Chapter seven hundred and eighty eighth hope is shattered
Kanji Nishihara's order to the entire division was very straightforward. Even if a knife fell from the sky, there would not be any pause during the retreat to Aershan. All items that were inconvenient to carry, except for the few dry rations left by each person, should be taken early. Throw away everything except the empty water bottle and the ammunition he carried.
Even the dozen or so carriages left in the air raids in the past few days were all thrown away except for the draft horses. As for the so-called large luggage on the carriages, they were also poured with gasoline and burned. Except for maps and a high-power radio used to communicate with the Kwantung Army headquarters, all other supplies and information in the department were destroyed.
After receiving the order from Kanji Nishihara, everyone in the 23rd Division knew that this meant that the entire division had to ignore the air strikes from the Anti-Japanese Alliance and forcefully retreat to the Aershan line in the face of bombs flying all over the sky. Normally, those lower-level officers would have made serious protests. Any fool knew what this method would mean to the exhausted 23rd Division.
But now, I am a little numb to the fact that I have been bombed. Every day I live is like picking up. No one can guarantee whether they will be able to survive the next wave of air raids intact. For the officers and soldiers of the Thirteenth Division, it didn't matter.
Over the past few days, the 23rd Division has had a deep understanding of the intensity and density of the Anti-Japanese Alliance air strikes, especially those bombs that leave you with no place to hide, and the variety of bombs, which have been tortured and numbed. The officers and soldiers no longer cared about the enemy's air raids.
When you leave the road and lie down to avoid air strikes, there are air-dropped landmines everywhere on both sides of the road. Even if you escape the bombs, it is possible that one of the air-dropped land mines will be hit by you while you are lying down. Even if you press on, you will still be blown up into the sky. If you run to a place with woods to find cover, they will use incendiary bombs to attack you, and the woods you use to hide will be directly turned into charcoal.
Although the 23rd Division had dispersed its marching columns as much as possible after being bombed on the first day, it was still impossible to avoid those various forces that almost left you with no way to go to heaven and no way to enter the earth. Various bombs and enemy aircraft are not only numerous in number, but also the power of the bombs is huge.
A medium-yield incendiary bomb dropped by a medium-sized bomber can turn a squadron into coke. A bomb that lays eggs on a light aircraft can also send a squadron collectively to the west. If it encounters a delayed bomb, , not only causing heavy casualties to the entire march, but also making it difficult to move within a few hours.
The 72nd Regiment, which is currently the most complete among the 23rd Division's various regiments, had a complete infantry brigade on the third day after leaving Hylar, and was dropped by eight bombs one after another from an aircraft. The horrific incendiary bombs were collectively cremated in front of other troops.
However, the troops were completely dispersed and retreated in order to avoid losses as much as possible. The radio communication inexplicably lost its function. Even the tactical radio was no longer usable. Communication with each other was extremely poor, and we could only rely on extremely unreliable communication. In the case of an official.
They were also worried that the Anti-Alliance forces behind them might ignore the pursuit and seize the opportunity to directly separate and encircle Nishihara Kanji and Kawagore Yuuto. They could only move the various units of the division as close together as possible. This kind of marching posture was even more difficult for the Anti-Alliance aviation forces. Created a good fighter.
With so many troops gathered together, they did avoid the danger of being separated by possible pursuers, but for the Anti-Allied aviation forces that were bombing them, they were an impossible target. But at this time, Nishihara Kanji, who was exhausted mentally and physically by the huge casualties and the slow marching speed, could no longer care whether he would be separated by the pursuing troops of the Anti-Alliance.
For him, even if he does not change the retreat plan, it is imperative to adjust the retreat deployment. If the bombing continues like this, the 23rd Division will have collapsed without the pursuit of troops. Even if he changes the retreat plan, Kanji Nishihara I am somewhat reluctant, but since I have already changed it, I will change it to the end.
However, Kanji Nishihara's order to change the deployment did not cause much trouble among the officers and soldiers of the 23rd Division who had been accustomed to being bombed for so many days and had developed a resistance to attack. The whole division didn't care much about it.
For these officers and soldiers, as long as they can find a place to be bombed, no matter how big the risk is, it is worth it. For Kanji Nishihara's order that usually seems extremely inhumane, even if the two people single-handedly planned Hailar The advisers on the massacre did not object.
For all the officers and soldiers of the 23rd Division, since there was nowhere to hide from the air raids, it was better to run directly to Aershan in one breath. Anyway, with the well-trained marching ability of the Japanese army, in the end These dozens of kilometers are nothing. As for whether the civilians can keep up, it is not something that ordinary officers and soldiers would consider.
After adjusting the deployment and retreat plan, Nishihara Kanji issued a fatal order to the division communications officer. No matter what happened, he must get in touch with the Kwantung Army headquarters and secure aviation cover for the 23rd Division. , in order to reduce the losses of the 23rd Division as much as possible.
What frustrated him and the entire 23rd Division was that no matter how hard the communications troops tried, there was still no reply except for the noisy sound on the radio. Without the support and cover of the aviation troops, , Kanji Nishihara could not even imagine how many officers and soldiers of the 23rd Division could escape from the brutal enemy planes and be able to safely evacuate to Aershan.
The 23rd Division's reckless retreat gave the aviation commander Fang Ziyi, who was taking command in Qiqihar, the opportunity to achieve greater results. Faced with the new situation, Fang Ziyi quickly adjusted his deployment and divided the Japanese army's final march route. Divide into thirds.
Concentrate all the aircraft in hand into three batches, use high-explosive bombs and napalm bombs in turn to attack the 23rd Division, which is currently retreating in three ways, and place the main attack force on both sides of the road. As for the Japanese combat troops, he paid little attention to the engineers and heavy equipment troops marching along the road.
In order to strangle the 23rd Division as much as possible during the retreat in accordance with the requirements of the military region, Fang Ziyi left behind a few IL-4 bombers and continued to destroy the Nanxing'an Tunnel to completely cut off the Baia-A railway traffic. The air strikes on the Baijia Railway Line and the Aershan Line were suspended, and all effective forces were transferred to the final retreat route of the 23rd Division.
During the day, Il-4 medium bombers, Su-2 light bombers, and P-39 and P-40 fighters loaded with ground bombing ammunition, like a group of hungry falcons, took turns to attack the three retreating formations of the 23rd Division. Bombing, at night, under the cover of the illumination bombs thrown, the Il-4 bombers carried out a rare carpet bombing of the 23rd Division.
As Nishihara Kanji adjusted the retreat sequence and method, a new battle between ground and air began. However, the 23rd Division was like a man possessed, facing the anti-Japanese planes and bombs dropped all over the sky. Ignoring all kinds of bombs, artillery shells and bullets, they spread their legs and desperately retreated to the Aershan front line.
Under almost all the anti-alliance aircraft dispatched to attack in turn regardless of consumption, the 23rd Division retreated to the final route of Aershan. Compared with the previous situation where it was also bombed badly, it could barely maintain the order. It can be said that he is even more embarrassed to the extreme.
No one is even willing to drag the bodies that were killed along the way to the roadside. As for the wounded, if you can keep up with the troops, just go by yourself. If there is a stretcher to sit on, that is impossible and you can't keep up. It's up to you whether to leave a grenade or give yourself a shot.
Anyway, no one will stop and be willing to help you with a shot to completely solve your pain. No one will bend down to pick up the weapons that killed or injured people and take them away. No one dares to stay where they are. Stay for a minute, because no one knows when the next wave of air strikes will arrive.
At this time, there was only one thought in the minds of all the officers and soldiers of the 23rd Division who wanted to spread their wings and fly to their destination, and that was to rush to Aershan as soon as possible to get rid of this kind of bomb that fell on their heads. There are endless days where there are still people caring about other people's lives.
As for the backpacks, military blankets, and other luggage brought from Hailar, they were lost all the way. Some soldiers even threw away bullets and gas masks in order to reduce the load. The 23rd Division's final journey to Arshan , the wounded and equipment were discarded everywhere along the way.
Any heavy weapons such as Type 92 heavy machine guns and infantry guns that became burdens were thrown away. Some brave veterans even used not only rucksacks and military blankets and other baggage supplies, but also rifles, in order to reduce the load. Bayonets, helmets, and gas masks were all thrown away, as were the wounded and corpses.
When the 23rd Division finally arrived at Aershan at midnight that day, they were horrified when they faced the same miserable Aershan. It turned out that the Kwantung Army wanted to plunder the rich mineral resources and forest resources at the southwest foot of the Daxingan Mountains. The construction of Aershan Station had already become a ruin.
A large number of bombed freight trains were piled up in the station. The railway tracks in the station were also destroyed by the huge power of the bomb. All the buildings in the station were razed to the ground. Aershan Station has been completely paralyzed. Not to mention the entire 23rd Division's troops, not even a squadron can be transported by truck.
Not only was the Aershan Station in ruins, but even the Japanese food, ammunition and other material reserves in Aershan were all destroyed in the Anti-Japanese Air Raid. The Aershan garrison was destroyed during the first night air raid by the Anti-Japanese Alliance , due to the bombing of the camp, more than half of the casualties were caused. Of the more than 1,500 troops, only less than 700 were left in the fierce air attack.
Looking at the same miserable scene in Aershan, Nishihara Kanji and his successors were bombed twenty kilometers away from Aershan because they failed to escape during the final retreat. The Chief of Staff of the 13th Division, Colonel Kawa Goreto, and Major General Chida Sadao, who was temporarily appointed as the Chief of Staff of the 23rd Division, could not help but look at each other.