Sword of Light: Humanoid Self-Propelled Artillery

Chapter 279 Hagaru-ri Airport
Unlike the standard version, the M19 mortar handheld version weighs only 9.1 kilograms and eliminates the bipod and large seat plate.

Therefore, its firepower sustainability is weaker than the standard version, but it is half the weight, making it much easier to carry. Furthermore, the handheld M19 mortar makes it easier to quickly relocate mortar positions.

Since it lacks a bipod and a large seat, it can be easily carried away with one hand, making it convenient to move to a new position in a timely manner. However, due to the absence of a bipod and a large seat, the accuracy of continuous firing is not as good as that of the regular M19 mortar due to recoil.

What Wang Gensheng captured from the Polar Bear Regiment was a 9.1 kg portable mortar, which is naturally very suitable for special operations forces like the Marine Corps that emphasize mobility. Moreover, with more than 10 kg less weight, it can carry more mortar shells, enhancing its ability to sustain combat operations.

However, just as Wang Gensheng was happily cleaning up the battlefield and changing his troops' equipment, the communications officer rushed over and said to him:
"Urgent telegram from the frontline command!"

After saying that, he handed the telegram in his hand to Wang Gensheng, who was stunned for a moment when he saw it, and then his mind suddenly cleared.

However, faced with such a difficult task, Wang Gensheng thought about it and finally decided to take on the task. As for how to complete the task, Wang Gensheng also had some ideas in mind, after all, Wang Gensheng originally planned to take over the Karauri Airport.

Wang Gensheng immediately issued the following order:

"Quick! Quick! Strip me off the Polar Bear Regiment's uniforms, then we'll put on the Polar Bear Regiment's uniforms!"

Regarding Wang Gensheng's actions, Duan Peng, who was standing nearby, commented:

"Si Ling, what are you doing? We don't need to take off the American soldiers' uniforms!"

In response to Duan Peng's question, Wang Gensheng said rather irritably:
"The entire US military is currently in a massive rout. We should put on US military uniforms and pretend to be the German army, then retreat to Hagaru-ri Airport with the retreating US forces. We can then seize Hagaru-ri Airport and cut off the US military's air supply!"

Of course, it was extremely dangerous for Wang Gensheng to impersonate a welder and infiltrate Hagaru-ri Airport during the massive defeat of the U.S.-welder coalition forces. If things went wrong, Wang Gensheng and his 800 marines could be surrounded and annihilated by thousands or even tens of thousands of U.S.-welder coalition forces.

However, considering the importance of Hagaru-ri Airport and its defenses, Wang Gensheng had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.

After all, once the retreating US troops establish a foothold at Hagaru-ri Airport, and then transport the wounded back via transport planes from Hagaru-ri Airport, it will be even more difficult to leave the US First Lion here.

Indeed, the mission sent by the frontline command to Wang Gensheng was to capture Hagaru-ri Airport. Although Hagaru-ri Airport was 20 kilometers away from Xinxing-ri, 20 kilometers was nothing to Wang Gensheng's marines. After all, the snow was so thick that skiing 20 kilometers was an easy task.

As for why the frontline command ordered Wang Gensheng to attack Hagaru-ri Airport, it was naturally because the original deployment had gone wrong, so they wanted Wang Gensheng to see if he could plug the loophole caused by this mistake. On the night of the 27th, which is tonight, the 9th Army Corps of the Chaozhou Army launched an attack on the US forces at Liutan-ri and Xinxing-ri on the eastern front, and the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Second Phase Offensive began.

Strangely, the attack on Hagaru-ri, however, was not launched at the same time. This was the location of the US Marine Corps' First Lion command headquarters. The failure to destroy the enemy command headquarters immediately gave the US military ample time to react. Most importantly, there was a makeshift airfield there, and most of the US troops who eventually escaped fled by plane from there.

The seasoned commanders of the relief force could not possibly be unaware of the importance of Hagaru-ri, so they made corresponding arrangements before the battle. The force attacking Hagaru-ri was the 58th Lion Army of the 20th Corps, without any reserves.

There are more than 3,900 U.S. troops in Hagaru-ri, but the personnel are very diverse. In addition to the 1st Marine Corps, the command headquarters of the 10th Corps also sent some personnel here, as well as personnel from various departments such as the Army, Navy, and Air Force, with as many as 59 different unit names.

Among these many units, there were many small units with only seven or eight people. Therefore, out of the more than 3,900 people, the actual combat troops consisted of only two companies of the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Marine Regiment, one company of the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment, and two companies of the 11th Artillery Regiment, totaling more than 600 people.

If they could have launched an attack on Hagaru-ri immediately and caught the enemy off guard, the 58 Lions would have been able to end the battle quickly. Unfortunately, history cannot be rewritten, because not all 58 Lions were able to reach the battlefield on the night of the 27th.

It's important to know that the Battle of Chosin Reservoir was originally scheduled to begin on November 25th, but due to difficult roads, most troops failed to reach their designated positions by the deadline, forcing a two-day postponement. The situation faced by the 58th Lions was particularly severe, as heavy snow blocked the mountain passes, leaving the troops stranded at Dongbaishan.

Dongbai Mountain is high and densely forested, with snow up to waist-deep, and there isn't even a road. But on the 20th Army's map, there is a small path that can quickly cross Dongbai Mountain to reach Hagaru-ri. However, this map was drawn by the Japanese in 1926, and 25 years have passed. Zhang Yixiang wasn't sure if the actual situation had changed, so he sent scouts to investigate.

The scouts did not find the path in Dongbaishan. Later, they met an old hunter who said that the Japanese had indeed built such a path back then, and he had walked it himself.

In New Delhi, a dozen kilometers away from East White Mountain, scouts also confirmed the existence of this road with the local population. So, without actually seeing the road, the Fifty-Eight Lions made a plan to cross East White Mountain and head straight for Hagaru-ri.

However, upon arrival, they discovered that Dongbaeksan was insurmountable. The commander became increasingly anxious and ordered the 2nd Battalion of the 172nd Regiment, led by Chief of Staff Liu Xiwen, to travel lightly through Dongbaeksan and head directly towards Hagaru-ri. He himself led the main force across the Changjin River to their destination.

However, climbing mountains is not comparable to walking on flat roads, especially when the mountains are blocked by heavy snow. Sometimes the snow in the mountain hollows can bury people directly.

It was precisely because the Fifty-Eight Lions failed to reach Hagaru-ri that, in the movie "The Battle at Lake Changjin," Wu Qianli and his men, after defeating the Polar Bear Gang, rushed to attack Hagaru-ri overnight.

So after receiving the telegram, Wang Gensheng finally understood that the reason they didn't pass through Hagaru-ri at night was because the Fifty-Eight Lions' wrong marching route had caused the problem. If the Fifty-Eight Lions had been able to occupy Hagaru-ri, the outcome would have been completely different.

(End of this chapter)