The only thing that made the platoon leader happy was that he had an advantage on the terrain.
The Japanese soldiers hurriedly responded to the challenge on the march. Many people were just lying on the ground, and there was not even a usable hiding place around them.
The heavy machine guns carried by the army have not yet been set up because time was too short.
As long as this situation continues for another minute or two, the troops will definitely be able to rely on their firepower advantage to eat up all the Japanese within a hundred meters in front of the formation.
But the Japanese didn't intend to give him this chance.
In less than half a minute, the Japanese still alive at the foot of the mountain began to retreat.
The grenade launchers that they regarded as their trump card also started firing, and the grenades hit the high ground as if they were free, covering the retreat of the troops.
"Stop shooting, pay attention to concealment, and the machine guns will move to their positions immediately."
The platoon leader was not stupid and immediately ordered.
The Japanese were so powerful, and their retreat was as cunning as a monkey, constantly changing their tactics and movements, making it difficult for everyone to aim.
In this case, if you continue to shoot, you will definitely not be able to kill many Japs, and you may also be targeted by the Japs grenade, losing your wife and losing your troops.
"Platoon commander, the main force and the supplementary troops suffered a total of 18 casualties. The local troops suffered nine casualties. Most of them died. Only five were injured, and they were all seriously injured. They almost lost their combat effectiveness!" The deputy platoon leader who counted the casualties ran over and reported.
The platoon leader was confused. This number obviously exceeded his expectations.
After reacting from the shock, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh: "The combat effectiveness of the main force of the Japs is indeed extraordinary, at least one level higher than that of the garrison."
"We took advantage of the terrain and launched a sudden attack, but we only ended up with a draw with them."
"The Japanese will definitely use heavy firepower next, which will put even greater pressure on us."
"Order the soldiers to pay attention to concealment next time."
"Choose more shooting positions for yourself, fire a shot and change the position, especially the machine gun. Don't be targeted by the Japanese grenade."
"There are also supplementary troops. Let the veterans keep an eye on them and urge them to take cover when they fire. There can be no delay for a second."
"The title "Japanese Sharpshooter" is not something you just blow off."
Less than five minutes after resting, the Japanese troops at the foot of the mountain moved.
More than fifty Japanese soldiers formed a skirmish line and formed a semi-encirclement circle towards the high ground.
"Da da da……"
The heavy machine gun providing covering fire fired first.
"boom……"
Mortars also joined the battle, and the shells hit the top of the high ground and exploded, sending up a large cloud of smoke.
"Get ready to fight..." the platoon leader shouted immediately.
At this time, the rifle in his hand had turned into a light machine gun.
In the first round of firefight, a machine gun crew was unfortunately targeted by a grenade.
All three machine gunners and assistant gunners were killed by grenades. The platoon leader knew how to fire machine guns, so he had to take over personally and serve as a temporary machine gunner.
"Da da da……"
As soon as the Japanese rushed to the foot of the mountain, the platoon leader pulled the trigger.
Amidst the intensive gunfire, a tongue of flame instantly erupted from the beating muzzle of the gun. The bullet flew out of the barrel wrapped in flames and penetrated into the bodies of the two Japanese soldiers in a fan shape.
The subordinates who were still alive on the high ground also fired, and bullets flew towards the foot of the mountain like a rain of bullets.
However, the Japanese were obviously well prepared, and their attacking formation was very dispersed. When attacked, they would lie down and fight back.
Therefore, the garrison's results were very small. A sudden fire attack only killed a dozen Japanese.
More importantly, the Japanese did not choose to retreat immediately this time.
Instead, they used direct fire to kill the Eighth Route Army on the high ground bit by bit.
"Platoon leader, the Japanese grenade was fired too accurately. The heavy machine gun and a light machine gun have been destroyed, and the infantry also suffered heavy casualties." The deputy platoon leader reported anxiously after pulling the trigger and successfully killing a Japanese soldier.
"Where are our grenades? Let them counterattack immediately." The platoon leader ordered with a serious look on his face.
"The Japanese killed two machine guns, and I have to settle the score with them. I decided to retaliate and kill two of their machine guns, and I will fight back now."
The deputy platoon leader shook his head and replied: "They started to fight back a long time ago, but it was useless."
"The Japanese are so cunning. The light and heavy machine guns are constantly changing positions."
"Our grenadier soldiers have just formed into the army. Compared with the Japanese's professional grenade soldiers, they are far behind."
"The two grenade launchers had no chance of locking onto the target."
"Every time a grenade was fired, they just ran away. It was just a waste of ammunition and it didn't have any effect."
"boom……"
The mortars equipped by the Japanese fired again.
The shell hit the gentle slope twenty meters behind and exploded. Two subordinates were knocked over on the spot. One of them could not move, while the other was lying on the ground squirming. If he moved a little, a burst of heart-rending screams would come out of his mouth.
Shout."
The platoon leader's face became more solemn.
The casualties of the troops are increasing. Listening to the gunfire, compared with the initial counterattack, at least one-third of the firepower has been reduced.
On the other hand, in the Japanese attacking troops, except for a dozen people who were killed and injured at the beginning, very few people were shot afterward.
Everyone hides themselves tightly. Unless they shoot, the King of Heaven will not show his face even if he comes.
This means that the longer this battle lasts, the more unfavorable the situation will be for the garrison.
The platoon leader quickly figured out all this, and even though it was still five minutes short of the prescribed half hour, he still gave the order decisively.
"The first group will stay with me to cover, and the others will retreat immediately."
"Let's take a small path to the next mountain pass and continue to block the enemy."
"The first team prepared a few grenades to set up booby traps. Even if we can't defend this place and we give up on our own initiative, we won't be able to let the Japanese take over this place so easily."
"Boom boom boom..."
Soon, several explosions were heard from the hilltop where the platoon leader had just given up.
"Platoon leader, the booby trap we set must have exploded. I just don't know how many Japanese can be killed." The squad leader at the rear shouted excitedly.
A smile flashed across the corner of the platoon leader's mouth, but before he could be happy, the deputy platoon leader rushed over with a solemn expression.
"Platoon commander, the casualties of the troops have been calculated, and they are greater than we expected."
"The main force, local troops, plus reinforcements, there were 113 troops before the war. Now, including the first squad that has just been withdrawn, there are still 69 troops left. There are also several seriously injured people among them, almost half of them were killed or injured."
The platoon leader's face darkened again.
The opponent was too strong, and in less than half an hour, more than half of the troops were killed or injured.
If we continue to fight like this, maybe one row will have to deal with it here.
The platoon leader was hesitant and wanted to withdraw his troops and save the remaining troops.
But as soon as the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back.
The last bit of reason in his mind kept reminding him: Once the troops retreat, the more than 200 villagers in Dongzhuang will be doomed.
As a soldier, it is your duty to defend your country and protect your family, even if it costs your own life.
In order to protect nearly three hundred villagers in Dongzhuang, the troops would not hesitate even if the entire army was destroyed.
