The aerial bombs and the explosion of the 27th Division's ammunition depot, this sudden and overwhelming explosion, were like thunder in the ears, shaking the mountains.
In a tunnel.
A huge shock wave was transmitted violently from deep underground, and the commander of the 27th Division, Lieutenant General Takeshita Yoshiharu, Colonel Harada Yoshikazu, and all Japanese military officers were knocked to the ground.
"Bagayalu! Did the Eighth Route Army use ground-penetrating bombs?"
Lieutenant General Takeshita Yoshiharu stood up and said in shock.
The old Japanese did not realize that the 27th Division had been stabbed in the chrysanthemum by the Eighth Route Army.
According to intelligence, the Eighth Route Army is equipped with a ground-penetrating bomb, which is very powerful.
It was a super bomb with extremely terrifying power.
It can blast out a large pit more than 20 meters deep and 30 to 40 meters in diameter, which can be used to deal with tunnel tactics.
In the last battle of Shotai, the Eighth Route Army used this super bomb.
Even the aircraft carrier Shokaku was sunk by this super bomb.
The Eighth Route Army's long-range heavy bombers also used this super aerial bomb when they bombed Tokyo.
"should be!"
Chief of Staff Harada Yoshikazu nodded solemnly:
"Just now, your Excellency, the division commander, was wondering why the Eighth Route Army did not occupy the position? It seems that the Eighth Route Army wanted to use ground-penetrating bombs to deal with the locust army's tunnel tactics."
"However, the Eighth Route Army's ground-penetrating bombs may not be very effective this time."
"The engineers of the Locust Army dug the tunnel very deep and even used some concrete to reinforce it. The Eighth Route Army's ground-penetrating bombs may not be effective."
The engineers of the Japanese 1st Division, 26th Division and other units were well prepared and prepared to block the Eighth Route Army's attack in this area and kill the Eighth Route Army's effective forces.
However, a wave of micro maneuvers by Tojo Eiji forced the three Japanese divisions in Zhangjiakou to stay in Zhangjiakou.
The Japanese engineers were highly qualified and built stronger fortifications against the Eighth Route Army's ground-penetrating bombs.
In the view of Takeshita Yoshiharu and Harada Yoshikazu, only the Eighth Route Army's ground-penetrating bombs were so powerful.
Even the Japanese military headquarters located in the tunnels was shaken to the point of being knocked off their feet.
"The explosion seemed to come from behind us."
A combat staff officer said doubtfully.
In order to observe the battlefield situation and facilitate the command of the battle, Takeshita Yoshiharu located the headquarters close to the position.
However, for safety reasons, the headquarters was located in the tunnel.
The headquarters has just received a report that an Eighth Route Army aircraft is approaching.
At this time, most of the soldiers of the Japanese 27th Division had already hid in the tunnels.
"Did the Eighth Route Army Air Force discover the tunnel behind us?"
"Is this impossible?"
Chief of Staff Harada Yoshikazu sounded surprised.
The entrance to the tunnel at the rear was concealed. How did the Eighth Route Army pilots discover it?
But just then.
"Division Commander!"
At the entrance of the tunnel, a staff officer hurried in:
"The 1st, 2nd and 3rd field hospitals, as well as the heavy supply regiments were bombed by planes just now. The enemy used more than 40 aircraft. A large number of main forces of the Eighth Route Army appeared behind us and were firing at the field hospitals and heavy supply regiments.
, the number of enemy troops is unknown.”
"Nani?"
Takeshita Yoshiharu was suddenly startled and his face changed drastically.
The next second, he seemed to have thought of something, and his face instantly turned pale.
Field hospitals and baggage regiments were bombed?
It's just that the field hospital was bombed. In this battle, the 27th Division was fighting the Eighth Route Army with all its determination, whether it had a field hospital or not.
but!
The heavy infantry regiment was also bombed. The explosion that just came would have been caused by the Eighth Route Army's use of ground-penetrating bombs.
The ammunition depot must have been detonated.
The baggage regiment was responsible for protecting, in addition to enough ammunition for the entire division to consume for half a month, there was also half a month's worth of food for the entire division.
Right now, there is a high probability that food and ammunition will be blown up, and there is no food and ammunition.
Do the soldiers of the 27th Division have to fight the Eighth Route Army on an empty stomach and with 38 rifles without bullets?
Taking all precautions, Takeshita Yoshiharu did not expect that the Eighth Route Army would appear behind the 27th Division and was stabbed in the eye by the Eighth Route Army.
"Bagayalu, where did this Eighth Route Army come from?"
"Who can tell me?"
Takeshita Yoshiharu asked angrily.
However, no officer could answer his question.
No one knows where this sudden appearance of the Eighth Route Army came from.
It also carries artillery and can call for air support.
At this time, there were faint sounds of gunfire from behind, and the battle was fierce.
No one answered, and another Japanese staff officer rushed in.
"General."
The staff officer sounded panicked:
"The Eighth Route Army launched an attack from the front, and the rear was also attacked by a large number of Eighth Route Army!"
"Nani?"
Takeshita Yoshiharu breathed rapidly and made a sound of horror.
This time Nani's cry was louder and more shocked than the previous one.
The enemy did not give the 27th Division any breathing space.
Attacking from both front and rear at the same time, did the Eighth Route Army want to completely annihilate the 27th Division?
"How many troops will the enemy attack?"
Takeshita Yoshiharu asked.
"It's not clear yet!"
The staff officer lowered his head and replied:
"The enemy's attack is very fierce!"
Ding ding ding——
The phone on the table rang. Chief of Staff Harada Yoshikazu picked it up and started chattering.
After hanging up the phone, Harada Yoshikazu and Colonel lowered their heads to report:
"Division commander, the heavy supply regiment and field hospital in the rear are surrounded by the enemy!"
"All the ammunition was blown up in the explosion, and only a small part of the food was left!"
Harada Yoshikazu's words made Lieutenant General Takeshita Yoshiharu shake his body and almost fainted. He was really afraid of what might happen.
The food and ammunition were blown up, and the 27th Division would quickly lose its combat effectiveness.
"Order the 27th Regiment of the Mountain Artillery to immediately fire at the enemy in front and use up all the shells. The enemy attack must be repelled."
Takeshita Yoshiharu quickly issued an order:
"Order the 3rd Infantry Regiment in the garrison to launch a counterattack against the enemies in the rear and eliminate them in the shortest possible time!"
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"Immediately report the situation here to the North China Front Army Headquarters and request tactical guidance from General Okamura."
"Hi."
Amidst the shouts, all the Japanese officers bowed their heads.
As the 27th Regiment of the Mountain Artillery, which had been dormant, joined the bombardment, the attacks of the New Second Regiment and the Independent Regiment were repelled by the Japanese, and five tanks were lost.
However, in order to destroy it, it must first be driven crazy.
This was the last act of madness before the enemy's defeat.
Most of the artillery shells of the 27th Mountain Artillery Regiment are in the ammunition depot and are kept by the Troops Regiment.
There are only less than half of the base number of artillery shells on the position.
After these shells were fired, the Japanese mountain artillery regiment became nothing more than decoration.
The paratrooper battalion of the new regiment, with air support and artillery fire support, ate up the Japanese 27th Division's heavy infantry regiment and three field hospitals with lightning speed.
Immediately, the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the Japanese garrison arrived, and the two sides engaged in a fierce exchange of fire.
The Japs had more troops, but the firepower of the paratrooper brigade absolutely suppressed the Japs.
Under attack from the Eighth Route Army, the situation of the Japanese 27th Division became precarious.
…
midnight.
Xuzhou battlefield.
The Eighth Route Army's firepower during the day was too fierce.
The fleet of aircraft in the sky dropped dense aerial bombs, and the Eighth Route Army even used heavy strategic bombers.
Hundreds of heavy artillery roared on the ground, and hundreds of tanks were overwhelming.
After losing an infantry regiment and a field artillery regiment.
Yokoyama Yuong was very resourceful and chose to avoid the attack temporarily and sent the 3rd Division to attack head-on.
Under the heavy artillery fire of the Eighth Route Army, tanks led the infantry to attack, while the Japanese heavy artillery brigade lay dormant and did not dare to fire.
The two sides fought fiercely into the evening, and the 3rd Division suffered considerable losses. The Eighth Route Army also retreated in a posture of shrinking defense.
However, after all, the 3rd Division is the veteran A-type regiment of the Japanese army and has extremely rich combat experience.
The Eighth Route Army also lost some tanks and infantry.
But in general, except for the infantry regiment and field artillery regiment that were severely damaged.
In a head-on confrontation, the casualty ratio between the Japanese army and the Eighth Route Army was five to one.
The casualty ratio was almost the same as when the Chinese army fought against the Japanese elite on the frontal battlefield.
In other words, only the Japanese 3rd Division could achieve this casualty ratio with the Eighth Route Army.
If another B division were used to take the lead, the casualty ratio would be even more exaggerated.
After nightfall, Isamu Yokoyama ordered the 3rd Division to withdraw and rest, and sent the 4th, 6th and 13th Divisions to take the initiative to attack.
The 6th Division and the 13th Division attacked frontally, and the 4th Division moved around to outflank them.
The 6th Heavy Artillery Brigade and the artillery regiments of each division are responsible for providing artillery support.
According to the order, the 6th Division and the 13th Division launched a frontal attack on the Eighth Route Army.
However, the 4th Division, which was responsible for outflanking the enemy, stopped moving halfway.
The Japanese 11th Army and the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army fought fiercely all night in an area more than 20 kilometers north of Xuzhou City.
When the battle reached early morning, Hengshan Yong saw that he could not defeat the main force of the Eighth Route Army, so he ordered the troops to retreat.
At the same time, the artillery regiments were ordered to quickly move their positions to hide in order to avoid being attacked by the Eighth Route Army air attacks.
Early the next morning.
Inside the Japanese military headquarters.
Colonel Futami Akizaburo, the deputy chief of staff of the 11th Army, held a list in his hand and reported to Yokoyama Yuhui:
"Your Excellency, Commander, the losses of the divisions participating in the war have been preliminary calculated!"
Chief of Staff Major General Zhongshan Zhenwu and a group of combat staff stood aside with their hands folded.
As both a Japanese army group-level unit, the combat effectiveness of Isamu Yokoyama's Japanese 11th Army was much stronger than that of Shinozuka Yoshio's 1st Army.
Yokoyama Isamu not only has 4 veteran A-type divisions and 3 B-type divisions, but also 3 infantry brigades.
There is also a reinforced field heavy artillery regiment with terrifyingly powerful artillery firepower.
"read!"
Yokoyama Yuichi waved his hand and said.
"Hi!"
When he saw Colonel Akisaburo Futaba, he lowered his head and cheered, then he held the list in both hands and reported:
"The 3rd Division suffered more than 3,200 casualties."
"The 6th Division suffered more than 2,100 casualties."
"The 13th Division suffered more than 1,800 casualties."
"The 217th Infantry Regiment of the 34th Division suffered more than 2,800 casualties."
"Captain of the 217th Infantry Regiment, Kiyoshi Kiyoshi Kisagi, Osaka Tamaki."
"The 4th Division..."
When he mentioned the 4th Division, Futami Akizaburo paused obviously and his expression became strange.
The 3rd Division suffered the most casualties, because when the field artillery wing of the 3rd Division was preparing to fire, it was attacked by Eighth Route Army aircraft. Not only did the artillery suffer heavy losses, but most of the field artillery and mountain artillery were also blown up.
The 217th Infantry Regiment of the 34th Division was the same infantry regiment that Yokoyama sent to test the attack yesterday.
As soon as this infantry regiment entered the attack position, it was bombarded by dozens of aircraft and hundreds of heavy artillery pieces from the Eighth Route Army.
Even the wing commander and the officers at the wing headquarters were blown to pieces.
It was really blown to pieces. The 217th Infantry Regiment Headquarters was directly hit by a 100 kilogram class aerial bomb.
Even the bodies of the officers at the wing headquarters could not be found.
In other words, the formation of the 217th Infantry Regiment is spread out.
Otherwise, the entire regiment would be destroyed, but even if the formation was widely spread out, most of the casualties would still be lost, and the entire infantry regiment would almost lose its combat effectiveness.
Hearing this, Yokoyama Isamu's expression changed. Before he could calculate the total casualties, he quickly asked in a deep voice: "How many casualties did the 4th Division have?"
The 4th Division, also called the Osaka Division, is the treasured Class A division of the base camp and the main division of the 11th Army.
Moreover, the combat mission of the 4th Division this time was to encircle the Eighth Route Army in a roundabout way.
Combat missions are very dangerous, and it is normal for losses to be larger than those of other divisions.
However, if the 4th Division loses too much, it will have a great impact on the combat effectiveness of the 11th Army.
"One person from the 4th Division was injured..."
Major General Futami Akizaburo continues to report:
"According to a report from the 4th Division Staff Headquarters, a soldier from the 8th Infantry Regiment fell and was injured during the march last night."
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"One person was injured. He fell and was injured during the march?"
Hengshan Yong's eyes were wide-eyed when he heard this, and the CPU in his brain was almost fried.
When this happens, there is only one possibility.
The 4th Division failed to arrive at the designated location according to the combat plan and launched an attack on the Eighth Route Army.
"Ask the 4th Division immediately, what is going on?"
Yokoyama Isamu was really angry this time.
The brother armies suffered thousands of casualties, but your army only suffered one injury, and that was from a fall.
What a shame!
Chief of Staff Major General Nakayama Sadake quickly walked to the table, grabbed the phone, quickly shook the handle, and then put the phone to his ear: "Moxi Moxi, call the 4th Division headquarters immediately!"
After a while, Major General Zhongshan Zhenwu hung up the phone and reported to Yokoyama Yonghui:
"Your Excellency Lieutenant General, I just spoke with Lieutenant General Sekihara Roku, the commander of the 4th Division. Lieutenant General Sekihara Roku explained that they got lost on the march last night and failed to reach the attack position as planned. It is said that it was a military map error.
, which caused the 4th Division to get lost."
"Baga!" Yokoyama Yong yelled angrily and had a headache.
But he could only curse.
This is not the first time that the 4th Division has made a fool of itself.
The 4th Division clearly has a strong fighting capacity, but it often falls behind at critical moments.
In the Battle of Xuzhou in 1938, the Chinese army and the Japanese army were fighting fiercely in Taierzhuang, but the 4th Division was in trouble.
In 1939, the Battle of Nomenkan was delayed and late, causing a disaster for the 2nd Division.
During the Second Battle of Changsha, five Japanese divisions advanced toward Changsha. As a result, the 4th Division was driven back by the Chinese army shortly after it broke into Changsha and retreated in despair.
With such a main force under his command that cheated his teammates, Isamu Yokoyama suddenly felt a headache.
Thinking of the casualty data of each division, Yokoyama Yuya's cheeks twitched.
Fighting in large groups is like a meat grinder.
In less than two days of fighting, the Japanese suffered nearly 10,000 casualties, and most of them were elite veterans of the Class A Division.
Even the commander of the 11th Army, Isamu Yokoyama, found it difficult to bear such a heavy loss.
"An order has been sent to all Locust Army troops to immediately switch to defense. No active attack is allowed without an order. Violation will be punished by military law, Commander!"
"Request tactical guidance from the dispatched army headquarters and base camp immediately!"
Yokoyama Isamu gave the order in a cold tone.
Last night's offensive operation not only failed to defeat the Eighth Route Army, but also completely destroyed Hengshan Yu's intention to take the initiative.
"Hi."
Nakayama Sadatake and Futami Akizaburo both bowed their heads.
And this meat grinder surrounding Xuzhou has just begun.