After confirming that there were a large number of armored vehicles of the Chinese army in the target area, Nan Zhi, an old devil, no longer hesitated. The combat mission he received was to guard against insurrection by the 35th Route Army in the Hetao area and the Eighth Route Army in northern Shanxi.
At present, the appearance of enemy armored forces has seriously threatened the stability of the western Inner Mongolia area occupied by the Japanese army.
Nanzhi must defeat this Chinese armored force in the shortest possible time to stabilize the defense of the entire western Inner Mongolia region.
On that day, the old devil also received an order from the headquarters of the Mongolian Army:
"Destroy the Chinese armored forces in the target area!"
After receiving the order from the headquarters, Nan Zhi no longer hesitated and immediately mobilized the main force of the armored forces and pushed forward all the way, using armored vehicles and tanks as the main combat forces, with the cooperation of infantry, engineers, artillery and other arms to sweep the target area. In an attempt to eliminate the armored units of the Chinese army that appeared in the target area.
The worst we can do is drive this enemy armored force that appeared in the Mengxi area completely out of Mengxi.
Not only that, Nan Zhi, an old devil, has great ambitions. He knows very well that the commander’s biggest enemy in the West Inner Mongolia area has always been the 35th Route Army in the Hetao area, that is, Fu Yisheng’s troublesome "chicken thief"
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At that time, the Japanese army also spent great efforts to capture the Wuyuan area.
As a result, Commander Fu led the 35th Route Army to fight with cavalry, infantry and other arms. They fought to the death and regained Wuyuan. They stationed and fortified in the Hetao area and garrisoned in the fields, forming a confrontation with the Mongolian troops stationed in the western Mongolian area.
situation.
The little devil is very embarrassed about this.
This was the first time since the Battle of Songhu that the enemy was defeated by Chiang Kai-shek's troops and regained lost ground.
In addition, Fu Yisheng is a very courageous person. He is not like the ordinary national army troops who sit in a corner and conscientiously guard their one-third of an acre of land and do their duty.
Whenever given the chance, this guy really dares to attack the little devil.
Just in the Baotou area, the base camp of the Mongolian army, Fu Yisheng led his troops to conduct sneak attacks four or five times.
Especially the Eighth Route Army made big moves. In the battle where Kong Jie and Li Yunlong led mobile troops to surprise Datong, Fu Yisheng seized the perfect opportunity and successfully captured the Japanese Baotou area in one fell swoop. Although it was only temporary,
It was very effective in dealing with the damage to the Japanese army's military prestige, as well as the losses in manpower and material resources.
In addition, Fu Yisheng and the Eighth Route Army in northern Shanxi often fought together.
The Japanese army often made the Japanese army care about the head rather than the tail. For this reason, Fu Yisheng had long been on the Japanese blacklist.
Nan Zhi, an old devil, was finally appointed by his superiors as the supreme commander of the armored group, responsible for dealing with the Eighth Route Army in northern Shanxi and the 35th Route Army in the Hetao area.
Of course he won't miss an opportunity to hit his opponent.
Now that he has received the order from the headquarters, while destroying the enemy's armored forces that appeared, he does not mind attacking the Hetao area in an armored cluster. If he can capture the Hetao area in one fell swoop, he can completely defeat or even eliminate the 35th Route Army.
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The old devil Nan Zhi once thought secretly in his heart:
If he could accomplish such extraordinary feats, his name would even be recorded in the history of the Empire of Japan's military exploits.
The name will last forever, nothing more than this!
Therefore, during the encirclement and suppression of the Chinese armored forces in the target area, Nan Zhi, an old devil, spent a lot of money.
On the one hand, it is to coordinate the May Day raids by the battlefield empires in Shanxi and Shandong.
After the encirclement and suppression officially began, Nanzhi directly used the absolute main force of the entire armored brigade, a large number of Type 92 armored vehicles, Type 97 modified medium tanks, and Type 95 light tanks, including the cavalry units of the Mongolian Army that assisted in the operation.
And the attached mobile artillery wing...
Together, they formed a mixed mobile group consisting mainly of armored forces and quickly marched towards the target area.
Of course, to be on the safe side, Nanzhi also requested air reinforcements.
He placed his daily march after dawn, and with the cooperation of aerial reconnaissance planes, and in order to balance the various cooperating arms, he marched at a speed of almost 20 kilometers per hour every day.
They will rest intermittently, and will take a big break at noon, and then continue marching in the afternoon. Before dark in the evening, they will build fortifications on the spot and set up camp to rest to restore the physical fitness of the soldiers, repair the corresponding damaged vehicles, and ensure that the team's strength is maintained.
The combat performance of various mechanized combat vehicles and armored vehicles.
Since this battle was not small in scale and involved a large number of Japanese armored forces, this was a rare large-scale armored battle since the Battle of Songhu.
Even the old Japanese commander Okamura, who was at the headquarters of the Japanese troops dispatched to North China in Peiping, was paying attention to the direction of this battle.
Old Guizigangcun was actually a little worried.
Not long ago, after the Eighth Route Army used mobile units, especially a considerable number of mechanized combat units, to surprise Datong, it strangled the central and western Shandong areas from both sides, using mechanized long-distance roundabout operations.
Everything seems to be still vivid in my mind.
When a tough opponent like the Eighth Route Army has long-distance mobile combat capabilities and armored forces.
For the Japanese army, the threat is considerable.
Okamura, who is well-versed in Chinese culture and is known as China Master, understands the principle that soldiers never tire of deceit. He dare not not be on guard in case these cunning Eight Route Army launches another surprise attack on Datong.
The face of his entire North China Front army is probably going to be completely lost.
In addition, Okamura is also very suspicious that this so-called armored force that suddenly appeared in the western Inner Mongolia region may also be brewing the Eighth Route Army's conspiracy?
Are the 35th Route Army and the Eighth Route Army secretly planning some conspiracy against the Empire of Japan?
In order to completely eliminate the enemy armored forces that appeared in the Mengxi area.
On the one hand, Okamura ordered the Nanzhi Armored Brigade to advance quickly, and on the other hand, he immediately issued an order to the headquarters of the Japanese 26th Division stationed in the Datong area to consolidate the northward defense line, coordinate with the Nanzhi Brigade, and attack from both sides, annihilating Mongolia in one fell swoop.
Enemy armored forces in the western area.
In addition, if the time is right, you might as well kill the 35th Route Army in the Hetao area in one fell swoop.
Mengxi region.
South of the defense line of the Japanese Nanzhi Armored Brigade and west of the Hetao area where the 35th Route Army is stationed.
According to the combat plan of Lao Jia Zi Nan Zhi, the Japanese army mainly consisted of armored forces, coordinated by various mobile arms, and reinforced by air force firepower.
The Nanzhi Chariot Brigade marched extremely smoothly on the first day.
A full 80 kilometers of front were advanced.
We only encountered a few minefields along the way, but the losses caused to the Japanese army were almost negligible.
As for the so-called armored units of the Chinese army in the target area detected by the reconnaissance plane, the Japanese did not see even an armored vehicle.
"Sir, the so-called armored vehicles and tanks of the Eighth Route Army are simply vulnerable. If they encounter the tank troops of the Japanese Empire, they will have fled long ago. How can they dare to take the initiative to fight!"
"It will collapse at the first touch. Once encountered, it will be crushed!"
Some Japanese officers leading the team ridiculed this, believing that the Chinese army's methods were nothing more than this and not enough to threaten the tank troops of the Empire of Japan.
Even Nan Zhi, the old Japanese who personally led the team, was arrogant about this and believed that his troops were unstoppable.
Unfortunately, all this was quickly broken on the second day.
It was probably around dawn on the second day, and the sky was still bright.
According to the plan, the Japanese army had just dismantled the security defense line built at night and was preparing to continue their advance.
Boom——
Suddenly there were a few gunshots. The sound was not the rapid-fire artillery that the Japanese army was familiar with.
Like an American howitzer, the shells fired dozens of rounds at a time.
The Japanese commander Nanji Rokuro, who was resting in the temporary camp, was suddenly awakened, and then the communications troops hurriedly arrived.
"Baga, what's going on?"
"Sir, we were attacked by a small armored unit of the Eighth Route Army!"
"Are you sure it's the Eighth Route Army?" Nan Zhi was stunned for a moment.
The communications soldier nodded, "We saw with our own eyes that the other side also had some coordinated cavalry, wearing the standard uniforms of the Eighth Route Army!"
Major General Nan Zhi rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. So, this so-called armored force that suddenly appeared is the armored force of the Eighth Route Army.
Maybe it was the same team that attacked Datong.
In addition, the Japanese army does not believe that the Eighth Route Army has the ability to build other armored units.
This news was quickly conveyed to all levels of Japanese military headquarters.
After Commander Okamura heard about this, he was extremely jealous when the enemy met him.
This mobile unit of the Eighth Route Army made a surprise attack on Datong and almost penetrated the central and western Shandong areas, causing a smoky atmosphere in the entire Shanxi and Shandong battlefields and greatly damaging the Japanese army's international image.
Okamura has long wanted to get rid of him soon.
This is a battle between old enemies.
When the Japanese officers who were far away at the headquarters of the 26th Division in Datong heard about this, they all looked angrily.
When the mechanized combat unit of the Eighth Route Army made a sneak attack on Datong, it directly took away the home base of the 26th Division. The 26th Division had been operating in Datong for many years and wiped out a large amount of accumulated supplies and equipment.
For this reason, the 26th Division has almost become a big joke in the entire Chinese military dispatch community.
Even the division commander of the 26th Division resigned due to this.
The little devils of the 26th Division have long been thinking about revenge for this, but they never thought that the enemy they had been thinking about would actually appear in front of them.
According to the Japanese army's intelligence, this mobile unit of the Eighth Route Army is currently in the defensive line area where the Mongolian troops stationed in western Inner Mongolia and its 26th Division are attacking.
This is the opportunity to destroy the enemy and show shame.
……
Being harassed again by the armored troops of the Eighth Route Army, the old Japanese Nan Zhi naturally couldn't bear it.
These sneak attacks on the Eighth Route Army seemed to be a small group of armored troops, equipped with some armored vehicles and light tanks. They were separated from each other by nearly a kilometer on the outside. They didn't care about the hit rate. They were just scary. After firing dozens of shots, they turned around and left.<
/p>
Nanjirokuro immediately ordered the division of troops to pursue, and mobilized nearly thirty armored vehicles and tanks at once. With the coordination of motorized cavalry, they pursued the retreating Eighth Route Army armored forces.
It’s just that this time the pursuit didn’t seem to go as smoothly as expected.
The speed of the Eighth Route Army's mobile units was no slower than the speed of the armored vehicles and tanks pursued by the Japanese army.
The Japanese Major who led the team commanded the chariot to pursue for several kilometers but failed to catch up.
Soon after, the vanguard's pursuit tank stopped hastily.
The scout cavalry hurried back to report: "Your Excellency Major, we found the fortifications built by the Eighth Route Army ahead, and we also faintly saw some anti-tank artillery above the fortifications!"
The Japanese Major took out his binoculars and looked from a distance. Sure enough, he saw the enemy's fortifications and even the military flag.
In addition, some artillery can also be detected faintly.
The Japanese army had already received relevant intelligence. The Eighth Route Army now had a certain number of anti-tank artillery. The major did not dare to be reckless and quickly ordered the accompanying mobile artillery to launch a fierce bombardment of the Eighth Route Army fortifications.
The artillery fire lasted for nearly five minutes before gradually stopping.
At this time, the Japanese army also discovered the situation. The Eighth Route Army seemed to have been under bombardment, but there was no sign of fighting back. This was very unreasonable.
During the test, the Japanese army sent a small group of vanguard troops to investigate closely, only to find that the rear of the fortifications was completely empty. The so-called anti-tank artillery that they originally thought were all made of wood and then painted to imitate them. p>
The Japanese Major personally climbed up to the Eighth Route Army's fake fortifications and took a look, and immediately became furious.
The angry Japanese troops continued their pursuit and soon ran into another minefield.
It was covered with flags, and some even had the word "landmine" written in Japanese.
Seeing this situation, the Japanese Major twitched his face fiercely, but out of caution, he still sent out engineers to try to detect and clear mines.
As a result, the work was in vain for a while. The engineers reported after exploring for a while that no signs of landmines were found.
After cursing the gangsters, the major led the team to continue the pursuit.
Then the team encountered landmines again. It was still the same as before, a minefield with flags on it, some with Japanese written on it.
It’s really too much!
Major ordered Pioneer's seven or eight tanks to push forward directly.
At this moment, all he wanted to do was to quickly catch up with the escaping Eighth Route Army and tear them into pieces.
As for the minefields, he believed that the Eighth Route Army was still using its old tricks to scare people.
Even if there are indeed landmines, the first line to detect mines is the 97 modified medium tank, and the bottom armor has been specially thickened, which may not be able to block the power of landmines.
So...
Boom——
Amidst a series of loud noises and the roar of engines, several Japanese-style 97 modified medium tanks stepped directly into the minefield.
As the Japanese Major watched helplessly, in a series of shocking explosions, all the Japanese soldiers and tanks were reduced to pieces of iron...
"Hey, company commander, listen to this explosion, the enemy must have suffered a lot this time. This little devil really thinks that we are still at the level of the homemade earth mines with incomplete power!"
"I want to eat shit!"
"The anti-tank infantry mines we specially developed, let alone thin-skinned tanks like the Japanese, even some heavy tanks, will never be able to remain intact under the concentrated explosion of the anti-tank mines we deliberately deployed.
”
Hearing the explosion in the distance, a certain platoon leader of a team said excitedly...