Why is it said to be the most intense confrontation?
Because this sudden battle of Xuanhua will determine the final direction of the Battle of Nankou.
By August 12, the Battle of Nankou officially broke out for more than four days. Itagaki Seishiro's 5th Division entered the Nankou battlefield and cooperated with the Suzuki Brigade to attack the Juyongguan-Deshengkou-Zhenbian defensive positions. Tang Enbo's departments relied on the dangerous terrain to provide
The geographical advantage prevented layers of attacks, slowing down the offensive rhythm of the Fifth Division, and both sides on the frontline battlefield fell into a state of intense anxiety.
In order to deal with Tang Enbo's tribe as soon as possible, Itagaki Seishiro opened the south entrance, a gateway to the northwest, and did not hesitate to send a request for help to Tojo Hideki. Tojo immediately sent a Kwantung Army regiment south. The target was not Zhangjiakou, but Xuanhua.
Xuanhua is located between Nankou and Zhangjiakou, close to the Pingsui Line. In normal times, Xuanhua is inconspicuous. Tang Enbo and Fu Zuoyi did not pay attention to it at all. The troops stationed in Xuanhua were just one regiment. But as the Japanese army went south to attack Xuanhua,
This suddenly became the most important core point of the entire Nankou battlefield.
The reason is very simple. If the Japanese army captures this place, it can cut off the connection between the Nankou front line and Zhangjiakou in the rear, creating a central center.
What area is Xuanhua forward?
Huailai, Yanqing, Badaling and Juyongguan are all the core areas of the Nankou battlefield.
What happens next?
Just fifty miles away is Zhangjiakou, an important town in the northwest!
By then, the Xuanhua Japanese army, in cooperation with the Fifth Division and the follow-up Kwantung Army, will not only cause the main force of the Nankou garrison to face the danger of being attacked from both sides, but also be able to capture Zhangjiakou in one fell swoop.
What is center bloom?
This is.
On the day Xuanhua fell, the defense situation at Nankou completely collapsed.
The bad news is that the Xuanhua garrison only has one regiment. Counting the local security regiment and police, the total strength is about 2,600.
The good news is that the Japanese army attacking Xuanhua only had one regiment, and it did not carry a large number of heavy weapons due to its rapid march.
In the sky, a group of Type 95 fighter jets swooped down, pulled up, and continuously strafed the Xuanhua position. They went back and forth several times. After consuming all their ammunition, they quickly returned to prepare for the next sortie.
In order to cooperate with the Tamura Regiment of the 19th Division in the attack on Xuanhua, the Japanese Army aviation support can be said to be the greatest. The fighter force cooperated with the ground forces to attack the main city of Xuanhua, and the bomber force attacked the reinforcements in the direction of Zhangjiakou and Huailai. The number of sorties reached
The highest level since the outbreak of the Battle of Nankou.
The city wall was damaged and covered with bullet marks. The plane left, the smoke cleared, and a blue sky and white sun flag slowly rose above the city wall.
After fierce fighting for a day and night, the Xuanhua city wall position was still not lost.
"Yes, this is a unit with a warrior spirit. Have you found out which unit of the national army is on the opposite side?" Captain Tamura Iguchi held up the binoculars with both hands, scanned the blue sky and white sun flag standing on the city wall through the lens, and gently
He nodded in praise, and then asked the Japanese staff officer beside him.
The Chinese defenders who defended Xuanhua were no less tenacious in fighting than the imperial warriors under his command.
"This is Fu Zuoyi's unit, which belongs to the 126th Regiment of the 21st Division. The commander's information has not yet been obtained. In Chinese terms, this is a no-name unit." The Japanese combat staff responded: "But according to the weapon configuration of the no-name unit,
It is impossible for this unit to be equipped with a large number of 60mm mortars, which is what puzzles me."
A large number of 60mm mortars.
This is a strange situation discovered by the Tamura Regiment after suffering losses in many bloody battles. The 126th Regiment stationed in Xuanhua County is equipped with at least eight 60mm mortars.
Because of this, relying on the strong combat effectiveness of the Tamura Regiment, they have been unable to break through the city wall defenses. The Xuanhua defenders used mortars to repulse the Tamura Regiment's charges many times.
"Regiment 126, I didn't expect Fu Zuoyi to have such a unit. We won't worry about why the other party has so many mortars for the time being. The top priority is to capture Xuanhua."
Tamura Iguchi took a deep breath and looked at Xuanhua City in the distance. His face was stern and his words were decisive and extremely cold: "Order all ministries to launch a general offensive. Before seven o'clock, Xuanhua must be captured and the Chinese army must be completely annihilated.
Guards! Twenty-four hours have passed since last night, and it’s time to end it.”
Total annihilation!
This Chinese garrison must be completely annihilated, leaving no one behind.
Yes, the word Tamura Iguchi used was China, not China.
As the commander in charge of the attack on Xuanhua, Tamura Iguchi knew very well that his mission was to capture Xuanhua as soon as possible and cut off the connection between the Zhangjiakou and Nankou garrison. However, as a soldier of the Japanese Empire, he knew very well that the Chinese troops defending Xuanhua
What potential it contains.
In one day today, the Army Air Forces conducted air raids on Xuanhua County eighteen times, and the ground troops charged nine times, but the blue sky and white sun flag on the city wall still did not fall down.
This group of soldiers has the most terrifying fighting spirit and a military spirit that many troops do not have. What they lack is just weapons and equipment. If one day these Chinese soldiers are equipped with weapons and equipment with the same performance as the imperial troops, what will happen to the empire?
It will be the beginning of a nightmare.
Capture Xuanhua and wipe out the 126th regiment!
This is his greatest respect for the Chinese defenders.
"Hi!" The dusty Japanese combat staff member nodded immediately, quickly turned around and left, conveying the order.
Five minutes after the gap, following Tamura Iguchi's order, the Japanese troops launched a general attack at various positions.
More than 700 Japanese soldiers affiliated with the First Battalion, armed to the teeth, relied on the terrain to attack the north gate position of Xuanhua County in an orderly manner. The Type 92 infantry cannon and the Type 92 heavy machine gun provided combined fire support, and the veterans controlled the grenade accurately.
With the targeted killing, the three positions in the northeast and west gates of Xuanhua County were in emergency at almost the same time.
The Tamura Regiment is affiliated to the 19th Division. It is a serious Class A division. The tactical coordination between its soldiers has almost reached the level of perfection. Its combat effectiveness is no less high than that of the 5th Division on the front battlefield at Nankou.
.
This is a veteran of the Kwantung Army in 1937.
"Commander, commander, the north gate is in emergency, the east and west gates are all in emergency, the little devils have launched a general attack, with about two thousand attacking troops." In an inconspicuous earthen house, the 126th regiment headquarters is located here.
Regiment deputy Xu Jin, who received urgent news from various departments, quickly came to the regiment leader Cheng Zijian and reported the military situation, speaking hurriedly and with a hint of panic.
The momentum of this attack was far greater than any attack in the past twenty-four hours, with nearly two thousand Japanese troops attacking at the same time!
"Why panic! The little devil finally couldn't bear it anymore. We will not accept this fist. We immediately ordered the first, second and third battalions to withdraw from each position as planned. During the retreat, smoke bombs were set off, and the troops were reduced into the city. Notify Major Luo Qiang
, request firepower to support each position and interrupt the rhythm of the Japanese attack."
Cheng Zijian was dressed in military uniform, staring at the Xuanhua County sand table in front of him, and calmly issued the order. At the end, his words revealed a hint of coldness: "Tell them not to care about the gains and losses of the position, turn every house in the city into our position, and
The flesh and blood of us and the little Japs will be crushed. If the battalion commander dies, the company commander will die, and if the company commander dies, the platoon commander will die. Even if our 126th regiment is exhausted, we will still have to bite off a piece of flesh from this little devil’s body!"
The fist of the Japanese general attack was too powerful, so Cheng Zijian chose to avoid it and adopted a strategy of softening the strength, abandoning the city wall position and shrinking his troops, and relied on the complex terrain inside Xuanhua County for defense.
To put it in layman's terms, in one word, street fighting!
Flesh and stone grind away, this is Cheng Zijian's definition of the Battle of Xuanhua. Xuanhua is too important. If it falls into the hands of the Japanese invaders, the Battle of Nankou will collapse immediately.
He must hold Xuanhua until reinforcements arrive, and cooperate with the reinforcements to defeat this Japanese regiment that dared to go deep alone. Cheng Zijian still dares not forget the humiliation and painful lessons of the Great Wall War.
As for death?
Nothing to fear!
Born in the land of Yan and Zhao, he was full of pride and fearless.
"Yes!" Upon hearing the order, regimental deputy Xu Jin was shocked and swallowed his saliva. Knowing that the situation was urgent, he immediately left to convey the order.
"Communications staff, send power to the division headquarters. Our 126th Regiment has the 89th Division's transportation team fighting fiercely all day and night. The Japanese army has launched a general offensive. Cheng vows to live and die in Xuanhua City. It is expected that we can hold on until about seven o'clock on the 13th."
"Captain, what time is this?"
"This is the time when the Japanese invaders passed over our 126th Regiment."
…………
Street fighting does not distinguish between new recruits and veterans. The weapons advantage and soldier quality advantage of the Tamura Regiment will be greatly reduced in the street fighting environment, but this means that the intensity of the war will further increase.
Following the order issued by Cheng Zijian, the supreme commander of the 126th Regiment, the troops at the three positions of Xuanhua North Gate, East Gate, and West Gate began to retreat. The tires and wet wheat straw removed from the cars were ignited, releasing a large amount of smoke.
"Fire!" At the same time, Luo Qiang, a major officer affiliated with the 89th Division at the mortar position in Xuanhua County School, waited for the guns to be ready, lowered his right hand and gave the order to fire.
In an instant, all the prepared mortars in the artillery positions began to cover the Japanese troops attacking the three positions.
This is a downpour, the shells are as dense and terrifying as a heavy rain. The entire mortar is equipped with twelve 'imported' 60 cannons with the words "Brand Factory" engraved on the barrel, plus an 82mm mortar that is 70% new, resulting in
The firepower density and delivery speed of the 126th Regiment are comparable to an artillery battalion.
Of course, strictly speaking, these mortars do not belong to the 126th Regiment, but to the 89th Division Artillery Battalion of Tang Enbo's department.
Last night, these mortars and artillery shells arrived at Xuanhua South Station via the Pingsui Line. Unexpectedly, the Tamura Regiment happened to bypass the Akagi defenders and attack Xuanhua. In addition, the railway from Xuanhua to the south entrance was destroyed, and they were responsible for escorting weapons and equipment.
After receiving Tang Enbo's order, the commander Luo Qiang immediately participated in the Xuanhua battle and cooperated with the 126th Regiment to defend the Tamura Regiment's attack.
Because of this, the miracle of a regiment defending a regiment for a whole day and night was performed. Under normal circumstances, a Japanese regiment could easily penetrate a brigade if it was condensed into a fist.
As for the origin of these mortars, no one knows.
Twelve cannons and three thousand rounds of artillery shells.
"Bang, bang, bang!" On the mortar position, mortars were arranged neatly one after another. The gunner took the shells handed by the loader and loaded the shells as fast as he could in his life. Clear and loud gunfire sounds came one after another.
Swift and standard!
The theoretical rate of fire of the mortar is already higher than that of the Type 92 infantry gun, but the actual rate of fire depends entirely on the gunner's reloading speed. A mature mortar group can fire more than thirty-five shells in one minute.
If you play with the ultimate rate of fire, some god-level teams can shoot a terrifying result of 40 rounds per minute.
At this moment, a total of thirteen mortars opened fire on the Japanese troops in Xuanhua Hall.
In the sky, artillery shells tore through the dense air. The tail fins kept the projectile balanced, flying at a high speed of more than 130 meters per second, cutting through the dusk, and slamming down below like ants moving the fast-moving Japanese troops.
Soldier.
"Boom, boom, boom!" The fuze bottomed out, causing the internal charge to explode, releasing a high amount of kinetic energy outwards. The metal projectile made of gray cast iron could not withstand such terrifying energy, so it shattered and spread around at extremely high speeds.
, creating a death zone that has a terrifying effect on the human body.
This is...a metal debris net!
This is...made in shanbei!
Some Japanese soldiers were hit by an unknown number of irregular metal shrapnel before they could react and lost the ability to move. Some Japanese soldiers were lucky and a shell hit them directly in front of them and died on the spot. Some Japanese soldiers hid in bunkers.
Later, he successfully survived.
However, what is more common is that the Japanese soldiers who are chasing the 126th Regiment fall in pieces like harvested wheat under the sudden high-intensity firepower.
Within five minutes of launching the general attack, there were nearly hundreds of casualties!
Don't mistake the 60 mortars for artillery. When mortars are used intensively, their firepower and area-killing effectiveness are no less than those of a 75mm mountain gun cluster.
"Baga! What's going on?! Why do they still have artillery shells?! Why do they still have so many mortars?!" Tamura Iguchi, who was staying at the forward command post, his eyes instantly turned red as he looked at the Japanese troops who were under heavy shelling.
Soldiers, artillery shells continued to fall like raindrops in the sky, making incredible roars.
Reality hit him hard like a heavy hammer. Just when Tamura Iguchi thought he could successfully capture Xuanhua, he never expected that what happened in front of him happened.
Why?
Why does this Chinese garrison still have so many mortars and artillery shells?
Tamura Iguchi couldn't figure it out and couldn't understand that the opponent's mortars had misfired an hour ago, and later no fire support was provided no matter how critical the situation was, which led him to conclude that the defenders in the city had exhausted all their artillery shells.
However……
The cannonballs now so dense in the sky that it frightened him gave Tamura Iguchi a hard slap in the face.
what on earth is it?!
"Your Excellency, Captain, despite the heavy losses of the troops, due to the opponent's retreat, our army still successfully captured the three gates of Xuanhua County. This is good news." Upon seeing this, the Japanese combat staff immediately reassured.
"Baga, don't you know what these shells mean? They still have counterattack power and have enough shells. The most important thing is that they gave up their positions voluntarily instead of being forced to give up their positions." Tamura Iguchi heard this and was immediately shocked.
Cursing, his eyes were as big as copper bells, and the anger filling his heart did not make him lose the quality and reason that a senior officer should have: "The commander of this Chinese army wants to use street fighting to fight us, even if he
If all our troops are dead, we will also suffer heavy losses."
Tamura Iguchi could see that these Chinese defenders had voluntarily abandoned their positions with the support of smoke and mortar firepower, which meant that the opponent still had a considerable number of effective forces.
Abandoning the outside of the city and withdrawing to defend the city, what is this?
Fighting in the street.
In other words...fight hard!
"Hey, I didn't think enough about it. Your Excellency, Captain, what should we do?" the Japanese combat staff immediately lowered his head and admitted his mistake and asked.
Tamura Iguchi took several deep breaths in succession, remained calm, and issued an order: "Immediately send a message to the commander of the Itagaki Division and ask for tactical guidance. We need the bomber force to carry out the last bombing of Xuanhua County to eliminate the opponent's effective forces. We cannot spend too much in capturing Xuanhua."
With multiple forces, we must preserve enough strength to resist subsequent attacks by the Chinese defenders."
"Hi!" The Japanese combat staff nodded immediately.
…
"Commander, Xuanhua urgent telegram." The communications staff officer at the Seventh Army Headquarters took the Xuanhua urgent telegram and quickly came to Commander-in-Chief Fu Zuoyi's side, stood at attention and saluted.
"Good boy, I didn't notice Cheng Zijian before. I never thought he was a tiger general!" Fu Zuoyi took the emergency call and took a look. His eyes were reddened and he nodded with satisfaction. He turned his eyes to look at the war sand table in the Nankou area.
Staring at the location of Xuanhua City: "The 21st Division's brigade has been fighting for a day, but it has not been able to break through the position of a Japanese brigade. How long will it take for Liu Ruming's brigade to arrive at Xuanhua?"
The only unit closest to Xuanhua was the 21st Division stationed in Huailai. However, after a brigade affiliated with the 21st Division completed its assembly, it was blocked by a Japanese brigade in Xiahuayuan District. A whole day passed without being able to break through the Japanese army.
position.
What a shame!
Fu Zuoyi could only pin his hopes on Liu Ruming.
"Commander-in-Chief, there is no news from Liu Ruming's department yet." The chief of staff standing beside him shook his head.
"Damn it, at this critical moment, Liu Ruming is still worried that we will seize his territory and rely on everyone to run away. It is better to rely on ourselves and send an urgent call to Brother Xianzhou. If Xuanhua falls, our Nankou garrison will
He is surrounded by enemies from both sides, so please attack Xiayuankou quickly. Afterwards, I will transfer 12 newly purchased French Brand mortars to him." After hearing this, Fu Zuoyi gritted his teeth, suppressed the anger in his heart, looked at the sand table, and moved to his side.
said the chief of staff.
"12? Commander, isn't that too much?" The chief of staff was stunned. He knew that the newly purchased French Brand mortars that had recently entered the army were expensive, but the most important thing was their excellent performance.
These are rare and good cannons. Even one of them is extremely precious.
"At this juncture, which one is more important, artillery or Xuanhua?!" Fu Zuoyi gritted his teeth. Although he was heartbroken, he also knew that he must give Li Xianzhou enough benefits.
Even Fu Zuoyi only had thirty of these top-quality French mortars, including the twelve that were transferred to Tang Enbo.
"I understand." The chief of staff nodded and turned around to convey the order.
…
In Xuanhua City, the fighting entered a fierce state as expected, and the intensity was far higher than the city gate defense battle. The 126th Regiment and the Tamura Regiment launched a brutal house-to-house battle. Every house, every room, and even every
The toilet is a battlefield for both sides.
"Little devil, grandpa shows you a treasure!" On the second floor of a teahouse, two corpses had fallen at the stairs. The footsteps of Japanese soldiers going upstairs were heard below. A young soldier who had been shot in the abdomen vomited blood.
He took out two grenades with his right hand, bit off the fuses with all his strength, then rushed out of the corner with the smoking grenades and rushed towards the four or five Japanese soldiers on the stairs.
"Boom!" When this group of Japanese soldiers looked horrified, before they could react, two grenades exploded suddenly, and the shock wave and metal shrapnel turned a radius of five meters into a life-limiting zone.
In the city, such battles continued to take place, and both sides were completely at war.
This is the meat grinder, a meat grinder that is not too big but just right, devouring life and blood crazily. The invisible God of Death seems to be suspended above Xuanhua, showing a ferocious smile, waving a sickle, and constantly harvesting lives.
The sky was dark, fires were burning, gunshots and shell explosions mingled, and the number of casualties almost increased by orders of magnitude.