Episode 84 The Fourth Division of the Imperial Japanese Army
Episode 84 The Fourth Division of the Imperial Japanese Army
The headquarters was busy all day long on the 7th. The defense line of the 66th Division of the Ming Army on the banks of the Yalu River was from Andong City to Dadonggou Port, forming a narrow strip along the northwest bank of the Yalu River, about 45 kilometers long. Now the Japanese army suddenly
To attack, the Ming Army's 66th Division was forced to cross the Yalu River from the North Korean side in multiple ways. Facing a 45-kilometer-long defense line, its troops were too dispersed and could not defend it at all. Almost immediately, it was broken through in many places by the Japanese army and was surrounded by multiple sections.
The two defense focus points of the 66th Division of the Ming Army are the city of Andong and the Dadonggou Port at the mouth of the Yalu River. These two areas have relatively strong forces. Troops directly under the division headquarters and a regiment are stationed in Andong City.
A regiment was also stationed on the Donggou side. The rest of the troops were scattered on the more than 40-kilometer-long defense line in the middle, and they were all annihilated at the first opportunity.
Now, only two Ming troops in Andong City and Dadonggou Port are still holding on. And they are already trapped in a tight siege. Large Japanese troops have already poured into Fengtian from both sides of them, and these two Ming troops are still holding on.
Although the army is still fighting, it is already considered "behind enemy lines."
The Ming army that was holding on to the Dadonggou port area was not only attacked by the Japanese troops from behind because it was close to the sea, but was also bombarded by Japanese warships at sea. The Japanese Navy sent a squadron to the north of the Yellow Sea, just in Liaodong.
the sea between peninsula and korea
Upstream Yi. The main force is two battleships and six cruisers, specifically waiting for the Ming Army's Dongjiang Fleet in Lushun to come out to fight, or to respond to the trapped Ming Army in Dadonggou. In this way, the Japanese army has achieved its goal - to draw out the Ming Army's fleet.
Decisive battle, annihilate them in one fell swoop.
It is precisely because of this that the Ming army in the port area has persisted until now. Because the Japanese army wants to use them as "bait" to try to fish out the Ming army warships in Lushun. Otherwise, with the two cruisers and four cruisers off Dadonggou,
The destroyer's bombardment, at such a close distance, had already destroyed a single regiment of the Ming army.
But the real attack by the Japanese army was the Ming army holding another regiment in Andong City. Now, they have lost the artillery regiment, which means they have lost most of their heavy artillery. The artillery they have now is only the infantry regiment itself.
It is equipped. There are still 32 medium and heavy tanks in the troops directly under the division. They are now dispersed and stationed, so they are also equipped with two infantry regiments and used as infantry support tanks. There are now about ten tanks on each side in the port area and the city area.
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The Ming army in the city only controlled a part of the blocks, and most of the surrounding blocks were in the hands of the Japanese. Although the Ming army in a regiment was small, relying on the complex environment of the streets and the rich experience in street fighting during the Northern Expedition,
It also had a strong firepower configuration and tenaciously resisted the Japanese army, which was several times larger than our own.
The firepower of an infantry regiment of the Ming Army's ordinary motorized infantry division is 6 150mm infantry guns, 18 75mm infantry guns, 54 60mm mortars, 20 80mm mortars, 4 47mm anti-tank guns, and 37mm anti-tank guns.
There are 18 guns, 27 anti-tank guns, and 102 light and heavy machine guns.
The firepower of an artillery regiment of the Japanese Army's Class A Division is generally 36 75mm field guns and 12 120mm howitzers. The number of artillery pieces of the Japanese Army as an artillery regiment (artillery regiment) is only the artillery of an infantry regiment of the Ming Army.
Only twice the number. Moreover, the maximum caliber artillery of the Ming army is 150 mm, while the Japanese army is only 120 mm. As for the firearms equipment of the infantry regiments of both sides, that is, mortars, infantry guns, light and heavy machine guns, etc., the Japanese army is still incomparable.
Shangming army.
However, the Japanese army suddenly attacked. When the Ming army division headquarters and the infantry regiment hurriedly withdrew into the city, some heavy weapons were not brought in time and were blown up on the spot. Others were also lost while fighting and retreating. Now the Ming army in the city is holding
Inside, only two of the six 150mm heavy artillery pieces were left, and only eight of the 18 75mm infantry cannons were left. However, the other light artillery and mortars were basically kept intact by the Ming army. This is also the true meaning of street fighting.
weapon.
…
When the Japanese army attacked in the early morning, they were extremely ambitious and full of morale. They were also excited about the unprepared reaction of the Ming army on the opposite side. This was in line with what they had been taught for a long time: "The Ming Dynasty was a hedonistic country and advocated individualism.
, the army lacks the tenacious fighting spirit" etc.
Content. But when these Japanese Imperial Army soldiers were carrying little sun flags, chatting and laughing, and marching forward with their big leather shoes on the ruins and rubble of Anton City, preparing to search for prisoners, they were suddenly attacked by fierce shelling, and then intensive
Machine gun fire network, hundreds of people fell on the spot...
A large block in front of them seemed to have suddenly turned into a group of solid fortifications. All kinds of fierce small-arms firepower was crisscrossed and fired overwhelmingly... Only then did the Japanese army know that there was still the main force of the Ming army in the city, and that the opponent was prepared to resist to the end.
The Japanese troops attacking Anton head-on were the 10th Division (division commander Isotani Rensuke) and the 4th Division (division commander Matsui Mikoto).
The Fourth Division attacked in the front, first crossing over from the Yalu River and besieging the city. After suddenly encountering fierce resistance, the Fourth Division did not continue to attack inward, but behaved "very rationally" and began to sweep the periphery of the city.
Then the area in the middle where the Ming army defended was surrounded on three sides. The fourth side was the Yalu River.
At this time, the Fourth Division began to call the friendly Tenth Division behind it, saying that the Fourth Division had already attacked the Ming army from three directions on land, and now requested the Tenth Division to attack the Ming army from the Yalu River.
If you attack from the back, you only need to attack one side.
The commander of the 10th Division, Rensuke Isotani, was very unhappy after receiving the request. He thought that the 4th Division was indeed a group of Osaka traders, and everything he said smacked of philistine... You are attacking on land.
, let us attack from the river, and also euphemistically called "you have already
We have already attacked three sides, as long as we attack the remaining one, it will be fine."... However, Isotani Rensuke did not take a regiment of the Ming army in the city seriously. What's more, he saw many bombed heavy artillery and tanks on the periphery.
The firepower of the remnants of the Ming army in the city must have been greatly reduced.
Therefore, the 10th Division generously agreed, cooperated with the friendly forces to encircle them on all sides, took a raft and forcibly crossed the Yalu River, and rushed towards the Andong city on the other side.
But something Isotani Rensuke didn't expect happened. Dozens of machine guns suddenly appeared on the other side of the river, spitting out tongues of fire. The rate of fire was so fast and the shots were so accurate. Almost every raft on the river was
They were all beaten into a sieve and sank quickly. The soldiers on the raft were either beaten into bloody gourds, or they fell into the river, struggled in the water, and swam to the other side risking bullets. However, they were killed before they even climbed ashore.
One by one they died in the water.
The attacking Japanese infantry immediately called for artillery support, and soon the artillery shells roared over. However, the division headquarters' field phone immediately heard the shouts and curses from the friendly fourth division on the opposite side. There was no way, the Ming army's control area was too narrow and long.
The middle was too narrow, and most of the artillery shells flew over the Ming army's position and landed on the friendly army's position on the opposite side...
And a moment later, a batch of artillery shells flew over from the other side of the river and hit the position of the 10th Division on the North Korean side. Several of them were 150mm heavy artillery shells, which killed a large number of people in one blow.
The crater was as deep as one person. Moreover, infantry artillery shells and mortar shells of various calibers rained down.
The Tenth Division became angry and questioned the Fourth Division on the phone, asking if they had shelled the Ming army and fired by mistake. But the Fourth Division categorically denied that they had not fired a single artillery fire just now. The Tenth Division's
The staff confirmed it several times before they had to believe that those shells were fired by the besieged Ming army. It was just a regiment of Ming army... and it was not an artillery regiment.
…
"Matsui-kun!!!" Isotani Rensuke grabbed the phone and said with suppressed anger, "If I'm not wrong, there is probably only one street between your army and the Ming army? Why can't a breakthrough still be made?
?... Please don't put too much hope in our department. Our department is separated from the Ming army by a river, and it can only play a diversionary role at most!... I ask again, why can't your department launch an effective charge?
!!!”
"bump!!"
He threw the phone receiver down and cursed:
"Bastard! Coward! How could there be such a cowardly unit in the Royal Army's Class A Division!!!"