Under the Japanese army's desperate attack, in the last three days of hard fighting, Yang Jicai's casualties increased rapidly almost every day. In these last three days, the number of casualties was almost equal to the total number of previous battles. The Japanese troops on the battlefield were not only
The number is increasing, and as time progresses, heavy artillery and aircraft also appear on the battlefield.
On the first day of the countdown, the regiment commanded by Su Yingqi, which had suffered heavy casualties in the previous battle, had only one battalion left. A regiment deployed in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Fourth Division in the south of the city.
A basic battalion in the fourth division of Jinsui can only be reduced to four platoons in total.
Even though all the troops in Hexi have been withdrawn, due to the increasing number of casualties, the use of troops has become unsustainable. Yang Jicai can only shrink the position again, shrinking the defensive position in the south of the city to Shuangta Temple to Lao
The military camp line. Even the strategic support point in the south of the city, the Dayingpan line, was completely destroyed by him and was completely abandoned.
On the east line of the city, he abandoned all positions east of Niutuo Village in Dongshan and reduced his troops from Niutuo Village to the top of the mountain. Even Yulinping, the strategic support point and commanding height in the northeast of Niutuo Village, was abandoned by him. Abandon Yulin
Ping, it is almost equivalent to giving up the entire depth of Dongshan.
Abandoning Yulinping was also a helpless move for Yang Jicai. Instead of spreading out the Japanese troops, they concentrated limited forces to defend Niutuo Village in the core area of Dongshan. If the Japanese group offensive was allowed to continue, the entire Dongshan defense line would be broken through bit by bit.
It will bring about the complete collapse of the entire front. Because there are no troops to defend the entire depth of the Eastern Front. If we continue to fight like eggs, all the troops on the Eastern Front will be consumed bit by bit.
Fortunately, the disassembly of the last batch of equipment in the Taiyuan Steelmaking Plant has been roughly completed at this time. Most of the blast furnaces and open hearths have been completely disassembled and placed on a train. At present, only part of the coking process remains in the entire steelmaking plant.
The equipment has not been completely disassembled.
When the countdown entered the early morning of the second to last day, after continuous fighting, the entire Taiyuan City experienced the retreat of the Shanxi-Sui Army and the large-scale relocation of the Japanese. The remaining heavy industry was basically empty. The remaining equipment
, the director of the Political Department of the Eighth District responsible for the dismantling has guaranteed that all disassembly will be completed within 24 hours.
But the last twenty-four hours were actually the most difficult twenty-four hours that Yang Jicai had spent since he was in the army. With such a small number of troops, he had been fighting fiercely for eight days since arriving in Taiyuan. Not only did the troops suffer heavy casualties, but they also had to fight continuously.
The troops who were resting were also extremely tired. The most critical thing was the changes in the battle situation, which almost made him unable to support himself.
After receiving a notice from the director of the Political Department of the Eighth Division, before Yang Jicai could take a breath, the battle situation suddenly changed. The Japanese 32nd Division was frustrated in its long-term frontal attack because they were not clear about the situation and were worried about being surrounded by the enemy's troops in a roundabout flank.
Under the circumstances, simply give up the fight for the key points of Dongshan one by one.
Mobilize a whole brigade of troops, take advantage of the opportunity of being firmly attracted by the defense front of various key points in Dongshan, and launch a counterattack from the front with a part of the force. At the same time, use a part of the force to carry a mountain cannon, two 92 infantry cannons, and four
The 92-heavy machine gun bypassed Niutuo Village in the northeast of Taiyuan City, Chenjiayu, and Xiaoyaotou on the east line. From between Dayaotou and Naoma, it broke through the defenses of only one reinforced platoon in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Division and suddenly appeared.
Jianzi Bay at the foot of Taiyuan City.
The first line of Jianzi Bay is very close to the Tongpu Railway. Once the Japanese army seizes Jianzi Bay, they can completely block the Tongpu Railway by directly using artillery fire without launching an attack. At this moment, the steel plant is filled with dismantled equipment.
Trains on dedicated railway lines, whether traveling south or north, will be within the range of Japanese artillery fire.
Once the Japanese artillery fires from the Shear Bay position, all of these equipment may be destroyed. The most critical thing is that if the Japanese army gains a foothold on the front line of Shear Bay, it will not just be as simple as a nail being driven into the depth of the eastern front defense. The most critical thing is to receive
It is not only the Tongpu Railway and Taiyuan East City that are threatened. Even the entire Dongshan defense is in danger of being attacked from both sides.
To the northwest is Wohu Mountain, the barrier to the northwest of Taiyuan, to the northeast is Niutuo Village, and to the south is the Haojiagou Line, a key defensive point in the southeast. To the west is the Taiyuan Basin, all of which are flat terrain, which is extremely conducive to the Japanese army's use of force.
Advantages in strength and impact.
Once the front line of Jianzi Bay is lost, the entire Dongshan defense line will be shaken. From here, the Japanese army can attack directly behind the defense points of Dongshan and cut off the supply routes of various defense points of Dongshan. All positions on the Dongshan front line will face the difficulty of delivering ammunition and supplies.
A situation where the wounded cannot be evacuated.
In other words, once the Japanese army is allowed to gain a foothold in Shear Bay, all Yang Jicai's previous efforts will be in vain. Even if there are no troops to mobilize at the moment, Yang Jicai clearly knows that this Japanese army must be defeated at all costs to regain the scissors.
The front line in the Gulf has become the key to whether we can survive the last twenty-four hours.
Faced with the critical situation, Yang Jicai, whose reserves were exhausted, deployed two infantry platoons from the troops monitoring the remaining Japanese troops in the city, and five infantry squads from the southern front to form a reinforced infantry company plus three tanks.
Concentrate all artillery fire to provide fire cover. With the cooperation of a company from the Jinsui Fourth Division that was urgently deployed from the battlefield in the west of the city, we will fight out the Japanese troops who have penetrated in depth at all costs.
The commander of the fourth division of Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Province immediately rushed to Niutuo Village and commanded the two mortars deployed there, a heavy machine gun platoon, plus a double fourteen anti-aircraft machine gun reinforced by the Anti-League, to provide full force from the flanks.
Fire support. And the best company in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Fourth Division was mobilized from the Chenjiayu front line to cooperate with the frontal counterattack from the flank.
Yang Jicai handed over the southern front to Su Yingqi, and rushed to the eastern front to personally direct the tactical counterattack. However, as soon as his counterattack troops entered the battlefield, they were suppressed by the intensive artillery fire from the depths of the Japanese army. From the depths of the Japanese army in Dongshan
From the caliber of the shells fired, Yang Jicai clearly determined that the Japanese assault was covered by at least one squadron of Taisho 4-150 howitzers, plus a squadron of field artillery.
Yang Jicai was somewhat surprised by the sudden appearance of this heavy artillery squadron by the Japanese army on the eastern front. Although the Taisho 4th-year-old 150 howitzer had a short range, its power was there. The most important thing was the heavy artillery squadron transferred this time.
How many artillery establishments are there?
Are there any other heavy artillery units participating in the battle? There is no information coming from the Jinan Military Region troops currently harassing the 32nd Division in the east. If the Japanese heavy artillery only has these two pieces, it will not have much impact on the war situation.
The impact. But if the Japanese heavy artillery troops are arriving one after another, it will pose a great threat to their retreat.
In mountainous operations, the threat of howitzers is far greater than that of field artillery with flat trajectories. Especially large-caliber howitzers, in addition to being inconvenient to move, are also much more powerful than mountain artillery. The fortifications from Niutuozhai to Dayaotou, except for Niutuo
In addition to the original fortifications of the Japanese army, the rest of the fortifications in the village were field fortifications and could not withstand a few cannons anyway.
After identifying this situation, Yang Jicai divided all the artillery in his hands into three parts. He used cannons to suppress the Japanese artillery. Mountain artillery used firepower to cover the Japanese troops behind the Jianzi Bay front line, cutting off the Japanese troops on the Jianzi Bay front line and their deep connection.
On the front, the only infantry artillery company, plus two 120mm mortars under Su Yingqi's command, hit the Japanese troops with all their firepower. All anti-aircraft weapons were transferred by him. Anti-aircraft weapons
Machine guns and anti-aircraft guns fired flatly to suppress the Japanese forward firepower, covering infantry and tanks for counter-assaults.
Even when cannons with flat trajectories had difficulty suppressing the howitzers deployed by the Japanese army in the mountains behind them, Yang Jicai urgently replaced two 76mm cannons in the scrap warehouse of the northwest steelmaking plant and dug them out.
The Jinsui Army lost the idle mount of the Jin-made 16th Type 105 Mountain Cannon that the Japanese were going to rework for steelmaking and converted it into a howitzer. It was dragged to the Taiyuan city wall and took advantage of the range to shoot at high angles to suppress the heavy Japanese forces.
Howitzer.
As for whether these two gun mounts, which have been produced for nearly 20 years and are not well made, can support the strong charge fire of these two 76mm cannons, that is not something Yang Jicai can worry about. For now, as long as they can fire
The removal of these two 150 howitzers that should be deployed in the mountains southeast of Mengjiajing is a key factor for Yang Jicai in whether this counterattack can achieve the results he wants.
The crossfire of these two 150 heavy artillery can firmly block the entrance to the mountain backed by Jianzi Bay in Dongshan. If you don't destroy these two howitzers, even if you retake the front line of Jianzi Bay, it will be difficult to gain a foothold there. Already
The Japanese troops who entered the depths of Dongshan could retake Shear Bay at any time under the cover of deep artillery fire.
Even if a Japanese division does not come fully, the follow-up troops that can be put into the battlefield are far more than its own depleted soldiers. The condescending Japanese army can turn Shear Bay into a meat grinder. The only thing they have now is
The troops are completely consumed on the key point of Jianzi Bay. Retaking Jianzi Bay is not the ultimate goal. If the mountain pass cannot be recaptured, even if Jianzi Bay is recaptured, oneself will not be able to defend this place.
During the counterattack at Jianzi Bay, Yang Jicai gave the artillery only one order, which was not to worry about the artillery shells. As long as the front line of Jianzi Bay could be recaptured, it didn't matter even if all the artillery shells were used up. Following Yang Jicai's order, the Commander of the Fourth Division of Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei
The officer frowned a little, but said nothing in the end. He knew very well that this reinforced company would probably be exhausted.
After receiving Yang Jicai's request for help, the aviation force dispatched six Battelle bombers carrying napalm bombs and carried out repeated bombings on the Shear Bay front line. However, despite achieving great results, before the counterattack troops mobilized by Yang Jicai were in place,
This curbed the Japanese army's continued development towards the Tongpu Railway. However, these six Battelle bombers were all shot down by the Japanese anti-aircraft weapons deployed in depth.
Seeing six bombers being shot down in front of him, Yang Jicai understood that the 32nd Division was clearly prepared for air support from the Allied Forces. He already knew that in this counterattack, air support might not be relied on. Headquarters like this
There are not many new light bombers that have achieved combat effectiveness.
All six aircraft invested in a battle were lost in a short period of time, which will definitely make the aviation force have some scruples when using this kind of bomber. In the next battle, the number invested will definitely not be too much.
.In this counterattack, I’m afraid we still have to solve the problem on the ground.
But the situation was critical and he didn't give him much time to think about it. He knew that this counterattack would use up the only mobile force he had at hand. But the situation was so pressing that he could only grit his teeth and bite the bullet.
The fight must continue. At least not one Japanese artillery shell will fall on the Tongpu railway line. I really don’t have the energy to repair the railway that may be damaged in the war.