battlefield, momentum is both the most useful and the least useful thing. Whether they can hold their ground depends on us."

Tiechui nodded. As a former assistant gunner, he naturally knew the significance of machine guns and shoulder-mounted artillery on the battlefield. They were the prototypes of Maxim. The Maxim machine gun ended the intensive infantry charge and replaced personal bravery with continuous ammunition projection.

"Second wave, we must follow quickly! As long as these four machine guns hold their ground, I don't think any Japanese dare to counterattack!"

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The sun gradually rose, the rain subsided, and the fog was gradually dissipating along the Weidai Highway from Xiaozhai to Laoye Temple Plateau. The few Japanese sentries, drowsy but still alert, stood at their posts. The battle against the preserved fruit army to the west had raged all night. After much difficulty, the Imperial Army had finally broken through the enemy's left flank and was pressing towards the right.

But he, a private, didn't know this. He only knew that even the powerful Imperial Army was very tired, and after such a fierce battle, their ammunition must have been consumed.

In the distance, the sound of a car engine drifted through the still-humid air. The Japanese sentry perked up, knowing that the supply troops, responsible for delivering rations, had arrived, and perhaps reinforcements as well. If he showed any signs of fatigue, he would inevitably be kicked by a boot or hit with a three-pointer.

Regardless, the supply troops were always relatively "rich." He felt his pocket. A few days ago, when his troops captured a county town, he found a small folding mirror from a man who looked like an officer. It was quite good.

However, as a private, he had no use for such an elegant thing. After he took out the troublesome photo under the mirror with a bayonet, he planned to use this thing to bribe a sergeant in the supply unit, so that he might be able to get some good cigarettes.

Well... there are cigarettes to smoke, preferably Asahi brand!

As he thought this, the engine noise in his ears grew louder and louder. He could even see the auto and the three-wheeled motorcycle ahead of it. They were the vanguard, and they were not easy to talk to.

However, amidst the engine sound, a series of powerful, sharp and loud horn sounds suddenly broke in.

Hmm?

Chapter 39: Infantry moves quickly!

Canteen System Assistance

By Forgotten Maple X

2445 words

2020-10-15 12: 00: 00

Rush up!

The bugler's charge was like a pre-dinner chant, energizing everyone and energizing themselves. Tiechui's position was almost at the western edge of the 686th Regiment, bordering the 685th Regiment's starting position. He and the squad leader, nearly 200 meters apart, fired together, bringing down the determined sentry. Then, like a yellow-gray avalanche rushing down the mountain, the assault battalion advanced silently and swiftly.

It was very strange. Apart from the sounds of gunfire, running, explosions, whistles and bugles, the battlefield was actually quiet at that moment.

The Eighth Route Army's assault troops rarely roared with cheers like the Fengtian Army's pistol squad, except in close combat. Wang Tiechui pulled the bolt, and a hot shell jumped out and fell to the ground. It wasn't time for them to charge yet; he needed to be the leader of his rifle squad.

The Japanese supply column at the foot of the mountain was instantly twisted into a ball. 60mm mortar shells flew over the ridge and pounded the narrow valley, blasting everything in its path. But the Japanese quickly realized that the main attackers were coming from the front, rear, and left of the unit, leaving the right side safe. Under the scolding and whipping of their sergeants, many Japanese troops began to evacuate to the right side of the road using motor vehicles and carts, using these improvised shelters to launch a counterattack.

Almost at the same time, the characteristic chirping sound of the Type 99 rifle was heard, and it began to try to suppress the machine guns on the ridge.

"Waiting for you, little devil!"

Wu Jin held the whistle in his mouth and blew a few short notes in succession. The turtle-fist artillery crew of the machine gun company immediately lay down on the firing position. Following the guidance of several tracer bullets, the assistant gunner stuffed a short and thick super-caliber bullet with a caliber of 105 into the front of the launch tube, and then patted the gunner on the shoulder.

High explosive shot, loaded!

Bang!

Powered by 9V dry-cell batteries, the six-grade black powder charges exploded in sequence, leveraging the terrain's elevation difference to stagger over 200 meters before crashing into the vicinity of the newly-awakened Type 6 light machine gun crew. Two well-placed rounds detonated a kilogram of reinforced Zhou-style powder, sending shrapnel from the grooved shrapnel shields scattering the hapless crew.

The Turtle Fist's warhead didn't need to withstand chamber pressure, so it could hold a significantly larger charge. The explosion, comparable to that of an 82mm mortar, paralyzed the Japanese firepower, and in those fleeting minutes, the assault battalion had already crossed the front of the Japanese line and began charging towards the heights of Laoye Temple!

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Some Japanese soldiers had already discovered this force that had crossed their flank and was heading towards their only safe back. They began shouting, trying to inform the commanding sergeant and squad leader. Soon, a Japanese soldier who looked more neatly dressed drew his command knife, blew a whistle, shouted, and began to climb the hill with a small group of Japanese soldiers.

In fact, along this long section of the road, Japanese commanders had already begun commanding their troops to climb towards the Laoye Temple Heights - after all, this was the only side that was free from enemy fire.

The second wave of charge sounded. Wang Tiechui stepped on the foothole dug on the trench wall, fired a shot, and rushed out. They wanted to take advantage of the Japanese army's confusion and the obstacles in front had been cleared by the vanguard battalion. With the cover of the 685th Regiment behind them and the machine gun company, they would catch up with the vanguard battalion that had already started climbing the mountain.

Wang Dachui's deputy squad leader was a few seconds late. He took a deep breath, first killed the shouting Japanese sergeant, then picked up the bullet box beside him and followed.

"Go! Go! Go!" It wasn't just someone shouting, but in the noisy battlefield, it sounded like a mosquito's buzz.

On Wang Tiechui's back was Maxim's wheeled tripod. Honestly, it was huge and heavy, making it difficult to carry, unlike the Sanjie, which could be carried by two people. But without hesitation, he piled the 21-kilogram thing onto his luggage rack and ran away like a two-wheeled trailer with legs.

For this purpose, he did not even carry a rifle, only the bayonet attached to his gun.

In the choking, blue-gray smoke, he maintained a rhythmic breathing as he moved rapidly with the forward and backward shooters, who were cradling their guns, carrying cooling water, and covered with bullets. They passed through burning sidecar motorcycles, past the dead and groaning Japanese scouts, sheltering themselves in the wreckage and terrain, paying no attention to the occasional stray bullet that flew by their ears.

Hurry——!

It was a long whistle, most likely from Wu Jin. But even before his brain could react, Wang Tiechui's body automatically followed the red armbands at the front of the line—the "vanguard" of the second wave's charge, responsible for leading the entire echelon along the path opened by the first echelon and onto the high ground. However, as squad leader, he noticed that the new recruits in his squad, though a few beats slower to react, had also formed a sparse column, carrying shovels, rifles, and machine gun ammunition, and no one was left behind.

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The path beneath his feet gradually became muddy and steeper. The heavy gun carriage forced his center of gravity backward, forcing Wang Tiechui to use his hands and feet to clumsily climb the mountain. Fortunately, his long-established muscle strength helped him maintain his balance. Adequate nutrition and endurance training had allowed him to breathe normally so far, without the nauseous reaction he had experienced before when he had to "pull the bellows" after a short distance.

Above his head, it seemed that a group of people crossed the ridge. Amid the sparse sound of bugles, the figures on the ridge disappeared, followed by highly intensive gunfire and the sound of grenade explosions.

The first wave of vanguard battalion has begun to launch a counterattack against the Japanese army from top to bottom.

"Come on! The ones ahead have already opened fire, we can't fall behind!"

Maybe it was a habit from training, but Wang Tiechui didn't care if anyone could hear him or not, but he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Rush to the mountain, set up the machine guns, and shout! Let's get those little Jap!"

"Ow!"

This time he heard the angry roars of the soldiers behind him. The pancakes and scrambled eggs they had eaten before setting off drove their bodies, and everyone rushed to the heights of the Laoye Temple in one go.

Suddenly, the view opened up, revealing the chaotic battlefield before everyone: the assault battalion was already embroiled in a tangle with the Japanese charging up the mountain, but surprisingly, there had been no fierce hand-to-hand combat. The veterans, working in groups of three, alternated their attacks, their submachine guns delivering ferocious close-range firepower, overwhelming the Japanese. And if an enemy approached within fifty meters, one would invariably unleash an egg-shaped "great treasure," dispatching any Japanese who attempted to charge from above.

Further away, the vanguard of other troops—they had passed the enemy's line at the end and climbed the high ground of Laoye Temple. Their equally intense firepower made it impossible for the enemy to engage in close combat, forcing them to retreat step by step. On the crowded road, livestock lay dead, trucks caught fire, and the Japanese seemed doomed to fail.

and many more……

Wang Dachui did not put down his gun mount and looked around the battlefield. He found that in the middle of the Japanese army column, our army's 60 mortars did not take care of it in time. There was a circle of trucks forming a semi-circle far beyond the firing range on the south side of the road. Over there, there was a circle of Japanese people whose clothes seemed a little different. They seemed to be coordinating with each other tacitly, taking turns to cover the retreat from their respective battle positions, and led by another guy holding a command knife, they climbed up the hillside, trying to bypass the flank of the vanguard battalion.

He immediately remembered a piece of information from the "Zhuge Liang Meeting" before the war: this time's baggage train was likely to include "motorized infantry" serving as guards, and was a direct subordinate of Itagaki Seishirō's Fifth Division.

Could it be that group of people?

"Old company commander! Old company commander!" He didn't have time to report. He called out to the machine gunner and deputy gunner beside him, as well as the deputy squad leader who was following him closely. "Did you see that group of Japs? Let's go to their flank!"