mesbooks Chapter 401 Kranji Dam in the spotlight
Chapter 401 Kranji Dam in the spotlight
On a wider river beach in the distance, two amphibious tank companies of the 1st Marine Regiment have also completed their formation. The LVT-A1 amphibious tanks and the matching LVT-4 amphibious personnel carriers (pictured) are all painted in cement gray and green camouflage, ready to go.
Especially those amphibious personnel transport vehicles, which were filled with fully armed Marines.
"Engine preheating completed—"
"Pay attention to the watertightness and prepare to enter the water!"
As the order was passed down, the armored vehicles drove down the gentle slope one after another, splashing large amounts of water, and slid into the Johor Strait like an armored behemoth.
Driven by the paddling devices on their tracks, these iron guys began to slowly advance towards the other side in the morning mist and smoke.
The main force of this battle was the M4 Sherman medium tanks of the 11th Mechanized Brigade.
In order to allow these 30-ton giants to pass through the strait quickly, the engineers of the 702nd Mechanized Field Engineer Battalion had to start building a pontoon bridge under the hail of bullets.
Fortunately, a large number of bridge components had already been stockpiled, and with the help of mechanized equipment, it was even more powerful.
The Japanese on the other side of the river naturally also knew the principle of 'attack the enemy and rescue them', and the hidden heavy artillery immediately opened fire, trying to suppress the engineers who were building the pontoon bridge.
However, the dozen or so heavy artillery pieces remaining in Kenji Doihara's hands were no match for the Anmin Army's luxurious artillery firepower.
Qi Quan, who noticed that the construction of the pontoon bridge was obstructed, immediately ordered the mobilization of some artillery to carry out counter-artillery operations.
After less than half an hour of artillery battle, the Japanese artillery deployed on the north bank fell silent.
Soon, more than a dozen M4 Sherman tanks lined up in a row and roared forward one after another across the newly built pontoon bridge.
This pontoon bridge, the product of the painstaking efforts of the engineers, is broad and sturdy, constructed from prefabricated steel structures and heavy-duty rubber pontoons. It stretches across the strait like a steel snake, capable of withstanding the passage of three Sherman tanks at a time. (The steel structure of the White Eagle pontoon bridge in World War II could almost handle a 3-ton King.)
Next to it is a simple floating bridge made of assault boats and wooden boards for use by infantry.
The tank drivers were fully focused, holding the joysticks tightly in their hands, their heads sticking out of the vehicle body, and not daring to take their eyes off the road for a moment, for fear that the tank would deviate from the route and overturn into the river.
The floating bridge was slightly bumpy, and every time a tank was pushed onto it, it seemed like a challenge to the limits of human engineering.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly and the 12 Sherman tanks of the pioneer company successfully passed the pontoon bridge.
Inside a Sherman, a young platoon leader glanced at the pocket watch hanging on his chest.
Born in the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Machine Workers Corps, he joined the People's Army and after more than a year of training in blood and fire, he has now become an excellent tank commander. He shouted orders on the radio:
"Brothers, for the sake of our hometown and our people, charge! Crush these little devils!"
After the Japanese occupied Singapore, they renamed it Shonan Special City and implemented Japanese-style education similar to that on a certain island, forcing the local Chinese to sing the emperor's name.
They also issued "banana money" (paper money with banana trees on the face, which actually had no credit, similar to the gold yuan, and soon depreciated on a large scale), plundering the wealth of local Chinese and forcing local citizens to eat cheap food such as cassava flour and sweet potato flour to fill their stomachs.
At the same time, the Japanese also brutally retaliated against all local Chinese families who had previously supported the Republic of China's War of Resistance, causing many bloody massacres.
Therefore, many officers and soldiers in the People's Security Army who came from the Straits Settlements had been holding their breath for a long time.
In the sky, facing the sun gradually rising in the east, countless fighter planes are roaring from the northwest, carrying bombs and rockets, and will suffocate the Japanese defense with fierce bombing.
In the rear, the field hospital had already been opened, and countless nurses and doctors were on high alert, ready to snatch the lives of the soldiers from the hands of death at any time.
In order to protect them, Qi Quan deliberately left behind an entire infantry battalion of the 3rd Division to prevent any small groups of Japanese devils or puppet troops from coming to cause sabotage.
The general offensive was launched without mercy.
Every second, artillery roared, and on every inch of the frontier, soldiers rushed forward. Tactics, speed, firepower, and courage all converged in this moment into a torrent of steel.
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At 07:24, an amphibious tank platoon of the 1st Marine Regiment of the People's Army successfully completed the sea crossing mission. Four LVT-1 amphibious tanks drove onto the north coast of Xingzhou Island one after another and were advancing southward along the railway branch line left by the old John people.
The steel shoes rolled over the rails and gravel, making a deafening roar. Heat waves rose around the tanks. In the distance were coconut groves and the sound of gunfire.
The Japanese, who were short of troops, could not set up defenses everywhere along the strait, so they could only focus on defending the railway bridge and several river banks suitable for building pontoon bridges.
Therefore, this amphibious tank platoon and the accompanying company of infantry have not yet encountered any combat.
"This is 0700, calling all platoon members." The platoon leader's steady voice came over the radio. "Our mission has been assigned—to assist friendly infantry in the attack on Kranji Dam to the west and Radio Station 3 further south. Please reply."
As the first group of armored forces to successfully cross the Johor Strait, the two armored companies dispatched by the 1st Regiment, although equipped with LVT-1 light amphibious tanks with thinner armor and relatively insufficient firepower, had to undertake the most critical and dangerous vanguard assault mission.
At the beginning of the battle, the northwest water system and communication nodes must be taken as quickly as possible to open a gap for the subsequent large-scale military attack.
The group leader Tong Mata knew what this meant.
But he also knew that sometimes war was a test of speed and courage.
Speed is of the essence in war.
"0702 received, my car will follow 0701."
In tank No. 0702, commander Li Zhiqiang pressed the radio send button and responded in a deep voice.
Before he finished speaking, four LVT-A1 vehicles turned around one after another. The iron bodies of the vehicles brushed against the trunks of coconut trees, and the vehicles bounced and bounced on the yellow mud road, speeding towards the southwest.
The inside of the vehicle was as hot as a stove. The machine gunner, loader, and driver each silently adjusted their posture, checked their weapons and ammunition, and waited for the moment to enter the battlefield.
Lion City is known as the "Gibraltar of the East". Its defense system was carefully constructed by colonist John, and it is certainly not an undeserved reputation.
The entire city mainly consists of coastal artillery batteries, underground command centers and strong fortifications.
The defensive facilities built by these John people suffered little damage and were reused after the Japanese occupation (picture, note the direction of the artillery), becoming the core of the Japanese defense.
The Kranji Dam (pictured) is located in the northwest of Singapore. It was originally an important water conservancy facility built by the John people, connecting the Johor Strait and Singapore Island.
Most importantly, it controls the fresh water supply of Singapore. (Modern Singapore's fresh water is also supplied by the Malay Peninsula, but compared to World War II, many new reservoirs and dams have been built.)
At that time, John's defenders did not set up sufficient defenses, which resulted in the Japanese occupying the dam at a small cost and strangling the lifeline of the entire city in one fell swoop.
John's army's slackness became a shortcut for the Japanese to attack the city.
The lack of fresh water caused the defenders' morale to plummet, and they eventually opened the city and surrendered easily.
Kenji Doihara was naturally no waste. He was well aware of the importance of this place and transformed the entire reservoir into a "mini fortress", deploying defensive facilities such as artillery, machine gun nests, mines and blasting traps.