mesbooks Chapter 475: Toothless Old Dog 25th Army
Chapter 475: Toothless Old Dog 25th Army
Faced with the possible landing threat, Lieutenant General Moritake Tanabe, commander of the 25th Army, made a seemingly pragmatic, but in fact desperate decision:
Hide! Hide these precious and last-minute air forces like treasures at the bottom of a box.
They were prepared to come out in full force and carry out a "kamikaze" special attack at the critical moment when the Anmin Army's landing troops were trying to reach the beach, using the lives of their pilots and planes to crash into the landing ships full of soldiers.
As for fighting for air supremacy? That was already a pipe dream. It would be better to just give up and hand it over to the Anmin Army.
The remaining Japanese defenders in Borneo were in an equally miserable situation, enduring a similar, endless hammering from the air.
Under this precise and efficient bombing day after day, the research and development experience of the White Eagle Air Force technology tree in the "War Thunder" system deep in Zhang Chi's consciousness was like a flood that had been opened, pouring out continuously and rapidly.
Among the rank IV vehicles, the four-engine strategic bomber [B-29A-BN 'Superfortress'] with a weight of 7.0, the single-engine attack aircraft [AD-2 'Skyraider'] with a weight of 5.7, and the Mustang King, the final lightweight improvement of the P-51 series [P-51H-5-NA] fighter with a weight of 6.3, have all been developed.
这其中，【P-51H-5-NA】换装了V-1659-9型发动机，可以提供超过2000马力的澎湃动力，使其在7000M高空可以达到776 km/h的最大平飞速度，就连纳粹传说中的末日活塞机——Ta-152P-51H面前都会黯然失色。
Its maximum range is over 3000 km, which is enough to escort the B-17 bomber fleet throughout its journey.
The [B-29A-BN 'Super Fortress'] that was unlocked first gave Zhang Chi the longest-range bombing capability in the world today.
At the same time, the reputation of the Japanese 25th Army, which once followed the "Tigers of Malaya" Yamashita Tomoyuki to sweep across the Malay Peninsula and was so arrogant, has fallen to the bottom in Zhang Chi's eyes.
At an internal strategic meeting of the senior leaders of the People's Security Army, Zhang Chi pointed to a map of Sumatra and said with undisguised contempt:
"The current Japanese 25th Army? Humph! They are no longer the sharp samurai sword in Yamashita Tomoyuki's hand. They are just a bunch of toothless, starving old scabby dogs who can only hide in caves and groan!
Their commander, Tanabe Moritake, is a foolish man who only knows how to get by without any ambition. Tactically, we must pay attention to every detail to ensure a smooth landing; but strategically, despise him to your heart's content!
Zhang Chi's harshness is not entirely unreasonable.
In another timeline, the 25th Army languished on Sumatra, then surrendered when the time came. These soldiers didn't even go to a concentration camp; they simply sailed back home, a sign of their own slacking off.
Only about a few thousand devils took the initiative to join the local natives' independent army and continued to participate in the battle with the Dutch.
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On the other hand, Lin Laisheng and the 277th Special Operations Regiment, which was reorganized from the guerrillas, underwent a short period of rigorous training and was armed with sophisticated weapons dropped from the air, continued to be active in the jungles, villages and transportation lines of Sumatra like a thorn in the flesh.
Their elusive and precise attacks caused extreme pain to the Japanese troops who were stationed in scattered areas and relied on "collecting grain" from the countryside for their survival, and their losses soared.
A series of shocking battle damage reports were finally delivered to Lieutenant General Moritake Tanabe's hidden command post deep underground somewhere in Palembang.
The dim kerosene lamp flickered, barely illuminating the maps and documents spread out on the simple wooden table.
A dull explosion sounded faintly above Tanabe Moritake's head.
That was the B-17s going about their "routine work." The vibrations from each explosion made the flames of the kerosene lamps dance restlessly, casting swaying shadows on the gloomy faces at the edge of the field.
"What?" Tanabe Moritake's voice was filled with suppressed anger and disbelief. He suddenly raised his head, and his face looked particularly sallow under the kerosene lamplight.
"You mean, there's this... guerrilla group? It's seriously hindering our efforts to maintain law and order and collect supplies? And it's even causing such heavy losses?"
He knew that guerrilla activities were frequent, but he did not expect the scale to be so large and the results to be so "brilliant".
"Hey!" The staff officer standing by, sweat on his forehead, read the summary report in his hand in a dry voice:
“根据各部不完全统计，截至今日上午，共遭遇不同规模袭击37次。蝗军将士玉碎、负伤、失踪合计721人。损失机动车17辆、摩托车8台、各型轻战车5辆、内河机动船2艘。”
"Bakayaro!" Tanabe Moritake slammed his fist on the table, almost causing the kerosene lamp to fall over.
His sallow face instantly turned the color of liver. He knew the loss was significant, but he hadn't expected it to reach such a staggering figure in less than a month.
Including those precious technical weapons, this was no longer a loss of a squadron or even a battalion. He felt dizzy, both because of anger and a deep sense of powerlessness.
"Garbled! You're all just gluttons wasting our precious grain! You're just a bunch of rats hiding in the ravines and rainforests, armed with a few broken guns. How could you possibly destroy our tanks and motorboats?
Did those stupid tank soldiers drive their tanks into the swamp?
He roared, trying to mask his inner panic with anger.
The staff officer swallowed and added with difficulty:
"Your Excellency, Commander... Various departments are reporting that this guerrilla unit is equipped with a very powerful individual artillery piece.
They usually open fire suddenly at extremely concealed and close range, shooting at the locust army's vehicles and armored targets.
Judging from the bullet holes and damage, this weapon is small in size and has a short range, but can easily...easily penetrate homogeneous armor plates over 30mm (3cm). It poses a significant threat to our lightly armored units.
The staff officer said this, not even daring to look into Tanabe's eyes.
"Individual artillery? Sounds a bit similar to the 'Panzerschreck' that Hans' allies sent?"
Tanabe's brows knitted together, and he tapped his fingers on the table in frustration:
"After so many days and so many encounters, haven't they captured even a single weapon of this kind? Why are the reports filled with 'speculations' and 'possibility'?! I want solid evidence! The real thing!"