Chapter 197: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 197 Cannons and Machine Guns

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Under cover of this artificially created thick fog, on the sea surface, the devils of the Guo Qi Detachment's Forty-First Regiment, serving as the First Echelon, crowded densely aboard assault boats and small landing craft, ready to charge at any moment.

A vanguard regiment of the Sixth Division served as the Second Echelon, preparing aboard warships; when the Guo Qi Detachment could no longer hold out, they would advance to support.

"Naval gunfire cease fire! Smoke has covered the target area! First Echelon, charge!" The order was transmitted by radio to the Forty-First Regiment of the Guo Qi Detachment.

Under cover of the dense smoke screen, assault boats and small landing craft loaded with soldiers of the Forty-First Regiment opened full throttle, charging toward the Jinshanwei beachhead.

The Forty-First Regiment had lost a battalion's worth of troops in the previous day's combat, so this battle directly committed both remaining battalions to the battlefield.

Because of the need to transport troops, with two battalions plus attached poison gas shell units and extra ammunition, the devils had to adopt a method of transport in batches.

After the first batch of ships reached the shallow beach, the soldiers quickly jumped into the water, using the smoke cover to grope forward toward the beachhead, while the empty boats immediately turned around to receive the follow-up troops.

The smoke screen covered the beachhead, with an effect much better than yesterday's, providing the little devils with considerable cover.

Although the Youth Army's firepower remained fierce in its coverage, the casualties inflicted were obviously far fewer than yesterday's, and the devils' vanguard began groping toward the beachhead.

In the sky, the Southwest Air Force's BF109 fighter planes came roaring in for support; the Japanese had committed a large amount of air power to the Dachang operation, which entangled the Southwest Air Force as well, causing them to arrive a bit late.

The pilots looked down at the coastline almost completely shrouded in white and gray smoke, discovered that the cunning devils were using the smoke screen cover to begin advancing, and immediately called by radio.

"Ground attention, this is the Southwest Air Force; the enemy has used smoke to cover the entire beachhead, the vanguard has already landed at various positions, repeat, the enemy's vanguard has already landed successively at Positions One through Five on the Jinshanwei Beach!"

The news quickly reached Zhang Fei's command post.

"Damn it, the little devils are playing dirty with us!" Zhang Fei cursed, then immediately grabbed another telephone, "Artillery position! This is Zhang Fei! Target, according to preset firing data, implement covering fire on Positions One through Five! Don't let the little devils land comfortably!"

"Received! Artillery position, target beachhead at Positions One through Five, immediately implement artillery fire strike!"

The Youth Army artillery position hidden in the deep area behind Jinshanwei began to work; in yesterday's combat, the artillery position had not been used, because the machine gun fire and some direct-fire guns on the position were already sufficient, and the enemy had not had many people rush onto the beach.

But under today's circumstances, the power of the artillery position had to be mobilized; the ten mountain guns responsible for supporting Position One began firing, shells tore through the sky, smashing toward the beachhead area shrouded in smoke.

At the same time, the mortars on the front line were also put into use, to deal with the devils attempting to advance through the smoke.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Violent explosions rose and fell one after another in the smoke, firelight sometimes penetrating the smoke screen and flashing.

The Japanese, now preparing to land or just stepping onto the beachhead, not only had to face machine gun fire from the front, but also had to endure shell bombardment from behind.

Shells falling into the water raised huge water columns, and those landing on the beachhead blasted out crater after crater; the devils were instantly thrown into disarray, their screams drowned out by the explosions.

Shattered limbs and weaponry flew everywhere; this sudden artillery barrage indeed caused considerable chaos and casualties to the Japanese landing, disrupting their attack rhythm.

However, relying on the smoke screen and desperate charges, many Japanese soldiers still successfully rushed onto the beachhead and began using craters and obstacles as cover to infiltrate inland.

Even more deadly, the Japanese poison gas detachment landing with the infantry began to act; the mortars used to fire poison gas shells had already been set up.

"Poison gas shells ready—fire!"

Thud thud thud!

The Japanese grenade launchers and mortars fired specially made poison gas shells toward the Youth Army's frontline positions; these shells made relatively dull explosion sounds, releasing not firelight, but colored, odorous deadly poison smoke.

The Forty-First Regiment and the Tianya Brigade previously at Huishan Wharf used the same model of poison gas shells, employing benzene cyanide arsenic poison gas; victims would experience severe vomiting symptoms.

Poison smoke spread, and the little devils huddled on the beachhead, waiting for follow-up troops to land while waiting for the poison gas shells to take effect.

On Position One, some soldiers who inhaled the poison gas began showing severe coughing, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision and other symptoms; some even vomited up the lunch they had eaten.

However, gas defense work was widespread in the Youth Army; under the leadership of grassroots officers, everyone quickly realized the devils were launching a poison gas attack.

"Cough cough... what smell..."

"It's poison gas! The little devils released gas!"

"Quick! Put on gas masks!"

Zhang Lanbo also smelled a pungent strange odor in the machine gun bunker.

"Damn little devils! Put on gas masks quickly!" Zhang Lanbo cursed while he and his comrades quickly grabbed the gas masks hanging at their waists and skillfully put them on their heads.

Looking through somewhat blurred lenses at the beachhead outside still shrouded in thick smoke and beginning to mix with poison gas, Zhang Lanbo couldn't help but curse, "This mask and smoke are really blocking the view!"

"Brothers, put on your masks! Even if you can't see, you have to fire for me! Covering fire toward anywhere there's movement! Don't spare the bullets! Absolutely cannot let the little devils advance through the smoke!" The company commander's muffled voice came through the mask.

Instantly, the firing sounds of MG34s, M2 heavy machine guns, 20mm autocannons, 37mm direct-fire guns, pistols, rifles, and submachine guns rang out again on the position.

The devils on the beachhead were hit by a round of tight firepower strikes, suffering many casualties; the BF109 fighter planes in the sky also began diving attacks and dropping bombs.

Some BF109 fighter planes also began attacking the devils' landing craft, and many devils went down with their ships to become fish food in the Jinshanwei Sea Area.

This action provoked a counterattack from the Japanese; after dropping smoke grenades, the enemy also sent fighter planes to provide support.

The devils on the ground; the available manpower of the Guo Qi Detachment's Forty-First Regiment had all landed, the devils all put on gas masks, preparing to seize Position One of the Jinshanwei Beach in one go.

Forty-First Regiment regimental commander Colonel Tetsujiro Tani drew his command sword with a swish and waved it forward, the sword tip pointing toward the smoke ahead:

"Kill chicken give give!!! Charge through the smoke onto the beachhead position!"

"Anyone retreating without authorization will be shot on the spot!!!"