Rikugun Chūi (First Lieutenant) JIro, Kajiwara, Cagayan Valley, Philippines
First Lieutenant Kajiwara walked out of the temporary command tent set up under palm trees providing shade from the Morning sun; He trudged through sand passing trucks loaded down with ammo and supplies being pushed out of the soft sand by soldiers. He finally arrived off sand onto solid ground and took a final glance over his shoulder seeing the massive effort of troops, vehicles, supplies, and precious few tanks still coming onto the beach. “Lieutenant Kajiwara the platoon is ready.” said a sergeant as he approached. “Thank you, sergeant Fujimoto.” He replied as he approached seeing members of his platoon assisting medics with loading wounded civilians into an ambulance well they were waiting for their platoon leader to return. They all watched the ambulance depart as they follow instruction and formed into platoon formation. ”Are orders have come down, we are going to be advancing into the Valley and making as much head way as we can before the main advance, Everyone is to keep their eyes open we have lost five men to booby-traps and double that in wounded, We are currently aiming to travel twelve kilometers before nightfall.” Ordered Kajiwara as he showed his troops on his field map that contained the land island in a grid formation and terrain features other than that no information.
Kajiwara held his Mauser C96 in one hand as his platoon surround him as they advanced slowly forward with a young Corporal Chosi was leading the platoon forward. Chosi unleashed a cry of pain as wooden spikes penetrated the rubber sole of his boot and flesh alike. Two soldiers rushing towards their injured comrade and one collapsed as a bullet punctured his chest throwing him to the ground. “Find Cover and Return Fire.” Bellowed the Lieutenant as he rushed behind the trunk of a tree unleashing four shots with the heavy pistol as he ran, Japanese soldiers opened fire as they scattered to cover a soldier dropped onto his stomach and opened fire with his Type 99 light machine gun with a slower rate of fire. Chosi pulled himself free from the trap with the assistance of his fellow soldier a second before the soldiers neck exploded in a spray of blood and was dead before he hit the ground. “Mauri call in the Artillery well be slaughtered like this I want this jungle head of us gone!” Bellowed Kajiwar as he barely was holding his anger in check.
Gunsō (Sergeant), Usui, Cagayan Valley, Philippines
Six Type 91 10 cm howitzer were positioned within firing pit as Combat Engineers were still building fortifications and Soldier stood guard, Soldiers rushed furiously working loading and aiming the artillery pieces. Thunder Claps echoed across landscape in a flash of fire and smoke as the Howitzers fired unleashing High Explosives rounds into a high arc aimed at their target. Breach’s opened expelled expended brass casing to the dirt floor as another soldier slammed another artillery round into the breach and slammed it closed before another shot was made.
Rikugun Chūi (First Lieutenant) JIro, Kajiwara, Cagayan Valley, Philippines
Pillars of fire and earth reached skyward in expanding balls of fire repeatedly as shells kept kept raining in on their target incinerating trees and vegetation in the firestorm that ensued. “Cease fire, Cease fire!” Bellowed Kajiwara at his radio operator as soldiers winced with each impact as earth rumbled beneath them. Artillery fire slowly came to stop like someone had turned off a giant hose of hellfire. Kajiwara rallied and reorganized platoons looking at the four dead wrapped with their poncho well four soldiers