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THE TURN OF THE TIDE 265
shores of Pigeon Bay were taken, and on the 25th
Housanyangtou and two other villages a little
more to the south were carried and held against a
counter-attack in the night, so that the Japanese
by about the end of the month had practically
succeeded in cutting the land communications
between Laotiehshan and the other sections of
defence, and were in a fair position to begin
offensive operations against the Taiyangkou forts.
But it was against the eastern fort-ridge that
the Japanese during the latter part of December
directed their main efforts. Having attained
their secondary object in destroying the fleet in
the harbour, they could now give all their attention
and concentrate all their energies on the opera-
tions against the eastern forts, as a preliminary
step towards their principal goal, the capture of
the whole fortress.
There is between the Japanese tactics up to
(and including) the third general attack and the
mode of procedure adopted after this date a very
marked difference. Up to the end of November
all their attacks had been with a wide front and
over a large area, in order to make it impossible
for the defenders to concentrate any considerable
force at any one point of assault. Incorrectly
informed as the Japanese were regarding the
actual strength of the garrison, this, considered
tactically, was correct. From the beginning of
December all their attacks were concentrated on
single positions, sometimes, as at 203 Metre Hill,
in connection with demonstrations in other direc-
tions, but in most cases restricted to one position
only. The reasons for this change in their pro-
ceedings will be easily understood when one
considers the situation into which their latest
operations had brought the Japanese, and the
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