Devil's Army

Maba Town is located in the eastern part of Xuyi County, on the south bank of Hongze Lake. The terrain is high in the southwest and low in the northeast, forming a transitional zone between hills and plains. It is a transportation hub for water and land transportation in northern Jiangsu.

Its southwestern hills (such as the area around Dayun Mountain) and northeastern plains (Guanyin Temple is about 8 meters above sea level) form a drop of more than 200 meters, with hills, gullies and depressions interspersed.

Furthermore, the interwoven river network, ditches, and lake beaches of Hongze Lake and its surroundings restricted the movement of Japanese heavy equipment, making it easy for them to be confined to narrow passages and difficult to deploy their forces.

The Ninglian, Ningxu, Ninghuai, and Xuyang highways intersect here, making it a crucial passage for the Japanese army's transportation and supply; the road layout features many sharp bends and slopes.

The Sichuan Army's New 727th Regiment set up two lines of defense at bends and slopes to precisely block the Japanese army's marching columns.

Furthermore, the reeds, farmland, woodlands, and villages along the lake within the town provide multiple layers of cover, facilitating the rapid evacuation of soldiers from the new 727th Regiment and reducing the risk of exposure.

When the main force of the Japanese army reached the northern slope of Dayun Mountain and the southwestern hills of Maba, they encountered fierce resistance from the 1st Battalion of the New 727th Regiment.

The new 727th Regiment set up its main position here, equipped with heavy machine guns and mortars, responsible for overhead fire and interception; it set up flanking positions in the ditches and depressions on both sides of the road to divide the Japanese troops with light weapons; and it set up guerrilla groups in the reeds on the lake shore to strike the scattered enemy and guard against reinforcements.

When the Japanese marching column passed through the bends of the hill-plain transition zone, the first vehicle was destroyed by pre-planted explosives, blocking the Japanese advance. Then, concentrated firepower covered the area, making it difficult for the Japanese to resist.

Mortar fire also intensively bombarded the rear vehicles of the Japanese troops, cutting off their retreat.

After a period of temporary chaos, the Japanese army began to organize its troops to attack the positions of the New 727th Regiment. However, they were met with dense fire from the 1st Battalion of the New 727th Regiment, which was positioned on higher ground.

The 2nd Battalion of the New 727th Regiment, disregarding the muddy and difficult path, launched a surprise attack on the Japanese troops from the reeds and bushes along the embankment road, exacerbating the Japanese troops' confusion.

The Japanese artillery attempted to destroy the positions of the 1st Battalion of the New 727th Regiment with a fierce barrage. However, the First Army's air force was constantly circling and bombing from the air, making it impossible for their artillery to carry out fire coverage.

The 727th Regiment, in this attempt to intercept the Japanese army, first used mortars to bombard the head and tail of the convoy and the command vehicle; heavy machine guns blocked the road; light machine guns and grenade launchers attacked exposed infantry; and the infantry used the terrain to annihilate the enemy at close range.

After the ambush, they quickly moved along ditches and lakeside reed beds to the northeastern plains or southwestern hills, relying on water networks and vegetation to escape pursuit.

The battle continued into the afternoon, and the Japanese army was still unable to break through the defenses of the 1st Battalion of the New 727th Regiment. On the contrary, because they were exposed on the narrow road, they suffered heavy casualties due to continuous bombing by the First Army Air Force.

Left with no other option, the Japanese captain ordered his soldiers to overturn the trucks, whose rear ends had been destroyed, into the fields. The troops quickly retreated and hid in the bushes outside Maba Town to avoid the air raids by the devilish air force.

After a brief rest, the Japanese 2nd Battalion, led by Captain, launched an attack on the 1st Battalion's position through the muddy reeds and woods on both sides of the path. However, the path through the reeds and woods was too muddy for the Japanese heavy weapons to traverse.

The Japanese infantry, armed only with light weapons, were instead divided and surrounded by soldiers from the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the New 727th Regiment.

The Japanese vanguard was divided and surrounded by two battalions of soldiers from the New 727th Regiment. After most of them were wiped out, the main force of the Japanese army retreated into the woods and dared not make any further moves.