Devil's Army

The First Army Air Force continued to bomb and straf the follow-up Japanese troops in Yeluzhou.

The Japanese army had to evade air raids by the First Army Air Force.

The Japanese army, which originally planned to take the Yeluzhou position on the outskirts of Huanggang County in one day, has now been thwarted by the strong intervention of the First Army Air Force.

In the evening, the First Army Air Force returned to base, and the Japanese army regrouped and launched a fierce attack on Yeluzhou via the dike.

When the Japanese troops advanced towards Yeluzhou in dense columns across the dike, they were suddenly bombarded by heavy artillery fire.

It turns out that the 1st Regiment of the 1st Brigade of the Southern Independent Division had already arrived at the Yeluzhou position.

After the shelling ceased, the regiment launched a full-scale attack, employing a strong counter-offensive against the Japanese forces in Huangzhou.

Under the fierce attack of machine guns and rockets, the Japanese troops were powerless to fight back and retreated in defeat.

The New Fourth Army, following behind a regiment of soldiers, surrounded Huangzhou.

After a fierce battle, soldiers from the First Regiment and the 10th Battalion of the New Fourth Army wiped out most of the Japanese troops in Huangzhou, and the remaining enemy forces in Huangzhou fled to Wuxue County.

Soldiers from the 10th Battalion of the New Fourth Army stayed in Huangzhou to clean up the battlefield, while soldiers from the 1st Regiment pursued the remaining enemy forces in Huangzhou to the outskirts of Wuxue County, preparing to recapture Wuxue County.

When the Japanese troops marched from Xishui County to the area from Baizhang River to Shizi Mountain, they were intercepted by the 13th Brigade of the 5th Division of the New Fourth Army.

The area from Baizhang River to Lion Mountain belongs to the southern foothills of the Dabie Mountains. The hills are undulating, with an elevation of 100-300 meters. There are a series of northeast-southwest trending ridges such as Yuanfeng Mountain, Yaoying Ridge, and Badu Mountain.

The 37th Regiment of the 13th Brigade of the New Fourth Army set up blocking positions along these mountain ridges to gradually block the Japanese army's advance towards Huanggang County.

Moreover, several rivers, including the Baizhang River and the Xishui River, flow from north to south into the Yangtze River, forming a natural barrier.

These rivers slowed the Japanese army's advance, forcing them to disperse their forces or find crossing points when crossing the rivers.

In addition, the steep riverbanks on both sides of the river could also serve as natural defensive fortifications, increasing the difficulty of the Japanese army's attack.

The 38th Regiment of the 13th Brigade of the New Fourth Army built a second line of defense here, preparing to block the Japanese army from breaking through the 37th Regiment's defense line.

The Japanese troops encountered resistance from the 37th Regiment of the New Fourth Army on the ridge, and then artillery opened fire, fiercely bombarding the 37th Regiment's position.

The ridge position was instantly filled with smoke and flying sand and stones.

Soldiers of the 37th Regiment took cover along the ridgeline to avoid Japanese artillery fire.

When the Japanese infantry attacked, the soldiers of the 37th Regiment climbed out of their bunkers and fired at the Japanese from their elevated positions.

The Japanese advance was halted, and follow-up troops immediately continued their attack on the ridge positions.

By 3 p.m., the Japanese army had launched nearly ten attacks on the 37th Regiment's position. However, all of them were repelled by the 37th Regiment.

The 6th and 7th Battalions at the forefront of the 37th Regiment also suffered considerable casualties.

The 2nd Regiment of the 1st Brigade arrived later and prepared to provide reinforcements, but was stopped by the commander of the 38th Regiment.

He told the second regimental commander:

"Commander Huang of the 37th Regiment has spoken to us by phone. They are about to withdraw from the ridge defense line and we should prepare."

The second regimental commander then positioned the artillery positions on the hillside along the riverbank.

At this moment, the air force of the First Army had finished bombing the Japanese troops in front of the ridge position and was preparing to return to base.

Under the cover of artillery fire, the Japanese army took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack on the 37th Regiment's position.

The 37th Regiment retreated in shifts despite Japanese artillery fire.

Soon after, the Japanese army occupied the ridge position of the 37th Regiment.

The 37th Regiment withdrew to the 38th Regiment's position as planned.