nycdaug Chapter 1841 Breakthrough at Zhanggongqiao Position
Chapter 1841 Breakthrough at Zhanggongqiao Position
When the vanguard of the First Battalion arrived at the village, they found that more than 20 Japanese and puppet troops were harming the villagers.
The soldiers of the First Battalion immediately launched an attack on the more than 20 Japanese and puppet troops.
In less than half an hour, the entire Japanese unit was wiped out, and most of the puppet troops were captured.
Interrogation revealed that the Japanese army in He County had sent troops to the villages to prepare military supplies in order to fight against the devilish troops.
The battle between the vanguard of the First Battalion and the Japanese grain requisition team alerted the puppet troops in nearby strongholds.
They immediately reported to the Japanese lieutenant in He County. However, the puppet troops reported that only a company of devil soldiers had attacked their grain requisition team. The lieutenant didn't take it seriously.
Only after the soldiers of the First and Second Battalions surrounded the south and west gates of He County did he realize the seriousness of the situation. He immediately requested reinforcements from Division Commander Kumagai.
At this time, the division commander of Kumagai was busy with the battle of Chaoxian and had no way to send troops to provide support.
After several hours of fierce fighting, the Second Regiment of the First Battalion recaptured He County.
The third and fourth battalions, which were attacking Hanshan County, were blocked by the Japanese army on the Zhanggongqiao side.
Zhanggong Bridge is located on the Desheng River, 7.5 kilometers east of Hanshan County. The original bridge was a stone slab bridge, several tens of meters long, which was later rebuilt into a five-arch cement flat bridge. The bridge is relatively narrow.
When the soldiers of the Third and Fourth Battalions arrived here, their forces could not be deployed in a large enough area, so the troops could only rush onto the bridge in small, incremental waves to fight fiercely with the Japanese army.
Meanwhile, the Japanese troops hid on the hillside, in the woods and natural ravines on the opposite bank of the bridge, using their high ground to ambush the soldiers of the Third and Fourth Battalions who were trying to cross the bridge.
The battle lasted for more than two hours, and the soldiers of the Third and Fourth Battalions suffered considerable casualties.
Zhanggong Bridge is located on the Desheng River, with water on both sides of the bridge.
The Third and Fourth Battalions were unable to outflank the Japanese forces from the flanks.
The artillery of the Fourth Regiment bombarded the Japanese positions across the river with great force. However, due to the complex terrain, the bombardment was not very effective.
The Desheng River is shallow, with many reefs and silt. The warships of the First Fleet of the Navy were unable to reach it in time to provide support.
However, the soldiers of the Fourth Regiment were unable to break through the Japanese defenses at Zhanggongqiao.
The fourth regimental commander had no choice but to ask the fifth brigade commander for help.
At this time, the naval battle at the mouth of the Yangtze River in Dangtu County had ended, but Captain Lin still arranged for four gunboats to rush over to provide support.
After recovering He County, the First and Second Battalions arrived at Hanshan County and began their attack on Hanshan County.
The Japanese troops in Hanshan County were exhausted from dealing with the attacks of the First and Second Battalions and were unable to send reinforcements to Zhanggongqiao.
Four gunboats from the First Squadron of the First Army Navy arrived at Zhanggong Bridge after one of them ran aground.
Three gunboats from the army approached Zhanggong Bridge from the water and launched a fierce bombardment on the Japanese fortifications.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the soldiers of the Third Battalion launched a fierce attack on the Japanese army from the river.
The fierce battle lasted for nearly an hour, and the Japanese troops, having received no further reinforcements, finally abandoned the Zhanggongqiao position and withdrew to Yuncao Town.
Yuncao Town is surrounded by the Yuxi River and Niutun River, forming a natural geographical barrier with water on all sides.
Moreover, Yuncao Town is located in the middle reaches of the Yuxi River, guarding the throat of Chaohu Lake leading out of the Yangtze River. It is a necessary passage for grain from Hefei, Shucheng, Lu'an and other places upstream to be transported out of the Yangtze River.
In order to control Yuncao Town, the Japanese army stationed a large number of Japanese and puppet troops there.
The Japanese army built bunkers on the high ground by the Dongmeifu Oil Depot in Yuncao Town, which provided a commanding view of the surrounding area and suppressed the attacking First Army with firepower.
The area around Yuncao Town features embankments and tall grass, and the soldiers of the Third and Fourth Battalions used the waist-high tall grass as cover to quietly approach the enemy's fortress.
At dusk, at the order of the fourth regimental commander, the third and fourth battalions, which had been lying in ambush, sprang up and launched an attack on the bunkers and fortifications around Yuncao Town.