Chapter 2510 The Bloody Coast 6
"Fortunately, there is no problem with the core body, but the outer skirt panels have been destroyed in various ways. Three road wheels are damaged, two on the left and one on the right. They can still make do." Button said a little depressed.
"There is also bad news, that is, there is only one platoon left under my direct command. Almost all T1 tanks are finished, and their sides cannot even carry infantry guns." Patton looked through the commander's command tower at the wreckage of the T1 tanks left on the beach and couldn't help but sigh. This is war. Those colleagues who were alive and kicking a few minutes ago have become cold corpses. Some of them have not even killed an enemy!
There are a total of 17 tanks. 6 were lost during the landing, and 5 more were destroyed in the previous battle. Now only 6 are left. But fortunately, the combat effectiveness is still half, because, from the fierce shelling just now, Of the 6 tanks that survived, 5 were Wolf tanks! Although the American attack was very unsuccessful, the Wolf tank still established its own great reputation in the distant Pacific!
"Damn, I thought that when I came to the Pacific, I wouldn't have to see those intimidating guys." A British officer looked at the Wolf tanks that had been withdrawn from the effective range of the Japanese flat-fire cannons, and felt a little regretful. said.
To be honest, under the training of the British Army, the Japanese Army still attaches great importance to anti-armor operations. Although it is impossible for the Japanese to deploy more than a dozen 15-pound guns or 75MM rapid-fire guns at a support point to fight against tanks like the British and French coalition forces did. , but they still tried their best to strengthen their anti-tank firepower.
The current Japanese army not only has a variety of regularly produced flat-fire artillery, but also a large number of rapid-fire artillery dismantled from old battleships. Partly from the Japanese Navy, mostly from British stocks in the Far East…. However, limited by domestic production capacity, the Japanese Army's anti-armor capabilities are still far behind the standards of Europe's first-tier powers. There was no way. In the later stages of the war, the French brought a large number of 105MM cannons to the front line as anti-tank weapons. This level of artillery could only be equipped at the division level in the Japanese army. Each division had These artillery are regarded as treasures, how can they be thrown into the front line as consumables?
Therefore, the Japanese army tried its best to enhance the level firepower at the grassroots level. Fortunately, according to intelligence, the American T1 tank has an iron head. (Well, the so-called iron head is the standard for frontal resistance to 6-pound guns.) The sides are very thin, so The Japanese army's solution was to improve and develop the Type 92 infantry gun. In fact, this kind of artillery is not as good as a normal mortar in terms of projection and performance, but the key is that it can shoot directly! Although the muzzle velocity of the shell is not high, and although the armor-piercing ability is not enough, it is definitely enough to hit the side of an American tank!
Therefore, in the battle just now, the US tanks that suddenly entered the Japanese position suffered heavy losses. The 6-pounder cannon and even the infantry cannon could easily penetrate the armor of the T1 tank on the side. The Wolf tank, which has been tempered by the European war, said that when I was in Europe, chatting and laughing with the French anti-aircraft guns, this loss was nothing. Therefore, as long as the response was quick enough, the Wolf tanks that were not particularly unlucky were successfully retreated. down,
Almost all of the T1 tanks left on the battlefield are American-produced T1 tanks.
At this moment, there was a knocking sound on the tank shell.
"Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, we need your tank support." Homan, who has become the acting company commander, said looking at Patton emerging from the turret.
"Okay, young man, arrange a liaison for me and let's join forces." Originally, according to the original plan, Lieutenant Colonel Patton would lead a force composed of tanks and armored personnel carriers to penetrate deep into the Japanese army, but looking at the current situation , his troops suffered heavy losses, and follow-up reinforcements were a bit far away. In this case, it was better to team up with his colleagues who were now in the same situation.
Subsequently, Patton temporarily gave up his plan to break through and used tank guns to kill the exposed vulnerable targets one by one from a safe distance. When US battleships and carrier-based aircraft once again entered the battlefield, subsequent US troops could finally continue to land. Amidst the rain of bullets and gunpowder smoke, the U.S. military moved forward with difficulty.
"We finally landed on the land of New Ireland, but we paid a heavy price." Admiral Benson said to Sims next to him.
When night fell, the day's fighting finally ended. The U.S. Army finally gained a foothold at the two landing sites after paying the price of at least 4,000 casualties. Some of these areas have even penetrated the first line of defense of the Japanese army, but the price is too high for the United States, which has not experienced a tragic war. As one officer wrote in his diary: We will march in waist-deep blood in the future!
"The Naval Air Force has also suffered heavy losses. Today, the number of aircraft lost due to combat and accidents has reached 70. If the fight continues like this, our aircraft carriers may only be used as transport ships in a week, and in the end What is distressing is that we have a net loss of 50 units," Sims said.
After killing 50 carrier-based aircraft crews in one day, how many are the next batch of carrier-based aircraft pilots in the US Navy? It seems, maybe, only about 500 people... This is not enough to fight at all! Of course, this is not to say that Japanese pilots have more NB and American pilots are not good enough. In fact, simply looking at the air combat exchange ratio, American pilots are actually better. After all, those who can become carrier-based aircraft pilots may not be aces, but at least they are at an elite level. In addition, the performance of carrier-based aircraft also has advantages, so they will naturally have the upper hand in a fight. In fact, in today's battle, the pure air combat exchange ratio between the two sides was about 1:1.5. 1 American plane for 1.5 Japanese planes!
The real bulk of the losses lies in two points. The first point is the bomber crew responsible for suppressing the Japanese long-range heavy artillery. Of the 70 aircraft lost, bombers accounted for more than half. Those carrier-based aircraft carrying 250KG bombs were overwhelmed by Japanese fighter jets and anti-aircraft machine guns. It's so miserable under attack! Ten seaplanes were responsible for reconnaissance, and the rest were fighter losses. The second point is the issue of range. Long-term air battles have caused many US military pilots to subconsciously ignore fuel consumption. This is not a question of ability, but sometimes, they know they are running out of fuel, but they can't escape. ! And because most of the battle locations are inland, if the plane is shot down, even if the pilot parachutes, it will definitely be difficult to come back...
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