Japan advance Russian retreat

[robot]

Nomonhon Mongolia
12/27/39
1900 Hours

This will be our 4th battle against the Russians. Why they wont give up is a mystery to me. We have beat them every time so far except for one where we got a draw. I even thought that was a victory from the men we killed compared to our losses. This place is a god forsaken place anyways. I have no idea why anyone wants this terrible piece of landscape. It is nothing but scrub and shale all mixed up into a bizarr looking world. Wind blows almost constantly and the dust gets into everything.

I have been told to advance against the red horde and finish this once and for all. Visability is only 200 yards which we are thankful for this cuts down the range on the russian tanks. We will be able to get close and use our knee mortars today. We expect to see alot of russian armor today. Have been hearing them move up for the last hour or so. Our big stuff will open up very soon and this battle will begin. C company has been given the duty of taking the north objective.

A and B will take the 2 objectives in the south. They are very close to our front lines any ways. they are to take and hold the closest one then move on to the other one that is sw of there about 300 yards. Have backed them up with 2 platoons of tanks on there left flank.

They will have use of there atg and IG guns this battle. Quarter master corps has seen fit to allow four trucks for each company to move them up as we move. Should keep them in the battle this time not like last battle where they never got close enough to be of any use.

As an added incentive to the men I told them win this big and we may get moved out of this hell hole. May even get sent back to Japan for some time off. Dont think Russia wants to keep this sector open much longer. Have heard they are having trouble with finland on there borders. Dont think they want two wars going at the same time.

HQ: XI Imperial Light Army
Col: Chi Namora

[robot]

Nomonhon Mongolia
12/27/39
1935 Hours

Didnt take long for this battle to heat up. Found the enemy within 15 minutes of begining our advance. They have converged on the southern objective in force. The Russians have brought there tanks to this battle. We have already lost 3 tanks on our south flank. But we have taken out at least 20 Russian tanks there. Our knee mortars at this close range are devastating on there bt7 tanks. A 81 mortar dropped a round right down the hatch of a t-35 tank few minutes ago. Blew that sucker apart. Didnt know how we were going to handle that monster. It had already took out one of our tanks with one shot.

B company has taken the middle objective and are holding on for dear life. I think the whole Russian force is counter attacking them trying to take back the objective there. C company in the north is moving well even tho they too are meeting heavy resistence. Tanks are out in force today all along our lines of advance. There is a heavy rumbling sound all along our lines as the Russisns bring more tanks up to counter our advance.

Our troops are making a valient fight of this against over whelming odds. They are not retreating but still moving forward if only 50 yards at a time. Thank heaven for the knee mortar it is the difference in close in fighting of this kind. Dont really know our body count as yet but I am sure they are losing more then we have. Our heavy machine guns have been laying down a withering fire on the enemy. They are cutting a wide path thru the advancing infantry of the enemy.

HQ: XI Imperial Light Army
Col: Chi Namora

[robot]

Nomonhon Mongolia
12/27/39
1955 Hours

We have taken all three of the forwatd objectives. Now all we need to do is push towards ther rear ones. Russia has lost a lot of men and equipment today. The knee mortars have played a major role in this. They are murder at close quarters against the Russian armor. Our men have made some valient assaults also on these behemouths of steel. I figure from the reports im getting that we have taken out over 40 pieces of armor this way. There losses have to be in the thousands as well. They are not running yet but from all reports thare not standing and fighting either. The smell of cordite lies all over the field so heavy at times it makes it hard to catch your breath. We have never stopped moving forward at any time today. True maybe only a 50 yard gain at times but still a gain.

The south was the toughest sector today but even there our main goal was to not back down or give up any ground. AT least twenty tanks were taken out at the southern objective. That was where we had our biggest losses in tanks and manpower. We lost 4 tanks there while taking out over 20 of theres. Our men were spectaculer in there defense as well. They never backed up once during this fight for the objectives. I believe the work of our forward observers had a lot to do with how well we did there. They laid a heavy bombardmenet in close to our boys with no short rounds once during the bombardment. Took out a t-35 with a 81 mortar round during this fight. Dropped that sucker right down the top of one i assume. Crew jumped out and were soon delt with in a timely fashion. Engineers laid some charges as they moved past the wreck and destroyed it. Hardly had a scratch onit from the 81 that had dropped out of the skys just a little before they got there.

Hope this is the last time for us to go up against the Russians. Only two days after xmas and we are killing them once again. Four more days and it will be a new year. Hope the new year finds us back in japan. Would sure like to see this war end soon. We have been here four months long way too long to be in this terrible land. This land is no fit place for man or beast. Nothin grows in this place to speak of not even the plants can survive here for long. Man does not need it dont know why we are here. Maybe just to piss off the Russians. Now that makes me laugh.

HQ: XI Imperial Light Army
Col: Chi Namora

[robot]

Nomonhon Mongolia
12/27/39
2025 Hours

The battle still rages on even tho we are pressing the enemy hard. They are retreating with heavy losses. We have at least a thousand yards to go to capture all the objectives. There morale is broken but are not in full retreat as yet. Some isolated units still putting up a token redsistence. Some of my units are running out of knee mortar ammo. Have used all the ammo up for my 81 and 150 mortars as well. Have a few rounds left for the big 150s have begun to drop this on the rear objective in preperation for the push on it. The battle field is covered in a thick layer of acrid smoke laying over it this in turn makes it hard to see anything till you are right on them. In our hurry to get to the enemy several pieces of artty were left behind. have sent the trucks we have back to bring them up to the line. Once this is done we will begin our push to the rear.

All in all I am very proud of the way our men fought today. Not once did any units break and run even when the russian tanks began to appear. every unit held there ground and delt death to the aggressors. This is our fourth battle against the russians this year. In each and every one our men stood up to the red horde. I would say we have sent over 3000 men to there maker and at least a 150 tanks. Although this is our first battle against them where they had an over abundance of tanks. I hope this will be our last fight against them this year. next year we need to be sent some where else. We need to fight some one without the armor of russia. Or our engineers back in japan needs to come up with some thing that resembles a tank to make us a truly strong fighting force.

I have no doubt on how this battle will end today. We have inflicted massive losses on the enemy in men and supplies. The ground we have to traverse is very hilly and lays like a scar on this god forsaken land but I guess it must have some value to some one. other wise why are we here fighing for it. It doent seem to have any value to me but i am not in charge so I will just follow my orders and get it for them.

HQ: XI Imperial Army
Col: Chi Namora

[robot]

Nomonhon Mongolia
12/27/39
2105 Hours

The battle is over we have beaten the russsians soundly this time. Our men went crazy towards the end. They began to run all over the map chasing squads of men down and beheading them. They were like demons from hell chasing hapless men and killing them. It was a mad and frenzy letting out of emotions. Took out over ten 50 mm mortar squads in the last 25 minutes of the battle . They took out there frustrtations of the last 4 months on them. I tried to get control of them and to get some kind of discipline back but I was unable to stop the blood letting. I guess if we lose this war i will be tried as a war criminal. But I did not condone this and really tried hard to stop it. But that wont show up im sure in the records tho. We lost 111 men one truck and five tanks to the enemy. This in no ways compares to what we did to them today. They lost 1531 men most of them in the last 25 minutes im sure also 10 arty were taken out that was those poor men of the 50mm mortars. we also accounted for 127 of there tanks turned intro twisted and burning junk. I knew we had taken out a lot of tanks in the first 40 minutes of battle but had no idea we had caused so much destruction. I had told you earlier the knee mortars were devastating at close range they surely proved it today.

I am recommending several squads for medals today. 2 or 3 of them have over 34 kills in the first four battles we have fought. Ocha in c company has 37 kills and deserves to be given a madal for his dedication and above the call of duty service. he is the best Plattoon leader I have right now.

We have been taken out of the front line and recalled to japan for rest and repair. We will upgrade the tanks we lost today and be ready when our emperor calls on us again. I understand we will be presented with a unit citation while we are home. Today we are heros what tomorrow may bring no one knows. There are rumors we will be sent to china next year. Something to do with Chang kai chek stirring up trouble against us. I had hoped the campign we just finished against the red horde would end this war.

HQ: XI Imperial Light Army
Col: Chi Namora