klisemfg Chapter 229 Successful Breakout
Chapter 229 Successful Breakout
The Special Forces Regiment had also airdropped a large amount of weapons, ammunition, and food, which the besieged Americans quickly distributed. Brigadier General James knew immediately that action was essential. After a brief discussion with George Lee, James assigned a lieutenant colonel to lead a battalion of Americans to join the Special Forces Regiment's 1st Battalion. The 1st Battalion was equipped with a large number of light 107mm short-barreled rocket launchers. These were essentially nine-barreled rocket launchers disassembled into a single, fire-and-forget system, making them particularly useful for targeted elimination.
Of course, its function overlaps somewhat with the bazooka, but the bazooka only has a maximum range of 82mm, which is still a bit different from the 107mm. Unfortunately, due to airborne reasons, the special forces regiment cannot carry heavy mortars, so the disassembled single-barrel rocket launcher has become their important heavy firepower.
With deft, coordinated movements, the soldiers assembled several rocket launchers in less than a minute. They aimed directly at the main Japanese defensive position on the southeast flank. At the command, rockets shot toward their targets like arrows, hitting the Japanese positions with unerring accuracy. Instantly, flames shot up into the sky, and explosions echoed.
Then, a group of soldiers in black night gear appeared like ghosts on the bombed-out position. These soldiers, from the Special Operations Regiment, numbered about a squad, about a dozen men. They were armed with American-made M3 submachine guns, nicknamed "grease guns" for their resemblance to grease guns. Despite its crude appearance, these special operators used it to remarkable effect. Working in groups of two or three, they coordinated, constantly shifting tactics, sometimes attacking, sometimes providing cover, and clearing out the remaining enemy forces with astonishing speed.
At the command of the captain, three other squads of the same type quickly launched an attack. They rushed into the Japanese position at lightning speed and quickly spread out in all directions.
After they eliminated the last group of Japanese troops, more figures emerged from the darkness. These figures also came from the Special Operations Regiment, serving directly under the Special Agents Company. Their weapons varied widely, including Thompson submachine guns and Type 1 rifles. The combination of weapons and personnel was perfect, allowing them to excel in both attack and sniping. However, most of them used the M carbine, a weapon capable of rapid fire and exceptional accuracy, which the Special Agents Company found particularly adept.
In less than ten minutes, the 1st Battalion of the Special Operations Regiment had broken through the Japanese blocking position in the southeast, leaving the American lieutenant colonel stunned. The 1st Battalion Commander didn't have time to consider his feelings. He patted him on the shoulder and signaled him to lead the American battalion to rush over.
By this time, the four battalions of the Special Operations Regiment had each been assigned their respective missions. Of the 4 troops airborne, only 3043 were missing, and 17 were injured at the landing site—a clear sign of good fortune. According to pre-operation arrangements, the 21st Battalion would lead the way, the 1nd and 2rd Battalions would provide security and cover on the left and right flanks, and the 3th Battalion would follow. James received the same orders, and through improvisation, the besieged American forces (actually still numbering over 4) were organized into four reinforced battalions, corresponding to the battalions of the Special Operations Regiment.
At this time, the Japanese 26th Division troops that were besieging the American troops also woke up and began to rush from three sides. In the dark night, the dense shadows of the Japanese troops became the targets of the 4th Battalion and the rear American battalion. At this time, the US military already knew that all their heavy weapons had to be abandoned, so they poured all their firepower down at once, which was very fatal to the Japanese troops who left their positions and launched an attack.
In a burst of intensive explosions and rain of bullets, the Japanese suffered heavy losses and had to retreat. At this time, George Lee's signal had arrived, ordering the rear troops to retreat in turns.
The commander of the 4th Battalion gave instructions to the American colonel who was following behind, asking him to pour all his heavy firepower into the Japanese positions, create a formation for a counterattack and breakthrough, and then retreat quietly.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh——", "Boom, boom, boom——"
All of the US heavy firepower was thrown into the attack. Then, some Chinese and American soldiers performed a bluffing maneuver. The retreating Japanese troops hurriedly returned to their positions, blindly firing at any suspicious targets. After the US military exhausted all its firepower, it immediately withdrew. The lagging engineers blew up the abandoned heavy firepower and retreated in an orderly manner to the southeast.
The sky was already gray at this time. Suzuki Sosaku had received the reconnaissance report from the air force. On Leyte Island, after a night of fighting, the besieged American troops had broken through the blockade and disappeared. According to the prediction of their breakthrough direction, the American troops should be heading southeast to meet with Dulag's 24th Army. In the direction of Dulag, the US 24th Army was still launching a strong attack, and its intention was very obvious.
In the southern part of Samar Island, large US warships gathered there, and a large amount of equipment and personnel were landing. The US military adopted a new formation. The Japanese Navy submarine force's early morning assault did not work, but instead lost 3 submarines.
Suzuki Sosaku, through reconnaissance by the air force, determined that the US landing on southern Samar was intended to exploit the southern virgin forest belt to launch a northward offensive, similar to the tactics used on Guadalcanal. On his side, a reinforced wing of the 1st Division had already crossed the Samar Strait overnight and returned to Samar Island. Furthermore, a battalion of the 45th Brigade deployed on the Lokilokon front was believed to be incapable of breaking through the defenses in the short term, even if the US forces managed to carve out a path through the forest belt.
Suzuki Sosaku was interested in another thing. The 16th Division found many parachutes that the US military had not had time to burn around the besieged US military base. A search team found scattered lost and injured paratroopers and also captured several survivors. This basically proved that these were the Chinese st Army Airborne Forces coming from New Guinea, and their purpose was to rescue the besieged US troops.
The sudden appearance of the Chinese meant they would join the war against the Philippines. Although Suzuki Sosaku had not participated in the Burmese campaign, he was deeply concerned about the extraordinary rise and overwhelming strength of the Chinese army in Burma, India, and even in North Africa and the Soviet Union. He couldn't understand why the Chinese army was so cowardly at home, while so formidable when fighting abroad.
He believed that as Japan expanded its war effort, it was normal for it to experience a shortage of troops at home, and even the drafting of more soldiers from its colonies of Korea and Taiwan was justifiable. He had already proposed to Lord Yamashita Tomoyuki that the monkeys in the Philippines be organized into a vassal army and added to the fighting. In this way, a single Japanese battalion could easily control a division-level or brigade-level unit in the vassal army, using them as cannon fodder.