Chapter 343: Seven battles and seven victories (4)
Although the Japanese's 1st Division is an elite permanent division, it is the first time it has fought against the enemy in such cold weather. Not only did more than 20% of the officers and soldiers lose their combat effectiveness due to severe frostbite, but also a considerable number of machine guns and artillery pieces were lost.
They cannot use it because of the severe cold, and these factors doubtless have greatly reduced their combat effectiveness. Moreover, because of the sudden cold wave, they cannot use it at all.
They had no time to retreat to a certain town for temporary shelter, but they were stuck halfway in the wind and snow. The artillery, which originally would not affect the marching speed of the troops because it was towed by cars, now became a huge headache and a burden.
The anti-union guerrillas in the freezing cold continued to harass us with more than ten people or even smaller groups. They could only travel more than ten kilometers a day, and they were in a dilemma for a while.
In comparison, the number of members of the Anti-Japanese Alliance was reduced by less than 5 due to the severe cold (but if the number of people suffering from frostbite is included, the proportion is close to 20%.), and its disadvantage of relatively poor equipment has now become an advantage. Again
In addition, the stealth force's surprise attack was completely beyond the expectations of the Japanese 1st Division.
After a fierce battle, almost all the more than 20,000 Japanese troops were wiped out, while the Anti-Alliance only sacrificed more than 8,000 people (more than 30,000 casualties), which was much less than Xu Xiangqian expected, and the morale and confidence of the Anti-Alliance officers and soldiers became increasingly high.
.This battle was also the fifth major victory after the main force of the Anti-Japanese Alliance crossed the Songhua River south.
The great victories one after another by the Anti-Japanese Alliance greatly inspired the people of Northeast China. In addition, Wang Zicai's strategy gradually paid off. The Anti-Union guerrillas in the Japanese-occupied areas of South Manchuria ushered in unprecedented development like fire cooking oil.
The anti-Japanese armed forces organized by the people, which had basically disappeared, also emerged in the Northeast again. Their activity gave a heavy blow to the Japanese Kwantung Army.
In particular, the railway transportation in South Manchuria that the Japanese army relied heavily on was almost completely cut off for a period of time. In addition, some puppet troops also regained the courage to resist because of these victories. In just one month, thousands of
The puppet troops successively retreated, and for a while the Japanese army had to do almost everything themselves. This further restricted the already increasingly tight strength of the Kwantung Army.[
It was precisely after seeing this favorable situation that Xu Xiangqian not only did not give in when things were good, but boldly continued to advance, and boldly used large-scale roundabout tactics in extremely bad weather, at the heavy cost of sacrificing more than 20,000 people at Linkou.
Two additional Japanese divisions were set up nearby.
After being divided and surrounded, they were annihilated one after another. The number of Japanese killed was roughly equal to the number of people killed in the Anti-Japanese War. However, considering the differences in training levels, actual combat experience and weapons and equipment between the two sides, this battle was still recognized by later historians as the Anti-Japanese Army's southern crossing of the Songhua River.
The sixth great victory followed.
Subsequently, the main force of the Anti-Japanese Alliance approached the walls of Mudanjiang City. The Japanese 104th Division, which was mainly composed of reservists of the 4th Division, believed that Mudanjiang city defense was not solid and its troops were insufficient, so it withdrew without authorization to Harbin to join the 4th Division (at this time, the 4th Kwantung Army
The army headquarters has withdrawn to Harbin, and
The 5th Army Headquarters even retreated to Changchun, the "New Capital" after setting off.), and the Japanese garrison that insisted on defending Mudanjiang was only eight or nine thousand people (Note 1), and what the 104th Division said was not a random fabrication.
, Mudanjiang’s city defense was indeed weak. As a result, after holding on for three days,
, Mudanjiang was finally successfully recovered by the Anti-Japanese Alliance. Almost all the more than 10,000 Japanese troops in the city (including Japanese police and armed "civilians") died in the battle, while the number of permanent attrition of the Anti-Japanese Alliance exceeded 15,000. This battle fully demonstrated
Once Chu Xu Xiangqian launches an attack, he is not afraid of sacrifice.
It was characterized by sacrifice and all-out effort, but it also exposed the weakness of the Anti-Japanese League's still insufficient ability to attack the enemy. However, because it recovered a large area of Mudanjiang and its surrounding areas, the campaign was still praised by the central government and was also called the Anti-Japanese League by later generations.
The seventh great victory from late 1938 to early 1938.
In less than two months, under the unfavorable situation of mixed troops and poor equipment, Xu Xiangqian used his superb and genius command to continuously deal heavy blows to the Japanese army in seven major battles, wiping out more than 100,000 Japanese soldiers in total.
This greatly strengthened the confidence of the people of Northeast China and even the whole country in the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, and he himself became famous at home and abroad, and was recognized as China's top famous general and military strategist.
However, this miracle, collectively known as the "Seven Battles and Seven Victories" by later generations, was not only created by Xu Qianqian alone. Gao Yuan's outstanding organizational work also contributed a lot. Even the weapons and drugs sold by the Soviets cannot be regarded as
, and there are still many things that are difficult to recover
The influence of accidental factors of control (such as the Japanese division leader who suddenly fell ill) finally contributed to such a miracle. But no matter what, what is more important is the bloody battle of the anti-union soldiers and the support of the people of the Northeast. Otherwise,
It all starts with talking.
What is particularly worth mentioning is that during the "Seven Wars and Seven Victories" alone, the number of casualties suffered by the Anti-Japanese Alliance exceeded 200,000 (the number of injured was double-counted), and the number of patients (including frostbite) exceeded 25
Ten thousand, but Xu Qianqian relied on his expertise in quickly mobilizing troops and "training through combat" to quickly recruit recruits, coupled with Gao Yuan's excellent organization
Logistics work, as well as on-the-spot recruitment (the more lost land the Anti-Japanese Alliance regained, the more powerful this move was.) and the convenience of wounded soldiers returning directly to the Frozen River after demobilization, the main force of the Anti-Japanese Alliance remained at around 300,000.
, even Hu Weidong, who had raised an army of 100,000 from scratch in less than a year, admired this very much.
The continuous victories made the Anti-Japanese Alliance full of confidence. Even if it was estimated that the Kwantung Army might receive reinforcements, they still planned to continue attacking the enemy in depth. However, considering the risk of being cut off by the enemy, Xu Xiangqian still chose Harbin as the main force of the Anti-Japanese Alliance.
The next target of the troops was not Yanji, which was easily attacked from both sides by the main force of the Japanese Kwantung Army and the Korean Japanese army.
Although Harbin is located to the south of the Songhua River, it is also the largest city in northern Manchuria. Five railways intersect here and a river flows by, making it one of the most important transportation hubs in the three eastern provinces. One of its strategic values is
As you can imagine, although the Japanese army's fortifications focused on the border areas between Puppet Manchukuo, the Soviet Union, and Outer Mongolia, they would never neglect the defense of a strategic location like Harbin.
Note 1: Due to the emergence of Chinese reorganized divisions, the Japanese army also increased its troop establishment as much as possible. However, in order to avoid command confusion, the Japanese only added troops within the original framework. For example, the garrison still had 6 brigades, but each brigade
The number of troops has increased from about 800 to 1,200-1,500. (To be continued. You are welcome to () subscribe, give rewards, and support.)
Chapter 343: Seven battles and seven victories (4)