Chapter 154: The Japanese Army Surrounding Wei and Rescuing Zhao
In this counterattack in southwestern Shanxi, Chongqing deployed a total of three group armies and two armies in the entire Yuncheng battlefield, a total of nine organic corps plus one division. If the attached artillery and other directly subordinate units are added, the total strength reached 15
Wan. Even after the Thirty-seventh Division received reinforcements, it still had an absolute advantage in terms of military strength.
After the change of equipment, the firepower of most of the troops, especially the several armies of the Central Army system, was not inferior to that of the Japanese army. Even the First Army and the 90th Army that participated in the war had only infantry if they did not count the enhanced firepower.
In terms of firepower, they still have an absolute advantage. Logically speaking, this battle can be almost fought with both hands.
However, in this battle, the cooperation of the various units, especially the units of the miscellaneous army sequence and the central army sequence, still failed to form a tacit understanding. During the attack process, each army basically stayed within the combat range designated by its superiors. You
Those who fight you, I will fight mine. In terms of troop deployment, it is often the case that the dog is better than the wolf.
During the battle, several newly formed armies and poorly equipped miscellaneous armies were brought on board. The two armies with the best equipment and the most complete training were put aside to watch the battle in the name of reserves. Although several days of offensive operations
, causing great damage to the Japanese army in Yuncheng. However, the problem has not been solved for a long time, and the root cause is this.
During Lieutenant General Nagano Yuichiro's smoke screen, he launched a fierce counterattack against the First Army and the Ninetieth Army. In addition to the crippled New Second Army, several other participating armies were watching there. There was no strong attack.
The flanks of the enemy's counterattack forces cooperated with the two armies to fight. They did not take advantage of the overwhelming enemy forces in Yuncheng to penetrate Yuncheng and cut off the enemy's rear.
The two armies of a group army deployed in the First War Zone south of Yuncheng simply turned to defense in the direction of Pinglu and Jie County. They only dealt with errands and sent a small group of troops to the north for testing. When encountering a Japanese attack,
Then they immediately retracted. After the First Army and the 90th Army retreated north across the Fen River, the two armies simply leaned together and formed a turtle formation.
In the direction of Zhangdian, when the 19th Army of the Shanxi-Sui Army was attacked by the Japanese, a corps of the Central Army deployed in the northwest of the army simply withdrew twenty miles to the direction of Wanquan and watched the army be defeated.
They did not send out a single soldier to outflank the Japanese army and fight in the direction of Zhangdian, but only a detachment composed of two infantry brigades.
Similarly, when the Japanese troops in Taiyuan were marching towards Yuncheng, the Shanxi-Sui army was half-hearted in blocking the attack. They set up a large formation, but they retreated almost as soon as they touched the ground during the battle. Otherwise, these three armies would be regarded as soldiers planted by scarecrows.
It is impossible for the defense line to be overwhelmed by Japanese troops who are smaller in number than our own in a short period of time.
You must know that although each of the Jinsui Army has a small number of troops, it has one characteristic, that is, the basic combat organization is quite substantial. All combat units of each army are not used by ordinary miscellaneous troops, and are specially reserved for empty pay.
It's the kind of military strength that only exists on paper.
Although the Jinsui Army has poor field combat capabilities, it has a considerable advantage in combat, that is, it is extremely good at defensive operations. Under the painstaking efforts of the Shanxi King, the number of artillery of these three armies has been reduced.
, but the equipment is also excellent.
The equipment of the three troops was at least medium. Although the total strength was not large, the organization was substantial and the army was good at defensive operations. They relied on several lines of defense formed by the favorable terrain. The Japanese army, which had fewer troops than itself, was beaten to a pulp in a short period of time, continuously.
If several lines of defense have been breached, it speaks volumes.
It was a battle that was sure to be won, but due to internal infighting, mutual wariness and calculations, everyone was conserving their strength. Lieutenant General Nagano Yuichiro took advantage of the loophole, and not even a single wounded person was allowed to safely evacuate.
Apart from gaining an empty city and capturing dozens of wounded stragglers, he was almost empty-handed.
This result made the deputy commander-in-chief of the Eighth Theater District, who at the beginning of the campaign thought that the number of troops participating in the battle and the sophisticated weapons and equipment had never been seen before, seemed very ambitious. He was also responsible for the counterattack in southwest Shanxi.
Before the battle, the enemy commander-in-chief looked quite embarrassed.
After the withdrawal of the 37th Division, the Jinsui Army, which had been huddled in the north of Xia County after the fall of Zhangdian, suddenly became extremely brave and quickly moved south to seize the entire southern Shanxi. Although the territory of Yuncheng was still there.
The Central Army was in control. However, all key points around Yuncheng were seized by the Jinsui Army in the World War II zone. Only a passage from Yuncheng to Yongji was left for the Central Army to retreat.
The actions of the World War II Zone made this man even more angry. In order to vent his anger and shirk responsibility, he directly complained to Chongqing about the World War II Zone. He accused the cooperating troops of the World War II Zone of not only being slow in the entire combat operation, but also in order to shirk responsibility.
Moreover, they deliberately preserved their strength during the battle, and even collapsed at the first touch, sitting back and watching the Japanese army violently attack the Central Army.
Instead of intercepting the retreating Japanese troops, they allowed them to march hundreds of kilometers in the hinterland of the World War II zone in southwestern Shanxi to reinforce Yuncheng and defend the enemy. There was a group army with two armies, plus two artillery regiments, above the battlefield in southern Shanxi. They not only sat back and watched the Japanese troops withdraw.
, and even took the initiative to give way to the Japanese army's eastward retreat route. This operation failed to achieve full success, and the World War II zone should bear the main responsibility.
And how could the World War II district chief who had the same thoughts as him be a good opponent? In order to get rid of responsibility and even more to return to Yuncheng, he also filed a complaint against him in Chongqing. He accused him of holding a few elite troops in his hands, but he
Ignoring the entire battlefield situation, retreating at the critical moment of the Japanese counterattack, and sitting back and watching the friendly forces be wiped out. Not only is it suspected of conserving strength, but it is also suspected of indulging the enemy.
The two people accused each other, and this lawsuit was fought from the beginning of 1944 to the end of 1944, and they still had no resolution. The number one person in Chongqing would naturally not deal with his most trusted disciple who controlled the northwest. But for that
The King of Shanxi was helpless in a short period of time, and finally settled the matter with Xini.
However, no one has carefully summarized the experiences and lessons exposed in this war. In addition to blaming each other, shirking responsibility, and even looking for scapegoats, no one wants to change or correct the problems that have been exposed.
There is no ability to change it.
But the first person in Chongqing who was extremely skilled in the art of checks and balances and power tactics did not have the benefit of Chiyan as originally promised, and he was adjacent to Fenglingdu in the south, and crossing Fenglingdu was Henan-Shaanxi Province.
Tongguan, the gateway, the choke point of the three provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Henan, Yuncheng with extremely important strategic position, was returned to the commander-in-chief of the World War II zone.
He asked his first disciple to select an army of the Central Army from among the armies participating in the war to stay in Yuncheng. At the same time, in order to appease the chief of the World War II area, he reassigned the Zhongtiao Mountain area to World War II with a stroke of his pen.
District. He used the poor Zhongtiao mountainous area to replace the wealthy and strategically important Yuncheng. He played this skill very well.
As for the Zhongtiao Mountain District, now that all the Japanese troops in Shanxi have withdrawn, the strategic position has long been changed. The Zhongtiao Mountain District, which cannot even provide itself with food, should give the World War II Zone a headache. Anyway, Yuncheng
It's already in your hand, don't even think about taking it back if you want.
Of course, the lawsuit is a matter for the future, but the 37th Division, which has escaped now, seems to think that it is not enough to slap the deputy commander of the Eighth Theater Zone in the face. After arriving in Hengqu, they did not continue eastward.
Withdraw, according to his prediction, directly withdraw to northern Henan for reinforcements.
According to the latest order of the front army, in order to cope with the battle in eastern Henan, they suddenly forcibly crossed the Yellow River east of Hengqu, defeating an army responsible for river defense in the first theater area in that direction. Ignoring the obstruction of the Chinese army along the way, they forcibly crossed the Yellow River along the south bank of the Yellow River to the location of the headquarters of the first theater area.
Luoyang attacked and successively captured the two county towns of Shengchi and Xin'an.
Not only did it obtain a large amount of supplies from the logistics warehouses of the First War Zone in these two counties, it solved the problem of insufficient supplies in a short time. It also cut off the Longhai Railway between Luoyang and Tongguan, as well as the First War Zone and Shaanxi Province.
The connection between them directly threatens the security of the entire northwest rear area, as well as the deep security of several armies that are currently fighting fierce battles with the Japanese on the east bank of the New Yellow River.
Its vanguard has already reached Luoyang, where the commander-in-chief of the First Theater Command is located, defeated two regiments of the 15th Army guarding Luoyang, and captured Mangshan Mountain, an important barrier in its suburbs. Although it is located on the front line, with only a natural barrier of the Yellow River from the Japanese-occupied area,
Luoyang City, which has been singing and dancing for many years, has been closed tightly, and there are even three surprises a day.
In order to respond to the battlefield in eastern Henan, Lieutenant General Nagano Yuichiro suddenly came to surround Wei and rescue Zhao, which had an immediate effect. The commander of the First Theater Command, who had no psychological preparation for the Japanese army to cross the Yellow River at this time and penetrate deep into the hinterland of the First Theater Command,
I was blinded directly.
I never thought that the Japanese army would suddenly attack from the north bank of the Yellow River at this time. And the commander of the theater was the one who strengthened the division's strength. After receiving the Japanese army's crossing of the Yellow River, they were fighting all the way to Luoyang on the Longhai line.
After reporting that their small force had even reached the edge of Luoyang, they immediately panicked.
On the one hand, he kept seizing all the surrounding troops to stop the attack, and kept asking a group army currently deployed south of Yuncheng to immediately cross the Yellow River and return to the formation. On the other hand, he kept giving orders to his deputy, asking the troops to cross the new Yellow River.
Several army groups immediately returned to support.
This man who was a bit panicked even directly seized the 35th Army and the temporary Third Army, which were transferred from Houtao and were originally the second echelon of the Hedong battlefield and had not yet had time to cross the New Yellow River to join the battle, as well as two cavalrymen.
The brigade was quickly transferred back from Xuchang to strengthen the Luoyang front line. At the same time, it continued to urge a group army that was transferred to Yuncheng to fight, to immediately withdraw to reinforce the Longhai Road operation. It also gave a death order to the Fourth Group Army that crossed the New Yellow River to participate in the battle, requiring that the
The army group must rush back within three days.
This panicked man's move completely disrupted the original combat system of the First Theater. Coupled with the Japanese troops personally commanded by Yoshimoto Teiichi who had already withdrawn to northern Henan, after only three days of rest and recuperation, they were able to
After internally adjusting the allocation of troops, they quickly moved south along the Ping-Han Railway from Anyang. As a result, the troops attacking the east of the New Yellow River in the First Theater of War suddenly became in a situation of being attacked from both sides.
Once Luoyang fails to defend under the rapid offensive of the 37th Division, the Japanese army will advance eastward along the Longhai Railway. The rear of the troops attacking Hedong in the entire First Theater will be completely disintegrated. By then, let alone regaining eastern Henan, even
The most elite troops in the First Theater of War will also be surrounded around Kaifeng.
Therefore, holding the line from Luoyang to Zhengzhou has become the key to this battle. But at this time, all the elite troops in the first theater have been dispatched, and the remaining troops are also in southern and central Henan. Several miscellaneous armies deployed along Longhai Road
The theater commander really had no idea whether his troops could withstand the attack of this super master group before reinforcements arrived.
Fortunately, the former deputy commander of the eighth theater who was transferred to the first theater was indeed quite capable. After arriving in Luoyang, despite the objections of the frightened theater commander, he did not defend the city and instead commanded his own troops.
The Thirty-fifth Army, the starting force, plus the temporary Third Army, two of his direct troops, fought against the Thirty-seventh Division, which was advancing towards Luoyang with overwhelming force.