EBE Chapter 2021 The Battle of Zhao Family Village (Part 1)
Chapter 2021 The Battle of Zhao Family Village (Part 1)
While the Japanese 65th Division's attack on Fengxian was blocked, the 69th Brigade of the Japanese 64th Division in Yangzhou also detoured through Zhaojiaji to attack Fengxian.
Zhao Jiaji is located on the Huaibei Plain, where the terrain is relatively flat. This terrain is somewhat disadvantageous for defense, as it lacks natural fortifications to block the Japanese army's advance.
This was also an important reason why the Japanese army chose to attack Fengxian from here.
However, the flat terrain also had its advantages. The second regimental commander deployed his troops and set up a large area of defensive positions, making it difficult for the Japanese army to concentrate their efforts on breaking through a single point.
Meanwhile, the local people cooperated with the Second Regiment to dig trenches and build fortifications using natural terrain such as rivers and ditches, increasing the layers and solidity of the defense.
In addition, the soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment took advantage of the green sorghum formed by the crops in the area during the harvest season to prepare for a surprise attack on the Japanese army.
The engineers of the 2nd Regiment also laid mines along the main road from Zhao Jiaji into Feng County. They also deployed snipers in hidden locations such as cornfields and ditches to prevent the Japanese army from clearing mines.
Soon after, the vanguard of the 69th Brigade of the Japanese 64th Division appeared in Zhao Jiaji. The Japanese vanguard was a mechanized unit and advanced very quickly.
With several loud "booms..." explosions, the first Japanese truck was overturned by a minefield.
The second Japanese truck braked suddenly, but unfortunately struck another landmine and was blown off course and fell to the ground.
The Japanese soldiers quickly jumped off the vehicle, formed two columns, and protected the engineers in the middle to begin clearing the mines.
The two Japanese tanks that followed began firing blindly into the open area ahead.
Japanese infantrymen attempted to continue their advance, providing cover for engineers clearing mines, but they triggered a mine that exploded, killing several soldiers in succession.
The company commander could only order the machine gunners to lie down and set up machine gun positions on both sides of the opposite side. Once the enemy was spotted, they would immediately fire to cover the engineers clearing mines.
The snipers of the Second Regiment, who were hiding in the tall crops and ditches opposite, immediately seized the opportunity and fired a few shots, taking down the Japanese engineers. Then they quickly moved to a new position.
Sure enough, after the gunfire, the Japanese machine gunners immediately opened fire on the cornfields and ditches. But by then, the snipers had already quietly left and moved to a different position.
As the new Japanese engineers went forward to clear mines, gunfire erupted from other areas.
These Japanese engineers collapsed and died before they even began clearing the mines.
The relentless ambushes by the devilish snipers infuriated the Japanese company commander.
He arranged for more machine gunners to set up machine gun positions, and to open fire immediately if any unusual activity was detected in the cornfields or ditches.
This suppressed the snipers' firing to some extent, making it impossible for them to snipe the Japanese engineers.
However, the open terrain of Zhaojiaji allowed the snipers of the Second Regiment to change sniping positions more frequently, sniping the Japanese engineers without any cover.
By this time, most of the Japanese vanguard engineers had been killed in action. However, most of the Japanese soldiers had been trained in mine clearance.
The company commander arranged for soldiers to clear the mines, while also ordering the brigade commander to bring in snipers to deal with the devilish troops' snipers.
Under the threat of Japanese snipers, the snipers of the 2nd Regiment were unable to fully engage the Japanese engineers.
However, the snipers and landmines of the 2nd Regiment greatly slowed the advance of the Japanese 64th Division, damaging the morale of the Japanese troops.
What terrified the Japanese army was not the snipers and landmines of the devilish troops, but the air force. Because at that moment, the roar of fighter planes filled the air.