Chapter Forty-two: Sudden Attack

  Indeed, the solid fortifications, narrow entrances and exits, and cleared surroundings had eliminated the field of fire, turning the obstacles set for the attackers into a hindrance for the Japanese counterattack. The elite special landing party members were mowed down by rows of light and heavy machine guns on the flat streets and squares, with bodies quickly scattered all over the ground. After losing several hundred men, the Japanese could only retreat to the remaining fortified buildings, having suffered only occasional casualties from enemy snipers and grenade launchers. The battle soon subsided again, with only the 12 100mm cannons of the Shanghai Special Marine Corps' solid fortifications continuing to fire from three sides, causing constant collapses, occasionally moving their firing positions, while the Japanese responded with sporadic curved trajectory cannon fire, and the remaining Japanese troops seemed to have retreated deep into their base.

  Zhang Zhizhong received the report and personally approached the front line, holding a telescope back and forth.

  I was also watching with a pair of binoculars, "Wenbai brother, what are the Japanese troops up to?"

  "The outer forts were successively destroyed by my heavy artillery, but the collapsed buildings have begun to hinder my direct fire from hitting the enemy's position in depth. The sappers are still rushing to repair the artillery shooting positions at the front, and once the heavy artillery is moved up, we will launch the final wave of attack, and our troops will charge in and fight the enemy to the death."

  "Oh! It's time for close combat assault! Is Brother Wen Bai ready for blasting operations?"

  "It's all set. Peng Huan Ying, it's your turn!" Zhang Zhizhong said, turning his head back.

  "Yes!"

  "We're back at the 88th Division Command Post!"

  In the skies above Pudong, several intact Japanese bombers (don't mention the Japanese Air Force, that thing never existed) had already fled first. The 7th and 8th squadrons of Hawk fighters were easily chasing and killing the wounded and lagging 96 attack aircraft. The weak defensive characteristics of the Japanese planes were fully demonstrated in this asymmetric attack, not to mention that they had already been injured by anti-aircraft guns, and one after another was shot down by the agile Hawks.

  At this time, another batch of Japanese bombers came from the southwest, and most of the aircraft of the 2nd Brigade climbed up to intercept. The enemy planes quickly abandoned their bombs and formed a dense defensive formation to meet the attack. As the two sides approached, the enemy's 20mm cannons opened fire first, and the dense long-range firepower caused 2-3 Hawk planes to be hit, with one even directly falling down.

  Our aircraft immediately dispersed and slid sideways to avoid the frontal attack. The two sides quickly closed in, and both 79 and 65 bullets were densely fired at each other. The enemy planes appeared with a string of bullet holes, and one after another, the planes on both sides fell down. The farmland and houses near the farm that had just been bombed by the Japanese again suffered from a wave of falling planes.

  After the surviving aircraft of both sides crossed over, our aircraft turned around and launched another attack from behind. While the enemy formation was being corrected, suddenly, a small group of planes appeared in the southwest (at this time, the Japanese had no ground airports, the seaplane carrier had been destroyed, and large planes came from Taiwan, while small planes were definitely on our side). The Japanese dared not fight again, and hastily retreated northeast.

  Seeing that the newly arrived friendly forces did not pursue, the 3rd Brigade only shot down two wounded enemy planes before returning due to a lack of oil and ammunition. It turned out that the planes that came from the south were reconnaissance planes from the 35th squadron, carrying small bombs to bomb the Pudong textile factory. They had weak firepower and did not dare to participate in air combat.

  Q-5 ground attack aircraft, maximum speed 348 km/h, maximum altitude 7,500 meters, 1 cannon, 3-4 machine guns, can carry 800 kg bombs.

  Huishan Dock, the house-to-house and floor-to-floor battle between the 36th Division and the Japanese army had reached a white-hot stage. The Japanese were being beaten back step by step, losing one house and one floor after another. Many Japanese sailors and expatriates also picked up the weapons of wounded soldiers and joined the desperate fight to the death. Casualties on both sides continued to mount; as more and more troops were thrown into battle, the close-range fire from the Bohai Mountain guns and 37mm anti-tank guns was far from enough to breach the solid fortifications of the Marine Corps headquarters. Finally, the Japanese positions were completely overrun, allowing the 36th Division to exploit its numerical superiority. At 2:20 pm, Song Xilian issued a general attack order, and thousands of soldiers from the 36th Division charged into the enemy's position. Although some marines continued to resist, most of the defenders were not ground combat troops and could hardly be considered soldiers; they had held out until now but finally collapsed. Thousands of Japanese survivors ran out of their hiding places and fled wildly towards the dock; meanwhile, outside the dock, the few remaining enemy ships that could still move escaped under the cover of several small warships. As the Japanese passenger-cargo ship sailed away from the dock, some Japanese jumped into the river in an attempt to pursue it, while more either knelt or lay on the ground crying out in despair. More and more soldiers from the 36th Division occupied the surrounding buildings, charged onto the dock, and gradually ceased their gunfire.

  "Report to the commander-in-chief, at 2:40, the 36th Division has captured the Hui Shan Wharf! The remaining enemy boarded ships, some of which escaped downstream on the Huangpu River under the cover of several small warships, while others fled upstream to the Public Concession. Song Xilian and other leaders of the 36th Division climbed up the tall building, panting heavily, gazing out at the view of the Huangpu River, excitedly issuing instructions."

  At the same time, a group of 100 howitzers surrounding the Japanese Army's headquarters fired high-explosive shells, causing another wave of rubble and debris to fly through the air and new collapses.

  Sun Yuanliang smiled bitterly and said: "Commander-in-chief, direct fire heavy artillery is ineffective now, it's our turn!"

  "Alright! Order the 36th Division on the eastern front to continue defending; the other three fronts," Zhang Zhizhong glanced at his watch, "will launch a general attack at 3:10! Strive to end the battle before nightfall!"

  At 3:10, the long-silent mountain artillery battalion of the 88th Division and various mortar companies began to cover the enemy's depth with a barrage. The 88th Division had one regiment attacking from the south and two regiments from the west, while the 87th Division had one regiment attacking from the north, all advancing steadily towards the enemy positions. These troops had received training in urban warfare under Zhang Zhizhong and were advancing in dispersed formations, steadily and surely, continuously using heavy hand grenades and explosives to clear out the remaining Japanese forces on the periphery, gradually closing in on the core area.

  Suddenly, a shout of "Kill!" went up, and nearly 2,000 Shanghai Special Marine Corps elite troops who still had fighting strength launched a countercharge against the advancing troops at a distance of less than 100 meters. Apparently well-prepared, they threw out hand grenades, hand explosives, and explosives, causing intense continuous explosions that shook down many of the advancing troops, while the Japanese forces opposite them were blown to pieces, falling to the ground in disarray.

  Only the Japanese forces on the north side committed their main force, with several hundred men falling wounded or dead at the front, giving the Japanese forces behind them an opportunity to charge into the 87th Division's positions. A fierce hand-to-hand combat immediately erupted, interspersed with mutual self-explosions. By the time the reserve troops of the Clock Song ** Brigade arrived, there were hardly any men left standing on the battlefield, which was littered with corpses and blood, mixed with many severed limbs and bodies.

  At 4:40, the last intense explosion occurred. The Japanese wounded soldiers who hid in the basement of the headquarters building and refused to come out and surrender were blown up by dozens of **packages concentrated by the 88th Division; The Shanghai Special Marine Corps finally became history!

  We were overjoyed, but Zhang Zhizhong came over with a dejected look and handed me a telegram: "Chairman's Order: Confidential. After receiving this telegram, temporarily suspend the attack and switch to defense, awaiting further orders. (Shi Canjing Telegram)" (Historical fact at 8:14 pm, reason unknown until now. 'Shi Canjing Telegram' is short for the telegram from the staff room of the Nanjing headquarters)

  I don't think so, because I've read the book you wrote 30 years later! Haha! "Brother Wenbai, Chairman Mao has always been like this, it's not surprising. Anyway, two of the three enemy strongholds have already been destroyed, and the heavy artillery still needs to be relocated, the troops also need rest, our army is not good at night battles. Tonight, push the heavy artillery up, prepare for engineering work, and attack again tomorrow, it won't be late!"

  "Can we continue attacking tomorrow?"

  I thought about it and really couldn't remember how long this pause lasted, but it was within 1-2 days, "but no more than 2 days."

  "Two days?" Zhang Zhizhong sighed and looked up at the sky.

  "Brother Wen Bai, why not summarize the battle report first and submit it to Chairman Mao? Seeing such a huge victory, maybe Chairman Mao will order the restoration of the offensive! If you're still worried, I'll rush back to Nanjing to urge him on. Anyway, the overall situation here is already settled." Seeing Zhang Zhong's expression ease up, I smiled and pretended to be pitiful: "My wife is pregnant, poor me, a father who hasn't even seen his child yet!"

  "Brother and sister are just a few months old! Haha haha!" Zhang Zhizhong laughed happily. "I'll let you go before your brother and sister are born, now? Just be honest and stay here as my advisor!"

  Battle report of Songhu War up to 17:00 on July 14th

  This morning, the Thunderbolt Fleet sank the aircraft carrier Nagato, the cruiser Tenryu, and two destroyers, totaling over 18,000 tons; another destroyer was also damaged.

  This morning, the overseas Chinese organization's underwater special attack team sank the 9,000-ton Japanese Navy's Third Fleet flagship Ibuki armored cruiser and damaged the 5,000-ton Yura cruiser, causing it to run aground; the special attack team was unscathed.

  Three, in the northwest of the concession fighting today, the 88th Division of the Army, with one division each from the 87th and 36th Divisions, as well as artillery units from the Army and Air Force, captured the headquarters of the Japanese Shanghai Special Naval Landing Forces, annihilated the main forces of the Japanese Shanghai Special Naval Landing Forces, killed over 3,200 people below the rank of Taishō, captured over 40 people below the rank of Chūi, and over 200 Japanese civilians, and seized countless spoils. Our army sacrificed over 1,200 people including Brigade Commander Huang Mei-xing, and over 1,900 wounded.

  Fourth, in the 10-hour battle in the southwestern part of the Japanese concession, the 36th Army Division, with the support of artillery units, captured the headquarters of the First Expeditionary Fleet of the Japanese Navy at Huishan Wharf, annihilating most of the ground forces of the Third Fleet and one battalion each of the Marine Corps and the Army, killing over 2,800 people below the rank of Commander, capturing over 130 people below the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and over 3,300 Japanese civilians; our army lost over 1,700 men, with over 2,500 wounded, including Brigade Commander Chen Ruihe.

  In the battle in the eastern part of the concession, the main forces of the 87th and 98th Divisions, under the coordination of the army and air force artillery units, have compressed the enemy in the eastern part of the concession into a small area behind the Huangpu River from Jiaotong University to Gongda Textile Mill. The Shanghai Marine Corps, Wu Port Special Marine Corps, and Sasebo Special Marine Corps were each annihilated, with over 600 people killed below the rank of lieutenant colonel, and another 27 captured; our army had over 1,000 deaths and over 1,700 injuries.

  Six, in the air defense battle, the army and air force anti-aircraft artillery troops shot down 7 enemy medium bombers, 2 small seaplanes, and damaged several; another 11 enemy bombers and 1 seaplane were found crashed on the ground in the combat area, suspected to be shot down by our brave air force or damaged by anti-aircraft artillery troops. Our army captured 21 Japanese naval aviators.

  Don't be surprised, in the real history of 814, only more than 4,500 people in Shanghai Special Marine Corps had actual combat effectiveness; the rest were just sailors and logistics personnel called "Marine Corps", or even emergency conscripts. Only the specially transported Wu Port, Sasebo and other special marine corps were elite troops.

  "When did Huang Meiying sacrifice herself?" I asked in surprise, having seen the monument to Huang Meiying's heroic sacrifice at Bayi Bridge a while ago.

  Zhang Zhizhong replied sorrowfully: "At 2 pm, when the 100 mountain guns were moving to a new firing position, they came under fire from enemy field artillery in the vicinity of the enemy headquarters. Huang was nearby and led his troops to rescue them. While pulling the cannons, he was hit by enemy shells and died on the spot."

  "What a pity!"

  "Tomorrow." Zhang Zhizhong looked at me, "Or the day after tomorrow, take down Gongda Cotton Mill! Eliminate Nagatani Kiyoshi!" (Nagatani Kiyoshi, Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Army in Shanghai, Admiral of the Third Fleet)