ushernet Chapter 361 Multiple Night Attacks
Chapter 361 Multiple Night Attacks
While the officers and soldiers of both sides on the Xiang-Zao Highway were enjoying the last peace before the war, the officers and soldiers of the 16th Division who were surrounded in the Zaoyang area were unable to rest. The troops of the Second Army and the New 22nd Army did not stop their attack just because it was dark.
Before the war broke out, the Fifth War Zone had already issued orders to the combat troops, requiring all troops to eliminate the Japanese troops in the encirclement as quickly as possible, to make full use of the Chinese troops' advantages in night combat and numbers, and to continuously put pressure on the Japanese troops in the encirclement.
In response to the theater command's request, the Second Army Group and the New 22nd Army responsible for the attack also formulated corresponding combat plans before the war began, and assigned troops for night attacks in advance. These troops were fully rested mentally and physically during the day.
The commander of the 210th Regiment, Colonel Shizue Sukekawa, is now the supreme commander on the western wing of the defense line. The former commander of the rd Regiment, Colonel Kengo Noda, was seriously injured by the attacking forces of the new th Division in the previous battle and has been sent to the division's field hospital for rescue.
The commander of the 38th Regiment, Colonel Shizue Sukekawa, had no time to think about whether Colonel Kengo Noda could survive. What he had to face now was the continuous night attacks by the Chinese army.
The night attack by the Chinese army on the opposite side was not a large-scale attack, but a multi-directional attack and harassment. This made the already exhausted officers and soldiers on the position extremely painful and their spirits were always tense.
One thing that is worrying the regiment commander, Colonel Shizuo Sukekawa, is that the troops on his side are too few. After a day of fighting, the 33rd Regiment and his own 38th Regiment now have a total of only more than 1,700 people.
According to the previous estimate of the regiment commander, Colonel Shizue Sukekawa, the troops he now has can only hold out for about two days.
But what the regiment commander, Colonel Shizue Sukekawa, did not expect was that after a day of fierce fighting, the Chinese army still had the energy and physical strength to launch such frequent night attacks. Are all the soldiers of the Chinese army iron men?
However, after tonight's battle, their own forces will be reduced again, and the entire army's physical and mental strength is already at its limit. When facing the large-scale attack of the Chinese army tomorrow, it will be difficult for these officers and soldiers to exert their due combat effectiveness.
In that case, it is really hard to say how long the defense line on the west wing can hold. In this state, the spirits of the officers and soldiers may collapse at any time, and the position may be lost at any time.
The commander of the 38th Regiment, Colonel Shizue Sukekawa, was sitting in the command center, listening to the gunfire and explosions on the front line. He felt very anxious and uneasy. He now sent up all the people he could.
Colonel Shizue Sukekawa now has only one idea. He needs reinforcements, the more the better. At least some reinforcements must come to withdraw the officers and soldiers on the defense line and rotate them. Even if he can get a battalion of troops, it will be fine.
Colonel Shizueji Sukekawa became more and more uneasy, so he picked up the phone and wanted to tell the division commander, Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie, about his request.
As a result, Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie did not meet the request of Colonel Shizuji Sukekawa. On the phone, Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie patiently explained the current situation to Colonel Shizuji Sukekawa. Now there is a shortage of troops on all defense lines, and the division is currently unable to withdraw troops to reinforce him.
Finally, the division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, also encouraged Colonel Sukekawa Shizuji, asking him to lead the officers and soldiers to display the iron will of Bushido to resist the attack of the Chinese army and never let the Chinese army cut off the connection between the 16th Division's troops.
After hanging up the phone, Colonel Shizue Sukekawa felt bitter in his heart. The Bushido spirit might be able to deceive middle and lower-level officers and soldiers, but for middle and senior officers like himself, could he really be fooled by the Bushido spirit?
Even if the Bushido spirit was brought into play, these exhausted officers and soldiers could not defeat a hundred at a time. Even if they could, the number of officers and soldiers on their side would be reduced as each one died. With such a small number of people, how could they possibly stop the attack of the Chinese army?
Even if we want to withdraw our troops for defense now, it will not work. If the defense line is shortened, the Chinese army will bypass our position and attack from the rear, not only cutting off the 16th Division's troops, but also surrounding our officers and soldiers.
In that case, he would not be able to retreat with his troops even if he wanted to, and would only repeat the fate of the 1st Battalion of the 33rd Regiment and be annihilated by the Chinese army.
It's a headache. Now that I know the purpose of the Chinese army, I am helpless and can only passively defend the line and wait for the troops from the outside to come to the rescue.
When it was getting light, the various units of the 16th Division finally had a short rest. The Japanese officers and soldiers all leaned in the trenches and fell asleep. For them now, nothing was more important than having a good sleep.
During the night attack that night, the Second Army, the New 22nd Army and the 31st Army occupied some Japanese positions through multiple small-scale sneak attacks, forcing the Japanese defense lines in some directions to retreat a lot, and at the same time consumed a large amount of Japanese troops. It can be said that the harvest was quite fruitful.
For the commanders of various Japanese troops, after counting the casualties of their own troops, everyone felt a tightness in their hearts. The small-scale and uninterrupted sneak attacks by the Chinese army only caused more than ten or twenty casualties each time.
But their frequency was high. In just one night, the Japanese troops on various defense lines were reduced by two to three hundred people. This was undoubtedly a huge blow to the Japanese troops who were already short of manpower.
The commander of the 38th Regiment, Colonel Shizue Sukekawa, had two big dark circles under his eyes, which were also bloodshot. His troops suffered the most losses in the entire 16th Division last night, with casualties reaching 386.
At this moment, Colonel Sukekawa Shizueji felt a little desperate. It was hard to say whether the remaining exhausted officers and soldiers could survive the attack of the Chinese army today.
The battlefield on the Xiangzao Highway, which had been relatively quiet, became turbulent after daybreak. Colonel Naomitsu Takano, commander of the 18th Regiment, did not even have time to eat breakfast early in the morning. He brought the officers of the unit, accompanied by the staff officers of the 13th Division, to the Chinese army's position for observation.
(Thanks to the gift support from the Director of the Shenlong Library, Lu Yilin who only eats dumplings without vinegar and likes to chop melons, a master, the big poisonous dragon of the Ghost Beast Hall! Thank you all for your support and encouragement!)