Okamura Neiji is indeed one of the few outstanding generals of the Japanese Army, and his intuition about the battlefield is much better than that of ordinary generals.
This time the entire Liantai Flying Brigade was dispatched, and its purpose was naturally not just the 31st Division.
Gao Hongming knew very well that the bombers he had in hand were limited. The total number of bombers was only four squadrons and less than fifty bombers. Even if all these aircraft were devoted to bombing the 31st Division, they would cause serious damage to the 31st Division.
The losses are also limited. In this case, we can only choose the most important and valuable targets to bomb.
And this most valuable target is naturally the Japanese artillery regiment.
As we all know, the Japanese army's practice is that each division has an artillery regiment. The size of the artillery regiment may vary, but the organization will definitely exist.
Gao Hongming, who came from a later generation, naturally knew how important the artillery with the nickname "God of War" would play on the battlefield, so his order to the flying brigade was clear from the beginning, that is, to find Japanese troops as much as possible
artillery and then blow them up. In this way, even if the Japanese army can reach Guojialing and Yangping Town, their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced.
As a result, those Japanese troops who were still struggling with the muddy roads were naturally visited by the flying brigade.
On an unnamed road more than 60 kilometers away from the 31st Division, Lieutenant General Amakasu Jutaro, commander of the 33rd Division, stood beside the road.
Not far away, there was a Nissan six-wheel truck stuck in a mud puddle. The driver was stepping on the accelerator. The rear wheels of the truck were spinning desperately, but the car was not moving at all. Upon seeing this, a team leader next to him called on the surrounding soldiers to come forward.
I shoveled some dry soil and gravel nearby and put it under the wheels, and with the help of more than a dozen soldiers, I finally pulled the truck out of the mud pit.
Jutaro Amakasu frowned when he saw this scene. Yesterday's heavy rain completely disrupted the marching plan of the troops. According to this marching speed, let alone feeling Guojialing tonight, it would be good to arrive tomorrow.
But this is not the point. The most important thing is that he has just received a telegram from the headquarters. Just half an hour ago, the 31st Division was attacked by the Liantai Flying Group. In addition to nearly a thousand casualties,
, almost all the artillery of the entire artillery regiment was destroyed.
Okamura Neiji told him in the telegram that he must pay attention to air defense and protect the artillery.
After receiving the telegram, Amakasu Jutaro was shocked and did not dare to neglect. He quickly ordered the artillery regiment to conduct air defense quickly, and then ordered the air defense squadron and artillery regiment, which were originally responsible for the division's air defense, to join together.
After doing all this, Jutaro Amakasu was still a little worried and ordered the air defense squadron belonging only to the division headquarters to immediately rush to the artillery wing to assist in air defense.
After doing all this, Amakasu Jutaro still felt uneasy, and planned to order the troops to stop advancing and disperse and hide, but was stopped by Chief of Staff Akino Okaki.
"Your Excellency, Division Commander, the order given to us by Commander Gangcun was only to pay attention to air defense, and did not stop us from advancing. Once we are unable to arrive at Yangping Town as scheduled due to stopping our advance, you will be fully responsible if the headquarters investigates the responsibility.
of!"
Jutaro Amakasu said anxiously: "But you have also seen the telegram from the headquarters. The 31st Division has been attacked. If we continue to move forward, how can we ensure the safety of the troops?"
"Even if you suffer a certain amount of losses, it is not your responsibility." Akino Qiuhe earnestly advised: "As long as the artillery regiment is fine, even if one or two squadrons or even a brigade are lost, Commander Gangcun will not be too concerned.
I blame you too much, after all, you are also trying to carry out his orders."
Amakasu Jutaro was silent for a while, then slowly nodded, "Okay, for the Greater East Asia Holy War, some losses are inevitable, but you have to tell Ishida-kun that the artillery regiment must not make any losses, do you understand?"
"Hi!"
From the conversation between Amakasu Jutaro and Akinokaki, we can get the attitude of the top Japanese army towards the war at this time.
In their view, soldiers are just an honest consumable, not even as important as an artillery piece.
During World War II, there was a popular saying among Japanese people, "A piece of red paper, a 1.5 cent postcard, and you will become a soldier tomorrow."
This sentence vividly illustrates the process of recruiting soldiers by the Japanese government. In cities with relatively developed communications, the Japanese government will send a postcard worth one cent and five cents to the recruited personnel, informing them to go to the designated place to collect the summons order.
.Those who receive the postcard must gather at the designated location with the summons order within the specified time.
Because of this, in the minds of many Japanese generals, those soldiers who can be recruited for only one and a half cents are so cheap that they can be had as much as they want, and there is no need to cherish them at all.
But is this really the case?
In fact, as an island country, Japan is not only lacking in resources, but even its population is not as abundant as Japan's top leaders imagined.
When the war progressed to the end of 1940, Japan's top leaders had already felt the pressure brought by the war.
According to the memories of a later veteran named Hiroshi Enomoto, in late August 1940, he received a call-up order from the military.
On the surface, there seems to be nothing wrong with him, but the problem is that Enomoto Hiroshi was already thirty years old when he received the recruitment order. He still has a wife and two children at home. The most important thing is that he is a top student at Japan University of Political Science and Law.
When he was recruited, he was even working in the editorial department of Toyo Keizai Shinpo's Osaka branch.
It can be seen from here that when the war entered its third year, the Japanese army recruitment work was already very difficult. You must know that men like Enomoto Hiroshi are the most experienced social elites.
Almost at the same time, at an altitude of 6,500 meters, a group of B-25 medium bombers painted silvery white were flying towards the direction of the 33rd Division.
The B-25 flying at the front had a fuselage number of 2354. Just now, this group suddenly encountered four Type 1 fighters. Although the bomber group used the firepower of the dense formation to shoot down a Japanese plane, it eventually drove the Japanese plane away.
But bomber No. 2354 was also damaged.
After continuing the flight for more than ten minutes, Captain Pan Dingguo felt his body getting colder and colder. He immediately realized that the plane's wiring had been damaged, causing the electric-heated flight suit to no longer transmit heat.
According to common sense, when the altitude of the B-25 exceeds three thousand meters, the crew members must put on rubber oxygen masks, and at the same time, the electric heating flight suits on their bodies start to work. However, once the circuit is short-circuited or damaged, the electric heating flight suit does not work.
Wear several layers of thick clothing to keep warm and prevent frostbite.
At this time, the biting cold wind continued to blow in from the window that had just been broken, making the shooters in the middle of the fuselage, the spherical cannon shooters, and the tail shooters miserable. After more than half an hour of flight, their bodies and weapons were covered with bruises.
There was a thin layer of frost, and even though the gunners wore thick gloves, they still felt cold and had to work hard to move their hands to avoid frostbite.