Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 307: The Guerrilla Column's Reputation

Major Shimomiya finally gave the order to retreat, because if he continued fighting he would be left alone.

Captain Ito heaved a sigh of relief. Although he was somewhat unwilling, he still ordered the troops to withdraw, leaving behind corpses and resentment on the ground.

As the Japanese retreated like a tide, the Xia Gong Battalion's first attack on Zhaojialing came to an end. It also announced that the Xia Gong Battalion had lost its ability to attack Zhaojialing and could only wait unwillingly for the arrival of the main force of the regiment.

When Liao Tao saw that the enemy's attack had been repelled, he immediately ordered that all the wounded be sent to the main position, where the treatment conditions were much better.
In this battle, Liao Tao's battalion suffered more than 30 casualties, but killed no less than a hundred Japanese devils, which was considered a small victory.

The main reason for such a high exchange ratio was that the front troops of the Japanese did not carry heavy weapons. It was impossible to break through the front position of Zhaojialing with only two infantry guns and hundreds of Japanese soldiers.
They also have several hundred people, with a solid position and firepower that is no weaker than the Japanese. If they still cannot defeat him, the captain, he can give way.

Since the main attack direction of the Japanese was the front, Yue Wanli's 1st Company suffered the heaviest casualties. In addition to the main firepower point being hit by the Japanese, more than a dozen riflemen were also killed or wounded.

Taking advantage of the gap between the Japanese attacks, he called three platoon leaders to a meeting to summarize their experience. He went straight to the point and said:
"Brothers, this battle result is not replicable. This was just a tentative attack by the Japanese vanguard without heavy firepower support. The fact that they were able to achieve this result shows that this group of Japanese is very strong.
The next attack will definitely not be so simple. It will be the same old routine. The powerful artillery fire will definitely bring us a large number of casualties, so we must not underestimate the enemy.

Although this battle achieved good results, it also exposed many problems. Let’s talk about them.

Just talk about the problem!"

Post-battle summaries are a tradition that the 1st Company has always upheld. As soon as Yue Wanli finished speaking, the 1st Platoon Leader took over and said:

"In actual combat, we did not adequately monitor the infantry artillery that posed the greatest threat, allowing them to seize the opportunity and destroy the main firing point;
The infantry artillery had a range that was too far, so the entire company did not have the firepower to reach it and could only rely on the artillery company's mortars.

I suggest dividing the enemy's starting positions into sections and marking them all on a simple map. When the enemy's infantry artillery appears, their coordinates should be calculated immediately and then reported to the battalion headquarters using signal flags. This will save time for the artillery brothers."

Cheng Han, the platoon leader, graduated from the artillery department of the Central Army School. He was a professional who knew how to deal with artillery. He could also calculate the coordinates of the enemy artillery. Yue Wanli thought this was a good idea, so he nodded and said:
"I think it's okay. You are an expert in this area. You can select a few smart people to form an observation team, consisting of observers, calculators, and signalmen.

From discovering the target to calculating the position, and then to transmitting the data to the brigade headquarters, all of these are completed by you. I will communicate with the brigade headquarters in advance to ensure smooth information flow.

In addition, you need to bring out a backbone as soon as possible. You are the platoon leader, and the whole platoon's operations still depend on you. Before that, the squad leader will take over, and I will also go over to keep an eye on it."

The second platoon leader also interrupted and said:
"We can't just focus on the infantry artillery. We also need to develop corresponding tactics against the Japanese death squads, heavy machine gunners, and grenade launchers. Just like a tiger eating a chicken, one thing can defeat another."

The third platoon leader also took over and said:
"We can't just defend blindly. We need to launch a counterattack occasionally. We need to set aside a counterattack group of 1 to 10 people, with at least one light machine gun and grenades per person..."

The post-war summary of the 1st Company was very effective and solved many problems. If these experiences are used well in actual combat, they will greatly reduce the casualties of the troops. A strong army needs to learn about war in war. Everyone from top to bottom must develop a habit of learning and devote themselves to the war with a sense of ownership. This unit will become stronger and stronger.

Don't underestimate a company commander, he is one of the souls of a powerful world army in later generations. The branch was established in the company, which was concluded by an instructor in actual combat. It can be said that grassroots officers are the cornerstone of a strong army.

Inside the field command post of the Shimonomiya Battalion, a battlefield review meeting was also underway. This was also a fine tradition of the Japanese. Strictly speaking, the post-war summary was learned from the Japanese, as well as squad tactics;

The tactics in this world are universal, and one can learn from others' experience to improve oneself. The "three-three system" of the 101st Brigade was also derived from the Japanese devils' squad tactics.

There is no shame in learning war in war and defeating the enemy using the enemy's tactics.

“Gentlemen, the Chinese position is divided into two parts. They seem unconnected, but the main position has been providing fire support to the frontline positions;
After the main force arrives, it should be suggested to concentrate firepower to destroy the main position of Huaxia first, at least to knock out their heavy firepower, or suppress it and sever their connection, so that we can concentrate our forces to capture the frontier position. "

Captain Ito received the most beatings, and his suggestions were more targeted, which was affirmed by Major Shimiya;

Then Captain Terauchi Takeshi raised the issue of inadequate protection for infantry artillery and insufficient fire suppression from machine guns. Other Japanese soldiers also added to the discussion and pointed out many problems.

Major Shimomiya saw that no one had any new questions, so he said:
"Gentlemen, we can now be sure that our opponent is definitely not a ragtag army, but an elite division that is well-trained, well-equipped, and whose tactics and techniques are not inferior to those of the Imperial Army.

Only such an elite division is worthy of fighting against our Kumamoto Division. Judging from the exposed manpower and firepower of the defenders, the defenders of Zhaojialing have at least one regiment, which is comparable to our strength. "

The Japanese soldiers nodded in agreement. That's how the Japanese are. If you hurt them, they will show enough attention and respect.

Major Shimomiya's final conclusion can be summed up in one sentence:
"The defenders are too strong. Let's wait until the main force of the regiment arrives before fighting again."

The Japanese had no objection and after the meeting they went on the defensive. Both sides stopped fighting and the Zhaojialing battlefield returned to peace.

That afternoon, the 113th Regiment, the 147th Regiment, and the st Field Artillery Battalion arrived at the Zhaojialing battlefield one after another;
Then a tank company and an armored motorcycle from the division headquarters also came up for reinforcement. At the same time, a cavalry regiment and a baggage battalion also arrived, forming a detachment commanded by Major General Yamaji Wataru, commander of the 1th Brigade.

After listening to the report of the 113th Regiment, Yamaji Wataru said to the commander of the 113th Regiment, Tanaka Seimichi, the commander of the 147th Regiment, Harada Shimoo, and others:
"Gentlemen, according to the latest intelligence, the Chinese troops left behind in Xuzhou are not the 68th Army, but a part of Yue Qianli's guerrilla column!"

Tanaka Seidō took a deep breath and said:
"Yoshi, no wonder it's so difficult. We had previously deduced that the defenders of Zhaojialing were definitely the elite troops of the Chinese people, but we didn't expect it to be Yue Qianli's guerrilla column.
This is not an easy fight. I heard that they have as many as 4 troops. The front headquarters reported that they lost 3 troops in the battle with the 13rd and 2th Divisions, which means there are at least 2 more. "

(End of this chapter)