Devil's Army

Chapter 2012 Blocking the Japanese Army in Hongze 1

Lieutenant General Mori Shigeki, commander of the Japanese 65th Division, could not stand idly by and watch the Devil Force further encroach on his territory in northern Jiangsu. He continued to send troops from Hongze and Xuyi to besiege Huaiyin County, where the Devil Force's 727th Regiment was stationed.

When the Japanese troops from Hongze arrived at Shunheji (West Shunhe), they were met with fierce resistance from the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 728th Regiment of the 364th Brigade of the Sichuan Army.

Shunheji, with its narrow, choke-like terrain consisting of dikes, rivers, roads, and marshes, became a natural barrier to block the southward advance of the Japanese army.

Shunheji is located on the west bank of Zhangfu River. The Hongze Lake dike runs parallel to the Huaipu Highway. The top of the dike is the only north-south road, which is only about 3 meters wide. The Japanese army and its vehicles could not deploy and could only advance along the dike in a single line.

To the east of Shunheji lies the Hongze Lake tidal flats and marshes, and to the west is the Zhangfu River, both of which are muddy and deep, making it impossible for vehicles and large troops to carry them. This greatly restricts the Japanese army's ability to maneuver and forces them to attack head-on.

Moreover, the levee was 3-5 meters higher than the sides, and the soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 728th Regiment built firing positions on both sides, covering the road and river with machine guns and mortars.

The dike was dug into a "Z"-shaped communication trench, which could conceal movement, form crossfire, and prevent enemy horizontal fire suppression.

Zhangfu River crossing and the hidden dam were the only possible routes for the Japanese army to cross the river and launch a flanking attack.

The main force of the Second Battalion laid an ambush in advance, using machine guns, mortars and rocket launchers to block the water surface and mudflats, cutting off the Japanese army's outflanking route.

Such road forces are highly efficient, requiring only one reinforced company to form a solid defensive line relying on the dike, fighting against a larger force with fewer troops; the machine gun and artillery company is deployed on the high ground behind the dike, which can provide support across the river and has a wide fire coverage.

The reeds on the embankment and the communication ditches can conceal infantry foxholes, while machine gun and mortar positions can survive enemy fire and continuously provide crossfire.

In order to capture Huaiyin County as soon as possible, the Japanese army launched a continuous and fierce attack on Shunheji.

The First Company of the First Battalion, stationed at the first line of defense in Shunheji, is under considerable pressure.

As the battle intensified, the number of casualties in the company continued to rise.

The Second Company quickly reinforced Jiangba along the small path on the west side of the dike, echoing the First Company's position to avoid being surrounded and annihilated.

Two reinforced Japanese companies and over 800 puppet troops attacked for nearly a day, yet they could not make an inch of progress. This enraged Division Commander Mori Shigeki.

He ordered the platoon leader of the Matsushima Company to intensify the attack and capture Sunhaji that night.

Squad Leader Matsushima had no way to express his grievances.

The roads in Shunheji were narrow, which prevented his troops from spreading out and from encircling the area from both sides.

The air force of the "Devil's Army" continued to bomb them relentlessly. His artillery was also unable to provide fire support, and the casualties of his troops remained high.

However, Division Commander Mori Shigeki's order was a death order, leaving no room for negotiation.

Squadron Leader Matsushima could only take advantage of the darkness and the return flight of the Devil Force air force to continue the fierce attack on Sunhaji.

To the surprise of Captain Matsushima, the night raid went quite smoothly.

The First Company, responsible for this night raid, and 200 puppet troops quickly penetrated deep into Shunheji.

However, the attacking force made rapid progress and soon became separated from the rearguard.

Just as Captain Matsushima was secretly rejoicing at the smooth progress, the intelligence delivered by the communications officer made his smile vanish.

The isolated assault force was surrounded and attacked by a battalion of the Devil Forces.

Bullets and grenades rained down from the high ground on both sides of the embankment onto the path, causing the Japanese assault troops to scream in terror.

Squadron Leader Matsushima immediately pushed the entire rearguard forward in an attempt to establish contact with the assault force.