Chapter 542: Fighting breaks out in Changzhi, war breaks out everywhere
Early in the morning on September 16, the aviation alarm sounded in Changzhi City. As the Japanese air force arrived again, the northern suburbs of Changzhi, which had only ceased fire for less than half a day, once again fell into a state of fierce fighting.
The 45th Division of the 27th Army was responsible for resisting the Japanese army in the northern suburbs of Changzhi. It was here to guard various dangerous areas on the Handan-Changzhi Highway in an attempt to consume the Japanese army.
The 258th Regiment of the Forty-fifth Division was at the forefront, and aerial bombs continued to pour on the position. In an instant, the position of the 258th Regiment was plunged into a sea of fire, and the Japanese reconnaissance planes even fired extremely arrogantly at low altitudes.
Fortunately, an air raid shelter was built on the position, and sleepers were used as supports inside, which barely withstood the power of aerial bombs.
In the air-raid shelter, an officer patted the dust on his shoulder and said to the soldiers around him: "My ears are standing up. As soon as the explosion stops, the little devils are ready to rush forward. Be quick with your movements!"
The soldier next to him widened his eyes and didn't know if he heard clearly. He just said a few words of hum.
After Yukio Imada led his troops to pass through the layers of obstructions of the Eighth Route Army, in order to ensure the stability of the rear, he sent two brigades to occupy Licheng and Lucheng, and combined forces with the defenders of the two places to clear out the troops in the Tainan Division 1.
In response, in the face of the menacing Japanese army, Ding Wei's troops in the first division were reduced to pieces. Just yesterday, they engaged in dozens of small battles with the Japanese army, causing damage to each other.
As for the frontal battlefield battle, the resilience of the disadvantaged national army also surprised Yukio Imada.
Prior to this, the Japanese intelligence department had figured out the numbers, organization and military commanders of the national army in the Changzhi area. Yukio Imada even sent a report to the North China Expeditionary Army Headquarters, threatening to capture the entire Changzhi area within three days.
.
The Kwantung Army was very arrogant. There was no surprise attack or sneak attack. It was a blatant attack from the very beginning.
However, due to terrain restrictions, the heavy artillery wing and even all the troops could not fully deploy on the road. The first wave of Japanese attacks was defeated.
Imada Yukio did not expect that the national army in the Changji area would be so difficult to deal with. Only the first line of defense was able to withstand the eight Kwantung Army brigades under his command, and he immediately called for air support.
Inside the Japanese military headquarters.
"Your Excellency General, the Imperial Air Force is expected to return to the airport in fifteen minutes. The attacking troops have been replaced by the Okita Brigade and the Sinchon Brigade. When the bombing is over, the two brigades can launch another attack on the national army positions!" Adjutant Hui reported.
"Youxi!" was holding a telescope to observe the battle situation ahead. The national army position filled with fire in front of him was obviously extremely satisfied: "With two consecutive bombings, the hills where the Chinese army is located will be flattened, and there will be no grass on the position.
There won’t be a single mouse!”
"By the way, there's no news from Tahara Sanji yet?"
"Your Excellency, General, Licheng sent a search team, but it was intercepted by the Eighth Route Army and could not find any useful information. The commanders of Shexian and Wu'an, Oki Hideo, said that no traces of large Imperial Army troops were found in the defense zone.
, and asked if we made a mistake!" the adjutant replied.
"Baga, Isamu Terauchi has really raised a bunch of drunkards. When I take over Changji, I will be the first to tell Hideo Oki to get lost!" Yukio Imada cursed and then stopped talking.
According to the usual practice, Tahara Sanji led his troops to pursue the Eighth Route Army deep into the hinterland, and should use the radio to communicate every day, but so far, the radio has not been contacted for four days in a row.
Imada Yukio regretted that he should not divide his troops. The intuition he had honed over many years on the battlefield gave him a vague premonition. If the main focus was not on Changzhi, he would definitely send his troops directly to the Eighth Route Army base area.
Not long after, the Japanese aerial bombardment ended. The 258th Regiment's position was in a mess, the fortifications were completely destroyed, and the smoke and fire had not dissipated.
The 258th Regiment's position is a defense system composed of various hills, and nearly a thousand soldiers from the remaining troops are distributed among them. They watch the two Japanese brigades approaching in several groups.
The observation post remaining on the position hurriedly issued a warning, and the national army soldiers in the air raid shelter quickly returned to the position.
"In the regiment area, four more air-raid shelters were blown down, and more than 130 soldiers were killed!" the Chief of Staff reported.
After hearing this, the regimental commander's heart sank. In order to protect against artillery, the air raid shelter was dug deep, with thick soil at the top, and there were sleepers, so there was no chance that the soldiers inside would be spared.
"Damn it, we fought against the Japs for less than a day, and we already lost more than half of our casualties. This battle was really frustrating!"
"I can't swallow this breath. I tell my brothers to use all their strength and never let the little devil set foot on the battlefield!" the leader of the 258th Regiment roared.
Although the national army was small in number, it was determined to fight to the death. On the other side, there were two Japanese brigades waiting for work. The two sides fought fiercely from about two o'clock in the afternoon until dark, and the top of the mountain changed hands many times.
Just when the two sides had a brief ceasefire, when the 260th Regiment of the Forty-fifth Division Reserve was preparing to take over the position of the 258th Regiment, a Japanese brigade came across it unexpectedly from the side of the battlefield.
The 27th Army is not a weak force in the battle order of the Chinese army. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, it fought against the Japanese army many times. Although the most elite Pre-8th Division was formed relatively late, all its lower-level officers were Huangpu graduates, and the quality of the soldiers was not high.
Low.
Overall, the weapons, equipment and combat effectiveness of the 27th Army, which had spent more than half a year recuperating, were at the forefront of the national army, but they were still at a disadvantage in the sudden encounter.
As soon as the two sides fought, the 258th Regiment and the Japanese army at the front were immediately aware of it. The Japanese army in the front immediately launched a fierce attack. The positions held by the 258th Regiment were successively breached by the Japanese army. The 260th Regiment in the rear organized several strong attacks in an attempt to bring out the remainder of the 258th Regiment.
, but was intercepted by a large group of Japanese troops.
The two sides fought fiercely until midnight. With the support of the 45th Division's supplementary regiment, the 260th Regiment was not killed by the Japanese army.
The 45th Division slowly retreated to the position of the 259th Regiment stationed at the last line. By daybreak, the Japanese troops had ceased their activity.
After a head count, the 260th Regiment, which originally had a full strength of more than 2,400 men, was left with just over a thousand men. The 258th Regiment in the front-line position was all killed, and no one broke through.
Fan Hanjie's well-organized defense system in the northern suburbs of Changzhi was also defeated by the Japanese army. The Japanese army marched straight in and reached the foot of Changzhi City.
Throughout the battle during the day, all the soldiers of the 45th Division were fearless and fearless. In addition, they had a multiple defense zone system. Although they were far inferior to the Japanese army in terms of artillery and air support, the other weapons and equipment were not inferior to the Japanese army. Both sides suffered losses.
The mountains in front of the Handan-Chang Highway gave the Chinese army convenience, but they also allowed the Japanese army to sneak in covertly. After a fierce battle overnight, all the hard work was accomplished.
Fortunately, under the pressure of grassroots officers, the units of the 45th Division were not directly defeated.