The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 531 Raid Night

June 12, early morning
A huge fleet set out from Guangzhou Bay and finally arrived at the waters off Qinzhou Bay after several days of accelerated sailing. This fleet was the second batch of reinforcements sent by the 21st Army of the Japanese Army stationed in Guangdong. Its manpower and weapons were more powerful than the first batch of Japanese troops that had already landed.

The forces of an 18th Division, an independent heavy machine gun battalion, an independent mountain artillery regiment, and an independent siege heavy artillery battalion are already extremely large.

In addition, there is a mixed tank battalion directly under the 21st Army, which has almost emptied all the tanks under the Japanese 21st Army. There are a total of more than medium and light tanks, which can be said to be the best of the best.

The huge fleet carrying the second batch of Japanese reinforcements advanced rapidly after arriving at Qinzhou Bay and reached the direction of Beihai in the cover of night. According to the Japanese army's predetermined tactical plan, the second batch of Japanese troops would land on the Beihai Peninsula in a surprise attack, quickly defeat the Beihai defenders, and then detour to Qisha, and then capture Qinzhou, thus achieving a large-scale annihilation battle against the assault corps near Qisha and the 46th Army of the Gui Army.

From time to time, rumbling sounds of cannons could be heard on the sea.

However, the sound of artillery fire was not the routine artillery bombardment before the Japanese landing, nor did it come from the North Sea where the second batch of Japanese reinforcements were located, but from the sea near Qisha. When the first batch of Japanese troops launched a landing attack in Qisha, the Japanese escort fleet used the tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west to the extreme.

Although the first batch of Japanese landing troops were beaten badly and suffered heavy losses after landing, their preparations before landing and the tactical deception of feinting to the east and attacking in the west were done very well. Before the Japanese landing, the fierce bombardment of Beihai and other places by the naval fleet almost attracted all the attention of the defending 46th Army to Beihai, ignoring the defense of Qisha.

If He Wei had not been sure that the Japanese army might land in Qisha, the first batch of Japanese landing troops would have easily broken through the 46th Army's defense line in Qisha.

Now, under the coordination of Ando Toshiyoshi, the Japanese army repeated the same old trick. Previously, they used naval artillery fire to bombard the North Sea fiercely to create a feint attack, but actually attacked Qisha. Now, they have reversed it, feinting an attack on Qisha and actually attacking the North Sea.

As early as the day before the second landing force of the Japanese army arrived, the Japanese fleet in the sea near Qisha began to bombard, bombarding with naval gunfire, carrier-based aircraft and artillery fire of the landing force during the day, and continued to bombard with naval gunfire at night. Even the Fifth Division sent a small force to launch a harassing attack on the position of the new 19th Division. The silence between the two sides that had been maintained for many days was instantly broken.
Ando Rikichi's intention was naturally to provide cover for the second batch of reinforcements preparing to land in the North Sea.

The huge fleet gradually approached the North Sea, and dozens of large transport ships stopped one after another. Soon, the Japanese landing craft troops took the lead in action. One after another, fully loaded landing craft gathered. Under the operation of the Japanese boat soldiers, "Daifatsu" landing craft were continuously put into the sea.

At the same time, the transport ships carrying the most core troops of the Japanese Army's second landing force, the 18th Division, also began to gather and approach the landing craft that were coming in a line. Under the command of officers and non-commissioned officers, the densely packed officers and soldiers of the Japanese Army's 18th Division climbed into the landing craft along the rope nets on both sides of the transport ships.

第18师团初设于日俄战争结束后的1907年的11月，在第一次世界大战中参加了对驻扎青岛的德军的攻势作战，战后，由于日本实行裁军政策，该师团与第15师团，13师团和第17师团一起被裁撤。在全面抗战爆发后，日军深感兵力不足，遂重建第18师团，该师团下属步兵18师团辖步兵23旅团（由步兵55、56联队组成）、步兵35旅团（由步兵114、124联队组成）、野炮兵18联队、工兵18联队、辎重兵18联队以及一干直属部队。

During the Battle of Shanghai, the 18th Division was assigned to the 10th Army and landed in Hangzhou Bay on November 11 under the command of Lieutenant General Heisuke Yanagawa, which directly caused the complete collapse of the National Army's defense line and retreat to Nanjing. The 4th Division then pursued relentlessly, captured Wuhu, Hangzhou, etc., and participated in the so-called Nanjing Raid of the Japanese Army.

In September 1938, the 9th Division was transferred to the 18st Army to carry out the Guangdong offensive operation. It took the lead in launching a landing operation in Daya Bay. After capturing Guangdong, it was responsible for security work in South China.

Although this division was a rebuilt and reorganized division, it can be said to be quite capable and has achieved remarkable results.

In particular, the 18th Division launched a landing in Hangzhou Bay during the Battle of Songhu, which directly caused the collapse of the Nationalist Army's defense line. Its operations in Daya Bay were also quite exciting. After landing, it quickly defeated the Nationalist Army's Guangzhou garrison and then captured Guangzhou.

There were rumbling sounds of artillery fire on the sea surface of Qisha. All the Japanese destroyers and heavy cruisers were firing at full power. Naval gun shells of various calibers streaked across the dark night sky like sparks and flowing clouds, and landed in the defense zone of the new 19th Division in Qisha. Orange-yellow muzzle flames of the naval guns flashed from time to time.

Accompanied by dense artillery fire, the Japanese troops of the 18th Division on the North Sea skillfully completed a series of tasks such as unloading and boarding. For the 18th Division, which has had many experiences in landing operations, the various procedures of large-scale landing operations are already very proficient. In addition, the 18th Division had previously conducted large-scale landing operations in Guangdong. Therefore, the landing and loading work of the 18th Division progressed very quickly. In less than an hour, a complete infantry battalion along with all the ammunition and equipment were loaded.

The night is dark, the sound of cannons is heard, and the sea breeze is fierce.
The infantry battalion that completed the landing preparations first set out in the dark night after finishing all the pre-landing preparations. Dozens of landing craft of different sizes filed out and gradually spread out, forming a landing boat wave with a sparse formation of landing craft.

Having learned from the bitter lessons of the Fifth Division in the landing operation, the 18th Division adopted a completely different landing tactic. All of its landing craft were modified. Each landing craft was either equipped with a boat-mounted machine gun or had the Type 92 infantry gun and Type 92 heavy machine gun installed on the platform.

The positions on the landing craft that could be used as firing platforms and supports were also crowded with Japanese infantrymen equipped with Taisho 11-year light machine guns and Type 89 50mm grenade launchers. Almost all landing craft were converted into "fireboats"

In terms of the organization of the landing force, the 18th Division also learned the lesson of the 5th Division at the cost of a large number of lives, and adopted a small-scale and dispersed landing tactic. One division only sent out one infantry battalion as the landing vanguard.

On the sea, the noise of the landing craft engines was well covered by the heavy bombardment of naval guns from the Qisha direction. A group of landing craft carrying a complete infantry battalion gradually approached the Beihai beach.
(End of this chapter)