On the same day that the Japanese army captured Bougainville Island, completely gained control of the entire Solomon Islands, and gained the forward base for air strikes against Australia. On March 18, all departments participating in the Anti-Japanese War launched counter-offensive operations in accordance with the regulations of the headquarters.
area.
Before dusk on the 19th, all participating troops, except for the roundabout troops who were concealing their regional movement from the assembly area of West Ujimqin Banner to attack Sunit Zuo Banner, the other units had been fully deployed. All artillery units had been fully deployed.
Entering the combat area. Each combat aircraft group responsible for providing ground support is ready to take off at any time.
At three o'clock in the morning on March 20, according to the plan, the battle started at the same time in the direction of Xinjing due north and Tongliao. As the overwhelming flares were lifted into the sky, the Second Armored Division attacking from the front of Xinjing launched intensive artillery fire and concentrated
The 160 high-power air searchlights owned by the Anti-Japanese Alliance illuminated the Japanese positions with high-intensity light under the cover. They took the lead and launched an attack from the Changling line to the Japanese positions at the junction of Huaide and Xingjing.
These 160 high-power searchlights were used to mobilize almost all the Soviet-made and American-made air searchlights of the Anti-Japanese Alliance. Launching a large-scale cluster attack at three in the morning was undoubtedly the first time for the Anti-Japanese Alliance. In order to ensure the success of the attack,
As well as the problem of night lighting, Yang Zhen found a way to mobilize a batch of searchlights for the center line attack troops.
Yang Zhen's intention is very obvious, that is to use the strong light source emitted by these searchlights, in addition to pointing out the direction of attack for the attacking troops. Another advantage is to use the strong illumination of these searchlights to sting the eyes of the Japanese frontline troops facing them, causing them to
The only way to do this is to use blind fire to gain favorable opportunities for the attacking troops.
Although this tactic was used for the first time, it had great effect in actual combat. The Japanese troops, who were unable to open their eyes due to the strong light, could only shoot blindly. The losses suffered by the assault troops were almost negligible.
The Japanese army's first line of defense on the eastern battlefield of Xinjing was completely breached in just two hours.
At the same time, a reinforced division crossed from Jilin and Jiutai to Yitong, also with the cooperation of two independent tank regiments and a large amount of artillery fire. The fierce battle continued until noon on the 20th, tearing apart the Japanese defensive positions. On the Japanese defense line in front of them
, opened three breakthroughs, and is developing towards the Japanese army's deep positions.
The Second Armored Division and the two independent tank regiments, like two sharp knives, penetrated from the two flanks of the Japanese army on the Xinjing battlefield to the depth of the Japanese army's overall defense. The meeting point of these two forces was at Gongzhuling, south of Xinjing. Once this happened
When the two intersecting troops converge, all the Japanese troops on the Xinjing battlefield will be surrounded around Xinjing.
At the same time that the Xinjing battlefield started, the troops attacking from the Tongliao direction, led by 120 tanks of the 2nd Armored Brigade, formed a rapid armored mechanized cluster. They crossed the Dongliao River from Shuangliao and launched an attack on the Songliao Plain.
Insert the Siping Street line of the Zhongchang Railway and use a force to approach the strategically important Sanjiangkou.
The main task of this force is to advance towards Siping Street, where the Kwantung Army headquarters is located, and cut off the Kwantung Army's channel to reinforce the Xinjing battlefield. Build a second blockade south of Xinjing, forcing the Kwantung Army to mobilize reserves in advance, and completely disrupt the Kwantung Army.
The army's battle plan.
While the battle was going on in the other three directions, Wang Guangyu personally commanded three integrated infantry divisions in the northern front of Xinjing, with two 122 howitzer regiments, one 122 rocket launcher regiment, and a 155 howitzer regiment, as well as those directly under the headquarters.
With the fire cover of the heavy artillery regiment and the cooperation of two independent tank battalions and an independent tank regiment, they faced the Japanese troops in Xinjing City from the front and launched a full-line attack.
Originally, Yang Zhen planned to assign the four independent tank battalions formed with Matilda II tanks to the front of Xinjing. However, at Chen Hanzhang's request, three battalions were transferred to the western front for frontal breakthrough.
As a result, Xinjing's frontal assault methods were slightly insufficient.
After the German-made tanks transferred by the Soviets arrived to replace the non-brand tanks currently equipped by the Second Armored Division, Yang Zhen used these German goods to replace the remaining Type 38T tanks after the division's refit, plus fifty Crusaders.
Cruise tanks enrich the structure of three independent tank regiments.
And an independent group equipped with all 38T tanks and a small number of BT fast tanks was assigned to the New Beijing North Assault Group. After doing this, the number of tanks in this cluster in the New Beijing North Assault Group was no more than that of other
There were few directions. Wang Guangyu used tanks as the guide and simultaneously attacked the Japanese defenders in Xinjing from the north and west of Xinjing. He also used a force to contain the Japanese troops east of Xinjing and completely cut off the line from Xinjing to Shuangyang.
Highway, cutting off the Japanese army's channel to reinforce Xinjing from the east.
In fact, in the previous stage of the battle, although the Anti-Japanese Alliance failed to completely capture Xinjing, a symbol of Japanese rule in the Northeast, they had already formed a semi-encirclement of Xinjing through hard fighting. The northern part of Xinjing was divided by the Xinjing Ring Road between the two armies.
The confrontation line. To the north is the area controlled by the Anti-Japanese Alliance, and to the south is the area controlled by the Kwantung Army.
As for the Anti-Alliance forces in the east of Xinjing, all areas east of the line from Sheling to Xinglong Mountain were under the control of the Anti-Alliance. The Japanese army only controlled the area south of the Xinjing-Shuangyang Highway. To the west, the Anti-Alliance forces were already in direct control.
Refers to the line from Lanjia Town to Fanjiatun, and the line of control between the two armies is divided by the highway line from Xinjing to Huaide.
Only towards Gongzhuling in the south, Xinjing still retains an external channel that can maintain contact with the Kwantung Army. It can be said that Xinjing is surrounded by enemies on three sides and is in a semi-surrounded situation. In other words, in the north, the Japanese army only controls the main urban area.
On the east and west sides, the Japanese army only controlled the suburbs and the area south of Huaide Highway to Shuangyang.
Under this situation, all major puppet Manchukuo institutions in the capital, including Manchu officials with the same memorial tablets, have already evacuated. More than 100,000 Japanese expatriates, except for the so-called local soldiers who have been re-recruited into active service
In addition, all the elderly, weak, women and children were also evacuated and transferred to southern Manchuria via railway.
All the so-called skilled workers, intellectuals, and students among the Manchus were forcibly moved southward by the Japanese army. Currently, there are only more than 200,000 left in the entire city. In the eyes of the Kwantung Army, there are almost no more people except human shields.
There is no use value for the ordinary people living at the bottom. The new capital city that used to be abnormally prosperous because it was the political, military, and economic center of the Puppet Manchukuo has mostly become an empty city.
After several months of emergency repairs, almost the entire main city of Xinjing City at this time was built into a fortress by the Kwantung Army. Not only were there large and small fortifications such as blockhouses and bunkers scattered around the outskirts of the city, but also all the above-ground buildings in the city.
All of them were transformed into fortifications. Several magnificent buildings in the eight major parts of the Puppet Manchukuo were all transformed into solid fortifications.
All connected buildings, large and small, facing the street have been opened up internally. Except for shooting holes, most of the windows facing the street have been blocked. All bridges over the Yitong River in the city have been buried.
Explosives were used. The main streets were covered with mines. The headquarters of the Xinjing garrison was also moved to the underground storage room of the Puppet Manchukuo Central Bank.
After the improvement, the overall defense system of the Japanese army in Xinjing City can be said to be quite tight. However, it relocated most of the urban residents, which also made the Anti-Japanese Alliance less scrupulous. Up to 240mm howitzers were used.
, all firepower, down to a large number of 75mm mountain field guns, was used to provide fire support.
Although there are currently only a thousand 240mm howitzers shipped from the United States before the war, and their range is quite close. However, the power of this artillery is so real that half a city block was turned into a pile of rubble with one shot.
.Faced with this self-made powerful howitzer, the Japanese army was helpless after receiving a heavy beating.
Even though they suffered heavy losses many times in the first phase of the battle, they still could not find a suitable countermeasure. No matter how strong the fortifications were, they could not withstand the bombardment of a single artillery shell. In such a powerful howitzer, and
With the fire support of hundreds of artillery pieces, large and small, the troops launched from the north were advancing at a very slow pace.
After a day of fierce fighting, the attacking troops from the north, under the cover of tanks, after repeated battles, successively captured Kuanchengzi Station, No. 1 National High School, Xinjing University of Animal Breeding and Veterinary Medicine, Kuanchengzi Police Station, Takasago Town and other new areas.
The key points held by the Japanese army in the north of the capital. Among them, the strongest Kuanchengzi Station and the Japanese position in the north of Takasago Town were successfully captured in a short period of time under the firepower of 240mm howitzers.
By the dusk of the 20th, a considerable part of the assault force on the north front of Xinjing had broken into the main urban area of Xinjing south of the railway line. In the northern part of Xinjing, fierce street fighting began with the Japanese army. The offensive in the west of the city also gradually
Approaching the western section of the Ring Road. Only in the east of the city, due to the stubborn resistance of the Japanese army, the battle to cut off the Xinjing-Shuangyang Highway became a stalemate. However, Wang Guangyu can still be said to be relatively satisfied with the progress on the first day.
Although the Anti-Alliance's armored cluster offensive was as psychologically prepared as the North China Front Army, the Kwantung Army on the entire Xinjing battlefield was still caught off guard by the overwhelming tank clusters pressing in from four directions at the same time.
In particular, the strange tactics adopted by the Second Armored Division in the Huaide direction left the Japanese army almost unprepared. It became the first Kwantung Army defensive zone to be breached in the entire Xinjing battlefield.
The Kwantung Army's estimate of the number of tanks against the Alliance was still in the first phase of the battle. From top to bottom, the Kwantung Army never thought that the Anti-Japanese Alliance would suddenly have so many tanks. Originally, it was discovered that the Anti-Japanese Alliance would have so many more tanks.
The Allied Forces transported a large number of tanks westward via railways. The Kwantung Army, who thought the disaster was moving eastward, was still secretly glad that the armored iron fist of the Anti-Alliance Alliance would not fall on them.
Although before the battle started, the frontline troops heard the roar of tank engines many times. Even the Japanese army north of Xinjing had clearly seen that the anti-alliance tanks were attacking and launching regional movements. But for the Kwantung Army
, the main force of the Anti-Union tank force has all moved westward, and the few remaining tanks are just superficial and do not pose much of a threat to the Kwantung Army on the battlefield in Xinjing.
Even if all the troops are committed to front-line combat, they will not pose much of a threat to the Xinjing battlefield. Although the Kwantung Army, which has suffered many heavy losses, is already quite distrustful of the limited intelligence from within the Anti-Japanese Alliance. But before the battle begins
, but they were dazzled by the large number of tanks transported westward on the Sitao Railway.
They put more energy into building field fortification groups to defend against infantry assault offensives. They did not stubbornly believe that the Anti-Japanese Alliance would use a large number of tanks to launch large-scale roundabout penetrations and division tactics like the North China Front Army.
Desperately trying every means to gather anti-tank firepower.
On the contrary, after discovering that the Anti-Japanese Alliance had transported a large number of tanks to the west, most of the anti-tank firepower originally deployed on the battlefields around Xinjing, especially in the west, was transferred to the urban area of Xinjing. The area of the minefield also began to shrink.
Most of the anti-tank mines that were originally laid were re-lifted and sent to the Shuangliao front line where they might be threatened by anti-Union tanks.