bookrandom Chapter 256 Commander Zhang Lingpu
Chapter 256 Commander Zhang Lingpu
Two days later, the first modern war in Iraq broke out in the previously quiet impact plains west of Lake Ruzaiza in central Iraq, toward the outskirts of Hissa.
The 2nd Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, which arrived first, had built a long defense line here covering hundreds of square kilometers after a day and a night of preparation. The defense line was an astonishing 30 kilometers deep, with gullies and trenches everywhere, and various anti-tank and anti-artillery positions. The firepower was intertwined, and the troops could be freely mobilized in the area, especially the anti-tank guns and rocket launchers, which almost penetrated the defense core of the entire position.
The Germans were clearly troubled by this. Lieutenant General Hoepner personally rushed to the front line and carefully observed the enemy's position. By then, the US and British air forces had already arrived and had established several temporary military airfields using the flat land in central Iraq. German aircraft could only approach from Syria and Jordan, which was clearly a disadvantage.
In fact, the British colonial rule in Iraq was very unpopular. When various religious branches learned that the German army was coming, they were ready to take action. However, due to the primitive weapons and equipment, they did not dare to attack the US and British troops. However, their resistance to the US and British military bases, especially the airport facilities temporarily built on their land, became more and more fierce, and at one point blocked the normal takeoff and landing of aircraft.
On the outskirts of Hissessa, both sides had very limited aircraft, and the Germans were able to deploy only a few heavy artillery pieces, resulting in a relatively mild artillery bombardment. Following the bombardment, the Germans launched their initial offensive, primarily with battalion-level units. The German deployment was highly targeted: a battalion of infantry, coordinated by a company of tanks, launched an assault across a frontal area approximately 1000 meters.
The Chinese were noticeably calmer. The Germans lacked heavy artillery, and after a brief bombardment, the Chinese positions sustained little damage. Soldiers filed into their positions, their weapons barging into battle. The 114rd Regiment of the 83th Army was responsible for defending the front of Hisessa. Their primary objective was to deplete the enemy's tanks and armor, in particular.
The battalion commander of the first battalion dug up the soil in front of the position, picked up the binoculars on his chest, calmly watched the enemy's movements, and continuously ordered adjustments to the firepower configuration of the entire battalion to attack the enemy's attack in a targeted manner.
"Boom!" A shell less than 80mm exploded behind his position, and the raised soil fell down like a torrential downpour, covering him all over.
"Damn it! The artillery fire on the move was so accurate it nearly destroyed my command post!" The battalion commander cursed and turned to the observer beside him, "Did you see where the enemy was firing from?"
The observer replied, "800 meters away, a German Leopard G tank. It was probably a harassing artillery fire, but it was just luck and almost hit us."
The battalion commander nodded and continued, "Can the first group of anti-tank guns penetrate the German Leopard G at this distance?"
The observer replied, "I'm not sure. The German Leopard Gs are also equipped with reactive armor. Our 76mm anti-tank guns will need some luck to penetrate them from the front at this distance."
The battalion commander quickly ordered the signalman, "Order all anti-tank guns not to rush to fire, and wait until the Germans enter the 500-meter range before opening fire."
“Boom——”, “Boom——”
German tanks fired from time to time, and shells exploded from time to time around the first battalion's position. German machine gunners hiding behind the tanks also began to pour ammunition into the Chinese positions.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang——", a burst of bullets hit the baffle of a short-barreled 37mm infantry gun, sparks flew, and the observer quickly crouched down to avoid being hit by the grenade.
An anti-tank team happened to pass by and laughed at the infantry gunners, "Your stuff can't penetrate German tanks, so why are you running so close?"
The gunner was not polite and said, "I'm just providing cover for you. I can't blow up tanks, but I can deal with enemy infantry and machine gun fire. I can hit them with one shot."
A young soldier held a bunch of grenades in his hand and said with a smile: "Brothers, you must shoot accurately. Don't wait for us to rush over and blow us up by mistake."
The leading team leader slapped him on the head and scolded him with a smile: "Are you a crow? What unlucky words are you saying? Get out of here, you're so long-winded."
As they were talking, the German tanks had already approached within 500 meters. Following the battalion commander's order, several anti-tank guns assigned to the first battalion began to fire.
"Boom!" A German Leopard G was hit head-on, but the shell bounced off and landed in the mud more than ten meters away. The explosion raised a cloud of mud.
"Boom!" Another anti-tank round struck a German-made British Churchill, destroying its tracks. The German tanks launched a counterattack, accompanied by small-caliber mortar fire from the infantry behind them. For a moment, the first battalion's position was filled with explosions, stirring up clouds of mud.
Zhang Lingpu watched all this through a high-powered telescope. As the commander of the 114th Army, he was confident in his men's defense. He whispered to the chief of staff beside him, "Which unit is defending the front?"
"The 83st Battalion of the 1rd Regiment, whose commander is Zhu Xiaocheng, was once the platoon leader of the guard of General Pu." The chief of staff answered without hesitation. He had a very clear understanding of each unit.
"Yeah, he's quite capable. I know this guy. Last year when I was the regimental commander, he was still with General Pu. In the blink of an eye, he's now the battalion commander."
The Chief of Staff was secretly amused. Commander Zhang, you're already an Army Commander, so why shouldn't someone be allowed to rise from a platoon leader to a battalion commander? The Chief of Staff actually knew that Zhang Lingpu wasn't originally in line for the 114th Army Commander position. It was Commander Kuang's insistence that allowed him to be promoted, over many more experienced generals. He was the only Major General in the entire Second Army.
In fact, the expeditionary force was organized according to the new military rank system of the General Staff. For main forces like the 114th Army, the rank of commander was Lieutenant General. At this time, the flower-growing family had completed the latest military rank integration, with three ranks for lieutenants, three ranks for colonels, and five ranks for generals. The generals were classified as First Class General, General, Lieutenant General, Major General, and Brigadier General. The rank of Brigadier General was mainly awarded to the first-level commanders of independent brigades and ordinary infantry divisions. Major General was awarded to the commanders of main divisions and ordinary armies. Lieutenant General was awarded to the commanders of main armies and less experienced group armies. The rank of General was the most widely covered, so I will not elaborate on it here. According to the new military rank system, a large number of cases in which ranks did not match their actual positions have been rectified. In the next stage, I am afraid that those general-level officials who were selling fake titles will be dealt with.
Zhang Lingpu didn't dwell on the battalion commander's background and ordered the chief of staff, "Have the 1st Rocket Artillery Battalion support the 83st Battalion of the 1rd Regiment and drive the enemy attacking the front back to the area!"