Devil's Army

Chapter 912 Recovering Zunhua County

Before Japanese Army Brigade Commander Kunisaki Noboru returned to Dangyu Town, he received the news that his troops had been defeated in Dangyu Town and retreated to Zunhua County.

Brigade Commander Kunisaki Noboru rushed to Zunhua County, and only a handful of soldiers from his Kunisaki Detachment managed to break through.

The Japanese troops to the south and east of Xiaoguanzhuang Airport were also driven to Fengnan County and Luan County by the Second and Third Regiments of the Sixth Brigade.

Commander-in-Chief Terauchi Juichi ordered Itagaki Seishiro to occupy Xiaoguanzhuang Airport within a week. Now, not only has he not made any progress, but he has also been driven back to Zunhua County, Fengnan County and Luan County by the devil's troops.

Before Commander Banhuan could come up with a counterattack plan, the guards came to report: The devil troops had already attacked the outskirts of Luan County and could outflank Dongbaliqiao Village at any time. Commander Banhuan was told to evacuate as soon as possible.

Commander Banhuan looked at the outskirts of Luan County where the sound of gunfire continued, and had to ask the guards to pack up the documents and retreat to Pinggu County.

In the early morning of the next day, the commander of the third regiment arranged for soldiers to raid Dongbaliqiao Village, but it was deserted.

After daybreak, the troops moved forward according to Wu Lang's orders, preparing to launch an attack on Zunhua County, Fengnan County and Luan County.

Wu Lang believed that they had suffered heavy casualties in the North China battlefield this time and must gain something. He intended to push the defense line on three sides of Xiaoguanzhuang Airport to Zunhua County, Fengnan County and Luan County to prevent the Japanese army from thinking about Xiaoguanzhuang Airport every day.

At this time, the Japanese Air Force at Xiaoguanzhuang Airport had less than two squadrons of fighters left. Moreover, as the combat airspace expanded, they had to travel back and forth for longer periods of time, and their support efficiency was lower.

The Huaxia II fighter plane of the First Army, in which the squadron leader and a comrade were injured by Japanese fighter planes, landed at the Tangshan temporary airport for repairs. Currently, the First Army has only five Huaxia fighter planes left.

The flying speed of the First Army's bombers was much faster than that of the Japanese Type 95 fighters. When they saw the Japanese fighters coming towards them, they immediately fled, so they still have nine bombers to this day.

In order to capture Zunhua County, the commander of the Second Regiment moved the two 150mm howitzers deployed behind the third line of fortifications to the left front of Zunhua County under the cover of darkness last night.

After everything was ready, the 1st Regiment of the 6th Brigade launched an attack on the Japanese troops in Zunhua County at ten o'clock in the morning.

Due to fear of Japanese bombers, the 150th Brigade did not deploy tanks and mm howitzers.

A regimental commander arranged soldiers from the first company of the first battalion to launch an attack on Zunhua County under the cover of mortars.

The Japanese army relied on the city wall to desperately block the attack.

The first company was blocked outside the city wall, and at this time Japanese planes flew over.

The company commander quickly told the soldiers to hide and beware of the Japanese air raids, but many of the company's soldiers were killed in the bombing.

After the Japanese planes flew away, the commander of a regiment immediately ordered two hidden 150mm howitzers to launch a fierce bombardment on the Japanese troops on the wall of Zunhua County.

The 150mm howitzer's destructive power caused the city wall of Zunhua County to collapse in several places, and the Japanese troops inside the city wall suffered heavy casualties.

As soon as the First Army's howitzers stopped bombing, four Type 2 tanks, with the cooperation of the infantry, also began to attack Zunhua County.

Although the Japanese troops of the Kunisaki Detachment and the 11th Regiment suffered heavy losses, they remained stubborn and stood on the city walls, frantically blocking the attacks of the first company.

A Japanese soldier, with grenades tied all over his body and two grenades in his hands, was climbing up the city wall, intending to jump down and blow up a Type 2 tank that was approaching the wall.

A sniper from the Sixth Brigade's direct battalion raised his gun and shot the grenade tied to the Japanese soldier. A series of explosions sounded on the city wall. The Japanese soldiers around him were blown down one after another.

The Type 2 tank drove straight to the city gate and fired two consecutive shots at the gate.

The north gate of Zunhua County collapsed, and the Type 2 tank drove into Zunhua County first, with the infantry beside it hurriedly following.

The Japanese soldiers on the city wall hurriedly fired at a company of soldiers who were rushing into the city wall, but were met with suppressive bombing from three other tanks.

As another three tanks entered Zunhua County and infantry continued to pour in, the Japanese troops in Zunhua County began to retreat towards the west gate.

Soldiers from the First Battalion of the First Regiment of the Sixth Brigade began to enter Zunhua County and clear out the remnants of the Japanese troops in Zunhua County.

What made the battalion commander happy was that because their tanks advanced too quickly, the Japanese troops in Zunhua County did not have time to transport the county's supplies away.

A battalion commander found a small supply warehouse on the left side of the barracks. The warehouse was filled with ammunition, food and several barrels of fuel.

Following the instructions of the Sixth Brigade Commander, the First Regiment Commander ordered the tank soldiers to pursue the Japanese troops fleeing from the west gate and to completely annihilate the Japanese Kunizaki Detachment that committed heinous crimes in Nanjing.

However, under the protection of his guards, Brigade Commander Kunisaki Noboru escaped from the woods after leaving the west gate. The tanks of the First Army failed to annihilate them all.

(Brigade commander Kunizaki Noboru, one of the culprits of the Nanjing Massacre in history, was promoted to lieutenant general in August 1939, transferred back to Japan in November 8, escaped postwar trials, and died in 1941 at the age of 11.)