Cao Hui was a little angry because the leading company was delayed in Xinyuan for half an hour and consumed a lot of ammunition. However, He Fangren had a smooth journey and annihilated the Japanese army except for the Machangtun line north of Taolaizhao. Outside of a small team, there was no interception like Xinyuan's at all along the way.
Because when He Fangren was choosing a route south, although he might face a pincer attack by the Japanese troops in Yushu, he tried his best to avoid taking the Zhongchang Railway. It was not that he was worried about being blocked by the Japanese and puppet railway police, but that he was afraid of being blocked by the Japanese and puppet railway police. His body was entangled by these miscellaneous fish. Although he didn't pay attention to the fighting power of the Puppet Manchukuo Railway Police, he didn't want his time to be wasted by these guys.
The route he chose was only a few hundred meters away from the China-Changchun Railway and even thousands of meters away. Although the traffic environment along the road was a bit worse and there were no roads to choose from, it also effectively avoided the small Japanese and puppet troops. The interception of this force would at least not be delayed for half an hour by the Puppet-Manchukuo railway police force that had actually been fully integrated like the west route going south along the Zhongchang Railway.
As for the fact that there are no roads to use when going south, although the road conditions are a bit worse, this kind of road is nothing to the Anti-Japanese League. After all, the current marching method adopted by the Anti-Japanese League is far from mechanized or Is it the standard for motorization, the main method of marching is still mainly on foot.
For the current Anti-Japanese Alliance, trucks are only used to transport ammunition and supplies, and to tow heavy weapons. Not to mention ordinary soldiers, even at the division level, they are mainly on horseback. Not only the infantry troops mainly march on foot, Even the artillery of the general troops below the division mainly adopts the animal-drawn method.
In addition to the fact that the original design of these artillery was mainly based on animal traction and was not suitable for automobile traction. If it was changed to mechanized traction, major modifications would be required. The remaining reasons were mostly due to the gasoline. There was no way. Now for the resistance Literally speaking, every drop of gasoline is precious.
Although the number of purchased American and Soviet trucks, as well as captured Japanese military trucks, is still relatively sufficient, under the current situation that the outsourcing channels for gasoline have been cut off, general troops should avoid using cars for long-distance mobility as much as possible, except for trains. Otherwise, walking has become the main mode of mobility.
For the anti-alliance troops who are accustomed to marching on foot unless there are special operations, no matter how bad the road condition of these roads is, it will not have much impact. Besides, this is located in the Songnen Plain. Although there are some ravines, but no matter how bad it is, It is much better than marching in the mountains.
The Anti-Japanese Alliance's ability to march on foot and to march in mountains is somewhat different from that of Laoba Road, which relies entirely on foot marching in Guan Nei and is known as the Iron Foot, but it is not too different, at least after painstaking training. The Japanese army's marching ability was poor.
Therefore, although the five infantry companies led by He Fangren were out of breath due to the forced march and left behind many people who fell behind because they could not keep up with their physical strength, the journey was smoother than that of Cao Hui. Even when they arrived at the outskirts of Taolaizhao, they were a full forty minutes ahead of the time set by the column.
It's just that although his infantry arrived at the Taolaizhao line ahead of schedule, the artillery he originally carried, especially the two 107 rocket launchers, could not keep up due to road conditions. As for the reinforced artillery in the division and the powerful 14th Army under the regiment, mm machine guns are still far away in Xin'an, south of the Sancha River.
In other words, although he arrived at the Taolaizhao front line ahead of schedule, the entire unit was running a little out of sync. Among the five infantry companies, the actual number that reached the Taolaizhao front line was only three and a half infantry companies, and ten and a half infantry companies from the battalion's fire support company. A 2-mm machine gun platoon, an 82-mm mortar platoon, and a 57-mm recoilless rifle platoon each. After dividing the troops to capture various key points east of Taolaizhao, he could actually only invest one reinforced infantry company on the Taolaizhao front line.
After figuring out the actual enemy situation on Tao Laizhao's front line, He Fangn couldn't help but take a breath. Only then did he realize that the troops and firepower he had thought to have a slight advantage turned out to be at a disadvantage, and he had to divide his forces to capture the area east of Tao Laizhao. Under the circumstances of several key points, the disadvantages are still obvious.
Facing the so-called railway guard force at this time, which not only has two infantry squadrons, a mortar squadron, and a cavalry squadron, but in addition to the railway guard force whose equipment is no less than that of the regular Kwantung Army, there is also a half-military army. The Japanese infantry of the squadron retreated all the way from the Sancha River, half of the artillery squadron that lost all its artillery, a brigade artillery squad plus an anti-aircraft artillery squadron used to protect the Taolai Zhaosonghua River Bridge, and a reserve artillery squadron of the 28th Division When the total strength was added to Taolaizhao's garrison, which consisted of seven to eight hundred people.
Only then did He Fangren realize that he did not have an advantage in terms of strength. The artillery had not yet caught up. At this time, he only had two 57-mm recoilless rifles and two 82-mm mortars, plus five six-guns. The support firepower of zero mortars and four rocket launchers is also far weaker than that of the opponent.
Although for any infantry battalion in the pass, whether it is the National Army or the 18th Group Army, this firepower configuration is quite strong, and can even be described as luxurious, but it is also at a disadvantage when facing the Japanese army in front of them. After all, the opponent's two One Type 94 mountain gun, one Type 38 field gun, and two Type 92 infantry guns were enough to cover almost all of his mortars.
This does not include the two Type 88 75mm anti-aircraft guns and the four Type 98 20mm anti-aircraft guns that may be put into the battlefield at any time. Of course, whether these anti-aircraft guns can be put into ground combat depends on Tao Laizhao's front-line command. The Japanese commander was not very bright and he was a rigid person who did not know how to adapt.
If the Japanese commander on the Taolaizhao front line also puts the anti-aircraft artillery of that squadron into ground combat, then the firepower comparison between the enemy and ourselves on the Taolaizhao frontline will be even more disparate, and the only artillery he has on hand cannot be fully invested in Taolaizhao. Of course, in terms of individual weapons, the Anti-Union still has an absolute advantage.
But this is an attack, not a defense. Without the support of heavy weapons, and with equipment and troops at a disadvantage, it is undoubtedly a fantasy for most armies to fight a fortified battle. No army It can defeat the opponent with the help of small weapons in hand when the support firepower is disparate and the troops are at a disadvantage.
However, although he currently occupies a relative or absolute disadvantage in terms of military strength and heavy weapons, it does not mean that He Fangren, the highest commander of the Anti-Japanese Alliance on the Tao Laizhao front line, will honestly stay outside Tao Laizhao, waiting for supporting troops. Especially after the lagging artillery catches up, they can attack again.
From the day he joined the Anti-Japanese Alliance, this guy who didn't know what it meant to be afraid faced Tao Laizhao's garrison with superior strength. Although he only had one reinforced company that could directly invest in attacking Tao Laizhao, he still had no choice. Attack without hesitation.
But He Fangren wanted to make this impossible possible, turn the so-called Arabian Nights into reality, and turn the impossible into possible, even though at this time he didn't even know what an Arabian Nights was. Never even heard of it.
In fact, He Fangren's attack at this time was undoubtedly a gamble. He was betting on Tao Laizhao's Japanese defenders. He didn't know how many troops he had in hand. He was even betting on those who were the main force of Tao Laizhao's front-line defenders. The Japanese troops who had retreated along the Chahe front line had become frightened.
He already knew the composition of Taolaizhao's garrison from the mouth of a wounded Japanese soldier captured when he occupied Machangtun north of Taolaizhao and annihilated a Japanese squad stationed there, as well as the actual strength and general equipment of the Japanese army that retreated there. Knowing that the main force of Tao Laizhao's defenders were the defeated troops on the Sancha River line was the fundamental reason why He Fangren dared to be so bold and take the initiative to attack Tao Laizhao's line with a reinforced company.
As for the Puppet Manchukuo railway police force in Taolaizhao Nei, he did not pay attention to it like his subordinates in Xinyuan, and simply ignored it. In his eyes, if the regular Puppet Manchukuo army was somewhat In terms of combat effectiveness, those various policemen in Manchukuo are not even scum.
If during the old Anti-Japanese War, due to reasons such as troop strength, equipment, ammunition, etc., the Puppet Manchukuo military and police often avoided fighting, then now, whether it is the Puppet Manchukuo forest police, the railway police, or the railway I don't care about the police force or any other messy military police and other armed forces.
But He Fangren, who was very complacent at this time, did not expect that it was these Puppet Manchukuo Railway Police Guards that he had ignored before, which brought considerable difficulties to his battle. Even the reinforced company he led , he almost didn't get bitten back by these police-type units that he had always looked down on before.
If Cao Hui hadn't heard something strange about the gunshots here when he was seizing the front line of Majiatun west of Taolaizhao, and took the risk of dispatching a company from the front of the Songhua River where the Japanese counterattack force had been discovered, and rushed over to support him, he would have almost been counterattacked. The puppet Manchukuo police guards who came out and were ignored by him were surrounded to the north of Tao Laizhao.
Of course, this was after the battle started in full force. As for the Japanese commander who had not yet recovered from the blow last night, he was facing the anti-alliance troops who rushed towards him. Instead of getting hard, he almost didn't. I lost my composure on the spot due to this unfortunate news.
If Lieutenant General Ishiguro Sadazou, who had not already learned that the Sancha River line was lost and the connection between the 28th Division and the 7th Division had not been cut off at this time, personally sent him an order that he must hold on to the Taolaizhao line until the Jiangnan reinforcements When the telegram arrived, it was necessary to abandon Tao Laizhao and return to the south of the Songhua River.
If Tao Laizhao is lost before the reinforcements arrive, even if the battle ends with one soldier, Tao Laizhao must be defended. If Tao Laizhao is lost, let him commit hara-kiri directly to apologize. It was Lieutenant General Ishiguro Sadzo's telegram that told the Japanese troops on Tao Laizhao's front line
The commander fought hard, and it was Lieutenant General Ishiguro Sadzo's telegram that almost changed the development of the entire war in Fuyu and Yushu.