frightfiction Chapter 613: Heavenly Father’s Arrival in Asia May Not Be Effective
Chapter 613: Heavenly Father’s Arrival in Asia May Not Be Effective
There was some chaos on the beach, but officers from all units were trying their best to gather their men.
Lu Daniu spat out the chewing gum, wiped the sea water off his face, and looked around.
Fierce gunfire could be heard from far inland; it was the White Eagle Marines exchanging fire with the Japanese defenders.
"Signalman, contact all battalions and quickly move towards me to take a headcount and equipment count."
"Let the brothers take this time to rest, check their weapons, and replenish their ammunition."
Lu Daniu shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice still clear amidst the sea breeze and the sound of artillery in the distance.
He looked at the rolling hills and the vaguely visible village in the distance, with a belligerent gleam in his eyes.
"Tell the brothers to brace themselves for me. Tomorrow morning, at daybreak, our regiment will be the vanguard, heading east, and we'll push all the way to Dali (a place in central Ryukyu Island)."
He patted the shoulder of a battalion commander next to him and grinned:
"This is our Nanyang Army's first time, so we have to fight well. Don't let those White Eagles underestimate us. I'm going to cut the devils in half and sever their north-south connection."
-----
On a White Eagle Army transport ship that served as a temporary joint command center, Major General Liu Boda, commander of the 2nd Nanyang Infantry Division, met Lieutenant General John R. Hodge, commander of the 24th Army of the White Eagle Army.
The sound of telegraphs rang out in the cabin, and the staff officers were in a hurry.
The two sides saluted each other. Lieutenant General Hodge was a serious-looking, gray-haired veteran. He got straight to the point, his face showing fatigue and frustration:
"General Liu, I must be frank. Those yellow-skinned dwarfs on the island are nothing but mole rats. They've hollowed out the entire island, leaving it filled with tunnels, bunkers, and hidden firing points. My men suffer heavy casualties with every step forward, and our advance is as slow as a snail."
After the Chinese translator beside him whispered the words into Chinese, Lieutenant General Hodge suddenly realized the ambiguity in his words. Looking at the tall, yellow-skinned Liu Boda in front of him, a trace of embarrassment flashed across his face, and he quickly added:
"Well, of course, General Liu, I mean no offense to your troops. I've seen your Nanyang soldiers, and they're all tall, strong, and good-looking guys, true warriors."
He quickly brought the topic back on track:
"In short, this island is a tough nut to crack. My 96th Infantry Division has suffered heavy casualties and needs to be withdrawn for rest and replenishment. I'm afraid the main offensive mission will have to be left to you.
But please rest assured, our naval guns and carrier-based aircraft will provide you with full support."
He paused, trying to make his blessing sound more sincere:
"Good luck to you and God bless you lads."
Liu Boda felt a little unhappy, as he always felt that the tone of the old White Eagle general was full of a sense of superiority. However, he restrained himself and just replied stiffly:
"This is Asia, General Hodge. Your Heavenly Father... may not be effective here.
Whether or not we can be blessed depends on the guns in our hands."
Lieutenant General Hodge was stunned for a moment when he heard this, as if he didn't fully understand this answer that was full of Eastern philosophy and a bit of a pungent tone.
The two sides then discussed the specific details of the coordinated operations with some awkwardness, mainly including how the Nanyang troops could provide precise target guidance for the White Eagle's powerful sea and air firepower through ground observation posts and radios.
-----
In the jungles on both sides of the dirt road, the vegetation had long been plowed over and over again by days of artillery fire, leaving only charred tree stumps and bare, cratered soil.
"Damn! Has anyone seen where the Japanese machine gun is?!" Chen Nong, the company commander of a certain company of the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Division of the Nanyang Infantry, lay on a dirt slope and roared at the top of his lungs.
Overhead, "Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh--" the unique dull roar of the Japanese heavy machine gun plowed through the position again and again. The bullets almost grazed his helmet, and the splashed dirt and gravel hit him so hard that it hurt.
"We can't see it, but it's definitely located very low. Those damn Japs are rats. It must be another semi-underground bunker." Not far away, an old soldier platoon leader with mud on his face responded in a hoarse voice.
"boom!"
With a dull thud, a Type 91 grenade fired from a grenade launcher in the distance exploded near the foxhole, and the shrapnel and shock wave knocked over two soldiers.
"Scatter! All of you, scatter the fuck! Are you gathering together to become sitting ducks for the Japanese grenade launchers?!" Chen Nong's ears were buzzing from the shock. He waved his hands and roared, rolling in a panic into another bomb crater.
"Where's my mortar? Where did it go?" he shouted behind him.
"Here we come, Captain." The squad leader of the mortar squad, along with several artillerymen, carried the gun barrel and base, and crawled to a relatively safe depression.
Soon, four 60mm mortars were quickly set up.
"Direction XXX, distance XXX, shoot quickly! Fire!"
“Boom boom boom!”
Mortar shells flew out with a whistling sound, hitting the area where machine gun fire points and grenade launchers were suspected to be firing.
The explosion temporarily suppressed the Japanese firepower, and the roar of machine guns stopped abruptly.
Chen Nong took the opportunity to make a somersault and rushed towards a huge bomb crater in front of him - it was obviously a "masterpiece" left by a 1000-pound or even heavier aerial bomb.
He fell heavily to the bottom of the pit, splashing mud and water.
In the pit, the company's communications soldier was holding his arm, which was cut by shrapnel and bleeding. He was grimacing in pain and letting out a suppressed groan.
"Stop yelling, you're not going to die. Why are you yelling about such a small injury?" Chen Nong cursed angrily. There was no time for fussing on the battlefield.
Two more soldiers jumped in.
Chen Nong immediately ordered them: "Quick, get the triangular bandage from the first aid kit and tie it up tightly to stop the bleeding!"
He grabbed the heavy SCR-536 walkie-talkie from the signalman's back, pressed the talk button, and practically roared into the microphone:
"Zhou Paopi, where are your armored troops?! Are they on their way to death? If you don't come soon, my whole company will be captured by the Japanese and skinned and burned to death."
The walkie-talkie was silent for a few seconds, then there was a crackling sound of electricity, followed by a somewhat playful voice:
"Hey, Captain Chen, are you thinking of our slow-moving Iron Turtle brother now? Wasn't he quite impressive just now?"
At this time, the roar of the engine came from the rear of the position.
I saw four modified M4 "Sherman" tanks slowly approaching, rolling over the rugged scorched earth.
These tanks were equipped with bulldozers for obstacle clearing. The most conspicuous feature was that a flamethrower was installed in the turret, with the thick flamethrower tube replacing the auxiliary machine gun (pictured).
The thinner the tube, the flamethrower
Inside the turret of the leading tank, armored platoon leader Zhou held the transmitter in one hand and pulled down the periscope with the other, carefully observing the bushes and slopes ahead that were full of dangers.
"Attention all vehicles! Pressurize the flamethrower systems! Prepare to treat the Japs to a hot 'barbecue dinner'!"