At this time the commandant was away inspecting the left flank of the hill, and thus did not see what was happening. The workmen who were renewing the central battery between the breastworks assisted materially in the defeat of the Japanese by attacking their left flank. I do not know who the officer was that led them to the attack.
I passed through some bad moments during this panic, and was thankful that the enemy was not in force. Afterwards I learnt that the Japanese had crawled up unnoticed and hurled several grenades right amongst our men. An officer was killed and many men either bayoneted or blown to atoms; the rest broke and ran.
ROAD BEHIND 203 METRE HILL AFTER THE FIGHTING ON NOVEMBER 28.
p. 268]
All my reserves were now used up, so I sent a request for as many sailors as possible. As a determined attack now appeared to be imminent, I went earlier than usual to my observing station. Rifle firing again broke out in the left breastwork, a sign that the Japanese were collecting in their parallels.
The battery at Shui-shih-ying caused us ceaseless annoyance. In order not to attract its attention, I gave orders for the dressing station to be removed to a point near the foot of the hill. I withdrew half the men from the right breastwork to form a reserve. But they only sent me ten men, saying that they were half a company. The men in the left work were standing firm.
The rifle and grenade duel continued for a very long time.
Evidently the Japanese had decided not to attack, being deterred by our hand grenades, and the bombardment continued without abatement. The 11-inch “portmanteaus”[117] (as the men called the 11-inch shell) were bursting continually in the right breastwork. The right flank of the hill was completely wrecked by them, and the only sign there of what were once fortifications was the crest-line covered with splinters and fragments of beams. But, as I have already said, they did not like attacking this flank, as it was swept by the flanking fire from the trenches on Akasaka Yama of which the Japanese had a great dread owing to their previous fearful losses.
Many wounded were coming from the left breastwork, and some, who were not able to walk, were rolling themselves slowly down. The sight of these men painfully dragging themselves down the steep slope always affected me deeply. From time to time several orderlies had been sent to me asking for reinforcements and hand grenades. I could not give them much help, but sent up five men from the reserve with grenades, which I hoped would give them some encouragement.