PFC Chapter 109 Observation Group
Chapter 109 Observation Group
The Lone Wolf Commando never found an opportunity. When the Japanese army started bombing this morning, Chen Feng was in contact with Li Yunyan, asking for battle reports.
In addition to sending Chen Feng a battle report, Li Yunyan also brought suggestions from the commander-in-chief and Commander Li of the Fifth War Zone. Both giants suggested that the Lone Wolf Commando should no longer carry out dangerous missions, but should find a hillside to lie down and form a spectator team to observe the battlefield. By the way, they could come up with some ideas like the reverse slope tactics, which would be more effective than taking the risk of exploding munitions.
The battle report contained good news except for the heavy losses suffered by the 60th Army. The reverse slope tactics tested on the front line yesterday were very successful, with the losses of artillery and artillery being less than 10%.
Because of this tactic, the National Army successfully blocked the Japanese army outside the first trench and caused heavy casualties to the Japanese army. In addition, this tactic was recognized by the commander-in-chief, who ordered it to be promoted throughout the army.
Seeing the suggestions of the battlefield observation team, Chen Feng smiled bitterly. The reverse slope tactics were just a flash of inspiration. Most tactics of later generations were not suitable for the current battlefield. However, the Japanese army's defense was too strict and there was no chance to take advantage. He could only temporarily form a battlefield observation team.
At 9:30 in the morning, Li Zongren received a telegram reporting the battle situation from Lu Han and Sun Lianzhong's troops. He was ecstatic. The plan was successful. The Japanese army bombed all fake artillery positions. In addition, the Japanese army's group charge was repelled, with countless casualties.
Li Zongren ordered a call back to the two ministries, asking them to continue setting up fake artillery positions, and that the artillery positions must be concealed. Once Japanese aircraft were discovered, they would rather not fire than expose the target.
After giving the order, Li Zongren continued to make arrangements:
"Send a telegram to the headquarters. At 8 o'clock this morning, the fake artillery positions on the front line played an important role. Two hundred sorties of bombers did not cause any casualties. This confusion tactic is as important as the reverse slope tactic. I hope the headquarters will pay attention to it and continue to promote it."
After arranging the telegram, Li Zongren ordered the signalmen to pass on the message to his deputies and staff officers, asking them to re-simulate the battle situation using two tactics.
At noon, at the Japanese North China Command, Terauchi Hisaichi was looking at a telegram sent by the Special High Section. This was sent by an important undercover agent in Chongqing at the risk of his life. It was news about the high command promoting artillery reverse slope tactics throughout the army. However, the undercover agent had not yet obtained the specific truth about what a reverse slope was.
Terauchi Juichi was puzzled. Reverse slope? Could it be that the attack of Doihara Division and Itagaki Division in the morning was blocked because of this tactic? The two mentioned that the artillery of the Kuomintang army on the other side was simply an indestructible cockroach. Whether it was heavy artillery bombardment or aircraft bombing, the other side could still continue to fire. The group charge of the army in the morning was suppressed by artillery bombardment.
Terauchi Hisaichi ordered the head of the Special High Special Section:
"Stop all actions and make sure to figure out the reverse slope tactics as quickly as possible."
"Hi".
The Special High Section Chief took the order and left, but Terauchi Juichi was still muttering:
"Backslope? Backslope."
Those who understand can understand it at a glance, but those who don’t understand will not understand what is going on even if they understand the meaning of these three words.
At the Taierzhuang front, two Japanese divisions gave up the attack. If there was no countermeasure, the attack would be a complete waste of lives. The two division commanders were discussing countermeasures at the Itagaki Division's headquarters. From Shanghai to Nanjing, from Beijing to Shanxi, when had the Japanese army ever suffered such an insult? It was unbelievable that a division-type attack was actually stopped by the National Army's few artillery pieces.
In previous attacks, as long as the National Army opened fire, the artillery observers would calculate the opposite artillery positions within a few minutes. Unless they fired a few shots and then ran away, they would be blown to pieces by the heavy artillery. Now, the unchanging artillery bombardment has made the infantry charge completely useless. Facing the opposite artillery fire, the assault troops cannot open a gap at all, and there is no way for them to assault in depth or to encircle the enemy.
Before dark, the lurkers in various places paid an unknown price, but they finally found out the true situation of the reverse slope tactics.
Terauchi Hisaichi almost vomited blood when he looked at the telegram, marveling at how simple it was. He only needed to set up the artillery positions on the opposite slope, and his own artillery shells would fly over the hilltop and move in a curve, and would not be able to hit the artillery positions at all.
In addition, the tactics of the fake artillery positions were also exposed. This kind of tactics had been seen before, but never used as an important tactic in large-scale troop operations. The reason why the bombers' bombing was ineffective was also revealed. Terauchi Hisaichi was not happy at all. As a strategic commander, Terauchi Hisaichi often considered the core of the problem when he saw everything.
China's terrain is mountainous. Several large plains, such as the Northeast Plain, have long been under the feet of the empire. The North China Plain has now become a Japanese-occupied area. Half of the Huaihe Plain has been occupied. The only unoccupied area is Henan, which is a plain area. The others all have some mountains to a greater or lesser extent. If the Chinese army popularizes these two tactics, as long as the bombers cannot find the target, the attacking imperial army will suffer ruthless artillery fire. It's terrible. What kind of tactical genius came up with this? The threat to the Empire of Japan is too great. I feel that this person's threat to the empire is no less than that of the Lone Wolf Commando's cold gun.
Terauchi Hisaichi ordered a telegram to be sent to Jinan Nanyuan Airport and Qingdao Airport, asking them to find the real artillery position tomorrow. Whether they could take the defense line depended on them.
The national army continued to rearrange the real and fake artillery positions in the dark. The superiors issued an order that each artillery regiment must set up at least three fake artillery positions. Now the artillery morale is high. They have never been so heroic before. Either they fire a few shots and run away, and life and death depend on the opponent's calculation speed, or they fire under the opponent's artillery fire, and ultimately cannot escape the fate of being blown to pieces.
In the morning, the artillerymen were cheering as they watched the Japanese planes bombarding the fake artillery positions. In the morning, they bombarded the cluster assault troopers under the enemy's artillery shells. It was so exciting to hear from the front line that the Japanese had suffered countless casualties. The feeling of hundreds of artillery shells whistling and emitting flames passed over their heads was so thrilling.
I don’t know which genius invented this tactic, but every artilleryman is thinking of this genius as their patron saint.
When the two division commanders Seishirō Sakagami and Kenji Doihara received the news from the North China Command, they almost vomited blood. It was too disgusting. The tactics were too dirty. It was more disgusting than a rat burrowing a hole. There was no samurai spirit at all.
However, the two old devils admired the person who came up with this tactic very much. He was simply a tactical genius. Artillery battles had existed since the advent of cannons. For so many years, no one had ever discovered this technique. However, this tactic was dispensable to the Japanese army. Relying on the advantages of large caliber and long range, they were never afraid of the Kuomintang's artillery. But it was hard to say what would happen in the future. If the Kuomintang set up artillery positions within the range, it was not impossible to hit the artillery positions.
The two discussed for a long time, but there was no good way to deal with this despicable tactic. They could only wait for news from the bombers tomorrow.