Japan, Enemy of the New World

Chapter 42 - The Elites

It has been a while.

- Sōsaku-ka ZERO rei

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5 days after the outbreak of the insurgency

Near Otaheit

5th Motorized Infantry Division, Central Military District Command

About 100 kilometers north of Otaheit, a defensive line was laid out. Passing through the highway from the north, the scenery changed beyond a certain line. A large number of artillery and anti-tank missile positions had been established, interspersed between the spread grasslands and scattered wheat fields. These positions encircled Otaheit and extended until interrupted by the sea. Multiple divisions belonging to the Central Military District Command had constructed this defensive line as a key element in the defense of the capital. Far ahead of this defensive line, an explosion roared accompanied by a dull sound. A spotter confirming the impact of friendly artillery shells quickly relayed the information to the regimental commander.

"Artillery at Point A has been silenced."

"Understood, continue observation... That's roughly about 30 guns taken out."

The 5th Motorized Infantry Division was a division heavily equipped with Japanese-made exported weapons, especially deploying over 50 units of Japanese FH-70 howitzers, both used and licensed-produced. Overall, it was a division structured primarily for defense. Using the large number of deployed howitzers, they repeatedly spotted and neutralized the artillery of the coalition forces launching offensives. After all, the range and power were vastly different from those of the coalition's artillery. Due to the lack of fully equipped troops, most of the coalition artillery were so-called airborne guns. They were smaller in caliber and range compared to the FH-70 with a caliber of 155 mm and a range of over 30 km.

"We're managing to hold them off somehow, but their numbers are overwhelming."

"Yes. We should have been neutralizing their firing points with the imported counter-battery radars and drones, but it seems endless..."

While the regimental commander and his aide were discussing, smoke rose from the direction of the northern grasslands. It appeared that enemy tank units were launching an assault, but one by one, they were hit directly by friendly anti-tank missiles and exploded. The tanks appeared to be airborne tanks from Gra Valkas. Resembling a Type 2 Ke-To light tank of the former Japanese Army, these tanks were turned into blackened wrecks, emitting black smoke and spreading hazardous substances, contaminating the battlefield soil.

The remaining coalition tank units that suddenly came under attack hastily retreated and deployed smoke screens. Most of them seemed to be airborne tanks or light tanks, as their retreat was quite swift. They were defeated by a solid line of defense composed of 105 mm M-16 anti-tank guns, *1 Type 87 Chū-MAT missiles, and Type 79 Jyu-MAT missiles. This defensive position, which even modern tanks would find difficult to approach, was also a trick learned from their parent, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

"Japanese-made anti-tank weapons are indeed powerful. We don't even need to deploy our mobile forces."

"That saves us fuel. If we stick to ambushes, we should be able to hold our ground."

Even though they were missiles, fundamentally, they were anti-tank guns, perfect for ambushes. This position alone was quite formidable, but further back, three platoons of Japanese-made T-19M light tanks *2 were waiting as mobile forces. With double or triple layers of defensive positions, they were thwarting the coalition's offensives.