If the Xuebing Army is like a rising sun, then the situation of the Japanese army in China is that of the sunset. Just imagine that on September 18th, a single Japanese army was able to rampage across the Northeast, and then in the First Battle of the Great Wall, the Japanese army numbered 35,000. One man can defeat the Chinese army that is ten times the size of his own. In the Battle of Songhu and the Battle of Nanjing, the Japanese army can also defeat three of them. And now, in Nanjing and Shanghai, the Japanese army has assembled a total of 600,000 troops, and The student army has less than 300,000 soldiers, but whether it is the Songjiang front line in Shanghai or the Jiangning battlefield in Nanjing, the Japanese army is absolutely on the defensive. Instead, it is suppressed and beaten by the student army everywhere.
The Japanese troops currently located on the Nanjing battlefield are the 5th Division, the 13th Division, the 38th Division, the 51st Division, as well as two independent brigades and the 2nd and 4th Divisions of the Korean Communist Army. divisions and three independent brigades. In addition, the Peace Army also has three divisions and two independent brigades. The total strength once exceeded 300,000. After more than five months of fighting, the army of 300,000 is currently , the Japanese army no longer has a complete establishment above the brigade level. Take the Fifth Division as an example. After two replenishments, there are only about 15,000 people left, and its strength has been greatly reduced.
While Li Tieshu and Fox Shisan were discussing a strategy to capture Nanjing quickly, Takashi Sakai was discussing with his generals the new changes on the battlefield today. At the beginning of Li Tieshu's attack on Nanjing, Takashi Sakai still had ten soldiers in his hands. Fifty thousand people, plus nearly 60,000 people in Zhenjiang and Yangzhou, he decided to take advantage of his military strength and adopt the strategy of letting the small ones catch the big ones. He abandoned the surrounding small towns and concentrated his forces to fight Li Tieshu's troops at the gates of Nanjing. He thought at that time What's more, as long as they can defeat Li Tieshu's tribe, the situation in the East China War will be completely changed. They can cover up the enemy along the way and invade the border area of Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangxi. As long as they capture any one of Quzhou, Shangrao or Pucheng, they will have what it takes. The ability to outflank a single hero's retreat,
The idea is very tempting, but the implementation is completely wrong. It is true that the Japanese army has an absolute advantage in strength, but the quality of the troops is getting worse year by year. Secondly, the gap in the modernization process of the two armies is becoming wider and wider. Not only did Takashi Sakai's decision fail to achieve its intended goal, but he fell into a quagmire. This is evidenced by the fact that the Santai Guerrilla Column, a guerrilla armed force, fought all the way from Yangzhou and Zhenjiang to Baohua.
"A mere guerrilla force" was once the most common evaluation of the Santai guerrilla column by senior Japanese military officials. But today, after Baohua was almost bloodlessly captured by the Santai guerrilla column, no one has made such a sound again. Defending and defending will be a continuous war of attrition. When he thinks that fifty-six out of ten troops lost in the Nanjing battlefield were killed by the Xuebing Army's air raids, Sakai Takashi can't help but feel powerless in his heart and take the initiative to attack, not to mention that the Xuebing Army is almost all the time. Without the aviation unit, even the artillery of Li Tieshu's department could not pass the test.
In Wuhu, Takashi Sakai once organized a counterattack. At that time, the main force of the Xuebing Army was blocked in Fanchang County, and the 22nd Xuexian Brigade was alone in Gugao Town. Sakai Takashi dispatched one division after another independent brigade from the northeast. Two fronts attacked Gugao. Seeing that they had broken through Gugao's frontline position, suddenly a thunderous sound of artillery sounded. A rocket launcher regiment assigned by Li Tieshu to the 22nd Xue Brigade showed off. A total of three volleys were fired. The Japanese charging The two brigades were completely destroyed. Major General Yamashita Takeshiro, who commanded this group, did not believe in evil and launched another round of offensive. Again, when a breakthrough was about to be formed, the thunderous sound of artillery sounded again, and the Japanese army ordered two more troops to move in. a brigade,
More than 30,000 people attacked a small town garrisoned by less than 5,000 soldiers. As a result, they fought for five days and suffered more than 10,000 casualties without making any progress. After the battle, the Japanese army lost all morale and no longer had the courage to attack the enemy. So far, the original offensive and defensive battle has turned into a complete defensive battle.
The continuous defeats on the battlefield sapped the determination of the Japanese military officers, making the atmosphere of the meeting very dull from the beginning. Sakai Takashi waited for a long time after Chief of Staff Tadamichi Kuribayashi introduced the battle situation, but did not wait for anyone to take the initiative to speak. After coughing, Asked: "Why, don't you guys have any good suggestions?"
Kojima, the head of the 23rd Army Operations Section, looked around and stood up and said: "Sir, I think we should feel lucky that the 13th Division of the China Army went to Zhenjiang and then attacked Baohua. This was actually a mistake made by General China. If it were me, I would choose to attack Liuhe directly to cut off our army's retreat."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yamamoto, the commander of the fifth division, stood up and shouted: "Bage, fortunately, Mr. Kojima, please pay attention to your wording. Do you think the China Army has the ability to surround us and annihilate us?" , I think you were scared out of your wits by the Chinese people. The reason why the imperial army was in such a predicament on the battlefield in China is related to the fact that you cowardly people stole high positions."
There is a reason for Yamamoto's sudden rage. Among the Japanese troops in Nanjing, this division has the heaviest combat missions and suffered the greatest losses. Even after two blood replenishments, the current strength of the troops is only one-half of the normal period. The combat effectiveness of the army has dropped sharply, and his status in the army has also been affected. In the past, Takashi Sakai would discuss with him first when making any major decisions, but now his special treatment has been cancelled, and he has long been suppressed in his heart. An evil fire,
Kojima's face flushed red, and he sat down in embarrassment without uttering a word. Sakai Takashi gave him a comforting look, frowned and turned to Yamamoto: "Yamamoto-kun, the war is not going well. It's time for us to unite and work together." If it affects the feelings of colleagues, don't say anything at military meetings in the future." After saying that, he glanced at everyone and said: "I just had a phone call with Commander Ishihara before the meeting, and one of them mentioned the Thirteenth Division of the China Army. We think , when the air supremacy is lost and there are no weapons to target the Chinese tank troops, we might as well retreat in order to gain strategic space. The 13th China Army Corps will go to Zhenjiang and attack Baohua instead of attacking Liuhe to cut off our retreat. He thought that the Chinese wanted to encircle the Three Gorges. Obviously, they did not have the courage to fight a decisive battle with our army. Commander Ishihara believed that the Chinese army was currently strong in the East China battlefield and it was not feasible for our army to protect Nanjing and Shanghai at the same time. Realistically, instead of consuming too many effective forces in Nanjing, it is better to concentrate our forces to defend Shanghai. If Shanghai is not lost, then we have the possibility of conquering Nanjing and even Jiangnan again..."
Before Takashi Sakai finished speaking, he, the Japs in the audience, and the senior officers of the North Korean Co-Glory Army and the Peace Army looked at each other in confusion, some were surprised and some were thoughtful. No wonder they had such a big reaction, because just the day before, Sakai When Long held a military meeting, he also conveyed the order from the base camp, saying that he would defend Nanjing at all costs. It has only been one day, but how could he change from holding on to retreat in order to advance? The Tokyo base camp has often made such changes from day to day. However, because Nanjing's status is so special, their first reaction was that they thought they had heard wrong.
(Old Poison: I am starting to speed up my entry into the city. I hope to finish the book before the end of the year. I believe that the Pacific Naval War will not disappoint my brothers.)