Devil's Army

Under the threat of the First Army's air force, the Japanese artillery dared not fire at all.

The 13th Battalion, which had just taken over the defense of the crossing point from the 12th Battalion, finally held its ground.

With all the assault boats destroyed by the First Army's air force, it was no longer possible for the Japanese army to cross the Yangtze River tributary at the ferry crossing and attack Huanggang County. Their only option was to join forces with another Japanese force attacking Huanggang County from the dike.

Another Japanese unit advanced in a column along the narrow dike toward Huanggang County.

After the Japanese vanguard entered the dam, bullets and grenades came flying from the reeds on both sides of the dam.

Although the Japanese army was on guard, they were still bombed and suffered heavy casualties.

The Japanese artillery then launched a fierce bombardment of the reeds on both sides of the dike.

As the sound of Japanese artillery shells approached, the soldiers of the 10th Battalion of the 40th Regiment of the New Fourth Army immediately withdrew from the reeds.

After the Japanese artillery ceased bombardment, the Japanese troops advanced by searching along the dikes and reed beds.

Soldiers of the 10th Battalion of the New Fourth Army, who had already moved to a new position, used their familiarity with the terrain to emerge from the reeds and face fierce fire and grenade throwing from the Japanese army.

Although the Japanese forces were numerous, they could not spread out effectively. Heavy weapons such as tanks and artillery were also unable to advance.

The soldiers of the 10th Battalion ambushed the Japanese troops stealthily from the reeds. The Japanese paid a heavy price for every step they took forward.

However, the Japanese army had superior firepower and numbers, and the 10th Battalion was forced to retreat step by step towards Huanggang County.

Just as the Japanese troops were about to cross the dam, a series of huge explosions rang out.

The battalion commander detonated the explosives buried under the dam, blowing up the vanguard of the Japanese army.

After a brief rest, the Japanese troops advanced towards Huanggang County via the dike. However, at this moment, three fighter planes and two bombers from the First Army arrived and fiercely strafed and bombed the Japanese troops on the narrow dike.

The Japanese troops on the narrow embankment suffered heavy losses under bombing by the First Army's air force.

The surviving Japanese soldiers jumped off the embankment and hid in the reeds and mud below, looking utterly disheveled.

Squad leader Yu discovered that the terrain and wind direction were ideal for a fire attack. He then contacted headquarters and requested that the New Fourth Army withdraw from the reeds.

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers of the 10th and 11th Battalions of the 40th Regiment of the New Fourth Army immediately withdrew from the dike and reed beds.

After a while, the Japanese troops were still hiding in the reeds and silt under the dikes to avoid the air raids by the First Army Air Force. Meanwhile, two more bombers flew in from the direction of Jiangxi.

When the two bombers flew over the embankment, reeds, and silt, they sprayed a light yellow liquid from their bellies.

Before the Japanese could figure out what was going on, the two bombers turned back.

Immediately afterwards, two aerial bombs were dropped from the belly of the bomber onto the embankment and the reeds.

A moment later, two huge explosions rang out, followed by the dam and reed beds being engulfed in flames.

Fueled by the wind, the fire continued to spread towards the Japanese forces.

The terrifying screams of the Japanese soldiers echoed from the sea of ​​fire.

The air was filled with the nauseating smell of barbecue.

When the Japanese troops at the ferry arrived at the embankment, it was already a scene of utter devastation, a living hell.

Everywhere there were charred corpses and reed stalks.

In many places, flames are still crackling and burning.

After the incendiary bombs fired by the First Army Air Force, the Japanese troops in Huangzhou did not dare to launch an attack on Huanggang County through the dike for half a day.

Meanwhile, the First Army Air Force expanded its gains and subsequently launched a fierce bombing and strafing attack on the Japanese follow-up troops behind Ye Luzhou.