May 22, 2006 May 22, 2006
In the evening on August, 8th meetings have taken place in all our batteries and battalions, then everyone have been given out on a unit of fire, enough ammunition have been brought up on the battery. With the approach of darkness we were ordered to have a rest but nobody slept. Everyone waited the command. In three o'clock in the morning our regiment has been lifted on battle alarm and has followed at our infantry to the border. When we have approached to a Japanese frontier post we have seen that all the Japanese were already destroyed by our assault group. There was a fight somewhere ahead - some shots and explosions were heard, they moved away inside of the territory of Manchuria.
The Japanese were so stunned by the unexpectedness, power and precipitancy of our offensive that they almost didn't show resistance and retreated in a panic. We have moved on 120 kilometers for the first two days and had arrived to the Khailar Fortified Region to the evening on August, 11th. It was the most powerful and largest Fortified Region on that direction.
Here Japanese at last tried to stop us. Having collided with fierce resistance, our infantry has requested an artillery support. While our regiment was deploying, we, artillery scouts, were divided on some groups in 5-7 men and have gone in the frontline. In spite of the fact that it was already dark, we adjusted the fire of our batteries which was very intensive and exact. When the fire points of the enemy have been suppressed, our infantry has risen in an attack and has broken through the first line of the enemy defense. The Japanese have retreated in the depth of the Fortified Region, to the mountain of Khailar. The enemy fortifications were very serious there - there were some lines of barbed wire behind of a tank ditch, further there were some trenches, behind of them there were some two-storied artillery pillboxes, each of which was defended with a strengthened battalion. The thickness of the pillboxes' walls was up to three meters of reinforced concrete, above of which there was a two-meter pillow of the ground. All the approaches were exposed to cross-fire.
All the day we were on the frontline, conducting supervision over the Japanese positions. In the evening we have received an order to penetrate secretly as deep as possible inside of the enemy positions and to adjust artillery fire from there. It was necessary to filter secretly through the battle order of the enemy. Infantry scouts have shown us a place where there was no a continuous line of defense - that place was under fire of our artillery all the day long. It was there when we for the first time have seen many dead Japanese: probably, it was because of high losses why they have left that position. After we have passed the frontline, we have crept about two kilometers deep into the Japanese defense, have camouflaged, and have distributed the sectors of supervision. Since the morning and till the evening our commander adjusted the fire of our batteries with a portable radio set, while we attentively were watching the actions of the Japanese, were defining their fire points, were revealing their command posts and accumulations of enemy infantry, preparing for counterattacks, and were informing the coordinates of the found out targets in the headquarters of our regiment.
At the night when it had became quiet a little, we have dozed by turns for an one and a half or two hours. It was closer to the morning when we have received an order to move forward on a pair kilometers. Not uncovered by the enemy we have risen on a hill, have found a trench which was overgrown with a little small bush. We have carefully camouflaged again and with the dawn we have already transmitted fresh data.
However on the next night, on August, 15th when we were returning back and already passed the frontline, the Japanese have spotted us. The machine-gun and mortar fire was so strong that it was impossible to lift a head. It was necessary to request covering artillery fire and to retreat on all fours but we had no avoided losses nevertheless - Efreitor Anatolii Seredkin was killed and we carried out his body. We have crawled up to a tank ditch and have stopped. There was our infantry there. We have dug out some shelters right in the wall of the ditch and have equipped an observing post there. It was very close to the Japanese pillboxes which continued to shoot. Then the batteries of our regiment had moved forward and opened a direct laying fire on the embrasures of the pillboxes. Our sappers began to break the walls of pillboxes with charges of an explosive. But the Japanese in no way wished to recognize their defeat and even tried to counterattack. It was about five o'clock PM when a battalion of Samurais-smertniks suddenly made a psychological attack. They run to us with naked swords, they were dressed in unbuttoned tunics with rolled sleeves and were shouting "Banzai!" But our artillerymen had kept their heads - they turned the batteries and opened shrapnel fire. After a few shrapnel volleys the Japanese battalion has lost a half from its stuff. Our infantry has risen in a counterattack and has eliminated all the remaining Japanese. No one of those Japanese retreated or surrendered. Wounded Samurais suicided with hara-kiri but didn't surrender. All the field has been covered by their corpses. At that moment someone of us has carelessly risen, Japanese have spotted our shelter and have hit our observing post with mortar and artillery fire. One shell exploded right on the parapet of the trench, I was shell-shocked and was heaped up with the ground. When I was dug out, I heard nothing and only blinked with my eyes. Blood exuded from my left ear and I have a headache. I was sent in a field hospital.
On August, 17th the garrisons of the Japanese pillboxes at last have surrendered. About 54 thousand soldiers and officers led by General Namuro had surrendered. But there were some exchanges of fire from time to time - our soldiers were cleaning the territory of the Fortified Region and the mountain of Khailar from the Japanese who did not wish to surrender.
Mikhail Vasiliev visited me in the hospital a couple days later. He has told that at the evening our division would move to the Grand Khingan. I did not want to remain behind my regiment and I have run away from the hospital. When I has returned on my battery, the platoon commander asked me about my health. My head still hurt but I have answered that my health was OK (I already have removed the bandage from my head earlier as I wanted my commanders to believe me that I was healthy). The infantry regiments of my division already have moved forward and our regiment has moved at them two hours later.
The rise on the Grand Khingan was very difficult - though the wheels of our trucks were covered by chains they all the same slipped; on steep slopes we often had to climb down, to push out our trucks and to pull our guns with ropes. Not reaching the pass, we have came across a Japanese resistance point at village Buhedu where Samurais again have shown persistent resistance - the fierce fights lasted almost for two days. The Japanese smertniks, chained to rocks, fired on us from sniper rifles and machine guns and did not surrender, suiciding with a hara-kiri and dying right before our eyes. Only after the Japanese fire points have been suppressed by our artillery, our tanks and infantry have rushed into Buhedu. Japanese have retreated to the mountain of Tsitsikar where they have been finished off.
Then our division has moved further to Harbin, but it has stopped a day after - we were informed that the Japanese army is crushed finally and the war is finished. We shouted: "Ura!" and "The victory is ours!"
