Devil's Army

The attack failed and the surprise attack was thwarted. The Japanese commander, who had not slept all night, ordered the Japanese army to launch an attack on the town store position the next day with red eyes.

What made the Japanese commander collapse was that his remaining two cannons were destroyed by the First Army Air Force that arrived later.

Their attacking infantry could only rely on the support of the accompanying mortars and grenade launchers. However, they were bombarded with fierce mortars and rocket launchers from the Devil Army and the Eighth Route Army. The attack was unable to make any progress.

(The 4th Battalion of the 1st Regiment remained in the Japanese position).

When the Third Brigade Commander saw that the Japanese artillery unit was destroyed, he immediately ordered the tank unit that had been on standby to attack.

Suddenly, the roar of tank engines could be heard from the narrow streets of the town.

The Japanese army did not carry any anti-tank weapons and was beaten back step by step by the fierce tank bombardment.

Some Japanese soldiers who tried to rush forward to blow up the tanks were mowed down by the tanks' machine guns.

Seeing this, the commander of the 1st Regiment of the 3rd Brigade and the commander of the 3rd Military Sub-district of the Eighth Route Army, He, ordered their troops to follow the tank troops of the 1st Army to launch a counterattack against the Japanese army.

The Japanese army took turns to cover each other and tried to build fortifications to resist the attack of the devil army tanks. However, the tanks advanced very quickly and the Japanese army had no time to build fortifications and their defense line was broken.

Some Japanese soldiers who did not have time to escape were even crushed under the tank tracks.

After two days of fierce fighting, the Japanese army was driven back to Jiaozuo.

The troops of the 3rd Brigade and the 3rd Division of the Eighth Route Army held the Chengdian defense line.

Another Japanese army unit in Jiaozuo arrived at Tianjing Pass and was blocked by the Second Regiment of the Third Brigade and the Fourth Regiment of the Third Military Sub-district of the Eighth Route Army.

Tianjing Pass, located in Jincheng, Shanxi Province, at the southernmost point of the Taihang Mountains, is a gateway to Jiaozuo, Henan Province. It is one of the "Eight Passes of the Taihang Mountains." Since ancient times, it has been a strategic point between the north and the south, a battleground for military strategists throughout history.

Tianjing Pass is not an isolated fortress, but a huge defense system consisting of a series of passes, forts, watchtowers, etc.

When the Japanese army in Jiaozuo first attacked, they were very aggressive and broke through important passes such as Dakouai, Xiaokouai, and Hengwangai.

Just as the Japanese army arrived at Wanzicheng and Xingyanyi, they were blocked by heavy troops from the Second Regiment of the Third Brigade and the Fourth Regiment of the Eighth Route Army.

At this time, the First Army's air force also arrived and suppressed the Japanese artillery fire.

The attacking Japanese infantry were also blown away and fled in panic.

This Japanese commander was a ruthless character. After dark, when the First Army's air force had no way to provide reinforcements, he ordered the artillery to cover the infantry in launching an attack on the positions of the Third Brigade and the Fourth Regiment of the Eighth Route Army.

The troops fought fiercely for more than two hours. Although the Japanese army suffered heavy casualties, the soldiers of the Third Brigade and the Fourth Regiment of the Eighth Route Army also suffered heavy casualties.

The Third Brigade Commander then ordered their Second Regiment and the Fourth Regiment of the Eighth Route Army to retreat to the dangerous Mopanzhai and Mengliangzhai.

The Japanese army followed and continued to attack Mopanzhai and Mengliangzhai, but encountered stubborn resistance.

At this time, there was still more than an hour before dawn, and the exhausted Japanese army, which had suffered heavy casualties, finally stopped the attack.

After dawn, the Japanese commander walked out of the command room to observe the situation in Mopanzhai and Mengliangzhai, hoping to find a good strategy to defeat the enemy, because if he continued to fight like this, his troops would suffer heavy casualties.

At this time, an air force from the First Army flew over. The air force of the First Army did not stop bombing the Japanese army just because they did not attack.

The Japanese infantry who were ready to attack in front of the position were heavily bombed by the First Army Air Force and had to flee in all directions and hide in the mountains and forests.