Devil's Army

Chapter 1984 Battle of the Cao'e River Bridge

The Japanese troops retreating to Ningbo had to squeeze through the Cao'e River Bridge because their ships were destroyed by the First Army Air Force.

The army did not blow up the Cao'e River Bridge so that it could be used by them.

In order to counterattack Hangzhou and retake Zhejiang, the Japanese army did not blow up the Cao'e River Bridge.

Two kilometers west of the Cao'e River Bridge, there is a hilly area where the Japanese army deployed blocking troops on its reverse slope, equipped with light and heavy machine guns to block the pursuit of the devil troops.

Moreover, the reverse slope can avoid artillery fire from the army, and can support the main battlefield on the bridge and in the valley at any time, while also blocking the westward reinforcements of the devil troops and preventing the blocking troops from being attacked from both sides.

The vanguard of the arriving independent brigade engaged in fierce fighting with the rearguard Japanese troops in the hilly area.

The independent brigade artillery that arrived later was unable to destroy the Japanese positions, but the First Army's air force quickly flew to the battlefield and carried out dive bombing raids on the Japanese positions.

With strong support from the air force, the Independent Brigade finally broke through the Japanese army's blocking line in the hilly area and continued to advance towards the Cao'e River Bridge.

In order to prevent the Independent Brigade from crossing the Cao'e River Bridge, the Japanese army deployed three echelon blocking positions.

They deployed heavy machine guns and mortars on the front lines of the hills on the west bank of the bridge, at an altitude of about 150 meters.

The view from here is unobstructed, allowing direct fire onto the bridge surface for precise strikes against the passing devilish soldiers.

The hills are densely vegetated, which can conceal troops, and they are only 300-500 meters away from the bridge, making them the most effective for firepower.

The independent travelers were then subjected to fierce gunfire and bombing by Japanese troops from the bushes.

Subsequently, the Independent Brigade's artillery bombarded the Japanese hill positions. However, the Japanese were always able to use the dense vegetation as cover, moving between the various positions in the hills and avoiding the Independent Brigade's artillery bombardment.

After receiving the report, the First Army Air Force flew over and launched a blanket bombing campaign against the Japanese hill positions, destroying the Japanese fortifications and artillery positions.

Despite being bombed by the First Army Air Force, the soldiers of the Independent Brigade launched a fierce attack on the Japanese hill positions.

After a fierce battle, the soldiers of the Independent Brigade finally managed to storm the Cao'e River Bridge.

After crossing the bridge, the soldiers of the Independent Brigade were ambushed by the Japanese army at the entrance of the valley between the hills on the east side of the bridge.

The Japanese army laid an ambush at the entrance to a valley in the hills, 1-2 kilometers east of the bridge, and also deployed a demolition unit. After crossing the bridge, the vanguard of the First Army would enter a narrow valley, where their mobility would be limited and their firepower could not be deployed.

After using the terrain to hold off the enemy for a period of time, the Japanese army first detonated a pre-planned bomb on the mountainside.

The landslide blocked the way, and the Japanese army then used the high ground on both sides of the valley to carry out crossfire, which blocked the advance of the Independent Brigade.

The soldiers of the Independent Brigade were in a very passive position, having to both clear the way forward and fight the Japanese troops who were blocking their way.

It was already close to evening, and the independent brigade was exhausted from continuous combat.

Therefore, Brigade Commander Zhang ordered his troops to temporarily halt their advance and confront the Japanese army at the entrance to the hilly valley.

As night fell, the Japanese army worried that the "Devil Troops" would take advantage of the darkness to clear the roads and launch a surprise attack on them, so they fired flares into the air from time to time.

Seeing the situation, Brigade Commander Zhang knew that the Japanese army was on high alert, so he did not order his troops to launch a night attack and continued to rest and reorganize.

Thanks to the fierce resistance of the Japanese rearguard, Commander Shimomura successfully withdrew to Ningbo, where he established his headquarters to continue blocking the attacks of the devilish troops and the New Fourth Army.

What Commander Shimomura didn't expect was that he set up his headquarters in Ningbo, which was like escaping from one wolf's den only to enter another.