Dragon of the Mangrooves (9 page)

Kasuga wasn’t sure whether the fact that Tomita Squad hadn’t suffered any casualties yet was thanks to him. Anyhow, he couldn’t believe the attitude of his squad leader.

Yet he also noticed days when Hirono tended to protect himself. Hirono was a big guy, well over six feet tall. He could lift a heavy barrel of machine guns as if it were nothing. He had a Judo black belt. Though Kasuga was slightly better in marksmanship, Hirono was more than a match at bayoneting skills or wrestling.

He was a strong warrior, without a doubt. But all of this man’s concern was limited to his own life. For weeks he had been worrying about a banzai charge.

Arakawa Squad, their fraternity under Jinno Platoon, went out to support tank-busters and got hit with a mortar shell. It killed three men, including the squad leader himself. It was natural for any man to flinch in terror. But they were fighting a war now. There was nothing for fearing death at that late date.

If the enemies got Ramree, sooner or later, they would also get the mainland.

Then Malaya and Java would be added to the list. If the British reopened the Burma Road blocked by the Japanese Army for a long time, a tremendous amount of supplies would flow into China. What would become of the Japanese Expeditionary Force fighting against heavy odds there? The Japanese Imperial Navy had already lost the Pacific. If the Army lost Indochina and China, it would get harder for the Japanese to retain even their homeland.

It was time to shield their land and families from the evil design of foreign sav-ages. However far they may flee, as long as their retreat is blocked—as Hirono says himself—there was nothing to do but resist. It was a little late to worry now.

The only thing needed was the fortitude to die silently. Kasuga thought he was prepared for it.

“Hey, you! What’re you doing here? Go back right away!” a raucous shout pierced the ears of two taking a rest after a meager lunch.

Kasuga looked back and found Second Lieutenant Jinno standing there. Jinno was excited. Since the machine gun of Arakawa Squad had been destroyed, Tomita’s was the only one under him now. So Jinno had stayed with Tomita Squad all the time for those several days, continuing to nag and pick holes in them, always hysterically, and making himself a real nuisance. Motivated by his cantankerous look, Kasuga and Hirono got up and began packing their bags. But Jinno abruptly ordered, “Leave your equipment here. We’ll move out soon.”

British-Indian forces had already brought the northern half of Ramree Island under control. A river named Yanbauk flowed across its central part. It almost divided the island into two pieces and drained into the Bay of Bengal. It was more of an estuary than a river, but everyone called it a river because of its impos-ing appearance: it was over fifty meters wide, stretching across the inland for miles. Utilizing this as a natural obstacle, Ramree Garrison had reset a defensive line along its south bank.

From January 26 to 27, enemy troops had intended to cross it forcibly by rubber raft near the mouth. Just when they were bogged down at the opposite bank, Seventh Company had intercepted it with machine guns and a twenty-five PDR field gun and beat it back successfully somehow. Everyone shouted for joy at this clear victory, but it was a passing delight. Soon the enemy rushed around the positions of Sixth Company.

A village named Payadgi lay at the eastern tip of the Yanbauk River. Considering it a point of strategic importance, the regiment had once set its HQ there until the fall of 1943. A barrier-free plain stretched eastward behind it toward Ramree Town, the second largest town on the island. Determined to stop the enemy from advancing into Ramree Town, Sixth Company now guarded Payadgi, together with Fifth Company, which came from the south as a reinforcement.

When Kasuga, Hirono, and Jinno arrived at the open emplacement in the eastern-most portion of the fire trench, Sergeant Tomita was standing beside their heavy machine gun with a tool box and a shovel—his usual items to set the gun—in his hands. Jinno stepped up to him, and they held a short discussion in subdued tones.

Then Tomita gave a command. “Prepare for disassembly conveyance!”

In the heat of early afternoon, the column led by Tomita went into a long stretch of hills where the roars of cannons had been getting louder and more fre-quent day by day. Jinno didn’t accompany them for some reason. Treading on the path silently, every soldier followed the man in front of him without knowing where he was going. No one spoke, or even thought. It was the easiest way to prepare to rush into a front line.

But Kasuga was an exception. Groaning under the heavy barrel, he didn’t stop thinking. He asked Tomita, who was walking ahead of him, “Sarge, why didn’t the platoon commander come with us?”

“Binchoku went to HQ to receive orders,” said Tomita.

Kasuga let out a deep sigh. It was a downright lie. What orders did Jinno need after he had sent almost all his subordinates in for the battle? It was sad to have a commander so wretched as to spare his own life. Naturally, Tomita should have the same feeling. Kasuga waited for his reply, but Tomita kept walking without comment. He had expected showers of name-calling, so Kasuga changed the topic reluctantly. “Where are we going, Sarge?”

“Mountain Maeda,” answered Tomita.

“A weird name.”

“Yeah, it’s a name of convenience for one of the platoon commanders guarding there. I don’t know the real one.”

Tomita’s back revealed some resignation. Kasuga understood well Mountain Maeda would be a decisive battlefield.

They had marched exclusively through jungles to avoid air raids for almost an hour. A hill suddenly came into view. Its presence was strong, as if the whole hill tensed up. Likely it was Mountain Maeda. A dense thicket abruptly dropped in the middle of the hillside; gales from the sea had probably affected it. From this point to the top, a meadow spread out greenly, in spite of the dry season.

No sooner had Kasuga seen the hill than a distant whiz came and blew part of the hill away. A tremor reached them with a deafening roar. Kasuga instinctively ducked his head. Then he saw the second shell explode at a hem of the thicket, throwing up many broken branches and dirt into the air.

When Tomita Squad finally arrived at the position set at the foot of the hill, shells had poured down the whole hill. Tomita hollered in the middle of loud reverberations, which sounded like a drum festival.

“We’re HMG of Jinno Platoon! Where is Sixth Company?”

“You said what? Sixth Company? We’re Battalion Gun!” hollered back a

bearded man sticking his head out from one of the foxholes.

Kasuga found a gun emplacement nearby. It seemed hastily made of sandbags.

And a toy-like howitzer had been placed demurely in its center.

Tomita said, “I know who you are! I’m just asking you where Sixth Company is!”

“I don’t know! Fifth and Sixth are so tangled up around here. Which officer do you need to get in touch with?” asked the bearded soldier.

“Second Lieutenant Ogino.”

“He’s on the east side. You’ll find a hill east of Mountain Maeda. It’s long and curved like a banana. He’s guarding a military road running between that mountain banana and here. Bear in mind, many mines are set on the road.”

Tomita Squad departed at once. Soon they found a firm game trail in the jungle east of Mountain Maeda and took it. Fortunately no shells hit that side; the hostile fire seemed concentrated on the west side of the hill. They got to the road in no time. East of the road, they could see a hill with ridges on both sides pushed out toward them. It looked like a banana, as the bearded man had said.

“I see some friends ahead!” said Hirono, the hawkeyed man. Soldiers numbering about one squad were running toward them through a sparse woods beside the road—probably drawing back from the front. All of Tomita Squad ran forward to meet them.

Tomita hollered, “Hi, guys! HMG’s coming!”

The man at the front of the group raised his head. Judging from the white sash across his chest, he was likely the squad leader. He gave some instruction to one of the soldiers by gesturing and then approached Tomita Squad alone. He was a small man with the insignias of a corporal. The bandage around his head was an indication that he had sustained wounds in battle.

“Which troop are you in?” Tomita asked him.

“Engineers. I was setting antitank mines on this military road ahead. But those Gurkha bastards in the point have electric detectors, so we’re just going back to HQ now.”

“How is the enemy?” Tomita asked.

“Oh! Really a hard nut to crack! Somebody said Engli were far weaker than Chinese. Damned nonsense! Anyway, nothing can be done until we get rid of those tanks. HQ has some flame throwers, and we’re on our way to fetch them.”

“A flame thrower? I didn’t know we had such a thing,” Tomita said. “It’s encouraging. Well, we’ve come to reinforce Ogino Platoon. Do you know where Ogino is?”

“Second Lieutenant Ogino of Sixth Company?” asked the engineer.

“Yeah, exactly!” replied Tomita.

“Already killed in action.”

“What?”

“A bomb hit him this morning. Though I don’t know who is commanding now, Ogino Platoon is still in the northeast part of Mountain Maeda. Go through the woods along the foot of this hill. It won’t take you long at all. Take care! May the war gods be with you all.”

Booms of cannons could be heard from beyond the hill. They could see a blood stain on the bandage of the corporal as he ran off. Even Kasuga felt ill at ease.

Making a wry face, Tomita said, “Binchoku didn’t know Ogino had been killed in action. News of an officer KIA half a day ago hasn’t reached the top yet. No doubt those brass hats are getting confused.”

Tomita Squad single-mindedly advanced through the sparse woods. Suddenly the view widened to an open field of dead grass. Everyone ran with a stoop not to be sighted. A large grass fire was burning on the far left side, probably caused by incendiaries dropped that morning. Watching the flame consume the dead grass, they turned left along the edge of the woods and went on.

“Halt! Who goes there? Identify yourselves!” somebody yelled at them unexpectedly in clear Japanese.

They turned around, reacting to this sudden challenge, and found a small bunker on their left. Two muzzles pointed at them from the dark hole. A bayonet fixed on each rifle was purposefully smeared with a cinder to reduce the possibility of being discovered due to light reflecting off the shiny surface.

“Hey, you kids!” Tomita bawled at the sentries. “Do you know who on earth you’re talking to? We are the HMG Tomita Squad! Announce us to your commander, pronto.”

“Please, wait here a minute,” the sentry said as he turned. The muzzles then disappeared.

The bunker seemed connected with a communication trench. Kasuga heard noisy footsteps of the soldier reporting. After a while, a suntanned man wearing a sword jumped out from a bush at the foot of the hill and came running toward them.

“It’s you, Keiichi Tomita! I’m glad to have you. Really glad to meet you here again!”

Tomita replied to the suntanned man, “Long time no see, Sergeant Ban. Are you the acting commander here? I would never have dreamed that.”

Kasuga felt a sense of relief that Tomita and this sergeant were acquainted. He knew it was not easy to make war beside utter strangers. But, with this chance meeting, Kasuga thought his squad leader would finally be pumped up enough to fight to the limit. Kasuga trembled with excitement.

Ban said, “A damned Consoli’s bomb hit and killed Second Lieutenant Ogino this morning. He was a nice officer. How cruel for such a young guy to get killed so easily. The bombing also slaughtered many draftees at the same time. Everyone had a wife and kids.”

Tomita nodded. “You bet.”

“But it’s encouraging to get your help. The enemy is attacking the west side of this hill. Some will come at us for sure, along that military road, before long. It’s a battle to avenge. If those disgusting tanks come, we’ll smash them by busting them at close range. An antitank gun is waiting for them east of the military road. It would give us a second string to our bow. Thank you for your support.”

Ban’s eyes were nearly filled with tears. And the hostile shelling never ceased during their conversation.

The place indicated by Ban was at a lower quarter of the hill. Kasuga found a covered bunker with an especially terrible roof. Somebody had made it using only bamboo-palisades and dirt. Ogino and his men had apparently made a drastic conversion in a hurry.

However, the position itself wasn’t so bad. If the enemy advanced along the military road, the sparse grove of teak beside the road would obstruct their field of vision for a period of time. Meanwhile, a gunner in the bunker could look out over not only the road but all the open field.

A model ninety-six light machine gun had been set in the emplacement, and two soldiers were busying themselves doing maintenance on it. When they watched Tomita Squad carry in and assemble its HMG, boyish smiles broke out on their dust-and-oil-smeared faces.

A fire trench dug in double extended ahead from left to right. It was dotted with the Ogino Platoon riflemen wearing camouflage nets covered with dead grass. Many bundles of armor-piercing mines laid beside them. Ban came running along the trench and climbed into the bunker. “Tomita, our scout has just come back. Indian troops with tank support are on their way on this very road, as expected. You and your men will provide cover,” said Ban.

Chances were good that this would be the last conversation between the two in this world. Tomita knew it well, and a rather sad smile appeared on his face.

“Leave it to me. I wish you good and long luck!” replied Tomita.

“You too!” Ban hollered. Then he turned and slithered down the slope with an animal agility, vanishing from their view in the twinkling of an eye. As if replac-ing him, a thick cloud of yellow dust rose on the other side of the grove. Kasuga held his breath.

Soaring and billowing, the yellow cloud gradually closed in and wrapped up the teak grove. A huge dark green mass loomed up from it. It was a figure of an enemy tank, which Kasuga was seeing for the first time.