The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 518: Loss and Fighting

The roar of engines in the air came from high to low, from far to near. The group of planes that took off from the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga off the coast of Qinzhou quietly flew to the sky above Qisha's second line of defense under the fierce artillery fire of the Japanese 5th Division. More than a dozen Type carrier-based horizontal attack aircraft were the first to lower their altitude and begin dropping bombs.

One by one, 800 kg, 500 kg, 250 kg and 60 kg bombs were released from the wings and thrown like raindrops onto the positions of the New 19th Division below and the hidden positions of the mortar group in the rear.

Immediately afterwards, with a shrill whistling and breaking sound, more than a dozen Type 99 carrier-based dive bombers swooped down from the altitude. When they reached a low altitude of several hundred meters from the ground, they suddenly rose and dropped 250-kilogram aerial bombs.

The positions of the new 19th Division, the hidden positions of the mortar group in the rear, and the small hill in front of the positions were suddenly engulfed in flames, and the continuous explosions of artillery shells and aerial bombs were piercing the eardrums.

The Japanese carrier-based attack aircraft and carrier-based dive bombers, which had completed the bombing mission, flew away as if relieved. Then, more than a dozen Type 19 carrier-based fighters that were originally escorting at high altitude began to lower their altitude. One of them cruised and strafed along the main positions of the new th Division with aviation machine guns, while the other one rushed directly to the mortar group's deployed positions and fired strafing attacks.

As soon as the sound of the aerial bomb explosion ended, the sound of 7.7mm aerial machine gun fire followed, and strings of smoke and dust from machine gun bullets suddenly rose on the ground.

Under the coordinated air-to-ground fire attack of the Japanese army, the mortar group had to retract its guns and hide. The deployed positions were enveloped by intensive aerial bomb explosions. The firing positions, ammunition storage depots, artillery communication trenches, and the firing positions of the assault corps' anti-aircraft artillery company were all riddled with holes and caught fire under the ravages of heavy aerial bombs that were enough to cause structural damage to warships.

Under the guidance of aircraft bombing, the 5th Field Artillery Regiment of the 5th Division readjusted its firing parameters and extended its firepower, launching 75mm field artillery shells and 105mm grenades at the mortar group's positions.

The mortar group consisting of five mortar companies required the Japanese army to mobilize the artillery firepower of an entire division and naval aviation firepower before it was suppressed.

As if to completely eliminate the mortar group that had just caused heavy losses to the Japanese army, the artillery of the 5th Field Artillery Regiment fought extremely frantically. Both field artillery and howitzers projected steel and energy at the maximum rate of fire. Their fierce bombardment of the mortar group's positions lasted for a full ten minutes.

Although the officers and soldiers of the five mortar companies and the anti-aircraft artillery company of the assault corps who were hiding in the concealed fortifications and shelters at the foot of the mountain did not suffer casualties from the shelling because they took shelter in time, the horrifically fierce shelling of the Japanese division-level artillery also made the officers and soldiers hiding in the fortifications feel incomparable torture. The earth seemed to be shaking, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and gunpowder smoke.

After the massive air-to-ground bombardment, the artillery units of the 5th Division finally stopped bombarding the Inch mortar group positions.

But the artillery fire stopped for only a few minutes. After a short pause, the 5th Division's fierce artillery fire resumed again. This time, they moved the target of their shooting forward and instead used fierce artillery fire to directly attack the second line of defense in Qisha guarded by the new 19th Division troops on the front line.

At the same time, the long-dormant field artillery battalion of the Japanese Guards Mixed Brigade also joined the shooting. Four modified Type 38 75mm field artillery battalions and one Type 91 105mm howitzer battalion bombarded the positions of the New 19th Division at a faster firepower projection speed than at the beginning of the war. The types of ammunition they fired were all changed to delayed-fire grenades used to attack fortifications and shrapnel shells used to kill infantry.

Not only that, the regimental artillery, rapid-fire artillery, infantry artillery of the 42nd Regiment of the Japanese Army, which had been repeatedly repelled, and the dusty infantry of the 19nd Regiment who were crawling in front of the new 42th Division's position, also opened fire. Various artillery, light and heavy machine guns, rifles, and grenade launchers launched an overwhelming attack on the new 19th Division's position in front.

The Japanese army, which had suffered a series of setbacks, seemed to want to completely destroy the position in front of them with the most fierce firepower, attacking with a variety of light and heavy firearms.

Finally, after more than ten minutes of fierce fire, the Japanese army's shouts of killing like ghosts and wolves were heard in front of the positions of the New 19th Division. The Japanese troops of the two battalions of the 42nd Regiment, who had been passively attacked, stopped their fire attack, shouted and leaped up like a tide, and launched a charge towards the positions of the New 19th Division in the front.

The Japanese infantry attacked frantically. To avoid repeating the same mistake, the commander of the 42nd Infantry Regiment, Sakata Motoichi, who was in direct command of the attack, did not allow the 5th Field Artillery Regiment, which was responsible for fire cover, to extend its firepower, but instead kept bombarding the positions of the New 19th Division. This also meant that although the Chinese army's positions would be covered by the artillery firepower of five battalions, the attacking Japanese troops would also face the risk of being accidentally injured by their own artillery fire after advancing to a close distance.

But in order to capture this position that had been difficult to capture, Motoichi Sakata no longer cared about any accidental injuries.

If the attack fails again, the number of casualties will be more than ten times, or even dozens of times, more than the accidental casualties caused by our own artillery fire.

The Japanese 42nd Infantry Regiment rushed forward with extremely risky tactics, braving the scorching flames and air waves, and risking being accidentally hit by their own artillery shells, and rushed towards the position of the New 19th Division.

"Onboard!"

More than a thousand infantrymen of the 42nd Regiment, with sharp bayonets in hand, stepped on the scalding bullet craters and the bodies of their fallen comrades, and with bloodshot eyes, they charged and advanced continuously like a tide.

At this time, the new 19th Division's positions could no longer launch organized resistance firepower. Only sporadic light and heavy machine gun fire and stray bullets from rifles knocked down the Japanese from time to time.

Of course, there were also sporadic Japanese soldiers who fell under the shrapnel fired after the explosion of their own artillery shells.

Amid the rumbling of artillery fire, the Japanese artillery group gradually stopped its bombardment only after escorting the attacking Japanese infantry of the 42nd Regiment to an extremely dangerous distance of 200 meters.

At this time, the new 19th Division's position was under the ravages of Japanese artillery fire, with grass and trees burning and the ground scorching hot, and thick smoke and gunpowder lingering.

In the battlefield, shouts and screams were heard continuously.

Under the desperate and frenzied attack of the Japanese army, the position was bombed to pieces, and the defenders in the position were on the brink of collapse.

The crazy shouts of the Japanese army finally approached, and with the first battalion of the 42nd Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army leading the charge, the two attacking battalions of Japanese troops finally broke into the positions guarded by the new 19th Division.

The main forces of the two Japanese infantry battalions that broke into the position collided head-on with two groups of defenders of the new 19th Division in the position. The two armies fought each other and a brutal hand-to-hand combat began.

The battle situation in the position was extremely brutal. Two battalions of Japanese troops fought against one and a half regiments of Chinese troops. The Japanese army had an advantage in combat quality, but was short of manpower. Only two battalions of infantry broke into the position, while the national army in the position had an entire regiment of the New 19th Division's Field Replacement Regiment and half of the 56th Regiment.

Although the soldiers of this regiment had suffered heavy casualties in the almost crazy bombardment by the Japanese army, they still had much more troops than the Japanese army. The two sides fought with each other, some fighting with bayonets, some smashing each other with helmets, some fighting hand-to-hand, some biting each other, and some detonating grenades to die together with the enemy.
Inside and outside the position, the gray crowd and the yellow crowd were fighting and mixing together. Countless bayonets emitted a bloody glow under the sunlight.

(End of this chapter)