Volume 1 Deserter's Bloodbath Chapter 35 Confrontation!
There is an old Chinese saying: Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be in danger in a hundred battles! For the Nationalist army on the battlefield, the 200-meter front of the battle line is a dangerous interval, which is when the defending machine guns must open fire. For the Japanese, testing the firepower is not to commit suicide. They are used to shooting at the defenders' positions with rifles at a position of 300 meters, relying on their accurate marksmanship to anger the defenders on the positions, so that they can retaliate with the machine guns and other positions' supporting firepower!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Right under the noses of the defenders, the Japanese began to shoot at the Kuomintang positions, and the glowing steel helmets became the best target for the Japanese.
"Puff puff……"
Bullets would occasionally penetrate the soil at the edges of trenches and craters, but the Japs' shooting skills were still so accurate.
"No one is allowed to show their heads. Machine guns are not allowed to open fire until the enemy approaches 200 meters. Brothers who are sure they can hit the enemy can shoot at will, but the rest of you should not waste bullets!"
The officer squatted in the trench and shouted loudly to remind them.
"It's you, no need to hide..."
Feng E threw his helmet aside and stared at the Japanese helmets in the distance through the sight. The Japanese helmets reflecting the sunlight were so easy to recognize!
"boom!"
Feng E fired, and the high-speed spinning bullet whizzed towards its target...
"when!"
The 7.92mm bullet easily penetrated the Japanese's helmet, penetrated the head under the helmet, and then penetrated the back of the Japanese's head again. The Japanese fell to the ground with a thud, ending his sinful life.
"pretty!"
Lin Yuan was not far from Feng E, and the telescope in his hand clearly saw the moment the Japanese was shot!
“Crack!”
Feng E pushed the bullet skillfully without any waves in his heart. He had quite a lot of experience and could be considered a qualified soldier on the battlefield.
"boom!"
"boom!"
…
Chaotic gunshots rang out. Feng E was not the only one shooting on the battlefield. The soldiers, eager to try, were trying hard to aim and then fire. However, not everyone had the talent of a sniper, not to mention that Feng E was the only one who had received professional training from German instructors.
“Bang, bang…”
"Puff puff……"
While the two sides were competing in shooting skills, they were also competing in courage. People who were shot fell down from time to time, some screamed, and some died directly.
There were only more than 30 Japanese soldiers in a squad, and they were very sparse on the long front line. Soon the Japanese stopped shooting and slowly retreated. After testing, they realized that the Kuomintang army on the opposite side was elite, and this small-scale harassment seemed useless!
The battle before dusk yesterday let the Japanese know that the National Army in Xinzhen had reinforcements. Their main force, the 11th Division, was concentrated nearby and could no longer be dealt with by an understaffed regiment. The Japanese had no choice but to confront the 11th Division on the front line in Xinzhen.
The fact that the Japanese did not attack Xinzhen did not mean that they would not launch an attack on the entire Songhu area. In fact, the fighting was in full swing in Hongkou, Yangshupu, Zhanghuabang, Luodian, Wusong and other places. Their naval guns and bombers were operating at full capacity, bombarding the defenders' defense lines.
On the 27th, Xinzhen had no choice but to survive the tense confrontation. The 67th Division on the Luodian front was in dire straits. The 43rd Regiment of the 11th Division of the Japanese Army, under the command , was equipped with heavy artillery, tanks, and air force support. It was now frantically attacking Luodian. This was the second consecutive day of the 43rd Regiment's attack. In the battle on the 26th, the 201st Brigade of the 67th Division responsible for defending Luodian made full use of the terrain and stubbornly resisted the Japanese attack. The battle was extremely fierce. The 201st Brigade blocked several Japanese charges, and its casualties also rose sharply. The brigade commander, Major General Cai Bingyan, also went to the front line to command the battle. Later, with the help of the 199th Brigade, Luodian was barely defended. In the battle to defend the left wing of Luodian, Major General Cai Bingyan personally led the 2nd Battalion of the 398th Regiment and the brigade's special agent platoon, which had just arrived at the position, to fight the Japanese repeatedly, and was unfortunately shot and sacrificed during the charge.
“Kill!”
The remnants of the 199th and 201st Brigades defending Luodian were under attack from the Japanese. The soldiers of the 67th Division shouted and fought with the Japanese around Luodian. Unfortunately, their flesh and blood and fighting spirit could not make up for the backward equipment. The 43rd Regiment of the Japanese Army captured Luodian in the afternoon.
"What? Luodian was lost?"
At the headquarters of the 18th Army, Luo Zhuoying looked at the telegram in his hand in shock. The important role of Luodian in the Battle of Shanghai was unquestionable, as it was the gateway to the northern part of Shanghai.
"Sir, Commander Chen is dispatching the 61st Division to arrive immediately. This is the message!"
The staff officer received a telegram from Chen Cheng.
In the telegram, Chen Cheng did not say anything, but only said that the 61st Division was placed under the command of the 18th Army, and Luodian must be recaptured. Violators would be subject to military law and severely punished!
"Let the General Staff clearly mark the situation around Luodian. Which of our troops is closest to Luodian?"
Luo Zhuoying sat down on the chair, feeling a heavy burden on his shoulders!
Part of the Japanese troops that occupied Luodian had crossed the south bank of Malutang to the north of Luodian and occupied villages such as Zhoujiazhai and Gongjiazhai, ensuring the safety of the Chuansha landing point. To the east and south of Luodian Town, the 11th Division and the 98th Division were fighting a bloody battle with the Japanese landing troops.
"Sir, the nearest one is the 11th Division in Xinzhen. They are now confronting the Japanese. They fought for a whole day yesterday and suffered heavy casualties. If the 11th Division is withdrawn from Xinzhen, the Japanese landing site in Chuansha will no longer be a threat. The Japanese can land troops here at will and increase the pressure on the Songhu area."
"There are too many places to land in the Songhu area. Even if the Japanese lose the Chuansha landing site, they can still land in other areas. But if Luodian cannot be recaptured, the entire Songhu battle will collapse! Order the 11th Division to attack Luodian immediately. Luodian must be recaptured within 24 hours! Bang!"
Luo Zhuoying slammed his fist on the table and gave an order.
The Japanese army is very powerful. Ordinary troops can't even defend, let alone attack. Now we can only use our elite troops. I hope the 11th Division is worthy of the title of the pillar of the civil engineering department. As for the 61st Division, it is the last reserve force!
In Xinzhen, the headquarters of the 11th Division, Peng Shan received orders from the military headquarters, and Chen Cheng even sent another telegram to Peng Shan.
"Order the troops to prepare to march!"
Peng Shan frowned and thought for a long time, and decided to withdraw troops from Xinzhen and attack Luodian to the south.
"Commander, it's still broad daylight! If we retreat, the Japanese will surely press on us, and we will be in a passive position. In field operations, we have no advantage over the Japanese!"
Chief of Staff Mei Chunhua reminded,
"What should we do? The 43rd Regiment of the Japanese Army has already occupied Luodian. If we don't attack while the Japanese army is firmly established, it will be even more difficult to fight them once their fortifications are completed! Besides, we can leave some troops behind to cover the rear so that the Japanese army can't come up!"
Peng Shan waved the telegram in his hand, he had to attack now.
"Division Commander, Commander Luo asked us to capture Luodian before 12 o'clock tomorrow. We might as well wait until dark and withdraw quietly. If everything goes well, we can launch the attack on Luodian in two hours. Even if the devils have fortifications, we also have artillery. At night, we are not afraid of the devils' bombers. We can let the artillery use shells to clear the way!"
Mei Chunhua reminded Peng Shan that the 11th Division, as the pillar of the civil engineering system and the direct line of the Central Army, was not only equipped with a mountain artillery battalion, but also a heavy mortar. Its firepower was unmatched by other miscellaneous brands.
"Well, it's a pity that the 9th Company of the 16th Artillery Regiment in the war zone has withdrawn. If they were still there, the attack on Luodian would be more certain!"
Peng Shan tapped the sand table with his hand. In the Battle of Songhu, the National Army's artillery was too scarce, and heavy artillery was even rarer. The two heavy artillery brigades were under the direct command of the war zone, and he had no authority to mobilize them at all.
