Chapter 283 The First Glory Division marches eastward to Jiangcheng
On the afternoon of May 7, 1941, along with the Japanese 41st Division on the North Road, the independent mixed ninth brigade launched combat operations.
By six o'clock, the First Army Headquarters issued a full-line attack order.
At this time, the Japanese army assembled six divisions: 21, 33, 35, 36, 37, and 41, which were independently mixed into the 9th and 16th brigades, with the 4th Cavalry Brigade as the main force.
These little devils were accompanied by a large number of the Imperial Association Army, the Puppet Mongolian Army, and the Puppet Manchu Army to launch an attack on Zhongtiao Mountain in four directions.
The little devils on the North Road assembled the 41st Division and independently formed the 9th Brigade to attack.
Here on the East Road, the Japs assembled the 21st Division and the 35th Division, which were attached to the 20th, 21st and 24th Divisions of the Imperial Association Army.
The Japanese and puppet troops here are a heavily armed group, with a total strength of more than 50,000.
As the battle started, the commander of the 21st Division, Tanaka Jiuichi, commanded the troops to take charge of the main attack.
It first assembled more than 8,000 infantrymen, attached to the main force of the artillery regiment, and received dozens of tanks and armored vehicles to assist in the operation, and quickly advanced along the north bank of the Yellow River.
Army Commander Yoshio Shinozuka immediately contacted Nori Shimizu, the commander of the 41st Division, to report the situation in detail.
The casualties and losses of his troops were increasing. At night, when the Little Japanese Air Force was unable to dispatch, the situation improved.
Their real main attack is the outflanking troops. They will quickly advance along the north bank of the Yellow River, seize the Yellow River ferry, and cut off the retreat route of the Zhongtiao Mountain defenders.
There are three divisions under the 14th Army, the 83rd Division is on the south bank of the Yellow River, and the 94th Division is attached to Hengling Pass to assist the 17th Army in its defense.
Qing Shui's idea was not bad. After the division chief of staff received the order, he quickly began to make deployments.
In order not to affect the battle at Zhongtiao Mountain, he arranged for his troops to defend Jiangshan and intercept the troops of the Glory First Division.
Qingshui stood in front of the map and thought for a long time, with a serious expression on his face, and then personally issued the order.
When the support troops of the 27th Division arrive, it will not affect the battle here.
The 80th Army was basically a Shaanxi Army unit, and it was considered capable of fighting in the early stages of the Anti-Japanese War.
The 41st Little Devils Division fighting on the North Road and the independent mixed ninth brigade had only about 20,000 troops.
But they were reinforced with a certain number of tanks and armored vehicles.
The troops from both sides fought fiercely here, and deafening gunfire continued.
When the Glory First Division advances to Yicheng and Jiangcheng, it will naturally be able to coordinate the evacuation of the 43rd Army troops.
More than 10,000 troops advanced rapidly, and they advanced to Houma City at one o'clock in the morning on May 8.
They quickly infiltrated according to the previously planned route.
The Glory First Division is very powerful, and they have achieved amazing results in Jin Province several times.
The 17th Army originally had the newly formed Second Division and the 84th Division under its jurisdiction, but the newly formed Second Division is a newly formed unit and is still training in the rear.
Near them, there were all troops from the First Theater Zone, and there were no troops from the Shanxi-Sui Army.
Lieutenant General Harada Kumakichi, commander of the 35th Division, commanded the participating troops of the 35th Division, while the Imperial Japanese Army troops fully assisted the 21st Division in the battle.
The 17th Army has only one division, which is responsible for the defense of the junction.
"All ministries should stick to their positions and actively carry out defensive operations to ensure the connection between the 5th and 14th Group Armies, thereby stabilizing positions across the board."
The main force of the 27th Division also began to be commanded by the division commander Tominaga Nobumasa, and followed the Suzuki detachment to fight south.
The artillery regiment attached to the 48th Independent Brigade took the lead, and the machine gun battalion attached to the 11th Independent Brigade followed behind.
More than 30,000 Japs advanced in multiple columns, concentrated machine gun fire, and continued to launch a continuous fierce attack on the Fifth Army's positions.
This is a branch of Zhongshan Tiao, entrenched in Mianheng, and is the boundary mountain between Jiangcheng, Houma City and other towns.
The chief of staff of the division came to the division commander Qing Shuigui and said with a serious expression on his face.
"Master, Commander Gao of the 17th Army and Commander Zhao of the 43rd Army also sent messages, hoping that we can quickly advance to Yicheng and Jiangcheng!"
The 41st Division Regiment Headquarters is currently established in Jiangcheng County. After Qingshui Juju received the news, he immediately started discussions.
After all, the 36th Division, 37th Division and other units had already fought fiercely with the defenders of Zhongtiao Mountain.
Chu Yunfei prepared to send troops to quickly advance to Yicheng and Jiangcheng to assist the battle in the Hengling Pass and Shunwangping areas.
On the Northeast Road, there is the 33rd Brigade and the 4th Cavalry Brigade quickly advancing towards the front of the 14th Group Army.
As long as Jiangshan is defended, the Glory First Division troops will be blocked outside Jiangcheng.
Chu Yunfei took the message and checked it. He quickly issued an order for the main force of the entire division to assemble towards Yunqiu Mountain.
Even these two troops can stick to a certain area and stand by, wait for the situation to change, and wait for opportunities to seize territory!
The Japs had enough intelligence, so the 36th Division and the 37th Division dispersed their troops to attack.
He Jingzhi personally started to generate electricity and asked the 27th Army in Lingchuan to rush to Jincheng and Yangcheng areas to attack the 33rd Division and the 4th Cavalry Brigade regardless of all odds.
Up to now, only the Third Army and the 80th Army have been able to participate in the battle and intercept the Fifth Army.
About five thousand troops are under control and serve as a reserve force.
Zijin Mountain is also called Jiangshan Mountain. Because most of the rocks are red, it is called Jiangshan Mountain, also known as Zijin Mountain.
Hengling Pass is where the two armies join together, and there is a road to the south from here leading directly to Yuanqu City!
"Master, Commander-in-Chief Zeng of the Fifth Army sent a message, hoping that we can quickly dispatch troops to support the battle."
The two main troops of 10,000 people, equipped with more than 30 tanks and armored vehicles, continued to violently attack the positions of the 84th Division and the 94th Division.
The combat effectiveness of these two divisions is not very strong, and their weapons configuration is not very good either.
The Third Army came from the Yunnan Army system and joined its direct line troops, so its combat effectiveness was quite satisfactory.
This time the Japanese army had drawn up a very complete battle plan. They had strong troops for a frontal attack, but it was not the main attack.
He began to adjust his deployment. The 41st Division and the independent 9th Brigade participated in the artillery battle and assembled in the southwest.
By three o'clock in the morning, the Glory First Division fully recovered Houma City, and its main force gradually began to advance towards Jiangcheng.
At the same time, before dark, Shimizu contacted the First Flying Regiment again and requested the aviation to provide bombing support.
The Japs continued to attack, and the 84th Division and the 94th Division were under tremendous pressure.
But at this time, the main force of the Japs had already gone to the Hengling Pass and Shunwangping areas to fight.
Its main force continued to violently attack the positions of the 17th Army, which put great pressure on the 17th Army.
However, as night fell, the special agent team commanded by Yamamoto Kazuki and the infiltration force organized by special agents and traitors began to attack.
At the same time, Major General Wakamatsu Heiji, commander of the 16th independent mixed brigade on the West Road, commanded more than 10,000 days of puppet troops and quickly advanced westward along the north bank of the Yellow River.
That is to advance rapidly eastward along the north bank to open up contact with the 16th independent mixed brigade advancing to the east, thereby cutting off the retreat route of the Zhongtiao Mountain defenders.
The operation is a coordinated defense between the two divisions. In fact, the two divisions fight independently without supporting each other and only focus on the defense of their own positions.
However, among these 5,000 troops, there are heavy troops, and they only have about 2,000 troops.
The 43rd Army of the Jinsui Army was at Shunwangping. They were attacked by the 41st Division and the independent ninth brigade.
With the disintegration of the Northwest Army, these troops from the Northwest Army have been suppressed.
Of course, it would be better if they withdraw, so that the defenders of Zhongtiao Mountain would have a chance to breathe and adjust.
However, judging from the organization of each department, its main combat force is the 43rd Army of the Shanxi-Sui Army!
The 43rd Army has three divisions, but their total strength is no more than 10,000, and the average strength of each division is less than 6,000!
Now even if the Glory First Division is dispatched, the Japs will not withdraw from the battle.
The frontline headquarters of the First Army also held discussions immediately, and they wanted to find a response strategy.
"The 84th Division of the 17th Army, the 94th Division of the 14th Army, the 43rd Army's temporary 46th Division, the temporary 47th Division, and the 70th Division fully defended the front-line position at Henglingguan."
These heavy machine guns and mountain cannons are their only heavy weapons.
At the same time, here on the West Road, this is the absolute main direction of the Japanese army's attack. The Japs have assembled troops from the 36th Division and the 37th Division here.
Of course, what Yan Laoxi was thinking after Chen Ziyun got the message was the same as Ming Jing's.
At this time, all their main forces participated in the battle, and Qing Shui had a reserve force of about 5,000 people.
"Should we temporarily stop attacking the Hengling Pass and Shunwangping areas now and gather all the troops together?"
A force of 4,000 troops advanced to the Shunwangping area to conduct containment operations against the 43rd Army.
The 27th Army must coordinate the 14th Group Army in operations to ensure the safety of the eastern positions in Zhongtiao Mountain.
At eleven o'clock, all the main forces of the Glory First Division were dispatched.
Yan Laoxi asked the Glory First Division to execute the order of Commander He Jingzhi, and the troops quickly attacked Yicheng and Jiangcheng.
They only have one 84th Division, which is a unit from the Northwest Army.
Chen Ziyun led the artillery regiment and followed the 48th Independent Brigade.
As the battle started, there were many troops fighting under the Fifth Army.
The focus of its attack was on the junction of the Third Army and the 80th Army, in an attempt to divide it and focus on seizing the 80th Army's positions.
Of course, because the ferry and ships were bombed, it would take time for the 83rd Division to quickly reach the north shore to join the battle.
"With the troops we currently have, even if we deploy all our defenses, it may be difficult to block their attack."
However, as the Glory First Division launched a fire attack, the Japs immediately evacuated.
As for artillery, they only have eight Type 41 mountain guns.
Most of the equipment of these little devils are rifles, light machine guns, grenade launchers, and only a small number of heavy weapons.
"Contact the army headquarters and request the 27th Division to rush south quickly for reinforcements."
As long as these troops can come over, maybe they can quickly annihilate the Glory First Division.
This means that the 43rd Army is in a very dangerous situation and may be annihilated at any time.
Once the Glory First Division appears behind them and cooperates with the Zhongtiao Mountain garrison to launch a direct combat attack, the 41st Division and other units will be flanked one after another.
After the military headquarters issued the combat order, the commander of the 36th Division, Jingguan Ren, and the commander of the 37th Division, Adachi Twenty-three, decisively issued the order.
They will cut off the communication between various ministries and attack the command institutions.
At this time, the entire Zhongtiao Mountain area was filled with fierce gunfire and thick smoke, completely covering all positions.
The 41st Division and other troops withdrew and made every effort to defend themselves. Even if the Glory First Division attacked, they would still have the ability to deal with it.
The division chief of staff felt that they should quickly withdraw all troops now, otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous.
A force of 4,000 men has only fifteen heavy machine guns, less than two machine gun squadrons.
At present, the 41st Division has dispatched its main force to participate in the war, and is attached to the independent mixed ninth brigade. They have about 20,000 troops.
As the fighting continued, there were more and more corpses on the ground, and the smell of blood could be clearly smelled from a long distance away.
Also under greater pressure is the Fifth Army defending the western part of Zhongtiao Mountain.
Even if the 17th Army is under unified command for operations, the 94th Division will not obey its orders at all.
The four thousand Japs mobilized quickly, and they quickly moved toward the Purple Mountain in the northeast.
You must know that before the outbreak of all-out war, there was a great conflict between the direct troops and the Northwest Army.
"This battle is of great importance. Anyone who evacuates the position without authorization will be severely punished!"
This means that the Fifth Army has only the Third Army and the 80th Army to defend the 36th Division and the 37th Division.
The remaining troops contained heavy equipment, and they lacked heavy weapons.
In addition, the Little Japanese Air Force, special agents, and infiltration troops also actively cooperated.
These troops will quickly advance to designated areas, raid the garrison command structures, seize dangerous areas in advance, and occupy favorable terrain.
Their mission is to attack the 14th Army, but they also have a more important mission.
At the same time, the headquarters of the 41st Division is constantly in contact with the army headquarters and the headquarters of the 27th Division, hoping that they can quickly advance to the battlefield.
At this time, the Japanese and puppet troops showed their full combat strength, but they were very surprised.
Once Yuanqu City is lost, the connection between the Fifth Army and the 14th Army will be completely cut off!
There are quite a lot of troops responsible for the defense of the Hengling Pass area, including five divisions.
There are a lot of high ground here. At this time, the commander of the 41st Division, Qingshui Juju, planned to hold on to Jiangshan to intercept the troops of the Glory First Division.
He directly mobilized 4,000 troops from the 5,000 troops he had in hand, and went directly to the Purple Mountain defense in the northeast of Jiangcheng.
At the same time, they will concentrate their superior forces to encircle, and it will be a double-layer encirclement, ensuring that the defenders within the encirclement will suffer a devastating blow.
When the battle lasted until seven o'clock, the commander of the 41st Division, Shimizu Rules, gradually discovered the loopholes in the defenders' defense.
At 7:15, twelve planes arrived at the Henglingguan area, and they launched a carpet bombing campaign.
Chu Yunfei concurrently serves as the brigade commander of the 48th Independent Brigade, so the brigade is currently commanded by deputy brigade commander Li Chongtao and brigade chief of staff Lin Zhiqiang.
The 83rd Division of the 14th Army on the south bank also quickly crossed the river to join the battle.
However, at this time, the Little Japanese troops had already received the news, and the First Army Headquarters quickly dispatched the Suzuki detachment to rush south quickly for reinforcements.
As for the position of the 17th Army, although the 84th Division and the 94th Army are cooperating in defense, the 17th Army is a miscellaneous army.
They had five divisions, but faced the attack from the main forces of the 36th and 37th Divisions, and it was very difficult to fight.
The 94th Division is affiliated to the 14th Army and is a standard direct line unit.
However, as its old 79th Division and 97th Division were transferred away, the newly formed 27th Division and 165th Division were newly formed units.
They would have to pay heavy casualties. Under such circumstances, it was obviously the best choice for them to withdraw their troops quickly.
At half past nine, the Second Theater Command Commander also sent a telegram to the Glory First Division.
Therefore, their combat effectiveness is not very strong. Facing the main force of 8,000 Japanese soldiers to contain the attack, the 43rd Army's defense was somewhat difficult.
"Secure Purple Mountain with all our strength to ensure that our troops will not be affected by the Glory First Division!"
"Your Excellency, Division Commander, according to the report from the Army Headquarters, the most elite troops of the Shanxi-Sui Army are here to attack at this time."
At the headquarters of the Glory First Division, Chief of Staff Fang Ligong took the telegram and quickly came to Chu Yunfei to report.
At half past six, a message from the First Theater Command Officer's Department was sent directly to all armies and divisions.
As long as the Xiaojiazi North Road troops break through Hengling Pass and go south along the road, they can quickly capture Yuanqu City.
"If all the attacking troops are withdrawn, leading to the failure of the Zhongtiao Mountain battle, we will not be able to bear the series of consequences."
The 85th Division is currently responsible for guarding the south bank of the Yellow River and is engaged in a fierce battle with the 16th independent mixed brigade on the west road.
The Glory 1st Division will attack the 41st Division and form an independent ninth brigade unit to ensure the safety of the junction of the two group armies in Zhongtiao Mountain.
They quickly advanced to Purple Mountain, quickly seized the high ground, and launched defensive arrangements.
What's more, the First Army's frontline headquarters has already issued a combat order, and the 27th Division and other troops have quickly rushed over for reinforcements.
For him, the frontline combat troops were fighting fiercely at this time and were about to gain victory.
"At the same time, allocate four thousand troops and quickly move to Purple Mountain for defense!"
"They are Chu Yunfei and Chen Ziyun's Glory First Division. The division has more than 10,000 men, well-equipped weapons and equipment, and strong combat effectiveness."
Messages for help were sent out one after another!
Reports were received one after another from the senior management department, with anxious expressions on their faces.
If they are withdrawn, it will definitely give the Zhongtiao Mountain garrison a chance to readjust.
Chen Ziyun met Chu Yunfei at around ten o'clock in the evening. After learning about Chu Yunfei's decision, he didn't say much.
"Now that the attack has entered the most critical stage, how can we easily withdraw the troops?"
The Third Army, the 14th Army, the 17th Army, and the 80th Army are directly under the theater!
The strength of the four armies seems to be strong, but in fact they do not have many troops to mobilize for defense.
There were a small number of little Japanese troops left behind, and these little Japanese wanted to resist at first.
The reconnaissance company of the artillery regiment moved southward and served as the southern security force of the division's main force.
By nine o'clock in the evening, some troops were suffering increasing casualties.
The cavalry battalion is attached to the guard company, which moves northward and serves as the security force on the north side of the division's main force.
Moreover, this army was only reorganized by Yan Laoxi at the beginning of 1941. They were mainly responsible for grabbing territory in southeastern Shanxi.
Chu Yunfei took Chief of Staff Fang Ligong to act with the 11th Reserve Brigade.
At this time, they are about to come from Jiangcheng, which is likely to cause heavy damage to the 41st Division and other troops.
At the same time, He Jingzhi immediately contacted the Glory First Division in Xiangning City and asked them to quickly pass through Houma City and attack Yicheng and Jiangcheng directly.
The Suzuki Detachment, the leading force of the 27th Division, had already set off quickly. Thousands of them were riding in trucks and motorcycles and speeding south along the road.
However, at this time, the leading troops of the Glory First Division had begun to pass through Houma City and gradually advanced towards the Jiangcheng area.
The vanguard troops of the 358th Regiment quickly advanced towards Purple Mountain, preparing to quickly seize this commanding height.
Of course, Chen Ziyun also knew that there might be Japs stationed here in Purple Mountain, so he deliberately issued an early warning to prepare the vanguard troops for battle.
(End of chapter)
This chapter has been completed!