Chapter 423 Lure and annihilate the Japanese Air Force
Chapter 423 Lure and Annihilate the Japanese Air Force
"What, so many transport planes!?"
Hiroshi Takeuchi's heart suddenly sank when he heard this. He immediately walked into the air defense observation post with the Chief of Staff of the 55th Division, Colonel Kato Gennosuke, and looked through the telescope into the northeastern airspace. He saw dozens of Allied transport planes circling in the sky, waiting to land.
, and around these transport planes, there were dozens of Allied fighter jets on patrol.
Seeing so many Allied transport planes, Takeuchi Hiroshi and Kato Osaka suddenly felt awe-inspiring.
Previously, Allied transport planes landed at Mandalay Airport every two days, but the number was not large, only two or three at most. Obviously, they were to transport ammunition and supplies to the squadron in Mandalay.
But with so many Allied transport planes arriving today, it is obvious that they cannot be transporting ammunition and supplies.
"Your Excellency, Division Commander, reinforcements from China should have arrived!" Colonel Kato said solemnly.
Takeuchi Hiroshi put down the telescope and asked solemnly: "Kato-kun, how many troops do you think there are up there?"
Colonel Kato pondered and said: "I just roughly counted, there are about twenty Allied aircraft hovering in the sky, all of them are American-made C-47 transport aircraft. Each of these transport aircraft can carry about 30 people, so
, this batch of Chinese troops arriving in Mandalay is only one battalion in strength at most!"
"But..." Colonel Kato said this, and then said worriedly, "This is just the first batch. According to the information obtained by the Nanjing Agency, the Tenth Air Force of the U.S. Air Force in India has more than a hundred c-
If the Type 47 transport plane only flies between Yunnan and Mandalay, it can fly at least four times a day!"
"In other words... 400 sorties?" Takeuchi Hiroshi said solemnly, "12,000 people!?"
"That's not the case." Colonel Kato shook his head and said disapprovingly, "The transportation capacity of the U.S. Air Force is not the decisive factor, because the marching speeds of the various units of the 39th Group Army are uneven. The forward troops have already arrived in Kunming, but the new 39th Division at the rear is said to be still there.
Far away in eastern Sichuan, I estimate that at most two groups can reach Kunming Airport every day."
Colonel Kato's speculation finally became a fact.
On this day, the U.S. Air Force's Tenth Air Force dispatched 300 transport aircraft to airlift the 1st Regiment of the Baoshan Division to Ramgarh Base in eastern India, and then airlifted the Baoshan Division Headquarters, along with the 5th and 6th Regiments to Mandalay.
Accompanying the main force of the Baoshan Division to Mandalay were a large number of fine weapons and ammunition supplies.
Mandalay Airport.
Major General Li Yulong, commander of the Baoshan Division, Colonel Zhang Zhongyi, chief of staff, Colonel Yang Donglin, commander of the 5th Regiment, and Colonel Ma Zhenting, commander of the 6th Regiment, stepped forward to stand at attention and salute Yue Weihan, and then saluted to Major General Luo Youlun, Major General Peng Bisheng, Major General Lu Guoshuan and Major General Chen Mianyue behind Yue Weihan.
Salute.
Yue Weihan returned the greeting one by one and shook hands with his old subordinates one by one.
With the arrival of the two main regiments of the Baoshan Division, the hope of holding Mandalay suddenly increased!
It’s not that Yue Weihan distrusts the expeditionary officers and soldiers, let alone the combat effectiveness of the Sixth Army. However, after all, this is not the old army that Yue Weihan relied on, and it is impossible to truly command it like an arm. However, the Baoshan Division is different. Baoshan Division
The division's combat effectiveness is only stronger than that of the Sixth Army, and it is more adaptable to Yue Weihan's command style.
As for Li Yulong, the commander of the Baoshan Division, it goes without saying. This talented general from the Sichuan Army has now fully grown into one of the four kings under Yue Weihan. Among the four kings, Li Qinglong stayed in the Taihang Mountains and did not come to Myanmar. Cao Xinglong
He is good at defense, Chi Chengfeng is good at night fighting, and Li Yulong is best at frontal attack!
Ordinarily, the Battle of Mandalay was a defensive battle, so it seemed more appropriate to airlift Cao Xinglong's New 6th Division over?
However, Yue Weihan did the opposite. Not only did he not transport the New 6th Division, which was good at defensive warfare, but he also airlifted the Baoshan Division, which was good at frontal attacks. Yue Weihan's intentions were obvious. This guy had never
He is not a master who plays his cards according to regular routines. He wants to fight this defensive battle offensively!
Yue Weihan always believes that offense is the best defense!
Yangon, Japanese Army Headquarters.
Major General Isayama Haruki hurried into Iida Shojiro's office, immediately put his feet back and stood at attention and said: "Your Excellency, Commander, the 55th Division received an urgent call. Ten minutes ago, the sixth batch of Allied transport planes arrived in Mandalay. At this point, the Allied forces
Military transport planes have flown more than 200 sorties to Mandalay, airlifting at least two regiments of troops!"
"Bagagaru." Shojiro Iida gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "This cannot continue."
Haruki Isayama nodded and said solemnly: "If the air supremacy of Myanmar cannot be regained, the Chinese Expeditionary Force can use the powerful airlift capabilities of the U.S. Air Force to calmly dispatch troops between Yunnan, Myitkyina and Mandalay.
The Battle of Dele is quite unfavorable, and the imperial army must try to reverse this unfavorable situation."
Iida Shojiro pondered for a moment and suddenly asked: "Has the Navy's First Air Fleet returned?"
"The main force of the First Air Fleet is still searching for the main force of the British Far East Fleet in the Indian Ocean." Haruki Isayama shook his head and then continued, "However, the detachment led by Mr. Abe has entered the Gulf of Bengal."
At this time, the main force of the Japanese Navy's First Air Fleet, led by Lieutenant General Nagumo Chuichi, happened to be operating in the Indian Ocean, seeking a decisive battle with the main force of the British Far East Fleet. The intention of the Japanese base camp was to destroy the main force of the British Far East Fleet in one battle and sweep away the southwest.
Don’t worry about the sea area, and then go all out to defeat the US Navy in the Pacific!
However, at this time, Britain had long lost its glory as an empire on which the sun never sets!
At this time, the British army, both the army and the navy, were frightened. After discovering the whereabouts of the Japanese navy, the main force of the Royal Navy's Far East Fleet retreated directly to the east coast of Africa, completely giving up sea control in the Indian Ocean and the Southwest Pacific, and even
Even the 100,000 British troops besieged on the Malay Peninsula were ruthlessly abandoned by the Royal Navy.
Therefore, the Japanese navy seemed to have unlimited glory, but in fact it did not achieve the combat goals set before the war.
At this time, the situation in the Myanmar battlefield suddenly changed. The 5th Flying Group attached to the 15th Army Corps was also severely damaged by the Flying Tigers, resulting in the complete loss of air superiority in the Myanmar battlefield. Forced by helplessness, Iida Shojiro had to ask the Navy
To ask for help, Nagumo Chuichi sent Major General Abe Koki and two aircraft carriers, the Hiryu and the Soryu, back to Myanmar in an emergency.
Hiryu and Soryu are medium-sized aircraft carriers of the Japanese Navy. Each aircraft carrier can carry up to 73 fighters. However, these fighters are mainly dive bombers for attacking ships. There are only more than 20 air superiority fighters. There are only dozens of them.
It would be unwise for fighter jets to challenge the Flying Tigers' land-based fighter group.
However, Juichi Terauchi and Shojiro Iida did not intend to do this.
In fact, what the Japanese army in Myanmar needs is just a group of veteran pilots from the naval aviation force who have experienced many battles. Although Japan's industrial base is weak, its aircraft output is not low. After all, the aircraft in this era have low technology content and low raw material consumption.
However, pilot training is very costly and takes a long time.
After the "Go South Plan" began to be implemented, the Japanese military's war resources began to be heavily tilted toward the navy. Not only did newly produced combat aircraft give priority to supplement the naval aviation force, but a large number of experienced veteran pilots were transferred from the Army Air Force to the naval aviation force. As a result,
The combat effectiveness of the Army Air Forces dropped sharply.
As a result, the 5th Flying Group of the Japanese Army in Burma was severely damaged by the Flying Tigers and was unable to recover.
The Japanese aviation forces in Java, Luzon and Indo-China conducted two cross-theater joint operations, but still failed to regain air supremacy over the Burma battlefield from the Flying Tigers. However, with the support of hundreds of naval pilots from the Afghan contingent,
Juichi Terauchi and Shojiro Iida had reason to believe that it would not be difficult to regain air supremacy over the Myanmar battlefield.
Mandalay Airport, 49th Division Headquarters.
Yue Weihan was convening a meeting with the commanders of the Baoshan Division, the 49th Division, the 93rd Division and the temporary 55th Division. There was only one topic at the meeting, which was a frontal attack, tearing open the defense line of the Japanese 55th Division on the western front of Mandalay in one fell swoop, and attacking east of the Irrawaddy River.
A strong beachhead was established on the shore to allow the Fifth Army to set up a pontoon bridge and quickly cross the river.
After hearing Yue Weihan's idea, the officers present at the meeting suddenly looked at each other.
Except for Baoshan Division Commander Li Yulong who looked calm, the other officers Luo Youlun, Peng Bisheng and other officers all had expressions of disbelief on their faces. Attack!?
Attack at this time!?
God, did I hear you right?
Either I heard it wrong, or this guy is crazy!
"I object." Luo Youlun suddenly stood up and said, "Our army does not have enough troops. Is it too risky to fight back?"
"I don't think so!" Li Yulong said without hesitation, "The Japanese army would never have expected that our army would counterattack under such unfavorable circumstances. This is strategically unexpected and also greatly increases the chance of a successful raid.
possibility."
"More importantly..." Yue Weihan continued, "The Japanese 55th Division has fought fiercely with our army for 12 days, and it is also exhausted. The Baoshan Division can catch it by surprise and counterattack, and it has a chance to tear apart the Irrawaddy River defense. As long as it is
It will be very beneficial for the Fifth Army to build bridges and cross the river after tearing apart the river defense."
"But we don't have heavy weapons!" Division Commander Lu Guoshuan said, "How can we tear apart the Japanese army's Jiang defense?"
"Who said we don't have heavy weapons?" Li Yulong said, "Heartless cannons and rocket launchers are not just decorations!"
During this expedition to Burma, in order to speed up the march, the 39th Group Army did not carry much ammunition with the army, but they brought enough ammunition for three weapons, namely shotguns, rocket launchers and conscienceless guns. These three weapons are the most suitable
It exerted its power in the jungle warfare in Myanmar, so Yue Weihan emptied all the ammunition reserves in the Taihang Mountain base area.
Although the Baoshan Division only brought two main regiments to reinforce Mandalay this time, it brought 20 heartless artillery pieces, 100 rocket launchers, and 200 shotguns!
With the bazooka, you can ensure the destruction of the Japanese fortifications, and with the heartless cannon and shotguns, you can kill a large number of Japanese infantry. In addition, the Japanese army is exhausted, so a breakthrough is entirely possible.
Seeing that Li Yulong was very confident, Luo Youlun, Peng Bisheng and others didn't say anything more. Anyway, the main force of this counterattack was the Baoshan Division. The Baoshan Division didn't say anything. What qualifications did the officers and soldiers of their Sixth Army have to say anything?
What about four? As for whether this battle should be fought or not, that is not a matter of a word from Commander-in-Chief Yue?
Li Yulong immediately said to Yue Weihan: "Chief Commander, please give the order. When will we attack?"
"Don't worry today." Yue Weihan waved his hand and said, "Brothers are here for the first time. Let's let them adapt to the hot climate in Myanmar. Tell the brothers that the environment here is not as good as the Taihang Mountains. Don't eat or drink indiscriminately.
Raw water, and you must insist on taking a bath with antiseptic water every day!"
"Yes!" Li Yulong snapped to attention and saluted.
Chu Zhongtian suddenly hurried in and whispered into Yue Weihan's ear: "Maintain, the Rose of Dark Night is in urgent need of electricity."
Yue Weihan's expression changed slightly when he heard this, and he immediately followed Chu Zhongtian into the small conference room next door. Chu Zhongtian immediately took out the top-secret message from Nan Zao Yunzi from his pocket. After reading the message, Yue Weihan suddenly had a smile on his face.
He was overjoyed and couldn't help but said: "It's great. With the support of the navy, the little devil's army aviation force can finally hold back."
Chu Zhongtian said puzzledly: "Commander, once the Japs' aviation force launches a massive counterattack, they will not be able to defeat the Flying Tigers and seize air supremacy, but the transport planes of the Tenth Air Force will definitely not be able to land at Mandalay Airport normally. In this way,
, it will be difficult for Mandalay to get additional troops, why is the chief executive so happy?"
"You, you only know one but not the other." Yue Weihan happily explained, "First of all, I have never considered transporting too many troops to Mandalay by air. I am not bragging. If the entire Baoshan Division is destroyed at any cost,
By airlifting Mandalay, the Burmese Japanese army will probably give up their battle plan for the Battle of Mandalay and retreat to Yangon to defend it."
"Secondly, even though the Japanese Army Air Force received support from the Naval Air Force, it could not escape the disastrous outcome. Today's Flying Tigers are no longer the original volunteer air force. They are now the Fourteenth Air Force of the United States Air Force. They are not only fighter jets
The number of aircraft has increased several times, and the types and performance of fighter aircraft have also been greatly improved."
"Last and most important." Yue Weihan touched his chin and said thoughtfully, "If we don't take this opportunity to lure the Japanese aviation force in Southeast Asia to Mandalay and annihilate it in one fell swoop, then our army's next stage of operations will be
The plan will be greatly disrupted. Even if the raid on Yangon is successful, it may not be able to completely wipe out the Japanese troops entering Myanmar."
Chu Zhongtian noticed that when Yue Weihan said this, his eyes were constantly moving on the map, and then finally stopped at a point. Chu Zhongtian couldn't help but turn his head and follow Yue Weihan's eyes to look at the map.
He went there, only to find that the point was not in Myanmar. What Yue Weihan was looking at was actually Bangkok, the capital of the Kingdom of Siam!