Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 248 Heartbroken Ridge (1)

The Japanese infantry originally wanted to take advantage of the silence of the No. 5 secondary fort to break through, but they were shot down by the secondary gunners, and more than a dozen of them were knocked down. The rest of the Japanese had to lie down obediently.

Although absolute safety cannot be guaranteed, the casualties will be much less than charging with your back bent, so the Japanese still placed their hopes on the infantry artillery.

What they didn't know was that the defending artillery had already targeted the enemy's infantry guns, and the firing parameters had been calculated, and they were just waiting to fire;

In order to ensure a hit on the first shot, the artillery platoon leader could only wait patiently for the Japanese to fire again. As long as they fired, he was confident that he could hit the enemy. As long as he made fine adjustments, the Japanese would have no time to move.

After the secondary gunners fired a few bursts, the Japanese infantry guns opened fire again. This time, their luck was not so good. They did not hit the main fort, but instead completely exposed themselves.
The two 2mm mortars of the 82nd Battalion's artillery company fired a round of shells at the Japanese. Two shells fell from the sky and accurately hit the Japanese artillery positions, instantly destroying the arrogant infantry gun and causing most of the gun crew to be killed or injured.

"Bagayalu, the Chinese have artillery on the top of the mountain, work carefully!"

Major Hirose reacted very quickly, but it was of no use. He could not save the destroyed infantry gun, and they now only had one infantry gun left.

Since they found out that the defenders also had artillery, the Japanese infantry artillery was no longer so arrogant. They fired one or two shots and then changed their firing positions, like thieves.
This is another major advantage of infantry artillery. They are very flexible and can move positions very quickly with their wheels. It is also difficult to catch them, and both sides are engaged in a battle of wits and courage.

Ten minutes later, the Japanese infantry guns hit Fort No. 5 again, and this time they were lucky enough to hit the front firing hole;
The assistant gunner and the ammunition handler died on the spot and the machine gun was destroyed. Fortunately, the others were hiding in the tunnel and were not harmed.

Without machine guns, they used rifles and submachine guns to shoot the Japanese, but the threat was not that great.

After destroying a firepower point of the defenders, the morale of the Japanese was greatly boosted. They launched an attack from position 5 where the firepower had weakened.

Just when the Japanese thought they could take the opportunity to attack the mountainside, the central main bunker that had been hiding before opened fire, instantly mowing down a large number of Japanese.

Only after the main fort opened fire did the Japanese realize what firepower phobia was. The five light and heavy machine guns deployed in various positions became the nightmare of the Japanese infantry. They killed and killed the Japanese, leaving corpses all over the ground. Finally, they could not bear the huge casualties and retreated.

Major Hirose finally faced the reality. It was impossible for him to attack the tightly defended Camel Ridge with just his vanguard battalion. He had no choice but to withdraw his troops and wait patiently for the main force to arrive.

The first general attack of Hirose Battalion on the main peak was repelled by the 2nd Battalion, leaving behind more than 200 bodies. The results achieved were minimal, and only the machine gun fire point of the No. 5 auxiliary fort was destroyed. Even the riflemen of the defenders were not forced out.
There were a total of 5 bunkers defending the first-line position on the mountainside, one main and four secondary ones, as well as a company of infantry.

The main position on the top of the mountain also has 5 bunkers, two main and three secondary. The two main ones are arranged on the left and one on the right, blocking the Japanese army's attack. It is truly a one-man-stand guard against ten thousand men. The best is yet to come.

Major Hirose was also confident, and the main force arrived in a mighty force a few hours later.

这里不得不说说第三师团变态的编制，同其他甲等师团一样下辖两个步兵旅团4个步兵联队，即第6、68、18、34联队；他们变态的是师团直属部队，包括骑兵第4旅团（3、25、26联队）、野战重炮兵第1旅团（野战重炮兵第2、第3联队、野战炮兵第3联队）、高射炮第1联队、飞行第1、2、7联队，工兵第3联队、辎重兵第3联以及卫生队第1至4野战医院，这简直就是一个集团军。

The Hirose Battalion was affiliated with the 6th Infantry Regiment, the first regiment formed by the rd Division, and had a long history.
When the commander of the regiment learned that the Hirose Battalion had lost face for the 6th Regiment, he naturally slapped him a few times. Major Hirose had to stand there respectfully. The Nagoya Regiment has always been strict in military discipline.

After defeating Major Hirose, the 6th Regiment wanted to get back at the nd Battalion. After patiently listening to Major Hirose's report, the regiment commander decided to request artillery support from the division commander, Lieutenant General Susumu Tengda.

The Japs may be crazy, but they are not stupid. Although the Flying Brigade did not accompany the battle, the 1st Artillery Brigade did, and these heavy artillery were not just for show.

After receiving the call for help, Fujita Susumu waved his hand and sent the 6nd Field Heavy Artillery Regiment to support the th Regiment in combat, with only one requirement: to end the battle before dark!
After receiving support from the division headquarters, Colonel Kawanami Mitsu, commander of the 6th Regiment, immediately ordered the nd Heavy Artillery Regiment to fire at the defenders' positions at Tuofeng Ridge;
36 105mm heavy howitzers fired rows of shells at the defenders' positions. The huge destructive power of the heavy artillery flattened the trenches one by one, and the entire mountain was covered with artillery fire, which made Colonel Kawabinomi's blood boil;

In his opinion, this is not something that humans can bear, and he said to Major Hirose proudly:
“Hirose-kun, use your brain more when fighting. In modern warfare, artillery is the master on the battlefield;
German Chancellor Bismarck once said that truth is only within the range of cannons, and Napoleon once said that cannon is the god of war!
The Empire has such powerful artillery, but you always want to conquer the Chinese with bayonets. This idea is outdated. "

Although Major Hirose, who was beaten into a pig's head, didn't agree with the commander's words, he still pretended to admire him and said:
"Your Excellency, the commander of the regiment, is truly knowledgeable. His understanding of war is comparable to that of famous generals like Napoleon. It really enlightens me.

"Listening to your words is worth fighting for ten years. I have learned a lesson!"

Colonel Kawanami looked at Major Hirose with disdain. A coarse man who could call a sudden enlightenment a toilet was unfit to collect the bodies of the artillerymen.
Thinking of this, he instantly lost interest in talking. Talking to him was like playing the lute to a cow, so he waved his hand and said:

"Hirose-kun, when the bombardment is over, you will go up and collect the bodies of the Chinese. Remember, the Sixth Regiment does not need prisoners."

Major Hirose also didn't want to stay with Colonel Kawanami. He would rather go fight the Chinese than listen to his sour words.
In his opinion, the bayonet of the imperial army is the magic weapon to conquer China at any time, and relying on heavy artillery to destroy the Chinese is not considered a hero.

"Warriors, kill the chicken!"

As soon as the artillery fire extended, Major Hirose could not help but give the order to attack. Although he said tough words, in his heart he hoped that all the Chinese on the position would be killed so that they could take advantage of the situation.

The Japanese soldiers of Hirose Battalion also did not believe that there were still living people in the positions plowed by the heavy artillery regiment. They went up to collect the bodies of the Chinese.

The Japanese artillery preparation was indeed fierce, and at least 70% of the surface fortifications were destroyed, but there were tunnel fortifications on the position, all extending into the mountain, so the casualties were not great;

Seeing the Japanese infantry rushing up, the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion rushed out of the tunnels one after another, and black machine gun muzzles stretched out from the bunkers, waiting to teach the Japanese a painful lesson.

(End of this chapter)