For the Fifth Division of the Japanese Army, the day's battle was not too smooth either.
Of course, this so-called "not too smooth" is still relative to the pre-war expectations of the offensive process. It has been two days since the attack was launched the day before yesterday. The Fifth Division has spent a lot of effort and has paid more than 100,000 yuan.
The expected casualties were only a small amount of progress on the battlefield, which was really disappointing.
After concentrating superior forces to attack the flank positions of the Chinese defenders in turn, they actively launched hand-to-hand combat through short-range grenades and storming trenches, which indeed caused a lot of blows to the Chinese defenders on the flank positions. Since it was a focus of concentrated firepower attack, the fifth
Naturally, the division had long been prepared for cross-killing.
Taking advantage of today's attack at 1 o'clock, we defeated several supporting troops of the Chinese defenders on the flank position, successfully caused a lot of casualties, and also dispersed the troops in other positions in a timely manner. I thought we could use this opportunity to directly attack
They rushed to attack the main position of the Chinese defenders in one go, but they did not expect that after dispersing their forces, the main position still had extremely powerful counterattack firepower. Faced with the bombardment of Chinese artillery that did not care about artillery shells, and the blocking firepower of heavy machine guns in many positions, the Japanese army attacked the main position.
The attack on the position came at a great cost, and it also failed to shake the main position at all because of the previous dispersion of troops.
I have to admit that the temporary decision to attack the main position was a wrong judgment and a wrong decision. In terms of the overall operation, it may have caused a period of great pressure on the Chinese defenders, but from a long-term perspective, this operation
First, they concentrated their forces on the flank positions, and then mobilized reserve forces to attack the main position. However, they failed to achieve the expected results. Instead, the entire army was exhausted from yesterday's battle.
From a long-term perspective, attacking the main position not only has no practical effect, but on the contrary drags down the entire army's combat plan.
Moreover, the total number of casualties caused by the rush to attack the main position and the casualties caused by the collective attack on the flank positions is simply not worth the loss.
At the temporary headquarters of the Fifth Division far away in Jinzhou, division commander Otani Kikuzo read the casualty statistics report sent by the adjutant, and the wrinkles between his eyebrows became more and more obvious. Today's combat casualties are the first
The casualties of the sky attack have so far been 580 people killed and nearly 2,000 injured. This number is too heavy.
He naturally knows that the Chinese team hopes to play a beautiful defensive battle from the beginning. In this way, it can make an explanation to the Beiyang government and the domestic and international parties, so that China can gain more diplomatic stance.
Capital. But he was not sure. It took two days and paid the price of 2,500 casualties, but only managed to break through a corner of Gaizhou's defense line. What meaning did this mean to the Chinese ** team?
No matter how China considers this issue, with any luck, the tough offensive of the Fifth Division on this day will more or less make the Chinese defenders feel a serious threat. But even so, as the division commander, he is still confident about his own
This battle was very disappointing.
After putting down the casualty statistics report, Otani Kikuzo came to the staff war room and said with a solemn expression and tone: "The Chinese are able to fight a defensive battle with a casualty ratio of nearly one to one. This is really beyond our expectation.
If we continue to fight like this, judging from the troops deployed by the Chinese in Liaodong, even hard work will completely defeat us."
Chief of General Staff Masataro Fukuda had a gloomy face and said in an equally serious tone: "According to intelligence, the Chinese defenses in Gaizhou, including the follow-up troops supporting front and rear, have exceeded 20,000 troops. And I believe it.
After today's heavy losses, the Chinese will definitely continue to reinforce Gaizhou from Yingkou. If we continue to fight with one to one casualties, we will indeed not be able to wear out the Chinese. But I believe that the high casualties in the early stage are only a temporary thing.
, as long as we open the gap in Gaizhou, the subsequent battles will definitely be smoother than now."
All the early combat plans of the Fifth Division came from the Chief of Staff, Masataro Fukuda. Speaking of being responsible for the disadvantages of the battle, Chief of Staff Masataro Fukuda naturally cannot escape the blame. However, it was too early to make such a decision.
Before such a plan, he had his own calculations, and his calculations were more profound than those of the division commander Kikuzo Otani.
For offensive and defensive battles, the offensive force can take advantage of the enemy's powerful firepower and defense advantages, and still take advantage with one-to-one casualties. This is already a very rare situation.
In this Liaodong battle, he did not underestimate the defensive capabilities of the Chinese ** team at all, so in terms of the current battle losses, everything was within his expectations. In comparison, he thought that Otani Kikuzo was more
He focuses on the political significance brought by combat, so he cares about gains and losses on the battlefield so carefully, and at the same time, he is so eager for success.
At this moment, the staff adjutant Kimiharu Okubo sighed slowly and said meaningfully: "If we open the gap in Gaizhou at such a heavy cost, then where will we have enough confidence to attack Yingkou and Yingkou?"
What about Anshan? I think we should adjust the current thinking of the battle, and we should not be in a head-on battle with the Chinese. This is really not good for us."
Otani Kikuzo took a deep breath and said solemnly: "We are still too low on the defensive capabilities of the Chinese. If we want to defeat the Chinese as soon as possible and teach them a heavy lesson, perhaps we should indeed change our combat strategy immediately.
Method. From the beginning, we should not limit ourselves to our Fifth Division to attack, but should also persuade the Eighteenth Division and North Korea to provide more help. At the moment, the Eighteenth Division is still on standby in Lushun, just
Some artillery, reconnaissance and baggage troops were sent to support, but it was really a big deal out of a molehill."
Okubo Koji pondered for a moment and said hesitantly: "However, the Eighteenth Division still has to prepare for the attack on Qingdao. From the beginning, our goal is Qingdao, not Liaodong. No matter how many towns we conquer in Liaodong, we will not be able to wait until
When negotiations begin at the diplomatic negotiation table, these places will definitely have to be returned eventually. Paying such a heavy price but not getting the benefits you deserve is always an uneconomical result of the war."
These words touched everyone's heart. The Fifth Division took great risks to launch this war just to gain momentum and to defend the Japanese Empire's status as a powerful country in Asia.
In the final analysis, the series of military operations carried out by the Fifth Division are all serving as a wedding dress for the Eighteenth Division.
Everyone here clearly understands the meaning of Otani Kikuzo and Okubo Koji. The former hopes to mobilize the 18th Division to launch an attack together. The latter ostensibly raises a problem, but it is obvious that he also hopes to solve this problem, and then
Mobilize more troops to fight this war.
"Your Excellency, Commander, Your Excellency, Chief of General Staff, I think we should ask the 18th Division to provide combat support on the frontal battlefield, rather than some logistical support. Even if two regiments are dispatched to help, it will speed up our efforts on the front line.
combat pace."
"Yes, I agree with this. Extraordinary things require extraordinary measures. As long as we can severely damage the Chinese as soon as possible, once the war is over, there will be enough time for the 18th Division to make adjustments."
"Besides, what's more, China and Germany are currently handing over sovereignty over Qingdao. Maybe the Germans will withdraw from Qingdao soon. By then, the actual threat to Qingdao is not great, and it may even only require Chinese personnel.
Just go through the diplomatic handover procedures here, and the 18th Division doesn’t need to expend much effort.”
The staff officers and some officers from the division headquarters expressed their opinions one after another, and all of them unanimously agreed with Otani Kikuzo's intention.
"Your Excellency Commander, I think it is not appropriate to mobilize the 18th Division at this time. Not to mention that Lord Kamio has many dissatisfaction with this dispatch of troops to Liaodong. Moreover, China and Germany are indeed transferring sovereignty over Qingdao, but there is no further determination of where the German troops will be stationed.
time to evacuate. Putting aside this point, we need additional reinforcements just two days into the war, which will have a great impact on the international momentum. More importantly, we have to beware that the Chinese will attack from other lines of defense.
If we take the initiative to send troops, we will need the 18th Division to provide support and support." Faced with everyone's unanimous opinion, Chief of General Staff Masataro Fukuda loudly put forward the opposite opinion.
------
[Thank you all for your generous rewards and support. As for updates, we can currently ensure that two updates are made every day. After all, the situation of this book is very different from the previous one, and the writing mentality is indeed very influential. But I will also
Keep up the hard work. In addition, we are currently discussing with the editor to prepare a new book. At the beginning of the new book, we are repeatedly considering and revising it, so we also need to distract some attention. I hope all readers can forgive me, and I also hope all readers can continue to support!]