Chapter 1438: Sinking into darkness (please vote for the first month of the month!)
"The Chinese are being surrounded from all sides. I will lead the 39th Division to fight the enemy to the end. I hope Your Excellency the Division Commander and Commander Yokoyama Isamu will send support as soon as possible!"
"Our army has no way to retreat. I must serve His Majesty the Emperor with my life!"
"Please tell my wife Hanako that I will watch over her and the children in heaven."
These are three messages sent by Yamada Masakichi to the division headquarters and the 11th Army headquarters during the three days of fighting in Beidou Mountain.
From this, we can fully glimpse the entire process of this Japanese army commander from hope to final despair.
On the morning of the 24th, the 40th Infantry Brigade was ordered to set off from Taishi Bridge to the Beidou Mountain area to meet the 231st Infantry Regiment. The two areas were about 30 kilometers apart. According to Murakami's estimation, the two armies should meet at dusk.
But at 10 o'clock, the mountain infantry company of the Si Xing Regiment stationed on Beidou Mountain blocked the 231st Infantry Regiment's final retreat.
If they do not pass by, the 231st Infantry Regiment will be forced to abandon all its baggage, artillery and seriously injured personnel. For the 231st Infantry Regiment, it is no longer a question of glory or not, but a question of the survival of the entire unit.
Losing ammunition and artillery will only make it impossible to fight, but losing food, thousands of people will starve to death in such a big mountain.
The 231st Infantry Regiment was forced to bombard Beidou Mountain with its remaining 20 artillery pieces for half an hour, and organized the terrifying Banzai Charge. Nearly 1,800 Japanese infantrymen launched a suicide charge against Beidou Mountain.
Beidou Mountain, as its name suggests, has 7 small peaks arranged like spoons. The main peak is the most steep at 680 meters high. The other peaks are much shorter, with the highest peak only 418 meters.
Gu Xishui adapted to local conditions and deployed a total of 269 capable soldiers from 14 squads of the mountain infantry company on six peaks.
There is an infantry platoon from Longyan on the main peak position named 680 Highland. It is the position with the largest number of troops. It is smaller like 389 Highland, which only has 2 squads.
Gu Xishui did not prepare any reserve team. He knew that the Japanese army would not give up the path of survival, and he had no shortcuts to choose from, so he could only fight with all his strength.
The morale of the Japanese army must have reached rock bottom. The so-called Banzai Charge collapsed in just 25 minutes.
Nearly one-third of the attacking 1,800 Japanese infantrymen were lying on the hillside.
At the critical moment, Platoon Leader Long once again demonstrated the myth of the "machine gun god of war". In the same simple fortification, Long Yan used an MG42 machine gun and three ammunition handlers to empty two ammunition boxes in 25 minutes.
A full 5,000 rounds of ammunition!
The main peak position that firmly locks the path leading to the outside world in Beidou Mountain is densely covered with shit-yellow corpses. Here alone, the Japanese army lost an entire infantry squadron.
Most of them were killed by Longyan's MG42, which was spitting fire like crazy. In order to quickly cool down the replaced barrel, the three ammunition handlers ran out of water and peed directly on the barrel.
The smell of gunpowder smoke and urine mixed in the natural machine gun fortification that was built after the war and was topped by a tilted multi-ton boulder was extremely weird.
It is also Longyan's luck. If this natural boulder had not been used as the top of the fortification, his never-ending firepower would have been bombarded to pieces by the Japanese infantry artillery.
The several-ton boulder was made of an unknown material, but it blocked the direct fire of several infantry cannons. After inspection after the war, it was found that there were six washbasin-sized depressions on it, which meant that there were six infantry cannons.
The shell hit directly here.
The nearest cave was no more than 5 meters away from where Long Yan was staying, but fortunately, not only did this boulder not shatter, it also used its heavy body to block all shrapnel and air waves, protecting the 4 people inside it.
A Chinese soldier.
After the war, Long Yan specially lit a cigarette and placed it on the boulder to share the rare peaceful moment with him. In his words: "I am the son of the mountain, so even Brother Shi loves me so much and smokes with him."
Watching the sunset with a cigarette is such a joy!"
The 231st Infantry Regiment, which lost 600 infantrymen in just one battle, was completely cowed. No matter how angry Yamada Masakichi roared, it was difficult for the Japanese army to organize a decent attack. Even Yamada Masakichi, who was eager to escape, could only pin his hopes on
On the body of more than 6,000 imperial officers and soldiers of the 40th Infantry Brigade who were rushing towards Beidou Mountain.
6,000 troops arrived. With the cooperation of aircraft and artillery, under the mode of internal and external attacks, no matter how many Chinese there were in Beidou Mountain, they would definitely defeat it!
It can only be said that Yamada Masaki's imagination is beautiful, but the reality is extremely cruel.
In the afternoon, something happened to the 40th Infantry Brigade first. It wasn't that they got lost in the mountains, or that they didn't want to rescue their colleagues, but they still decided to return.
Because, the Chinese 74th Army suddenly sent an infantry division to attack Taishi Bridge. If more than 10,000 people capture Taishi Bridge, good guys, not to mention the 231st Infantry Regiment trying to escape, even the 40th Infantry Brigade will be defeated by the Chinese
We have been packaged into this mountainous area.
Seeing that the voluntary evacuation was about to turn into a series of continuous human fillings, Yokoyama Isamu could no longer sit still and immediately ordered the 40th Infantry Brigade to return to guard Taishi Bridge. At the same time, he ordered three independent infantry brigades stationed at Jingmen to rush to the rescue immediately.
40th Infantry Brigade, this is the only thing he can do for the 231st Infantry Regiment.
If the Taishi Bridge is lost again, the 231st Infantry Regiment will be completely surrounded by the Chinese army on three levels inside and outside the Wushan Mountains. Not to mention running away, hunger and cold alone will kill this elite force with thousands of troops.
collapse.
Therefore, after receiving the news that the 40th Infantry Brigade could not arrive as promised, Yamada Masakichi suddenly realized that he immediately used the last strength in his hand to attack Beidou Mountain.
But the Japanese infantry who were still gathering finally gave up this move, because the reconnaissance scouts brought news that made Yamada Masakichi completely despair.
Chinese troops are continuously pouring into this mountainous area, and their strength is unknown.
If he bets all his troops on opening this road, it is very likely that the road will not be opened, and even the existing 5-kilometer position will not be able to be defended.
Yamada Masakichi had no choice but to give the order to temporarily hold the position and wait for reinforcements.
Logically speaking, there is not much problem with the Japanese Army Colonel's tactics of seeking stability. After all, the 231st Infantry Regiment still has nearly 4,000 troops. Not to mention Isamu Yokoyama, General Nishio Hisahaya, who was the commander of the China Expeditionary Force at the time, also
I dare not say that I will completely abandon the 231st Infantry Regiment for the sake of the overall situation.
And this is also true. The commanders of the 2nd Battalion, Zhao Daqiang and Gu Xishui, are very close comrades in arms. They received orders to reinforce the mountain infantry company that was fighting against the Japanese army. The major battalion commander personally led his sharp knife company and abandoned all the baggage.
In addition to the necessary guns and ammunition, each soldier's only additional equipment was a pot of water, and he began to march quickly.
According to regulations, they had to reach the 20-kilometer distance within 6 hours. As a result, this infantry company, which did not even carry half a grain of rice, actually arrived at the rear side of Beidou Mountain in only 5 hours.
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More than half of the officers and soldiers of the arriving infantry company burst into tears the moment they arrived on the battlefield. They were crying from exhaustion.
Moreover, with the usual training intensity of the 2nd Battalion's Sharp Knife Company, 13 soldiers actually fell behind. You can imagine the intensity of this 20-kilometer mountain road march.
It was a rapid march of unprecedented intensity. At least 5 kilometers of the road had no road at all. It was a dead end road that relied on cutting through thorns with a machete to cross the mountains.
The sharp knife company of the 2nd Battalion arrived just when Yamada Masakichi planned to attack again. If the 231st Infantry Regiment launched another long-lived charge, the Chinese side, which had already reached 500 troops, was guaranteed to beat them to a pulp.
Without the threat of heavy artillery, with the current light weapons firepower and equipped mortars of the Four Troops Regiment, if they were to block the attack, the Japanese army would need at least 6 times more troops to have any chance of success.
Of course, the Japanese army did not have heavy artillery at the moment, but they still had fighter planes to help.
With Hengshan's personal call and plea, the Japanese Navy also gave him the greatest support. At 11 o'clock and 3 o'clock in the afternoon on the 24th, it dispatched 24 fighter sorties to bomb the Chinese-occupied highlands of Beidou Mountain.
However, the mountain infantry company has experienced this kind of thing many times. As soon as they heard the roar of aircraft engines in the sky, they immediately organized soldiers to evacuate to the natural caves on Beidou Mountain.
This is really a good company for mountain infantry. Wushan is different from the Taihang Mountains. The Taihang Mountains belong to northern China and have dry weather and are mainly granite. There are few caves. However, Wushan is located on the side of the river, with abundant rainfall all year round and sufficient water resources in the mountains.
There are many natural caves like this, and they are all distributed in Beidou Mountain.
Some large caves can accommodate even an infantry company, let alone a dozen soldiers.
The two consecutive waves of bombing by the Japanese Navy, except for the collapse of some trenches, caused very little actual losses to the mountain infantry companies.
This is also the main reason why a mountain infantry company that has experienced two consecutive fierce battles can maintain 80% of its organizational structure after the war.
You know, in Tang Tuanzuo's estimation, it would take less than half a year for the mountain infantry company to recover after this battle. However, unexpectedly, they became the regiment-affiliated unit with the smallest battle losses among all the divisions of the Four Lines Regiment.
By 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when another wave of Japanese planes attacked, the 12 40mm anti-aircraft guns of the Fourth Line Regiment Air Defense Battalion had arrived at the front line. Cheng Tietshou is so stupid, but no matter how many Japanese planes you have, our air defense battalion can do nothing
It's the job of protecting your own infantry in the sky.
The 12 anti-aircraft guns opened up their firepower, filling the sky with a radius of ten kilometers with white mushrooms everywhere. The Japanese fighter planes had to drop bombs at an altitude of 3,000 meters, which was much less powerful.
But the fact that China still has anti-aircraft and anti-aircraft guns is not the most desperate thing for the Japanese army in the encirclement.
The scene that made them truly desperate occurred 10 minutes later. Before the Japanese naval fleet had even had time to fly away after dropping the bombs, a huge Chinese fleet of 36 Wildcat fighter jets came overwhelmingly from the direction of the mountain city.
The Chinese actually dispatched all their fighter planes for their "small force" of less than 5,000 people?
The Japanese infantrymen on the ground almost stopped crying.
Then they still underestimate the current Chinese Air Force.
The Chinese Air Force that has passed half a year is no longer the Chinese Air Force that had 100 Wildcat fighter jets and more than 100 old-fashioned fighter jets in the middle of last year.
After experiencing continuous criticism from the Japanese foreign ministry, and the Japanese government continuing to send more troops to Nanyang and flirting with Mao Xiong, the United States has probably entered the role of "breaking the pot and breaking the pot" and cannot extricate itself.
In just six months, with China taking three large-scale mineral deposits in Yunnan Province as collateral and guaranteed by Rockefeller Company, the United States actually approved two low-interest loans to China totaling US$300 million, and these US$300 million were used
What are you here for? Besides buying weapons and equipment, what else can you do?
Another 150 Wildcat fighter jets modified according to Chinese requirements and various accessories, including a large number of Thompson submachine guns and ammunition, were continuously transported to Asan, and then transported to China via land via Myanmar.
Moreover, after being recruited by Colonel Chennault, a volunteer flying team to aid China was established consisting of Chinese, overseas Chinese, and retired American pilots and pilots.
The flight team, headquartered in Kuncheng, Yunnan Province, has 200 pilots and more than 60 fighter aircraft and a dozen transport aircraft.
After the New Year, the Chinese Air Force is not only so powerful that it scares me, but at least it has greatly improved compared to a year ago.
The 36 fighter planes dispatched in World War I can still be pieced together, and they are not all China's fighter planes.
But no matter what, the roaring power of 36 Wildcat fighter jets is still extremely rare on the Chinese battlefield.
It is gratifying for the 231st Infantry Regiment to receive such treatment.
Already destined to win this victory, the commanders of China's Fifth and Third Theater Commands jointly requested the Ministry of Military Affairs to ask the Air Force to cooperate in keeping the enemy's 231st Infantry Regiment in this mountain, giving the 11th Army a severe blow and replacing the stone.
The battle to defend the brand came to a successful conclusion.
The person who had originally planned to hold a press conference in the evening and declare a complete victory in the defense of Shipai naturally nodded in agreement when he heard that there was such a good thing.
Perhaps, it is not just that person who should be brave enough to pursue the poor bandits. Whoever encounters the matter of beating up a drowned dog will be excited.
Although the losses between the enemy and the enemy have not yet been fully calculated, according to rough statistics reported by various ministries, our losses in the Shipai Defense Battle were about 30,000, while the Japanese losses were at least more than 30,000. If the 231 Infantry Regiment is added to
If the needle valley detachment is completely retained, it will exceed 40,000.
In a medium-sized battle, the battle loss ratio of 1:2 is enough to push that person's reputation even higher.
Moreover, the timing of the Chinese Air Force's attack was extremely clever. The intelligence agency in the Jiangxia area observed the take-off time of the Japanese aircraft fleet and calculated the time when they would end the bombing. It was when the Japanese aircraft fleet had no psychological preparation that the 36th aircraft had a complete advantage.
Only then did a Wildcat emerge from the clouds and pursue 24 Zero fighter jets.
One came prepared, and the other responded hastily. The difference between the two sides was a full 12 fighter planes, and there was an altitude difference of more than 2,000 meters.
There is no need to say the outcome of this battle.
As thousands of Japanese infantrymen looked up, the empire's naval fighter planes fell one by one, with less than 10 fighter planes leaving the battlefield.
How many fighter planes were lost actually didn't matter much to the Japanese infantry, but it meant that the last hope of the 231st Infantry Regiment was shattered.
The 11th Army of Japan's China Expeditionary Force fell into the darkest moment since entering China.
A full 6,000 troops were surrounded and killed by the Chinese in the beautiful Wushan! ()
