readx; Songshan is about 20 miles away from Huitong Bridge in the east, and about 40 miles away from Longling in the west. Pen ~ Fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info is the place from Huitong Bridge to the throat of Longling, and it is also a big mountain on the West Yunnan Road. The old county chronicle describes: "The mountains are sandwiched, the ground is dangerous and the roads are narrow, and the horses cannot go in parallel." "The mountain is steep and extremely difficult to climb.

This mountain overlooking Huitong Bridge and is the natural barrier of Longling, with an area of about 25 square kilometers, is composed of Yin Mountain, Big and Small Song Mountain, Dadukou, Rolling Dragon Slope, Changling Gang and other peaks. Mountains overlap and hills are undulating. The Yunnan-Burma Highway goes west through the Huitong Bridge, by the hills and forests, surrounds the Songshan, passes through the width of no more than 350 meters, and the rolling dragon slope and the big pass of the Gangling range go westward, extends from Lameng Street and Yin Mountaineering to the bottom of the Songshan, which is steep and abnormal. Cars are driving on this road, and if they are not careful, they will fall off a cliff. There are many dense forests on the mountain, and the trees are towering.

Due to its location on a plateau, the climate changes volatile. It was early summer, the mountains were full of clouds and mist, the rain was continuous, the roads were muddy and difficult to walk, and the trenches were often full of water up to the knees.

After occupying Songshan for two years, he used an engineering wing and forced Chinese workers to build fortifications, hoarded grain and ammunition, and even brought the battalion to Songshan as a long-term plan.

The entire Songshan position, dominated by the peak of Songshan, is called the sub-highland; In the strongholds of Rolling Longpo, Dayakou, Changlinggang (including Dazhai, Huangjiashuijing, Malutang) and other places, one or two main forts were built on the commanding heights according to the terrain, and a number of sub-forts were built on both sides, and a small fort was built in front of the position. The forts were connected by communication trenches to support each other and form an impregnable defensive position. These strongholds, in turn, are at odds with the main peak positions. Each stronghold also has a group of fortresses, which are systematically scattered among the dense forests and dark hills in the north and south of Songshan. There are also seven natural stone caves, which have been constructed as command posts.

The original plan of the Commander's Department was that the main force should avoid a frontal assault on the enemy defending Songshan, and only use one part of the Songshan as a diversion attack, covering the main force of the group army to cross the river from the left side of Panzhihua, Daheidu and other ferries, and directly take Pingjia, Xiangda, and Zhending Street, and in one fell swoop to recover Longling and Mangshi, cut off the supply line of the enemy defending Songshan, and force Songshan to say that the Kou was in chaos without a fight.

The 9th Army immediately crossed the river with the 7th and 8th Regiments of the New 2nd Division from Daheidu and Qidaohe.

In order to cover the troops crossing the river, the expeditionary force bombarded the Songshan area on the high ground around the Huitong Bridge with two howitzer regiments and a mountain artillery battalion directly under the 2nd Army Corps. At the same time, nine heavy bombers were dispatched to bomb in turn. At this moment, as long as a single cannon or even a bullet is fired at any stronghold of Kou, the expeditionary force will concentrate artillery fire in return, and the air force will also concentrate on bombing when it discovers a target. Therefore, at first, he also tried to block the crossing of the river, but after being rained back by shells and bombs, he finally fell silent.

The 7th Regiment first crossed the Nu River smoothly, and after a little rectification, it advanced to the Zhuzipo attack.

This is a division of recuperation, and the morale is unprecedentedly strong, so the courage is extraordinary. Although the mountain road is steep, the climb is very difficult, and it is even more difficult to attack on the back, the new 2nd Division is extremely sharp. Moreover, Zhuzipo is the forward position on the south flank of Yinshan Mountain, and the position has been shattered by the artillery and air force bombardment on the east bank, so although Yue Kou is tenacious, he cannot withstand the fierce attack and rush of the officers and men of the New 2nd Division.

After the 7th Regiment occupied Zhuzipo, the artillery fire of Yuekou at Yinshan Mountain and Dasong Mountain bombarded Zhuzipo. After discovering the artillery position of the East Coast Expeditionary Force, they immediately extended their artillery fire to suppress it, and one after another shells with a whistling sound flew towards the enemy position. Then white smoke billowed and dust flew, and the air force arrived in time, and tons of bombs rained down on enemy positions. Under the pressure of superior firepower, Yu Kou was silent again.

This victory greatly encouraged the officers and men of the New 2nd Division, and they were determined to make persistent efforts, and almost without respite, they launched a strong attack on Yinshan Mountain.

Yin Mountaineering is like a bronze bell, with a gentle slope of about 30 degrees at the top, which is bare, because the Kou has cut down all the trees for the construction of fortifications. The slope below gradually increases, and it is a dense forest. From the bottom of the hill with a telescope it is possible to observe the firing holes of several bunkers on the top of the hill. Experienced commanders could see at a glance that this was a camouflage used to attract fire, and that the real firing holes must have been cleverly covered, at least difficult to detect before firing. As a result of the shelling and bombardment on the east coast, the Yinshan Mountain position was already mottled with craters and seemed to have been damaged to a certain extent.

On the evening of 4 June, the 7th and 8th regiments camped at Zhuzipo, and the artillery battalion directly under the army also arrived.

It turned out that the platoon commander Li of the seventh company led a squad to patrol, and met a squad of devils who came to sneak attack, and first encountered the patrol squad soldiers, because the wilderness was dark and unexpected, the soldiers were stabbed by the devils coldly, so they screamed and fell backwards, and the platoon commander Li behind him did not know that the devils were approaching, thinking that the soldiers had slipped and fell, so he threw the submachine gun on his back to the left side, grabbed it with his left hand, and helped him with his right hand. The devil officer of the thorny soldier suddenly stabbed at Platoon Commander Li again, and Platoon Commander Li saw a black shadow jumping up, relying on the soldier's intuition, he subconsciously flashed to the left, and at the same time reached out and grabbed the muzzle of the devil's rifle. Just as he opened the safety on the submachine gun with his left hand, the devil pulled the trigger in the scramble for the rifle and fired a bullet that knocked the little finger and ring finger of Platoon Commander Li away. Platoon Commander Li still gritted his teeth and grasped the devil's rifle with his injured right hand, and at the same time raised the submachine gun with his left hand, pressed it against the devil's chest, fired a burst, and then swept the fan again. It's a pity that there are only thirty-three bullets in one shuttle, and more than a dozen bullets were wasted on the chest of that devil officer, and there are not too many bullets left, so only six devils were killed. When the rest of the devils saw that the matter had been revealed, they quickly fled.

On 5 June, the 7th and 8th regiments attacked Lameng and Yinshan respectively.

In the early hours of the morning, the Air Force sent four heavy bombers to dive and bomb and strafe Yinshan Mountain, and then the artillery fire on the east coast was intensive. When the attacking troops arrived, the mountain was still filled with gunsmoke, as if it were shrouded in fog.

The 8th Regiment advanced towards Lameng, and hundreds of defenders stubbornly resisted until noon, and finally retreated to Yinshan Mountain in a hurry due to heavy casualties. The 8th Regiment took advantage of the victory and occupied several more heights south of the Taojin River, cutting off the road to the dam.

The 7th Regiment took the 3rd Battalion as the main attack force of Yin Mountain. The troops advanced forward from the bamboo slope. On the way, it was attacked by enemy artillery fire. The troops had to leap along the valley to the foot of the mountain, and then climb the vine edge to reach the gentle slope of the mountaintop.

The third battalion successfully attacked the steep slope and the gentle slope of the top of the hill to form a ridge line, above which is a zone where there is no grass, and the main position of Kou is in the middle, only 100 meters away from the ridge line. The artillery fire of the expeditionary force has been extended, and the obstacles in front of the enemy position have been removed, because the attacking troops are approaching, the artillery has stopped firing, the two sides are silent, and there is a deathly silence in front of the position.

The soldiers bravely rushed upward, but unfortunately the three hidden bunkers were blocked by dense crossfire nets, and dozens of soldiers fell on the bare hillside, and the attack was frustrated and had to retreat.

Although this attack paid a heavy price, several hidden forts were discovered, and the artillery battalion bombarded them. On this day, three charges were ineffective, and the third battalion suffered nearly a hundred casualties.

At midnight that night, a group of about 100 men sneaked down from the valley on the south side of Yinshan Mountain, and then secretly climbed up from the bottom of the mountain, in an attempt to sneak attack from behind the third battalion. The third battalion was not on guard because it had its own troops in the rear as the rearguard. After assassinating two sentries, the devil touched the vicinity of the battalion headquarters. At that time, the third machine gun company of the regiment was going up the mountain with the third battalion, and Nie Zhengrong, the squad leader of the third company, was loading the machine gun magazine.

Nie Zhengrong screamed, and was heard by the nearby platoon commander Wang Baocheng, who ran over with a submachine gun and asked, "What's the matter?" Fortunately, the company commander Wu Junchen also rushed to hear the sound. This company commander has quite a lot of experience in dealing with battles, and without saying a word, he took the submachine gun and fired a shuttle first, and then shouted: "What else are you asking?" Kombat ! ”

Only then did Wang Baocheng realize that there was a critical situation, and immediately began to shoot. Wang Laifu, the company commander's herald, also ran over, loaded the machine gun magazine and handed it to the company commander, and Wu Junchen fired with a machine gun, causing the devil to lose his helmet and abandon his weapon, and fled in embarrassment.

The enemy on the top of the hill who tried to rush down to meet was also repulsed by the infantry company.

After dawn, it was found that there were more than 50 corpses, and only a few people in the third battalion were slightly injured, except for Nie Zhengrong, the squad leader of the third machine gun company, who died.

Since neither the artillery nor the air force could effectively destroy the fort, two bazookas and three flamethrowers were used to select positions along the ridgeline, machine guns and mortars were prepared, and an infantry company was ready to charge with bayonets. Everything was ready, and the battalion commander gave an order, and one by one the fire dragons and rockets rushed towards the bamboo slope. Dozens of light and heavy machine guns also opened fire in unison, pouring rain down on enemy positions. The infantry company rushed up at the right time, crossed the barrier and opened fire on the devils who rushed out of the enemy trenches.

After a bloody battle, he finally occupied Yinshan Mountain for the first time. However, the position had not yet been consolidated, and the shells and bullets on the anticline and on the hills behind it were fired equally violently, so Yin Mountaineer was lost and lost.

On 7 June, the 7th Regiment again attacked Yinshan Mountain with two battalions of troops, and finally gained a firm foothold after gaining and losing, and regaining and regaining losses, and repeated three times, and finally gained a firm foothold.

When the soldiers of the 7th Regiment attacked the position, their battalion members jumped out of the trench barefoot and threw grenades, and even grabbed the soldiers and grabbed and bitten. A devil squad leader was blown off a leg, and when the expeditionary force approached, this devil committed suicide by disembowelment.

Due to repeated battles, a trench of only forty or fifty meters was full of the corpses of soldiers killed on both sides, and there was no time to clear it, and it was the height of summer, and this bloody trench was still a rare cover for the occupiers, so no one cared about the stench during the battle, and even with the corpses that had begun to decompose.

From 8 to 23 June, the tug-of-war between Yin Mountaineering and Mountaineering was always very fierce.

The 7th Regiment launched an attack at Da Ya Pass, which was fierce and arduous, and it was no less than the battle for Yin Mountain.

The battle report from the front was transmitted to the commander's department, and Gao Fei immediately discussed it with Yu Wenzheng. He put forward two points: first, it is necessary to admit that the commander's department has misjudged the enemy situation in Matsuyama and deeply review it; Second, it is necessary to discuss with the 9th Group Army the revision of the combat plan.

The situation at Songshan made the expeditionary force realize that if Songshan could not be captured, then it would be impossible to attack Longling. Because the enemy of Longling and Songshan coordinated with each other, the expeditionary force attacking Longling would be attacked by the enemy on the flank. Therefore, Song Xilian suggested attacking Songshan with all his might first.

Gao Fei agreed with Song Xilian's point of view and revised the battle plan accordingly.

In late June, the 9th Regiment was transferred back from Longling and returned to the new 2nd Division. Subsequently, the 26th Regiment of the 151st Division was transferred to the battle. In this way, although four regiments were invested, the strength of the new 2nd Division was insufficient because the two regiments of the new 2nd Division had suffered too many casualties in the early battle and had not been replenished, and their morale had not been restored. In addition, it was rainy and rainy, the mountain roads were muddy and difficult to walk, and the troops were too tired, so although several attacks were launched, they were all ineffective because of the weak offensive.

Gao Fei summoned He Shaozhou, commander of the Eighth Army, and asked the Eighth Army to send troops to take over the attack on Songshan.

He Shaozhou is He Yingqin's nephew, He Yingqin succeeded He Shaozhou as his son because he had no children under his knees, so this young master and army commander was full of thorns and didn't buy it from anyone. When the troops drove to western Yunnan, he had a lot of opinions on the deployment of troops in the commander's department, and now when he heard that he was going to divide his troops to attack Songshan, his resentment suddenly swelled, and he even questioned Gao Fei:

"Junzuo, the Eighth Army was ordered to drive to western Yunnan in mid-April, and the commander's headquarters was deployed: the 103rd Division was stationed in Yunxiang-Midu, the 7th Division was appointed to defend the river in the western part of Baoshan, the 1st and 2nd regiments of the 1st Honorary Division were in Zhen'an Street, and the 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Regiment was guarding Baoshan Airport. What is the reason? ”

Gao Fei had already heard that this Young Master He "didn't eat hard and soft", and before the conversation, Yu Wenzheng "greeted" him and wanted to "talk and discuss". But he doesn't believe in evil, he wants to go to the fire of the young master's temper. He said quietly:

"The army is not yours, it is not mine, it is the state. How to use the army is my business, and how to fight the war is your business -- this point needs to be distinguished. ”

He Shaozhou didn't know the depths, and stiffened his neck: "The troops are separated, how to fight!" ”

Goofy smiled coldly. "An infantry squad is a combat collective, and even if a large corps fights, the regiment is the combat unit. You are a talented student in Whampoa, so you won't fail to master this common sense! ”

"Well, just send the regiment commander to take a regiment of people to fight, there is no need for division and army headquarters at all, let alone division and army commanders to command!"

"This commander has assigned you to dispatch troops to attack Songshan, if you can strategize and win a decisive victory thousands of miles away, of course, you don't have to risk the hardships of wind and rain and the risk of guns. If you win, the commander will reward you first, followed by the division and regiment commander. ”

"Junzuo, is this going to impose responsibility on me?"

"The victory or defeat of the entire counteroffensive against Burma is shared by the troops at all levels. To be more precise: I am the commander in charge, and you are in charge of the Eighth Army. This is where the status lies, and no one can shirk it, and no one can impose it. ”

The words couldn't be more "thorough", and He Shaozhou was not unheard of Gao Fei's "steel fire".

"Okay, the subordinates are obedient!" After a "contest", He Shaozhou finally softened. Gao Fei did not continue to oppress the other party, but comforted him gently: "The 100,000 expeditionary forces are in the same boat, and we must not make any more personal spirits." The hostile situation in Matsuyama was something we never expected. The new 2nd Division suffered heavy casualties after hard fighting, and they helped us understand the enemy situation at a great cost, which is the credit of the new 2nd Division. Now the new 2nd Division must be withdrawn to rest and replenish, and it should be replaced with a strong force to continue to expand the results of the battle. The mountainous terrain is not suitable for large corps operations, but small troops are convenient to operate and flexible in attack and retreat. Therefore, it is required that your department first send troops to take over the defense, and Xu Tu will concentrate. Of course, at the beginning of the counteroffensive, we were so passive, frequently changing troops, and changing our battle plan, all of which showed that we did not find out the enemy's situation in advance and made a mistake in our estimates. I should bear the responsibility for this, but I can only wait for the end of the counteroffensive to review.

The terrain of Songshan is complex, and the fortress fortifications of Yukou are very hidden, and it is very difficult to attack. Although the new 2nd Division has figured out the situation, it will definitely have to pay a great price to conquer it. Now we have a clearer understanding of all the difficulties. So if it's not good to continue the attack, I don't think everyone will blame it too much. As long as the attacking force did its best, I was responsible for the defeat. I will give my full support in both artillery and air space. It's still the same sentence: My responsibility is to give you the task, and it's your business to fight it. I hope you are so self-sufficient! ”

From this conversation, He Shaozhou deeply realized that Gao Fei was a commander who could be powerful and powerful, and he must admit that Gao Fei's status in the Kuomintang army was no less than that of He Yingqin, and it was by no means comparable to Luo Zhuoying and his ilk. Now the military situation is urgent, and if I continue to stand up, there will be no good results. Therefore, he had to swallow his anger, agreed to accept the attack mission, and said that he would set up a forward command in Songshan.

On 1 July, the headquarters of the commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force officially issued an order: The Eighth Army should complete preparations within 3 days, and at dawn on 5 July, it must launch a two-way attack on the Yue Kou at Songshan and Rolling Dragon Slope, expel the Yue Kou from outside the position and annihilate it!

He Shaozhou hurriedly dispatched troops and ordered the 245th Regiment and the 246th Regiment of the 7th Division to quickly cross the river to take over the defense of the new 2nd Division, and sent the Honor 2nd Regiment to cooperate in the attack on Songshan. The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 3rd Honorary Regiment were deployed on the Dasongshan side, and the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Honorary Regiment was deployed on Lamon Street. The artillery battalions directly under the Eighth Army and the Fifth Army were deployed at Zhuzipo; The mixed artillery battalions of the 7th and 10th Artillery Regiments and the 2nd Artillery Battalion directly under the 71st Army were deployed on a 733-kilometer hill on the Yunnan-Burma Highway on the east bank of the Nu River to support the Songshan Attack.

Although the situation was very grim, the Eighth Army's troops, in terms of attacking troops, were only two regiments of infantry, far less than the attack units of the New 2nd Division and the 39th Division. In the initial offensive, the new 2nd Division had already paid a heavy price, and now it has only invested such a meager force, how can it win the offensive?

However, on the battlefield, soldiers cannot negotiate the price, and the receiving troops of the Eighth Army did not hesitate to take over the defensive line, actively made preparations for the attack, and promised to launch an attack on Yuekou on 5 July according to the orders of the commander's headquarters!

(To be continued)