newbobooks Chapter 124: Iron Torrent
Chapter 124: Iron Torrent
The Weasels were adjusting their parameters, preparing to attack the rapidly advancing Stran tank cluster. Cai Yong, who had already prepared nearby, did not hesitate and ordered the guns to open fire.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—" 20 9-barrel 107mm rocket launchers, with 180 shells, flew like arrows, landing precisely among the Japanese weasel pack. The violent explosion immediately turned these defenseless hunters into prey, and one destroyer after another became scrap metal, with various parts flying everywhere. The detonated shells once again formed a huge smoke column among the weasels. Cai Yong did not give the Japanese any chance, and regardless of the danger of being attacked by the Japanese, he ordered the guns to reload as soon as possible and launched a second artillery attack to completely annihilate the Japanese weasel group!
"Baga!" Mo Shangjing was furious when he received the news. He ordered the 3rd Tank Regiment and other tank units to rush forward and engage in a decisive battle with the US and British tanks. At the same time, he ordered the artillery to immediately cover and attack the exposed enemy artillery units.
Cai Yong knew when to stop, and without even bothering to take away most of the rocket launchers, he took the 1st Battalion, artillery and a small number of rocket launchers, and made a detour forward again, hiding near the attacked Weasel, preparing to launch a sneak attack on other Japanese troops.
Yang Hong had received news of the tank cluster battle between the two sides and immediately began to move, making a circuitous movement towards the Japanese logistics line. Pu Zhengsong, Martin, and Liu Bolun also discovered that the attacking Japanese 1st Tank Regiment was adjusting its direction and immediately realized that the Japanese Panther cluster had been ambushed. They had the same idea and must not let the Japanese support troops get through. So, regardless of the danger, they ordered a full-scale counterattack. Wedemeyer and Scott, who were commanding from behind, obviously realized this and immediately ordered the artillery units to open fire at full force without fear of exposure, and to hold back the other Japanese mechanized units and prevent them from reinforcing the enemy in the Yingla area!
All-out fighting erupted in the outskirts of Silchar. The Allied forces' relentless bombardment and counterattacks completely disrupted the Japanese army's plans. Mo Shangjing frantically ordered all tank units to rush to the Yingluck area, determined to engage in a decisive battle there and annihilate the Allied tank cluster.
However, the commanders of the 1st and 2nd Divisions, already fed up with Mo Shangjing's overbearing behavior, ordered their subordinate tank and armored units, without knowing the full situation, to focus on covering and blocking Allied counterattacks against their divisions. This dramatically exposed the Japanese forces' mountainous terrain, significantly weakening their ability to coordinate forces.
Mo Shangjing cursed these foolish commanders and issued a stern question to Kimura. At the same time, he was forced to lead his own division's subordinates to join the fight against Yingluck. The breakdown in the Japanese command structure gave Yang Hong and his men an opportunity. The assault columns composed of the 112th and 113th Brigades, amidst the Japanese army's chaotic maneuvers, quietly approached the Japanese rear...
On the Yingluck battlefield, tanks from both sides engaged in a chaotic battle. The Japanese tank forces gradually stabilized from the initial chaos. Although they suffered some losses, they took advantage of their thick armor and sharp guns to continuously destroy and damage Allied tanks. The 37mm guns of the British Matilda II infantry tanks, Valentine infantry tanks, Cromwell cruiser tanks, and others, hit the Panther tanks like a tickle. However, the Panther's 75mm extended-scope gunfire could easily blow these tanks upside down with a single shot.
The greatest threat to the Panther was the M3. At close range, its 37mm armor-piercing rounds could penetrate the Panther's flanks and tracks, while its 75mm howitzer could penetrate the Panther head-on at close range. Aside from the initial losses caused by artillery fire, approximately 20 Japanese Panthers were destroyed by the M3.
Of course, neither the M3 nor any other Allied tank could withstand the Panther's blow. The battlefield burned and exploded, mostly due to Allied tanks. Stellan knew he couldn't let the Japanese tanks huddle together like a fist, so he ordered each tank group to close in on the Japanese tanks as much as possible. Only by engaging in close combat and gaining numerical superiority could the Allies achieve victory!
"Boom!" A shell exploded on the side of Stellan's Matilda II tank. Fortunately, the driver reacted quickly and avoided the enemy's fire. Stellan, sweating coldly, quickly ordered a turn, circumventing the attack and firing his 37mm gun at the tail of the attacking Japanese tank No. 045. The Japanese tank turned around and withstood the Matilda II's fire head-on. The turret turned and pointed coldly at Stellan. The tank commander quickly reversed and prepared to retreat down the slope to avoid the Japanese.
"Boom——" the shell hit the Matilda II, but there was no secondary explosion. Stellan and others rolled inside the tank and quickly returned to their posts. The Japanese shell hit the raised left corner of the front of the tank, tearing off a large part of the left corner of the tank. The main body of the tank did not suffer fatal damage. The commander started the tank several times but could not move it. Obviously, the track must have broken. At this time, the Japanese No. 045 tank had already driven over, adjusted the angle, and prepared to give Stellan and others the final blow.
"Abandon the vehicle!" Stellan ordered as he opened the top cover and prepared to rush out. Unexpectedly, the Japanese 045 tank did not give him any chance and fired non-stop with its coaxial machine guns aimed at the top cover. At the same time, the muzzle was already aimed at Stellan!
At this dangerous moment, there was a crisp "bang" of gunfire, and the Japanese 045 tank staggered and its turret tilted. It was obvious that the track was broken by a sniper rifle. At the same time, the shells flew past the left side of Stellan and his men!
From the lookout, Stellan saw several soldiers appear on the side of the tank. One of them was a yellow-skinned soldier who lit a Molotov cocktail, quickly moved around, and threw it hard at the Panther tank No. 045. He was Chinese, a Chinese soldier!
"Da da da——" A Japanese officer-like guy quickly opened the top cover and knocked down the Chinese soldier with a German MP18 submachine gun. The Molotov cocktail also deviated from the curve and fell to the ground on the side of the tank. At the same time, the Japanese officer was also killed by the Chinese soldiers who followed up to cover him and fell on the top of the tank!
The Matilda II driver, who had already crawled out from the bottom, angrily raised an anti-tank grenade and rushed towards the Japanese tank at high speed. The angle of his charge happened to be the blind spot of the Japanese 045 tank. The commander quickly climbed onto the Japanese tank, pulled the fuse, and threw the grenade into the Japanese tank from the top.
"Da da da——", the machine gun of another Japanese tank mercilessly hit the driver, and he fell powerlessly from the enemy tank. At the same time, a secondary explosion occurred inside the No. 045 Leopard tank. The tank's turret was blown into the sky in the violent explosion, and then fell heavily more than 10 meters away!
The Japanese tanks that had attacked the driver were no better. Several soldiers laboriously pulled a rapid-fire cannon uphill, quickly adjusting the angle. A burst of shells pierced its side, sending the fuel tank bursting into flames. An M3 tank raced over and calmly fired at the back of the Panther.
"Boom——" No matter how powerful the Leopard was, it could not withstand the close-range bombardment of the 75mm howitzer. Amidst the huge explosion, the Japanese tank was destroyed!