The grim situation forced Uchiyama Eitaro to seek medical advice first. While issuing orders to the 48th Division, Uchiyama Eitaro did not wait for a reply from General Okamura Neiji, nor did he forget to give orders to all divisions participating in the entire Texas battlefield.
, and at the same time issued an order to speed up the retreat.
The 120th Division was ordered to immediately do everything possible to get rid of the enemy's entanglement in front of it, and the entire army was withdrawn to the Huimin line and turned to defense. The 115th Division on the Ningjin line was ordered to also find ways to get rid of the enemy in front of it.
The anti-alliance forces withdrew to Shanghe at full speed and deployed defenses on the Deping front line.
Before the main force of the 48th Division arrives and the main force of the two divisions withdraws, the two divisions must deploy all possible forces and deploy defenses along the line from Xinyang to Huimin. This will buy time for the main force of the 48th Division to arrive and ensure that both
The three divisions had a safe way back when they retreated. After the arrival of the 48th Division, the three divisions immediately took turns covering the retreat across the Yellow River.
The 22nd Division, which had begun to shrink, immediately abandoned Dezhou and retreated directly to Jinan along the Jinpu Railway. The 65th Division was ordered to immediately expand along the plain east of Jinpu Road and the Gaotang line to ensure the contraction of the 22nd Division.
and retreat. After the 22nd Division withdrew through Yucheng, it alternately covered the evacuation with the 22nd Division.
When evacuating Texas, everything was mainly lightly equipped, and all equipment and supplies that could not be carried were blown up. After withdrawing to the south bank of the Yellow River, all the bridges on the Yellow River were blown up. After withdrawing to the south bank of the Yellow River,
Switch to defense on the spot from Licheng to Dangjiazhuang.
With the two new orders he issued in succession, Lieutenant General Kitagawa Kazuo, the commander of the 48th Division, who was gathering troops according to his previous order, did not have much objection. Anyway, his troops had just begun to gather, and according to the new order
Commanding action is not a big problem.
For Kazuo Kitagawa, there is not much difference between the previous order to gather a regiment and the current one to gather the entire division, except that it takes more time. Anyway, the previous order was issued less than a day ago.
His troops have just begun to assemble.
This time, the order was changed to the order that the whole division should not wait for the arrival of the defense troops and set off immediately after concentration, but it would only take a little more time. For the 48th Division, there is still no difference in essence. And leaving this place makes
Jiaodong, where everyone in the Forty-Eighth Division suffered from severe headaches, seemed to Kitagawa Kazuo to be a blessing.
Although since the start of this battle, it should not be said that since the division number was changed from 66 to 48, Lieutenant General Kitagawa Kazuo has been very depressed, and he is very dissatisfied with Lieutenant General Eitaro Uchiyama's change of orders. But for his own
The latest order from the military commander was implemented to the letter.
In fact, it is almost impossible for Kitagawa Kazuo not to be depressed during the whole experience from the establishment of the division to the current twists and turns. The original designation of the 66th Division was very pleasing to his eyes. In the words of a certain important figure in Nanjing, it was
He learned that sixty-six is a very auspicious number. Although he doesn't trust the Chinese, he still likes this auspicious number.
As a result, after the formation was completed, the designation was changed from the Sixty-sixth Division to the Forty-eighth Division. This undoubtedly made Lieutenant General Kitagawa Kazuo quite depressed and extremely unhappy. Not only was the original auspicious designation gone, but it was replaced by a new one.
The numbers of the divisions that had been wiped out on the battlefield in China made him feel very uncomfortable.
Well, the base camp has the final say, and the 48th Division is the 48th Division. But what makes him even more depressed is that not only has the designation changed, but even the agreed-upon location has changed. The division originally planned to be transferred to Taiwan,
With a piece of paper, the station was transferred from Taiwan, which has beautiful scenery and warm and pleasant climate, to the cold, dry North China.
It replaced the 42nd Division, which was transferred back to the mainland and was incorporated into the Eastern Army just a few days after being transferred to the Chinese battlefield. It was deployed in the Jiaodong Peninsula and was directly thrown into the China battlefield. The 42nd Division was originally stationed in Shandong.
The division was transferred back to the mainland as the main force of local defense, which made Kitagawa Kazuo feel looked down upon.
However, what made him even more depressed was that since arriving at the Shandong battlefield, others were fighting in full swing. But he first went to the Jiaodong Peninsula to watch the sea view while building a blockade. On the surface, it seemed leisurely and comfortable, but in fact the entire 48th Division
Everyone in the regiment thought that the Shandong Communist Army, which was now appearing and showing no samurai demeanor, was causing three surprises in one day. The entire regiment had not had a peaceful night's sleep since it was transferred to Shandong.
Although there are basically no big battles, small-scale battles occur almost every day. Compared with the real swords and guns on the frontal battlefield, the Shandong Communist Army's extremely non-bushido style and piecemeal sneaky style of fighting made the Forty-Eight
The division was extremely uncomfortable with it, and was even considered to be life-threatening.
A batch of grenades were suddenly thrown at your station today, and tomorrow you will look for opportunities to knock out a few strongholds. The small troops escorting supplies and ammunition often go out and never come back. Concentrate your troops to sweep them away, but you find that most of the troops
They are all trapped on the blockade.
When I think of bringing back a squadron of troops, I need to mobilize at least one brigade to respond. Even so, I often get ambushed and beaten up. They don't want to annihilate you completely, but they want to get along after half of your brigade.
I will never have any entanglement with you.
The entire division was transferred to the Shandong battlefield, and was exhausted within a few days. The troops stationed in the stronghold below could not even guarantee the minimum supplies. Who had ever seen a squadron, or even a squad?
To transport supplies, two squadrons are required to escort them?
During this period, Kitagawa Kazuo and his chief of staff were horrified to see the number of casualties caused by the entire 48th Division being stalked and beaten every day. The garrison troops stationed at various strongholds below were starved of food every day.
Belly pain has become the norm.
Before his division could adapt to the Shandong Communist Army's style of play, he transferred a main regiment with an order from Eitaro Uchiyama. He had to scrape together troops to take over the defense area of this regiment. For Japan
From a human perspective, China is simply too big. Even if his division is only stationed in the north of the Jiaodong Peninsula, it is like pepper noodles being sprinkled on the ground and nothing can be seen.
The use of its own troops is quite stretched, not to mention that a regiment has been transferred away? As for the many Nanjing troops in its own jurisdiction, although many of them are local snakes, they are unreliable, their combat effectiveness is not strong, and they are even worse.
It became a priority target of the Shandong Communist Army. Not only could it not help much, but it often required the 48th Division to squeeze out its troops for rescue.
This time, after receiving the order from Lieutenant General Uchiyama Eitaro, the last two regiments of the entire division were mobilized. Although they knew that the commander of the army had made such a taboo change in the morning and evening, it was estimated that there was a big rout in the battle ahead.
, to make up for it. But for Kitagawa Kazuo and his men, it seemed like they had been completely relieved.
At least the whole division can have a peaceful sleep, without having to be frightened three times a day, not eating well, and sleeping endlessly. At least we can know where the enemy is, and we don't have to play endlessly in the Jiaodong Peninsula.
What a cat-and-mouse game. So even though he was very disapproving of Eitaro Uchiyama's order, Kazuo Kitagawa still happily carried out the order.
In contrast to Kazuo Kitagawa, who received the latest order from Uchiyama Eitaro, although he was a little complaining and depressed, he still carried out the order happily. Regarding the latest order that actually just urged him to speed up his retreat, Lieutenant General Yanagawa Shinichi, the commander of the 120th Division, was
The head is as big as a bucket.
His 120th Division, which suffered more than half of its casualties, does not have enough strength to attack now. If he wants to retreat, he will have to rely on himself because he was bitten to death by the enemy and has no flank support or response.
With his strength, it is basically impossible to escape the constant bite of his opponent like a wolf.
Originally, according to the Japanese base camp plan, the 120th Division was not prepared to participate in this battle. It was preparing to enter the Korean battlefield to strengthen the defense of the peninsula. However, before the 114th Division arrived at the battlefield, it was bombed and paralyzed.
After almost being revoked from the establishment.
They were urgently transferred from the base camp to the North China battlefield to fill the manpower gap left by the North China Front Army when the 114th Division withdrew from the battlefield before the battle. Because the action was too hasty, the 120th Division, artillery and search forces were transferred to the Shandong battlefield.
, communications and other considerable forces have not yet been fully deployed.
The entire division was only equipped with a mortar team of thirty-six 120mm mortars just before departure. Although the Twelfth Army strengthened one mountain and field artillery, the overall firepower was not to mention
It is incomparable to those of Type A divisions, and even compared to those of Type B divisions, there is a huge gap.
At the beginning of entering the battlefield, the 120th Division had no advantage except that it had more troops than the enemy. But on the battlefield of Japan, the advantage of troops did not equal the advantage of firepower. Thirty-year-old rifles, Taisho 10
The one-year-old light machine gun and the Taisho three-year-old heavy machine gun are nothing more than a pile of scrap metal in the face of the enemy's intensive firepower.
The enemy's rifle firepower is not inferior to our own light machine guns. If you use heavy machine guns, they will also use general-purpose machine guns, plus large-caliber machine guns that shoot horizontally. If you use grenade launchers, they will directly launch six-zero mortars.
Hello. What's even more annoying is that we all have the same 80-caliber and 120mm mortars. Not only does the enemy's range have a longer range than ours, but the power of the shells is also greater than ours.
Although they have an advantage in terms of military strength, they are at a disadvantage in terms of firepower, from front-line infantry weapons to deep artillery support. The advantage in military strength cannot be turned into a battlefield advantage. In the previous battles, although the 120th Division had
It has always been an offensive, but whoever is suffering knows the actual situation.
It is said that they have been attacking, but in fact they are just luring the snake out of the hole and tightly entangling the 120th Division in Leling and Qingyun. Otherwise, during the nearly month-long attack, the 120th Division
The division would have been fighting the enemy in front of them, but the results of the battle were basically standing still.
After so many days of attacks, the division's progress was only a pitiful 30 kilometers. On average, it was less than one kilometer per day. The progress of the offensive was repeatedly frustrated, and the troops suffered heavy casualties. They were also attacked by several tactical counterattacks by the enemy.
I was almost paralyzed.
Now the enemy has launched a tactical counterattack. All the troops have been deployed, and the entire division without reserves has been bitten to death by the enemy in front of them. The positions between the two armies are intertwined, and the nearest position is less than fifty meters. A few
The lines between the positions were tightly blocked by enemy artillery fire.
Under this situation, how can it be so easy to retreat? Commander Uchiyama said it was easy. He would take command and see how he could retreat based on the overall situation of the Leling battlefield? Especially the 120th Division.
At present, the regiment does not even have a covering force.
What's more, the enemy's tank cluster has appeared behind him. The strength of the 120th Division is now one-third less than when the attack was launched. How can the 120th Division retreat? Is it necessary for the 120th Division to retreat?
With the troops chasing behind them, the 10th Division was racing against enemy tanks on the plain?