binnovel Chapter 366 Self-mutilation
Chapter 366 Self-mutilation
This round of rapid artillery fire from the Japanese army really shocked everyone in the new 100th Division headquarters. No one had expected that the Japanese army would actually bombard their own attacking troops at such a close distance from their positions. This would cause casualties to their own troops. The Japanese army was crazy.
When the Japanese army was bombarding, Zhang Wenwu and Ouyang Heng came out of the tent with binoculars to observe the situation of their positions under the Japanese artillery fire.
"Division Commander, are the Japanese crazy? Don't they care about the lives of their own officers and soldiers? This is a very demoralizing behavior." Ouyang Heng looked at the thick smoke and explosions on the distant positions, his heart filled with disbelief.
"Hmph, the Japanese are getting anxious. Their soldiers don't think there is anything wrong with this. Instead, they think it is an honor to die in battle. There is nothing the Japanese will not do to win. Brother Ouyang, this Japanese artillery bombardment has probably caused considerable casualties to the troops on the position. You should let the second echelon of troops prepare to reinforce after the Japanese artillery bombardment stops, let the Japanese get close for hand-to-hand combat, and then drive the Japanese away." Zhang Wenwu also severely complained about the Japanese army's behavior, and at the same time quickly issued orders for the reinforcement of the troops.
Now the only thing they could do was to put the Japanese troops in front of their positions, and then rush their own troops down to entangle the Japanese troops and beat them down with bayonets. Otherwise, the Japanese artillery fire would continue, and their own troops would be completely consumed by the Japanese artillery fire.
The Japanese First Battalion also lost about one and a half squads of officers and soldiers in this shelling, but this situation instead aroused the bestiality of the Japanese army. All the Japanese soldiers howled and held their rifles with bayonets fixed, and began to charge forward under their own artillery fire.
The frontline troops of the new 100th Division also suffered heavy casualties under the Japanese artillery attack. The commander of the front line saw that the Japanese were about to rush to the position, so he picked up his rifle with a bayonet and shouted: "Brothers, put on the bayonet, drive the little Japanese away, charge!"
All of a sudden, all the officers and soldiers on the front-line positions of the new 100th Division rushed out of the trenches holding rifles and holding swords. The officers and soldiers of both sides collided with each other about ten meters in front of the positions. At this time, the Japanese artillery also stopped shelling. Now, it depended on the most primitive fight between the infantry of both sides.
Guarding the front line of the position were two companies from the 100st and 811nd Battalions of the th Regiment of the New th Division. The rd Battalion served as the reserve of the entire regiment and was on standby at the back at all times.
After the previous hard battle, the Japanese 100st Battalion had only less than troops able to rush to the position of the new th Division, except for the heavy machine gun unit led by the battalion commander, Major An Manqinyi.
The soldiers of both sides are now in a large melee, with soldiers falling down at any time. The 811rd Battalion of the th Regiment's reserve force immediately rushed to reinforce the positions as soon as the shelling stopped. At this time, the faster the reinforcements, the less casualties on their side will be.
"Sir, Captain, should we send the Second Battalion to reinforce? The Chinese army is probably sending their reserve troops to reinforce us. The First Battalion has limited strength and it will be difficult for them to advance further." After seeing the current battle situation, Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Saito Taro also made his own suggestions to the commander of the regiment, Colonel Takano Naomitsu.
"No need, Mr. Saito. By the time the officers and soldiers of the Second Battalion arrive, the First Battalion will have been driven down by the Chinese army. Let the Second Battalion set off. After the First Battalion withdraws, the Second Battalion will be responsible for launching the attack. Let the commander of the Second Battalion, Major Ikutame Arata, prepare for battle." The regiment commander, Colonel Naomitsu Takano, immediately made arrangements for the next attack.
In the opinion of Colonel Naomitsu Takano, the commander of the regiment, the attack of the 1st Battalion had achieved its goal. Considering the defensive combat capability of the new 22nd Army of the Chinese government, it was impossible for his 18th Regiment to break through and occupy the defensive positions of the Chinese army in one or two attacks.
The commander of the regiment, Colonel Naomitsu Takano, already knew this from the process and results of the 1st Battalion's first attack. He also calmed down at that time and prepared for a long and arduous battle. The New 22nd Army of the Chinese government was indeed a worthy opponent.
The tactics of the regiment commander, Colonel Naomitsu Takano, were also simple and crude. He had already seen the problem that the Chinese government's new 22nd Army was unable to retreat, so he planned to use the troops of his 18th Regiment to attack the Chinese army's defensive positions in turns, using the artillery fire during the attack to consume the troops of the Chinese government's new 22nd Army. He must maximize the advantage of his artillery.
This was also the tip given to him by Major An Manqinyi, the captain of the first battalion. Even if his own regiment was wiped out, other reinforcements would continue to attack. As long as he consumed as much manpower as possible of the defensive forces of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government, the attacking forces behind would be able to break through and occupy the positions of the Chinese army more easily.
Because Colonel Takano Naomitsu had already received a notice from the commander of the 13th Division, Lieutenant General Ogisu Ryuhei, that the 11th Army Headquarters had already transferred the 34th Regiment from the 3rd Division for reinforcement. Even if his own troops suffered heavy losses, the credit for this attack would definitely belong to the 3rd Division.
Colonel Naomitsu Takano had also calculated in his mind that the 34th Regiment would not be able to arrive at the battlefield here until tomorrow morning or tomorrow at the earliest. His 18th Regiment could at least complete all the attacks tomorrow, which would be just right for him to carry out rotation attacks with the 34th Regiment when his troops were tired.
After receiving the order to rotate the attack, the commander of the Second Battalion, Major Ikutame Arata, led his troops to the First Battalion with a heavy heart. From what he had seen from behind about the artillery fire coverage of the First Battalion during the attack, Major Ikutame Arata knew that not many people in his battalion would be able to retreat alive in the subsequent attack.
The reinforcements of the Third Battalion of the 100th Regiment of the New 811th Division appeared on the battlefield as scheduled. This made the officers and soldiers of the First Battalion of the Japanese Army, who had been exhausted from fighting, unable to hold on any longer, and they began to retreat one after another. After a brief pursuit, the officers and soldiers of the 811th Regiment quickly cleaned up the battlefield, treated and sent away the wounded, and then withdrew into the position.
Major An Manqin, the captain of the First Battalion, felt his heart bleed as he watched the retreating officers and soldiers. His First Battalion was gone. Including the wounded, there were only two hundred and forty people who were able to retreat successfully.
After a brief handover with the commander of the second battalion, Major Ikutame Arata, the commander of the first battalion, Major An Manqinyi, led his troops to withdraw. His battle was over.