Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 258: Defense of the Railway Bridge (2)

In order to eliminate the threat on the flank, Colonel Kawanami sent a battalion of the Tagami Regiment to attack Hill 583, but they were beaten back by the main force of a battalion. Only half of the battalion was left after they rushed forward.
This hurt the old devil Tian Shang, and he said to Colonel Kawanami:
"Kawabini-kun, the western front is the Chinese's defensive depth. That's not the direction of the Imperial Army's attack. Sending more troops there will be of no use."

This time, Colonel Kawanami rarely refuted. China was too big. The focus of their attack this time was the Jinpu Road.
To the west is another major artery, the Pinghan Road, which is also heavily armed. If the defenders of the southern city retreat to the west, they will be invincible.

If they can win, fight. If they can’t win, continue to retreat westward. Not to mention them, even the Third Division doesn’t dare to pursue.

"Bakayaluo, are we just going to let them harass us?"

Colonel Kawanami looked at Colonel Tagami unwillingly, and the old Japanese comforted him:
"The Chinese are too cunning. We can only fight back with cannons. The Chinese don't have that many shells to waste."

Colonel Kawanami thought that this was the only way, so on the one hand they attacked the bridge position from the front, and on the other hand they concentrated all their artillery fire to suppress an artillery position deployed on the west side, effectively tying down the Japanese firepower.

Without the Japanese artillery to disrupt the situation, the machine gun array on the railway bridge was able to deal with the attack of the Mishan Battalion with ease;
Faced with the defenders hiding in the sturdy bunker, the Mishan Battalion had few options but to use human lives.

Since the front of the bunker was built thick enough, the only available 92mm infantry gun could not penetrate the front of the bunker.

There was no other way, so Major Yoneyama could only send out a suicide squad to carry out manual blasting. The defending army's snipers were put to good use again. They specifically targeted the Japanese blasting team, and some even aimed directly at the explosive packs.
Under the sniper's precise shooting, the Japanese demolition team could not get close to the bunker at all, and instead suffered heavy casualties.

The defenders' defense has formed a system. There is an artillery battalion in the distance, which provides long-range fire support on the flanks. There are more than a dozen heavy machine guns in the bunkers at medium range, and light machine guns and infantry companies at short range. The Japanese attack does not pose much threat to the defense line of the railway bridge.

The Mishan Battalion attacked for more than an hour under hail of bullets, but was finally defeated, leaving behind more than 200 bodies, which was more than the number of an entire squadron.

Faced with the huge loss, Colonel Tagami finally couldn't help but say:
“Kawabinami-kun, we can’t continue this fight. The Imperial Army lost more than 400 men in the flank attack.

If the losses on the front line are included, the Imperial Army has suffered almost a battalion of casualties, but the results achieved are limited.

We should suggest to the division commander that we mobilize ferries to launch a river crossing operation on both sides of the railway bridge, so that we have more options. "

Colonel Kawanami accepted Colonel Tagami's suggestion and jointly submitted a request to the division headquarters. Fujita Susumu agreed to their battle plan and promised to send aircraft and heavy artillery regiments to assist in the battle, with only one request: they must capture the railway bridge.

Fujita Susumu’s request is very simple, no matter how you fight, he wants the railway bridge!
It would take some time for the Japanese to force a crossing of the Huai River, but the 68th Regiment, which was carrying out a flanking operation on the right wing, had already found the crossing point and was ready to force a crossing of the Huai River.

The Second Brigade Headquarters, North Bank of Huai River

The 68th Regiment was on the other side of the river. Naturally, his actions could not be hidden from their eyes. Their mission was to defend the Huai River. Liao Lingqi, the deputy detachment commander and commander of the 1st Battalion (formerly the 527th Regiment), said to Gao Zhisong:
"Lao Gao, according to the intelligence we have, there is about a regiment of the Japanese who launched the river crossing operation. The Second Detachment can completely block them south of the Huai River."

Gao Zhisong looked up from the map and said:
“Why stop them? If they want to cross the river, let them come;

Attacking the enemy halfway across the river is indeed the most stable method, but it will not hurt the Japanese.

The Japanese have absolute initiative wherever they cross the river, making it hard to defend against them. It is better to let them come and fight them later.
It's just a regiment, how can it make waves? "Liao Lingqi's eyes lit up after hearing this. They had a detachment of more than 7500 people, and the Japanese had only one regiment. If they planned well, they could really inflict heavy damage on the Japanese. However, he thought of another problem:
"Lao Gao, this is a good idea, but this is just one regiment after all. I am afraid that after crossing the river, they will change the direction of attack and flank the 51st Army.
They have to withstand the 9th Division's attack pressure, and we can't cause trouble for our friendly forces."

“Lao Liao, you are right to worry, so we must take precautions in advance;

You will lead the 1st Battalion to establish a blocking position on the flank to stop the Japanese.

The Japs only have one regiment, so they dare not act recklessly. Moreover, General Yu Xuezhong of the 51st Army is also a veteran in the army, and they have protection for the flanks. In addition, there are 1 people in the 2st Battalion guarding the flanks, so there is no big problem. "

Liao Lingqi's concerns were resolved, and he nodded and said:
"I will lead the 1st Battalion to block the enemy on the eastern front. After we let the Japanese cross the river, the main force of the detachment can defeat them!"

Gao Zhisong shook his head and said:

"Old Liao, do you still remember the battle in which we annihilated the 13th Division Headquarters?
Captain Wang’s strategy was to first surround the 65th Regiment, but not annihilate them, and then he led the enemy by the nose to fight.”

Liao Lingqi suddenly realized:
"You mean we should also surround them but not annihilate them, and lure more devils across the river?"

Gao Zhisong nodded and said:

"There are still too many Japs in one regiment. We can cripple them first, and then it will be safer to fish with only a thousand or so people left."

The two looked at each other and couldn't help laughing. Liao Lingqi said jokingly:
"You're almost learning all of Old Yue's tricks!"

On the south bank of the Huai River, dozens of simple ferries have been prepared. The Class A divisions all have their own pontoon bridge units. Each ferry can carry a dozen people at a time, and the large one can transport a squad at a time.
Coupled with a large number of kayaks and speedboats, a battalion of troops can be deployed at a time.

Following the order from Colonel Takamori, the 68rd Field Artillery Regiment, which was attached to the th Regiment, fired rows of shells at the other side of the river, and immediately the shore defense positions of the defenders were blown up into dust, and sections of river defense fortifications collapsed;
After a period of artillery preparation, the crossing troops began to move out, and one ferry after another rushed to the other side of the river at high speed.

The defenders' artillery shells also flew over in a row, and from time to time a boat was hit and sank to the bottom of the river, and the Japanese on it were soon swallowed up by the cold river water;
The Japanese artillery then fired at the defenders' artillery positions to suppress the defenders' artillery fire and cover the infantry's crossing of the river.

The Huai River itself is not wide, and in the winter dry season, the river is very narrow. The defenders could not stop the enemy's attack with just a dozen artillery pieces.

After paying a certain price, the first batch of ferries successfully hit the beach. After forcing their way ashore, they were eager to advance deeper into the territory.

The defenders were defeated after just a brief resistance. The Japanese vanguard easily defeated the defenders and established several bridgeheads on the other side of the river to cover the subsequent troops crossing the river.

"Sir, the warriors have crossed the Huai River. China's river defense forces have been defeated. It's as easy as a picnic!"

(End of this chapter)