Munitions Empire

Chapter 603: 562 paratroopers set out

“Have you all handed in your letters?” a military officer shouted to the soldiers seated in two rows inside the cramped cabin of the jostling plane, his hand resting on the bulky reserve parachute strapped to his chest.

Due to poor soundproofing, they could clearly hear the roar of the airplane’s engines on the wings. They could see the clouds streaming by near the wing and the deep blue sky above.

Streaming through the round portholes, the sunlight illuminated the crowded cabin. Each person could see the faces of their comrades, and on every face were expressions of both nervousness and excitement.

This was their first mission, so they were very nervous. It was also their first mission, so they were excited.

Compared to regular soldiers, each one of them could be said to be armed to the teeth. Each soldier was equipped with a Thompson Submachine Gun, with at least seven magazines carrying over 210 rounds of ammunition.

Beneath their feet, in their packs, were another four spare magazines; if these packs were not lost during the parachute drop, they would have an additional 120 rounds of reserve ammunition.

In addition, each paratrooper was equipped with an M1911 pistol and three extra magazines, with another three magazines’ worth of ammunition stored in their packs.

Beyond that, they each had a smoke grenade, three hand grenades, and there were machine-gun weapon boxes to be dropped with them containing accessible MG-42 machine guns.

In terms of individual equipment, they could be considered the strongest infantry in the world. And these elite troops would also be fighting on the most dangerous battlefield in the world.

They would fly directly into the heart of the enemy territory on planes, parachuting from thousands of meters above the enemy-controlled area to commence combat in enemy territory.

“All done!” the paratroopers, with their hands on the weapons fixed in front of them, responded in unison to their officer’s question.

Like the German Army of World War II, the Tang Country Paratroopers’ helmets were specially made with even rims to prevent the parachute cords from snagging and injuring their necks.

These paratroopers, who had been through countless grueling trainings and had each been kicked out of a plane, were now completely accustomed to the insane game of parachuting.

“Remember your targets! Every landmark building! Recall all the photos you’ve seen before! Assemble immediately after landing! Carry out the operational plan!” the lead officer at the front of the turbulent plane yelled out, reminding everyone of each detail.

Before leaving, they had all repeatedly confirmed their targets. Their mission was to destroy a bridge east of King City of Qi Country, completely cutting off transport to the east side of King City, and then wait for the support of the 4th Armored Division on the ground.

The bad news was that they might have to hold their position for more than three days, with just two battalions, over 900 soldiers.

The good news was that, just like during their regular training, the enemy had virtually no anti-aircraft fire, so they wouldn’t encounter much danger before landing.

As the commanders tirelessly reminded the soldiers of various things to be mindful of after landing, the indicator light above their heads lit up, suddenly heightening the tension in the cabin to a fever pitch.

Seeing the red warning light flashing, the commanding officer ceased his incessant instructions and, raising his arm high, barked the order, “Check your parachutes!”

“Check your parachutes!” All the soldiers began to assist their comrades in checking their parachute equipment and then started checking their own. Each paratrooper raised an arm as a signal that they were ready.

The navigator slid open the cabin door behind him and shouted to the paratroopers inside, “One minute to the marked location!”

“Our undercover agents will signal with a fire at the designated spot!” he said, while holding up his map: “When you see the target, the green light will come on!”

Nodding at the navigator, the leading paratrooper commander shouted, “Stand up!”

Upon hearing the command, all soldiers stood up inside the shaking cabin. Laden with heavy equipment, moving even one step was a major effort.

But they couldn’t afford to leave anything behind, for every piece of equipment they carried was essential to their ability to continue fighting behind enemy lines.

The green indicator light overhead suddenly lit up, and the leading officer hooked his parachute release cable onto the steel cable above: “Get ready! Secure your release cables!”

All the soldiers almost simultaneously hooked their release cables onto the steel wire, ensuring each was secured properly after a thorough check.

The commanding officer pulled open the hatch, and cold air rushed into the cabin, causing the aircraft to shake even more violently.

“Long live Great Tang!” The first paratrooper, bracing himself on both sides of the door, shouted at the vast expanse of sky before him.

With his shout, he pushed hard with both hands, kicked with his legs, and jumped out of the plane. His parachute, pulled by the release cord, deployed, and he was left trailing behind the plane.

Immediately after, the second paratrooper also shouted “Long live Great Tang!” as he jumped from the aircraft, leaving only the release cord fluttering in the door, swaying in the draft.

Then came the third and fourth paratroopers, one after another, they leapt from the plane without the slightest hesitation.

This was a drill they practiced nearly every day, and they had long since become accustomed to it. They were used to the howling wind by their ears, and they were also used to the sight of the ground rushing up to meet them.

Unfortunately, what had become routine for them was, in the eyes of others, incomprehensible terror.

When 50 C-47 transport planes flew in neat formation, dropping clusters of pristine parachutes that covered the sky, the soldiers of Qi Country on the ground were so frightened they couldn’t even speak.

They saw one person after another jump from the plane, and then they saw these people bloom one white parachute after another above their heads, a sight that robbed them of their courage to fight.

In fact, they soon realized that even if they wanted to fight, it seemed there was no opportunity to do so—the parachutes that appeared so close were actually very far from where they landed!@@novelbin@@

However, there was one thing that the soldiers of Qi Country were very clear about: the Tang Army was now very close to them, and these Tang Army soldiers… were damn descending from the sky!

The Tang Country paratroopers who hadn’t yet landed found that there seemed to be a slight error with their intelligence.

Because the Qi Army soldiers on the ground began firing at them while they were still floating in the air, something they should not have encountered according to their intel.

This threw off the Tang Army’s operational deployment, and one Tang paratrooper clutching his parachute lines cursed loudly, “Fuck! Weren’t we told there’d be no attack?”

A bullet whizzed past his face, puncturing the parachute above him and leaving a hole.

But he soon hit the ground. The moment his feet slammed into the earth, a tremendous force sent him tumbling.

This was possibly his most undignified landing yet, and before he had time to gather up the parachute behind him, he heard the sound of machine gun fire.

“Damn Maxim,” he cursed inwardly, and then reached for the Thompson submachine gun strapped to his chest.

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!” Not far away, the fear-filled voices of Qi soldiers rose steadily, followed by the sounds of grenade explosions.

“Who the hell tied this?” He found he couldn’t unstrap the Thompson submachine gun fixed to his chest despite his efforts and cursed inwardly out of urgency.

In fact, he had tied it himself, fearing the weapon would not be secure and might fall off mid-air, so he wrapped it with extra binding wire deliberately.

The previous plan had assured that they wouldn’t encounter any significant forces from Qi upon landing. Who would have thought they’d land right near the military positions of Qi Country?

“The intelligence guys should be killed!” After he virtually cursed all the generals in the intelligence department of the Tang Army, he finally managed to get hold of his Thompson submachine gun and held it in his hands.

With a weapon in hand, he finally felt a bit more confident. By then his parachute had completely touched down, and he quickly removed the parachute pack from his back and tossed it aside.

“Tat-tat-tat-tat!” About 40 meters away, the continuous sound of machine gun fire erupted, the unmistakable sound of the Qi soldiers’ Maxim machine guns.

Peeking from the grass, he took one glance and could see a Maxim machine gun pointed towards the sky, with seven or eight Qi soldiers around it, shouting and firing into the air.

With so many targets in the sky, the enemy might not have noticed that some of the Tang Army had already landed. Feeling lucky, the paratrooper retracted his head, untied his spare pack from his feet, and tossed it aside.

Unable to fight with the pack on, he left these unnecessary items at the spot. He also removed the spare parachute pack from his chest, which immediately made him feel a lot lighter.

Now, having freed himself, the paratrooper began to crawl forward. He moved past the little pit that was his cover, silently approaching the incessantly firing Qi machine gun position.

Just then, through the gaps between the leaves, he saw a Qi soldier pointing in his direction.

It was clear that the man had seen his parachute; indeed, it was difficult not to notice such a large expanse of white.

“Damn it!” Knowing he might have been exposed, the paratrooper immediately aimed his submachine gun at the Qi soldier who was pointing and pulled the trigger.

“Tat-tat-tat!” A burst of gunfire peppered the target, and blood spurted out—the distance was too close, and the sudden attack left the surrounding Qi soldiers bewildered.

They had not expected the enemy to suddenly emerge around them, and amidst their nervousness and confusion, they initially could not locate where the attack came from.

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