Inside Baoding City.
Frontline headquarters of the Japanese North China Front.
"Report to the General."
Communications staff officer Haruo Kiya quickly walked into the war room and reported to Okamura:
"The commander of the 11th Army, General Yokoyama Isamu, just called and said that there is not much ammunition left to stop the 129th Division of the 11th Army and the Eighth Route Army."
"In five days at most, the main force of the 11th Army can defeat the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army."
"Please ask General Okamura and the North China Front troops to stay in Baoding for 20 days."
After the report, Haruo Koutani stood with his hands behind his hands.
"20 days?" Okamura Neji frowned.
He currently has only 5 divisions and 3 brigades under his command, with a total of about 100,000 Japanese troops.
Together with the 200,000 Locust Alliance troops, the total force is about 300,000.
If he had 300,000 elite Japanese troops in his hands, he would indeed be able to hold on to Baoding for 20 days.
But it is a pity that he does not have that many Japanese troops in his hands.
Although there are still three divisions of troops in Zhangjiakou, these three divisions cannot get through at all.
At this time, Okamura Neji already regretted dividing his troops.
Otherwise, he would have more than 200,000 Japanese troops and more than 200,000 Locust Alliance troops.
Although it is still no match for the Eighth Route Army, it can at least hold on until the main forces of the Kwantung Army and the 11th Army arrive in North China.
Currently, this battle has been going on for more than 10 days.
He had already lost 4 divisions, and they were all wiped out, including the main 11th Division A, in which 4 lieutenant generals and more than 70,000 Japanese soldiers were killed.
But there is no use regretting now, the battlefield is like this, one wrong step leads to another wrong step.
As the saying goes, one general's success is worth ten thousand bones. A qualified commander must have a strong psychological quality.
Too many Japanese generals and soldiers died. Now the whole B division, including the lieutenant general, is in pieces. Even Neji Okamura can withstand it without fainting.
Because if he loses this battle, Neji Okamura will also die.
Now the North China Front relies on reinforcements. It will take 20 days for the 11th Army to reach Baoding?
When your 11th Army arrives in Baoding in 20 days, I'm afraid you will have no choice but to collect the corpses for our Okamura and North China Front Army.
All our troops on the North China Front are in pieces. When your 11th Army arrives in North China, it can only deliver food to the Eighth Route Army.
Do you think you can be invincible with 4 Class A divisions and a field heavy artillery brigade?
Okamura Neji was very dissatisfied with Yokoyama Isamu's telegram.
"How could the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army be short of ammunition?"
The chief of staff on the side, Yumo Seizo, also frowned slightly, but his focus was obviously on the shortage of ammunition in the Eighth Route Army.
After a pause, Youmo Jingsan said again: "Your Excellency, General, when the main force of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army was attacking Taiyuan, it received airdrops of supplies from the battlefield. The amount was very large, and it was... the airdrops were obtained in front of the Locust Army.
, now the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army is actually running out of ammunition. It is obvious that there is fraud, and I am worried that the 11th Army will suffer a loss."
Although the North China Front Army is in danger.
But the 11th Army was the reinforcement of the North China Front.
The 11th Army suffered a huge loss and had no benefit to the North China Front.
Okamura Neiji narrowed his eyes, nodded, and said: "Arima-kun, please call Lieutenant General Yokoyama Isamu immediately and ask them to quickly defeat the main force of the Eighth Route Army's 129th Division and go north to reinforce the North China Front. However, be careful that the Eighth Route Army can obtain airdrop supplies.
"
"Hi."
Arimue Seizo quickly drafted a telegram and handed it to Kitani Haruo, who then turned around and left with the telegram in hand.
After Kitani Haruo left, Okamura Neji looked at the map and asked in a deep voice: "Youmo-kun, facing the defense of the Locust Army, how do you think the Eighth Route Army will attack? In other words, if you are Li Yunlong, the commander of the Eighth Route Army,
How will you choose to attack the locust army?"
Youmo Seizan quickly walked to Okamura Neji. The map in front of them was the Japanese defense map around Baoding.
On the map, the young officer staff of the Japanese Army Command marked the locations of anti-tank cones, as well as anti-tank and anti-infantry mines, as well as the locations of the defensive positions of the Japanese and puppet troops.
It's clear at a glance.
"Your Excellency, General." You Mojing Sanbian said, "If I were Li Yunlong, I would divide the attack on the Baoding Locust Army and the Locust Alliance Army into three stages."
"Oh?" Okamura Neji's expression changed, "What three stages?"
You Mojing Sanbian said: "In the first stage, use artillery fire to bombard the anti-tank cones in the outer positions and the minefields of the Locust Army to open the way for the attacking troops, and then bombard the positions of the Locust Army and the Locust Alliance Army."
"In the second stage, use powerful artillery firepower and air support advantages to cover the positions of our Locust Army and the Locust Alliance Army with artillery fire and aerial bombs."
"Send infantry and tank troops to attack the locust army positions."
"The third stage is to fight street battles with the remaining elites of the Locust Army in Baoding City to completely defeat and eliminate the Locust Alliance Army."
Okamura Neji nodded, and Sue Seizan's analysis was pretty much what he thought.
The only difference is that the Eighth Route Army may not engage in street fighting with the Japanese army.
Instead, we adopt the tactic of encirclement, which can be used to encircle certain points for reinforcements, or we can let the main force attack Tianjin, Peiping, and Shandong Province.
Once the Eighth Route Army captures Shandong, it can use it as a stronghold to build a large airport.
Use long-range strategic bombers to threaten Japan's homeland.
This is absolutely not allowed by the base camp and Tianlu.
Therefore, the base camp and Tian Locust ordered Okamura Neiji not to lose Zhangjiakou and Baoding.
Because once Zhangjiakou and Baoding are lost, the Pingjin area and Shandong Province will also be unprotected.
After a pause, Youmo Seizan said worriedly: "I just don't know if Major General Yamamoto's method of dealing with Eighth Route Army tanks will be effective?"
The Japanese army has indeed developed a Type IV anti-tank rocket launcher, similar to the Panzerfaust anti-tank rocket launcher.
but!
The efficiency of the Japanese military ordnance department is too low. Currently, only the local ordnance department can produce this kind of propellant, and not even the Japanese arsenal in Manchuria can produce it.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Since the Eighth Route Army seized air supremacy over North China, although Japan produced some Type 4 anti-tank rocket launchers, there was no way to transport them in.
Therefore, the North China Front Army is not yet equipped with this type four anti-tank rocket launcher.
Kazuki Yamamoto's anti-tank experience is still the same as before. He learned it from the Battle of Nomenkan when he was in the Kwantung Army.
In addition to setting up anti-tank cones in front of the positions, there were also trucks carrying oil barrels rushing towards the Eighth Route Army tanks, and infantrymen holding explosives and pretending to be dead, waiting for the Eighth Route Army tanks to get close to launch human bomb attacks, and throwing incendiary bottles at the Eighth Route Army.
Therefore, in this battle, in addition to preparing a large number of anti-tank cones, the Japanese army also prepared a large number of trucks, gasoline barrels filled with gasoline, and a large number of Molotov cocktails.
"Even if it doesn't work, it will definitely cause some losses to the tanks of the Eighth Route Army."
"When the three local divisions arrive, the Locust Army will no longer have to fear the Eighth Route Army's tanks."
Okamura Neji said confidently.
The three Japanese divisions that came to support brought many new Type IV anti-tank rocket launchers.
Since these three Japanese divisions came from the sea on transport ships, they were not blocked and their speed would be faster.
If nothing unexpected happens, these three divisions will be able to arrive in Baoding in 4 days.
After hearing this, Mo Seizan and a group of Japanese staff officers were all in high spirits.
…
the next day.
noon.
It is about 18 kilometers away from Baoding City Wall.
The 1,000 artillery pieces of the new regiment of the Eighth Route Army were arranged in units of battalions and companies, with their muzzles pointing directly in the direction of the Japanese and puppet army positions.
The main calibers of the shelling were 75mm mountain cannon, 105mm howitzer, 122mm howitzer, 150mm howitzer and 152mm howitzer.
To be continued...