January 1, 1939, New Year’s Day!
The Japanese North China Front suddenly launched the "New Year's Day Offensive"!
The Japanese North China Front deployed six divisions with a total of more than 130,000 troops to launch a fierce attack on Zhongtiao Mountain in southern Shanxi. At the same time, in order to prevent the Chinese army in the Taihang Mountains in southeastern Shanxi from supporting the Zhongtiao Mountain battlefield, the 18th Division was the main force and assembled
Two divisions, the 108th and 109th, and two independent mixed brigades, totaling more than 80,000 people, launched a coercive march on the Taihang Mountain Anti-Japanese Base Area.
At this time, the Chinese military strength in the Taihang Mountains area of southeastern Shanxi Province was actually decreasing instead of increasing.
The main force of the 22nd Group Army had been sent to Henan Province in mid-November to accept the command of the First Theater Area due to the conclusion of the Central China Campaign, leaving the Si Xing Regiment alone in southeastern Shanxi.
The 17th Division was ordered to be transferred to Zhongtiao Mountain as early as the end of October and formed the 38th Army together with the 55th Division. Zhao Shoushan, the division commander, was promoted to corps commander.
One of the two main brigades of the 921st Division of the 80th Group Army has gone to northern Hebei to establish a base. Only the 683rd Brigade and a guard regiment and supplementary regiment directly under the division headquarters remain in southeastern Shanxi.
Troops, the total combat strength of the entire army is only more than 30,000.
In other words, excluding the various militias and local armed forces developed over the past year, there are less than 40,000 regular troops in southeastern Shanxi that can be used for combat.
The North China Front attached great importance to sending 80,000 troops. The actual strength was twice the Chinese strength in the Taihang Mountains at this time. This strength was more than enough to carry out a sweep, let alone containment.
As the commander-in-chief of the East Route Army of the Second War Zone, the commander-in-chief of the 80th Group immediately issued a general mobilization order. Not only did the main forces in southeastern Shanxi gather at major passes to prevent the Japanese army from advancing on a large scale, but at the same time, he began to assemble villages and towns in the base area.
The militia and armed forces gathered nearly 20,000 temporary armed forces in just two days.
This was also the fruit of victory after the victory in the Shandong War. The Eightyth Group Army, which had obtained a large number of guns and ammunition from the Japanese army, had carried out a large-scale change of equipment before February. In addition to the German weapons and equipment obtained from the Four Lines Regiment, its regular army
Corps, and the rest were all converted into Japanese weapons, and the obsolete old guns were given to the developed local armed forces.
Otherwise, no matter how many people there are in the local armed forces who can only use old-style shell guns or red-tassel guns and machetes, the Japanese army only needs one regular infantry unit to completely defeat them.
But the local armed forces with Hanyang-made grenades and light machine guns are different. The combat power of 20,000 people can at least hold back a mixed brigade of the Japanese army.
Naturally, the Si Xing Regiment responded quickly. Under the personal command of Lei Xiong, who had returned to the Si Xing Regiment headquarters, the four infantry battalions, along with the artillery battalion, baggage battalion, special agent battalion, and cavalry battalion, all left the Dakouzidong station.
The main force of the Four Lines Regiment rushed to the front-line battlefield, and the stationed troops were naturally extremely empty, but the situation this time was different from the previous Shanxi Grand Strategy.
During the Battle of Jindong, the main force of the Fourth Battalion was withdrawn, leaving only the recently established 4th Battalion. Eventually, a Japanese infantry brigade attacked, and the 4th Battalion had to fight alone. If it weren't for Lao Tantai and Teacher Xiao He's desperate efforts,
Bringing the militiamen and arsenal technicians, and the workers bringing all the heavy equipment in stock to rush to the rescue, the 4th Battalion would basically be wiped out, and all the construction achievements of the station would be destroyed.
People will not step into two rivers at the same time, nor fall into the same pit twice, unless they are stupid!
During Tang Dao's absence for more than two months, the Dakouzidong Town Security Battalion had been established. It was nominally affiliated with Dakouzidong Town and was not directly affiliated with the Four Lines Regiment. Its military salaries were also paid by the local finance of Dakouzidong Town, but regardless of
The battalion commander is also a junior officer of his company, platoon, squad, etc., all of whom are veterans from the Si Xing Regiment.
And even in Dakouzidong Town, Tang Tuanzuo was the magistrate of Licheng County who was stamped and approved by the stingy old man in the Second War Zone. He was the supreme commander of this 'local armed force'.
The security battalion absorbed about 600 disabled veterans and 1,300 new recruits from Lei Xiong's hometown, plus the original 1,000 militiamen from Dakouzidong Town. The overall strength was as high as 2,900 people. In terms of combat strength, it may not be as good as the four regular soldiers of the Four Lines Regiment.
It is comparable to an infantry battalion, but in terms of troop strength alone, it is definitely No. 1 among the troops under the jurisdiction of the Si Xing Regiment.
Its equipment was completely distributed according to the regular army of the Fourth Army Regiment. In addition, after the Qingshiyan World War I, the headquarters of the Fourth Army Regiment learned the hard way and decided to exchange money for manpower. In 2 months, it cost nearly 300,000 yuan to recruit troops with a radius of nearly a hundred miles.
There are more than 20,000 mountain residents. Under the leadership of the engineering company, with Dakouzidong Town as the center, more than 40 concrete bunkers have been built on the hilltops of various highlands within a radius of 15 kilometers. There are also tunnels connecting the bunkers, with a total length of more than 200
kilometer.
Don't underestimate these bunkers built with white lime, mountain rock, and steel plates as the main materials. Why did it take nearly ten thousand people to invest and more than 2 months to complete more than 40 of them? That's because the amount of work is really too large.
Just one, it takes a lot of effort.
The bunker has long been separated from the machine gun bunker in the ordinary sense. To be more precise, it should be called a fortress.
In addition to the crossfire of various light and heavy machine guns to block the mountain road, this fortification also deployed the Type 92 infantry gun captured from the Japanese army and the 37mm rapid-fire gun that was too heavy and was eliminated.
This bunker, which is composed of submachine guns, rifles, machine guns, and direct-aimed guns, is even divided into firepower areas and living areas.
There are usually one or two infantry squads and a firepower squad stationed in a bunker, and there may be up to 50 people.
According to the drawings drawn by Tang Tuanzuo when he left, and the improvements discussed by Bai Sheng, Ye Chenghuan and others, a bunker is almost a small "village" with a combat area of more than 200 square meters, which can be used for machine guns.
, not to mention artillery shooting, the living area behind it also covers an area of 150 square meters, which is where everyone eats and rests.
The two-story wooden bunk beds are the same as those in the garrison barracks, which can fully ensure the normal rest of the officers and soldiers stationed here.
The living area and the combat area are separated by a steel door made of the latest smelted manganese steel plate in the arsenal. Even if the combat area is destroyed by Japanese heavy artillery, this steel door that can withstand the blast of a 30-kilogram explosive charge can still be used.
Become the last barrier for the remaining Chinese soldiers.
The tunnel behind the bunker allows soldiers to evacuate to a safe area hundreds of meters away!
If the Japanese army uses poison gas bombs, there are gas masks issued to individual soldiers in the bunker, so you are basically not afraid of these vicious tricks of the Japanese.
If the Japanese army wanted to break through these bunkers, they could only attack them by force at the cost of human lives and use heavy artillery or bombers to drop heavy aerial bombs.
But on the narrow mountain road of Taihang Mountain, let alone the 150 heavy artillery, even the 105 heavy artillery can be transported by the Japanese, Tang Dao can give them a thumbs up and give them a big thumbs up.
And if they want to dismantle these bunker fortifications one by one at the cost of human lives, unless they have the courage to completely wipe out an infantry brigade.
Of course, equipment and fortifications are important, but even more important are people!
"I'm just waiting in the bunker for the shit to come. At worst, I'll leave my last arm here." The big black man, who had retired due to disability to serve as the chief instructor of the militia and now became the commander of the first company of the security battalion, used his remaining
With one arm, he loudly led his troops to bunker No. 8.
Most of the security battalion is made up of new recruits, and its squad leaders, platoon leaders, and company commanders are mostly retired veterans who lack arms and legs and are not suitable for front-line combat. Even the commanders such as Lei Xiong and Ye Chenghuan have maintained their combat capabilities before the war.
A certain degree of reservation.
Being able to hold on until the main force returns is victory!
Especially since Tang Dao, the backbone of the whole regiment, is not here, even though he can still command remotely through the radio, this is the first time that the Four Lines Regiment has remotely commanded when Tang Dao is not on the battlefield, and they have to face the threat of twice the Japanese force.
Pressure, the company commanders of the four battalions of the four-pronged regiment still felt a little unsure.
This is also a typical Tang Dao dependence syndrome. Tang Dao, who is far away in the Tongguan defense zone, knows this very well. Perhaps this is just in line with his mentality of not being in a hurry to return.
If the Four Elements Regiment wants to become a truly iron-blooded army, it cannot pin all victory on one person. All chief officers must have the courage to bear victory or defeat.
But what all the commanders of the Four Lines Regiment, including Tang Dao, did not expect was that this security battalion, which had only been established for two months, would have these veterans who had regarded life and death as nothing more than spiritual pillars to provide new recruits.
Their great courage made them the most impressive infantry battalion-level unit in the "New Year's Day Offensive" led by the Japanese North China Front.
And even if Tang Dao wanted to leave, he couldn't leave at this time.
The Japanese Army's "New Year's Day Offensive" was not limited to the Second Theater. The Japanese Army's Westward Advance Corps also launched a strong attack along hundreds of kilometers of river coastlines.
The Tongguan Defense Zone was the arrowhead for the Japanese offensive with more than 60,000 troops.
The artillery group belonging to the Japanese army started shelling at dawn on the first morning of 1939 in the Chinese Gregorian calendar, when snow particles were floating in the sky.
At 9 o'clock in the morning, the first wave of Japanese bombers ushered in the battlefield with heavy artillery fire. A formation of 24 Japanese bombers brazenly descended to an altitude of 1,500 meters. They used carpet bombing on the positions in front of Tongguan City and on the left and right wings, dropping drops of
There are nearly a hundred heavy bombs and various small bombs!
By 12 noon, the third wave of Japanese bomber formations had arrived. It seemed that all the bombers belonging to the Japanese North China Front had arrived at this small battlefield.
The Japanese artillery fire never stopped from 6:00 to 12:00, even though the four Chinese heavy artillery also fought back with all their strength!
The nearly 16-kilometer-wide river bank defense position and Tongguan City, where only soldiers are stationed, are filled with thick gunpowder smoke and the light of burning wood is everywhere. The temperature on the position is at least 20 degrees higher than in the distant wilderness!
The headquarters of the 28th Division has lost contact with its brigades and regiments since 10 o'clock in the morning. All telephone lines have been blown out by this violent bombing. A large number of communication soldiers are shuttled between the trenches of various positions carrying telephone lines on their backs.
, has become the military branch with the highest combat fatality rate on the current battlefield, and it still cannot prevent the complete interruption of wired communications.
As a last resort, Dong Zhao had to restore the most primitive communication method, with the signal corps running around to convey the division's military orders.
The three people with command authority in the defensive area met for a short meeting at about 8 o'clock in the morning.
"The Japanese army's strategic intention is very obvious, which is to make some big noise in our northwest and southern Shanxi to force our southwest and southern China to increase troops from the north. Therefore, the enemy at Fenglingdu will definitely launch a large-scale attack today." Dong Zhao said concisely and comprehensively.
State your opinions.
Seeing the top commander turn his attention to himself, Tang Dao, who frowned slightly, could only say a few words: "I agree with some of Commander Dong's views, but I think that the focus of the Japanese army's attack is not in southern Shanxi. Although there are 6
The division's hundreds of thousands of troops marched toward our Zhongtiao Mountain defense line, but its offensive line was more like containing the main force of our 200,000-strong army in Zhongtiao Mountain, preventing them from moving."
"You mean that the Japanese army will put its treasure on its westward marching corps, and the more than 200,000 troops mobilized by the North China Front are just to help them?" Dong Zhao took a breath, and his face became even more ugly.
It was not because Tang Dao refuted some of his views, but if it was true as Tang Dao said, then today's battle would be on the line.
The newly established Third Army of the Japanese Army has a force of 100,000, and the 10th Theater has barely managed 150,000 troops so far. Although the strength seems to be somewhat advantageous, based on the combat experience of the past year, it wants to resist in a defensive battle.
To inhabit the Japanese army requires 2 times or even more troops, but to win in the field, it requires 5 times as many troops.
Of course, the reason why Dong Zhao was somewhat lucky was that the Japanese North China Front Army had more than 300,000 troops, and its commander was also a general, so his status would be reduced to a lieutenant general and half a level lower than the corps level.
The troops took action.
"Deputy Chief of Staff Tang, please continue, I want to hear the reason." Commander Fan also had a look on his face.
As the leader of an army, his vision is different from ordinary people. He knows that Tang Dao will never hit the target without aim. He must have his logical judgment when he says this. And with Tang Dao's dazzling performance in this half month, his judgment
Most likely right.
This kind of strategic judgment will affect the implementation of defensive tactics of the entire 28th Division today. As the top commander of Tongguan, he must be cautious enough.
Tang Dao was also straightforward: "My view is based on two reasons: First, the Battle of Central China has basically ended. Although the Japanese army barely achieved their tactical goal and occupied Jiangcheng, our important town in Central China, they want to eat our Chinese army.
The strategic purpose of effective force is far different.
The main force of our army still exists, and we can rely on Tanzhou to fight another fierce battle with it. Simply dispatching troops from Central China all the way south, even if we conquer South China, is not in line with the Japanese base camp's strategy of ending the war as soon as possible.
If you want to end the war as quickly as possible and reduce the huge material consumption caused by the war, entering the Fushu River surrounded by the Qinling Wushan Hengduan Mountains, cutting off the logistics supply of our Chinese army and forcing those high-ranking officials to surrender is the best choice.
The danger of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River is very dangerous for people to cross. With decades of planning, the Japanese army naturally knew that it was extremely difficult to enter Sichuan from Yiling. Just like Uncle Liu Huang did back then, the right way was to enter northern Sichuan from Guanzhong.
Therefore, Tongguan is already an important place in the Japanese army's grand strategy and must be attacked.
As for the second point, it depends on the number and intensity of Japanese fighter aircraft attacks. Although it has not happened yet, I judge that the number of bomber sorties invested will not be less than 60 sorties.
If this is true, it will completely prove that the real purpose of the Japanese army's use of more than 300,000 troops this time is not in southern Shanxi, but on all fronts in eastern Guanzhong.
Of course, the southern Shanxi battlefield and the southeastern Shanxi battlefield do not mean that we can sit back and relax. Based on my understanding of Shanshan Gen, as the former boss of the Japanese Army Ministry, he must not be able to swallow this breath, and it is very likely that he will not pay attention to Japan.
The army base camp proposed an all-out attack on southern Shanxi and southeastern Shanxi.
If he can win, he will regain his face, but if he cannot win, it can be considered that he listened to the military orders from the base camp and fully mobilized my troops in the second theater to assist Itagaki Shiro."
"What Deputy Chief of Staff Tang said is reasonable. The Japanese North China Front's aviation regiment suffered a major defeat some time ago. Although there will be more aircraft added after more than two months, the number of fighters that can be put into the battlefield will never exceed 80. If more than half of the fighters are really put into use by us,
The Guanzhong Yellow River Defense Line looks like it really wants to swallow us up." Commander Fan slightly nodded.
"Immediately send a telegram to the theater headquarters. The enemy's westward advancing corps is about to attack with all its strength. Our department will go all out to defend the defense line. We do not ask for reinforcements, but we ask the theater to ensure the supply of military supplies!"
Sure enough, as time went by, Tang Dao's judgments came true one by one, but there were not only 50 sorties, but a total of 72 bombers from 9:00 to 12:00 bombed the Tongguan position indiscriminately.
At 1 p.m., which was also the warmest time of the day, the real attack of the Japanese Third Division in Fenglingdu Town began.
The two 75-ton gunboats requested by Susumu Fujita are already in place, plus a huge fleet of up to 30 motorboats and nearly 400 wooden platoons reinforced with sandbags and steel plates, along the nearly 15 kilometers of river shoreline.
Approaching the Tongguan position.
Based on a wooden platoon carrying 10 soldiers, the number of troops invested in this first wave alone was as high as 4 infantry brigades, which was a bit more ferocious than the last forced crossing.
The gunboat with steel shield was still a thousand meters away when it began to use the 75mm main gun on the gunboat and the two 25mm twin-mounted machine guns deployed on the sides to bombard the river bank wildly.
Facing such a ferocious Japanese offensive, the heat on the positions that had been ravaged by Japanese artillery fire seemed to be frozen by the falling snow particles from the sky.
For several minutes, there was no response.
It wasn't until the Japanese wooden platoon approached less than 500 meters from the river bank that the sound of "click-click-click" shooting from light and heavy machine guns began to sound.
But obviously, in such a long attack line, the firepower of more than twenty machine guns used in the counterattack was too thin.
It was so thin that even the Japanese soldiers, who had been highly nervous on the ship, felt a little pitiful!
Could it be that all the Chinese were killed by imperial heavy artillery and aerial bombs?
If that's the case, it's really a blessing from God. Many Japanese soldiers have already begun to quietly make the sign of the cross in their minds.
Since the 6th Infantry Regiment was beaten to a pulp in the last wave of forced crossings, many Japanese soldiers have voluntarily given up their belief in Amaterasu. If one god doesn't work, just change it to another one. Maybe it will work, right?
As the saying goes: Changing gods is like changing knives! God seems to have really appeared.
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This chapter has been completed!