novelAbuy Chapter 45 Attack on the 6th Division
Chapter 45 Attack on the 6th Division
The first priority is to weaken the Japanese army, since this force will be the main force in the future attack on Yuhuatai.
The second aspect is to acquire more merit points, which can be used to replenish manpower and combat supplies in subsequent battles.
Thirdly, the routed soldiers who had been brought back desperately needed a victory to boost morale and restore their confidence in defeating the Japanese army.
As night was about to fall, Hua Pinzhang took the initiative to find Li Jianghe.
"The division commander didn't agree, but the brigade commander's idea was that our 262nd Brigade should lend a hand, so he specially selected two battalions as your reserves to assist in the attack."
As he spoke, he pointed to the German-equipped division soldiers behind him who had completed their assembly and were now much more spirited.
These are all veterans who retired from the Battle of Shanghai; they are experienced and have a strong fighting spirit.
With this unit as a reserve, Li Jianghe has a better chance of success in this operation.
"That's great!"
As Li Jianghe said this, he turned to Xu Dingguo, who was standing beside him, and said:
"Commander, shall we begin our operation?"
"Okay, let's go."
As Xu Dingguo spoke, he summoned the soldiers of the Fifth Regiment to join the operation.
In the darkness, on Niushou Mountain and in the direction of Chunhua Town, the Nationalist Army blocking forces on the outskirts were engaged in fierce fighting with the Japanese army.
At this moment, guarding Niushou Mountain and Chunhua Town are Feng Shengfa's 58th Division and Wang Yaowu's 51st Division, respectively.
These two units were also the elite units of the National Revolutionary Army, and were now engaged in fierce fighting against the onslaught of the Japanese 114th Division and 6th Division.
The Japanese supply camp and artillery camp that Li Jianghe and his men were planning to raid were located near Niushou Mountain and Chunhua Town.
The Japanese army is now concentrating its main forces on attacking Niushou Mountain and Chunhua Town, so there are some gaps in the defense line.
At this moment, Tani Hisao, commander of the Japanese 6th Division, was staring at a topographical map of the area surrounding Nanjing.
Once we capture Niushou Mountain and Chunhua Town, the road ahead will be smooth, and we can advance directly towards the Nanjing city walls.
Chief of Staff Kazuo Shimono handed over a battle report and said:
"Report: The outer positions of Niushou Mountain have become unstable. The 45th Regiment plans to flank from the right. With the support of artillery fire, we will surely be able to completely break through Niushou Mountain."
"Really? It seems the bombing during the day did have an effect."
Hisao Tani turned his head. He wore black-rimmed glasses and had a thick black mustache. If you ignored his military uniform, he looked more like a university professor.
Yet he was one of the main perpetrators of the Nanjing Massacre.
Chief of Staff Kazuo Shimono said:
"That's right, so tonight's attack on the perimeter went much more smoothly than before."
Hisao Tani, with his hands behind his back, said:
"Notify the 42nd Regiment that they are permitted to outflank the enemy from the right flank, but only after the main force of the division launches its attack on the front of Niushou Mountain. At that time, the enemy's attention will inevitably be drawn to the front, and that will be the best time for them to outflank and attack."
"Hai!!!"
The chief of staff spoke in a clear and resounding voice.
On Niushou Mountain, listening to the increasingly intense artillery fire outside, Feng Shengfa impatiently threw his cigarette butt on the ground, stomped it out, and turned to ask:
"Has the reinforcement arrived yet?"
"Not yet, and the troops on the outer defense line are starting to give out. Commander, should we retreat first? Otherwise, the entire 58th Division will be wiped out here."
The speaker was the chief of staff.
The 58th Division has suffered heavy casualties in the past few days. It has been fiercely attacked by a top-class Japanese division and has been repeatedly bombed by aircraft during the day. You can imagine how much pressure they are under in defending themselves.
"We cannot retreat! Niushou Mountain is the gateway to Nanjing. If we lose it, there will be almost no defensible terrain behind us!!!"
Feng Shengfa's voice was resolute.
"Order the guard battalion to advance!"
This was the last mobile force he had.
"yes!!!"
The chief of staff responded loudly from the side.
Feng Shengfa's gaze fell upon the outer perimeter of Niushou Mountain, where Japanese artillery fire was covering the area, putting them at a significant disadvantage compared to the Japanese.
The artillery, the Japanese artillery and shells, were simply incomparable to theirs.
Watching the chief of staff personally lead troops to support the front lines, Feng Shengfa knew very well that if reinforcements did not arrive, Niushou Mountain would be very difficult to defend, even if the entire 58th Division was wiped out.
However, Tang Shengzhi is currently concentrating his forces to build positions around the Nanjing city walls and within the city, and there are really no extra troops to spare.
While Feng Shengfa was pondering how to survive the night, Li Jianghe's troops were traveling through the darkness in trucks and motorcycles.
To ensure the secrecy of their operation, they did not drive their headlights and moved at a relatively slow speed, but still much faster than the infantry on foot.
Sitting in the truck, Deputy Brigade Commander Hua Pinzhang felt a little unreal.
Speaking of their German-equipped divisions, they were previously equipped with quite a few trucks, including Mercedes-Benz ones.
Unfortunately, almost all of these trucks were abandoned or destroyed after the Battle of Shanghai, and very few were brought back.
Inside the carriage, the soldiers were quite nervous. After all, they were going to fight deep behind enemy lines, and they had just experienced a major defeat. They had no idea how this battle would turn out.
Li Jianghe led his troops and finally arrived at the designated area around 1 a.m.
They then split into two groups. One group, Xu Dingguo's Fifth Regiment, went directly to attack the Japanese army's supply camp.
He led more than 3,000 men toward the Japanese artillery positions, while the artillery units deployed again.
Mortars and field guns were all aimed at the area where the Japanese artillery positions were located.
This time, Li Jianghe's goal was not only to defeat the Japanese artillery positions, but also to capture some more artillery pieces and shells.
As for the troops brought by Hua Pinzhang, they were intended as a reserve force to deal with emergencies.
Li Jianghe's troops quickly approached the artillery positions of the Japanese 6th Division.
Two Japanese companies were deployed on either side of this artillery position to provide protection against a surprise attack.
This was a Japanese heavy artillery battalion, equipped with multiple 105mm howitzers and even 150mm heavy howitzers.
Looking at his watch, Li Jianghe said to Long Wenzhang:
"Operation begins!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the artillery units were the first to fire.
Wang Chengzhu commanded mortars and 75mm field guns to bombard the Japanese artillery positions simultaneously.
At the same time, Wang Dayong decisively led an assault force composed of motorcycles and trucks to charge towards the Japanese artillery positions.
On the flanks were the troops led by Yang Ruifu and Lin Yongzhi, who were to launch surprise attacks on the Japanese infantry positions on both flanks, forcing them to be unable to support the artillery positions.
On the Japanese heavy artillery battalion's position, soldiers were operating cannons to bombard the direction of Niushou Mountain.
But at that moment, shells from field artillery and mortars rained down.
"Boom!!!!!"
Li Jianghe's artillery bombardment has begun!