Chapter 152 More than enough courage, surprisingly not enough
During this battle, Yang Zhen gave his opponent a high evaluation. And his latest opponent also gave him the same high evaluation after the war. After this battle, Okamura was defeated in the end.
In Ningci's mind, Yang Zhen's status had risen to become the Japanese army's number one enemy on the Chinese battlefield.
After this battle, the North China Front lost almost all the areas under the jurisdiction of the Mongolian garrison, as well as the strategic town of Datong in northern Shanxi. Its operational scope retreated northward to Jundu Mountain and the Sanggan River line, and in Shanxi to the area south of Shuo County
.Discarded Guisui, Baotou, Suidong and the entire Chahar area.
However, the North China Front fought hard and eventually defended the gateway to the North China Plain and the Jidong Plain. In addition, most of the areas south of Shuo County in northern Shanxi and east of the Tongpu Line made it impossible for the Anti-Japanese Alliance to enter Pingjin.
And eliminated the threat of the Anti-Japanese Alliance to the North China Plain from the west.
Through this battle, General Okamura Neiji, who once personally commanded Zhangjiakou, also gained a real understanding of the Anti-Japanese Alliance. He once made private comments with Lieutenant General Adachi 23rd that this army is rare in the Imperial Army.
A tough opponent, the Kwantung Army lost unjustly before.
Okamura Neiji believes that whether it is Tsarist Russia during the Russo-Japanese War, the Chongqing Army currently fighting the Japanese in mainland China, or the armies of the United States, Britain, Australia and other countries encountered on the Pacific battlefield. In addition to large-scale battles, this army
In terms of armored group assault, it still seems a little immature.
On the battlefield, whether it is the tight organization, the ingenuity of strategy, tactics, or the determination to fear death, they far surpass other opponents currently fighting by the Japanese army. Its ground-air firepower coordination with infantry and artillery firepower,
And in terms of infantry and tank coordination, it even surpassed the Imperial Army.
Even in terms of the tactical application and organization of armored group assaults, it still seems a bit immature, but the use of tanks is better than that of the Imperial Army. They did not equip tanks to each division like the Imperial Army, but instead worked with the Imperial Army.
The Germans also adopted the method of forming independent combat units for centralized use. This tactic was the tactic that the Japanese army, which had a relatively low degree of mechanization and relied heavily on railways for mobility, was most afraid of.
General Okamura Neiji believed that if the empire did not find a way to concentrate all the forces it could before it became truly strong, it would completely defeat this army on the battlefield and destroy their so-called base. Once they were allowed to truly
If it grows bigger, it will pose a fatal threat to the empire's strategy in China, and the empire will suffer a disastrous defeat on the battlefield in China.
If it continues to develop, it will lose not only Manchuria, the empire's main industrial base, but also North China, the grain, cotton and oil supply base, and the strategically important Pingjin. Even the current results of the empire's bloody five years on the battlefield in China will be lost.
, may all be destroyed in the hands of this army.
The most critical thing is the appearance of British tanks on the battlefield, coupled with the previous American-made aircraft, Okamura Neiji has been quite keenly aware that the Anti-Japanese Alliance and the United States and Britain have reached a strategic alliance in the Far East and Pacific War.
Once the Americans provide them with large-scale military assistance, their strength may be further enhanced in a short period of time.
Okamura Neiji is very clear that compared with Chongqing, which has rigid tactics and weak military, this army is far superior in both tactics and strategy. Once they receive a large amount of American and British assistance, they will be able to survive in the shortest possible time.
If it grows up within time, the China battlefield, which was originally less stressful, will undergo a huge turn.
After this battle, General Okamura Neiji became among all the Japanese generals, the general who most advocated the establishment of independent tank divisions and large-scale expansion of tank troops. He was also the most strongly demanding that the Japanese army develop new tanks and increase anti-tank capabilities.
The number of Type 90 field guns, as well as the generals who developed new high-power anti-tank guns.
It's just a pity that although Okamura Neiji's report attracted great attention in the Japanese army base camp, Japan, which opened its mouth too much and did not have such a good appetite, simply did not have the ability to meet Okamura Neiji's request to develop new tanks and organize
New tank divisions, and the requirement to increase the number of anti-tank guns of the Japanese invaders.
However, under the threat of tanks from the Anti-Japanese Alliance, the Japanese base camp finally increased the number of new Type 1 anti-tank guns for the North China Front. It also reopened the closed production line of Type 90 field guns, adding three 90s for the North China Front.
The organization of the field artillery regiment.
As for the Japanese army's development, equipment and production of new tanks that can compete with the new anti-tank tanks, the Type III tanks equipped with the 50mm anti-tank gun obtained from Germany, and the Type IV tanks with the new 75mm gun, it is still the case for the Anti-Japanese War in 1943.
After the General Assembly entered the country in a big way, it was 1944.
These two tanks did bring a lot of trouble to the Anti-Japanese Alliance on the battlefield. The first batch of American-made M-4 tanks received by the Anti-Japanese Alliance suffered considerable losses when fighting against Type-3 and Type-4 tanks. As for the British-made tanks
Tanks and M-3 light tanks suffered greater losses.
The Japanese army gave priority to the use of these two new tanks on the Chinese battlefield, which also prompted the Americans to increase tank assistance to the Anti-Japanese Alliance. The original main force of the aid was the M-3 tank, which was gradually replaced by the M-4 Sherman medium tank. The total number of
Compared with the previous half-dead assistance, it has also increased significantly.
But what the Anti-Japanese Alliance really fought against these two tanks, especially the Type IV tanks equipped with 75mm guns, were the long-barreled German Panzer IV tanks and T-34 tanks. Especially the long-barreled Type IV tanks.
The 75mm Panzer IV tank became the killer of the new Japanese tanks.
Compared with the Panzer IV tank gun modified from a specialized anti-tank gun, the performance of the tank gun modified from the field gun used by the Japanese Type IV tanks is significantly worse. Coupled with the good sighting system of the Panzer IV tank, these two
Two tanks with almost the same names have completely different results on the battlefield.
And all this was unknown to Yang Zhen, who was still fully preparing for the next stage of the battle. The next morning, when Chen Hanzhang brought the westward war plan that he had worked out all night long in front of him. Yang Zhen
After reading it carefully, I gave it an eight-character evaluation: "More than enough, surprisingly lacking."
In this plan, in addition to the 1st Armored Division and 1st Armored Brigade that Yang Zhen originally planned to invest, Chen Hanzhang also used two independent armored battalions composed of British-made Matilda infantry tanks. The 1st Armored Brigade was used to strengthen the two independent armored battalions.
The armored battalion cooperated with the two infantry divisions to launch an attack from the front.
Encircle and annihilate the Japanese 26th Division deployed in Chadong, and cover the flanks of the attacking troops in Chanan and Renan directions. At the same time, block possible Japanese reinforcements on the Zhangjiakou front line, and contain Japanese reinforcements attacking from northern Shanxi. And from
Break through the Japanese defense line frontally, attract the attention of the Japanese army, and ensure that the flanking troops can develop in depth towards the Japanese army.
The concentrated armored division strengthened two cavalry brigades plus two independent tank battalions, and was equipped with a fully motorized infantry division to form an armored cavalry cluster. It carried out large-scale penetration into the Japanese army along the border of Inner and Inner Mongolia, and adopted centripetal assault tactics.
.The main force bypassed the Japanese troops deployed in Chadong from the flanks and cooperated with the frontal breakthrough troops to annihilate the Japanese troops in Chadong in one fell swoop.
At the same time, after breaking through the frontal defense, one force was used to advance at full speed towards the Guisui front line. After arriving at Jining, the force was divided into two groups, one tank regiment, one infantry regiment, and one cavalry brigade to seize Fengzhen.
The line from Chahar's right front banner to Liangcheng blocked the northward passage of the Japanese troops in northern Shanxi. Along the way, two independent tank battalions and a cavalry brigade were used to seize Guisui as quickly as possible to complete the headquarters' strategic intention.
Chen Hanzhang's battle plan is basically what he talked to Yang Zhen the day before. It has only been quantified and refined, and the strategic considerations are more comprehensive. Chen Hanzhang's focus is still on the fastest speed
Defeat the 26th Division and the second-line echelon that the Japanese army will definitely deploy behind it. In Chen Hanzhang's plan, the number of armored troops invested was greater than Yang Zhen's original plan.
As for the idea of crossing the Yinshan Mountains that Chen Hanzhang originally mentioned, there was not a word mentioned in this battle plan. It is obvious that Chen Hanzhang still has great concerns about whether the armored troops can cross the Yinshan Mountains. At least on the map, it is difficult to
Find a road that will allow a large armored group to cross the Yinshan Mountains.
The Yinshan Mountains lie between the north and south of the entire battlefield. The entire terrain is gentle on the north slope, while the terrain on the south slope is complex and steep. The entire Yinshan Mountains has many north-south passes, but is this terrain suitable for a tank cluster?
No one can guarantee it.
Under this kind of terrain, it is difficult for any commander to easily make a decision when a large number of armored clusters are concentrated across the entire Yinshan Mountains. Especially the terrain there is extremely unfamiliar to the Anti-Japanese Alliance. And now
The accuracy of this map is not ideal either.
Once the armored group is blocked by the mountains when crossing the Yinshan Mountains, even if the journey is delayed for a few days, it will be a huge disaster for the entire campaign. At the same time, the terrain there, even tracked vehicles can barely
It can move, but for wheeled vehicles, it may be difficult to move.
All field fuel supply vehicles currently equipped by the Anti-Japanese Alliance are wheeled. At the same time, the infantry organized into the assault group according to Chen Hanzhang's plan also rely on motorized vehicles. Once they leave the wheeled vehicles, it is equivalent to unloading.
The infantry's fast maneuvering legs have been lost.
Therefore, Chen Hanzhang's entire battle plan avoided Yinshan Mountain and chose the relatively narrow area at the southern foot of Yinshan Mountain. Obviously, he did not want to take this risk. This is why Yang Zhen's evaluation is more than enough, but surprisingly not enough. Compared with Yang Zhen
Originally, Chen Hanzhang's entire plan was obviously much more conservative.
As the commander of the armored forces, Chen Hanzhang, who already had a certain understanding of the tactics used by the armored forces, in addition to avoiding the Yinshan Mountains, was still a little worried about the tank groups conducting roundabout operations being cut off. Because he knew very well that once supplies were lost, his tanks would be cut off.
What kind of severe situation will the tank group face?
The fuel trucks accompanying the operation can only meet the consumption of the armored cluster in a short period of time. But once the supply line cannot be opened for a long time, after the fuel is exhausted, the tank cluster waiting to break into the depths of the Japanese army will be completely lost, and basically there will be no second chance.
possibility.
Especially when the armored clusters are interspersed in roundabout ways, they will face not only the Japanese troops in Chaxi, Suizhong and Suidong, but also the reinforcements of the Japanese First Army in northern Shanxi who can go out to fight on the front line of the Great Wall at any time. Although the surrounding area cannot be said to be a strong enemy,
But it is definitely not easy. Once progress is seriously delayed, how long can the fuel carried with him last? As for airdrops, Chen Hanzhang obviously does not want to place all his hopes on this not very solid supply method.
Once the fuel is exhausted and the rear supply line cannot be opened, it is not difficult to imagine the consequences that the most elite tank and armored group of the Anti-Alliance Armored Forces will encounter when it breaks into the depths of the Japanese army. These are all things he must do as a battle commander.
The issues to be considered are also the issues to be avoided as much as possible.