When the last gunfire fell on the north bank of the West Liao River, the more than 3,000 Japanese troops deployed on the Bayantala battlefield starting from Baolong Mountain in the west, Baokang in the northeast, and the north bank of the West Liao River in the south, except for more than 70 people who were captured
In addition, everyone from the captain down to the captain of the alliance was killed. Although the offensive was delayed, Chen Hanzhang was able to cut off one of Kawami's arms after a hard battle.
After capturing Bayantala, the last Japanese stronghold on the north bank of the Xiliao River, in addition to the northern bank of the Xiliao River in front of Tongliao and relying on the intensive artillery cover in Tongliao County on the south bank, the Japanese army also controlled a small triangle area as an outpost position.
The entire vast area on the north bank of the West Liao River has been recovered by the Anti-Japanese Alliance.
With only two regiments left in the Fourteenth Division and less strength, it is almost impossible to mobilize the remaining Japanese troops out of the fortification group or fight outside the two counties. Even the next step is to
The Fourteenth Division may also shrink its forces outside the city back to the county seat. If we want to capture these two places, I am afraid that street fighting will be necessary.
After the Battle of Bayantala, it was no longer possible with the current strength of the 14th Division to control the vast area starting from the confluence of the Xiliao River and the Dongliao River in the east to the east bank of the Xinkai River in Kailu in the west.
The best choice is to use the troops of the fourth division to control the two county towns and the highways between them to ensure that the two county towns of Kailu and Tongliao form an overall defense posture.
In other words, the next step the troops will face is likely to be the Japanese troops who are huddled in the two counties. Attacking the city and fighting in the streets have no choice, unless Chen Hanzhang chooses to bypass the two counties and turn around and head east.
After inserting Changtu, Kang Ping entered the Aruhorqin Banner to the west and joined Wang Guangyu's troops.
And at the risk of being cut off from the middle during the detour, or having the rear completely cut off, and forming an absolutely isolated battle, we let go of the 14th Division, which still had two infantry regiments. This way, although we could avoid storming two counties,
Avoiding casualties of innocent people is not something any commander would choose.
After a long silence, Chen Hanzhang finally made up his mind and said: "Just do what I just said. Recoilless rifles and 12mm machine guns should be distributed to front-line combat companies as much as possible. When dealing with the Japanese army's permanent fortifications,
In addition to blasting, we should make more use of flamethrowers."
"Also, distribute all the explosives we have on hand to the troops, tell the troops to make more mine-clearing tools, and when breaking through the city wall, use trenching and blasting as much as possible. When blasting, we must try our best to
It may open a wide breach."
"Lao Liu, you sent all the flamethrowers equipped by the chemical defense companies of the two divisions to the main attack regiment, and found a way to adjust a batch of required gasoline. At that time, you told the troops to use the weapons after entering the two counties.
We must pay more attention to avoid casualties to innocent people as much as possible."
"Especially when using flamethrowers and artillery, you must pay more attention to observation. If there are Chinese civilians being used as hostages in Japanese military fortifications, they are absolutely not allowed to be used. Don't each regiment have a sniper company? They will sniper
All hand companies are disrupted, and troops are organized up to the company level in a squad structure."
"We must ensure that each infantry platoon has at least one sniper. Why did the headquarters train snipers for each regiment in the first place? Isn't it because we encountered a similar situation in the battle the year before last? If we don't use it this time, when are we going to use it? If
If there are not enough snipers, we will select some veterans with good marksmanship and use cold-shooting tactics as sharpshooters to specifically cooperate with the troops to rescue the trapped compatriots."
"We also ordered the troops to use the captured Japanese weapons and equipment, especially the artillery equipment, as much as possible during the operation. The artillery troops should allocate some personnel to accompany the infantry in order to attack the captured Japanese artillery on the spot. Transformed into combat support artillery for our army."
Having said this, Chen Hanzhang looked at Liu Yanlai and Wang Jun in front of him and said: "I'm not trying to compete with Commander Wang Guangyu, let alone have any ideas because our progress lags behind that of the Linxi battlefield. Every battlefield The enemy situation and environment we face are different, and the speed of progress is naturally not different, so there is nothing to compare with."
"The Linxi battlefield has the characteristics of the Linxi battlefield. We have our own problems here and cannot be generalized. However, whether we can win the two counties of Tongliao and Kailu as soon as possible is directly related to the realization of the headquarters' strategic intentions, and even It is related to whether this battle can achieve the purpose originally envisioned by the headquarters."
"The most important thing is that the changes in the entire war situation have forced us to speed up. Do you really think that the telegram sent on the 3rd is just to urge us to speed up? Our progress is so slow, and the 1st and 2nd The No. 3 Council will indeed be a little anxious because of overall considerations, but they will not force us to speed up for some reason, especially at the Linxi battlefield, where we have already gained a certain advantage."
"We have been fighting for less than a year under the command of No. 1 and No. 3. When have you ever seen No. 1 and No. 3 force us despite knowing the situation we are encountering here, regardless of the life and death of the troops? No. 1 and No. 3 never talk about hard-to-fight tactics."
"This telegram on the 3rd was sent before the headquarters had yet accurately determined the changes in the enemy's situation. It was a disguised reminder that the enemy's situation around us was about to undergo major changes. The number of Japanese troops who might besiege us might be far greater than What we are seeing so far and what has been exposed.”
"If we delay any longer, it will not only affect the development of the entire war situation, but also put us in trouble. The force we currently command has concentrated a large number of trucks, tanks and armored vehicles, and the infantry has all been replaced. They are all automatic firearms."
"The daily fuel consumption and ammunition consumption of these troops is an astronomical figure. As the supply lines are getting longer and longer, and the 18th Division has inserted itself in the direction behind us, once the supply lines are cut off, they will have to carry ammunition and The supplies are depleting the embers, and we can only sit back and wait."
"As for the situation we are facing now, the 1st and 3rd are still very clear. I think when we received this telegram, the headquarters must have adjusted its deployment, so we must speed up the progress to coordinate with the headquarters' next phase strategy. The unfolding of intention.”
Chen Hanzhang spoke quite clearly, which was rare for him who was always taciturn. Therefore, although Liu Yanlai hesitated, he finally issued orders to each unit according to his intentions. As an old comrade, Liu Yanlai Yan Lai knew that once Chen Hanzhang made up his mind, even if No. 1 and No. 3 came in person, he might not be able to change his mind.
In fact, for Liu Yanlai, he is still a little hesitant. It is not because of other reasons. He is still worried that if the troops still use artillery and flamethrowers during the siege, the people in the two counties will suffer. Cause heavy casualties.
Chen Hanzhang could clearly see the hesitation on Liu Yanlai's face after he explained. He also knew what made this old comrade from the Second Route Army hesitate, but for Chen Hanzhang now, it was something different. He had no choice, because he felt from the telegram sent by Guo Bingxun that the real decisive stage of this battle was probably about to come.
The development and changes of the entire war situation will not leave too much for myself, and it is impossible to leave too much time to choose a more stable solution. The only way is to win Tongliao and Kailu as soon as possible, and my troops will take the next step. Only in the decisive stage of the battle can we be in a position where we can advance and retreat, so even if we are reluctant, we can only bite the bullet and fight on.
After Liu Yanlai issued the latest combat orders to various units according to his own ideas, he turned around and raised his telescope to continue observing Chen Hanzhang, who was forcibly crossing the Xiliao River by the 18th Division. Although he had made up his mind, he could only shake his head in his heart. I lament that I can only focus on the overall situation at this time. Will I regret it after this battle?
Because he knows that Liu Yanlai's worries are likely to come true. In the two counties, which are small in area but very important in strategic locations, more of his compatriots are the ones who will suffer greater casualties in a single shot. Those Chinese who don’t even have the simplest protective fortifications.
But no matter what is waiting for him, one thing is clear to Chen Hanzhang. He has no way out. In order to speed up, Wang Guangyu almost razed the entire Linxi County to the ground. At the beginning, he was still secretly complaining about him. The attack was a bit too harsh, but now I think I'm still not as good as him.
Some things are forced to the point where there is no way around them. You can avoid it if you want to. No one wants to let their own flesh and blood compatriots fall under their own guns, but the development of the entire war situation is not up to you. Anyone who is soft-hearted, with the Japanese army's quick reaction ability, will be the unlucky one if he hesitates. For the development of the entire war situation, even if he knows that there is a fire pit, he still has to bite the bullet and jump down.
This may be war, a war that forces you to do it even though you know you will cause eternal regrets, but what Chen Hanzhang knows better is that the predicament he is facing now can only be said to be the worst for future battles. Just a beginning.
As the Anti-Japanese Alliance grows stronger, urban offensives are inevitable. This kind of situation where Wang Guangyu and I are facing each other is just the beginning. As the war situation develops, the Anti-Japanese Alliance will only encounter similar situations in the future. It could be more.
This battle to capture Tongliao and Kailu is also an opportunity to think about how to use tactics when encountering similar situations in future urban battles. This battle is a test, but it is not an opportunity. If we can Through this battle, we will figure out how to avoid accidental damage during a critical battle. Maybe the outcome of this battle will not be as bad as we imagined.
Chen Hanzhang adjusted his deployment. After completely opening a breakthrough from the Bayantala front line, he avoided the Japanese troops on both wings and periphery, penetrated deep into the core areas of the Japanese army, the two counties of Kailu and Tongliao, and cut off the railway connection between Kailu and Tongliao. , this move did not cause too much trouble to the Japanese army.
Because he was adjusting his deployment, his opponent, Lieutenant General Kawamami, was also adjusting his deployment as the battle situation changed. Faced with the deterioration of the battle situation, Lieutenant General Kawamami responded quite quickly. In this regard,
Much faster than his predecessor Lieutenant General Kita Seiichi.
Just as Chen Hanzhang judged, after the Bayantala front line defenders were completely destroyed and the Western Liaohe line was completely broken through, Lieutenant General Chuan Binmi, commander of the 14th Division, quickly adjusted his deployment. After the troop strength was already insufficient,
Next, the 14th Division took the initiative to abandon most of its peripheral positions.
In addition to leaving three infantry squadrons and all the combat-ready personnel of the baggage regiment, one squadron each of the mountain artillery was commanded by Hachiro Eguchi, captain of the 59th Infantry Regiment, to guard the highway from Kailu to Tongliao to ensure the connection between the two counties.
In addition, all the main forces of the remaining divisions were reduced to the two counties of Tongliao and Kailu.