Devil's Army

The fact that the devilish troops moved their position forward by 200 meters was indeed unexpected by the Japanese battalion commander.

The Japanese army then launched a fierce bombardment of the new positions of the directly subordinate company.

Company Commander Liu, whose direct subordinate company was unable to withstand the fierce artillery fire of the Japanese army, blasted the rocks on both sides of the canyon to collapse.

The collapsed rocks blocked the narrow canyon path.

The Japanese troops were forced to halt at the narrow pass of Mifenggou.

Digging through the narrow passage of Honeybee Gully was not only a huge undertaking, but it was also subject to constant bombardment and firing from the devilish troops' mortars and soldiers from higher ground.

After weighing the pros and cons, the Japanese battalion commander decided to bypass the main route and attack Helong County.

Another Japanese force advanced towards Helong County from Chongshan Town to Junjianshan Pass.

The Junjianshan Pass in Chongshan Town is flanked by two mountains and a river, with only a single road passing through it.

Gunkansan (a basalt volcano with an altitude of nearly 800 meters) and the Korean mountains on the south bank are flanked by the turbulent Tumen River, with mountain trails running close to the riverbank.

The narrow valley at the pass section forced the Japanese mechanized units to advance in a single file, preventing them from deploying and thus hindering the use of their numerical superiority.

The 3rd Battalion of the 1st Regiment set up positions on the main ridge of Junjianshan Mountain and the steep slope of Huyanling on the west side, forming a crossfire network of overhead and side fire, completely blocking the road at the bottom of the valley.

The battalion commander set up blocking positions at several natural checkpoints from Chongshan Town to the foot of Junjianshan Mountain; he destroyed roads and set up roadblocks, forcing the Japanese troops to dismount and attack, exposing them to pre-set firing zones.

The steep difference in elevation between the trail and the ridge (150–200 meters) allowed the soldiers of the Third Battalion to fight against and eliminate the Japanese forces layer by layer.

Moreover, the flanks of Gunkan-san cannot be bypassed: the opposite bank of the river is the North Korean mountains and the river itself is dangerous, while the north bank is Gunkan-san's steep basalt cliffs and forest swamps. Vehicles and infantry cannot bypass the flanks and can only charge straight through the pass.

The Japanese army launched two relatively large-scale attacks in succession, both of which were repelled by the soldiers of the Third Battalion.

The commander of the Japanese Third Battalion looked to the flank, where there was a double water barrier of the Tumen River and the Hongqi River.

Although the river is now frozen, the soldiers lack non-slip shoes, making it difficult for them to walk on the ice and vulnerable to being shot down from higher ground by the devil troops.

On the front, the small road slope was at a 45-degree angle, and the infantry climbed the steep, icy slope slowly, suffering heavy casualties under the fire and grenade attacks of the devil troops.

With no other options, the Japanese battalion commander had no choice but to temporarily halt the attack and bring in tanks from the rear as reinforcements.

Before the tanks arrived, the squadron leader also called for air support.

A short while later, Japanese air force troops from Korea swooped in and launched a fierce bombing and strafing attack on the Third Battalion's position at Junjianshan.

The dense forest on the warship mountain provided excellent cover for the soldiers of the Third Battalion, greatly reducing the effectiveness of the Japanese air raids.

After the Japanese air raid on Korea, four tanks from the army rumbled in from the rear and launched an attack on the Third Battalion's position along the western ridgeline of the Gunkansan viewing platform.

The infantrymen took cover on the flanks and rear of the tanks, and followed closely as they advanced toward Gunjianshan.

The heavy machine guns and 82mm mortars mounted on the third battalion's warships on the hill continuously fired and bombarded the entire river and road, suppressing the advance of the Japanese infantry. However, they were met with a counterattack from the Japanese tanks.

A heavy machine gun position and a light machine gun position of the Third Battalion were destroyed by Japanese tanks one after another.

Just when the Japanese army thought they would soon capture the Gunkanshan position, the 3rd Battalion of rocket soldiers who were crawling forward suddenly got up and launched rockets at the Japanese tanks from a half-crouching position.