Twenty minutes later, Sato's division's artillery fire coverage finally stopped.
The sound of the artillery ceased, and the blazing fire in Duanjiabao finally began to extinguish.
The trenches that stretched for hundreds of meters had been blown to pieces, and there were huge gaps every few meters.
There are dense shell craters scattered on both sides of the trench, varying in size...
The entire position was burned black in the fire, and the surface temperature was several degrees higher than usual. It would feel hot to the feet if you stepped on it.
"Pa bang bang..."
Several gunshots suddenly reached Shen Quan's ears, which meant that a new round of Japanese attack had officially begun.
"Battal Commander... at least one kid from the infantry brigade is coming towards us!" the observation post reported in time.
Shen Quan didn't answer. He pricked up his ears and listened to the gunshots on the position to judge how many people were left in the two companies on the position.
As a result, his face became more solemn as he listened, and he ordered with a frown: "There are at most two platoons left in the trench..."
"The first battalion and the second company, the seventh battalion and the second company, join the battle immediately...Other troops are on standby..."
Twenty minutes later, the Japanese mountain artillery unit suddenly joined the battle. Dozens of artillery shells roared in. The Japanese offensive troops, who had lost more than 300 people, withdrew from the battle like a tide.
After a while, Duanjiabao was covered by artillery fire again.
At the enemy headquarters of the Independent Regiment, Li Wensheng reported solemnly as soon as he returned from the front: "Regiment Commander, the casualties of the 1st and 7th Battalions are too great!"
"The two main companies that first participated in the battle were almost completely wiped out... The two companies that just reinforced the battlefield once again suffered more than half of their casualties!"
"The little devil is attacking the position with incendiary bombs again. Many soldiers will surely die due to suffocation..."
"When this round of Japanese shelling stops, our losses will definitely exceed 400 people..."
"As of now, the total number of we have killed and injured is less than 800... comprehensive analysis, the casualty ratio is less than two to one, what a loss!"
Kong Jie was a regimental leader who was rational but not lacking in energy. Although the war situation was getting worse and worse, and everyone in the headquarters looked nervous and very anxious, he was the only one who remained calm without any disturbance.
It's not that he's not in a hurry, but he keeps reminding himself to stay calm and not be impulsive, otherwise the entire independent group will be in crisis.
Seeing that Li Wensheng became more and more anxious as he spoke, and his face became more and more embarrassed, Kong Jie had no choice but to step forward to stabilize the morale of the soldiers. Seeing that everyone was confident, he comforted: "These losses are temporary!"
"Everyone, please carefully recall: In the two attacks that just ended, Sato's division not only deployed mountain artillery, infantry artillery, heavy artillery, but also aircraft!"
"Even incendiary bombs that we have never seen before are used. Except for tanks and armored vehicles that are not suitable for mountain warfare, basically all the killer weapons that can be used are used!"
"Looking at ourselves, we have only used the 1st and 7th battalions in the fight so far. The heavy artillery battalion and the cavalry battalion, which are our trump cards, have never participated in the battle!"
"When they join the battle, the balance of victory will definitely turn towards us!"
"Analyzing the casualties of the 1st and 7th Battalions, we can find that nearly 40% of the casualties came from the enemy's artillery fire coverage and incendiary bombs, 30% of the casualties came from the exchange of fire between the two sides, and the remaining 30% of the casualties came from the enemy's sudden artillery fire coverage during the exchange."
"When the Japanese attacked, many of our troops stood firm on the surface...their mountain artillery shells suddenly rained down. The soldiers didn't even have time to dodge, so they had to move under the fire..."
"Many soldiers died in just half a minute!"
"If the heavy artillery battalion severely damages the Sato Division artillery unit as soon as it takes action, our casualties in the artillery raid will definitely be reduced."
"The casualties caused by the enemy's artillery fire will also be reduced a lot!"
"After the artillery unit in Sato's hands was severely damaged by us, when there are no planes in the sky, the heavy artillery battalion can participate in frontal battles, cover the infantry defensive positions, suppress the Japanese attacking troops from a distance, and increase their losses!"
"Japanese casualties continue to increase, and our losses continue to decrease. The casualty ratio will naturally increase from less than two to one now to three to one, or even four to one..."
"So don't worry, don't be discouraged..."
"The sacrifices made now are temporary and must be made, otherwise we will not be able to kill more little devils in future battles!"
The anxious expression on Li Wensheng's face slowly eased, but when he thought of the losses of the 1st and 7th Battalions, he became anxious again, and couldn't help but remind him: "Since the heavy artillery battalion is our trump card, it can play a role in changing the situation of the battle! "
"Should we contact the heavy artillery battalion immediately and ask them to join the battle as soon as possible!"
"The battle on the front line is too brutal, and a large number of soldiers die almost every minute!"
"If they join the war earlier, the sacrifices of frontline troops will be less!"
Kong Jie shook his head and objected: "You can't rush!"
"I made an agreement with Chen Daliang before the battle: the artillery can participate in the battle anytime and anywhere. We will not intervene in any command. Everything is based on the safety of the heavy artillery battalion!"
"The reason why Chen Daliang is not participating in the war now is probably because he is worried about the planes in the sky!"
"I also expected them to turn defeat into victory, change the situation of the battle, and severely damage Sato's division here, instead of being bombed by Japanese planes and suffering heavy losses as soon as they entered the war!"
Kong Jie had said this, and Li Wensheng could only compromise, sighing and saying: "Okay, then I will wait and see, waiting for the heavy artillery battalion to join the battle..."
Kong Jie immediately ordered: "All the troops on the front line are watching us!"
"Anyone can lose confidence in the future of this resistance war, but we can't... Everyone should stay in their positions, continue to stick to their posts, and report to me as soon as possible if there is any situation!"
In fact, Kong Jie still had something in his heart that he hadn't said a word.
The trump card of the independent regiment is not only the heavy artillery battalion, but also the independent assault battalion and the special operations team directly under the regiment headquarters.
Huang Yu's battlefield sense is very keen, and the Sato division's defense line is so long, there must be a lot of defense loopholes in the middle!
With Huang Yu's command ability, he can definitely seize these loopholes and cause a major blow to Sato's division...
With two killer weapons in hand, one inside and one outside, Kong Jie had the confidence to face the incendiary bombs without panic...
In the heavy artillery battalion position, facing the increasingly anxious battle on the front line, the deputy battalion commander and instructor became anxious again.
Although the regiment did not report casualty data to them, they could see the tragic scenes on the battlefield.
Duanjia Fort was completely shrouded in artillery fire, the blocking position was burned to black charcoal by incendiary bombs, the bunker and houses were almost razed to the ground...
They were all telling them how many casualties the front-line defense forces suffered and how much they needed the artillery support from the heavy artillery battalion!
"Batalion Commander, I think it's almost done!" the deputy battalion commander couldn't help but remind him again!
"The Japanese planes withdrew twice, but both returned to the battlefield half an hour later!"
"We wait five minutes for the Japanese plane to evacuate before launching an attack. We will fight for five minutes and then start to retreat."
"As long as there are no accidents on the road, twenty minutes is enough for us to move to the preparation position and make a good disguise!"
The instructor responded: "I think it's almost done!"
"Although the regiment commander did not send a telegram to remind us, we can all see the battle situation on the front line. The defensive pressure on the troops must be extremely high!"
"If we take action earlier, the defensive pressure on the infantry will be much less, and the casualties will be much less!"
"Look again!" Chen Daliang thought for a moment and replied.
"If the return time of the Japanese plane is still half an hour... we will launch an attack when they evacuate again!"
"Notify all artillery batteries to aim at the target as planned and be ready to fire at any time!"
"The retreat and transfer route must also be confirmed again to ensure that it is foolproof!"
"Check all the mules, horses and cars responsible for pulling the artillery!"
"Make sure that the artillery pieces participating in the battle can be transferred as soon as they are fired. There won't be any delay for even half a minute!"
"The camouflage net for the reserve artillery position must also be prepared..."
"Disguise all the artillery pieces as soon as they are moved into position!"
"If time is limited and the transfer is not in place, the artillery company must stop after half an hour and make disguise on the spot!"
In a ravine three kilometers behind Sato's division, more than 800 soldiers from the assault battalion and special forces were hiding here.
Huang Yu stood guard at the entrance and exit of the ravine, constantly raising his telescope to look ahead.
He sent out the two reconnaissance platoons directly under the battalion and the special operations team. Some were investigating the several kilometers of Sato Division's defense line, while others were keeping an eye on Duan Jiabao and reporting on the latest battle conditions on the front line at any time.
Although the commando battalion is equipped with a radio, the regiment commander can be contacted through the radio.
But based on Huang Yu's understanding of Kong Jie, in order to avoid adding pressure to himself, even if there was an accident or risk on the front line, the regiment leader would carry it on by himself and would not inform himself.
In order to grasp the overall situation, the best way is to send people to keep an eye on the front line.
"Battal Commander...there is a situation in Duanjiabao..."
"The little devil used an aerial bomb we have never seen before..."
"When an aerial bomb explodes, a raging fire will ignite within tens of meters of the bomb's impact point..."
"The casualties of the frontline defense forces in the battle are temporarily unclear..."
"But the troops have repelled three Japanese large-scale attacks, causing thousands of casualties to Sato's division..."
"The outside of Duanjia Fort is filled with corpses of little Japanese..."
Huang Yu raised his eyebrows and made a judgment: "It's an incendiary bomb... The little devil is so cruel that he actually used incendiary bombs on us!"
"Send a telegram to the regiment leader immediately..."
"After the incendiary bomb explodes, it will suck out the air in the bombholes and bunkers, causing the soldiers hiding in the bombholes to suffocate to death!"
"We must immediately dig out ventilation holes in the anti-gun holes on the follow-up defense line. The more the better..."
After the telegram was sent, Huang Yu's frown did not relax.
No matter how prepared the main force of the regiment is, sudden incendiary bombs will cause a large number of casualties to the troops.
This was something that no one had considered before the war.
But he didn't have many ways to break the situation. He only hoped that the follow-up troops of Sato's division would soon reveal a big flaw for him. By raiding the enemy's back, they would be attacked from the front and back, guarding the head but not the tail, so as to reduce the head's frontal vulnerability. Defensive pressure…
"Batalion Commander..." Duan Peng suddenly ran over to report.
"We found the Japanese heavy artillery position!"
"But Sato has arranged a reinforced brigade and a tank squadron for protection... It will be difficult for us to take it down in a short time!"
