the world is at stake

No... that can't be called a hole anymore. It seems that a piece of it has been hollowed out by the giant mouth of a sea monster, and the left string has a defect of more than ten meters.

The internal compartment was blown into a mess, twisted pipelines and broken decks were mixed together, and a large amount of oil spread outward.The fragments of the blown-up hull flew 300 meters into the air, and fell like raindrops.

The furthest one even fell in front of the 'Brotherhood' group. It was clearly a thigh with half-torn trousers, floating on the sea in a bloody mess.

It's as if a brother in distress was shot in the head at close range, and his face was covered with blood.It is impossible to say that you are not afraid.

The 'Jamaica' is over.

Less than half a minute after the explosion, a large amount of seawater was poured into the gap of its left string.Because of the tremendous power of the mine, its hull was quickly broken into two pieces.

The second half began to sink within 3 minutes, and the surviving sailors jumped into the water like ants.Only the front half was lying obliquely on the sea surface like a tattered piece.

Some British sailors also wanted to untie the lifeboats that came with the warship.But before they boarded the ship, the rear half of the hull produced a large vortex as it sank, and the huge suction dragged many sailors who hadn't escaped into the deep sea.

The scene was so exciting that I was speechless with horror.

Naval battles are so cruel. One second they were fine, but the next second they went to hell in an extremely tragic way.

The cargo ship of the 'Brotherhood' was still chug forward, but no one in the cockpit spoke, watching the sinking of the 'Jamaica' quietly the whole time.

After a long time, Father Clark said in a trembling tone, "Let's go, this place is too dangerous."

The damage to the 'Boxer' was like a slap in the face to the fleet, and the sinking of the 'Jamaica' was a severe whip, which woke up the rest of the US warships from their fanatical vengeance.

Everyone began to calmly think about the situation they were facing, for fear of becoming the next unlucky guy—the two attacks were obviously from underwater, and the first thought was torpedoes.

But regardless of North Korea, China, or even the Soviet Union, there are no submarines deployed in the Far East.So the possibility of torpedoes can be ruled out.

Then there are only mines.

The Port of Incheon has been cleared of mines before.

But now that the mines came out of nowhere, it can only show that the enemy is likely to send mine-laying boats to infiltrate the vicinity of the port.

Mining boats, fishing boats of more than ten tons can work part-time.Just transport the mine to the designated sea area and drop it, there is no technical content at all.

There is only one stupid way to deal with the mines, which is to spread out the patrol boats and be vigilant day and night, and all ships must be boarded for inspection.

However, there are a large number of civilian ships in Incheon Port, and a few mines are secretly dropped at night, so there is no way to check them.

At 16:35 a.m. on October 70, the aircraft carrier USS Boxer of the No.[-] Task Force VII hit a mine off the coast of Incheon.

At 43 minutes, the British Royal Navy's 'Jamaica' light cruiser belonging to the No.70 Seventh Fleet also hit a mine, and the hull quickly broke into two pieces, and the second half sank 3 minutes later.

At 45 minutes, the radio transmitted the situation back to the United Nations Command in Tokyo.Commander MacArthur, who got up early in the morning, heard the bad news.

It didn't take long for bad news to follow.

A 'Fretcher'-class destroyer encounters a floating mine while clearing mines.

The hull of more than 2000 tons failed to withstand the ravages of the 120 kg warhead.Damage control crews tried their best to save the ship, but were unable to prevent the ship from sinking.

By the afternoon, a Japanese cargo ship that had not been warned entered the minefield.The thousand-ton freighter was blasted into the sky by the anchor mine together with the military supplies it carried.

Cans, cotton felts, military raincoats, and high leather boots floated across the sea along with the wreckage of the freighter and broken bodies.

The port urgently converted more than a dozen patrol boats into minesweepers to clean up the surrounding area of ​​the port.But in just one afternoon, two patrol boats were blown to pieces, and all the people on board were killed.

The No.70 Seventh Task Force had to retreat and asked for help from Yokohama, Tokyo.

The damage control of the "Boxer" was successful, and the hull regained its balance after the water was poured on the left side, but the speed was reduced to [-] knots, and it was returning to Yokohama for rest.

According to preliminary statistics, the mine blockade caused more than 700 casualties.More importantly, the port of Incheon is responsible for the logistical supply of all forces supporting Pyongyang's offensive.

Once this place is sealed off, the frontline attack will have to stagnate. The 10,000+ army immediately fell into trouble, and even had to worry about whether the opponent would counterattack.

It is true that Incheon is successful, and Incheon is also defeated.

MacArthur was scalped by this series of bad news.

But the news that Incheon was blocked is not only known to the US military, but also to the volunteers.

When the news reached the imperial capital, the chairman was overjoyed: "Give credit to that daring boy Zhou. Not only was he the first to help North Korea this time, he was the first to win the victory, and he also created an excellent strategic attack." Chance.

There are so many U.S. troops blocking the outskirts of Pyongyang, for example, the U.S. First Cavalry Division is very powerful. I think it can eat this horse. "

Ah... the Volunteer Army's war to aid Korea has not been postponed, but has been advanced a few days.

Rapid attack

On October 10, when Incheon was blocked, the First Army and Ninth Army under the Eighth Army of the US Army were storming the city of Sariwon, the gateway to the south of Pyongyang.The North Korean army in Shaliyuan City has been exhausted and its defense line has collapsed.

If the Shariwon is finished, Pyongyang will have no danger to defend.

But at this critical juncture, news spread that the aircraft carrier 'Boxer' was damaged and Incheon Port was blocked for at least half a month.The battlefield situation on the Korean Peninsula exploded in an instant!

Just a month ago, MacArthur made a move to land in Incheon, stabbed Fatty Jin in the ass, and easily won Seoul in less than half a month, earning a lot of glory.

After a month, when the U.S. military was going to attack Pyongyang, the asshole in Incheon was not stabbed, but blocked—the same situation happened again, but this time it was the Americans who were unlucky.

MacArthur was far away in Tokyo, and when he learned of the accident in Incheon, he felt a gloomy chill instantly run through his body.

Because he made a big mistake after landing in Incheon, he reboarded the Tenth Army that had already landed in Incheon, and planned to go to Wonsan for another landing.

It's addicting to play Beach Landing.

But now because the U.S. Tenth Army boarded the ship from Incheon and continued to occupy the dock, the port was completely unable to be used for normal logistics loading and unloading in the first half of October.

That is to say, the U.S. First Army and Ninth Army that are attacking Pyongyang, as well as a bunch of miscellaneous troops of the Korean Army, have not received effective supplies for half a month.

Under normal circumstances, the North Korean army was powerless to resist.The US military's logistics are a bit difficult, and Fatty Jin didn't resist too much for a few days.

But now the U.S. Tenth Army Corps is on board, and the port of Incheon has been blocked by mines for at least half a month, and the Volunteers are still eyeing it.Its [-]st and [-]th Corps could only hope that the port of Pusan ​​would help.

But Busan is five hundred kilometers away.

The trouble is big.

The Incheon landing was originally a coup like a genius, and it will surely be recorded in the military history of the world.But now it seems that he is more stupid than Fatty Jin.

When the news reached Washington, President Truman was woken up in the middle of the night, and learned that MacArthur, who had always been rebellious, might have played off this time—he played with others, and others played with him.

Still playing in the same place.

"How many troops are trapped?" Truman hurried into his situation room in the White House.

The same anxious Minister of Defense Louis Johnson said in a deep voice: "The First Cavalry Division, No.20 Fourth Division, Second Division, No.20 Fifth Division, there are nearly 5 people here. In addition, the Korean Army has five divisions , adding up to [-] troops trapped."

"Does MacArthur have any plans?" Truman continued to ask.

Louis Johnson shrugged, "He asked the navy to clear the mines as soon as possible, and keep the front line on the offensive. Don't give the opponent any chance.

Our five-star general is still very confident. He thinks this is just a trick played by the opponent, which caused him a little trouble worth mentioning. "

"Maybe." Truman frowned, he didn't have a better coping strategy, and he couldn't imagine anyone in the world who could defeat the four main divisions of the US military.

The traffic jam in Incheon shocked the Americans, but they soon calmed down.

But this is nothing less than a shot in the arm for Fatty Jin who is in trouble.He organized his own final line of defense in Pyongyang, but he only had four infantry divisions that had been disabled, and almost all the heavy weapons were left in the south.

The point is the loss of morale in the army.

Incheon Mining is undoubtedly an opportunity to rebuild the confidence of the army.

"Who? Who made such a feat?" Fatty Kim cheered happily in front of the radio station in the Pyongyang air-raid shelter.He has gone from ecstasy to ecstasy this month, from heaven to hell, and now he sees a glimmer of victory again.

"I'm going to award this hero with a bunch of medals, hanging all over his chest."

Fatty Jin rubbed his hands excitedly, and asked the correspondent who controlled the radio station: "What's the situation with the Chinese comrades now? Have they gone south? This is a great opportunity, don't miss it."

Fatty Jin can see the fighters, and Mr. Peng of Zhisi can see the fighters even more.When the U.S. military decided to weaken the offensive and wait for the port to be cleared, the three armies of the No.13 Corps swooped south overnight.

The three divisions of the No.40 Army arrived in Pyongyang by train on the night of the 15th, and were ordered to continue southward on the 16th to reinforce the collapsed Sariwon front line.

Sariwon is a rare plain in the south of Pyongyang. It is connected to Pyongyang through the Daedong River in the north. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only a few roads connecting it with the outside world.

The main attack on Shaliyuan was the [-]st Division of the U.S. Cavalry.Its main force is three cavalry regiments equipped with tanks, plus two independent tank battalions, and four artillery battalions.The rest are air defense, medical care, maintenance, investigation and other establishments.

This is a typical tank division, not really suitable for North Korea's mountainous terrain.

When the three divisions of the Forty Army arrived at Shaliyuan, they dispersed immediately. One division ambushed for reinforcements, and the other two divisions interspersed in units of battalions and companies.North Korea's mountainous terrain is really suitable for the Volunteer Army's light infantry style of play.

In the past, a division of the Volunteer Army, except for the radio station at the division headquarters and regiment headquarters, could only rely on communication soldiers from the battalion level.After the superiors give orders to attack or retreat, the specific implementation depends entirely on the autonomy of the grassroots officers.

Attacking is actually okay, but retreating is a big problem.

Many troops lost contact with their superiors after fighting, and could only stick to a certain position. They knew that they would withdraw, but they couldn't withdraw without receiving orders.

It's different now, Zhou Qingfeng sent a bunch of radio equipment.Each infantry platoon can be assigned a walkie-talkie, or even one for each squad if necessary.

This is an unprecedented luxury.

In addition to the detailed maps that were issued urgently, the tactical flexibility and battlefield control ability of the volunteer army commanders at the grassroots level have been greatly enhanced.

Officers above the division level can also be bolder in formulating combat plans, without worrying that the troops will not be taken back if they are scattered.

Only when you gather and disperse as you wish can you use your fingers like an arm.

As early as early October, reconnaissance troops at all levels of the Thirteenth Corps had entered North Korea, and some were even led by military cadres at the division level.They have already experienced the beauty of light radios and walkie-talkies.

Three or five scouts with a North Korean guide can move in the mountains for a long time.No matter in the mountains, in the villages, or in the river bends, they can always use the radio on their backs to contact their superiors and comrades-in-arms.

"This is good, really good."

On the evening of the 16th, a team of the 120th Division of the Forty Army, directly under the reconnaissance company, lay on an unnamed hill east of Shaliyuan.The communications soldier extended the telescopic antenna of the radio station, turned on the power, and prepared to communicate with the superior.

Reconnaissance not only needs to know the enemy's situation, but almost all the information on the roads, bridges, water sources, populations and villages along the way is intelligence.

"In the past, to complete such a task, we had to go back and forth many times. Now that we have a light radio, we can report to our superiors in real time."

The messenger was busy smiling, and took a box of canned meat from the Soviet Union handed over by his companion.

Since Stalin took high-value intelligence and penicillin, and happily opened his own combat readiness warehouse, the food of the volunteers has been greatly improved.

Anyway, the Soviet Union was an industrial country anyway.Its national strength is much stronger than that of China, which is still an agricultural country.

Scouts with difficult tasks must eat something good, and various canned food from the Soviet Far East Military District began to become their daily necessities for performing tasks.

According to Xiao Jinlang's words - don't be afraid of the price, there is plenty of penicillin, just take it with an open stomach.Only when you are full can you fight.

Although the weather is too cold to start a fire, canned meat with self-heating function is better than unpalatable fried noodles.Anyway, there is quicklime in the self-heating bag, so you can add some dirty water or even urinate into it.

Next to the signal soldier was the captain of the reconnaissance team, who was scanning a river bend village 500 meters away with a telescope also supported by Zhou Qingfeng.

"The enemy has a company, which should be the U.S. military. They occupy several surrounding hills, and the village should be their company headquarters. Three rows are arranged in a zigzag shape on the periphery, forming a circular position."

The team leader wore a camouflage hat made of withered grass on his head, and had been staring at the opposite village for two hours.He stared and tutted.

"The U.S. Army is really amazing. A mere company has more vehicles than our regiment. There are more than [-] vehicles in and outside the village, not only trucks, but also artillery vehicles. The firepower is fierce!"

The captain took out a US military equipment illustrated book from his arms, flipped through a few pages and found land combat air defense weapons, and said in a low voice, "M19 tracked [-]mm double-barreled anti-aircraft gun."

There is an image of five skulls next to this anti-aircraft gun, which means that this weapon poses a great threat to the volunteers and requires great attention.

"The rate of fire is fast, the range is long, and the maneuverability is strong. The shells are more powerful than grenades." The scout leader is also a veteran for many years. He relies on the army to literate common words. After reading carefully, he understands that the reminders in the illustrations are very meaningful.

"That's right, that's the thing. It's hard to deal with it even with a recoilless gun, and it can't reach it within the effective range. You have to use a mortar to lob it from a distance."

The captain knew that he would focus on mentioning the enemy's defense arrangements here to his superiors, especially the 82mm or even [-]mm mortars.

In the past, the radio equipment was not enough for even the regiment headquarters, and the team that went out to investigate could not popularize the radio, and had to rely on the scouts to report the situation after they returned.

This back and forth process not only wastes time, but also has no time to adjust to any new situation.

It's good now, I found that the enemy's firepower is strong, and let the chief strengthen a certain company or a certain battalion in a targeted manner when formulating a combat plan.After all, the enemy's anti-aircraft guns are not everywhere, and the volunteers' mortars are not used casually.

Zhou Qingfeng obtained a large number of M18 recoilless guns for infantry, which strengthened the firepower at the company and platoon level.The arsenal in the Northeast immediately switched to producing mortars and shells, and the troops also concentrated the use of mortars.

The flexible curved trajectory of the mortar is also a sharp weapon in the mountains.

The reconnaissance team sent out what they learned in a day, including road traffic conditions, hidden spots and water sources along the way, and the enemy's arrangement in the opposite river bend village.

When night fell, the U.S. warplanes had to return, and there was no more annoying buzzing in the sky.

The two infantry battalions of the 120th Regiment of the 358th Division had enough to eat and drink, and immediately set off from a hidden point [-] kilometers away, and marched in the mountains for a night raid.

At the same time, Company C of the 29th Air Defense Artillery Battalion under the [-]st U.S. Cavalry Division stayed in Wuminghewan.The US company commander held his binoculars to look at the layers of North Korean mountains in the sunset, his brows were tightly furrowed.

Incheon is blocked, after all, it is a bad thing, which makes people feel palpitating about the subsequent chain reaction.

What will happen in the dark night?

Chapter 15 Cracking the Hard Walnut

Tom...

The mortar fired a flare into the sky, and the ammunition opened a parachute hundreds of meters into the air, emitting hot flames fluttering, illuminating the dark mountains.