Devil's Army

When the vanguard troops of the Japanese Hata Detachment and the 106th Division arrived at the Chinese defenders' position at Yinjiashan in Sanli Street, a regiment commander who was familiar with the Japanese combat tactics had already withdrawn the troops from the trenches, leaving only a few observers.

The Japanese army first bombarded the road with heavy artillery fire, detonating the mines in front of the pass, and then bombed the high ground on both sides of the road, causing many fortifications and trenches to collapse.

The Japanese artillery fire had not yet stopped, and the Japanese soldiers charged with bayonets in hand.

The company commander immediately ordered his soldiers to take up positions and repel the Japanese with cross fire from light and heavy machine guns.

The Japanese army had not yet completely retreated, and their artillery began to bombard the positions of the first company again.

Looking at the soldiers of the first company who were being bombed by the Japanese army, Captain Zhu anxiously asked the first captain:

"Captain He, don't you have artillery? Why don't you fight back?"

"No hurry. The Japanese now have air superiority. Our artillery cannot bombard the Japanese for a long time. We must find a favorable opportunity to give them a fatal blow."

Captain Zhu did not know that the commander of the first regiment had already ordered the Army Aviation Soldiers to take off the Golden Eagle to scout the Japanese artillery positions based on the trajectories of the Japanese artillery shells.

In one morning, the Japanese army launched three large-scale assaults in succession, but they were all beaten back by a regiment of soldiers.

In the afternoon, the Japanese army launched balloons in the rear to indicate the firing points of the Chinese defenders to the artillery. The Japanese artillery then densely covered the positions of the first company.

The Japanese Marines once occupied a front-line position less than 100 meters away, lying on the ground and exchanging fire with a company of soldiers in the trenches.

At this time, the artillery position of the regiment suddenly opened fire, and 150mm grenades and 75mm mountain artillery shells attacked the Japanese artillery positions one after another.

The Second Battalion's mortar shells fell densely on the Japanese Marine positions in front of the pass.

The Japanese Marines were so confused by the bombing that they didn't know where to go.

As soon as the mortars stopped firing, the company commander launched a fierce counterattack against the Japanese Marines, driving all of them into the river.

After a while, Japanese planes flew over the position and dropped bombs and fired. Under the cover of the air force, the Japanese army attacked the pass position fiercely.

The defending troops of the first company and a battalion of the 26st Regiment of the 151th Division of the Sichuan Army that came to reinforce shared the same hatred of the enemy. They resisted with bayonets, grenades and crossfire, and repelled the enemy's repeated attacks.

The Japanese planes also launched a fierce bombing on the artillery positions of the regiment, attempting to destroy the artillery of the regiment.

Fortunately, the artillery battalion commander had arranged for the artillery to transfer all the artillery to the second position.

When Captain Zhu heard the gunfire from the first regiment, he asked the first regiment commander in surprise:

“You still have 150mm howitzers?”

"Due to the long journey, we only brought two this time."

As for the 150mm howitzer, a national weapon, their 26th Division did not even have one. The entire Ma'an Fortress Army Group only had two.

At this time, Captain Zhu understood why Captain Yi was so confident.

Towards evening, the Japanese planes all returned, and the Japanese troops, without artillery reinforcements, temporarily refrained from attacking the positions at the pass.

At this time, a regiment of artillery suddenly opened fire on the Japanese army from the new position.

Each shell from the two 150mm howitzers created a crater, blowing away all the Japanese troops within a 200-meter radius.

The Japanese Hata Detachment and the vanguard of the 106th Division, which suffered heavy casualties, had to withdraw from the artillery attack range of the st Regiment.

On the first day of the Hukou Campaign, the 106st Regiment demonstrated the might of Chinese soldiers and blocked the Japanese Hata Detachment and the th Division outside the Yinjiashan Pass.

On the afternoon of the same day, the 26nd Regiment of the 78th Brigade of the 152th Division also engaged in a firefight with part of the Japanese Hata Detachment and the Marines at the Hukou East Fort Fortress and the outer Longtan Mountain position.

The two sides fought for the position repeatedly, and suffered heavy casualties. The 26th Division's defenders, including Battalion Commander Chen Qiao, Liu Yi, and Company Commander Liu Jishi, all died for their country. However, the position was still in the hands of the 26th Division.

At seven o'clock the next morning, the Japanese Hata Detachment and the 106th Division successively sent reinforcements to attack the Yinjiashan Pass.

Another artillery squadron from the Japanese 106th Division also came to reinforce.

What’s even more terrible is that Japanese planes have been bombing the Yinjiashan Pass positions from the air.

The artillery battalion commander of the regiment wanted to counter the Japanese artillery, but he could not find an opportunity. He did not dare to use the artillery and risk being bombed by Japanese planes.

The Japanese didn't know where the regiment's artillery was hidden, let alone whether it had been destroyed by their planes.

As evening approached, Japanese planes returned one after another. Japanese artillery also hurriedly retreated. But their infantry did not retreat.

The setting sun was as red as blood, hanging on the other side of the mountain. Before it completely fell, the artillery of a new artillery position suddenly roared again.

The Japanese troops who did not retreat in front of the pass were suddenly bombarded by a group of 75mm mountain artillery fire. They suffered heavy casualties and had to retreat again.

At this time, the Japanese army could only estimate the approximate location of the artillery position of the regiment based on the trajectory of the artillery shells of the regiment. The hot air balloon they raised was shot down by the Golden Eagle of the First Army with a surface-to-air missile.

This time the regiment did not use the 150mm howitzers because there were only five boxes of shells left.