Chapter 17: The Battle of Changjin Lake 4
Suddenly, the heavy machine gun jammed, and the Japanese soldiers swarmed in. Platoon commander Guan Biao shouted: "Grenades! Suddenly, grenades flew densely towards the Japanese soldiers. But the crazy Japanese soldiers were still approaching the trench, and in the blink of an eye, a group of Japanese soldiers jumped into the trench, and the hand-to-hand battle began to be staged. The crashing sound of the fight in the dark was terrifying.
The heavy machine gun began to fire again, blocking the Japanese soldiers behind. The trenches are still fighting desperately, and there is no room for slackness. Flower face stabbed a Japanese soldier, and suddenly a Japanese soldier from the side sent a bayonet diagonally into his abdomen. Flower Face swung the butt of his rifle and smashed it on the head of the Japanese soldier. He pulled out his bayonet in severe pain, and in this effort he saw a Japanese soldier aiming a bayonet at a soldier from behind.
With all her strength, she pounced and plunged the bayonet into the back of the Japanese soldier, and then lost consciousness. Zhuang Lei, the commander of this kung fu company, led people to support from the side of the trench and quickly eliminated the Japanese troops who rushed up. The fierce battle continued until dawn, when the continuous attacks of the Japanese army were repulsed, and the hillside was covered with the corpses of the Japanese soldiers, which was unbearable to witness. Some of the wounded Japanese soldiers who were alive tried to climb down the mountain, but they did not move as they crawled.
In a brutal fight, the 1st Brigade also suffered heavy casualties. The fallen soldiers were carried to the back hillside and placed neatly. Wounded officers and soldiers remained in the trenches. "Flower face, flower face!" The tower called softly. The pale face opened his eyes, his abdomen wrapped in bandages, and blood soaked through. Huafang looked at the squad leader, with long legs and a platoon leader, and said with difficulty: "Damn, Lao Tzu hasn't tasted the taste of a Korean girl yet." After saying that, his head was crooked.
"Flower face, flower face!" The tower and the long legs pounced on the flower face in pain. Guan Biao endured his grief and said: "The flower face is good, carry him down!" Check your weapons and ammunition right away. Prepare for battle. Zhuang Lei's face was dark, his body was covered with dust, and there were many scratches on his clothes. I saw the company commander coming over. Guan Biao straightened up. "How's your platoon doing?" Zhuang Lei opened his mouth and showed his white teeth.
"Report to the company commander, my platoon lost 8 killed and 11 wounded. Among them, 3 were seriously wounded, and 8 were slightly injured and could continue to participate in the fighting. Zhuang Lei said: "In the face of the dense and round-robin charge of the Japanese army, we must play the role of grenades." Remember, the battle is still to come. "Company commander, don't worry! In the face of the intensive charge of the Japanese army, we have already figured out a way. ”
After daybreak, the Japanese launched another onslaught. Due to the clear vision, the soldiers' firepower worked and they were shot before the Japanese could get ahead. Coupled with mortar bombardment, the Japanese onslaught was repulsed again. In the regimental command post, only Zhang Dashan and an operational staff officer were left, and the rest of the people were all engaged in battle.
At this time. Zhang Dashan leaned his back against the bunker. Slightly closed eyes. The operational staff officer reported on the situation of the battalions, and suddenly there was a howling sound in the sky.
"Japanese shelling!" The operational staff shouted. Zhang Dashan immediately came to his senses and said: "Listen, the Japanese artillery is sparse, and it seems that they don't have many shells." The battalions were ordered to save ammunition and shoot Japanese soldiers accurately. ”
This round of attacks was repulsed, and the Japanese offensive began to exhaust. In the morning of the next day, the commander of the Japanese division received news that the city of Jiechuan was broken. Street fighting broke out between the defending Japanese and Chinese troops. Jiechuan was in danger, and the commander of the Japanese division decided to form a death squad. Unleash a decisive attack.
On the first line of positions, Zhuang Lei saw that the Japanese soldiers were shirtless and had strips of white cloth wrapped around their heads, and they rushed up viciously. "Company commander, what are the Japanese soldiers playing?" Guan Biao was confused. "The Japanese army pursues the spirit of bushido, this is a suicide attack, which means all of them are killed in battle!" Zhuang Lei felt that this attack was more auspicious than lucky. "Damn, little Japan is crazy." "Prepare for battle!" Zhuang Lei shouted loudly. The mortars spoke first, and the shells fell in the group of Japanese soldiers, who did not lie down and dodge, but kept moving forward.
In this round of attack, the Japanese broke through many points. The battle was extremely fierce, and the entire defense line of the 1st Brigade was in danger due to the attrition of the fighting and the lack of defensive troops. At this critical moment, a loud military horn suddenly sounded on the north side of Miaoling, and a large number of Chinese soldiers rushed over like a sea of mountains. When the officers and men of the 1st Brigade saw the arrival of reinforcements, their morale was greatly boosted. They jumped out of the trenches and rushed at the Japanese.
It turned out that the troops of a brigade of the 2nd Division rushed to the battlefield and launched a powerful assault on the Japanese army like a tide. Originally, the Japanese army was already at the end of its strength, and it immediately collapsed in the face of the fierce impact of the Chinese army. In the blink of an eye, the attack and defense were switched, and the Japanese army fled with their lives. The Japanese artillery abandoned their artillery and fled, and the Japanese logistics units fled with a large number of light and heavy ones.
The commander of the Japanese division led the remnants of the defeated army and fled back to Tokugawa, and only more than 4,000 of the more than 10,000 Japanese troops remained. On this day, Jiechuan was captured at dusk, the defending 5,000 Japanese troops were wiped out, and the 2nd and 3rd Brigades of the 1st Division also paid a heavy price.
In the afternoon, Zhuang Lei led the whole company of soldiers solemnly, although they were ragged and unkempt. But they are real heroes. Dozens of new graves appeared in front of them, and many wounded soldiers were holding each other to say goodbye to their comrades. Of the 150 soldiers of the company, 62 were killed and 22 were wounded. There was no sadness on the faces of all the soldiers but solemnity, and the brutal war made them mentally bear it to the extreme.
"Salute and fire!" Company commander Zhuang Lei shouted loudly. Subsequently, the 1st Division was pulled down to rest and replenish its troops. Due to the death of the first battalion commander in the blocking operation, Zhuang Lei was promoted to the first battalion commander, Guan Biao was promoted to any company commander, Tie Ta was appointed as the third platoon commander, and Long Legs served as the first squad leader. They didn't wait for a respite in Daxing, and only rested for 5 days before leaving for the battlefield.
The subsequent battle for Jiechuan lasted for a month, and the Japanese troops moving south and north desperately tried to get through the strategic point of Jiechuan. The 1st Army and the 4th Army engaged all their forces in a stubborn blocking operation. As the 2nd Army was engaged in the battle in the Changjin Lake area, the Japanese army's efforts failed, and nearly 300,000 Japanese troops were surrounded in the area north of Jiechuan, Jiangjie, and west of Qianchuan.
On June 25, the defense line of the Yalu River in Ji'an was broken through, and the 10th Army entered Korea, followed by the 6th and 7th armies of the strategic reserve into Korea. Two days later, the 9th Army broke through the Sinuiju defensive line, followed by the reserve 8th Army. The elimination of 300,000 Japanese troops is just around the corner, and it seems that it is only a matter of time before the Japanese army is completely eaten.
At the headquarters of the Dandong Front, everyone was beaming with joy, hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops were surrounded, and the joy could not be described. At this time, Commander Bai Sheng calmly looked at the military map and was in a happy mood. Chief of Staff Wang Jie said: "Commander, after a month of fierce fighting, the First Army formed a solid defensive position on the north bank of the Datong River, which advantageously intercepted the Japanese army that went north to relieve the siege. The 4th Army had a favorable advantage in intercepting the Japanese troops fleeing south at Heecheon and the stadium. ”
Wang Jie pointed to the sand table and continued: "After the 2nd Army entered the Jiechuan area, it quickly inserted itself into Anzhou on the west coast, completely blocking the retreat of the Japanese army to the south. At present, the 3rd Army is still involved in the Japanese army in Tokugawa and Hamhung, playing a covering role. After the 5th Army took the river boundary, it was advancing southward. After the 10th Division broke through the defense line of the Yalu River, it was pressing the attack in conjunction with the 6th and 7th armies. The 9th and 8th armies occupied Yanzhou and Daedate, respectively. In view of the stubborn resistance of the Japanese army, in order to reduce casualties, it is expected that by the end of July, all battles will be ended. ”
Bai Sheng nodded and said: "Pull all the artillery units directly under you, and you will not tolerate the stubborn Japanese army on the spot." In addition, I reported to the headquarters in the capital that 300,000 Japanese troops were officially surrounded by us and could not fly. A rare smile bloomed on Bai Sheng's face. From April 25, when the curtain of the war into North Korea was opened, for three full months, only he knew how much psychological pressure Bai Sheng was carrying.
Chief of Staff Wang Jie said: "Commander, I thought you wouldn't laugh anymore, it's rare to be in a good mood, do you want to relax." Bai Sheng nodded and said, "It's time to relax, you go get a bottle of wine, and we'll celebrate in advance." Seeing that the commander was in a good mood, all the personnel in the headquarters smiled heartily.
Seoul, the headquarters of the Japanese army, Ohira Yusuke was a little crazy, at this time he kept howling like a wild wolf: "Hatoyama Ichiro, in the Changjin Lake area, one defeat after another, and then caused my 300,000 troops to be surrounded, I want this stupid pig to go to court-martial." Seeing that the commander was a little mentally disordered, everyone in the headquarters did not dare to squeak, for fear that anger would spill on them.
After a long time, the chief of staff of the Japanese army whispered: "Commander, you should report the details to the headquarters of the coalition forces and send reinforcements to the Korean Peninsula as soon as possible." "Reinforcements?" Ohira Yusuke seemed to be a little unaware, as if he had to stare at the chief of staff of the Japanese army, and said, "If there were reinforcements, they would have come early." Let me tell you, Commander Han Ruowei had no intention of entrenching himself on the Korean Peninsula at all. ”
The chief of staff of the Japanese army showed a slightly surprised expression when he heard this. Ohira Yusuke said hatefully: "The Korean Peninsula does not meet the appetite of foreigners, and they strongly advocate the defense of the Japanese archipelago and use the natural barrier of the sea to form a solid front. And we are sticking to the Korean Peninsula on the basis of the interests of Japan. In this regard, it is impossible for the Americans' allied forces in the Americas to come to the Korean Peninsula to send them to their deaths. ”
The emotion of defeat quickly enveloped the headquarters, and the chief of staff said worriedly: "Commander, the order to break through has been conveyed to the encircled troops, so that they can break through to the maximum extent. After a long time, Ohira Yusuke waved his hand and said, "Order all rescue troops to withdraw to the south of the Han River for fortification." Report the details of the battle to the coalition headquarters. After Yusuke Ohira finished speaking, he sat down in a chair decadently.
Tokugawa, the official residence of Ichiro Hatoyama, saw him shirtless with a white cloth wrapped around his waist, and kneeling on the ground facing the direction of Japan. He closed his eyes and prayed silently. I don't know how long it took, I suddenly opened my eyes, held the handle of the knife with both hands, and inserted it into my abdomen without hesitation??????。 (To be continued......)
PS: The blood of the warriors in exchange for the dawn of victory!