Marching through rugged mountains had always been an extremely difficult task. It was even more dangerous when the roads ran through dense forests. Venomous insects, snakes, and ants could claim a person's life at any moment.
Even the German 23rd Army Corps, despite being well prepared, did not dare venture deep into the dense forest. The large quantities of medicine they had prepared, including insect repellents, allowed them to build a defensive line along the forest's edge while ensuring their own safety. But the Island Nation's Army could not do that. They had made none of those preparations. As a result, the Island Nation's Army suffered extremely severe non-combat casualties during the war.
Lieutenant General Sōsaku Suzuki, Commander of the Island Nation's Army's 35th Army, watched expressionlessly as army doctors covered the soldiers who had died from poisoning with white sheets. He no longer knew how many men in his forces had been killed by venomous insects, snakes, and ants. Major General Miyoshi Tomochika, the 35th Army's Chief of Staff, had a rough count in his heart. Since entering the dense forest and beginning their march, the entire 35th Army had already lost more than three thousand men. That was the equivalent of an entire infantry regiment simply vanishing. Such losses might not have seemed like much to the 35th Army, which numbered nearly eighty thousand men. But this was only the beginning. As the war continued, no one knew how many more would die here.
"Tomochika, is the logistics department still unable to send us enough medicine? Without sufficient medicine, forget defeating the Germans—our officers and soldiers will probably be bitten to death by those venomous insects, snakes, and ants first." Lieutenant General Sōsaku Suzuki's face was frosty.
"Commander, we have already contacted the Front Commander. Area Army Headquarters