Chapter 1277 Doubt life! (Please vote for me at the beginning of the month)
The "New Year's Day Offensive" of the Japanese Army Base Camp also came to an end with the end of the Battle of Nakatiao Mountain.
Japan's North China Front and Third Army used a total of nearly 300,000 troops and spent nearly a month to end this battle, which was comparable to the Battle of Central China. The key is that the loss of personnel and materials was comparable to the Battle of Central China.
As for the Third Army directly under the Japanese Army Base Camp, the Third Division suffered heavy losses in Tongguan. An infantry regiment was almost wiped out, an infantry regiment was completely disabled, and more than half of an infantry regiment was lost. Only one infantry regiment relied on it.
He stubbornly stationed himself at Fenglingdu to support the scene.
However, at this time, the Third Division no longer had the ambition to attack Tongguan City in one fell swoop. Instead, it built massive fortifications along Fenglingdu Town, and its artillery regiment rarely shelled the Chinese positions in Tongguan City.
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Turning offense into defense, this is the current predicament of the Third Division. That is, the Chinese side on the opposite side lacks ships. Otherwise, the Chinese side on the opposite side has expanded to one division, one brigade and one regiment, with a strength of 20,000 people. It can also be solved by the Chinese side.
The victory in the Tiaoshan defensive battle led to a decent counterattack.
The fifth division, the core of the Japanese Third Army, was not much better than the third division. The Kunisaki detachment lost an infantry regiment and an artillery brigade. Nakamura Masao's 21st Infantry Brigade lost more than half of its casualties, and the artillery under its jurisdiction
Four of the 105 heavy artillery pieces of the brigade company were bombed. Yamada Seiichi's reserve 21st Infantry Brigade still had two or three big cats and kittens. The remaining reserve 9th Infantry Brigade became the face of the 'Steel Army'.
At this time, you can say that the Fifth Division is capable of suppressing bandits, but if you imagine that at the beginning of the war, tens of thousands of people will kill through the defense line of China's 300,000-strong army, that is completely a fairy tale.
Compared with the Japanese Third Army, which was almost crippled, the commander of the Japanese North China Front Army, Sugimoto Yuan, had tears in his eyes.
Whether it was the 4th Division, the 114th Division, or the three mixed infantry brigades, it was basically difficult to recover within half a year after this battle.
The entire North China Front invested nearly 120,000 troops in Zhongtiao Mountain, killing 60,000, injuring 30,000, and suffering nearly 40,000 casualties. It was like fighting another Battle of Songhu.
But no matter how miserable this wave of fighting was, Shiro Itagaki was the one who took the blame. For example, on the night of the 24th, Shiro Itagaki had already sent a telegram to the base camp resigning as commander of the Third Army.
Although this is a strategy of retreating in order to advance, at least it also has the courage to take responsibility. Even if Shan Shanyuan doesn't deal well with this person, he can only admit that this person's move is really clever, and it can be regarded as indirectly sharing the burden for himself.
Less stress.
But this does not mean that the pressure on General Shanshan Yuan's head is not great. The Battle of Tongguan and the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain were personally directed by Itagaki Shiro, but the sweep of the Taihang Mountains in southeastern Shanxi can be called a containment battle.
The battle was commanded by the North China Front Army Headquarters, and he, the commander of the Front Army, could not escape his involvement in any way.
It cannot be said that the 16th Division and the 108th and 109th Divisions did not work hard, but these fools must have worked hard! In Shan Shanyuan's view, it would be better not to work hard at all.
That’s an army of 80,000!
Intelligence shows that the Chinese garrison in the Taihang Mountains in southeastern Shanxi Province was transferred to Zhongtiao Mountain due to the 17th Division of the Northwest Army, and the main force of the 22nd Army was transferred to Henan Province. Only the First Division of the 80th Group Army and the Fourth Army Regiment remained.
The Tuba and Si Xing regiments combined could only number 50,000 at most, and the 80,000 imperial army was completely crushed to enter the Taihang Mountains.
According to Shan Shanyuan's estimation, even if China takes advantage of the geographical terrain, it may not be able to achieve the effect of completely driving it out of the Taihang Mountains as expected before the war, but the basic requirement of destroying its supply base can still be achieved!
After all, the army can escape, but the Chinese people who have lived in the mountains for generations cannot escape. Especially in this cold winter season, the two factors of losing their houses, freezing, and hunger can kill a large number of Chinese people.
But obviously, the performance of the three master regiments directly caused the face of His Excellency Commander Shan Shanyuan to become swollen.
The 16th Division and the 109th Division faced off against the main force of the 80th Group Army, basically 50,000 vs. 50,000. The early stage of the offensive was relatively smooth. The two Japanese army divisions even broke through three Chinese defense lines. According to the captured positions, the Chinese war dead were inspected.
Judging from the clothing, there are a large number of militiamen in the Eightyth Army, many of whom don't even have military uniforms, and their weapons are mostly made in Hanyang.
The two master regiments were advancing rapidly, and it turned out that they were less than 30 miles away from the headquarters of the 80th Group Army according to the intelligence.
The 109th Division, which is stationed in the counties around the Taihang Mountains, can be called the 80th Group Army's main sufferer. The harassment by the 80th Group Army in the past year can be described as painful. The then Lieutenant General of the 109th Division, Anan Wei, sent a message to the Front Army Headquarters.
, requesting a general attack on the enemy's Eighty Group Army to prevent its leaders from escaping.
Although the strategy formulated by Shan Shanyuan in the early stage was to work step by step in the southeastern part of Shanxi, fight if you can, and don't force it if you can't. Everything focused on the Zhongtiao Mountain battle. The Army Air Force also fully supported the Zhongtiao Mountain battlefield, but they lost two games in a row.
The Japanese army general on the scene is now lowering his profile and is more willing to listen to the voices of frontline commanders.
Especially Lieutenant General Anami Yuichi, who has just been appointed commander of the 109th Division less than 3 months ago, is not an ordinary guy. This guy and Yamashita were at the same time as the Army Non-commissioned Officer Academy. Even though he was not as sharp as Yamashita in the military academy, he was not as sharp as Yamashita.
, but he has one advantage that most Japanese people cannot match.
This man has a good figure, long legs, long steps when walking, and a particularly heroic spirit. In 1929, he became a military attache to His Majesty the Emperor. The military attache at the time was the famous torpedo warfare master Suzuki.
General Kantaro, Anami Yuji is that follower.
Although this time I became the commander of the 109th Division, a Class B division, because I objected to His Majesty the Emperor's younger brother presiding over the staff headquarters and offended the Emperor and was demoted, but those who offended the Emperor and still received such treatment are estimated to be the most common in the entire Japanese Empire.
It will not exceed the number of hands.
Shan Shanyuan doesn't have to give face to others, but he must give it to this person. After thinking about it, he agreed to Anan Weiji's request and used the entire 16th Division plus an infantry brigade from the 109th Division to contain him on three sides.
The main force of the Eightyth Army, and another infantry brigade of the 109th Division, led by local Chinese who surrendered, spent two days making a large arc in the mountains and went straight to the headquarters of the Eightyth Army.
If nothing else, it happened unexpectedly.
The Eightyth Army seemed to have expected that the Japanese would do this. In front of a mountain less than 12 miles away from the headquarters of the Eightyth Army, the 109th Division encountered an unforgettable defensive battle.
Even with the help of a squadron of fighter planes fully supported by Japan's North China Army Aviation, and six infantry brigades taking turns to attack, the Chinese troops stationed on the hill remained unmoved and held the position for four days and three nights.
In this battle, both sides had no reinforcements, so they fought hard with 2,500 versus 7,500 troops, 1 to 3.
The Japanese had mountain artillery, infantry artillery and fighter planes to assist them, giving them a complete advantage in firepower, but the Chinese's individual soldier quality was so strong that the 109th Division looked up to them.
Although the 109th Division is a second-line division, it has been fighting in China for more than a year. Its individual soldiers can basically guarantee a 9-level target shooting at a distance of more than 200 meters, which is already very strong.
But the Chinese army was actually able to shoot accurately from 300 meters away. They didn't even approach the opponent within 50 meters like the traditional 80th Army, and started to suppress fire from 250 meters away.
This also caused the Japanese grenadiers to dare not enter within 300 meters of the Chinese position, greatly reducing the threat to their light and heavy machine gun fire points deployed 400 meters away.
In the original words of an infantry captain who survived the brigade after the war: It was not the tactics of the Eightyth Army that I was familiar with, but rather like the Four Lines Regiment.
At the mention of this name, the middle and low-level Japanese military officers present almost shuddered subconsciously.
The Four Elements Regiment is a troublesome scourge to the generals of the empire, but to them, the lieutenants and lieutenants, it is a god of death.
The Fourth Army Regiment has been in the Taihang Mountains for a year, and the death rate among those who fought with them is over 60%. It was not that the front army offered to exchange prisoners, but they seemed to have no intention of wasting food.
Unfortunately, after the war, it was found out that the one facing them was not the Fourth Army Regiment at all, but it was also a troublesome unit for the North China Front, the 683rd Brigade and the 772nd Regiment.
At this time, the 772th Regiment not only had many veterans, but also was well-equipped. The three infantry battalions were all equipped with pure German weapons and equipment. What made the Japanese army even more troublesome was that they also had a company of four 150-caliber mortars and nine 82-caliber mortars.
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The Japanese army used mountain artillery to bombard the mountains, and the other side used two types of mortars with a range shorter than the Type 41 mountain artillery to bombard the Japanese infantry.
The offensive and defensive battle in this mountainous area was almost comparable to the battle at Jiulong Mountain. The headquarters of the 80th Army was clearly within easy reach, but 7,000 Japanese troops were blocked in front of the mountain and could not advance even an inch.
What's even more terrible is that as time goes by, an infantry brigade of the Eightyth Group Army located in northwestern Shanxi disappears, which makes the Japanese army that has penetrated deep into southeastern Shanxi extremely worried.
The 80th Army had long ago not followed the rules. An infantry brigade was no longer an infantry brigade in the traditional sense. If such a large army suddenly appeared behind the main army, it would never be a good sign.
Sure enough, Shan Shanyuan's worries came true, and regular troops of the Eightyth Army appeared at several traffic arteries.
Once they complete the blockade and the baggage convoys cannot enter the mountains, food and drink for the 80,000-strong army will become a problem.
In desperation, the 16th Division had to dispatch an infantry regiment to return to the division to protect its rear wing. The 109th Division also dispatched an infantry brigade to set up defenses along the way. Shan Shanyuan still felt that it was not safe enough and ordered the 108th Division, which was the slowest, to advance.
The division also deployed an infantry regiment to assist it in defending the rear lines of communication.
This deployment of troops was not a matter of urgency. The Chinese actually had a back-up. An infantry regiment of at least 3,000 men suddenly appeared on the rear flank of the 109th Division, which was furiously attacking the highlands.
When the reconnaissance plane detected this situation from the air, not to mention Ananwei was panicked, and even General Shan Shanyuan who was far away in Pingbeicheng felt his head was buzzing.
Who on earth said that the 80th Army in southeastern Shanxi, plus the group of peasant soldiers who had received little military training, only had 50,000 soldiers?
Therefore, under General Shan Shanyuan's strict order to retreat, the Japanese troops abandoned a large amount of baggage at lightning speed and even pushed several damaged infantry guns and mountain guns into the ravine, killing all the dead on the spot.
Bury them, then carry the wounded and evacuate them lightly at night.
No matter how fierce and fast the previous attack was, how reckless it was when running.
It cannot be said that Shan Shanyuan is as timid as a mouse now, but that the frightened Japanese North China Front Army really cannot bear the loss of another brigade-level unit.
The Japanese army ran very fast this time, otherwise, they would have gained a large number of casualties.
Because, among the "infantry regiment" wearing gray military uniforms and carrying rifles and machine guns, there are no more than 50 people who can actually shoot.
Moreover, the ‘leader’ who led the team was actually at the rank of Army Lieutenant General.
In fact, the Eightyth Group Army had already spent all its resources. In order to withstand the attack of the two Japanese divisions, the Eightyth Army had already sent the guard regiment to protect the group army headquarters on the battlefield, and the 50,000 Japanese troops were fighting fiercely.
Among the large army, there are nearly 30,000 people, all of whom were recruited from the armed brigades of various counties and towns and the militia developed by each village in the past year.
At this time, in addition to civilian personnel and generals, the Eightyth Army Headquarters only had a guard platoon of 50 people for protection. Let alone a brigade, even an infantry squadron would be overwhelming.
The reason why the 772nd Regiment was able to appear there was because Brigadier Cheng Cheng was decisive enough. It was he who withstood the pressure from the headquarters and even took the brigade personnel and guard battalion on top to send the 772nd Regiment back to defend the group army.
headquarters.
It's just a little short of achieving the reputation of Anan Weiji, who adopted a large roundabout tactic.
It can only be said that Anan's long legs have already exhausted his luck. Just like when he had become the commander of the Eleventh Army in time and space, he led an army of 100,000 people with great ambitions, but he ran into Hengyang.
That Hengyang was guarded by 80,000 Chinese soldiers.
100,000 people versus 80,000 people, 47 days of hard fighting resulted in a completely ruined town and nearly 60,000 casualties, and it was called the ‘Battle of Stalingrad’ in the East!
That's all. After the war, the reason why the Japanese generals almost vomited three liters of blood was that they were scared away by a group of farmers.
It can only be said that it is not a good thing that the espionage system is too perfect. The Japanese spies who sneaked into southeastern Shanxi obtained important information at the celebration banquet of the Eightyth Army.
The "infantry regiment" that unexpectedly appeared on the rear flank of the 109th Division had only 50 guns that were real, and the rest were all fake.
The 'soldiers' were farmers from the mountain villages surrounding the 80th Army Group. In order to increase the number of people and scare away the Japanese, even a 50-year-old man came on board.
The rifles were all wooden guns used in daily training. They were just broken things, and their lethality was not as powerful as a red-tasseled gun.
The leader of the group was even more fake. He was directly the deputy chief of staff of the 80th Army. He also proposed the purely intimidating tactic.
Just these 'scumbags', not to mention that the infantry brigade still has 3,000 capable soldiers, even 300, they can probably kill seven in and seven out.
It's a pity that the 772nd Regiment gave them a painful beating first, and the 511th Division that returned may have made it difficult for the Japanese generals to sleep and eat. The thousands of people who suddenly appeared were the straw that broke the camel's back, directly causing Shanshan to suffer.
Yuan Cheng became Sima Yi who was scared off by Zhuge's song.
If the 16th Division and the 109th Division could only be considered to have returned without success at best, the thousands of casualties they suffered after fighting for almost 10 days were nothing compared to those at Zhongtiao Mountain and could be completely ignored.
That unlucky kid from the 108th Division is really annoying.
In view of the reputation of the Four Elements Regiment, Shan Shanyuan made special arrangements this time, with more than 20,000 people from the 108th Division to deal with the Four Elements Regiment professionally.
No matter how powerful the Four Elements Regiment is, it is just an infantry regiment. A crowd of more than 20,000 people can kill them. The newly appointed Lieutenant General Naotsugu Sakai of the 108th Division even made bold claims that the Four Elements Regiment will be destroyed this time.
Naoji Sakai is also one of the most powerful men in the Japanese Army. Before the war started, he was only the captain of the Colonel Corps. He was promoted to the major general brigade commander of the 19th Infantry Brigade of the 16th Division at the beginning of last year. During the battle, he not only fought bravely against the enemy
, was also cruel and merciless to Chinese civilians. During the battle in Jiangnan, it repeatedly implemented the "burn, kill, and loot" policy against the Chinese anti-Japanese base areas, which was extremely effective in dampening the Chinese anti-war enthusiasm in the Jiangnan area.
As a result, Naoji Sakai came into the eyes of the commander of the Central China Expeditionary Force at the time, and the prince had great influence in the army. It happened that Xiong Yuan, a subordinate of the 108th Division, resigned. As a result, this prince went against the rules and served consecutively within one year.
Jump two levels and be promoted to Army Lieutenant General.
This was his first expedition as a lieutenant general in the Army, so he naturally planned to avenge the 108th Division's previous humiliation.
However, this new lieutenant general of the Army did not know what the 108th Division had experienced over the past year. It had been pinned to the ground by the Si Xing Regiment and the friction had never stopped.
Just because he, the "newborn calf," is not afraid, does not mean that the entire 108th Division is not afraid. The speed at which the two infantry brigades are advancing is appallingly slow.
The Si Xing Regiment did not face the enemy directly, but divided into several small groups and continued to harass and delay. Both the 16th Division and the 109th Division were fighting in full swing. They were still 30 kilometers away from the planned target of Dakouzidong Town.
At this rate, the Chinese New Year will be over.
The angry Lieutenant General Sakai even scolded and urged the two major general brigade commanders, only to urge the two infantry brigades to move a little faster.
This was not a big deal. Because the leading infantry regiment was less than 10 miles out of touch with the main force, the Four Lines Regiment gathered firepower to clear the ground. More than 4,000 troops appeared, almost missing Sakai.
Jiang Geixi narrowed his eyes.
Finally, the main force of the Si Xing Regiment was caught. Two infantry regiments quickly pressed on them, and the other infantry regiment accelerated towards Dakouzidong Town.
More than 10,000 people versus 4,000 people, it's a win even if you think about it. It is estimated that only Lieutenant General Sakai in the entire 108th Division has this confidence.
This time, the truth really is not in the hands of a few.
Lieutenant General Sakai was beaten to the point of doubting his life!
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PS: On the first day of the month, I am asking for votes. Thank you brothers for your support. As long as you vote today, I will let you see how the 108th Division was beaten tomorrow. If you don’t vote, Fengyue Naoguaizi will be punished for being confused.
It's a tearful plot. Anyway, Fengyue has already been accused of the crime. It seems that Tudou, Lao Abacus and others haven't come out for a long time.
