Chapter 506: The Strategies of the General Showdown
Chapter 506 Planning for the duel between generals
On November 16, the 32nd year of the Republic of China (1943), a fierce battle broke out between the Chinese and Japanese armies on the west bank of the Luanhe River.
The battle ended with a major defeat for Siye. The 4th Armored Division of Siye was severely damaged. All three main armor regiments and the division's armored battalion were wiped out. The division commander, Lieutenant General Hu Xianqun, died for his country. The mechanized infantry regiment of the 4th Armored Division and
The division's self-propelled artillery battalion was also encircled and annihilated by the Kwantung Army in order to cover the evacuation of the logistics troops from the front line.
In this battle, the four fields lost a total of 354 M4 medium tanks, 123 armored fighting vehicles, 247 trucks and jeeps, 36 self-propelled artillery pieces, and more than 9,000 casualties, of which more than 3,600 were killed. What is even more heartbreaking is that,
The vast majority of those who died were tank soldiers, artillery and other technical arms that were difficult to train.
The only thing that stood out was Lieutenant General Hu Xianqun's desperate counterattack in a desperate situation!
Due to Lieutenant General Hu Xianqun's desperate counterattack and the successful destruction of the Kwantung Army's forward base on the outskirts of Changli, the main armored group of the Kwantung Army's 1st Front Army lost the conditions to take advantage of the victory and pursue the victory.
The safe transfer of a large amount of supplies and the transfer of the main force of the 4th Army to Yanshan gained precious time.
Tianjin small station, Siye forward headquarters.
At this moment, the small conference room next to the combat hall was already crowded with generals. Except for the commander of the 4th Group Army, General Dai Anlan, who did not arrive for some reason, the commanders of the other seven group armies and the deputy commander-in-chief of the field army, General Wei Lihuang,
, Chief of General Staff General Huang Jie, Deputy Chief of General Staff Zuo and Yue Weihan were all present.
Due to the defeat at the front, the atmosphere in the conference room was obviously a little solemn.
Yue Weihan was in an equally uncomfortable mood. More than 3,600 officers and soldiers died on the battlefield. As the highest officer of the Fourth Field Army, if Yue Weihan could still be happy, then he would not be worthy of being a human being. However, it is not necessarily true that Yue Weihan was depressed.
, the ancients said that good and evil depend on each other, and the defeat of Luanhe is not necessarily a bad thing for the surrounding areas!
The Anti-Japanese War has now become a large-scale battle involving millions of people!
In such a large-scale war, the destruction of a mere armored division, or even the death of thousands of officers and soldiers, is no longer enough to cause an increase or decrease in the strength of both sides. The four fields will not lose their strategic initiative because of the defeat of Luanhe, and neither will the Kwantung Army.
Because of a small victory in Luanhe, the passive situation faced by our side was fundamentally changed.
However, the defeat of Luanhe was enough to sound a wake-up call to the proud soldiers in all directions!
Before the defeat of Luanhe, due to the continuous victories in Singapore, southwest China, Taiwan, Shanghai, and North China, there was a strong sense of pride in the army. It was believed that the Japanese army was already declining, and the troops of the Four Fields could not reach it.
The Japanese army must be invincible, and even in the field army headquarters there are many who hold this view.
Now, these proud and powerful generals should know that the Japanese army is not without the power to fight!
Yue Weihan's sharp eyes swept across everyone's faces one by one, and he was the first to break the silence and said: "Tell us all."
"Well, let me say a few words first." General Wei Lihuang coughed and said, "Although our army suffered a defeat in Luanhe, in my opinion, it is not all bad things. At least it makes us understand
One fact is that the Japanese army, especially the Kwantung Army, still has considerable combat effectiveness, and our army must not take it lightly."
General Zuo also said: "Before the war, our army ignored the impact of meteorological conditions on the course of the war. This is also a lesson."
After saying this, General Zuo said: "In the Battle of Luanhe, if the Air Force can participate in the battle, even if the Kwantung Army has a group of Tiger heavy tanks assisted by Germany, the 4th Armored Division may not be defeated, at least it will be completely destroyed.
Retreating is absolutely not a problem, so I suggest that meteorological experts be invited to come to North China immediately to make accurate predictions about future weather."
"Well, that's a good suggestion." Yue Weihan nodded happily, "After the meeting, we will immediately arrange a special plane to bring Mr. Zhu and his scientific research team from Myanmar to North China."
Shanhaiguan, the headquarters of the 1st Front of the Kwantung Army.
When the 1st Front Army of the Kwantung Army achieved the great victory at Luanhe, the Japanese base camp also underwent major personnel adjustments.
Emperor Hirohito was worried that Hideki Tojo, who was both prime minister and chief of general staff, would become a military dictator and then the second shogun. In addition, Hideki Tojo did not perform well after becoming chief of general staff. Therefore, Hirohito
The Emperor issued an edict to dismiss Hideki Tojo from his post as Chief of General Staff, and appointed Minister of War Anami Eikichi as Deputy Chief of General Staff, acting as Chief of General Staff.
Unlike Tojo Hideki, Anami had great respect for Okamura Neiji. As soon as he took office, he asked Emperor Hirohito to promote Umezu Yoshijiro, the commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, and the deputy commander-in-chief Okamura Neiji to field marshal.
Please promote Yoshio Shinozuka, commander of the Mongolian and Sui Front armies, and commanders of all the Kanto front armies to the rank of army general. Emperor Hirohito is pleased to agree to do so.
The promotion order arrived at Shanhaiguan on the same day, and Okamura Neiji is now a field marshal!
At this moment, Hattori Akitaro was reporting the final results of the Battle of Luanhe to Neji Okamura and Mitsuo Nakazawa: "Because the advance base in front of Changli was destroyed by the Chinese army, our tank group was in a fuel shortage. Although emergency dispatches were made from all sides,
, but it is only enough to meet the combat needs of a tank regiment, thus seriously weakening our army's penetration capability."
"In the end, although our army achieved significant results and basically annihilated the main force of China's armored group, it was unable to intercept the large amount of supplies that the Chinese army had hoarded on the front line. China's mechanized infantry group was also able to calmly evacuate from the battlefield. It has now entered
In the Yanshan Mountains in northern Hebei, the main force of our front army is following and monitoring."
"Hey." Mitsuo Nakazawa claps his hands with his fists and said bitterly, "Our army has almost all the three major elements of war: time, location, and people, but we have only achieved such an unembarrassing result. It's really disappointing.
What a pity." After saying this, Mitsuo Nakazawa said with a solemn expression, "If the air forces of both sides participated in the war, the outcome would be really unpredictable."
Okamura Neiji waved his hand and comforted: "Nakazawa-kun, the tactical literacy of China's officers and soldiers has made great progress compared to a few years ago. Whether it is the desperate assault of its armored group or the emergency transfer of the mechanized infantry group,
They all demonstrated extremely high fighter aircraft capture capabilities and tactical command capabilities. It is extremely difficult for our army to achieve such results."
Zhongze Sanfu frowned and said: "But hundreds of thousands of elite troops have rushed into the Yanshan Mountains. They are like tigers lying on the barren hills. They may jump out and injure people at any time. Before the follow-up armies arrive, it will be difficult for our army to attack."
We have advanced forward, but now is a great opportunity to seize the opportunity to pursue victory, but our army can only wait for the fighter plane to disappear, which is really regrettable."
A sly smile suddenly appeared at the corner of Okamura Neiji's lips, and he said thoughtfully: "Nakazawa-kun, there is an old saying in China, which is that misfortune lies on the back of good fortune, and good fortune lies on the back of misfortune. In the Battle of Luanhe River, our army
Although it was not fully accomplished and allowed hundreds of thousands of elite troops to flee into the Yanshan Mountains, this is not necessarily a bad thing for our Kwantung Army."
"Oh?" Nakazawa Sanfu said in confusion, "Marshal, how do you say this?"
"The secret must not be leaked." Okamura Neiji smiled slightly, and then said, "Nakazawa-kun, immediately dispatch 12 to 15 mechanized infantry divisions from the Luanhe front line to outflank the southern and eastern foot of Yanshan Mountain, and then call the other front armies.
, let them send more than a dozen mountain divisions to advance southward from the northern foot of Yanshan Mountain, encircle the Chinese Army from three sides and rush into the Yanshan Mountain area!"
Mitsuo Nakazawa said solemnly: "Your Excellency, Marshal, do you want to eat these hundreds of thousands of troops in one bite?"
Okamura Neiji smiled and said: "It would be great to be able to eat these hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops in one bite. If you can't eat them, at least the Chinese will have to work hard to rescue these hundreds of thousands of people."
Tianjin small station, four fields headquarters.
The summary meeting has ended, and Yue Weihan and the commanders of each group army reappeared in the operations hall.
The huge simulation sand table is already filled with soldier models, tank models and artillery models of the Chinese and Japanese armies, as well as base and fortress models. Although these models are no different from children's toys, they represent countless
With millions of officers and soldiers and a huge number of tactical arms, this is a true battle between large armies.
General Zuo was holding a command stick and pointing at the sand table to explain the latest situation of the two armies: "According to the latest battle reports sent back from the front line, the Kwantung Army has actively stopped its offensive and the front line has basically stabilized near Luan County. However, this situation will not be maintained.
After too long, with the arrival of Kwantung Army reinforcements and the remobilization of supplies, a new round of offensive will definitely be launched."
"If nothing else goes wrong, the Kwantung Army will launch a new round of offensive within three days. The only variable is that the main force of the 4th Group Army has entered the Yanshan Mountains. There are hundreds of thousands of elites of the 4th Group Army watching on the side, which will definitely give them a blow.
The Kwantung Army caused a great deterrent, and the Kwantung Army probably would not and would not dare to attack with all its strength."
After Mr. Zuo introduced the battlefield situation, everyone's eyes focused on Yue Weihan.
Fighting in a large corps with millions of troops is a completely new and unfamiliar subject for all the senior generals present. Even the war genius Mr. Li has only just emerged and is still far from being a successful military expert.
Well, in this situation, only Yue Weihan can shoulder such an important task.
Yue Weihan pondered for a moment and asked General Zuo: "What is the situation of the 4th Army now?"
General Zuo said: "The morale of the troops is still there, but they are a little impatient. From the commander of the group army to the ordinary soldiers, they are all anxious to regain their position. However, this is understandable. When have our four fields ever suffered such a big loss?
After saying this, Mr. Zuo added, "Also, Dai Anlan has been relieved of his post, and Liao Yaoxiang is now acting as commander."
"Nonsense!" Yue Weihan frowned and said, "You want to pick a fight at this time? It's not that cheap. Call Dai Anlan immediately. If he can't lead the 4th Army and can't bring these hundreds of thousands of soldiers out of Yanshan, he will wait to join the military.
Let’s go to court! Even if I, Yue Weihan, don’t deal with him, the people of the whole country will not be able to spare him!”
"Yes." Mr. Zuo snapped to attention and took the order.
Watching General Zuo leave, General Wei Lihuang said worriedly: "Loyalty, although the 4th Army has entered the Yanshan Mountains, it has become a lonely army. Let alone replenishing ammunition, I am afraid that it will not even be able to raise food."
It will become a problem. If the weather is not clear and the air force cannot airdrop supplies, I am afraid it will not be able to hold on for too long."
Yue Weihan remained silent. Why wasn't he worried about the safety of the hundreds of thousands of officers and soldiers of the 4th Army?
However, the four field troops that have arrived in North China now, apart from the 4th Army, only have the 3rd Army and Peng Bisheng's 5th Army. Gao Shuxun's 6th Army has just passed the Jiaodong Peninsula, President Xu's 7th Army and President Li's 8th Army
The Army Group had just landed at Pukou and was marching toward North China along the Jin-Pu Railway.
The Tianjin-Puzhou Railway has not yet been opened, and the navy's transportation capacity is too weak and ineffective.
The 3rd and 5th Group Armies alone are not enough to defend against the huge tank cluster of the Kwantung Army. They must not take the initiative anymore, otherwise the defeat of Luanhe is very likely to happen again! If the 3rd Armored Division and the 5th Armored Division
The division also suffered heavy losses from the Kwantung Army, so the big battle with the Kwantung Army was really not going to be easy.
For the current plan, Yue Weihan can only hope that the weather will clear up within three to five days, and the Air Force can airdrop supplies to the Yanshan Mountains in time. At the same time, he must also encourage the 4th Group Army to overcome the difficulties as much as possible. The current conditions of the 4th Group Army are no longer
Could it be more difficult than when the Baoshan Brigade fought guerrillas in southern Shandong and southern Hebei?
Seeing Yue Weihan's silence, Huang Jie suddenly sighed: "It's a pity. If the Kwantung Army can go south a few months later, when our army aviation force is built into an army, it won't be too large, only 3 to 5 army aviation regiments."
, we can beat up the armored clusters of the little devils all over the place, how can we allow them to show off their power like this?"
"Don't think about this." Yue Weihan said, "Just wait patiently."
There is no way to build the Army Aviation Force into an army at once. First of all, Myanmar's helicopter manufacturing workshop has just been built, and the output has not yet increased. It can only produce forty or fifty aircraft per month at most. Secondly, flying helicopters and flying fixed-wing fighter jets
They are completely different things, so Army aviation pilots must be specially trained. There is no way to transfer pilots from the Air Force. And if you want to train a group of qualified Army aviation pilots, it will take at least three months!
Therefore, this period of time is the most difficult for everyone.
Since the Kwantung Army moved south ahead of schedule, the plan to establish the Great Wall defense chain has come to naught. After the defeat at Luanhe, even the expectation of a stalemate with the Kwantung Army in eastern Hebei is full of variables. If the extremely bad weather continues for a while, the four fields will not be able to say
We had no choice but to abandon the front and instead hide in the vast North China Plain with the Kwantung Army.
However, Yue Weihan will never make this choice until the last moment, because it means that the land of North China will once again be trampled by the iron hoofs of the Japanese army, and it also means that millions of compatriots will bleed and die. Yue Weihan
I absolutely don’t want to see this scene happen, especially on the eve of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War!