Yang Zhen here was determined to attack the 72nd Division first. Chen Hanzhang, who had already built up his energy before, had nothing to hesitate. Chen Hanzhang's original plan was to attack the 72nd Division first.
Regiment. Most of the mobile forces in his hands are deployed in Zaonan to hide and wait.
Not only did Yang Zhen strengthen the artillery that he had given him before the war, they were all secretly deployed in the area north of Zaonan County. He also followed Yang Zhen's order and transferred four artillery pieces from each division's artillery regiment to Zaonan.
South ambush area. At the same time, he dispatched an 82 mortar from each infantry regiment and two quadruple 14mm anti-aircraft machine guns from each division's anti-aircraft artillery battalion.
He also deployed one or two companies from each of his directly affiliated artillery regiments. The directly affiliated anti-aircraft artillery unit also allocated two mixed battalions of double 23rd anti-aircraft guns and 14mm machine guns. In other words, Chen Hanzhang
The ambush circle deployed for the 72nd Division concentrated almost all the firepower he could mobilize. Even most of the directly subordinate 122 rocket launchers were transferred to the ambush site by him.
In order to deal with the 72nd Division as soon as possible, Chen Hanzhang put in a lot of effort. All troops were mobilized at night, avoiding all villages along the way as much as possible. During the mobilization, multiple routes were adopted.
, attacking in the east and attacking in the west, etc., and various mobilization methods. After arriving at the designated combat area, no open flames are allowed.
The artillery tractors will not turn on their lights. After arriving at the designated deployment area, all artillery positions are camouflaged. Each artillery regiment participating in the battle is ordered. Each regiment, battalion and company will send a cadre, and they will send their best artillery staff to cooperate.
Next, all the planned combat areas from the north of the Qingliang River to Zaobei were carefully marked with rulers, and each artillery group also had its firing boundaries defined in detail.
It can be said that Chen Hanzhang used all the troops he could mobilize and spent countless efforts to create a plain ambush circle for the Japanese army in Zaonan. It was only because the 72nd Division refused to take the bait that Chen Hanzhang wanted to use it.
Due to the change in the battle situation in northwest Shandong, the firepower and troops originally prepared for the 72nd Division were mobilized to attack the 118th Division first.
However, before his latest battle plan was approved by Yang Zhen, Chen Hanzhang, who knew that the number one responsible for the overall situation might not agree to his change of battle plan, was very prudent and did not mobilize his troops in advance. Before Yang Zhen,
Before making up his mind, the troops originally planned to be transferred to the Guantao front line were still waiting in Zaonan to attack the flank attack of the 118th Division.
At present, Yang Zhen has decided to deal with the 72nd Division first. Chen Hanzhang hardly needs to make any major adjustments in the deployment of troops. The only change is that after receiving reinforcements from the two divisions, he has more confidence and can stretch out his hands.
If his body is longer, certain changes in the battle plan will be required.
Faced with the change in the situation, Chen Hanzhang changed the original shallow-depth detour into a large-depth detour. He changed the outflanking points on both wings from the canal banks in Wucheng to a large-depth detour. He inserted directly behind the 72nd Division.
Xia Jin, trying to complete the encirclement of the 72nd Division in one go.
And strive to completely eliminate the 72nd Division in the shortest possible time. With the planned troop input increased and the combat plan also requiring certain changes, Chen Hanzhang focused on adjusting the equipment of the armored forces. Especially
On the Western Front, the 118th Division has begun to turn around, and the spearhead of the roundabout troops on the Western Front needs to be strengthened to a certain extent.
In order to cut off the connection between the 72nd Division and the 118th Division as quickly as possible. Only when the spearhead is as sharp as possible can it penetrate the Japanese formation in the shortest time. After taking over Yang Zhen
After the two divisions were transferred, Chen Hanzhang, who was very confident, was naturally more ambitious.
After receiving Yang Zhen's order to attack the 72nd Division first, Chen Hanzhang decided to use the 29th Division attached to Yang Zhen to strengthen an armored brigade and attack on the spot from Nangong in the direction of the main camp and Duan Lutou.
Forced insertion. After cutting off the connection between the 72nd Division and the 118th Division, immediately turn eastward and penetrate directly into Wucheng County with no less than one regiment of troops.
At the same time, the troops deployed between Zaonan and Zaobei launched a full-line counterattack against the 72nd Division from the front. Two independent tank regiments, in conjunction with the 33rd Division, forcibly penetrated towards Zhengjiakou and the Old City, cutting off Dezhou.
To the Xiajin Highway, in order to divide the connection between the 22nd Division and the 72nd Division in Dezhou, the 72nd Division was completely isolated.
The troops originally planned to be used to outflank the two wings were all concentrated to face the Japanese army and launch a counterattack. One brigade and another regiment were assigned to the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, a reinforcement regiment, an independent tank regiment, and a self-propelled artillery were assigned to the Anti-Japanese Alliance.
The battalion is the general reserve force.
Considering that the Thirty-Third Division was a later division, its combat effectiveness was relatively weak. This battle was also the first large-scale battle that the division participated in as an organized structure. In order to enhance the division's combat effectiveness, Chen Hanzhang transferred the division's ninety-nine
The regiment merged with the 1st Battalion of the 97th Regiment, and the overall structure was changed with the 50th Regiment of the 17th Division and the 2nd Battalion of the 51st Regiment, which served as reserve forces. At the same time, ten company commanders and four companies were transferred from the 25th Division.
Exchanged with the company commander of the 98th regiment of the division.
The troops of the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region who retreated to the Guangzong front line launched a counterattack against the 118th Division on the Wei County front line through mobile warfare and harassment warfare, in order to contain at least part of the division's troops from being able to reinforce eastward. At the same time, they coordinated
Yang Zhen hoped that the Hebei, Shandong and Henan Military Region would add no less than three regiments of troops to the front lines of Guangzong and Wei County.
At the same time, in order to ensure the smooth progress of the encirclement and annihilation of the 72nd Division, at least on the right wing, Chen Hanzhang was determined to launch a tactical counterattack on the Texas battlefield while encircling and annihilating the 72nd Division, and tightly entangled the twenty-two divisions in front of him.
The Second Division also continuously launched local tactical counterattacks on the Lubei battlefield.
In order to contain the deep Japanese troops, especially a division deployed by the Japanese troops on the line from Yantai to Shouguang, Chen Hanzhang used his own mobility advantage with the attached cavalry brigade and the Yellow River tidal flat east of Wudi to detour to the rear of the Japanese troops in northern Shandong and penetrate deep into the Japanese army.
Go to the Laizhou Bay and launch a large-scale attack on the Zhourao and Shouguang lines.
Chen Hanzhang's order to the department was to fight as they wanted in northeastern Shandong. As long as the Japanese troops in northern Shandong who were interfering could not live in peace, and the Japanese troops holding the line from Yantai to Shouguang were unable to reinforce to the north, even if they completed their mission. If possible, they could expand to the east.
, try every means to directly open up the connection with the Qinghe Military Region.
Once the Japanese army deployed heavy troops for encirclement and suppression, and the situation was not conducive to the operation of the unit, it retreated eastward across the Jiaoji Railway line, merged with the main force of the Shandong Military Region, and stayed on the Jiaodong Peninsula to cooperate with the Shandong Military Region in operations. If the Shandong Military Region could not afford the supply of horses,
All the war horses were disposed of, and the entire brigade was converted to infantry operations.
In order to complete Yang Zhen's deployment in the shortest possible time and eliminate the 72nd Division cleanly, Chen Hanzhang, who knew that this battle could only be fought quickly, spent a lot of money. He even moved the Eastern Front
Sixty percent of the rocket artillery force and 100% of the aviation force were mobilized to the Zaonan battlefield.
At the same time, in order to maximize the advantages of daytime operations and good visibility, and to maximize the favorable conditions of Zaonan's flat terrain to avoid getting into chaos with the Japanese army at night, Chen Hanzhang was also very considerate and set the time for the full-scale counterattack.
early in the morning.
Moreover, he requested that before the counterattack began, not only were targets and tasks specifically formulated for each type of artillery, but he also specifically requested that the benchmark guns of each department not be allowed to conduct any test firings during the artillery preparation period. Instead, a single gun group was used instead.
, used as a benchmark artillery group to ensure that the first wave of artillery shells would fall on the Japanese army.
All artillery observers must enter the front-line positions. At the same time, some artillery observers must be deployed to follow the counterattacking infantry. Some light artillery must be organized to follow the infantry. Wherever the infantry hits, the artillery must follow. Wherever it is blocked,
, artillery fire must be supported wherever it goes.
When preparing and covering artillery fire, the artillery must fire a double barrage. The artillery must not only be responsible for artillery support, but also be responsible for the task of artillery blockade and interception. To reach where the infantry reaches, its artillery support must follow.
Wherever the Japanese troops tried to gather, their artillery fire would cover them.
The biggest task of each artillery group is to absolutely not allow the Japanese troops to gather or get closer, to kill and injure the Japanese troops as much as possible, and to reduce the pressure on the infantry. All artillery positions, and between artillery positions and infantry positions, are all connected by wireless communication at the same time.
, it is necessary to set up a wired telephone to ensure two-way communication.
The infantry's offensive must be fierce, and strive to tear apart the connections between the various departments of the Japanese army and disrupt the organization of the various departments of the Japanese army in the first round of attacks. We must dare to act under the support of artillery fire, and the infantry's charge line and artillery groups must be
The distance between covered targets shall not exceed 150 meters.
In order to deal with the 72nd Division in the shortest time, Chen Hanzhang prepared very carefully. And the various preparations he made did have the effect he hoped to have on the battlefield. His first
With one round of counterattack artillery fire, the Japanese troops in front of them were surrounded.
On the frontal battlefield, Chen Hanzhang concentrated a full-line counterattack under the cover of a large amount of artillery fire. On the flanks, with tanks as the guide and under the cover of the attack aircraft group, he quickly outflanked the 72nd Division on both wings. As well as the fierce artillery fire launched into the counterattack,
It was the first time for Lieutenant General Chiba Kumaharu, commander of the 72nd Division, to see and appreciate such fierce artillery fire.
He did not expect that the 118th Division had already completed its turn and was advancing hand in hand with him. On the Texas battlefield, which was very close to him, the two armies were still in a stalemate. The Resistance Alliance dared to take advantage of the fire and hit all counterattacks on themselves.
.And its counterattack was so fierce that it was obvious that it was going to kill him.
According to the original plan of the front army, the enemy's counterattack should start when its attack line reaches the Hengshui line. After a gap is opened between the Dezhou battlefield and the southern Hebei battlefield, the enemy's counterattack will begin. Or as early as the 118th Division
The regiment should deploy when it feints a shot in the direction of Guantao and its flanks are completely exposed.
But it happened that when the 118th Division was bluffing in the direction of Guantao, the enemy troops in front of them just resisted and delayed their actions. However, they chose to wait until the 118th Division had completed its turn and
It started only after the front line was launched towards Wei County and Guangzong.
The most confusing thing for Chiba Kumaji was that the first round of counterattack by the Anti-Japanese Alliance did not hit the 118th Division, which was prominent on the front line of Wei County. How could it happen when he was still very close to the Texas battlefield?
, fell on himself? How could this be completely different from the front army's original judgment of the enemy's situation?
In particular, what puzzled Chiba Kumaji was when did the enemy army concentrate so much artillery fire and counterattack force on their front? The frontline troops did not notice anything. The front army intelligence department and aerial reconnaissance also did not detect any
How did the enemy mobilize so many troops and artillery under their noses without letting them discover it?