Read Dragon of the Mangrooves for Free Online Page A

the north of Hill 353. The Japanese had installed a sentry post in Mount Peter due to its good vantage point, not to mention Hill 353. Kasuga thought the enemy must have gotten information about Ramree Garrison through spying or aerial photog-raphy. If it were not true, the enemy couldn’t carry on such a tenacious attack there. However much Jinno might worry, the enemy had known Japanese positions for a long time.
    A dead silence fell abruptly; the hostile operation might have gone into a new phase. Kasuga scanned the outside of the bunker. He couldn’t find any aircraft; in their place, the blue sky was very serene.
    The scene around the camp had been altered completely. The bombardments had uprooted the trees, dimpled the hill, and destroyed many trenches. Equipment and weapons had been buried under dirt. It was hard to dig them out quickly because the shovels and picks had also been embedded in the soil. Soldiers smeared with dirt wandered weaponless, already expressing signs of defeat.
    The sole consolation was the lack of casualties. Considering the violence of the bombing, it was almost a miracle.
    Tomita Squad had been left alone until early in that evening, when Jinno finally appeared. “A village named Gonchwein lies at the north foot of Mount Peter,” Jinno said, “and a defile goes through there toward Kyaukphyu Plain. A landing party has already occupied this village and is advancing further southward toward Ondaw Village, which is next to Gonchwein. Have you ever been to Ondaw?”
    “No, I haven’t,” answered Tomita.
    “It doesn’t matter now. Ondaw is within a stone’s throw of Hill 353. If it is broken through, the enemy will be able to encircle Hill 353 easily. You and your men are to stop it.”
    Tomita fell silent, as did Kasuga. Jinno resumed the briefing, indifferent to his subordinates’ dismay. “Machine Gun Second Platoon was attached to the rifle platoon of the vanguard. They have gone ahead. Tomita Squad is just a backup. Go and take care of things.”
    Jinno then disappeared without giving any information about how large the enemy force was or where the vanguard was. Kasuga couldn’t believe such irre-sponsibility. But once the commander had given an order, they had no option but to follow through.
    Four gunners normally attended to each model ninety-two heavy machine gun: Gunner number one was a right wing watcher; number two watched the left wing; the man in charge of loading was the number three; and number four was a marksman.
    Kasuga and the other three disassembled their machine gun and carried the barrel and tripod parts on their shoulders. Then they descended the hill with Tomita at the top. Four ammo bearers followed them, holding Type Ko ammunition boxes. Horses usually carried those items, but Kasuga had not seen one on that island. Soldiers were substitutes for horses. It was quite tough for a soldier to go down a slope with the barrel weighing nearly sixty kilograms on his shoulder.
    When Kasuga and the others managed to reach the defile at the foot of the hill, the setting sun had already ducked behind the top of Hill 353. Silence reigned all around and made Kasuga feel that the fierce attack that morning had been a dream.
    “Sarge, do you know where our vanguards are?” asked Kasuga.
    “How am I supposed to know that? I’m here as I’m told. Keep Mount Peter on the left, and go straight on this road. Maybe it will take us to Ondaw. They are somewhere along the way.”
    Tomita carried a toolbox containing spare parts and assembling wrenches for the gun, and ragged binoculars with moldy lenses dangled from his neck. But he didn’t have a map. He hadn’t been issued a map.
    “How can we join a friendly troop properly?” Kasuga asked himself, anxious from suffering under the heavy weight of the barrel. Just then, a voice called out to them.
    “Hi! Over here, guys!”
    Kasuga scanned the dreary field of tall, dead grass on their left side. Several windmill palms