YongYang near Guiping , China .
American-Chinese forces:-
1st Provisional Tank Battalion of 1st Provisional Tank Group, 2nd Battalion, 66th Infantry Regiment and 22nd Artillery Battalion of 22nd Chinese New Infantry Division, all of 56th Chinese Corps.
Japanese forces:-
1st Tank Battalion, 3rd Special Obligation Brigade ‘Rainbow’ , temporarily assigned from Suwabe Detachment, attached directly to 63rd Special Army.
The ceremony completed, Hamuda detailed his men to the routine maintena n ce tasks needed to keep his new thoroughbred operational . With the work in full swing, he moved towards the tank of his second in command, Lieutenant the Marquis Hirohata , who was in conference with the company’s senior NCO, Sergeant-Major Kagamutsu.
As ingrained in them since birth , the two junior men acknowledged their leader with respectful bows as he approached, which were returned in kind.
Kagamutsu and Hirohata had been arguing about the best way to stow their Katana swords when on the road, an argument which had been going on ever since the Company had first received its new vehicles.
Kagamutsu argued that there was no place for a sword inside the fighting compartment, preferring it outside in the tube container holding the barrel cleaning equipment.
Hirohata, carrying his family’s heirloom, a priceless blade crafted by legendary sword smith Hikoshiro Sadamune, preferred to keep his closer to hand , and secured it against the cage stanchions within the tank’s turret.
Thus far , Hamuda had avoided being dragged into the argument , and had every intention of continuing to avoid the on-going squabble by dealing with more mundane military matters.
Despite the differences in station, Hirohata and Kagamutsu were committed friends. The former was a member of the peerage, his father having been granted the title under the Kazoku system for military services to the Emperor, the latter was the son of a fisherman, and even though they had both been brought up within ten miles of each other , they had lived very different lives.
Their relationship was built on soldierly comradeship and shared dangers. T hat Hirohata still drew breath was solely down to the bravery of his Sergeant-Major, whose face bore the burns caused by the fire that should have killed the youn g Marquis . The blaze claimed the lives of the five other officers of 3rd Tank Division who had bunked in the wooden hut , but K agamutsu had plucked the young L ieutenant from the building , even as it started collapse on top of them. The young Chinese culprit had been apprehended swiftly and was brough t before the unit commander. Major Kaneda had beheaded the youth on the spot.
Unfolding his map , Hamuda cleared his throat noisily to draw a line under the pair’s ritual squabbling.
As the business of the march was being discus sed , a shouted warning stopped them abruptly, eyes swivelling upwards to confirm the friendly nature of the approaching aircraft .
Around the positions, AA gunners tensed, ready to hurl death into the air.
Private Asego had been the man to shout and his eyes were the finest in the unit. It was a full ten seconds before any of the three could verify that the aircraft were indeed friendly.
A Mitsubishi Ki-46 reconnaissance plane was being shepherded back towards friendly lines by a group of four Ki-84 fighters , having conducted a mission to gather information about Chinese forces around Xingye.
Two of the fighters broke off from the formation , circling back to port over the Heights of Jianzhuding and lazily lost height, heading away from t he Rainbow tankers to the south .
Sounds of firing followed and the keener eyes of Asego confirmed that the aircraft were strafing something on the ground.
Lacking any means of swif tly communicating with the troops on the ground , the flight leader had ordered two of his pilots to attack the enemy force on the road , in order to try and warn the tank
American-Chinese forces:-
1st Provisional Tank Battalion of 1st Provisional Tank Group, 2nd Battalion, 66th Infantry Regiment and 22nd Artillery Battalion of 22nd Chinese New Infantry Division, all of 56th Chinese Corps.
Japanese forces:-
1st Tank Battalion, 3rd Special Obligation Brigade ‘Rainbow’ , temporarily assigned from Suwabe Detachment, attached directly to 63rd Special Army.
The ceremony completed, Hamuda detailed his men to the routine maintena n ce tasks needed to keep his new thoroughbred operational . With the work in full swing, he moved towards the tank of his second in command, Lieutenant the Marquis Hirohata , who was in conference with the company’s senior NCO, Sergeant-Major Kagamutsu.
As ingrained in them since birth , the two junior men acknowledged their leader with respectful bows as he approached, which were returned in kind.
Kagamutsu and Hirohata had been arguing about the best way to stow their Katana swords when on the road, an argument which had been going on ever since the Company had first received its new vehicles.
Kagamutsu argued that there was no place for a sword inside the fighting compartment, preferring it outside in the tube container holding the barrel cleaning equipment.
Hirohata, carrying his family’s heirloom, a priceless blade crafted by legendary sword smith Hikoshiro Sadamune, preferred to keep his closer to hand , and secured it against the cage stanchions within the tank’s turret.
Thus far , Hamuda had avoided being dragged into the argument , and had every intention of continuing to avoid the on-going squabble by dealing with more mundane military matters.
Despite the differences in station, Hirohata and Kagamutsu were committed friends. The former was a member of the peerage, his father having been granted the title under the Kazoku system for military services to the Emperor, the latter was the son of a fisherman, and even though they had both been brought up within ten miles of each other , they had lived very different lives.
Their relationship was built on soldierly comradeship and shared dangers. T hat Hirohata still drew breath was solely down to the bravery of his Sergeant-Major, whose face bore the burns caused by the fire that should have killed the youn g Marquis . The blaze claimed the lives of the five other officers of 3rd Tank Division who had bunked in the wooden hut , but K agamutsu had plucked the young L ieutenant from the building , even as it started collapse on top of them. The young Chinese culprit had been apprehended swiftly and was brough t before the unit commander. Major Kaneda had beheaded the youth on the spot.
Unfolding his map , Hamuda cleared his throat noisily to draw a line under the pair’s ritual squabbling.
As the business of the march was being discus sed , a shouted warning stopped them abruptly, eyes swivelling upwards to confirm the friendly nature of the approaching aircraft .
Around the positions, AA gunners tensed, ready to hurl death into the air.
Private Asego had been the man to shout and his eyes were the finest in the unit. It was a full ten seconds before any of the three could verify that the aircraft were indeed friendly.
A Mitsubishi Ki-46 reconnaissance plane was being shepherded back towards friendly lines by a group of four Ki-84 fighters , having conducted a mission to gather information about Chinese forces around Xingye.
Two of the fighters broke off from the formation , circling back to port over the Heights of Jianzhuding and lazily lost height, heading away from t he Rainbow tankers to the south .
Sounds of firing followed and the keener eyes of Asego confirmed that the aircraft were strafing something on the ground.
Lacking any means of swif tly communicating with the troops on the ground , the flight leader had ordered two of his pilots to attack the enemy force on the road , in order to try and warn the tank
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