Chapter 19 The Japanese Army Who Advances Without Retreating
Faced with the extremely unfavorable situation on the Linxi battlefield, Seitaro Takei, who knew that if he retreated directly, his opponent would definitely not give up, decided to do the opposite and advance instead of retreating. Among the two divisions on the Linxi battlefield,
The 11th Division suddenly gave way to the front of Linxi, turned around and launched a fierce attack toward the southeast of Linxi and the territory of Heshiketeng Banner.
The ferocity of its offensive, the speed of its movements, and the half-dead intensity of the previous offensive can be said to be completely different. Previously, Keshiketeng Banner had not been the focus of the Japanese offensive due to the excessive terrain. Several times
After the assault failed, the commander of the division gave up the attack.
This time, all the main forces were concentrated. Regardless of the complex terrain and high mountains at the junction of Keshiketeng Banner and Linxi, the sudden attack was somewhat beyond Wang Guangyu's expectation, and even somewhat unprepared. Because Linxi and Bahrain right
Based on the situation on the battlefield in front of the flag, he only placed one regiment in that direction.
The Thirteenth Division gave up its counterattack on the front line of Wengniute Banner, concentrated its forces to take over the offensive of the Eleventh Division on the front of Linxi, and launched a fierce attack in the direction of Linxi County. At the same time, it sent a regiment to turn around and head towards where it was originally.
It targeted the attack, but actually never sent one soldier in that direction to attack at the junction of Bahrain Right Banner and Alukorqin Banner.
Wang Guangyu was not confused by the posture of the Japanese army on the Linxi battlefield. He was not moved by the main force of the 13th Division that penetrated deep into him, but continued to put his troops on Wengniu.
Within Tezuo Banner, they tightly blocked the Japanese troops' retreat route to Tongliao. At the same time, they mobilized Linxi's frontal troops to launch a comprehensive counterattack against the 13th Division.
But the Japanese 11th Division turned to the southeast of the Linxi battlefield, which Wang Guangyu had to pay attention to. It was the junction between the anti-alliance forces and the advancing army on the Linxi battlefield. Once the Japanese army broke into it, the gap between the anti-alliance forces and the advancing army would be broken.
There will be a danger of being divided. Moreover, once the Japanese army breaks into the territory of Heshiketeng Banner, the resting advancing army will face huge danger.
Taking into account the fact that although the terrain at the junction of Linxi and Keshiketeng Banner is favorable, the troops are relatively weak and its important position. Under the fierce attack of the 11th Division, Wang Guangyu could only mobilize the reserve team first.
A regiment strengthened to the junction of Linxi and Hexigten Banners and deployed emergency defenses to stop the 11th Division's offensive.
The 11th Division, which had been slow and careless before and was always worried about the supply lines behind it that might be cut off at any time, did not attack with all its strength this time. This time, it was the only one in the area east of the Keshiketeng Banner Jingpeng.
The key deployment areas of the regiment's defense force are also in Xinjing and along the Siramulun River. As for the south bank of the Siramulun River, only one reinforced battalion was deployed to rely on the terrain as a security force.
The troops were weak, and the Japanese army's change of direction was quite sudden. The original defensive troops in Heshiketeng Banner were caught off guard by the fierce attack of the two regiments of the 11th Division that suddenly turned around and advanced in unison.
Some defensive positions were breached one after another.
When Wang Guangyu arrived from a regiment of the reserve team, the left wing of the 11th Division had successively broken through Dayingzi, Guanghelong, and Rehuitang. The right wing had broken through Liulin and seized the commanding heights of Zhangjiayingzi. Its forward was approaching
Wagangyaogou Gate is outside the warp shed. Beyond the warp shed, the Huangganliang line is the communication line between the Anti-Japanese Alliance and the Advance Army, and it is also the lifeline of the Advance Army.
After the regiment that Wang Guangyu detached from the reserve arrived, it had only time to seize the line from the scripture shed to Huangganliang and maintain communication with the advancing army. The regiment originally deployed at the junction of Linxi and Keshiketeng Banner
That regiment had to retreat to Jingpeng Town because it suffered more than half of its casualties.
Faced with the rapid deterioration of the war situation in Heshiketeng Banner under the rapid attack of the 11th Division. In order to ensure that the war situation will not continue to deteriorate in a short period of time, Wang Guangyu can only grit his teeth and temporarily weaken Wengniute.
Within the territory of Zuo Banner, the troops launching a full-line counterattack toward the Yuanbaoshan and Shuangjing lines behind the Thirteenth Division were not considered strong in nature.
Deploy half of the troops and immediately attack the front lines of Tuchengzi and Xiyao in Keshiketeng Banner, threatening the attack sequence of the 11th Division from the side and rear. Trying to force the 11th Division to stop the offensive and turn around to meet the resistance coming from behind.
The joint forces should at least reduce the pressure on the front of the shed.
Knowing that the Japanese army suddenly changed the focus of their attack, there must be something wrong with it, but the 11th Division avoided the front of Linxi and suddenly inserted the Keshiketeng Banner, but it happened to hit the weak spot of the entire Linxi battlefield, and it was also what he had to do.
No matter what the real thoughts of the Japanese army are, their offensive in the Heshiketeng Banner must be contained. The current position of the Heshiketeng Banner is too critical.
Just when Wang Guangyu's troops mobilized from the Wengniute Banner were marching at a rapid speed on the south bank of the Xilamulun River and forcibly attacking the Tuchengzi front line, the 11th Division was struggling in the Keshiketeng Banner.
, under the desperate cover of some troops from Tuchengzi to Liulin and the commanding heights of Zhangjiayingzi, a 180-degree U-turn suddenly occurred.
The troops were divided into two groups, one along Tianshenghao, Sidaogou, and Lujiagoumen lines. The other group retreated to Chifeng at maximum speed via Sihehao, Guangxingyuan, and Majiao lines. In order to speed up the retreat, one group
Everything that could be thrown was thrown away on the road. After Wang Guangyu's troops from Wengniute Left Banner broke through Tuchengzi and Zhangjiayingzi and rushed to Keshiketeng Banner, they only annihilated their covering troops and captured some scattered soldiers.
troops.
The biggest result was that in the area south of Zhangjiayingzi, a brigade of the Japanese heavy artillery regiment that was too slow to move due to heavy equipment and lack of fine feed, which led to the death of a large number of draft horses, was cut off. The main force of the 11th Division was in the
With the support of part of the troops of the Fifth Division, they had already fled without a trace.
As for the 13th Division, which took over from the 11th Division to maintain the frontal offensive on the Linxi battlefield, it was broken through at the Tuchengzi front line. At almost the same time, it suddenly used the Tuchengzi front line under the cover of the troops behind it and a large amount of artillery fire.
was broken through, and the gap left by the Anti-Alliance Forces was chasing the 11th Division.
Quickly getting rid of the anti-alliance forces who launched a full-frontal counterattack on the Linxi battlefield, and caught up with the troops who launched a counterattack from Wengniute Left Banner at the same time. They were also blocked by their own blocking troops at the Shuangjing front line. Taking advantage of the gap between Zhaojiawan and Shuangjing
Taking advantage of the gap in time, the Anti-Japanese Alliance encirclement had not yet been completed. Abandoning all the baggage, they passed through the mountains east of the Weitang River in Wengniute Zuo Banner and quickly retreated to the Chifeng line.
Although when the 13th Division retreated, the troops on the front of Linxi battlefield tried their best to intercept. However, after the Japanese army broke off, the troops desperately blocked it, and the Japanese army specialized in moving wherever there was mountainous terrain. In addition, the Japanese army's action was too sudden, and there was no prior notice.
Under the circumstances, only some Japanese rearguard troops and the stragglers and wounded were captured.
As for the interception troops dispatched by the Wengniute Left Banner, the Thirteenth Division did not choose the plain area within the Wengniute Left Banner, but directly entered the mountainous area after crossing the Xilamulun River, causing the actions of the armored forces to
They were subject to considerable restrictions, and the flanking cover troops desperately blocked the attack, but they could only watch the Thirteenth Division slip away from under their noses.
However, the choice of the Thirteenth Division to retreat to the mountainous areas was not without any cost. Because there are no roads in the mountainous areas and a lack of gasoline for the movement of heavy artillery and tractors. Therefore, before retreating into the mountains, the Thirteenth Division, in addition to light mountain artillery and nine
Except for the two infantry guns, all large-caliber artillery above the field guns were discarded.
Even because the action was too hasty, most of the discarded artillery and tractors, together with a large number of artillery shells, were left intact on the same place without any time to destroy them. For the Japanese army, which always regarded equipment as more important than the lives of soldiers,
This practice is extremely rare.
However, with Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadichi, Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army, he can throw away all equipment that cannot be carried when necessary, and all direct orders are based on safe withdrawal. If the commander of the 13th Division, Uchiyama Eitaro, does this, there will be no consequences.
Concerns. Although he was born in the artillery, he once served as the artillery commander of the Kwantung Army before serving as the commander of the 13th Division.
But he didn't feel any pain at losing these artillery pieces. Because he knew that if he retreated by road, he would be attacked by a large number of armored troops from the Anti-Japanese Alliance. As for the 13th Division, which lacked anti-tank weapons and even gasoline for making Molotov cocktails,
, this will be a disaster. If you want to retreat safely, you can only take a detour to the mountainous area.
After the Wengniute Left Banner was lost, the supply lines of the Thirteenth Division were completely interrupted. Without the source of gasoline, those tractors like oil tigers could not move. And these required at least 18 horses, or even 32 horses to pull them.
On the battlefield, it is simply impossible to find enough horses to pull these heavy artillery in a short time.
Because if you want to take away all the artillery of an artillery regiment, plus the artillery shells, you need at least a thousand horses. This is a relatively tall horse bred by the Japanese themselves. If you replace it with a locally produced short Mongolian horse,
The number of horses required would have to be at least doubled.
And even if you can find enough horses, or there is still enough gasoline for the tractor, it will be difficult to move these heavy artillery in the mountainous terrain. Even if you can barely enter the mountain, you will have to throw it away halfway. Instead of
Because these heavy artillery slow down the retreat, it is better to abandon them on the spot. As for blowing up these heavy artillery, I am sorry that the Thirteenth Division does not have that time.
Although Lieutenant General Uchiyama Eitaro was born in the artillery, he served as the commander of the heavy artillery brigade for many years before becoming the division commander. However, he was quite decisive in commanding the troops in combat. When should he give up?
There would be the slightest ambiguity. Anyway, for him, these artillery units were not part of his 13th Division, let alone the China Expeditionary Force.
When his Thirteenth Division was transferred out of the pass, the artillery regiment and the two infantry squadrons transferred from each regiment formed a left-behind force. They were still stationed in the Chinese cities where they were originally stationed. These artillery units were temporarily attached.
After the Kwantung Army, the Kwantung Army provided supplementary legal artillery and legal high-horsepower tractors.
For these second-hand goods, although the performance is much better than the 150mm howitzers originally equipped by the 13th Division in Taisho 4, the performance of the French 75mm field guns and 105mm howitzers is at least as good as
It is no worse than the performance of the Japanese 38 modified field artillery.
But for Eitaro Uchiyama, after all, saving his division is the first priority. As for the artillery, there is no regret in losing it. As long as the troops can be saved, as for the precious artillery, wait until they return to China
Naturally, you don't have to worry about it after the battlefield. Anyway, your artillery is still intact.
A large number of enemy armored troops are on the front line of Wangye Mansion, which is very close. Blowing up these heavy artillery will not only attract the attention of the enemy, but also delay a lot of time. When retreating, every minute is very precious.
.If there is a delay of even one minute, it will increase a certain risk.