The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 338: Annihilation of the Japanese Vanguard 2
Outside the village, at the Japanese artillery position, amid the rumbling of artillery fire, the Japanese officers directing the shooting kept giving battle orders to open and fire. The muzzles of the four Type 41 mountain cannons spit out puffs of white smoke, and the dark green artillery barrels recoiled to the limit as the shells flew out. The wooden gun wheels were also bounced up by the recoil of the artillery during the high-intensity continuous firing, and the ground was already littered with used 75mm mountain cannon cartridges.

In the center of the artillery position, the commander of the Hata Detachment's forward battalion, Hamamoto Hayashi, stared through the Type 93 artillery telescope at the billowing smoke and fiery flames from the target area. Feeling a little relieved, he asked the adjutant behind him, "How long has it been?"

The adjutant glanced at his watch and replied, "Sir, the bombardment has lasted fifteen minutes."

Hamamoto Lin nodded, left the artillery telescope, and looked at the nearly 400 soldiers of the Second Infantry Squadron, the Temporary Engineer Squadron, and the Heavy Machine Gun Squad who were crawling on the ground in the distance and deployed in battle formation. He said to the adjutant: "Let the infantry prepare. In two minutes, the artillery will reduce the firing rate and the infantry will start the charge. Tell the two squadron leaders that their first task is to rush into the village as soon as possible. They must save time and charge in as quickly as possible. Use dense formations when charging!"

"Yes!"

The adjutant immediately went to pass on the order to the infantry unit that was preparing to launch the attack.

After fifteen minutes of high-intensity continuous bombardment, the attacking Japanese infantry finally began to move.

As the intensity of the Simenshan artillery bombardment weakened, sharp whistles were heard from the starting point of the Japanese infantry's attack. Immediately afterwards, more than 300 crawling Japanese soldiers jumped up from the ground and charged directly towards the village entrance.

The attacking Japanese army faithfully carried out Hamamoto Hayashi's orders and did not adopt the infantry company's sparse formation prescribed in the Japanese Army's Infantry Drill Manual during the attack. According to the provisions of the infantry company's sparse formation, the infantry squads under each company should be 30 meters apart from each other, and each infantry squad would then disperse each infantry unit to form a skirmisher impact formation to cover each other's advance.

However, it would take at least five or six minutes to deploy and charge such a scattered attack formation. In order to allow the infantry to enter the village as quickly as possible, Hamamoto Lin ordered the attack force to attack the village directly in a dense attack formation. More than 300 Japanese soldiers then swarmed together in the dense formation of squadrons and columns used in training on the playground, shouting and killing, and launched a charge towards the village entrance.

The 2nd Infantry Squadron and the Temporary Engineer Squadron under the Vanguard Battalion charged in a dense formation, while the heavy machine gun squad assigned to the two squadrons followed at the end, carrying two Type 92 heavy machine guns and running after attacking the two squadrons in the front.

More than 300 Japanese soldiers roared and rushed towards the village entrance. The intensive charge tactics adopted by Hamamoto Lin were very effective. In less than three minutes, the vanguard of the Japanese infantry had rushed into the village along the passage at the entrance without suffering any fire damage from the Chinese army.

After quickly breaking into the village in dense formations, the experienced Japanese officers and non-commissioned officers quickly ordered the troops to end the dense formation charge and switch to a sparse skirmish attack formation moving forward in the passage at the entrance of the village.

While advancing in a sparse formation, the Japanese troops that had entered the village moved closer to the houses on both sides of the passage in squadrons, leaving the center of the passage at the entrance of the village to avoid possible fire attacks from the Chinese army.

The second infantry squadron moved toward the left side of the passage at the entrance to the village, while the temporary engineering squadron, which temporarily served as infantry, moved toward the right side of the passage. The heavy machine gun squads assigned to the two squadrons pursued and followed closely behind.

It can be said that the two attacking Japanese squadrons were quite skilled in both the command quality of officers and non-commissioned officers and the offensive movements of the troops. They broke into the village one after another amid the gradually sparse artillery fire, and then deployed their battle formations. Under the instructions of two surviving soldiers of the Machida Squadron who were advancing with the team, they charged forward with the areas where the Machida Squadron had just been ambushed as their first attack targets.

Thick smoke and flames were already rising from the fierce bombardment of the Japanese mountain artillery. As for the courtyards and houses on both sides of the passage, the Japanese troops who had entered the village had no time to search them.

The Japanese troops that had broken into the village were completely unaware that the horse infantry company of the advancing column, which had just been killing people in the ambush area and had cleanly and efficiently dealt with the Machida Squadron, had already moved their positions.

One platoon of soldiers moved to the end of the passage at the entrance of the village, while the other two platoons occupied the houses and fortifications on both sides of the passage, waiting calmly and unhurriedly for the order to open fire. The houses where the two platoons of soldiers were hiding were also as quiet as if no one was there.

In a civilian house on the left side of the entrance to the village, Liu Yonggui, the first platoon leader of the horse-mounted infantry company, was crawling in a prone foxhole built inside the house, staring at the Japanese troops close at hand outside through the narrow observation hole on the wall.

At this time, most of the troops of the two attacking Japanese squadrons had rushed in, and the attacking Japanese troops chose to advance along the houses on both sides of the passage. Therefore, the distance between the invading Japanese troops and the officers and soldiers of the advance column ambushed in the houses was very close. Liu Yonggui could not only clearly see all the combat movements of the Japanese troops as they advanced, but even hear their footsteps and voices clearly.

"Platoon leader, do you want to fight?"

The sergeant squad leader of the first row general-purpose machine gun squad crawled to Liu Yonggui and asked in a low voice.

Ambushed in the same house with Liu Yonggui were the general-purpose machine gun squad of the first row. An MG34 general-purpose machine gun in light machine gun mode was set up in a machine gun position close to the ground in the center of the house. The machine gunner held the MG34 machine gun handle tightly and waited for the order to fire. The assistant gunner also held a yellow metal bullet belt and stared nervously at the Japanese infantry close at hand, with the black muzzle of the gun pointing directly at the Japanese attack column outside the house.

The ammunition soldiers of the general-purpose machine gun squad were also guarding boxes of machine gun bullets. They held Czech-made vz24 rifles and aimed at the advancing Japanese infantry outside the house at their respective shooting holes.

Liu Yonggui glanced at the Japanese troops who were still rushing in from the entrance of the village. Seeing that the Japanese heavy machine gunners at the rear of the Japanese army had not yet rushed in, he said, "Wait, wait a little longer."

As the most senior platoon leader among the three infantry platoons of the mounted infantry company, Liu Yonggui was responsible for deciding the timing for the three platoons to open fire. Only after the first platoon opened fire would the other two platoons open fire.

Therefore, Liu Yonggui had to choose the best time to fire.

Although most of the Japanese troops have now entered the village, there are still a small number of them that have not yet rushed in, especially the heavy machine gun squad carrying heavy machine guns. Because the Type 92 heavy machine gun is too heavy, their assault speed is slow. Now some of them are separated outside the village and have not completely rushed in.

In Liu Yonggui's opinion, now is not the best time to open fire. Only by waiting until all the attacking Japanese troops rush into the village can the greatest killing effect be achieved.

Liu Yonggui stared at the entrance of the village, estimating the number of Japanese troops that had not yet entered the village.

Another dozen seconds passed, and the number of Japanese soldiers rushing into the village increased. The various shouting and cries of killing outside the first row of ambushes became louder and louder.

As the Japanese army's tail heavy machine gun squad broke in, more than 300 Japanese soldiers almost all rushed in along the passage at the entrance of the village.

This also meant that two infantry companies and a heavy machine gun squad of the Japanese army had entered the fire range of the three infantry platoons of the mounted infantry company.

Only then did Liu Yonggui give the order, shouting, "Fight!"

The general-purpose machine gunners in the first row who had been waiting for a long time pulled the trigger. Amid the crisp friction and collision sounds of the metal ammunition belt, the mg34 general-purpose machine gun spit out dense tongues of fire. Immediately, more than a dozen Japanese soldiers who were caught off guard were mowed down like grass and fell down in groups.

The first row's firing signal is the firing signal for the entire mounted infantry company.

Immediately afterwards, the infantry squads in the first row also opened fire, followed by the second row deployed on the opposite side of the first row and the third row guarding at the end of the passage at the entrance of the village. The intensive automatic firepower centered on three MG34 general-purpose machine guns, nine Czech light machine guns and a large number of MP28 submachine guns roared like the collapse of the sky and the earth, and launched an intensive cross-fire blockade attack on the more than Japanese troops who broke into the village from three directions.

The houses on both sides of the village entrance, which were originally as quiet as death, suddenly turned into terrifying killing fortresses. The more than 300 Japanese soldiers who were trying their best to attack the ambush position of the Machida Squadron had no time to react and were caught in the dense fire network.

And this is just the beginning.

In the village, in the command post of the Advance Column, Zhao Zhanhai and Yang Biao, who were observing the enemy situation on the roof, shouted in joy when they saw the three platoons of the horse-mounted infantry company open fire and attack, and the Japanese troops were knocked down in large numbers.

Then, Zhao Zhanhai nodded to Yang Biao and said, "Open fire, artillery."

Yang Biao looked excitedly at a sergeant standing next to him and said, "Start shooting!" This sergeant was the squad leader of a mortar squad in the mounted infantry company. Each infantry company of the assault corps had three infantry platoons with a mortar squad equipped with two French-made Brandt 60mm mortars.

In order to concentrate firepower, all six 60mm mortars of the Advance Column's Horse Infantry Company were concentrated for use. The sergeant selected by Yang Biao was the squad leader with the best shooting command skills among the three mortar squad leaders of the Horse Infantry Company. Therefore, he was responsible for the unified shooting command task of the six 60mm mortars of the three mortar squads.

Before the battle, the three mortar squads of the mounted infantry company had completed test firing at various strategic points in the village and had mastered the shooting parameters of various targets in advance, including the passage at the village entrance.

Therefore, the sergeant in charge of directing the shooting, after a brief observation, immediately issued a rapid-fire combat firing order based on the firing parameters mastered during the test firing. The gunners of the six Blonde 60mm mortars did not need to do any aiming at all. After slightly adjusting the height and elevation of the artillery, they placed mortar shells into the barrel and began rapid firing.

Boom boom boom-
With a few crisp gunshots, six Brandt 1.33mm mortars opened fire almost simultaneously. One by one, mm teardrop-shaped explosive shells weighing kg flew out of the barrel in an instant and landed accurately on the passage in front of the village entrance.

The Japanese troops that had entered the village were suffering from intensive machine gun fire from three directions from the three infantry platoons of the Horse Infantry Company. They had already suffered heavy losses, and the sudden intensive mortar shells that fell from the sky soon exploded in the Japanese attack formation.

The Japanese heavy machine gun team assigned to the attacking infantry became the first result of the concentrated fire of six mortars. Due to their heavy weight and inconvenient movement, the two heavy machine guns were quickly hit by mortar shells and exploded into parts. The machine gunners who were carrying their guns forward were also knocked down by the dense shrapnel and fell in a pool of blood.

Some unlucky guys were directly hit by mortar shells and turned into rotten watermelons. The ammunition boxes carried by the heavy machine gun ammunition soldiers were also blown to pieces, and the 7.7mm heavy machine gun bullets in the ammunition boxes flew everywhere under the impact of the blast generated by the mortar shell explosion.

The continuously falling 60mm mortar explosive grenades and the intensive machine gun fire from the three platoons of the Horse Infantry Company formed an impenetrable wall of fire, enveloping the more than 300 Japanese troops who had broken into the village. Some soldiers from the Horse Infantry Company even rushed out of the house and threw long-handled grenades at the Japanese.

Bullets from rifles, machine guns, submachine guns, and pistols, long-handled grenades, and shrapnel from the dense explosion of mortar shells mowed down the attacking Japanese soldiers like grass, and they fell in rows and groups.

There were sounds of gunfire everywhere, as well as the painful cries and groans of the wounded and dying Japanese soldiers. The sound of gunfire was like raindrops, deafening. The entire road near the entrance of the village was shrouded in smoke and hail of bullets, like a Shura hell.

The more than 300 Japanese soldiers who broke into the village suffered heavy casualties under such fierce fire attack, with more than 100 casualties in just a few minutes.

The 2nd Infantry Squadron and the Temporary Engineer Squadron of the Japanese Vanguard Battalion that participated in the attack suffered more than half of their casualties, and the captain of the 2nd Infantry Squadron was killed. The heavy machine gun squad assigned to the two squadrons was wiped out by mortar bombing. The Japanese army, which had originally launched the attack with great momentum, soon saw its available combat force drop to only more than 100 people.

However, the Japanese army has always been known for its tenacity, and the Japanese troops in the vanguard battalion of the Hata detachment are the elite of the Hata detachment. Although they suffered heavy losses, they would never collapse. Soon, Captain Asada, the captain of the temporary engineering squadron, took over the command amid the dense hail of bullets.

"All the surviving officers and non-commissioned officers, take the soldiers around you and use grenades to clear the way, rush into the houses on both sides and fight the Chinese soldiers with bayonets and close combat, and drive them out!"

"Attack the houses on both sides! Attack!"

Amid the dense hail of bullets, Captain Asada, crawling on the ground among a pile of bloody corpses, blew his whistle and shouted at the top of his voice to the hundreds of Japanese soldiers who were struggling in the hail of bullets.

Soon, Captain Asada's order was responded to by the surviving officers and corporals, sergeants and majors in the Japanese army.

These grassroots command backbones of the Japanese army immediately played their due role and began to quickly gather the troops. The organizational strength of the Japanese army and the role of its highly qualified non-commissioned officer corps were also fully demonstrated at this time.

Although Japanese soldiers were constantly being knocked down, the surviving Japanese soldiers, after being organized and commanded by officers and non-commissioned officers, moved closer to the officers and non-commissioned officers under the dense fire from all directions, and gathered together in groups of three or five.

The Japanese troops that had been initially gathered together also began to move closer to the houses on both sides where the officers and soldiers of the horse infantry company of the advance column were hiding, in accordance with Captain Asada's orders, in preparation for launching a counterattack.

Captain Asada's counterattack idea was very correct. Facing the dense firepower of the advance column, it was impossible to continue the assault on the village, and retreat was out of the question because the entrance to the village had been completely blocked by the 60mm mortar firepower of the advance column.

The only thing they could do was to launch a counterattack and engage in a fierce battle with the Chinese troops who ambushed them in the houses, fighting for every house and courtyard.

The Japanese counterattack began soon. Groups of three or five Japanese soldiers began to crawl forward, moving closer to the houses where the first and second rows of officers and soldiers of the horse infantry companies of the advancing columns on both sides were hiding.

Some fierce Japanese soldiers frantically raised their light machine guns and risked their lives to fire at the houses on both sides. Some Japanese soldiers who had better mastered the shooting techniques of grenade launchers used grenade launchers to shoot at low angles. Many Japanese soldiers also threw grenades at the houses on both sides.

Boom boom-
咣

bang
On the battlefield that was originally in chaos, there were finally sounds of gunfire and explosions as the Japanese army returned fire to provide covering fire.

This type of cover by the Japanese army was no different from suicide under the dense firepower of the advancing column, but the extremely bloody and cruel battle had completely aroused the ferocity of these Japanese soldiers.

These Japanese soldiers who were providing covering fire in squatting and kneeling positions also fell one after another while projecting their covering fire, becoming their victims under the dense machine gun fire of the mounted infantry company.

Of course, the deaths of these Japanese soldiers who risked their lives to provide fire cover were not in vain. Many machine gun bullets hit the houses on both sides, and several grenades hit the houses. The machine gun fire and the explosions of the grenades finally caused certain casualties to the officers and soldiers of the first and second rows of the horse infantry company who had been killing people.

Some grenades thrown by the Japanese army also exploded in the courtyards of the houses on both sides. The fire cover that the Japanese soldiers paid for with their lives finally brought a small amount of casualties and interference to the first and second rows of the horse infantry company in the houses on both sides, and the continuous firepower also had gaps.

Captain Asada, the commander of the remaining Japanese troops, accurately seized this opportunity, swung his command knife, and shouted: "Charge, attack!"

Immediately, Captain Asada took the lead in rushing into the courtyard in front of him. Other Japanese soldiers also rushed in in groups of two, three, or three or five from the exit of the courtyard, or directly climbed up the wall and jumped into the courtyard, rushing into the courtyard where the first and second rows of the horse infantry company's hidden houses were located, preparing to attack the houses in the courtyard that were spewing flames.

After Captain Asada rushed into the yard, he immediately put away his command knife, took out the Type 14 Nambu pistol from his waist, and without thinking, started shooting at the houses in the yard.

There was a large hole on the outer wall of the house he was shooting at, which was caused by a grenade. Thick gray-black smoke was emitting from it. The body of a Chinese soldier was sprawled on the hole in the outer wall. The windows of the house were also riddled with holes from the covering fire that the Japanese army had just launched desperately. The shouts and cries of Chinese soldiers continued to come from inside the house.

Captain Asada was overjoyed when he saw this, knowing that this was the result of the covering firepower he had just provided. He immediately led several Japanese soldiers who had followed him into the courtyard and rushed towards the house, preparing to capture the house and eliminate the Chinese soldiers inside.

However, before he had taken a few steps, several Chinese soldiers appeared on the roof. When Captain Asada saw those Chinese soldiers, his eyes suddenly became terrified. He saw these Chinese soldiers running flexibly on the roof while throwing several long-handled grenades into the courtyard where Captain Asada was.

Captain Asada had no time to stop his charge, and several smoking grenades flew down, circling around Captain Asada's feet for a few times before exploding. Dense shrapnel and heat instantly enveloped Captain Asada, who felt like he was being hammered all over his body, and then he fell into a pool of blood, feeling powerless and still with a look of horror in his eyes.
Immediately afterwards, the house that Captain Asada was preparing to attack also spewed out dense rain of bullets again and resumed its attack firepower, shooting and knocking to the ground the Japanese soldiers who had rushed into the yard with Captain Asada.

The same scene happened in other courtyards. The counterattacking Japanese troops did rush into various courtyards, but as soon as they rushed in, before they could launch an attack on the houses, the first and second rows of the horse-mounted infantry company, which had recovered from a brief gap in firepower, greeted the Japanese troops rushing into the courtyard with extremely intense and intensive machine gun fire. Some soldiers of the horse-mounted infantry company even climbed onto the roof and threw a large number of grenades at the Japanese troops rushing into the courtyard.

Under such firepower attack, almost all the Japanese soldiers who rushed into the yard were killed or wounded. After a melee, the Japanese soldiers who launched a counterattack failed to successfully capture even any house.

(End of this chapter)