sjar Even Chapter 1052 feels like a loss!
Even Chapter 1052 feels like a loss!
Qingzhou Garrison Camp in the South of the City
"What the hell is going on? I don't care what these Japanese devils are doing, we've been fighting for four hours and haven't broken through. What are you all doing? We've completely disgraced the 72nd Army. We've never fought such a frustrating battle. If this continues, we'll lose all face."
Commander Liu of the Qingzhou Garrison was glaring at his men and cursing them.
Although they were just a garrison regiment, they were equipped with all kinds of weapons and equipment according to the standards of the regular army. In addition, after the Japanese invaded the south, they added an artillery company, making them even stronger than some regular troops who had never been on the battlefield. They had been fighting for four hours and had not even been able to break into the provincial capital.
"Commander, it's not that the brothers aren't fighting bravely, it's just that the Japanese resistance is too fierce. Back in Qingdao, I've seen Japanese marines fight without this kind of recklessness. This Kiguchi Division is strange. We had just captured their position when more than twenty men came out from the left, carrying explosives all over their bodies..."
A battalion commander under his command said helplessly, “In that situation, more than forty of my brothers were killed and more than ten were wounded. The Japanese took the opportunity to launch a counterattack.”
"Stop spouting nonsense. This means your attack isn't enough. Hurry up and reorganize your troops, start a new offensive, and send all the artillery up there. Call in all the air support you can. I have to get into the city by nightfall."
Commander Liu said somewhat speechlessly, "So many troops in eastern Shandong, none of them came to their aid when this happened. The Qingzhou garrison regiment took advantage of the terrain and brought the Zhoucun security regiment with them. The Zhoucun security regiment has already entered the city from the west and tied down a lot of Japanese soldiers, but we just can't break in from the south."
If the division commander finds out about this, it will make our Qingzhou garrison look incredibly incompetent.
The first and second battalions had suffered heavy casualties, so this time the main attack was handed over to the third battalion company, along with the regimental headquarters guard company, and all eleven armored vehicles were brought out.
"Give him a good beating."
After Commander Liu gave the order, all ninety-seven artillery pieces of the regiment, large and small, went into berserk mode.
I don't need any precise coordinates within a small range; I just need to get the shells out.
The Japanese soldiers also realized that the group in front of them seemed to have gone mad. They had been holding out for four hours, but it was not easy to hold out for four hours. The number of casualties per hour was almost three or four hundred. If they wanted to continue to hold out, they would need new reinforcements.
"What exactly did the division headquarters say? When are they going to send us new recruits?"
The Takakura Brigade was originally heading south, but they were unexpectedly given a defensive mission, which required them to be stationed at the southern end of the provincial capital to prevent any Chinese troops from entering the city.
Commander Takakura was considered a senior officer in the Japanese army; by all accounts, he could easily have been a brigade commander. However, because he was inflexible and even too rigid in some ways, no one spoke up for him, so he had no choice but to continue in his current position.
After the North China Front Army prepared to march south, he thought he had a chance. He didn't know how to do those things that usually involved networking, but if he could win on the battlefield and have enough merits, he could easily get promoted.
Upon receiving orders from the division headquarters, he immediately commanded his men to begin a tiered defense.
His men were trained for many years, and they could switch from offense to defense in a matter of a word. Moreover, the trenches and fortifications they dug were quite well done.
When the Qingzhou garrison attacked, their positions were not in a continuous line, but rather scattered in many places, which allowed the Qingzhou garrison to launch a counterattack from other positions after capturing some of them.
This is also one of the reasons why they haven't been able to break through in four hours. The Qingzhou garrison is starting to doubt their own abilities. The difference in weaponry between the two sides is quite significant, and according to their previous tactics, they should have already charged in.
"Reporting to the regimental commander, the latest order from the division headquarters is for us to retreat immediately and withdraw entirely to the city hall railway station line."
Upon hearing this sound, everyone present was shocked. They had paid such a huge price, with nearly two thousand people dead, just to stabilize the defenses, and now they were being told to retreat immediately?
When we set off from Tianjin, we said we'd fight all the way to Huangpu River. Are we going to stop now that we've just crossed the Yellow River? We haven't even covered half the distance yet.
"Bring the telegram."
"I can't believe it," said Regiment Commander Takakura. After carefully checking it twice, he finally believed that the telegram was indeed sent by Division Commander Isogai.
Just as he finished speaking, a large number of shells fell nearby.
"Since we're retreating, let's leave some gifts for our enemies. Order the soldiers to lay booby traps, and then retreat."
The regimental commander, Takakura, wore a sinister expression and ordered his men to plant a large number of landmines and grenades on the position, so that the 72nd Army would be in for a beating when they stormed in.
It must be said that the Takakura Regiment Commander's move really hit the nail on the head. After the first round of shelling, the Qingzhou Garrison Regiment discovered that the Japanese soldiers on the front lines were retreating. Guided by several of our armored vehicles, the brothers broke through their two lines of defense in one fell swoop.
But it was at this moment that explosions began to occur on the position.
"Tell everyone to stand still where you are, and no one is allowed to move."
After more than seventy people had already been killed, Commander Liu of the Qingzhou Garrison Regiment finally ordered his men to stand still.
The squad leaders and some veterans began to explore the surrounding area inch by inch.
We often use this method when retreating: bury a grenade in this pit, pull out the string, stick it on any tree branch, and if you touch it, you're basically doomed.
The Japanese grenades didn't have this detonation method; they needed to be detonated elsewhere. But at this moment, they were using captured Chinese grenades.
Commander Liu had over two thousand soldiers, and he lost more than four hundred of them just by charging into the provincial capital. The Japanese in front of him had only lost more than two thousand men. The casualty ratio was acceptable, but with these seventy-odd men added, the total casualties would be close to six hundred.
A casualty ratio of one to three is truly shameful for the 72nd Army.
Even if the Isogai Division is an elite unit, their casualty ratio shouldn't be this high!