As for the various Soviet-made bombers and fighter jets that currently appear in the Anti-Japanese Alliance's establishment, the Soviet Union has not given any reply at all. In short, except for the Anti-Japanese Alliance's use of Outer Mongolia, the Soviets have basically responded to the Japanese protests about the Soviet Union's violation of the agreement. There is no reply.
The Soviets' reply was almost the same as no reply to the Japanese. At present, the Soviets, who were losing one battle after another on the Soviet-German battlefield, had too much to take care of themselves. There were no spare supplies for export. As for selling tanks to the Anti-Japanese Alliance, In this case, the Japanese who were taken advantage of could only suffer a dumb loss.
The ban on supplies is even more unreliable. If the 23rd Division is defeated, the Anti-Japanese Alliance will directly open up the logistics supply line from Linxi to Qiqihar and Hailar. There is no need to borrow a road from Outer Mongolia. The Soviets This reply is basically a piece of paper.
When this agreement was signed, the Japanese's own tank technology was slow to develop, but they were wishful thinking that other countries were like them. During the Battle of Nomonhan, the Soviet-made tanks showed great power on the 23rd Division. , at least it will be the main tank of the Soviet army for a long time.
But they didn't expect that they still had new and more powerful tanks in their hands. The Soviets said that since you are allies with Germany, you should know what the latest Soviet tanks are, and they blocked the Japanese's mouths tightly. Even if I want to protest, there is no place to protest.
The Japanese, who were very angry by the Soviets, had no other choice but to protest. Although some senior combat staff in the base camp were very dissatisfied with the Soviets' answer and resumed the strategy of advancing northward. , and spent all day clamoring for war against the Soviet Union, cooperating with the Germans, launching a two-sided attack on the Soviet Union, and completely annihilating this Soviet monster that did not keep its credibility.
But for the Japanese, reality will always be reality. Judging from the actual situation they are currently facing, starting a war with the Soviet Union can only be a clamor. The United States, Britain and the Netherlands, which occupy rich resources and own a large number of oil fields in Southeast Asia, have already announced a war against Japan. Implement comprehensive sanctions.
For resources such as bauxite, oil, and rubber, Japan can only rely on its own small reserves. If these urgently needed resources to maintain the war cannot be solved within half a year, Japanese warships will be left to rust in the port. Without aluminum If there is no soil, it will be impossible to build new aircraft.
There is no turning back, and the Japanese have not secured the oil, rubber, and aluminum resources in Nanyang. The Japanese are now simply unable to launch a war against the Soviet Union. The most fundamental thing is that if they do not solve the growing threat of the Anti-Japanese Alliance and rely solely on landing operations, the Japanese People could not launch a war against the Soviet Union.
In order to obtain oil and other resources that Japan urgently needs, the southward operation plan formulated by the base camp has been fully launched. The navy's targeted training is in full swing. Several army divisions have been transferred south to Hainan Island and Taiwan, as well as to Vietnam for tropical adaptation. sexual training.
The well-equipped Soviets are not a weak China. According to the current intelligence observations of the Japanese army, although most of the Soviet troops in the Far East have been transferred away, a group of new troops have been formed in the Far East and a number of troops have also been retained. Although the combat effectiveness of the first batch of aviation corps and armored units has declined somewhat, the number of equipment, especially tanks, is still far greater than that of the Japanese army.
The Soviets' absolute superiority in combat effectiveness and equipment had been truly experienced by the Japanese army in the Battle of Nomenhan. Coupled with the vast territory of the Soviet Union, the Japanese base camp clearly understood that once the Japanese army launched a war against the Soviet Union, it would not be a short-term victory. The problem can be solved within time.
Even if Japan's war against the Soviet Union could be as successful as the Germans' on the Western Front, the ice-covered Siberia would not be able to meet Japan's demand for resources. The distance between the Western Pacific and the oil fields in the Transcaucasus was too far for the Japanese. It is said that marching northward is inevitable, but it is not necessarily necessary.
In view of the complexity of the current situation, and the counterattack plan reported to the Kwantung Army this time, but it has been delayed, the Japanese army base camp dispatched a staff headquarters and an additional director in charge of operations, which is actually equivalent to the first director of the chief of operations. The two The big boss personally came to the Kwantung Army to supervise the war.
The intention of the base camp is very obvious, that is, even if it cannot completely solve the worries, the intention of the base camp is that these anti-Manchurian and anti-Japanese elements must not cause any trouble to the Japanese army in the rear during the Japanese army's southward movement, so as to ensure the progress of the base camp's southward movement. , will not be disrupted due to rear reasons.
Looking at the extremely unfavorable battle situation in front of him, General Umezu Meijiro who had aged almost ten years, Lieutenant General Okabe Naosaburo could only say helplessly: "General Umezu, although we understand the current predicament of the Kwantung Army, but The Kwantung Army must launch a comprehensive counterattack within three days. This is the emperor's request and the decision of the Army Staff Headquarters."
"The Emperor and the base camp have lost patience with the heavy losses suffered by the Kwantung Army, but they have never been able to launch a comprehensive counterattack according to the plan, reaching the lowest bottom line of the base camp to maintain the front line before this battle. Don't forget, your Excellency, the base camp is not asking the Kwantung Army to The First World War will solve all the problems in Manchuria. The request of the base camp is to at least maintain the front line at the beginning of the year, so that the base camp can free up its hands to solve the problems in Nanyang first."
"Your Majesty Umezu, you should know that the empire is about to launch a full-scale attack on Nanyang. The empire cannot leave a large number of elite divisions originally scheduled to fight south in Manchuria for a long time, especially the aviation and tank troops that are urgently needed south. The climate in Nanyang is very different from that in Manchuria. If the divisions scheduled to go south do not conduct adaptive training in advance, it will have a great impact on the Imperial Army's plan to go south."
"Your Excellency, the embargo imposed by the United States, Britain and the Netherlands on the Empire has had a fatal impact on the Empire. The Empire can currently only rely on reserves to carry out combat operations. The current oil reserves of the Empire, even if it reduces civilian consumption, can only support at most Six months, that is to say, within six months the empire must capture the Dutch East Indies, which produces oil, so that British Malaya can get rid of the oil dilemma."
"In addition to oil, there is also tungsten from Burma, rubber and rice from the entire Southeast Asia, all of which are urgently needed by the empire. There are also other rare metals such as tin, which are urgently needed by the empire. In this regard, as a senior official of the Imperial Army, you are currently on active duty. The army general should also know that, so for the base camp, the upcoming southward operation has become the top priority."
"But not only has the Kwantung Army failed to maintain the front line in the spring as you promised to His Majesty the Emperor, even you, the dignified commander, and the entire Kwantung Army headquarters have been driven out of the new capital. Regardless of this, There is no way I can explain it."
"Your Excellency Meijin, you should know that if you allow the current situation to develop, it will be extremely detrimental to you. The base camp is already discussing the replacement of the commander of the Kwantung Army. The candidate currently in the eyes of the base camp is the Southern China Front Army. The commander is Lieutenant General Onta Rikichi, or the commander of the First Army of the North China Front is Lieutenant General Shinozuka Yoshio."
"The reason why there has been no actual implementation and selection of candidates is because the Emperor still insists on you serving as the commander of the Kwantung Army. If it were not for the Emperor's trust in you and his insistence on not removing you from your post, I am afraid that you would have been removed from your post last month. The order has been given."
"But Mr. Umezu, in view of the current situation, I have to persuade you that if the emperor also loses confidence in you, then you must be aware of the outcome you may encounter. I don't want to tell you about the unfortunate experience of General Ueda Kenkichi. Copy it on your body."
"You must know that the Kwantung Army has applied for aviation and other resources from the base camp. The base camp has tried its best to meet the needs of the Kwantung Army. At this critical moment, it has allocated valuable aviation units to the Kwantung Army for operations. However, the Kwantung Army has been slow to It failed to launch a full-front counterattack in accordance with the requirements of the base camp to restore the situation in Manchuria to the pre-war level. It is inevitable that the base camp will be dissatisfied."
Regarding Lieutenant General Okabe Naosaburo's words of persuasion and the good intentions revealed in his words, Umezu Yoshijiro nodded slightly to show that he knew clearly. However, regarding the base camp's request that a full-scale counterattack must be launched as planned within three days, However, Umezu Yoshijiro firmly refused. In his opinion, the aviation bombing was not time to counterattack until a certain goal was achieved.
If the aviation force succeeded in blowing up the Songhua River embankment and creating a man-made flood, the pressure on the Kwantung Army on the northern front would be greatly reduced. It would even be unnecessary to invest too many troops on the northern front. Most of the troops could be concentrated and dedicated to Respond to the war situation in Western Manchuria.
In the early days of the China Incident, the Nationalist Government created a man-made flood at Huayuankou of the Yellow River. Umezu Yoshijiro, who had just been transferred from the position of deputy minister of the Ministry of War to the commander of the First Army in Shanxi, did not personally visit the scene, but he still remembered it deeply. He told the Japanese army at that time Although the losses caused were not very large, they paid a strategic price that cannot be underestimated.
The amount of water in the Songhua River, which is currently in the flood season, is far from comparable to that of the Yellow River at that time. Since the National Government can use the same method, why can't the Kwantung Army do the same and blow up the Songhua River embankment, which can not only cut off the deep The back roads and supply lines of the anti-alliance forces in the south of the Yangtze River will also cause considerable chaos to their so-called base areas in the north of the Yangtze River.
For Umezu Yoshijiro, who has always regarded himself as the most authentic soldier and firmly opposed soldiers engaging in politics, he always considers issues more from a military perspective. In his view, as long as his superiors give him a task, he must find ways to complete it to the best of his ability. , he is definitely not the kind of person who easily succumbs to pressure from certain aspects and compromises easily.
For Umezu Yoshijiro, everything is ready for the implementation of the plan he formulated. All he needs is the east wind. The biggest regret at the moment is that God is not good. In the next three days, the entire war zone except Western Manchuria and the Nenjiang River will be destroyed. , the upper reaches of the Songhua River will fall into widespread rainfall, and there will even be heavy rains in some areas.
The deterioration of the weather will undoubtedly have a considerable impact on the implementation of the Kwantung Army's full-line counterattack plan. At least the dispatch of aviation forces and the bombing of the Songhua River Embankment can only be temporarily postponed, at least for the three days originally planned. , the plan to completely destroy the Songhua River embankment will definitely not be implemented.
However, in the face of the change in weather, which caused the delay in the implementation of the entire combat plan, Umezu Yoshijiro, who has always been known for his meticulous thinking, believes that not everything is bad. The deterioration of the weather makes him feel both annoyed and happy. What is surprising is that this three-day continuous rain will affect the dispatch of aviation forces, and will bring about a comprehensive delay in the entire counterattack plan of the Kwantung Army, which will have an extremely negative impact on the covert strategic attempt.
Fortunately, this widespread heavy rain has also played a protective role in the Kwantung Army's mobilization plan to a certain extent. The most important thing is that this continuous heavy rainfall will reduce the water levels of the Songhua River and the Nen River. Generally, prices continue to rise. Once the plan succeeds, the losses caused by the alliance will also increase significantly.