North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 213 Invading Panama!

"Boom, boom, boom...!"

After annihilating the Pacific Fleet of the Republic of New Grenada, Vick commanded the California Coast Guard fleet, gradually approaching the port of Panama.

Eight thousand yards away, the California Coast Guard fleet deployed its battle lines on the sea and began long-range artillery bombardment of Fort Amadol, the fortress defending Panama Port.

With an absolute advantage in range, rate of fire, and firepower, the California Coast Guard fleet destroyed the seemingly formidable Fort Amador without any suspense or difficulty.

Then, the coast guard fleet extended its firing range, clearing all visible targets in the Panama port area with artillery fire.

After destroying Fort Amadol and clearing the port area, dozens of transport ships, under the cover of the coast guard fleet's gunfire, rushed directly into the Panama port dock and began a forced landing.

In addition to the 7th New Grenada Army Brigade, which was already stationed in the Isthmus of Panama, the defense of the port of Panama was also handled by the 3rd Division, one of the main forces of the Republic's Army, which had just arrived, as well as the 6th Independent Artillery Regiment.

The combined strength of the 3rd Division, 7th Brigade, and 6th Artillery Regiment of the People's Liberation Army has reached over 18,000 personnel.

As per the pre-war plan, the 7th Brigade, familiar with the terrain, was responsible for the defense of Panama Port and Panama City.

Outside Panama City, the main force of the 3rd Army Division and the 6th Independent Artillery Regiment, responsible for artillery support, were located.

Commander of these 18,000 men was Brigadier General Diego Garcia, commander of the 3rd Division of the New Grenada Army.

The arrival of the California Army and Navy forces was so swift that it completely surprised Brigadier General Garcia.

According to Brigadier General Garcia and his staff, even if the New Grenada Navy's Pacific Fleet was no match for the U.S. Pacific Fleet and the California Coast Guard in the naval battle, it could at least hold off the enemy fleet for a considerable period of time and inflict heavy damage on it.

Even if our own fleet suffers a defeat, the fortress batteries outside Panama Port—Fort Amador—should be able to withstand the attack of the American fleet.

Even if Fort Amadol also falls, the enemy fleet and landing forces will be greatly weakened after being repeatedly bombarded by our own fleet and fortress batteries.

If the remaining fleet and landing forces dare to attempt a forced landing, they will all be driven into the sea to be eaten by sharks under the encirclement and suppression of our superior forces!

Unexpectedly, the course of the war took a completely different turn than anyone anticipated!
Standing on the San Miglito Hill outside Panama City, Brigadier General Garcia and his staff were in the fortified fortress.

In their line of sight, seven or eight thousand yards away, that damned California Coast Guard fleet brazenly launched an attack.

The fierce barrage of artillery fire engulfed the formidable Fort Amadol in a sea of ​​flames in moments.

"Our Amadol Fortress...is finished...!"

Brigadier General Garcia slowly lowered his binoculars, his expression one of shock: "I never imagined the California Coast Guard's firepower would be so ferocious...!"

"No wonder our Pacific Fleet was completely annihilated in such a short time...!"

Brigadier General Garcia's tone was filled with disbelief: "What kind of powerful naval guns are they equipped with? How can they have such a long range and such powerful firepower...!"

"General...!" The chief of staff beside him, who had been observing the battle situation, said, "The enemy's transport ships have arrived. It looks like they are preparing to force their way onto the docks in Panama City...!"

"General, should we order our artillery regiment to fire on the enemy's transport ships?"

Upon hearing this, Brigadier General Garcia raised his monocular binoculars again, observed for a moment, and then said, "Pass on my order: the division's artillery battalion and the 7th Independent Artillery Regiment, once the enemy enters firing range, open fire at full force and sink the enemy transport ship...!"

"Yes, General!!"

……

Moments later, the New Grenada Army Artillery Group, deployed on the San Miglito Heights, with more than eighty 24-pound and 32-pound cannons, began to roar deafeningly.

The San Miglito Heights are strategically located outside Panama City, overlooking the entire port of Panama and Panama City.

Deploying artillery groups on the San Miglito Heights not only allows control of Panama Port and Panama City, but also provides a high vantage point to destroy any enemy ships near the coast.

Now, the California transport fleet, with its lead ships, has approached within hundreds of yards of the Panama port terminal.

From this position, they are already within range of the San Miglitto artillery group.

"Boom, boom, boom...!"

More than eighty muzzle-loading smoothbore cannons finally unleashed the fury of the New Grenada Republic!

“Swish, swish, swish, swish…!”

"Boom, boom, boom, boom...!"

More than eighty cannons, positioned high above, spewed out whistling shells, creating huge columns of water that shot into the sky on the sea.

A dozen or so shells hit the transport ships carrying the landing troops directly.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!"

“Bang, bang, bang…!”

The round, solid shell pierced the deck of the transport ship, blasting countless fragments and unleashing a bloody storm on board!
"Ah... my leg...!"

"Ah... my hand...!"

"Ah, the platoon leader is wounded! Medic! Medic!!"

"Quick, quick, quick... rush up, get closer to the dock...!"

……

The first round of shelling immediately triggered a chorus of agonizing screams and chaotic shouts from the several transport ships that were hit.

The severed limbs and splattered blood made the transport ships a scene of utter chaos.

This scene was also observed by the California Coast Guard fleet that followed closely behind.

"Order...!" Vic commanded, "Target: San Miglitto Heights, all hands on board, free fire...!"

"Suppress the enemy's artillery fire!"

"Yes, sir!!"

……

"Boom, boom, boom, boom...!"

Before the sounds of gunfire and smoke from the San Miglitor Heights had completely dissipated, the California Coast Guard fleet immediately launched a counterattack.

“Swish, swish, swish, swish…!”

"Boom, boom, boom, boom...!"

Hundreds of naval cannons unleashed their fury upon the San Miglito Heights with even more ferocious firepower.

"Boom boom boom...!"

Each shell that landed exploded into a huge fireball ranging from several meters to tens of meters in size!
The powerful shockwave and flying shrapnel ruthlessly reaped all life.

"Boom boom boom...!"

Each shell that landed left a huge crater and overturned one cannon after another.

"Ah... I'm hurt, help me...!"

"My stomach... my intestines...!"

"Ah... my eyes...!"

One cannon after another was hurled high into the air by powerful high-explosive shells.

The artillerymen fared even worse, with severed limbs and blood flying everywhere and splashing freely...!
……

But the Grenada artillery, braving the powerful naval gunfire, aimed at the transport ships that were constantly approaching the dock and desperately launched wave after wave of shelling.

Shells from both sides whistled through the sky.

Both sides' cannons were relentlessly raining down bullets on each other.

"Boom...!"

The barrage of artillery fire from both sides was so intense that some shells even collided head-on in mid-air, creating unprecedentedly loud explosions!
At this point, the Pacific Squadron under Brigadier General Hunt could no longer sit still!
They followed closely behind the transport convoy, and once within firing range, they unleashed their own roars of fire from their 24-pound and 32-pound naval guns at the enemy artillery on the San Miglitor Heights.

More than a dozen frigates and patrol vessels, also equipped with hundreds of cannons.

With the addition of the Pacific Squadron, the New Grenada Army Artillery Group, which had the advantage of terrain, was finally unable to withstand the onslaught.

"General...!" An artillery staff officer, his face covered in gunpowder smoke and clutching his hat, rushed to Brigadier General Garcia's side and reported urgently, "General, our artillery units have suffered heavy casualties and are about to...cannot hold on...!"

Brigadier General Garcia remained calm and asked in a deep voice, "How many cannons have we lost...?"

"General...!" The artillery staff officer swallowed hard. "In less than a quarter of an hour of artillery battle, we lost at least half of our artillery, and the number of artillerymen killed or wounded is even greater...!"

"Such heavy losses...?" Brigadier General Garcia was also deeply shocked. He said, "Let our artillery hold them off. We absolutely cannot let them land so easily...!"

"General... if the artillery battle continues, our entire artillery group will be wiped out...!"

"Bang...!" Brigadier General Garcia slammed his fist into the hard stone wall and roared at the major artillery staff officer, "Major, execute the order...!"

"Yes, Sir...!"

Helpless, the artillery staff officer turned and rushed out of the fortress to deliver the general's orders.

"Boom boom boom...!" "Boom boom boom...!"

"Boom, boom, boom...!"

The fierce artillery battle between the two sides continues.

But as time went on, the firepower of the artillery on the San Miglitto Heights was gradually weakened.

Countless cannons were overturned and thrown to the ground.

Countless artillery corpses and wounded lay scattered across the artillery positions.

"Help...help me, save me...!"

"Shells, quick, I need cannonballs...!"

"Gunner, our gun is overheating and can't be fired anymore... otherwise, it might explode at any moment...!"

"Water, quickly use water to cool down the cannon... Quick, clean the breech!"

"Zizzizi...!"

Buckets of cold water were poured onto the massive, scorching cannon, creating a crackling sound like sizzling on a hot plate.

There were also huge plumes of water vapor shooting into the sky.

But on the artillery positions, amidst the smoke and dust, these plumes of water vapor were utterly inconspicuous.

"Gunner, the shells are coming...!"

"The cannon has been cooled down... and the barrel has been cleaned...!"

"Guard... the shell is loaded, we can fire...!"

"Aim at the transport ships on the dock...fire!!"

"Whoosh... Boom...!"

The gunner of the 32-pounder had just given the order to fire when a 203mm naval shell exploded right next to him.

"Boom...!"

After a loud bang, the 32-pounder, along with its gunner and several artillerymen, were all blown high into the air and then crashed to the ground...!
The heavy 32-pound cannon was reduced to a pile of twisted parts!

The gunner and several artillerymen were also reduced to bloody, mangled parts.
……

The same scene played out again and again on the artillery positions on the San Migliorto Heights.

Under the continuous bombardment of two to three hundred naval guns from the California Coast Guard and the Pacific Fleet, the artillery positions in New Grenada have become riddled with holes.

Everywhere there were scattered cannon parts, twisted cannon barrels, corpses and human fragments, blood flowing freely, and painful groans...!
After more than forty minutes of continuous artillery battle, only about twenty 24-pound and 32-pound cannons remained on the high ground that could still fire.

Only a little over a hundred artillerymen remained who were still able to stand!
Just a few dozen minutes ago, more than eighty cannons and more than a thousand artillerymen were reduced to this few people.

Even though many of these hundred-plus men were wounded, they persisted in their positions after receiving simple first aid.

On the contrary, the twenty light mortars deployed on the reverse slope of the high ground remained silent because their short range prevented them from covering the port and docks, let alone the vast sea.

This is why these twenty light mortars were preserved almost intact.

"General...!" The major artillery staff officer staggered into Garcia's fortified bunker again, reporting breathlessly, "If this artillery battle continues, our division's artillery battalion and the 6th Independent Regiment will be completely wiped out...!"

Brigadier General Garcia had long noticed that his own artillery fire was gradually weakening.

"Major, how many cannons do we have left...?"

"General, there are only seventeen cannons left that can still be fired...!"

Brigadier General Garcia turned his head and looked at the artillery staff officer, who was covered in gunpowder smoke, had a thick bandage wrapped around his head, and whose face was still bleeding.

The major artillery staff officer's cap had long since disappeared.

His military uniform was tattered and torn to pieces in many places by flying shrapnel.

Ironically, this major artillery staff officer was still alive, and Brigadier General Garcia had to marvel at his good fortune.

"Major...pass on my order: have the artillery retreat as much as possible...!"

Brigadier General Garcia knew that with the remaining dozen or so cannons, it would be impossible to stop the enemy's forced landing.

"Yes, Sir...!"

The young principal breathed a sigh of relief and turned to rush out of the fortified fortress.

"Whoosh... Boom...!"

Unexpectedly, just as the major rushed out of the fortress, a shell from a 155mm heavy artillery piece exploded right in front of him...!
"Boom...!"

This lucky major was instantly turned into a cloud of blood mist...!
When the smoke cleared, the lucky major couldn't even find a large piece of his flesh.

……

At this moment, with the direct support of naval guns, dozens of transport ships, after suffering considerable casualties, had braved enemy fire and rushed to the dock.

"Brothers, follow me, charge!!"

Having been cooped up on the ship for more than twenty days, the National Guard soldiers, completely bored, jumped from the ship's side onto the hard dock like tigers released from their cages.

The 1st Battalion of the 2nd Brigade, acting as the vanguard, was the first to storm the docks of the port of Panama.

More than 600 officers and soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Brigade rushed out of the port area and into the vast city of Panama along the already empty dock.

Behind the First Battalion, the Second Battalion, the Third Battalion, and thousands of soldiers from the Artillery Battalion surged out of their respective transport ships like a tidal wave and rushed into Panama City.

Here, they ran head-on into the New Grenada Army's 7th Brigade, which was deployed in the city.

Within the city, the 7th Brigade of the New Grenada Army had set up countless barricades and makeshift fortifications along the streets early on, almost completely blocking all the streets.

The California National Guard's 2nd Brigade and the New Grenada Army's 7th Brigade are evenly matched and evenly matched.

With almost no buffer time, the 2nd National Guard Brigade, which had just disembarked, launched a fierce battle in Panama City, fighting street by street and alley by Shi Dakai under his personal command.

In such close-quarters combat, the heavy artillery firepower of naval guns became completely ineffective.

They could only rely on the guns and grenades in the soldiers' hands, as well as the limited firepower of the mortars.

"Company commander, we've encountered enemy barricades ahead...!"

Xu Lin, who had just turned twenty, was already the company commander of the first company of the first battalion of the second brigade. He led more than a hundred brothers and charged at the forefront of all the National Guard troops.

"What barricades? Sergeant Liu, take me to see them...!"

Led by Squad Leader Liu, Xu Lin arrived at the street corner of July 4th Street.

"Company commander, be careful! There are enemy barricades right ahead...!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh...!"

Company Commander Xu Lin had just poked his head out from the corner of July 4th Street when several whistling bullets grazed his scalp.

Xu Lin quickly pulled his head back, and behind him, more than a hundred soldiers from the First Company were pinned down at the street corner, unable to move.

"Company commander, we can't break through, what do we do?"

Xu Lin got a pretty clear look the moment he stuck his head out.

On the fourth street of July, just around the corner, the enemy had already built barricades more than half a person high with sandbags and various debris, completely blocking one of the city's main thoroughfares.

Behind the barricades, there were countless heads, making it impossible to tell how many enemies there were.

"Someone, bring up our mortars...!"

Under Xu Lin's orders, the company's subordinate fire platoon quickly brought up three 81mm guns.

"Deploy our mortars here... elevation xxx, distance xxx...!"

"Prepare... to fire...!"

With Xu Lin's command, three 81mm mortars slid into the barrels simultaneously.

“Bang, bang, bang…!”

After three muffled cannon shots, three mortar shells, bypassing houses, hurtled towards the enemy barricades more than a hundred yards away with extremely high trajectories, almost vertically.

"Boom, boom, boom...!"

After three loud explosions, Xu Lin, wearing a steel helmet, quickly poked his head out again, then instantly pulled it back in.

"The deviation is more than ten meters... Angle of elevation xxx, distance xxx...!"

"Prepare... to fire...!"

(End of this chapter)