Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Changjin Lake, a Hundred Battles, a Hundred Victories

Chapter 286 Victory in the first battle
"Colonel, we have discovered traces of Eighth Route Army activity ahead. It should be their defensive position."

A Japanese battalion commander reported to the Japanese regimental commander.

The Japanese colonel nodded in satisfaction after listening.

"Yoshi, now we finally know about the Chinese army. It's not easy for us to make a name for ourselves, but this time we've finally found our chance."

The Japanese colonel was very interested. The resistance forces outside the Great Wall were strong because the Japanese Kwantung Army was powerful and the area outside the Great Wall had been under Japanese control for a considerable period of time.

The resistance was developing with great difficulty, and finding them was even more difficult.

When the Japanese regimental commander was outside the Great Wall, he would sometimes participate in counterinsurgency operations.

However, because there were no worthy opponents, he did not gain much credit.

Unlike the elite Kwantung Army troops who entered the pass to fight earlier, they were not able to gain any military merits within the pass.

This time, he finally got a chance to fight inside the pass, and he finally found an opportunity.

In his eyes, Ding Wei's troops deployed on the Fengzhen defense line were already his achievements.

"Colonel, we've gone out on our own and cut off all contact. Are you sure we'll be alright?"

A Japanese officer asked hesitantly.

After all, this kind of behavior is a serious crime. If they weren't the Kwantung Army and this was also an operation to enter the pass, his reaction would not have been hesitation.

"Don't worry, the incompetence and incompetence of those inside the Great Wall have allowed the Chinese troops to run rampant. If they can't handle the enemy, we'll help them. What can they do?"

"As long as we achieve meritorious service, the headquarters will speak up for us."

"At that time, we will not only be innocent, but also be heroes."

The Japanese colonel said confidently.

It was the officers who initiated the September 18 Incident who set the precedent for them.

The original planners, Seishiro Itagaki and Kanji Ishihara, were both given important positions afterward. Itagaki later became Minister of the Army, and Ishihara was promoted to lieutenant general.

The Japanese army regarded him as a "meritorious hero".

This incident gave the Japanese colonel a strange sense of confidence, making him believe that as long as he achieved results, he would not only not be held accountable, but would also be given an important position.

If he performs well, he might even be promoted by the younger generation of high-ranking officials, and becoming a general is not out of the question.

Hearing the colonel's words and seeing his confident demeanor, the hesitant Japanese officer calmed down.

After all, the deed is already done, and Fengzhen has already come; it's too late to turn back now.

"Colonel, please allow our battalion to carry out the attack."

Another, more determined young Japanese officer saw the hesitant Japanese battalion commander and stepped forward to volunteer for the battle.

As a radical young officer, he despised those who hesitated and wavered.

Once you've started something, you must persevere and not think about turning back. This is the quality a soldier should possess.

The Japanese colonel was very satisfied with his subordinate who had volunteered for the mission, and nodded in approval.
"Alright, then let Yamashita-kun lead the vanguard and teach the Chinese troops on the other side a painful lesson."

"Hi Yi!"

Having received permission, the Japanese battalion commander excitedly returned to his battalion and began organizing preparations for the attack.

Within the first line of defense centered on Fengzhen, there was a battalion of Ding Wei's troops, stationed on the high ground of Mount Mituo.

"Battalion commander, the Japanese are preparing to attack."

A company commander reported to the battalion commander, panting heavily.

"Yes, I saw it. Tell the soldiers to hide in the artillery shelters. We've figured out the Japanese tricks a long time ago."

The battalion commander said calmly.

Having fought the Japanese for so long, they had long since figured out the Japanese's three basic attack methods.

The artillery bombards, then the infantry charges. When they can't charge any further, the artillery bombards again, and then the infantry charges once more.

This tactic seems foolish; a mass infantry charge on the European battlefield would be tantamount to suicide.

After all, even a single German squad equipped with a general-purpose machine gun could easily wipe out a large wave of Japanese soldiers.

However, in the Asian theater, weapons and equipment were scarce, especially heavy weapons.

This tactic is simple, direct, and very effective.

The Japanese achieved good results with this tactic for a long time, but in the later stages, we gained experience, and the Japanese soldiers' quality and ammunition supply could not keep up.

This resulted in a decrease in the effectiveness of artillery bombardment, and the infantry was unable to advance, which is why they seemed insufficient.

After the soldiers took cover in the anti-artillery fortifications, the Japanese artillery bombardment began as scheduled.

The shells exploded on the position, kicking up clouds of dust and shrapnel, but had little effect.

Only a few unlucky soldiers were hit by shrapnel.

However, his life was not in danger, as he was protected by fortifications. He was only accidentally cut by flying shrapnel, but timely hemostasis saved his life.

Some were also affected by the shockwave; they felt a sweet taste in their throats and a bloody taste in their mouths, but were otherwise unharmed.

"Quickly, get into position. The shelling is over. The Japanese are coming soon."

After the Japanese artillery fire stopped, the soldiers on the position shouted loudly to each other.

The shelling caused a temporary impairment of hearing, and messages on the front lines could only be relayed by shouting.

By this time, the Japanese soldiers had already reached their positions at the foot of the mountain.

It was only 300 meters away from the position.

This Japanese regiment was not an elite unit in the Kwantung Army and could not achieve close infantry-artillery coordination down to the 100-meter mark.

The elite Japanese soldiers were either transferred to the Pacific theater or remained in elite divisions as the main force for defense against the Soviet Union; it was impossible for them to be easily transferred to the interior of China.

Even the elite of the independent detachment would not easily attempt infantry-artillery coordination at the 100-meter level.

Maintaining a distance of around 150 meters is usually sufficient.

Of course, artillery with lower power can be compressed to within 100 meters.

After the soldiers entered the position, they immediately launched a counterattack against the Japanese.

The slope of the Amitabha Mountain position is quite steep, and Ding Wei took advantage of this feature to set up a defensive position that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Just like when Lijiapo attacked the Yamazaki Battalion, as long as the troops on the mountain still had ammunition, it was very difficult for the enemy to attack.

The reason why the Yamazaki Battalion was wiped out so quickly in the Battle of Lijiapo was because the hastily constructed fortifications were very rudimentary, and they did not anticipate that the Independent 2nd Regiment had a lot of artillery.

Caught off guard, it was quickly wiped out.

But Ding Wei had made ample preparations on Mount Amitabha. Not to mention the Japanese infantry artillery and mountain guns, even if they brought in 105mm howitzers, they wouldn't be able to take it down easily.

Of course, if a 150mm howitzer were brought in, then Ding Wei would never have said that.

However, how could a small infantry regiment, which doesn't even have 105mm howitzers, possibly have 150mm howitzers?
The artillery hidden behind the position began to fire shells sporadically at the charging Japanese troops.

The grenade launcher soldiers in the position also fired grenades at the Japanese soldiers.

"Bang bang!"

At such a short distance, even a mortar recruit would have a decent hit rate, let alone an elite unit like Ding Wei's.

The Japanese squads, which were advancing in multiple skirmish lines, were stunned by the accuracy of the grenade hits.

The offensive formation that had been maintained fell into chaos, and many Japanese soldiers died without even realizing it.

This exposed the serious decline in the quality of the Japanese soldiers.

With the elite veterans gone, many new recruits received little real-world battlefield training and were not taught how to dodge artillery fire. Many Japanese recruits were wiped out without even realizing it once they entered the battlefield.

This explains why the Japanese army was able to achieve an exaggerated casualty ratio in the early stages of the War of Resistance against Japan, but became extremely ineffective in the later stages.

This was not just a problem of insufficient manpower and weaponry, but also a systemic problem within the Japanese army.

I will not describe it here for the time being.

The Japanese squad responsible for the frontal attack was quickly defeated and forced to retreat.

The other units in the squadron responsible for fire support also retreated when they saw that the attack was not going well.

The Japanese battalion commander, holding binoculars, watched as more than forty members of his squad were wiped out on the battlefield, but he felt little emotion.

The soldiers in the first wave of attack were essentially sent to their deaths to find out the Eighth Route Army's firepower deployment.

Although the squad did not achieve many victories, they figured out the general firepower deployment on the Eighth Route Army's positions, thus fulfilling their value.

However, the Japanese battalion commander knew that this was not the full firepower of the Eighth Route Army on the position; the enemy must have hidden some of it.

The Eighth Route Army wouldn't expose all its firepower right away. Even if the Japanese battalion commander looked down on the Eighth Route Army, he wouldn't treat them like fools.

"Reorganize and continue the attack!"

The Japanese battalion commander, expressionless, issued the order to continue organizing the attack.

It did not affect him even though one of his squads was severely damaged and almost wiped out.

In the eyes of a fanatical young officer, it was an honor and a duty for all the soldiers to die gloriously for the locusts.

The fight lasted from noon until night.

The Japanese soldiers were forced to halt their attack as darkness fell.

After fighting for more than five hours, the Japanese battalion suffered over 300 casualties, which was considered a heavy blow.

Ding Wei's battalion also suffered over a hundred casualties, mostly minor injuries, but its strength did not decline too severely.

Because the situation of the Japanese was different from ours, the proportion of combat personnel in the Japanese troops was between 40-50%.

In other words, a fully-equipped Japanese battalion could only have about 500 men actually engaged in combat.

The casualties of over 300 have reduced the Japanese battalion to more than 60% of its combat personnel.

They have essentially lost the ability to continue their offensive.

Of course, the other non-combat soldiers also have a certain combat capability when they pick up a gun, but they cannot be compared with normal combat personnel.

In our military, the proportion of combat soldiers is very high, reaching about 60-70%, and sometimes even more than 90%.

The reason we can achieve this ratio is mainly because our army's equipment is generally poor, and it is mostly infantry with few heavy weapons.

Therefore, the need for logistics is small, and they can often fight with light or even no logistics.

In addition, it can mobilize the general public to alleviate logistical pressure.

Therefore, there is no need for so many logistics troops, and the proportion of combat soldiers naturally increases.

However, the situation of the independent detachment is different from that of the regular troops. Their weapons and equipment are just as good, and the proportion of combat soldiers is maintained at around 50%.

Because this was a defensive battle, the logistical pressure was not great, so there were fewer logistical personnel. This battalion had more than 600 combat personnel.

Of the more than 600 combat personnel, over 100 were killed or wounded, but their combat effectiveness was not significantly affected.

In addition, because minor injuries do not keep soldiers on the front lines, many soldiers are able to continue holding their ground after receiving simple treatment.

Therefore, Ding Wei's battalion, at the cost of only minor damage to its combat effectiveness, managed to cripple a large Japanese battalion, achieving a very significant victory.

It can be considered a successful start; the first battle was won well.

The main reason for this victory was the difference in the quality of the troops on both sides, and the fact that Ding Wei's battalion was on the defensive and had the advantage of terrain.

The Japanese were on the offensive, and since the weapons of both sides were not much different, the Japanese would naturally suffer losses in a fight.

However, in order to prevent the Japanese from being frightened into retreating and not daring to continue the attack, Ding Wei still gave the Japanese some unimportant positions within two kilometers of the outer perimeter of Mount Mituo.

This would allow the Japanese to gain some advantage without suffering significant losses and achieving nothing, thus undermining their confidence.

Inside the Japanese camp, the Japanese colonel was fairly satisfied with the results his troops had achieved.

Although they lost more than 300 men, they advanced two kilometers of the front line in one afternoon.

After all, they were the attacking side, and this time they launched an unauthorized attack without bringing high-powered artillery.

The opposing Independent Detachment was also a renowned elite force in China, operating within the Great Wall.

He can accept this result.

In his mind, although his troops had suffered more than 300 casualties, they had broken through the Eighth Route Army's two-kilometer front line, and the enemy's losses were definitely greater than his own.

On the battlefield, it is difficult to calculate the enemy's specific losses before the battle is over; only estimates can be made.

The Japanese battalion commander's prediction was clearly inaccurate.

"We'll rest for the night and launch another attack at dawn tomorrow."

"Once we take the position at Mituo Mountain, the next step is Fengzhen."

"Once we break through Fengzhen, we can threaten Jining. As long as the troops behind us arrive, victory will be within our grasp."

The Japanese colonel said confidently.

At the same time, the Japanese battalion commander in charge of the attack was commended.

"Hi Yi!"

The group of Japanese officers spoke in unison.

Command headquarters of Jin-Sui-Re-Cha.

Chen Ming praised Ding Wei's unit for their achievements on the first day and encouraged them to continue their efforts, luring the Japanese regiment deeper into the territory and holding them back.

Ultimately, this forced the Japanese to reinforce their troops, thus tying them down.

As long as he controlled the pace, Chen Ming had no worries even if the Japanese had three divisions.

"Our first battle has been a good start."

"We're not in a hurry to eliminate this Japanese regiment. They're excellent bait to lure a large, fat fish behind the Japanese."

"Once the fish bite the hook, we can haul in the net."

Inside the command center, Chen Ming smiled and addressed the group of cadres.

He was naturally pleased that the first step of the operation had yielded results.

The Japanese had three divisions, totaling about 40,000 troops.

The pressure on him is also considerable.

After all, he was no longer barefoot like before, and there were many important facilities in the base area.

If so many Japanese soldiers were to recklessly attack Huai Ren and Shuo County, it would disrupt production and construction within the base area.

However, now that problems have arisen within the Japanese forces, Chen Ming has seized the opportunity, which has allowed the pressure to be dispersed and greatly reduced.

Upon hearing this, the officers in the command center felt much more relaxed.

They knew that once the battle had found its rhythm under Chen Ming's control, victory was not far off.

P.S.: A rather bland chapter.

(End of this chapter)