Chapter 19 It seems difficult to deal with

Although the 106th Division of the Japanese Army occasionally infiltrated the Jinguanqiao defense line, it was generally difficult to break through.So the Japanese army began to try to attack in a roundabout way, copying the back route of the Nanxun line. On August 12, the 101st Division of the Japanese Army crossed Poyang Lake and landed in Xingzi Town, intending to detour against De'an, where the 74th Army was located, but was finally blocked by the Dongxiguling under the vigorous efforts of the Cantonese Army. . On August 22, the Japanese army landed again in Aikou Town, south of Xingzi, and the plan was to attack De'an.

De'an City leans against Poyang Lake in the east and Lushan Mountain in the west. It is an important town on the Nanxun Line.Its gains and losses are related to the safety of the Nanxun defense line, and no mistakes are allowed.The Seventy-Fourth Army monitored the movement of the enemy on the surface of Poyang Lake at any time, and immediately dispatched troops to stop it. If the defensive terrain of the Battle of Songhu relied on rivers and ponds, the west bank of Poyang Lake not only has water and lakes, but also hills and hills with heavy fortifications. From the hills, you can clearly see every move of the Japanese army.During the battle, the Seventy-Fourth Army and the Guangdong Army mainly built fortifications based on the hills, and set up multiple lines of defense from the mountainside to the top of the mountain. As soon as the Japanese army advanced, bullets would pour down like raindrops, making it difficult for them to advance.

The 101st Division of the Japanese Army knew that it had encountered the main force of the Chinese elite.As one of the main forces of the Japanese army that participated in the Battle of Songhu, the division has experienced many battles since then. Normally, the Chinese army facing them would be defeated as soon as it was attacked, but it was completely defeated on the west bank battlefield. different.In many cases, even if the defenders ran out of bullets and had to fight hand-to-hand, they would never flee. If the Japanese army could occupy one of the positions, there was only one explanation, that is, all the Chinese soldiers on the position were dead.

"The enemy seems to be very difficult to deal with this time." The Japanese soldier lamented. Yukio Komata, a Japanese military reporter who had interviewed the 101st Division when he was in Shanghai, came to the front again this time. The familiar officers were either buried in graves in the grass by the roadside, or were seriously injured and transported to the rear. Omata hopes to write the relevant situation into a newsletter report.A wing adjutant said in a desolate voice, "Where do we start? War is terrible. Even if we talk about it for a day or two, we can't finish it!"

In this wing, the officers in many squadrons have all died in battle, and the existing officers have just been added.The adjutant opened his notebook and asked Xiaomata to record the names of the dead and wounded officers one by one with tears in his eyes. None of the officers Komata knew was there, and all he could hear on this front were "tragic stories", and the reports from all units were generally consistent: "The enemy resisted tenaciously, and our army could not advance." The Nanxun line was held temporarily, but at the other end, the Sichuan army defending Ruichang lost the chain.

The Seventy-Fourth Army and the Cantonese Army are both capable of fighting tough battles. Compared with them, the Sichuan Army in the Wuhan theater is inferior in terms of combat quality. Even in the Chinese army, it can only be regarded as a third- or fourth-rate army at best.The Ninth Division of the Japanese Army that attacked Ruichang belonged to the old standing division. It had participated in two Songhu battles. The Sichuan Army could not resist this division's upward charge. On August 24, Ruichang fell, and the Ninth Division of the Japanese Army took advantage of the victory to advance to Minshan.

The latitude of Minshan is lower than that of Jinguan Bridge, and the left back of Jinguan Bridge defenders is thus exposed. At nine o'clock in the morning on August 29, Xue Yue, the commander of the First Corps, sent a telephone order to the headquarters of the Seventy-Fourth Army, asking the 51st Division to send a regiment to occupy the road from Ruichang to Minshan, while observing the traffic in the direction of Ruichang. Movement and movement, while covering the left side of the Jinguanqiao position. When the call was made, the 51st Division was constructing fortifications on the outskirts of De'an, and the regiments were relatively scattered. Therefore, the 302nd Regiment of the 151st Brigade was not able to set off until 4 pm.

When Xue Yue gave the order, he judged that the Japanese Ninth Division would not send more than a few hundred troops to Minshan, so it was enough for the 74th Army to send one regiment, but the information he received later showed that Minshan The situation was much more serious than originally expected. The Ninth Division of the Japanese Army did not come well, and the number of troops sent to Minshan was definitely more than a few hundred people. Concerned about the menacing approach of the Ninth Division of the Japanese Army, which would surely outflank the rear of Jinguan Bridge, Xue Yue hastily sent an additional telegram to the Seventy-Fourth Army at 6:00 p.m., requesting the 51st Division to send a brigade (including the regiment in front) Occupy the first line of Minshan.

According to the order, the 151st Brigade dispatched by the 51st Division had to arrive at Minshan that night, but because the Sichuan Army retreated chaotically and disorderly, they were all blocked in the middle of the road in a chaotic manner, which made it impossible for the advancing troops to move quickly, and it was impossible to arrive at night. uttered empty words. At 7 o'clock in the morning on August 30, the 302nd Regiment arrived at the foot of Minshan Mountain, but they were one step too late. About a brigade of the Japanese Ninth Division had already occupied Minshan Mountain and controlled the corresponding commanding heights.

There is no turning back when you open the bow.The 302nd Regiment immediately launched a fierce attack. After four and a half hours of fierce fighting, the regiment occupied the Japanese position at the foot of Minshan Mountain.Continuing to attack up the mountain, Japanese reinforcements just arrived, making the attack more difficult. Hu Liqun, the commander of the 1st Battalion, was shot and died, and the 302nd Regiment had to retreat to wait for reinforcements. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Zhou Zhidao, commander of the 151st Brigade, led the brigade headquarters and the 301st Regiment to arrive.Starting in the evening, the whole brigade marched towards Minshan.

The 101st Division and 106th Division of the Japanese Army were unable to attack for a long time, largely due to the fact that the other side attacked and the other side defended. The solid positions built by the Chinese army on the mountains made the enemy very troublesome.Now it is reversed, the enemy is defending and we are attacking. The Japanese army, relying on the favorable terrain, condescendingly blocked with fiery firepower, thus pushing the same problem to the side of the Chinese army. The 151st Brigade approached the Japanese positions several times, but all failed due to excessive blocking firepower.On that day, the casualties of both the enemy and our armies were more than 400. In order to eliminate the offensive threat of the 151st Brigade, at 7:30 am on August 31, the Japanese army turned from defense to offense, and under the cover of aircraft, they charged the 151st Brigade's position. The 151st Brigade couldn't attack the mountain for a while, so it wouldn't be a big problem to hold the position.The three Japanese charges were all resolved one by one. The tug-of-war situation on the Minshan front line made Xue Yue feel the need to increase his troops.In the afternoon, he sent an order to the 74th Army, requesting that Wang Yaowu personally lead the 51st Division to go to the aid to capture key points such as Gaoling, Egongbao, and Hongjiashan. When the brigade was promoted to the division, some of the battles were fought.