The 17th Division belongs to the artillery group. Although it is equipped with a Soviet-made 76mm cannon battalion, the location of the Japanese artillery positions is very tricky, and direct firepower cannot be hit. The range of mountain artillery with sufficient angles is
It was out of reach. Even though I tried my best, I still couldn't suppress these six twenty-five-pound cannons.
On the first day of the battle, these six twenty-five-pound field guns took advantage of their superior range. In addition, the Japanese army always controlled the commanding heights, and the artillery fire was extremely accurate. Although there were only a few twenty-five-pound guns, plus the
The quality of the Japanese artillery. Before these artillery pieces were destroyed, they always brought considerable pressure and threats to the attacking infantry on the northern front of the Anti-Union Western Group during the entire battle.
The terrain in this direction is complex. Not only is it located in the intersecting area of hills and Hunshandake Sands, the terrain is relatively fragmented. Although the hills in the area are not high in height and have gentle slopes, the main commanding heights are in the hands of the Japanese army. They can also be used for launching attacks.
There are a large number of large and small saline-alkali lakes in this area.
The width of the front of the attack was also subject to certain restrictions. The terrain of the attack area was also divided into quite messy areas, making it difficult for the anti-alliance offensive to be connected in a line. The firepower deployed by the Japanese army at several commanding heights also gave
This put a lot of pressure on the attacking troops.
Moreover, although the Japanese army does not have many troops in this direction, the firepower combination of a large number of two-pound anti-tank guns and 20-mm automatic cannons poses a serious threat to the T-26 tanks equipped by the 1st Armored Brigade. And this line
The Japanese army's machine gun firepower was several times greater than its establishment, and the vertically and horizontally connected bunkers also posed a considerable threat to the anti-alliance infantry.
When the 1st Armored Brigade launched the attack, the Japanese army did not place too many troops in the first-line defensive positions. Its main forces were placed in the second and third lines of defense, as well as a large number of firepower points and bunkers. And this line
The number of Japanese bunkers far exceeded what was thought before the Anti-Alliance attack was launched. This suppressed the firepower of the attacking troops and did not cause much damage to the defenders.
After more than half of the front-line defense fortifications in front of them were destroyed by the anti-union artillery fire, the Japanese army took advantage of the relatively complete fortifications in depth and simply gave up the first-line defense position. The entire army shrank back to the second-line defense position. With the support of deep artillery fire, they tenaciously withstood
The offensive of the 1st Armored Brigade.
In fact, the defensive tactics adopted by the Japanese army, which focus on the second line of defense and allow the defenders in the deep areas to directly bear pressure, require very high willpower of the second-line defense troops. Because once the first-line position is broken through, it will be attacked by the enemy.
Breaking into depth, it is difficult to ensure that the troops will not be overwhelmed in one go.
Moreover, under the multiple firepower and offensives of the attackers, the defenders at various flank fire points between the first and second lines of defense will hardly be able to avoid collapse if they have little willpower. However, the Japanese army has always had tenacious willpower on the battlefield.
But it was precisely this that made the Japanese commander dare to make this bet and place the main defense forces in the second line of defense and the various firepower points between the two lines of defense.
The most critical thing is that there were certain deviations in the command of the anti-alliance assault group on the northern front. In the words of Yang Zhen after the battle, this style of play was too regular and too stable. That is, it did not dare to go all out.
, invested in tanks to overwhelm the Japanese second-line main defense positions, and did not dare to disperse the troops when they had the advantage, so as to disperse the chaos.
The three-by-three tactics adopted by the Anti-Japanese Alliance during the attack are not just squad tactics. They are also applicable to battalion and company-level troops. There are a large number of overthrow and flank firepower points between the first and second lines of defense of the Japanese army.
, breaking into deep troops and adopting a group offensive, whether organized as a regiment or a battalion, is causing trouble for oneself.
However, it is completely possible to concentrate tanks to cut off the enemy's defensive positions, then use battalions and companies to advance together, making full use of the small-caliber direct-aiming firepower of the Anti-Japanese Alliance, and clearing out these bunkers and firepower points bit by bit. As long as the Japanese army's first and second lines of defense are separated
If the fortification group is cut into a mess, the rest of the work will be easier to handle.
The previous stage of the battle ended, and the entire Northeast plus Chadong has entered late autumn, or even early winter. Chadong has always been a bitterly cold place outside the Great Wall, although it is not as cold as Northern Manchuria. However, the temperature in winter is not comparable to that within the Great Wall.
.The dripping water turns into ice all winter long.
In the season when dripping water turns to ice, reinforced concrete cannot be used, and the Japanese army cannot build too many permanent fortifications at all. Even though many fortification groups are made of stones, there are no cement joints in the middle. The strength of the fortifications is even worse.
It is not as good as the fortification area in Tongliao area. In the bitter cold weather outside the Great Wall, it is good to be able to build the fortifications like this.
If Liu Changshun carries out multiple small-scale assaults, he can not only disperse the Japanese defense forces, but also find opportunities to divide the Japanese defense posture. As long as he has enough reserves in hand, he also has a large number of recoilless rifles, rocket launchers and other direct-aiming firepower.
, there is nothing to worry about.
But Liu Changshun did not do this. Instead, he adopted a two-way breakthrough tactic of battalion formation. Under the fire suppression of artillery, the infantry covered the front-line assault of tanks. But although it looked very messy, the overall result was not enough.
Considering the narrow front, a maximum of two companies of tanks were dispatched at a time, and there was no group offensive at all.
Not only did the overall offensive strength not increase, but the attack line seemed a bit messy. Every time they attacked, the troops were unable to gain an advantage. They were too steady during the battle and did not dare to let go of the offensive. This also caused Chen Hanzhang's worry.
Did I recommend the wrong person?
It is true that the terrain in this area is somewhat complex. In the entire area where the Hunshandake Sand Land meets the hills, there are several large and small saline-alkali lakes, making it difficult for the Anti-Alliance offensive to form an entire line. But the area of these lakes
They are not big, generally only a few hundred square meters, or even only a few dozen square meters, so the impact is actually not very big.
An armored brigade is indeed a bit crowded, but there is no problem if one and a half battalions of troops are invested at one time. But Liu Changshun, who is in charge of the command, only invests two companies, two companies. Not only does the troop investment form a tactic of adding fuel,
, being too stable in choosing the order of attack, and still holding on to the old tactic of first attacking the periphery and then cutting into the core position.
The attack formation also appeared to be too close, failing to take full advantage of the Anti-League's large number of light direct-aimed weapons, and instead relying too much on the insufficient number of tanks. Despite repeated requests from the commander of the 17th Division to base the troops on the terrain of the area where the attack would be launched,
When the formation is turned on, the tactics of battalion, company and group charge will no longer be used.
With the company and platoon as the organizational structure, each of them demarcates the target and scope of the attack. It adopts the tactics of dispersed penetration and unified concentration, and launches attacks in multiple areas at the same time. It not only disperses the threat of Japanese artillery, but also speeds up the progress. In particular, it is necessary to seize several positions in the deep positions of the Japanese army.
They established a commanding height and knocked out the eyes of the Japanese artillery observation posts. However, these suggestions were all rejected by Liu Changshun. He still stubbornly adopted the old method of using a tank company as its base and two infantry battalions to advance together.
Moreover, during the entire offensive period, Liu Changshun always maintained a frontal offensive and never thought of taking a detour from the flanks. He also did not shoot with high precision and extremely fast firepower for the numerous firepower points between the first and second positions of the Japanese army.
The 76mm cannon was converted to a flat-firing artillery to be used as far in as possible.
Although the Chief of Staff of the 17th Division has repeatedly requested that the modified artillery be used as a close-range and powerful direct-aiming artillery in advance. The division's mountain and field artillery groups can suppress the Japanese firepower cluster. But this man for some unknown reason
He was worried, but always refused to agree. He still stubbornly asked the artillery group of the 17th Division to find the Japanese artillery as soon as possible and kill them.
In addition to the minefields that were too wide and had not been completely cleared, after a whole day's attack, the 1st Armored Brigade and the 15th Armored Division only advanced less than five kilometers and lost more than 40 tanks. The two sharp knife battalions that launched the attack
, also suffered heavy casualties during the attack. The offensive launched between Zhengxiangbai Banner and Sunit Right Banner can be said to have been a setback for the entire army.
Faced with the unfavorable situation in the initial battle on the northern front, Chen Hanzhang quickly adjusted his deployment until the early morning of the 21st. From the troops expanding the breakthrough, he transferred a reinforced battalion and strengthened a tank company to launch an attack from south to north.
Attack and support the breakthrough operations of the 1st Armored Brigade from the flank.
But Chen Hanzhang reacted very quickly, and his opponent in front of him, Lieutenant General Yano Otozaburo, commander of the 26th Division of the Japanese Army, also reacted slowly. Less than two hours after launching the assault to the north, this reinforced battalion was prepared by the Japanese army from the deep division.
Among the teams, a temporary reinforcement brigade composed of three infantry squadrons and two engineer squadrons from the 11th Independent Infantry Regiment of the 26th Division was transferred to use the existing fortifications to cling to the Heshuo Temple.
area to the north.
It must be said that the Japanese army is quite talented in building fortifications. Most of the construction of its fortifications can be called textbook level. Whether it is the large and small fortress groups scattered across the Sino-Soviet border in Northern Manchuria,
Or the fortification area in northern Tongliao that impressed Chen Hanzhang deeply in the previous stage of the battle.
It is the 26th Division that is currently holding on to the fortification area from the Zhengxiangbai Banner to the Sunit Right Banner. All of them have been carefully designed and painstakingly built. Their firepower configuration and the layout of the fortification groups are all...
It took quite a lot of effort to build such a large fortification area within half a year. In the climate outside the Great Wall where water drips and turns to ice in winter, it shows the great efforts of the Japanese army.
Not to mention the sturdiness of these field fortification groups, the configuration of this firepower point alone can be said to have been carefully thought out and a lot of painstaking efforts have been made. All the core main positions in each defensive area can shoot 360 degrees. All
To defend the area, a large number of counterattack firepower points and flank covering firepower points were constructed.
Since it was impossible to build stronger reinforced concrete fortifications due to climate reasons, a large amount of stones and wood were transported from distant places at all costs to enhance the impact resistance of these fortifications as much as possible.
The forts and bunkers around the main position are interlocked with each other, and the firing ranges intersect with each other. There are almost no defensive blind spots. Even between the main position and the cover position, a large number of minefields, mainly anti-infantry mines, are deployed.
.The anti-tank artillery position not only supports each other with the heavy machine gun position, but also has an intersecting and multi-echelon configuration of its own firing range.
Not only are the various fortifications connected by communication trenches, but almost all the fortifications, regardless of size, have field telephones set up. Most of the bunkers are built at extremely tricky angles, and there are strict regulations on the firing time. There is no order, even for the Anti-Union forces.
The troops are not allowed to fire even if they are under their noses.
It basically guarantees that these firepower points will give the anti-alliance attack force the maximum damage with the greatest suddenness of firepower. Moreover, its firepower points are not one or two but in rows. The number and equipment of machine guns and anti-tank guns are also much larger.
Based on the conventional organization of the Japanese army.
At regular intervals behind the forward positions, there are inverted firepower points that cooperate with the second-line frontal fortifications to form cross-firing firepower. These trenches, semi-permanent core fortifications, and a large number of bunkers form an overall mutual firepower.
Relying on the defensive posture. Once you try to attack one of them, you will encounter fire damage from depth and flanks.