12dz Chapter 327 Yang Xing's Miracle
Chapter 327 Yang Xing's Miracle
Yang Xing was a squad leader of the 112rd Regiment, 201st Division, 673th Army. He led his squad of 12 soldiers as an advance guard, advancing along the Martinon Road toward Korivanates. A Greek guerrilla group sent a guide, who discovered a German prisoner-of-war camp in a valley in that direction, holding several hundred American prisoners.
These American soldiers were apparently soldiers from the 2nd and 14th US Divisions captured in combat a month earlier. After entering Greece, the 112th Army, along with other US Navy units, swept through southern and central Greece. The battle in the Koronia region ultimately resulted in the capture of the region at the cost of 1.6 US Marines. The Germans and their puppet forces were forced to retreat north of Koronia, using the mountains and carefully constructed fortresses to halt the advance of the Chinese and US coalition forces.
However, the Germans apparently failed to realize that their years of bloody rule in Greece had already instilled resistance in the Greek people. As the Sino-American coalition gained a foothold, these previously weak resistance groups sprang up like mushrooms after a rain. They not only destroyed roads and facilities of the Germans and their puppet government, but also contacted the Sino-American coalition forces, actively participated in the battle, provided intelligence, and provided a large number of guide groups familiar with the terrain, providing strong support for the Sino-American coalition forces' continued advance.
Yang Xing's combat squad, acting as the company's vanguard, quickly approached the secret prisoner-of-war camp, guided by guerrilla guides. According to guerrilla intelligence, the camp was guarded by a German Gestapo assault squad and a puppet government company. The enemy had apparently not received orders to retreat, or perhaps, in their hasty retreat, the Germans had forgotten the SS's presence.
Yang Xing and his guide crept closer to the stronghold and used binoculars to clearly see the black uniforms and red armbands of the SS stormtroopers. An SS Gestapo was beating up several Greek puppet government soldiers, and it seemed that their listless appearance had aroused the Gestapo officer's dissatisfaction.
After hearing the guide's explanation, Yang Xing formed a plan. It was clear that the Greek puppet army soldiers were only equipped with Mauser 1898 bolt-action rifles, while the Gestapo were equipped with submachine guns. According to inspection, a Gestapo stormtrooper consisted of only about 20 men, with at most one machine gun and likely no mortars. A Greek puppet company, on the other hand, consisted of only 7 to 2 men, with at most three machine guns and a small-caliber mortar. While his squad was smaller, it possessed seven submachine guns, a sniper rifle, an M6 machine gun, and a six-barrel 40mm rocket launcher. Combined with the dozen or so guerrillas, if used effectively, they could easily annihilate the enemy and rescue the prisoners.
He immediately said to his guide and guerrilla leader, "Do you have enough weapons and ammunition?"
The guide was startled for a moment, then understood and replied softly, "We have 17 of us, two machine guns, everyone has a gun, and we have plenty of bullets. Commander, are you planning to launch an attack?"
Yang Xing nodded and said, "The enemy is still unclear about the situation outside, but it will take some time for the main force to arrive. If the enemy suddenly receives an order to evacuate, they will undoubtedly shoot the prisoners and escape. We must prepare for the worst and, if necessary, launch an attack first."
Afterward, Yang Xing discussed an emergency plan with his team leader, forming a mixed group consisting of the guerrillas and his squad. A two-man artillery crew and three guerrillas would ambush on the mountainside. A machine gun crew and two guerrilla machine guns would form a firepower group, ambushing at the only external access point to the stronghold, forming a blocking fire network. The others would then disperse, monitoring enemy movements while occupying advantageous terrain, ready to launch an attack at any moment.
At this moment, the enemy inside the stronghold began an unusual movement. American prisoners were driven out like a tide, a dense mass of them, and were detained in a small exercise yard outside the stronghold. Enemy machine guns, like the fangs of death, were arrayed around the camp, coldly trained on the prisoners.
A group of puppet government troops, clearly unwilling to do so, were driven towards the machine gun fire area under the Germans' coercion, as if they were lambs to the slaughter. Several motorcycles and cars belonging to the Gestapo stormtroopers had also emerged, the roar of their engines echoing in the air, clearly indicating their intent to escape.
Yang Xing stared at the enemy's formation and transport vehicles with a sharp gaze. He secretly calculated that these vehicles were obviously unable to carry so many prisoners of war, and an ominous premonition came to his mind - the enemy might brutally kill these prisoners of war.
Time was running out, leaving Yang Xing no room for hesitation. He acted decisively, ordering the guerrilla leader and his men to attack. "Bang, bang, bang!" Yang Xing led the charge, firing first. His MP-40 submachine gun roared with fury, and with a single, precise burst, he killed the Gestapo commander instantly.
Several soldiers who knew English shouted to the prisoners without hesitation: "Disperse quickly, the enemy is going to massacre you!" Their voices rang out like thunder in the chaos, waking the prisoners from their dreams.
The sniper in the squad followed Yang Xing's gunfire and quickly killed the machine gunner of the stormtrooper. Just as he was about to kill the other machine gunners, something unexpected happened. The machine gunners of the other two puppet armies heard the gunfire and did not shoot at the prisoners as expected. Instead, they unexpectedly turned their guns and fired fiercely at the SS soldiers and vehicles.
This sudden turn of events threw the battlefield into chaos. The puppet troops seemed to awaken at this moment, turning to attack the remaining German troops. Among the captured American soldiers, some experienced soldiers reacted quickly. They immediately dispersed, swiftly picking up the weapons of the fallen Germans and launching a heroic counterattack against the remaining enemy. Seeing this, Yang Xing immediately ordered all his troops to charge forward.
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the remaining SS soldiers showed despair on their faces and raised their hands to surrender. In this way, a squad led by Yang Xing, in close cooperation with the guerrillas, successfully occupied the stronghold and saved hundreds of prisoners of war from the brink of death.
Afterwards, a telegram found in the pocket of the slain Gestapo officer revealed the German order to massacre the prisoners. The order was signed by Adolf Meiling, commander of the German SS in Greece. This became strong evidence of the German brutal massacre of prisoners.
Because of this decisive action, Yang Xing won the favor of the US military top brass. He himself was awarded first-class military merit and was promoted directly from a sergeant to a second lieutenant, becoming a young officer!