The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 392: The 18th Division's Battle of Fuchi River

After firing at the river surface, the Japanese army's eight Type 8 96mm howitzers quickly began to advance and transfer fire. The overwhelming covering bombardment engulfed the 150th Division's defensive positions on the east bank of the Fuchi River in thick smoke and dust.

Various obstacles in front of the 18th Division's positions along the river were knocked down and smashed by the powerful 150mm artillery shells. The stockades, wooden stakes, barbed wire, and chevaux de frise became extremely fragile in the face of the powerful 150mm explosive grenades. Various barbed wire fragments, broken wood, uprooted wooden stakes and countless soft soil mixed with gunpowder and moisture were blown around by the blast generated by the shells.

After several minutes of shelling, seven or eight out of ten obstacles in front of the 18th Division's riverside positions were destroyed by the rapid fire of eight Type 8 96mm howitzers. The Japanese heavy artillery then began to shift its firepower, and after replacing the delayed-action grenades used to destroy fortifications, it began to bombard the communication trenches, bunkers and other main defense areas of the 150th Division's riverside positions.

Boom
Boom
The simple shelters, bunkers, machine gun nests and simple shelters that were hastily built with civil materials on the main positions of the 18th Division were soon destroyed in large numbers under the continuous bombardment of 150mm delayed-fuze grenades.

The bunker was hastily built using the soft soil saturated with water near the Fuchi River, with only logs and wooden roofs used for simple support and cover. The machine gun nest was instantly blown to pieces after being directly hit by a 150mm delayed-fuze grenade. The soil blocks and logs of varying sizes that were blown out by the shock wave were crushed into powder in the air by the blast waves of continuous artillery shells. Some shelters were also blown down one after another, forming large pits one after another.

Almost at the same time when the Japanese howitzer battalion began to fire at the main position of the 18th Division, the 1st Infantry Regiment of Taiwan Island and the 8th Independent Engineer Regiment, which were preparing to cross the river to attack, also started to take action almost at the same time.

Under the cover of heavy artillery bombardment, the 1st Infantry Regiment of Taiwan Island had built a communication trench directly connected to the river bank. After its subordinate regiment artillery company's four Type 41 75mm mountain guns and the four Type 4 94mm rapid-fire guns of the direct rapid-fire artillery company reached the river bank through the communication trench, they immediately joined the firing and began to use direct shooting, coordinating with 37mm howitzers to call out the bunkers and machine gun nests on the 150th Division's positions one by one.

The engineers of the 8th Independent Engineer Regiment cleared the mines in the river crossing area that had not been destroyed by the artillery, and deployed rubber boats and folding boats for landing in the river. As soon as the assault order was issued, they would carry the infantry of the 1st Regiment of Taiwan Island to launch a fierce attack across the river.

Under the fierce bombardment, the positions of the 18th Division were completely covered in thick smoke and bullet barrage. In the command post of the 18th Division, strong winds carrying heat waves and smoke rushed in through the observation port, filling the command post with dust and mud. Several lanterns hanging on the ceiling of the command post swayed greatly under the violent impact, and hit the ceiling of the command post heavily and were immediately smashed to pieces.

The loud bang after the shells exploded on the ground spread through the constantly vibrating air. The sound of 150mm delayed-action grenades, 75mm instantaneous-action mountain artillery grenades, and 37mm rapid-fire shells breaking through the air and the explosions formed a rolling sound like thunder during a thunderstorm, one after another, rolling over the 18th Division's position.

Waves of air, smoke and dust poured in, choking the room and causing all the personnel in the command post to cough continuously with their mouths full of mud and sand.

"Commander, you had the foresight to withdraw the troops. Otherwise, all the brothers would have died under this bombardment."

A staff officer spoke to Luo Guangwen in a tone full of relief and a slightly trembling voice.

Amid the coughing, Luo Guangwen, acting commander of the 18th Division, squinted his eyes and looked through the observation port of the command post at the continuous explosions and the thick smoke rising from the main battlefield. Although Luo Guangwen remained silent, a hint of relief and a slight fear flashed in his eyes, and he felt a slight chill on his back.

The Japanese artillery bombardment was extremely fierce. Under the fierce bombardment of various artillery, more than half of the bunkers, machine gun fire points and one-third of the shelters on the 18th Division's positions had been destroyed, and the obstacle area in front of the positions was in a mess due to the artillery shells.

However, the 18th Division did not suffer many casualties. As the staff officer beside Luo Guangwen said, there were not many troops in the 18th Division's vast position along the banks of the Fuchi River.

Luo Guangwen, the acting commander of the 18th Division, who graduated from the artillery department of the Chinese Army Academy of the Japanese Army and has rich combat experience, is certainly not a mediocre person like the former commander Li Fangbin.

Luo Guangwen had a very clear understanding of the current situation of the 18th Division and the environment it was in. The troops had just suffered a severe blow not long ago, with one brigade almost destroyed and now having only three infantry regiments.

And a defensive operation on the long Fuchi River defense line with such an infantry division, which was mostly composed of new recruits and had just suffered a defeat, was doomed to have no good results. With the current weight of the 18th Division, it would not be able to cause much damage to the Japanese army even if it fought to the death with the Japanese.

Therefore, after receiving the order from the commander of the 11th Corps Li Yannian allowing him to decide the time of retreat on his own without losing the east bank of the Fuchi River, Luo Guangwen quickly adjusted his troops, withdrew the main force of the 18th Division from the main position, and retreated to five kilometers behind the main position to wait for orders.

The only thing left on the battlefield was a command group composed of a small number of division headquarters personnel, a special forces company directly under the division composed entirely of veterans who had participated in the Battle of Shanghai, a heavy machine gun company equipped with six Type 82 water-cooled heavy machine guns, and a mortar company equipped with four Type 18 18mm mortars. This heavy machine gun company and mortar company also had the most veterans and the strongest combat power among the current heavy machine gun companies and mortar companies of the th Division, and could be considered the elite in the current th Division.

In addition to the temporary command group stationed in the 18th Division Command Post, the remaining three companies, under the leadership of a capable major regiment commander selected by Luo Guangwen himself, were hidden in several temporarily reinforced shelters in the 18th Division's front-line positions, ready to attack.

Therefore, in the 18th Division's field position, which was now being repeatedly ravaged and destroyed by the fierce artillery fire of the Japanese army and could accommodate thousands of people, there were only a few hundred officers and soldiers of the 18th Division.

In Luo Guangwen's opinion, since the 18th Division's position on the east bank of the Fuchi River was doomed to be lost under the heavy attack of the Japanese army, there was no need to waste the lives of officers and soldiers. It would be a good tactic to withdraw the weak main force in advance, leaving a small unit with stronger combat effectiveness to fight the Japanese army in the position, and then retreat immediately after giving the Japanese army a hard bite.

A few hours ago, He Wei, who was in charge of the 385th Brigade Command Post, learned about the tactics Luo Guangwen was going to adopt during a phone call with him, and he also agreed with Luo Guangwen's combat plan.

Now, the intensive bombardment and fierce artillery fire on the 18th Division's positions and the destroyed fortifications on the 18th Division's positions also confirmed the correctness of Luo Guangwen's tactics.

If the main force of the 18th Division was still guarding such a large area of ​​hastily constructed simple defensive positions, then there would be no need for the Japanese infantry to launch an attack, let alone a bloody battle between the two sides. During the artillery preparation phase before the Japanese attack, nearly half of the officers and soldiers of the 18th Division hiding in concealed areas and machine gun nests in bunkers would have been killed, buried, or crushed to death in their battle positions by Japanese artillery shells.

However, the intensity and destructive power of the Japanese army's new 150mm howitzer bombardment exceeded Luo Guangwen's expectations. Many hiding places and machine gun bunkers in the 18th Division's positions, and machine gun nests were almost collapsed or even uprooted and blown away by a single shell, like paper in the face of the Japanese artillery shells.

Therefore, while Luo Guangwen was glad that his tactics were correct, he could not help but marvel at the tremendous power of the Japanese artillery fire. After waves of continuous high-intensity artillery bombardment, the dust, smoke and violent vibrations in the 18th Division's command post gradually began to decrease.

Soon after, the dense sound of falling shells became slightly sparse, and the huge barrage formed by the intensive firing of Japanese artillery began to move forward gradually, gradually expanding towards the deep positions of the 18th Division.

Luo Guangwen put down the binoculars, waved his hand to the staff officer and said: "The Japanese artillery fire has begun to fire at our deep positions. This is the beginning of the river crossing attack. Order the frontline troops to enter the position and prepare to meet the enemy. Tell the Wentuanfu to stay calm and let the Japanese get close!"

Then, Luo Guangwen added: "I would like to remind the Wentuan to make good use of the batch of electric-controlled mines that Captain He left for us, and not to detonate them prematurely! You must maximize their power and wait until the Japanese troops crossing the river reach the mine-laying area before taking action. Those who disobey my order will be subject to military law."

Soon, the fierce artillery fire of the Japanese army began to split into two. The powerful 150mm howitzer fire steadily transferred fire to the deep positions of the 18th Division. The huge sky-high barrage formed by it began to roll forward continuously. The 1mm mountain guns and 75mm rapid-fire guns of the 37st Infantry Regiment of Taiwan Island increased their shooting speed, and still maintained direct bombardment on the bunkers and machine gun nests on the positions of the 18th Division.

Just after the Japanese howitzer fire left the 18th Division's front-line positions, as two red flares rose above the departure position of the Taiwan Island Infantry Regiment on the west bank of the Fuchi River, thousands of Japanese infantrymen from the Taiwan Island Infantry Regiment rushed out of the communication trenches, followed by hundreds of officers and soldiers from the Japanese Independent 1th Engineer Regiment carrying folding boats and rubber boats.

Immediately, thousands of Japanese officers and soldiers, assisted and guided by Japanese engineers, began to gather on the river beach and board boats.

The Japanese infantry troops carrying Type 1 rifles and Taisho 70-year light machine guns were the first to board the boats. Japanese officers and soldiers from the heavy machine gun company of the three infantry battalions of the st Infantry Regiment of Taiwan Island followed the infantry aboard carrying Type heavy machine guns. Japanese gunners from the artillery squadrons of each battalion also pushed the narrow and low Type mm infantry guns and carried boxes of artillery shells to begin boarding the boats.

At the same time, in the front-line positions of the 18th Division, the small group of elite troops left behind by the 18th Division also took action. Under the command of an outstanding major regimental adjutant of the 18th Division, the 18th Division's direct special forces company, a heavy machine gun company and a mortar company rushed out of their hiding places and entered the combat shooting positions selected in advance, ready for battle.

Soon, more than a thousand Japanese soldiers who were preparing to launch a river crossing attack boarded rubber boats and assault boats one after another. Immediately afterwards, the roar of motorboat engines rang out on the Fuchi River. Dozens of folding boats, rubber boats, and steel boats of different sizes rushed out from the west bank of the Fuchi River one after another like arrows from a bow and rushed towards the opposite bank. The Taisho 18-year light machine guns and Type heavy machine guns mounted on the bow of each boat also fired fiercely at the th Division's positions, projecting more than a dozen streams of fire.

Dozens of folding boats, rubber boats, and steel boats rushed to the other side of the river with a loud roar. The light and heavy machine guns on each boat fired fiercely. 37mm dormitory shells and 75mm mountain artillery shells whizzed over the heads of the Japanese landing craft, and 150mm grenades whizzed across the sky with a curved trajectory.

The sound of gunfire, artillery fire, the roar of engines and the shouting of the Japanese troops intertwined and resounded across the river, creating a very shocking momentum.

The high-speed Japanese boats soon reached the center of the river, and with amazing momentum, they quickly approached the river beach in front of the 18th Division's position.

And just at this moment, after a dull buzzing sound, followed by a loud "bang", several towering water columns rose from the Fuchi River without warning.

A series of water curtains composed of yellow-brown river water, white smoke and a large amount of black debris suddenly collapsed in the center of the Japanese landing craft group, breaking the arrogance of the Japanese craft group with a huge roar.

A small group of elite officers and soldiers of the 18th Division on the battlefield decisively detonated the electric-triggered mines hidden in the river when the Japanese boat group moved to the center of the river, thus creating this sudden and violent explosion.

Indeed, under the joint minesweeping operation of the Japanese artillery and engineers, the mines laid by He Wei's naval mine team in the river waters in front of the 18th Division's position had been detonated and cleared.

However, these mines that were cleared were only the trigger-type mines, which were the largest in number among the mines laid by He Wei. Those high-powered electric-controlled mines imported from abroad, which were detonated by electric shock and laid at deeper depths, were not something that the Japanese engineering corps could detect and clear in a short period of time.

Before leading his troops to withdraw, He Wei left all the detonators of these advanced electric-controlled mines to the 18th Division. The officers and soldiers of the small elite force of the 18th Division who remained in the position also carried out Luo Guangwen's order very well, maximizing the power of these electric-controlled mines hidden at the bottom of the river.

On the river, at least two rubber boats were blown to pieces, and three or four folding boats and steel boats were turned over. A column of water mixed with body parts and blood mist rose into the air and drifted everywhere. The waves brought shrapnel and shock waves to several Japanese boats. Although the affected boats were not directly sunk or overturned, the flying shrapnel also injured many Japanese soldiers on the boats. The Japanese army's river crossing boat formation was disrupted in an instant, and screams and cries for help rang out one after another.

Before the flying blood mist and water column had dissipated, fierce machine gun fire was heard from the 18th Division's position. Various firearms from the 18th Division's special forces company and a heavy machine gun company directed fierce fire at the Japanese boat group on the river.

The heavy machine gun company's six Type 24 water-cooled heavy machine guns fired strings of revenge bullets under the control of veteran shooters. The streams of machine gun bullets seemed to have eyes and shot towards the Japanese boats on the river, making the Japanese army scream in pain. Many speeding steel boats were hit by dense heavy machine gun bullets, and golden sparks exploded amid the twisted and harsh friction sounds.

The officers and men of the 18th Division's Special Service Company were no less capable. Composed entirely of veterans who had participated in the Battle of Shanghai, this company opened fire fiercely with nine Czech light machine guns and nearly a hundred Hanyang rifles, using light machine gun bursts and rifle volleys, raising rows of blood mist and water fog on the surface of the river.

The red blood mist, the brown-yellow water mist, and the black smoke produced by the mine explosion mixed together, presenting a very strange black and red color.

Boom
咣咣
Immediately afterwards, the mortar company's four 4mm mortars also joined the battle. Several 82mm mortar shells flew out with a whistling sound and exploded in the group of Japanese boats in the river with a loud bang.

The Japanese army, which had just been hit hard by the violent explosion of the mine, was once again hit by a violent explosion. Suddenly, blood and flesh splattered everywhere, and several low red water columns were set off by the explosion of mortar shells, and then blown away by the shock wave of the explosion, forming several pieces of red and yellow blood-colored water vapor.

(End of this chapter)