After Yu Hanmou listened to Huang Tao's words, it was difficult to make a decision and reply for a while. Because the phone was not easy to answer at that time, he asked Huang Tao not to hang up the phone, to keep talking for five minutes, and to make a decision after consulting with his staff.
Five minutes later, Yu Hanmou made a decision and said to Huang Tao: "Attacking Guangzhou is a stronghold, it is not easy, even if it is attacked, it is not easy to defend." It was not as stable as the Japanese liaison positions that attacked the Oxback Ridge and the Good Mouth nearby. Just follow your second claim. ”
When the battle really came, Huang Tao deployed the operation according to the instructions, ordering the 157th Division to capture the Niubei Ridge and the 152nd Division to attack Liangkou. The 186th Division, which was originally responsible for defending the Bullback Ridge, originally did not belong to the Sixty-second Army, and after its main force collapsed, the 117th Brigade of the division, under the command of brigade commander Zhang Zeshen, had been insisting on fighting, and at this time it was also under the command of the Sixty-second Army. Huang Tao also ordered them to advance towards the oxback ridge to cover the left side of the army.
On the way out of the 157th Division, Yu Hanmou specially transmitted a telegram to the 940 regiment through the division headquarters, announcing the promotion of regiment commander Li Youzhuang as acting brigade commander. Although he became the acting brigade commander, Li Youzhuang still actually commanded the 940 Regiment, and the 940 Regiment was an avant-garde regiment and was about to fight the enemy. At this time, Yu Hanmou hurriedly issued a promotion order, which was obviously a means of encouraging Li Youzhuang, and it can also be seen that the "old strategist" was indeed very diligent in commanding operations.
There were only about 600 guns left in the 940 regiment, but from Li Youzhuang to the officers and men of the battalion company, there was a courage and vigor to swear shame before the snow. The regiment concentrated all its mortars and heavy machine guns and covered the advance of the Third Battalion towards the Bullback Ridge attack with intensive fire.
Stationed in Niubei Ridge Street were Japanese logistics stations and warehouses, and new Japanese strongholds were built on the highlands on the east, west, and north sides. Although each stronghold had only a hundred Japanese soldiers, the fortifications were strong and the guns were well equipped. The third battalion suffered heavy casualties in the attack, and the battalion commander who led the charge saw the panic and fled the battlefield. Fortunately, the lower-level officers and men of the Cantonese Army were full of fighting spirit, and without the command of the battalion commander, the soldiers should fight how to fight. After fierce fighting until 1 p.m., the 940 Regiment finally rushed into the oxback ridge.
After occupying the oxback ridge, Li Youzhuang commanded the troops to effectively occupy the key points in the oxback ridge on the one hand, and on the other hand, he sent troops to specialize in attacking the enemy on the hill at the western end of the oxback ridge. In order to guard and cover his own left side, Li Youzhuang drew a platoon from the special agent company to seize the highest peak at the northwest end of the Oxback Ridge, Jianfeng Mountain.
The strength of the 940 regiment to attack the hill was still the two remaining battalions (which had been reduced to two companies) at the time of the defeat of Bolong Pass, and it was difficult to achieve anything for a while. Meanwhile, the special agent platoon has ascended The Sharp Edge Mountain. That night, the Japanese army set fire to the mountain, and all the grass and trees on Jianfeng Mountain were burned. The next morning, thinking that there would be no more people on Jianfeng Mountain, more than a dozen Japanese troops led wolfhounds and climbed up the mountain with great hesitation. In fact, at night, the special service platoon used Shi Yan to dodge, and was not injured by the fire, after the Japanese army appeared, the platoon leader took up a light machine gun, swept away, and immediately killed five Japanese soldiers, and the rest of the Japanese army crawled down the mountain with a rolling belt.
Later, the number of Japanese troops who attacked increased from dozens to hundreds, and they fired intensively with steel artillery machine guns at the opposite hill, but the special agent platoon was indomitable, holding the enemy back and dragging the enemy at Jianfeng Mountain for two days and nights (during which time they were hungry for a day), and finally only the platoon leader with seven people survived.
In the Battle of Northern Guangdong (5), to be continued...