Devil's Army

The Loyal and Patriotic Army and the 25th Army of the government launched a fierce attack on Haizhou in three routes, but encountered stubborn resistance from the Japanese army.

The fierce fighting lasted for three days, and the government forces suffered heavy casualties, forcing them to withdraw from the battle.

The day after the government troops withdrew, the main force of the 364th Brigade of the Sichuan Army and the main force of the 11th Brigade of the First Army gave the Japanese troops in Haizhou no chance to catch their breath, and took up the baton of attack, launching a fierce offensive against them.

The air force of the First Army also rushed over and launched a fierce bombing and strafing attack on the Japanese troops in Haizhou.

The 3rd Company of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Navy also came to support, launching an attack on the Japanese navy from the sea.

When the Second Squadron arrived at the Qian Sandao Islands, it was ambushed by the remaining Japanese naval vessels in Haizhou.

Although the remaining Japanese warships in Haizhou were dilapidated, their cannons had larger calibers and fiercer firepower than the gunboats of the 2nd Company of the 1st Army.

In the first round of surprise attacks, one of the army's gunboats was capsized by Japanese naval gunfire.

Subsequently, the second company commander of the first corps took advantage of the small size and maneuverability of the ships, and the fleet maneuvered in a serpentine pattern, approaching the three Japanese warships.

The three Japanese warships were outnumbered and were hit one after another.

The guns of the Japanese warships were also hit and damaged one after another.

With the Japanese warships' guns destroyed by the gunboats of the 2nd Squadron of the First Army Navy, the three Japanese warships were unable to withstand the 2nd Squadron's wolf pack tactics and had to retreat at full speed.

Due to the difference in power, the distance between the Second Naval Squadron and the Japanese warships increased.

Seeing that the three Japanese warships were about to escape the pursuit of the Second Squadron of the Navy, the squadron leader had no choice but to request air support.

The air force stationed in Zhejiang responded quickly, arriving in Haizhou in less than an hour. Following the directions provided by the Second Naval Squadron, they searched for traces of Japanese warships.

The air force searched along the direction the Japanese warships fled, but found no trace of the three Japanese warships.

It turns out that the Japanese Navy in Haizhou had suffered repeated air raids by the "Devil Force" air force and had figured out a way to deal with it.

The Japanese commander guessed that the Devil Force would request air support, so he quickly withdrew to Renji Island.

The island has a natural barrier, shielding it from the wind and waves of the open sea and reconnaissance; the port area is connected to Yuntai Mountain behind it, with mountain cover, which facilitates air defense and covert entry and exit; the water depth is moderate, which can accommodate small and medium-sized ships, making it the core covert area of ​​Haizhou Port.

The entrance to the island is small, but the interior is large. The island has many tidal channels and reed marshes, as well as numerous islands and headlands that provide cover, allowing it to evade the search by the devilish navy.

Mountains (Yuntai Mountain, Jinping Mountain) can provide air defense cover for warships.

This led to the First Air Force searching several times along the direction the Japanese warships had fled, but they were unable to find any trace of them.

The Second Squadron of the First Navy also searched along the various islands and capes where the Japanese troops had fled.

Unfortunately, the area has many waterways, and the Second Company was unable to locate the three Japanese warships.

The Second Naval Squadron did not go far away, but patrolled the nearby waters, occasionally bombing Japanese fortifications and strongholds at Haizhou Port.

The Japanese army commander of the 71st Independent Infantry Brigade (Okumada) in Haizhou had to deploy troops to prevent the devilish force from attacking from the sea.

In this way, the pressure on the 11th Brigade of the First Army and the 364th Brigade of the Sichuan Army was relatively reduced.

Then, one thing after another happened that worried Brigade Commander Ōkumada. He had no choice but to ask Commander Hata Shunroku for help and make plans to evacuate to Shanghai.