Chapter 175: Abnormal Battle Situation in Northwest Shandong
After the Japanese army launched a full-scale counterattack, the performance of the two divisions invested by the Japanese army on the battlefield in northwest Shandong was completely opposite. Compared with the 118th Division that stormed towards Guantao, the 72nd Division was quite equal.
Cunning. During the attack, its three regiments always huddled together and formed a "pin"-shaped formation during the frontal attack.
Two regiments, the 134th and the 155th, were assigned with engineers, and one search regiment each moved east and west side by side. The distance between the two regiments was always maintained at no more than ten kilometers. As for the 15th,
The Second Regiment has always been behind the two Regiments. No matter how many troops are blocking them or how strong the blocking force is, the 152nd Regiment will never participate in the battle.
It’s not that most of the division didn’t participate in the battle, but that not a single soldier of the entire regiment participated in the battle, but just followed behind the two regiments in front. The daily attack distance of the entire division would never exceed 20 kilometers. Even if the blocking troops were in front of them,
, it can move away with one strike and always maintain this attack speed. And during the attack, it always gathers its troops together and never makes any detours.
They fought steadily and steadily along the way, taking care of their front, rear, and left sides, and marched steadily towards Wucheng and Zaobei to attack the front line. Although Chen Hanzhang let go of the front of Wucheng, leaving only a small front line to block the attack,
The division's movements were still unusually slow. Rather than attacking, it was more like a crawling slowness.
On March 11, the army launched a full-line offensive from northwest Shandong to the Bohai Bay. It was not until March 15 that the division slowly reached the Wucheng line. It was the same as the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region in the direction of Wucheng, which was deployed along the canal.
Brigade, the 57th Regiment of the 19th Division of the Zhengjiakou Anti-Japanese Alliance was launched.
Although there was only one brigade of Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei troops deployed along the line of the canal, and only one regiment of the anti-alliance forces. However, the division concentrated the 134th Regiment in front of Wucheng and the 155th Regiment in Zhengjiakou.
On the front, under the cover of all the artillery of the 72nd Artillery Regiment, they launched attacks in turns.
As for the front of Zhuofang and Jiankou, where only one battalion of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region was deployed, Chen Hanzhang consciously gave way to the opening. From top to bottom, the 72nd Division acted as if they had not seen it. They just kept moving towards Zheng Zheng.
In front of Jiakou and Wucheng, they launched successive fierce attacks.
Wucheng is only more than 20 kilometers away from Zhengjiakou, and the front line of Zhengjiakou is even closer to Dezhou. In other words, the 72nd Division pays great attention to maintaining its own contact with the 22nd Division in front of Dezhou.
The contact between them. Be as consistent as possible on the front line.
In the two directions of Wucheng and Zhengjiakou, the fighting was earth-shattering. Chen Hanzhang, who had just received the report, was shocked by the fierce offensive. All members of the two regiments were dispatched, looking for breakthroughs at multiple points, without flanking.
Outflanking. Just a fierce frontal attack on a point. This has never happened before in the Japanese army's previous battles.
But after a day of fierce fighting, Chen Hanzhang discovered quite keenly that although his attack seemed very violent, the actual intensity of the attack was not very strong. Indeed, from the surface, whether it was in the direction of Wucheng or Zhengjiakou,
A large brigade launched attacks one after another, and the artillerymen behind them did not hesitate to use shells. They were likely to destroy Wucheng and Zhengjiakou.
But in fact, the intensity of the attack was not at all, and it even gave people a feeling of being together and separated. Moreover, the intensity of attacks received from the two directions of Wucheng and Zhengjiakou was also very different. Zhengjiakou's front line
The offensive of the Japanese 155th Regiment was obviously stronger than that of the 134th Regiment in front of Wucheng.
At least on the Zhengjiakou front line, they not only adopted a strong frontal attack, but also continuously tried to break through from the flanks. Concentrating their forces, they successively broke through the defensive positions of the 57th Regiment in Luquan Tun and Xingzhuang, and broke through the Shanxi-Chacha Army with one force.
The defense of a battalion of the Hebei troops crossed the canal line at the Houyuhuang Temple in the southwest of Luquan Village.
When the defenders in front of Zhengjiakou quickly retreated towards the Qingliang River, they also adopted the tactic of outflanking on two wings. However, the number of troops used to encircle them on both wings was only two squadrons each. It gave the impression that the two flanks were outflanked.
Outflanking is more like a bluff.
But if the performance of Zhengjiakou's first-line 155th Regiment, at least on the surface, is quite satisfactory. Then in the direction of Wucheng, the 134th Regiment always maintained an abnormal use of troops when attacking.
Frugal. Facing the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei brigade, it is actually the blocking force of two regiments, and the scale of its investment has always remained at one infantry brigade.
Although the covering firepower was extremely fierce, the attack was always limited to the Xinzhuang, Shazhuang, and Weiguantun front lines in front of Wucheng. Even though the front line of Houyuhuang Temple was breached, part of the 155th Regiment had already crossed the canal. Zhengjiakou
The fifty-seventh regiment on the front line has retreated backwards. The frontal defense line of Wucheng has been attacked from both sides, and the defenders have gradually retreated to the west bank of the Qingliang River.
However, the regiment neither carried out a rapid pursuit nor broke through to the two wings. It always followed the shrinking troops and maintained a certain attack distance. After the defenders withdrew across the Qingliang River, in addition to sending a squadron to forcefully cross the Qingliang River,
After taking control of Wang Cuihu on the west bank of the Qingliang River as the bridgehead, the main force of the regiment stopped advancing and slowly built the pontoon bridge.
After the 134th Regiment arrived at the front line of the Qingliang River and paused temporarily, the 155th Regiment on its right also crossed the Qingliang River with only one force, and the main force was also building the pontoon bridge unhurriedly.
The 152nd Regiment behind him had never even crossed the canal, and was still busy building a pontoon bridge on the South Canal.
After the Huayuankou burst, the water in the old Yellow River was insufficient. Although the South Canal, which has lost its water source, still has some water, it is actually as thin as a thread. It is also necessary to build several pontoon bridges, but there is one thing to say
It's a little strange that the regiments are all staying on both sides of the canal.
The 72nd Division put up such a formation, but it was quite beyond Chen Hanzhang's expectation. The 118th Division to the west of the division had already reached the sharp edge east of Guantao, the Qingshui line. Even with a
The troops bypassed the troops of the Hebei, Shandong and Henan Military Region in front of Guantao and entered the direction of Xiasi south of Wei County.
However, the division only attacked slowly on both sides of the Qingliang River. A considerable gap gradually opened up between the two divisions. However, in this gap, the Japanese army did not use any troops to supplement it.
That is to say, on the current battlefield in northwest Shandong, the 118th Division has actually formed a situation of breaking in alone in the direction of Guantao.
And this is a big temptation for Chen Hanzhang. The 72nd Division is a fool, and his plan to attack the 72nd Division first has been delayed. But according to the current situation, 118
The situation around the division gave him this opportunity in disguise.
He can completely transfer the stick that hit the first bird to the 118th Division, which makes Chen Hanzhang very excited. If the 118th Division is solved first, despite the subsequent impact on the battle, it is better to solve the 70th Division first.
The Second Division is so advantageous, but it also reduces the pressure on the front line. At least there is no danger to the security of the flanks of the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region.
After receiving Chen Hanzhang's report on the plan to attack the 118th Division first, Yang Zhen looked at the locations of the various Japanese divisions on the map, but did not reply to Chen Hanzhang immediately. For Yang Zhen, if he followed Chen Hanzhang's request,
Either the troops originally planned to be allocated to Chen Hanzhang on the Western Front should be mobilized, or Chen Hanzhang needs to mobilize reserve troops.
The whereabouts of the 72nd Division are now uncertain. The troops originally deployed by Chen Hanzhang in front of the 72nd Division cannot be mobilized at all. If you want to attack the 72nd Division first, you can only use the reserve team in advance. The battle has just begun.
It is not a good thing to use the reserve team at the beginning.
In other words, neither of these two options is very beneficial to you. In the situation where the troops of the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region are fighting fiercely with the enemies in southern Hebei and northern Hebei, no matter which direction you mobilize the troops
If you join the war, you will scatter your forces in depth. If the battle situation changes in any direction, you will lose your ability to adapt.
In particular, the 72nd Division's uncharacteristically slow attack on the line from Wucheng to Zhengjiakou made Yang Zhen feel that there was definitely a big problem with the Japanese army's deployment situation. The current position of the 118th Division,
Although it looks prominent, overall, its location is not unique.
The Guantao line where its main force is located is almost within easy reach of the Japanese troops on the battlefield in southern Hebei. Except for some troops from the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region, there are not many troops that can block the attack. If the 118th Division is attacked first,
At present, Jinan is trying its best to rescue a Japanese division that is fighting fiercely with the Hebei, Shandong and Henan Military Region in front of Quzhou.
When the time comes, it is still unknown whether the troops of the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region between Guantao and Quzhou, as well as the Japanese troops in front of Quzhou, can hold back reinforcements from southern Hebei to the east. Once the Quzhou and Japanese troops reinforce the front line of Guantao,
The troops encircling and annihilating the 118th Division will be surrounded by the Japanese army.
Similarly, the offensive of the 72nd Division looks fierce, but in fact it is always controlling the rhythm. Chen Hanzhang, who has now withdrawn to the defensive forces on both sides of the Qingliang River, always keeps a distance from them and is not stuck by them, and is in a position where they can advance and attack.
, retreating to a quite advantageous position that can be defended.
Once the 118th Division is attacked first and the troops originally deployed in the depth of the 72nd Division are moved away, then the division can use the blocking troops in person to create a relatively advantageous situation for itself without sufficient follow-up troops.
The fighter planes suddenly increased their intensity and attacked in the direction of Ji County.
By then, Chen Hanzhang had no mobile troops in his hands, and the 72nd Division could successfully achieve its strategic goals. But once it broke into Zaobei and Hengshui, Chen Hanzhang himself was completely passive and in a position where he could not advance or retreat.
.At the same time, its position can completely complete the turn at the first time, outflanking the retreat of the 118th Division troops.
Moreover, the location of the 118th Division is also very close to the Japanese army in Jinan. If the 118th Division is attacked first, the Japanese army in Jinan can also be dispatched quickly. In this way, not only does it fail to disrupt the deployment of the Japanese army, but it actually
The battle plan and the entire deployment will be completely destroyed.
This created conditions for the Japanese army to expand its deployment and find fighter planes, and even encircle and annihilate the first group of the Eastern Front. When Chen Hanzhang failed to defeat the tiger, he was injured by the tiger. And once the battle situation on the Eastern Front deteriorated, what would be the chain reaction?
No matter what the situation is, it is beyond Chen Hanzhang's control.
Of course, these unfavorable conditions are not invisible to Chen Hanzhang. According to the entire plan and firepower configuration he reported, he intends to concentrate all the troops and firepower that can be concentrated on the battle quickly, and achieve a quick victory in the shortest possible time.
The 118th Division will be dealt with within a short period of time.
Yang Zhen can clearly judge this from the amount of firepower he mobilized. In the entire plan, Chen Hanzhang placed all his hopes on a quick word. But this is the point that Yang Zhen disagrees with the most.
. This is a complete two-brigade division of the Japanese army, with artillery, engineers, and baggage regiments. It is not a regiment, nor an infantry brigade.