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Text Chapter 1,194 Artillery Suppression

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    Balakpur, 20 kilometers north of Kolkata, is where the 2nd Army of the British Indian Army is stationed.  After receiving orders from General Kitchener, the 2nd Army returned from Nabodwip to Calcutta.  This order made the officers and soldiers of the 2nd Army so dissatisfied that many of them deliberately slowed down during the march.  When the 2nd British-Indian Army arrived at Balakpur, the Chinese army had already invaded Calcutta, and the 24th British-Indian Army had been defeated.

    Lieutenant General Adrian, commander of the 2nd Army of the British-Indian Army, immediately ordered the 2nd Army to deploy defenses in Balakpur to prepare to resist the attack of the Chinese army.  At the same time, a telegram was sent to General Kitchener, the commander of the British and Indian forces, reporting to him the specific situation in Calcutta and requesting support!

    General Kitchener agreed to Lieutenant General Adrian's suggestion and asked the 2nd Army to set up the battlefield in Balakpur.  At the same time, the 18th Army was ordered to speed up and rush towards Barclaypur.  At this time, the top brass of the British and Indian troops also learned that Calcutta had been captured by the Chinese army and the approximate number of troops the Chinese army had invested in Calcutta.  General Kitchener and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Deverell were shocked when they learned that the Chinese army had invested at least half a million troops in Calcutta.  The worst-case scenario they expected finally happened. In addition to investing heavy troops in western and eastern India, the Chinese army also dispatched a large number of troops in Calcutta. This meant that China invested more troops in the Indian battlefield than they expected.  Much more!  The total strength of the British and Indian troops seemed to be more than 10 million, but their performance on the battlefield was really terrible.  General Kitchener and others no longer have much confidence in whether they can defeat the invading Chinese army on the frontal battlefield!

    On the morning of November 27, an attack force consisting of twenty divisions of the Chinese Army¡¯s 11th Group Army and Japanese mercenaries began to move along the road from Calcutta to Balakpur.

    Another 10 infantry divisions and ten divisions of Japanese mercenaries served as reserve forces, preparing to intercept reinforcements from another group of British and Indian troops.  General Zhou Shun was still very cautious about this battle. After all, the Second Army of the British-Indian Army was entirely composed of British people, and its combat power was definitely not comparable to that of the trash-like Indian Asan.  Investing a total of 220,000 troops in the 11th Group Army plus 20 Japanese mercenary divisions, the 500,000 troops in the battle against the British and Indian Second Group Army were all the strength in his hands.  Of course, if the other 10 infantry divisions and ten divisions of Japanese mercenaries can defeat the 18th British-Indian Army first and then launch an attack on the 2nd British-Indian Army, then the Chinese army will have much more strength.  Got it!

    Of course, the Chinese army¡¯s large-scale march from Calcutta to Balakpur could not be hidden from the British and Indian Second Army.  Balakpur is also located on the banks of the Hooghly River, but the river here is shallow and the battleships of the Chinese Navy's fire support ship squadron cannot sail here.  However, in order to avoid being attacked by naval warships, the British and Indian troops deliberately deployed their defense lines away from the river bank to ensure their safety.  The more than 100,000 defeated soldiers of the 24th Army of the British and Indian Army who fled from Calcutta also retreated to Balakpur and accepted the unified command of Lieutenant General Adrian, commander of the 2nd Army.  It's just that Lieutenant General Adrian doesn't like these troops composed of Indian Asan!

    "General, the Chinese have already set off from Calcutta, with a total of more than 400,000 people! Judging from their numbers, they include the Chinese 11th Army and about 200,000 Japanese mercenaries!" Chief of Staff of the 2nd Army of the British-Indian Army  Major General Cecil reported to Lieutenant General Adrian.

    "The Chinese have set off? How is our defense line constructed? Can it withstand the attack of the Chinese armored forces?" Lieutenant General Adrian asked.  From the British and Indian troops who fled to Balakpur, they all knew how powerful the Chinese armored forces were.  The 24th Group Army of the British and Indian Army can be said to have been defeated by the armored forces of the Chinese Army to a large extent. The 11th Armored Brigade of the Chinese Army easily broke through the defense line of the 24th Group Army of the British and Indian Army several times, giving the British and Indian Army a huge blow.  s damage.  After the armored brigade broke through their defense line, subsequent Chinese troops poured in from the breach, causing the British and Indian army's defense line to collapse instantly. Under such circumstances, it was impossible for the British and Indian army to organize a powerful counterattack!

    "General, we dug an anti-tank trench in front of the defense line overnight. But we have too few anti-tank guns, less than fifty. I'm afraid it will be difficult to withstand the attack of the Chinese armored forces!" Major General Cecil  said.  India's arsenal was unable to produce anti-tank guns. All the anti-tank guns equipped by the Second Army of the British Indian Army were brought from the British mainland.  But after the Chinese navy blocked the Indian Peninsula, they no longer had any way to obtain any weapons from the mainland!

    "Fifty anti-tank guns, if controlled properly, may be able to cause heavy damage to the Chinese people! They must not know that we also have such weapons! Where is the Chinese navy?" Lieutenant General Adrian asked.  Chinese naval fire supportThe powerful attack power displayed by the squadron also frightened them.  The Chinese actually used as many as nine battleships as fire support battleships, which made the British very envious and extremely envious.  Even when the British Royal Navy was number one in the world, they did not have such luxury!  The current performance of the Chinese Navy can be described as a prodigal!  If it were the British Navy, at such a critical moment, the navy's battleships would definitely not be used like this!

    "General, the Chinese fleet is still in Calcutta. There are only a few light warships sailing upstream, but they shouldn't pose much of a threat to us! Our defense line is beyond the range of the Chinese fleet's main guns!" Rear Admiral Cecil  replied!

    "Order all ministries to prepare for battle. This time we will let those yellow-skinned monkeys know how powerful we are!" Lieutenant General Adrian ordered.  He firmly believes that the combat effectiveness of the British will definitely not be worse than that of the Chinese. Even if the Chinese have powerful arms such as armored units, the British cannot be bullied at will. The final victory will definitely belong to them!

    At 9 a.m. on November 27, the main force of the Chinese Army¡¯s Third Group arrived in Balakpur and stopped five kilometers away from the British-Indian army¡¯s defense line.  Artillery began to build positions, and armored units also began to overhaul tanks and armored vehicles in preparation for the attack.  The 1st, 6th and 5th Army Divisions continued to advance and built forward positions only two kilometers away from the British and Indian defense lines.  The Cavalry Brigade began a fire reconnaissance of the British and Indian troops.

    The defense line of the British and Indian troops was twenty kilometers long, extending from Barclaypur to the plains to the east.  In front of the British and Indian army's defense line, an intermittent anti-tank trench attracted the attention of the Chinese army.  Obviously, the Second Group Army of the British and Indian Army has learned about the power of the Chinese Army's armored forces and is already on guard.  However, it would be too naive to think that just relying on an anti-tank trench can withstand the armored forces of the Chinese Army!

    Two hours later, the artillery brigade of the Chinese Army's 11th Group Army and the artillery battalions of the eight infantry divisions below, with a total of more than 600 heavy artillery pieces with a caliber of 5 mm or more, began to bombard the British and Indian defense lines.

    "Boom! Boom! Boom!" Accompanied by the sound of artillery shells piercing the air, one after another artillery shells exploded on the position of the 2nd Army of the British and Indian Army.  In a hurry, the 2nd British-Indian Army only built the recommended line of defense.  It was just a trench with a depth of more than one meter and some fire points of civil structures.  Such fortifications simply cannot withstand heavy artillery bombardment.  Fortunately, the 2nd Army of the British and Indian Army only left some observers on the defense line, and the rest of the troops evacuated to the back of the position. Otherwise, they would have suffered heavy losses during the shelling.

    After the Chinese Army's artillery bombardment began, the artillery of the Second Group Army of the British and Indian Army also began to counterattack.

    As a group army composed entirely of British troops, their equipment is much better than that of an army group composed of Indian Asan.  The Second Army of the British and Indian Army has more than 500 heavy artillery pieces over 100 mm, which is much less than the 11th Army of the Chinese Army.

    The target of the Chinese Army's heavy artillery bombardment is the British and Indian Army's defense line, and the target of the British and Indian Army's artillery position bombardment is also the Chinese Army's forward position.  At this time, many Chinese troops had already entered the forward position, preparing to attack the defense line of the Second Group Army of the British and Indian Army after the shelling.  After the dense artillery shells fell, the Chinese Army's forward position was suddenly shrouded in gunpowder smoke.  The troops on the front line did not expect that the British and Indian troops would have so many heavy artillery. For a time, many soldiers were killed or injured in the shelling of the British and Indian troops!

    "What a fool! Order the troops on the front line to withdraw first! The artillery suppresses the artillery of the British and Indian troops!" General Zhou Shun ordered.  If there is support from the air force, it will be easier.  The Air Force's fighter planes can easily eliminate the British and Indian artillery.  But now, the only way to suppress the British and Indian artillery is with the army's artillery.

    The 155mm heavy howitzers and 155mm heavy cannons on the Chinese Army's artillery positions began to fire on the British and Indian army's artillery positions. Under the guidance of the observation balloons in the air, the artillery shells were accurately delivered to the British and Indian army's artillery positions.  More than a hundred 155mm heavy howitzers and heavy cannons played an extremely important role at this moment.

    In less than half an hour, several artillery positions of the British and Indian Army were destroyed and dozens of artillery pieces were lost. In order to avoid losses, the remaining artillery positions of the British and Indian Army were also silenced!
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