Devil's Army

Chapter 1807: The Battle to Attack Northern Anhui Begins 2

When Division Commander Kumagai learned that the Devil's Army had doubled its fighter planes, he quickly asked for help from the Hubei Air Force, but it was too late.

Japanese fighter planes at Hubei Santaokou Airport have already gone out to carry out missions.

Although the First Army's air force was unaware of the Japanese Navy and Army's joint surprise attack on Bengbu and Huaibei, they had been making plans to destroy the Japanese air force in southern Anhui.

After receiving the news that the Japanese navy and army were attacking northern Anhui, they immediately acted according to the plan. However, the target of the operation was changed from the Japanese naval base and Wuhu airport to the Japanese navy on the Huai River and the Japanese artillery positions and infantry on the north bank of the Huai River.

This time, the battle to recapture northern Anhui, launched by the Japanese navy, army and air force, was in full swing on the surface of the Huaihe River and in the air.

The Japanese warships' anti-aircraft firepower was completely destroyed, and they were forced to raise their guns to fight against the First Army's fighter planes.

The Japanese fighter planes were already inferior in performance, and now they were besieged by the superior strength of the First Army's air force, making the situation one-sided.

The Japanese Anqing Navy resisted and retreated at the same time.

One gunboat and one warship were sunk, another was capsized, and three gunboats and warships lost power and were carried by the Huai River to the Yangtze River.

The remaining Japanese ships had no time to attack the Devil Force in Huaibei. They desperately fired at the Devil Force planes in the air while retreating to the mouth of the Yangtze River.

A Japanese air force saw the plight of the naval fleet on the Huai River and flew over to rescue them.

The First Army's air force abandoned the Japanese navy on the river and engaged in an air battle with the Japanese air force.

The Japanese naval fleet in Anqing took the opportunity to escape from the Huai River.

By this time, the Japanese air force had lost interest in the fight and fled. But the First Army air force would not allow the Japanese air force to escape under their noses. They stepped on the throttle and gave chase.

After a tense chase, most of the Japanese fighter planes that escaped were shot down, and a few managed to escape.

The Japanese army originally wanted to join forces with the navy to attack Huaibei and Bengbu.

Unexpectedly, they were surrounded and attacked by the Devil Forces Air Force.

The army's offensive had not even begun and the plan had already failed.

Moreover, after this great battle, the Anhui Japanese Air Force was no longer able to challenge the Devil Force Air Force.

The 5th and 15th Brigades of the 1st Army began preparing to attack Huainan, but the lack of ferries was an unavoidable obstacle.

So the Fifth Brigade Commander set his sights on the Huaihe River Bridge on the Jinpu Railway in Bengbu City.

The Huaihe River Bridge on the Jinpu Railway is located at the north end of Zhongrong Street in Bengbu City. Construction began in November 1909 and was completed and opened to traffic in May 1911. It is about 570 meters long and was the first and only railway bridge over the Huaihe River at that time.

In 1938, to prevent the Japanese attack, the Nanjing government troops took the initiative to blow up the bridge. After the Japanese occupied Bengbu, they repaired the bridge that year.

The Huaihe River Railway Bridge on the Jinpu Railway is the second largest bridge after the Yellow River Railway Bridge.

The Japanese army built machine gun positions on the railway bridge and at the bridgehead.

There is also an artillery position on the hillside at the bridgehead.

It was no easy task for the 5th Brigade to storm the railway bridge.

However, what the Fifth Brigade Commander feared was not the strong fortifications of the Japanese army on the Jinpu Railway Huaihe Railway Bridge, but the fact that the Japanese army had placed explosives on the railway bridge.

If the Japanese troops in Huainan cannot be quickly eliminated, they may become desperate and blow up the bridge, which will be a heavy loss for the people of Huaibei and Huainan.