A tired Avril has just returned from Singapore. As a war reporter, she has just experienced the entire process of the Allied forces' recovery of Singapore. She was also fortunate to see the powerful combat effectiveness of the Chinese army. However, the Japanese army trapped in Singapore seemed vulnerable.
Compared with the strength six years ago, it is simply incomparable.
Under the bright light, Avril was writing a newsletter.
Picking up the pen, Avril wrote "The Awakening Sleeping Lion" on the top of the paper.
Immediately Avril began to write the text: More than a century ago, Napoleon once said that China is a sleeping lion. Once it wakes up, the whole world will tremble. It is sleeping. Thank God, let it sleep.
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Today, however, I am very convinced that this sleeping lion has woken up and has shown its claws to the world!
A century ago, the British Empire only needed to send 3,000 foreign gunmen to easily capture the capital of the Eastern Empire.
Half a century ago, Japan, which had just completed the Meiji Restoration, was far from being called a military power, but it easily defeated the Beiyang Fleet, which was known as "the strongest navy in Asia" at the time, in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894!
Six years ago, 128 Japanese cavalrymen could frighten hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops and easily capture a city!
At that time, China was indeed asleep. This lion that had ruled the entire East for more than 20 centuries was indeed asleep.
But today, I am very convinced that this lion has awakened.
Just a few days ago, I witnessed this male lion showing its claws, and the Japanese were its first prey!
In the Battle of Singapore, the once arrogant Japanese army appeared vulnerable. The once lagging and weak Chinese army had powerful modern weapons and equipment, and showed strong combat effectiveness. In the face of the steel torrent of the Chinese army, the already exhausted
The Japanese army appeared to be weak in resistance.
The Chinese army today is no longer the Chinese army it was six years ago.
Six years ago, the Chinese army showed no confidence even when dozens of elite divisions faced half of a Japanese division.
However, today, six years later, dozens of Chinese soldiers can capture thousands of Japanese soldiers. This is not a myth, but a real thing. Before the Battle of Singapore officially started, a 60-man elite national army first captured
Under the guidance of Japanese anti-war personnel, the team swam across the Johor Strait and made an emergency landing of more than 2,000 Japanese soldiers on the opposite side of the Woodlands position!
I can't help but feel glad that the British Empire is now China's ally, not its enemy!
I am also a little worried. If one day the British Empire becomes the enemy of China, can our British army withstand the strong teeth and claws of this lion? China not only has a vast territory, but also has a huge population base. This lion
Once the lion fully awakens, the entire world will be under its rule.
Is the British Empire, which once ruled most of the world, mentally prepared to be ruled by it?
The day after Avril sent back a "warning" telegram to the UK, China's newly awakened lion once again showed its strong teeth and claws, and this time the prey was the Japanese army in western Hunan!
In Singapore, the Chinese army adopted a long-term siege tactic.
But in western Hunan, the Chinese army adopted completely opposite tactics-attack by force!
On July 10, the 32nd year of the Republic of China (1943), the 10 mechanized infantry divisions of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Group Armies of the Fourth Field Army, as well as the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions, and the 1st and 2nd Heavy Artillery Divisions all entered their designated positions. Just now
General Yue Weihan, the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Field Army who returned to the front line, immediately issued the order for a general offensive!
After the battle, a veteran of the Chinese army told the reporters about the battle that night.
At four o'clock in the morning, three red flares were launched on time. In an instant, artillery units deployed several kilometers or even ten kilometers away began bombarding at the same time. Two heavy artillery divisions plus 10 artillery regiments, as well as various infantry regiments,
The artillery battalion, with more than 3,000 artillery pieces of various calibers and types, fired at the same time, setting the entire sky on fire.
Looking from a distance, the Japanese army's position was a sea of fire, plowed over and over again.
At eight o'clock in the morning, the artillery bombardment on the Japanese forward positions finally ended, and the artillery began to fire at the Japanese troops in depth. I made a rough estimate through the telescope and found that the elevation of the main Japanese position opposite had been lowered by at least two meters.
The field fortifications were completely destroyed, and there were almost no Japanese soldiers visible on the Japanese positions.
At 8:05, a huge roar of engines rang out from the dense forests on both sides of the river valley. In just a moment, more than 600 tanks of the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions slowly drove out of the dense forests, and soon opened up in the open.
An attack formation was set up in the river valley. Our platoon followed one of the tanks and slowly approached the Japanese position on the opposite side.
Not long after, our plane also appeared in the sky, dropping bombs and swooping and strafing.
We quickly crossed the Japanese cordon, and Japanese soldiers finally appeared on the Japanese positions that had been as quiet as death just now. I really can’t imagine how these Japanese soldiers survived the saturation bombardment that lasted four hours.
Those who came down? These bastard little devils are tougher than cockroaches.
The Japs began to fight back one after another, but the Japs' rifles were no threat to us hiding behind the tanks. Although the machine guns posed a certain threat, they were quickly killed by the main gun guiding the tank. The Japs also had 37 anti-tank guns.
Approximately a dozen of our tanks were destroyed, but the Japanese anti-tank guns were quickly killed by the tank group and the aircraft group in the sky.
The little Japs couldn't resist, so they started sending death squads to rush up with explosive bags, trying to blow up our tanks.
This is really thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi. At the Songhu battlefield, we had no choice but to send death squads to rush in with explosive packs to blow up the tanks. At that time, dozens of brothers were often killed in a row.
It may not be possible to blow up even one of the Japs’ tanks, but now it’s the Japs’ turn, and I feel so relieved!
Old brothers who died in the Songhu battlefield, brothers have avenged you today!
The defense line of the little Japs was quickly torn apart, and all the hundreds of Japs who resisted were killed.
On the way, we discovered a Japanese bunker. Several Japanese soldiers were hiding inside and refused to surrender. They even threw grenades outside. The fire-breathing soldier "Lao Mao" sprayed a pipe inside. When we rushed in again, several Japanese soldiers were already there.
Everything was burnt to char, this little devil was scorched, and the smell was actually not much different from that of an animal.
After tearing apart the first line of defense of the Japanese army, we followed the tank group and drove straight in regardless.
At around two o'clock in the afternoon, we took over the Japanese headquarters. Our 6th platoon was the first to rush into the Japanese headquarters and killed a dozen Japanese officers, one of whom seemed to be a colonel.
After scanning more than a dozen rooms in a row, a woman's scream suddenly came from the front.
My deputy platoon leader and two soldiers rushed forward and kicked open the door. Inside, there was an old devil holding a saber and chasing two Japanese girls. Those two Japanese girls were naked.
She was naked, with fair skin, big breasts, round and perky butt, and even more handsome appearance. My deputy platoon leader and two soldiers were dumbfounded at the time.
If it weren't for my sharp eyesight and quick hands, I shot the old devil down with one shot, and the deputy platoon leader would have been reimbursed right then and there.
Later I found out that the person I beat to death was actually that old Japanese soldier Okabe. I felt so regretful that I was so close to becoming the first Japanese general-level prisoner to be captured. What a pity.
.However, the commander-in-chief still gave me the sword owned by old Japanese Okabe, and I will let my son pass it on as a family heirloom in the future.
In the battle in western Hunan, our four fields really showed awe and confidence!
At that time, the mountains and plains were full of Japanese prisoners. I will never forget that scene in my life.
The army group that the three fields came to help was dumbfounded. There were six divisions and four mixed brigades, with a total of 150,000 people. Our four fields were completely wiped out in one day, with more than 20,000 enemy soldiers killed and 130,000 prisoners taken prisoner.
This was something that was unthinkable in the past, but on the other hand, it was common for little devils to eat hundreds of thousands of people in one go.
Finally, the veteran told the reporter with great emotion: "It's worth it. It's worth dying to catch such a hearty victory in this life."
The great victory in western Hunan brought joy to the whole country.
Chairman Mao and President Zhu sent commendations from Xi'an, and President Roosevelt on the other side of the ocean also sent a congratulatory message, appreciating the Chinese army's active offensive in western Hunan, and hoping that the Chinese army could continue its efforts and launch a comprehensive counterattack to push Japan back
The aggressors were driven out of China and made another contribution to the world anti-fascist war.
However, Yue Weihan was somewhat dissatisfied with the Battle of Western Hunan.
In the Battle of Xiangxi, Shiye relied on his powerful tank cluster and air superiority to annihilate Okabe Naosaburo's 150,000-strong army in a very short period of time. However, several serious problems were also exposed. The first was the infantry artillery.
Collaboration, and then air-ground coordination, all had omissions that accidentally injured friendly forces.
This shows that all departments in the four fields still need to strengthen combat drills.
Of course, the most important thing is to sum up the valuable experience of the Battle of Western Hunan. Although there were inevitably some omissions and accidental injuries in this battle, it was unparalleled. In any case, this was the first time that the Chinese army annihilated the Japanese army in an organized manner.
Troops larger than a legion also laid the foundation for the Chinese army to launch larger-scale battles in the future.
Tokyo, Japanese military base camp.
After the news of the great victory in western Hunan spread, although the Chinese people were rejoicing, the whole country in Japan was shrouded in an atmosphere of despair and sadness. Now, even the most die-hard militarists have understood that unless a miracle happens or something happens,
A decisive strategic weapon, otherwise Japan's defeat would have been inevitable.
In the conference room of the Japanese General Staff Headquarters, the atmosphere was even more solemn.
Both the Imperial Prime Minister and Chief of Staff Hideki Tojo and the Minister of War, Anami Yuiki, who attended the meeting, all seemed worried. In less than half a month, the Japanese army suffered heavy losses in Singapore and Western Hunan. Nearly 200,000 Japanese soldiers
Being annihilated by the Chinese army was nothing short of adding insult to injury for the already stretched Japanese army.
With the destruction of the main force of the Japanese army in central China, the fall of Shanghai and Nanjing seemed inevitable.
Just now, Anami Yuki had formally proposed to Tojo Hideki the proposal to withdraw troops from Shanghai and Nanjing, but he was sternly rejected by Tojo Hideki.
Anami Weiji's considerations are not unreasonable. The situation has developed to this point. With less than 100,000 Japanese troops in Central China alone, it is obviously unrealistic to defend Shanghai, Nanjing and peripheral military strongholds. For the Japanese base camp, the wisest approach is
It is to reduce the military strength in an all-round way to ensure the security of North China and Manchuria!
However, Tojo Hideki insisted that Shanghai and Nanjing must hold on.
Anan has Anan's considerations, and Tojo also has Tojo's considerations. The reason why Tojo Hideki wants the Japanese army in central China to stick to Nanjing, Shanghai and peripheral military strongholds is to prepare a heavily mechanized group in the Far East after reaching a reconciliation with Russia one day.
Able to move from North China to the south, re-open the mainland's communication lines, and bring back more than 700,000 Japanese troops from Southeast Asia!
With most of central China lost, the more than 700,000 Japanese troops in Southeast Asia were already in a dilemma.
It seems meaningless to continue to hold on. With the destruction of the Japanese naval combined fleet and the loss of most of Central China, Southeast Asia has completely become an isolated overseas enclave. No matter how many islands there are in Southeast Asia,
Rich strategic resources can no longer be transported back to the homeland, so what's the point of keeping them?
However, it was absolutely impossible to allow the more than 700,000 Japanese troops in Southeast Asia to retreat on their own.
There are only two ways to withdraw troops from Southeast Asia, one is to take the sea route, and the other is to take the land route, but no matter which route is used, it is a dead end for the Japanese army in Southeast Asia.
Let’s not talk about whether there are so many large transport ships when taking the sea route. Even if there are no naval escorts, once discovered by the US Navy, more than 700,000 officers and soldiers will have no choice but to perish in the ocean.
The land route is also impassable. Once the Japanese army in Nanyang abandons the permanent fortifications on the Indochina Peninsula and enters the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, let alone whether the Chinese army in central China will intercept them at the front, the Chinese expeditionary force in Burma and Siam alone can defeat the hastily retreating Nanyang army.
The Japanese army was torn into pieces, and the results of the Battle of Western Hunan have fully proved that the armored group of the Chinese Expeditionary Force is by no means a vegetarian.
In order to rescue the more than 700,000 Japanese troops in Southeast Asia, the only possibility is to quickly reach an understanding with Russia in the short term, and then order the 1.5 million mechanized heavy infantry group in the Far East to pass through Manchuria and drive southward from North China, opening up the mainland's communication lines with thunderous momentum.
Rescued more than 700,000 Japanese troops trapped in Southeast Asia.
The armored clusters of the Chinese army are certainly powerful, but the Japanese army also has armored clusters, and they are larger!
The Japanese army's tanks and heavy artillery may not be as good as the American tanks and heavy artillery equipped by the Chinese army in terms of performance, but they have an absolute advantage in quantity. Since the destruction of the combined fleet, the Japanese army's resources have begun to tilt toward the army. So far, the Japanese army has
It has established 10 tank divisions and 20 heavy artillery brigades, with more than 3,000 tanks of various types and more than 2,000 150mm caliber heavy howitzers!
However, due to the strong pressure of 2 million Russian troops, most of the 10 tank divisions and 20 heavy artillery brigades were integrated into the Far East Front Army, while a small number were integrated into the Kwantung Army.
The North China Front Army, the Central China Front Army and the Southern Army were not equipped.
Now, it depends on the outcome of the meeting between Okamura Neiji and Germany and Russia. If everything goes well, the 1.5 million mechanized heavy army group contained by the Russian army in the Far East will be completely liberated and enter the Chinese battlefield forcefully.
Even if this 1.5 million-strong mechanized force group cannot completely defeat China, it will definitely not be a problem to defend North China and Manchuria.