lcionline Chapter 554 We have no way to retreat now. We can only move forward bravely and launch a desperate a
Chapter 554 We have no way to retreat now. We can only move forward bravely and launch a desperate a
After hearing Lin Zhenhua's response, Li Yunlong's frown did not relax. He clearly understood that once the armored forces lost their mobility, they would become sitting ducks. Facing the bombardment of the Japanese large-caliber artillery, they would have no ability to fight back at all.
"College student, if we fight according to your suggestion, I estimate that it will take at least 3 to 4 hours to break through Erchaling. Not to mention the threat from the air, the heavy artillery of the Japanese on the ground alone can directly blow away our tank turrets. The thin armored vehicles are no match for the Japanese heavy artillery."
"As long as our armored forces slow down, the damned Japanese can use heavy artillery to target our armored forces one by one, and we have no way to deal with this. As for using our heavy artillery to engage in an artillery battle with the Japanese, I have really thought about it. Putting aside the technical quality of our artillery, the Japanese heavy artillery alone can reach more than 600 meters higher than ours. Our heavy artillery is no match for the Japanese."
"The Japanese heavy artillery can cover our heavy artillery positions with firepower, and our heavy artillery can hardly hit the Japanese heavy artillery. We have deliberately ignored this point before because we have never encountered the Japanese heavy artillery units. In addition, we have extended-range artillery shells in our hands, so we are very confident."
"However, our arsenal was not successful in imitating the extended-range shells. The only remaining 20 original extended-range shells are still stored in the arsenal warehouse. The shells we have now are just ordinary shells. They can't threaten the enemy's heavy artillery at all. This battle is completely impossible to fight. The most important trump card in our hand has been wasted without use!"
"Let's talk about the enemy's aerial danger. According to the intelligence we got from Nakamura Ichiro and his men, the enemy's 17th and 18th Flying Divisions have a total of 182 fighter planes. Excluding the 48 fighter planes responsible for maintaining the safety of the airspace near Taiyuan City, the enemy can also dispatch 134 fighter planes to launch air strikes against us."
"We only have 106 combat aircraft that we can actually use in our base, including our newly produced aircraft. The enemy's and ours have a combat record ratio of 1.3 to 1. In terms of quantity alone, we do not have an advantage, and in terms of quality, we also do not have an advantage. Tell me how to fight this battle?"
"To be honest, I'm a little hesitant now. If we really want to withdraw to the base at all costs, our armored regiment must be prepared to lose at least half of its troops. The final result may be much more than I expected."
After listening to Li Yunlong's rebuttal, Zhao Gang was filled with anxiety. The armored regiment was really in a dilemma at the moment. It could neither retreat nor advance. It was extremely difficult to make the best judgment.
"Lao Li, college student, our armored regiment only has one and a half hours left to think about this. We can't stay here any longer. The vehicles have already finished refueling, and the soldiers have just finished replenishing their food. We must leave this place quickly."
"I just listened to your analysis and was shocked. I didn't expect the situation to be so serious. My opinion is that the goal of returning to the base remains unchanged. No matter how much it costs, we must withdraw. The reason is very simple, that is, the strength of the Japanese 12th Army has been increasing. If we continue to wait, the situation we face will only become more difficult."
"We still have a chance to withdraw to our base, but once the enemy's 17th and 18th Flying Divisions have completed their replenishment, it will be even more difficult for us to withdraw. By then, the imbalance in air power between the enemy and us will only increase. We really don't have many chances left. Now is the time to make a decisive move. We really can't hesitate any longer. If we hesitate any longer, we will miss the best opportunity!"
Zhao Gang began to persuade them earnestly. He was determined to retreat, which put Zhao Gang and Lin Zhenhua, who were thinking, into a dilemma.
"Monk, pass on my order. Have all the battalions set out immediately and continue to advance towards Erchaling!"
After Li Yunlong gave the order for the troops to continue their march, the expression on his face did not change much. His eyes were fixed on the photo on the table, and he was deep in thought.
Lin Zhenhua felt the great difficulty. He just thought of an idea, which was to divide the troops, but the risk was too high. If the vanguard successfully broke through, but the main force was completely blocked, there was even the possibility of annihilation.
"College student, tell me the truth. I need you to give me a guarantee about whether the Air Force Battalion has the ability to stop the Japanese air force from leaving the battlefield. Otherwise, there is really no need to continue this battle!" Li Yunlong asked with a gloomy face.
Lin Zhenhua spread out a nearby map, drew a large circle with a pencil, and after some careful calculations, he came to a rough conclusion.
Lin Zhenhua slammed the pencil in his hand on the table, facing the expectant eyes of Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang, and said in a firm tone: "With the current strength of our air force battalion, we are simply unable to stop the surprise attack of the Japanese air force, but this does not mean that we have no way to stop it. We still have a solution, which is to let our transport planes act as human shields, adopt the tactic of man-machine combination, and perish together with the Japanese fighter planes."
"According to my calculations, we need to sacrifice at least 36 light transport aircraft to completely intercept the Japanese air force. The interception time should be around one hour and 36 minutes. If our armored regiment cannot break through the Erchaling position within this time, it means that the sacrifice of the air force will be meaningless, and even the armored regiment may be wiped out."
"In addition to dealing with the threat from the air, we also have to deal with the obstacles on the ground. According to my estimate, the artillery battalion needs to clear the Japanese minefield in 15 minutes, despite the threat of the Japanese heavy artillery. Then we need to send out armored vehicles to step on the mines, using the armored vehicles as human shields to cover the tanks in the rear. Once the armored vehicles are destroyed, they will be pushed aside by the tanks, and a passable road will be cleared in half an hour."
"We only have 38 minutes to attack the Erchaling position. If we can't take down the enemy's position in such a short time, we will most likely be blocked at a crossroads by the enemy, and be stuck in an awkward situation where we can't move forward or backward."
"According to the reconnaissance of the Little Bird reconnaissance aircraft, the Japanese have more than 20 anti-tank guns. It is estimated that they cannot pose a threat to our tanks. However, the armor of our armored vehicles is too weak to effectively resist the threat of anti-tank weapons. We must be prepared in advance to injure the armored vehicle troops."
"As for the air defense of the troops, I am not particularly worried. As long as our air force battalion can stop the Japanese air force, I dare to put the air defense battalion into the fire coverage of the Japanese. If we can suppress the firepower on the Japanese positions, relying on the fierce firepower in our hands, I think we have a great chance of success."
"The key to this breakout is speed. We must run forward at all costs. If a vehicle is lost, it must be abandoned immediately. It must be completed within 96 minutes, otherwise we will be surrounded. At that time, even if we want to break out, it will become very difficult. The puppet army that we usually look down on may become our formidable enemy at this time."
Li Yunlong understood Lin Zhenhua's concerns. If the troops could not break out of the encirclement within 96 minutes, they would fall into a stalemate. The armored troops, which had lost their mobility, would become living targets for the Japanese and would be stuck in the quagmire of war. If the Japanese opened a two-sided encirclement at this time, no matter how capable Li Yunlong was, it would be difficult for him to break out. Even if the whole army was not annihilated in the end, I'm afraid only one out of a hundred would survive.
Taking a deep breath, Li Yunlong took the dried sweet potato handed over by Zhao Gang and started chewing it. After chewing two pieces of dried sweet potato, Li Yunlong made up his mind and said in a firm tone: "We have nowhere to retreat now. We can only bite the bullet and fight this battle. Chu Yunfei's 358th Regiment will also help at this time to relieve our pressure."
"Old Ding and Old Kong will also launch an all-out attack, using the fortress artillery to severely intimidate the Japanese. We have enough capital and are fully qualified to fight the Japanese. I, Li Yunlong, have never been a coward when it comes to fighting the Japanese, and this time is no exception. Regardless of what will happen in the future, let's withdraw to the base first."
"The three of us must act quickly. We must formulate a comprehensive battle plan within an hour. We must also contact Chu Yunfei's 358th Regiment, as well as Lao Ding and Lao Kong in advance. The time for the breakout is set at pm."
After the three men reached a consensus on continuing to retreat to the base, they immediately began pre-war preparations and mobilization. The tanks that served as pioneers were gradually replaced by armored vehicles, and the tanks and armored vehicles began to be arranged in a staggered manner according to the formation discussed by the three men.
The air defense battalion of Sanwazi has been keeping air alert to prevent the Japanese air force from launching a sudden attack. The air defense lookouts secretly deployed in the wild were also activated at the first time, keeping a close eye on the clear sky. All eight radars in the base were put into operation to ensure that no blind spots were missed and that the Japanese fighter planes could be discovered immediately if they arrived.
"Xiao Zhongyuan, contact Ichiro Nakamura for me immediately and ask him to find a way to send people to keep an eye on the Japanese airport. As long as there are signs of Japanese fighter planes taking off, tell us immediately, otherwise I will not give them the final payment!" Li Yunlong gave the order shamelessly.