Chapter 250 Battle of Tangshan 3

Over the years, the Feng army's tactical positioning of mortars and the importance attached to mortars of various calibers have been changing. In the early days, the Feng army paid most attention to 80mm mortars, believing that the gun could effectively serve as battalion-level support guns, supplementing the traditional lack of the number of body-manage guns.

This period was generally before the first half of the Russo-Japanese War, that is, before 1905, the focus of the development of Feng's mortars was mainly towards 80mm mortars.

However, in the process of the Russo-Japanese War, with the large number of heavy machine guns installed by various countries and warlords, the Feng army has put anti-machine gun operations on the number one development agenda. Specifically, the number of 60mm mortars of the Feng army has increased significantly in just one year, while the 80mm mortars originally focused on With the original scale, there is no large-scale expansion.

After the Battle of Tongzhou last year, although the 60mm mortars reflected the anti-machine gun capability, the Feng army found itself in the face of the enemy's perfect trench defense system. The shelling effect of a large number of 75mm artillery installed by the existing artillery units on the trenches is extremely limited, far from meeting the requirements of superior troops. The shelling effect, because at that time, when the artillery fired grenades, unless the shell directly hit the trenches, the killing of enemy soldiers can be said to be equal to zero. Even if grenades are used, unless the shells are good enough to explode over the enemy's trenches, the killing effect is limited, and the enemy is not Stupid, people will not foolishly stay in the trenches for you to shell. They will enter the cannon hole during the shelling. At that time, the shelling effect of grenade bullets will be directly equal to zero.

In this case, the artillery force found that the 120 mm heavy mortar was quite effective. On the one hand, the curved ballistics allow these heavy mortars to be launched at close range while effectively protecting their own safety, and the second, and most importantly, this 120 mm* It is so powerful that even if the fragments of the explosion do not directly hit the enemy, the huge shock wave generated after the explosion can cause great damage to the enemy.

Why were heavy artillery rampant in the Western Front of World War I? Because the effect of small-sized guns on the enemy in the trench is very low, but even if more than 120 mm, especially 150 mm heavy guns, are not directly hit, the shock wave can also give the enemy enough damage. If a shell is hit, it can even directly collapse the cannon hole.

The contemporary Chinese battlefield is naturally impossible to be compared with the Western Front War in history, but because of Zhao Dongyun's appearance, heavy machine guns began to be equipped with a large number of troops of various countries during the Russo-Japanese War. The number of heavy machine guns of domestic warlords is quite large, and because of the so-called machine guns made by Zhao Dongyun a few years ago Trench defense theory has led to a large number of defensive battles on the domestic battlefield.

For example, last year's Battle of Tongzhou, now the Battle of Wuhan in Hubei is actually a very typical position battle. In this case, after the artillery found that the 120mm heavy mortars were quite useful, the military naturally did not hesitate to increase the number of 120mm mortars. In the past The division's artillery regiment has 12 battalions, which has now increased to 16 in one battalion. The mixed brigade also has a company of nine 120mm heavy mortars. Not only that, Zhao Dongyun has specially set up several independent heavy mortar battalions. Now the three divisions of the Feng army are heavy mortar battalions, three mixed The brigade's heavy mortar company and three independent heavy mortar battalions are equipped with more than 100 120mm heavy mortars.

Even in order to improve the power of the existing 120mm mortar, the military also intends to install the shell of the gun with bitter acid explosives to increase the explosive power.

Today, after several years of development, the Feng army's mortar force has been initially improved. Its tactical positioning is clear and its caliber is multi-level, forming a 60mm mortar as a company-level support firepower, striking the enemy's front-line machine gun fire point and civil works; 80mm mortars serve as the main artillery support fire of the battalion-level troops. Strength, to supplement the insufficient fire density of traditional artillery; 120mm heavy mortars serve as large-caliber howitzers lacking in the Feng army, destroying the enemy's strong defense line with powerful heavy shells.

In the above three caliber mortars, in fact, the latter belongs to the jurisdiction of artillery, while 80mm mortars are mainly deployed at the battalion level, so most of the artillery support that ordinary soldiers can get in daily life is actually 60mm mortars.

Now Li Cung-go commands the two 60mm mortars of the second company, which are the direct artillery support they can get.

After the covering rapid shooting of two 60mm mortars, the maximum combat rate of fire of the mortar was hit, and in a short time, the position where the shell fell was filled with a burst of white smoke, which was the smoke produced by the explosives of the shell.

Although the direct army that had just rushed up expected to be counterattacked by the Feng army, it did not expect to be bombarded by more than 30 shells in a short period of time. With the sound of the explosion and the smoke, the position was surprisingly quiet.

Until two minutes later, Li Cungao saw the straight soldiers retreating back in twos and threes of gunpowder smoke.

"Good hit!" Li Cun Gao looked excited: "Go and get the shells up. If you can hold it today, you can rely on this mortar!"

The fierce shelling just now almost killed all the shells carried by the two mortars. If the shells are not replenished from the rear in time, it will be difficult to guard later.

However, on the other side of the front, several direct army officers in blue-gray military uniforms put down their binoculars with black faces: "Who is the commander of the team? Who ordered him to retreat? This is fucking rushed up. Why did he retreat?"

Another captain also looked frightened: "Is this the 60mm cannon of the Feng army? I think there are at least six doors!"

The major beside him said with a black face, "Six farts. It would be good if half of the people who rushed up just came back. At most, there were only three, not more than four!"

It is not a secret that the Fengjun's mass-equipped mortars are not, especially the 60mm mortars are well known by outsiders. Last year, Wang Shizhen even captured two of the cannons in the Tongzhou Campaign. Since last year, there have been many cannons circulating through various means and channels, so the performance of the cannon is not It's a secret. Many people know that although this kind of mortar looks inconspicuous, its firepower is very fierce when it really fights, and its maximum rate of fire can easily exceed 15 rounds.

"But they just hit so fiercely that I guess their shells are almost ready. Let the fourth company rush again. They shouldn't have too many shells!" The major decisively ordered.

The direct army has a good estimate. There are not many shells of these two mortars under Li Cungao, but what the direct army generals didn't expect is that this is Tangshan, the location of Fuyuan Machinery Factory, and there is nothing else in Tangshan, but the shells and bullets are absolutely enough. Otherwise, Li Cun Gao would not have let go of his hands and feet. He shot out more than 30 rounds* in a fire attack, because he shot so many*, and the rear would send him more mortar shells.

This afternoon and evening, the explosion and gunfire in Hanhezhuang have never stopped, and the sound of heavy machine guns and mortar explosions have been heard from beginning to end. The second company of Feng army guarding Hanhezhuang faced the attack of more than one battalion, relying on enough for a battalion to fight several large-scale battles. The ammunition kept spilling out, and finally survived until the arrival of the night.

With the advent of night, all the Tangshan fronts, including Han Hezhuang, stopped gunfire one after another. In this era when most of the soldiers were night blind and the troops also seriously lacked night combat training, night battles rarely occurred.

Seeing that the sky had darkened, Han Wuduo was also secretly relieved. The day finally survived. Sitting on the ammunition box in the anti-aircraft gun, Han Wuduo felt that his whole body was full of fatigue. In the past four hours, the second company led by him was attacked by more than one infantry battalion. Attack, and the battalion also received artillery support from an artillery battalion of the rear direct army in the early stage, resulting in great pressure on Han Wuduo's second company's defense.

Towards evening, a heavy machine gun under his command had been shooting for a long time, and there was not enough cooling water in advance. Because of the young and nervousness, the commander of the machine gun forcibly ordered the heavy machine gun that lacked cooling water to fire after facing the enemy's attack, and finally the barrel of the gun was completely scrapped.

After losing a heavy machine gun, the pressure of the second company became greater. Fortunately, the night came soon, and the direct army on the opposite side stopped attacking, which gave the second company a chance to breathe.

"Lieutenant Li, you take someone to repair the defense line and machine gun fortress first. I'll go to the battalion headquarters for another heavy machine gun, otherwise I'm afraid it will be difficult to guard tomorrow!" Han Wuduo did not go to Li Cung-go. After saying that, he went out directly. When the battle just happened in the afternoon, Li Cung-go saw his cowardice, so Han Wuduo did not want to be ashamed in front of his subordinates and left after saying that.

Li Cun Gao looked at Han Wuduo's departure and said nothing more. Since this afternoon, it has been impossible for Han Wuduo to gain his respect. When the war broke out, Han Wuduo has always been in a state of panic. Almost all the first two battles were commanded by Li Cung Gao instead of him.

This person is also a top five graduate of the Infantry Section of the Provincial Army Officer School. Although he was also the first time to command company-level troops on the battlefield, he showed amazing tactical ability, so that although the second company was fiercely attacked by the direct army, it was still blocked.

After Han Wuduo calmed down, he took over the command, but as soon as he took over the command, he issued a retreat order and asked the troops to withdraw to the second line of defense, which naturally made Li Cungao quite dissatisfied. He commanded painstakingly for two hours to defend the first line, but in a blink of an eye, he defended How can he be convinced that the battle is abandoned on his own initiative?

After retreating, Li Cun Gao commanded a successful counterattack. When he wanted to command the infantry to reoccupy the first trench, he was opposed by Han Wuduo and forced to give up, which made Li Cungo even more dissatisfied.

When Han Wuduo went to the battalion headquarters to request machine gun support and ammunition support, Li Cun Gao also wrote today's battle report in the night. In the report, he naturally rudely belittled Han Wuduo and even directly asked his superiors to dispatch another company commander.