The wreckage of the Japanese truck not only hindered the retreat of the Japanese army, but also hindered the passage of the garrison tanks as the battle deepened. When Wu Keren rushed to the front line, he saw the tanks of the two regiments slipping away. The one in front was in
Doing the work of scavengers, they pushed those trucks into the ditch, and the ones behind them directly acted as forts. Once they found a place where the Japanese resisted more fiercely, a cannonball would hit them, turning that place into a sea of fire.
The officers and soldiers of the 103rd Division and the 117th Division, with tanks and artillery as heavy fire support, and Wu Keren's order to attack fiercely, attacked extremely fiercely. Many soldiers lay down in the green rice fields, regardless of the mud and water.
and a nuisance of mosquitoes, according to gunfire,
The resistance of the Japanese army was fierce. Relying on the protective trees, the corpses of dead Japanese soldiers or the carriages of the transport team, and relying on the reliable performance of the 38-meter cover, the Japanese soldiers resisted to the death.
The officers and soldiers of the 103rd Division participated in such a fierce battle for the first time. After the initial panic and confusion, they have now adapted to the atmosphere on the battlefield. There are six regiments in one division, two of which are responsible for protecting the artillery, and
Of the four regiments, one regiment firmly controlled the Japanese army's retreat to the north. The other three regiments, together with the 117th Division and the tank troops, launched an oppressive attack on the Japanese army from three directions across the rice fields.
As the two sides are entangled on multiple fronts, the role that artillery can play has been minimal. Except for the recent call by Lin Baiyin, which once cut the Japanese army into two pieces, there are now few who can show their power.
At that time, Fu Kaihang was worried that he would encounter retaliation from the Japanese aviation after dawn. Just now, he had ordered the artillery to withdraw to Yutai in the southwest. There was a forest there, which was enough to hide the artillery of the two regiments, and at the same time it was not very far from the battlefield.
, can still provide fire support at critical times,
Wu Keren led a company of guard soldiers to Fu Kaixing and asked him: "Commander Fu, how is the situation now?"
"It's more difficult. Our tanks can't disperse. After the initial panic, the Japs have stabilized. My fifth regiment has been defeated."
"Don't be afraid of casualties. The key is to resolve the battle as soon as possible. Once the Japanese air force joins the battle, we will be passive. I will immediately lead a regiment to rush to see if I can cut the Japanese in front into two pieces. We must annihilate the rear as soon as possible.
The devils, otherwise Mr. Lin might not be able to resist them."
At first, Ushijima Sadao only left one battalion of Japs behind. After being knocked out of two battalions in a row, he gritted his teeth and decided that it was time to let the two battalions rear. At the same time, he mobilized the main force and rushed forward with the Japs who stayed at Bailinpu.
Sixty Division Defense Line,
As the battle line progressed, since the battle had entered the area where the Japanese troops had previously stayed, the Japanese army had obtained some ready-made fortification materials, and the tank troops were blocked by the wreckage of the truck. The attackers suddenly became passive.
Wu Keren and his men were gradually entering a section of the road where the fighting was fierce. Suddenly, the communications staff of the army stopped him and said: "Military seat, Commander Lin called for help. The call was disconnected before it could be completed. I guess it was their walkie-talkie.
It was damaged, he said, and if he really couldn't withstand it, he would retreat to the northeast of Bailinpu."
The northeast direction of Bailinpu is the direction from which the 18th Division came. If Lin Baiyin retreats there, he can conduct a second interception. However, once the Japanese army enters Bailinpu, it will be more difficult to fight, and he may even lose the opportunity to annihilate him.
Wu Keren said: "Give Division Commander Lin power and ask them to support him. No matter how big the sacrifice is, tell him that I guarantee with my own personality that I will find a way to help him replenish his troops after the war."
Just a lot more."
As long as an officer in the Nationalist Government reached a certain level, the soldiers in his hands actually became his right to speak and his only support. Wu Keren knew this well, so he said this,
The communications staff officer went to send a telegram, but only a few minutes later, he ran back and reported loudly: "Military seat, there is a call from the escort unit of the 103rd Division. A small Japanese unit was found in the southeast. According to the intelligence obtained previously, it is very It may be the Taiwanese infantry brigade that escaped from Pukou Station, and they asked for instructions to move towards our headquarters."
It was really a wave of unrest. Wu Keren frowned deeply and said: "The commander called not long ago, saying that the Jiangsu Security Division 1 and the 114th Division have repelled the Taiwan Infantry Brigade and are pursuing Chu Chu. We are marching to the county. Why did this Taiwanese infantry brigade come to us? You immediately generate electricity and let them know the exact strength of the Japanese army." After saying that, he looked at his watch and saw that the time was already six o'clock in the morning. He said with some worry: " If it is really a Taiwanese infantry brigade, then we can only give up encircling and annihilating the 18th Division, but we must work hard until it is verified."
At the Reed Marsh sniper position, the 60th Division encountered unprecedented pressure. After defeating the 22nd Cavalry Brigade and killing brigade leader Masaji Koike, the 60th Division successfully occupied this section of the road, thereby intercepting the Japanese troops and ambushing them. The battle turned into a sniper battle. As Ushijima Sadao invested heavily in troops and ordered the Japanese troops staying at Bailinpu to engage in a pincer attack, the pressure on the Sixty Division increased dramatically. In just one hour, one and a half of the four regiments were consumed, and The sniper position that was originally about three thousand meters long was gradually compressed into a piece of about three hundred meters.
As the commander of the 60th Division, Lin Baiyin also stepped out of the temporary headquarters, led the division directly under the guard battalion, and began to assume the role of a firefighter.
"Wang Changyong, take your people to the east. Qi Taitai is a little overwhelmed."
"Xiao Wang, did Commander Wu Keren reply? What? If you continue to send me power, our army can hold on for at most one hour. After one hour, we will retreat according to the plan we just made."
"Brothers, hold on, hold on and you will win. Our large army has already come to kill you."
... He roared loudly and brandished a pistol with his left hand. His right arm was injured in the previous battle and was hung on his chest after simple treatment.
The belated arrival of the 18th Division was an accident. This accident directly caused the ambush battle to turn into a sniper battle or even a critical battle. As the only unit in the mixed army of the Cadet Army, the 60th Division maintained its original organization and equipment, and its combat effectiveness It's not very strong. After nearly two hours of fighting, at this moment, Lin Baiyin already felt deep pressure.
A quarter of an hour later, Wu Keren received accurate information. The Japanese army approaching the battlefield was close to a brigade in size. If nothing else, it was the Taiwanese infantry brigade that was driven away from Pukou.
Up to this point in the battle, there is no skill to speak of. What is being compared is the quality of the soldiers and the quality of the weapons. The second sequence of the garrison has the advantage of artillery and tanks. Although it gained a huge advantage at the beginning, and because of It caught the opponent off guard and annihilated three brigades of the 18th Division in one fell swoop. However, once the Japanese army had fortifications as a basis, they began to get entangled with the garrison. The power of the Jiguang tanks and heavy artillery was greatly reduced. In a pure soldier confrontation, the garrison was at a disadvantage. As the battle progressed, the three divisions in the second sequence combined had lost nearly four regiments of troops. This was exactly what happened when the pure infantry confrontation with the Japanese army began. In terms of casualties, the 18th Division suffered a heavy loss at the beginning. Two more brigades were killed by artillery shells, and the only artillery unit, the 12th Field Artillery Regiment, was also completely wiped out in the shelling that lasted for more than 20 minutes. Later, when the Japanese army began to break through, the 22nd Cavalry Brigade and the 12th Infantry Regiment were almost completely wiped out by the 60th Division. All in all, the 18th Division lost the strength of nearly six brigades. The loss ratio reached an astonishing 35%, but despite this, Ushijima Sadao still has about ten brigades in his hands. Now, with the approach of the Taiwanese infantry brigade, the Japanese army suddenly has more troops. The strength of the ten brigades still came from behind the 103rd Division and the 117th Division. Wu Keren was very worried that this time the plan to encircle and annihilate the 18th Division was likely to evolve into a second series of counterattacks and be surrounded or even eaten by the Japanese army. , After all, Wujiang is only such a short distance from Nanjing, and it is already daytime. Once the Japanese aviation forces enter the battlefield, there will be no secrets about the deployment and scale of our forces. By then, Ushijima Sadao will definitely fight back.
The sound of gunfire on the front line never stopped. Amidst the sound of gunfire, Wu Keren frowned and carefully weighed the gains and losses.
Suddenly, the communications staff officer called loudly: "Military seat, Commander Ouyang is calling."
"read."
"...Our unit has evacuated Pukou and encountered a large Japanese army near Guqiao Town on the way to Wujiang. After investigation, it was found to be the 6th and 9th Division of the Japanese Army. The Japanese army in this unit is moving towards you. Please make a decision based on the battlefield situation. Respond appropriately. In addition, our unit is currently keeping a certain distance from the Japanese troops in the unit, and is waiting for the Jiangsu Security Division 1 and the 114th to come to join. After joining, we will make corresponding responses based on the battlefield situation..."
"It's really raining all night when the house leaks." Wu Keren relaxed his brows, smiled bitterly, glanced at the battlefield where the fierce fighting was taking place not far away, and sighed softly,
"Military, please come up with a response plan quickly. The Taiwanese infantry brigade may attack at any time. Our artillery regiment also needs to move its position immediately."
Wu Keren closed his eyes and gritted his teeth and said: "Xu Shou, you immediately send two smarter brothers to deliver a message to Commander Lin, asking them to evacuate immediately, direction, and county, and then call the artillery regiment and escort troops to let them They move to Da'annan and get ready for battle. Xiao Li, you go and notify Commander Fu and ask him to evacuate to Da'annan immediately. Hu Jianbing, go and invite Brigadier Lin over."
The 117th Division has two brigades under its jurisdiction. Among them, the Gu Weiqing Brigade is launching a fierce attack on the Japanese army, while the Lin Shanqing Brigade is responsible for its flank security. The troops have switched from attack to defense. They must stay behind to prevent the Japanese army from taking the opportunity to launch a counterattack. , withdraw the front-line troops first, and then let the troops in a defensive posture stay behind. This can prevent the troops from rioting during the retreat to the greatest extent. Of course, if the 18th Division has reached a tacit understanding with the 6th and 9th Divisions, , then Ushijima Sadao will not only take the opportunity to launch a counterattack, but also press the entire army. Then, ensuring sufficient rear-rear troops will ensure the safe evacuation of the large forces as much as possible. Wu Keren is named the commander-in-chief of the second sequence, but There is only the 117th Division as a direct unit. If he wants to convince the crowd, he can only select a unit from the 117th Division to stay behind. In the previous battle, Lin Shanqing's brigade, as the first offensive unit, suffered relatively heavy losses. Now there are only With the strength of one and a half regiments, Wu Keren asked this unit to take the rear position in order to minimize the losses of his direct lineage.