Devil's Army

The second group of Japanese troops crossed the river from Yicun Ferry. They used the stolen civilian boats and forced their way across the Yellow River under the cover of artillery.

The mortar soldiers of the second battalion flexibly changed their positions and continuously bombarded the Japanese fishing boats crossing the river.

The soldiers of the second battalion lay in the fortifications and fired fiercely at the Japanese troops on the fishing boat.

The Second Battalion's shore positions were bombarded by Japanese artillery, causing heavy losses.

Japanese fishing boats kept shuttling back and forth on the surface of the Yellow River to avoid the bombing of the Second Battalion's mortars.

Soon, the Japanese fishing boat fleet passed the center line of the Yellow River and continued to sail towards the north bank of the Yellow River.

Before the Japanese fishing boat fleet could cross the Yellow River, the Taiyuan Air Force, which was on high alert, had arrived.

The fishing boats seized by the Japanese had no air defense capabilities, so the fighter planes of the First Army lowered their flying altitude and continuously fired at the Japanese soldiers on the fishing boats.

The bombers of the First Army continued to bomb the fishing boats crossing the river.

In the fierce strafing and bombing of the Taiyuan Air Force, the Japanese fishing boats that crossed the center line of the Yellow River were blown to pieces one after another.

The Japanese soldiers on the boats kept falling into the Yellow River, and their helpless heads floated on the surging Yellow River surface, but they were soon swallowed by the river.

After the Taiyuan Air Force destroyed the Japanese fishing boats that were trying to cross the Yellow River at Yicun Ferry, they launched a strafing and bombing attack on the Japanese infantry and artillery positions assembled on the south bank.

After the bombing, the Japanese army had captured only a few fishing boats left, making it impossible to force a crossing of the Yellow River.

The third Japanese army forced its way across the Yellow River from Zhongmu Ferry.

In order to cross the river, the Japanese army concentrated more than ten assault boats and more than ten rubber boats, and launched the river crossing battle simultaneously from several kilometers upstream and downstream of Zhongmu Ferry.

The Third Battalion of the First Regiment of the Jidong Independent Brigade also built defensive positions at the corresponding locations on the opposite bank to block the Japanese army's beach landing.

In order to cover the troops crossing the river, the Japanese artillery launched a fierce bombardment on the positions of the Devil Troops on the north bank of the Yellow River.

Afterwards, the assault boats and rubber boats quickly headed towards the north bank of the Yellow River.

The Japanese assault boats and rubber boats were very fast and soon crossed the center line of the Yellow River.

The mortar soldiers of the third battalion braved the Japanese artillery bombardment and continuously bombarded the Japanese assault boats and rubber boats. However, a considerable number of assault boats and rubber boats still managed to land.

The Japanese troops who disembarked quickly launched an attack on the Devil Force fortifications on the shore in an attempt to consolidate their beachhead positions.

The assault boats and rubber boats returned to the south bank of the Yellow River to transport follow-up troops.

Before the Japanese army could consolidate its beachhead position, the Taiyuan Air Force had already arrived to provide reinforcements.

Two fighter planes and one bomber from the First Army launched a fierce strafing and bombing attack on the Japanese infantry who had crossed the Yellow River.

The remaining one fighter and two bombers of the First Army focused on bombing the Japanese assault boats and rubber boats on the Yellow River, destroying the Japanese transportation vehicles.

After nearly an hour of repeated bombing and strafing, all the Japanese assault boats and rubber boats on the Yellow River were destroyed.

The Japanese vanguard troops that had crossed the river were completely annihilated by the air and land attacks of the First Army Air Force and the Third Battalion.

The Japanese troops on the south bank of the Yellow River were also strafed and bombed by the First Army Air Force, suffering heavy casualties. They were unable to cross the Yellow River and occupy Xinxiang.

The fourth Japanese army forced its way across the Yellow River from the Dongbaitou ferry.

The Japanese army also used the Type 97 mobile bridge-laying vehicle to build a pontoon bridge here, and the mobile troops followed up.

The speed at which the Japanese army built bridges and the tanks advanced was far beyond the Fourth Battalion's expectations.

Before the First Army's air force arrived to reinforce, the Japanese army had already broken through the Yellow River's natural barrier and reached the Fourth Battalion's position on the south bank.