Having said this, the commander shook his head and said: "Comrade Yang Zhen, I understand your mood, but you have to consider the actual situation. As the last batch of troops to change equipment, the remaining troops have only taken over the new equipment for less than two months.
Months. Coupled with the new troops, too many recruits, and frequent raids by the Japanese army, the formation of combat effectiveness was very slow."
"Judging from the current situation, while the Japanese army is frequently mopping up, it is quite difficult to carry out a large-scale raid like last year. Especially in the Taihang and Taiyue Military Regions, which are still engaged in anti-mopping up campaigns. Although it cannot be said that they have
We have suffered heavy losses, but at least for now, we are really unable to coordinate our southward operations. With so many troops, we can’t just throw away all the base areas and pull them out.”
"As for the Jizhong Military Region, except for a small number of main forces and local armed forces, most of the troops there have either withdrawn to Beiyue and Taihang, or have already fortified the walls on the spot. They are simply unable to complete what you want for the Ping-Han Railway.
Launch a sabotage operation to destroy the Japanese railway transportation lines and delay the Japanese army's task of reinforcing the troops stationed in Mongolia."
"The strength, duration and intensity of the Japanese army's mopping up this time are extremely rare. It can be said that it is the largest scale and the largest amount of troops deployed by the Japanese army since our army left the Yellow River from the east and advanced behind enemy lines.
This is the biggest loss we've ever suffered."
"The reason why we chose the Chanan area as the breakthrough point is that the front there is the shortest, it is easier to cooperate with the Guan Nei troops, and the Beiyue District can bear part of the food supply, reducing the logistical pressure on the anti-alliance comrades. Another factor is that
The important consideration is that if our army turns south and chooses Chanan, which is close to Shanxi, the core area controlled by the Japanese army, as a breakthrough point, it can also attract and contain some of the Japanese and puppet troops and reduce the pressure on the troops in the pass."
The words of the old commander made Yang Zhen stunned and at the same time a little bit cold. He did not expect that the May Day raids that the Japanese army was supposed to launch next year would actually be earlier than this year. Moreover, the number of troops deployed in this raids was larger than what he had expected.
There is much more history that we are familiar with, and the coverage is much wider.
Although the focus and main objectives of the sweep have not changed, the losses caused to various base areas behind enemy lines in North China have not decreased. Moreover, due to the deployment of the entire campaign and the allocation of troops, the losses caused to various base areas in North China have even increased.
The history is much bigger than what you know.
The Japanese army's large-scale sweep has not yet completely ended, and has even just begun in the Taiyue and Taihang areas. The most important base area behind enemy lines in North China, the Jizhong base area behind enemy lines, has been completely destroyed. The troops of the Jizhong Military Region, on which they had placed high hopes, suffered
unprecedented losses.
At this time, the losses in the Taihang and Taiyue military regions, which were undergoing counter-mopping operations, are still unclear, but judging from the intensity and strength of the Japanese army's mopping-up, I am afraid that the losses will not be too small. Originally, according to the central deployment,
, the Jidong Military Region, which serves as the rear base and wartime supply base for the advancing army, is currently in a worse situation and has even lost contact.
What does it mean when a military region command organ loses contact with its superiors? Everyone knows it clearly. Losing contact means that the radio station is shut down. Because it has to command troops, the radio station of the command organ cannot and will not be allowed to shut down easily.
If the radio station of the Jidong Military Region loses contact, the most likely possibility is that the radio station is destroyed, and the worst possibility is that the military region command organization is knocked out.
If it is the former result, it is not a big problem. If the radio station is destroyed, we can just find a way. But if the latter possibility is really the case, then the consequences will be quite serious. If the military region command organ is destroyed, it will also
This means that the situation in the Jidong Military Region has deteriorated to the extreme.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the whole army was wiped out. With the command structure gone, the losses of the troops below can be imagined. And if the situation in the Jidong Military Region really deteriorates to the point of irreparable, then the advancing army will be in hot water.
The battle on the river means that a very important support point has been lost.
Although all material supplies for the advancing army have now been borne by the Anti-Japanese Alliance, the role of the Jidong Military Region as the rear base of the advancing army has been downplayed. However, as the internal force closest to the combat area of the advancing army, the activities of the Jidong Military Region within and outside the Great Wall
, is an important coordination point for advancing military operations.
Once the Jidong Military Region is severely damaged or is eliminated by the enemy, it means that one link of the originally planned trinity combat model of the anti-alliance alliance in the north, the advancing army in the center, and the Jidong Military Region in the south will be eliminated. For the entire war situation,
Although it doesn't have much impact, it does lose a very important support point.
And Yang Zhen saw not only the superficial losses, but also a deeper level. The Japanese army's large-scale raids on the Jizhong Plain were not surprising. The Jizhong Plain is the main grain producing area in North China, and various anti-Japanese forces in North China
Most of the grain and cotton needed in the base area come from the Jizhong Plain.
Among the Eighteenth Army, the Jizhong Plain was even once called the Ukraine of North China. Comparing Ukraine, the Soviet granary, shows its importance to the entire North China anti-Japanese base area. Without the support of food and other materials in the Jizhong Plain,
, the various base areas in North China, especially the mountainous areas, are much more difficult.
If the Japanese army wants to completely eliminate the anti-Japanese base areas in North China, no matter how they deploy, the Jizhong Plain area will be their first and most important target. Cutting off the supply of food and materials to the various base areas in North China will make our army in North China
Being trapped in a mountainous area, freezing and starving to death were the most important goals of the Japanese army.
In addition, the Jizhong base area was too close to the Baoding and Shimen areas in the approved area controlled by the Japanese army in Hebei. The Jinpu Railway, which was the main communication line between the Japanese North China Front Army and the Central China Front Army, and the main trunk line for the Japanese army to plunder North China's resources for export, was within its jurisdiction.
Inside.
It can even be said that without destroying the anti-Japanese base areas in central Hebei, it would be impossible to stabilize the Japanese rule in Hebei. Any Japanese commander, as long as he is not a fool and has some strategic vision, will never give up on the anti-Japanese war in central Hebei.
The idea of completely destroying the base area. It is not too surprising that the Jizhong Military Region became the hardest hit area during this raid.
At present, the frontal battlefield between China and Japan has entered a stalemate stage. The Nationalist Government's largest heavily armed group in North China, the Zhongtiao Mountain garrison, has been defeated. The Japanese army has been able to free up its hands to stabilize its rear. Under this situation, it is hoped that the
It is not surprising that the Central Base Area became the preferred target.
If the Japanese army launched an unprecedented large-scale raid on the Jizhong base area, it is not a surprising thing. But the Japanese army actually launched an equally large-scale raid on the Taihang and Taiyue areas at the same time, which illustrates another problem.
The Japanese army's large-scale raids on these two strategic areas in Shanxi were concentrated after the advancing army had left the border to fight. Of course, the main reason for this was that the main force of the First Army stationed in Shanxi was engaged in the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain in the first half of the year and had no time to pay attention to it.
.
But there is another biggest possibility, that is, they should already know that the main forces of the Taihang Military Region and the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region have been transferred away. Especially the 129th Division and the Taihang Military Region are at their weakest right now.
The ten main force groups were transferred away.
In order to make up for the losses in last year's Hundred Regiment War, and at the same time to improve the organization of the advancing army, these ten regiments are actually composed of sixteen regiments. The transfer of ten regiments also means
This is equivalent to the transfer of sixteen regiments. And according to the current establishment and strength of the Taihang Military Region and the 129th Division, the transfer of ten regiments is basically the transfer of all the most combat-effective old troops in the Taihang Military Region.
The Japanese army chose to launch such a large-scale raid when the advancing army had already left the border. Its main goal was to completely wipe out this one of the main anti-Japanese base areas in North China when the Taihang Military Region was at its weakest.
The base area that sent the most troops was completely destroyed. As well as the headquarters of the 18th Army that had been following the activities of the 129th Division, the serious problem in North China was completely solved.
The second goal is that no matter how great the losses suffered by the Taihang and Taiyue Military Regions during the raids, the advancing troops that have left the border will not be able to return in time for rescue. Especially the entire inner and outer Great Wall has been tightly blockaded by the Japanese and puppet troops.
Under the circumstances, it is easy for the advancing army to leave the border, but it is difficult to turn around and return.
Of course, it would be best if we could solve this serious problem that is a major problem for its rule in North China. If it cannot be solved, we should also minimize the ability of the 18th Army to operate in North China, maintain its control over Hebei and Shanxi, the key grain and cotton producing areas in North China, and ensure that Tongpu
, the smooth flow of railway lines between Zhengtai and Pinghan.
The reason why the Japanese army did not launch a large-scale raid on the Jizhong area at the same time was in our Taihang and Taiyue base areas in Shanxi. Although the battle of Zhongtiao Mountain was still in the final stage, in order to ensure that the battle in Central
The occupation of this strategically important area in Tiaoshan was the reason why it was impossible to mobilize all the troops participating in the war before the Zhongtiaoshan area was completely cleared.
But it may be that a considerable part of the troops in the two major strategic areas were transferred away, and it is still not clear where they were transferred. Yang Zhen can conclude that the Japanese army has already planned to mop up the Taihang and Taiyue areas.
The plans have already been made, and what they are waiting to find out is the final destination of the transferred troops.
Before the advancing army left the border, in order to protect the lifeline of Manchuria and Mongolia it was working for, they were afraid that the 18th Army, which was known for its guerrilla tactics, would penetrate into the puppet Manchukuo and endanger its so-called lifeline. The strength of the Japanese army's blockade inside and outside the Great Wall, as well as its consistent
Judging from the keen sense of intelligence and high efficiency, the Japanese army's intelligence system should have detected the movement of the advancing army as soon as it left the border.
In addition, comparing with the previous raids on the anti-Japanese base areas behind enemy lines and the information obtained through intelligence collection, it was not difficult for the Japanese army to determine the specific whereabouts of the missing troops in the two major base areas of Taihang and Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei. And I am afraid that many plans have already been made.
The Japanese army, which had a mopping up plan, was waiting for this opportunity.
Although they originally looked down on the Chinese army, they looked down upon the poorly equipped Eighteenth Army troops. In addition, the Japanese army, which was under the prestige of a great victory, did not care about its opponent's army. They sent more and less. But for the Japanese army carrying out mountain sweeps,
It is said that the strength of the opponent's troops will still affect the formulation of one's own combat plan.
A total of more than 20 regiments of troops in the two strategic areas disappeared out of thin air. Anyone else would feel a certain amount of pressure in their hearts when formulating a combat plan. Although one's own side has advantages in training, equipment, and even strength, but in the
When the fight is in full swing, no one wants an army to suddenly appear behind them.