12dz Chapter 229: The Bobcat Car Moves Forward
Chapter 229: The Bobcat Car Moves Forward
The Japanese have sent reinforcements from Mandalay to the front line.
Zhang Chi, who had control of the air, could easily learn about the movements of the Japanese army.
Although he didn't know which Japanese troops were currently on the way, Zhang Chi knew that the troops on the march were the most vulnerable.
He placed his hand on the map, following the railway and road leading to Mandalay, and made rapid calculations in his mind.
The two motorized brigades heading straight for Mandalay will have a high probability of running directly into the marching column of the Japanese reinforcements due to their high mobility.
The battle of Hans Guderian's rapid passage through the French Empire had already shown that even a light armored division with only II and III tanks could still create a massacre effect like "an eagle catching chickens" after catching up with the French infantry division that was hastily meeting the enemy.
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As the sun sets, the orange glow dyes the sky and the earth red.
After entering the prosperous central plains of Bago, the railway line is filled with vast farmlands and small villages dotted among them.
The only area near the railway line is a wilderness covered with weeds.
At this moment, several "strange-looking" six-wheeled vehicles were speeding across the wasteland beside the railway, stirring up billowing smoke and dust.
Amid the howling wind, the rough frame flashed with a cold metallic gleam, the heavy tires kicked up sand and dirt, and the body of the car shook like a struggling sow waiting to be slaughtered.
These light off-road vehicles are exactly the "Lynx" vehicles under Zhang Chi's command. (Picture at the end of the chapter, author's note)
With the successful commissioning of the third phase of the new Wangping Steel Plant under Nanhua Steel Group, the annual estimated steel production has reached 20 tons.
Although this output is still a drop in the bucket compared to the Japanese's output of 43 million tons in 750 (including steel mills in the three northeastern provinces and Shanxi Province), it is even a certain distance away from India's annual output of 100 million tons.
But at least after being equipped with equipment such as hydraulic presses, the industrial enterprises under Zhang Chi can now comfortably produce whatever forged steel parts they want.
We couldn’t yet build 10,000-ton ships, but we could easily make parts and frames for light vehicles like jeeps, motorcycles, and bicycles.
In order to improve the mobility of the troops, Zhang Chi proposed ideas and requirements, and the synthetic technicians improved the drawings, and the six-wheeled light off-road vehicle "Lynx" was born.
Although it is called a car, the first generation of "Lynx" is actually a product that was barely put together by adding a frame made of steel pipes, suspension, a high-torque two-cylinder engine and a simple gearbox.
Fortunately, due to the sufficient rubber production in Pegu, after using large-diameter and large-width rubber tires, this light off-road vehicle, which uses a lot of White Eagle jeep and motorcycle technology, can carry 6 fully armed soldiers at a speed of 40km/h in the wild with its ultra-light body of more than 1 ton.
载重接近500kg的‘山猫’在减少一名乘员后，还可以焊接一个360°枪架，携带一挺M2HB 12.7mm重机枪或车用型105mm无后坐力炮变身成为火力支援车。
This unassuming little vehicle provides troops with much-needed mobility thanks to its amazing lightness, speed, ease of production and ease of maintenance.
Of course, nothing is perfect in the world. The Bobcat has so many advantages, but the "human-machine efficiency" cannot be guaranteed at all.
"Oh my god, my butt, it's shaking so much that it's almost killing me." The soldier Tie Niu, who was sitting at the back of the speeding Bobcat, screamed miserably. He held the frame tightly with both hands, and the expression on his face was distorted as if he had just swallowed a mouthful of bitter coptis.
Not to mention the leather sponge seats, the soldiers on the bus only had small wooden benches to sit on. In order to avoid being thrown out of the bus, they could only tie themselves tightly to the bus with simple seat belts. Naturally, their poor buttocks were hurt by the bumpy roads.
"Tie Niu, if you keep shouting, I'll almost think you have a piece of broken glass on your butt." Brother Wen, the driver in the front row, didn't even turn his head and teased loudly with a sly smile on his lips.
Since the windshield was also omitted, he wore goggles and his face was covered with dust blown by the wind, but his voice revealed a sense of unrestrained ease.
Tie Niu gnashed his teeth, his body swaying up and down as the car bumped along, cursing, "Brother Wen, you're my brother, can you please drive slower?"
"You must be joking. This is a formation march. Anyone who dares to slow down without permission will be breaking discipline."
"Hahaha, Tie Niu, didn't you brag about learning martial arts in Shaolin Temple? Are you a little Lu Zhishen?" Brother Wen laughed heartily, suddenly raised one hand, and gestured a horse stance. "Why don't you practice the horse stance and ride a bike in mid-air? I guarantee your butt won't hurt!"
The other soldiers in the car burst into laughter, and the laughter mixed with the roar of the engine and the rustling sound of the tires rolling over the ground seemed particularly loud.
"Tie Niu, you try it. You know what, you really look like Lu Zhishen uprooting a weeping willow tree." Another soldier echoed loudly, his voice floating in the wind.
"Shut up, everyone. If we really run into an ambush by the Japanese, let's see who can still laugh." In the command vehicle, Lieutenant Colonel Li Mingcheng, the newly transferred commander of the motorized reconnaissance battalion, yelled into the radio.
The voice came through the microphone of the walkie-talkie carried by the soldier. Although the volume was not loud, it was still intimidating. Several soldiers immediately became serious.
Li Mingcheng, who made great contributions in the battle to liberate Tengchong City, was wearing a colonel's uniform with a shining golden medal of honor hanging on his chest. He held the frame of the car, leaned forward and looked forward, raising a cloud of dust.
In the distance, several three-wheeled motorcycles were at the front of the team, with light machine guns mounted in the cargo boxes, and the muzzles were aimed at the direction where the enemy might appear at any time.
Next to Li Mingcheng's command vehicle were countless Bobcats and M3 half-track vehicles loaded with soldiers and supplies.
Further back in the column were the tank company's 13 M5A1 light tanks (4 tanks per platoon, 3 platoons, plus the company commander's tanks).
They were marching slowly in two neat columns.
The steel body of the tank reflected the light of the setting sun, and the tracks made a low clicking sound as they rolled over the ground, accompanied by the roar of the engine, resounding between heaven and earth.
This motorized reconnaissance battalion served as the vanguard pathfinder of the newly formed 13th Motorized Brigade. Its mission was to advance rapidly and courageously towards Mandalay.
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3月30日，开战后的第四天，第一道防线上的近卫第 2 师团和第 123 联队彻底被步兵第 5 师和第 6 师分割包围在了战线上，与后方曼德勒城的联系全部被摩托化第 13 旅切断。
The remaining more than 1 Japanese devils were surrounded, and their destruction was only a matter of time.
On the other side, the 114th Infantry Regiment of the 18th Division stationed in Mandalay City went north to try to rescue the front line, but ran into a speeding motorized reconnaissance battalion head-on.
With aerial reconnaissance, Lieutenant Colonel Li Mingcheng was the first to obtain the movements of the Japanese troops and gained the first-mover advantage.
The enemy knew our position clearly, while we did not. He planned to make full use of his high mobility and firepower, and cooperate with air support to completely annihilate the 114th Infantry Regiment, a beastly unit that had been to Nanjing.