At the headquarters of the Island Nation's Army's 18th Area Army, Commander Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura had risen early. Or rather, he had not slept at all the previous night. By the time he got up, heavy dark circles hung beneath both his eyes.
Major General Seiji Moriya, the area army chief of staff, was already waiting in his office. After hastily washing up, Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura hurried over.
"Moriya, what happened?" Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura asked.
"Commander, the 15th Army's offensive has failed. The 4th Division, 72nd Division, and 73rd Division have all suffered grievous losses. Although the 81st Division and 84th Division still retain their strength, the German defensive line is extremely solid, and its firepower is exceptionally fierce. Even if we continue the offensive, I fear it will be difficult to achieve victory," Major General Seiji Moriya reported.
Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura's face immediately turned exceedingly grim. In truth, he had long been mentally prepared for this. The 14th Area Army's offensive had also gone poorly, with heavy losses. Thus, Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura could guess that breaking through the German defensive line would be extremely difficult. But three divisions suffering grievous losses in succession was still a price that made his heart bleed. After all, apart from the 15th Army, the entire 18th Area Army had only the area army's directly subordinate 15th Division, 22nd Division, and Independent Mixed 29th Brigade. The 15th Army alone accounted for nearly two-thirds of the 18th Area Army's forces.
Now that three divisions of the 15th Army had been crippled, it was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the 18th Area Army.
"Is the German defensive line truly that strong? Has our hope of dragging down their defenses become nothing more than a wild fantasy?" Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura asked