Devil's Army

Chapter 1976 Breaking Through the Pine Forest Defense Line

When the soldiers of the Second Regiment broke through the Japanese Xiaobaidian position and marched towards Anji County, the soldiers of the Third Regiment had already broken through the Japanese Dasonglin position and were attacking Anji County.

As the name suggests, the Great Pine Forest is a large area of ​​pine trees.

A typical example is the large pine forest on the hill of Guangde Temple.

Cishan Post is located 10 kilometers east of Guangde County. A highway from Xuancheng to Changxing passes through it, and there are large pine forests along the highway.

The dense pine forests can provide excellent cover for ambush troops.

Several years ago, the 876th Regiment of the 436th Brigade of the 146th Division of the Sichuan Army, which had retreated from Si'an and Jiepai, mobilized the masses overnight in Dasonglin to pile up timber, doors, windows, tables, chairs, bricks and other items in the middle of the road to set up obstacles.

There was a large ditch near the path in the pine forest, and the Sichuan soldiers hid in the ditch. The ditch was completely hidden by the dense pine forest.

When the Japanese troops stopped advancing, the Sichuan soldiers rushed out from the pine forest ditch.

The soldiers strapped grenades to their bodies and perished along with the Japanese tanks.

All the Japanese tanks and trucks that advanced to this point were destroyed by the Sichuan Army, and the soldiers also suffered heavy casualties.

The Japanese army wanted to imitate the tactics of the Sichuan Army, so they ambushed a large number of soldiers and artillerymen in the pine forests on both sides of the path, preparing to ambush the soldiers of the 3rd Regiment of the 15th Brigade.

However, in guerrilla warfare and surprise attacks, the Chinese army was the ancestor of the Japanese army, while the Japanese army could only rigidly follow the three basic attack methods taught in textbooks.

The Japanese army's attempt to imitate the Sichuan army's tactics this time was completely unsuccessful.

The soldiers of the Third Regiment quickly realized from the unusual situation in the woods that the Japanese army had an ambush. Led by a local guide, they bypassed the large pine forest on Cishan Hill and suddenly appeared behind the Japanese army, launching a fierce attack on the Japanese troops in the pine forest and the ditch.

Under the fierce barrage of rockets and mortar shells, the Japanese troops hiding in the ditch suffered heavy casualties.

The Japanese troops hiding in the woods were also subjected to fierce gunfire from the 3rd Regiment's machine gunners.

The Japanese army, having failed in their attempt to steal a chicken, suffered a loss and hastily withdrew from the pine forest on Cishan Hill, fleeing back to Anji County.

The soldiers of the Third Regiment pursued relentlessly, chasing all the way to the outskirts of Anji County, where they began their assault.

While the 3rd Regiment of the 15th Brigade was breaking through the Japanese pine forest defense line, the 4th Regiment of the 15th Brigade was also attacking the Japanese Shimenguan defense line.

Shimen Pass is a strategic pass at the junction of Zhejiang and Anhui provinces, known for its impregnability, where "one man can hold the pass against ten thousand."

The roads here are treacherous, with many canyons and steep slopes in the surrounding area, and the mountain road connecting Anji and Guangde is rugged and narrow.

By this point, the 4th Regiment of the 15th Brigade could only advance in two columns, unable to utilize its numerical advantage.

The Japanese troops, relying on the high ground on both sides of the pass, laid an ambush and stubbornly resisted the advance of the Fourth Regiment.

Although the Fourth Regiment had superior numbers, it was at a disadvantage due to its terrain and was constantly pressured by the Japanese army from the high ground, unable to break through the Japanese defenses.

Because the Third Regiment quickly broke through the Japanese defense line at Cishangang, the Third Regiment Commander, knowing the Fourth Regiment's predicament, immediately divided his forces into two groups. The First and Second Battalions were assigned to outflank the Japanese rear at Shimen Pass, while the Third and Fourth Battalions attacked Anji County.

The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 3rd Regiment climbed up the cliffs to Shimen Pass and launched a fierce attack on the Japanese troops who were blocking the 4th Regiment.

The Japanese troops defending Shimen Pass had just received news of the fall of the pine forest at Cishangang.

Unexpectedly, the devilish troops seemed to appear out of nowhere, suddenly appearing behind them.

The Japanese lieutenant hurriedly divided his troops to block the fierce attacks from the 1st and 2nd battalions of the 3rd Regiment from both flanks of Shimen Pass, but to no avail.