"Why haven't the bombers arrived yet?! If we continue like this, even if we take Xuanhua, we won't be able to resist the subsequent attack of the 21st Division." At the command post outside the city, Tamura Jingkou was as anxious as ants on a fire.
The previous calm and calm look had disappeared, and he kept looking towards the darkening sky in the distance.
Nowadays, the most important casualty exchange ratio, balanced against the background of street fighting, is close to 1:1.
If you want to eliminate a Chinese soldier, you must pay the price of an imperial soldier. This is something Tamura Iguchi cannot accept!
If the bomber force doesn't arrive before dark, it means that we have to rely on ourselves to fight this battle.
"Report to the commander of the wing, urgent call from Chengde. Due to weather factors, the bomber unit cannot carry out bombing and has returned." At this moment, the communications staff hurried over and reported the situation.
"Nani?! These damn birdmen! I knew they were unreliable, I knew it! Baga!" Tamura Iguchi had a look of astonishment on his face, and after a second, he almost jumped up angrily.
After waiting for such a long time, the bomber force actually told him that it had returned and was not coming?
Tamura Iguchi had never encountered such a thing, or he had never imagined that such a thing would happen to him, in today's Xuanhua battle.
Without the support of the bomber force, how should we fight the Battle of Xuanhua?
In addition to this problem, Tamura Iguchi is now facing another thorny issue, that is, logistical supplies.
Since this operation was carried out by a solitary force, the Tamura regiment did not carry much food and ammunition, three days of rations + one basic ammunition. The original plan was to rely on army and air drops for logistical supplies after capturing Xuanhua. They never expected to fight fiercely and still have not been able to do so.
Take Xuanhua.
No, to be precise, we have already entered Xuanhua City, but the battle has not ended.
The base number of bullets for the troops has dropped to half, and the base number of artillery shells has reached an emergency level of one-third.
"Report, urgent call from the Third Brigade." At this moment, a communications soldier came quickly with a message in hand, stood in front of Tamura's well mouth, and reported loudly.
Tamura Iguchi took the message and read it, his face immediately turned ugly. The content of the message from the Third Battalion was very simple - Li Xianzhou's 21st Division, which was attacking from the direction of Huailai, once again sent an additional regiment to attack Xiahuayuan. The Third Battalion was stationed at Xiahuayuan.
The position is in danger, and troops are urgently needed to be replenished. Tactical guidance is requested.
Who is Li Xianzhou?
A trainee of the first phase of Huangpu, a direct descendant of the Central Army. The 21st Division under his jurisdiction is the second-rate ace division of the Central Army.
No matter how arrogant Tamura Iguchi was, he would never think that a thousand men of the Third Battalion could resist the three regiments of Li Xianzhou Division without aircraft bombing and artillery support.
it's out of the question.
But the problem is, where does he have the extra troops to reinforce Xiahuayuan?
The command post suddenly fell silent.
"After the news of the return of the bomber force came, our mission to attack Xuanhua was doomed to fail. If we capture Xuanhua City with a casualty ratio of 1:1, we will not be able to withstand the subsequent attack of the Chinese troops. The elite of our Empire of Japan
Soldiers cannot be wasted here in vain. To be honest, the 126th Regiment stationed in Xuanhua really opened my eyes, and its commander is very smart."
Tamura Iguchi held the telegram in his hand and his face was silent. After a few breaths, he breathed out softly: "Shinohara-kun, order the first and second battalions to retreat, call back the third battalion, and evacuate the lower garden as quickly as possible.
, advance towards Lihu Bay."
retreat.
Tamura Iguchi chose to retreat without hesitation, instead of losing his mind and fighting Xuanhua.
It is important to capture Xuanhua, but the safety of the Tamura Regiment is equally important. After capturing Xuanhua with a casualty exchange ratio of 1:1, how can the remaining Tamura Regiment defend the attacks of Li Xianzhou, Fu Zuoyi, and Liu Ruming?
Can't stand it.
"Hi!" The Japanese combat staff officer's face was full of sorrow and indignation. He stared at the figure of the regiment commander Tamura Iguchi who seemed to have aged several years, and turned to leave.
Issuing the order to retreat means that the mission has failed. As the captain of the regiment, Tamura Iguchi must bear the primary responsibility. In addition, it will inevitably make him unable to hold his head high in front of his colleagues in the military.
"Xuanhua... I will come back again." Tamura Iguchi did not pay attention to the eyes of the combat staff. He stared at Xuanhua County, which was gradually shrouded in night. His mind once again recalled the previous scenes of artillery shells that were as dense as raindrops. His face was cold and resolute.
At about 8 o'clock in the night of August 12, the Tamura Regiment withdrew from Xuanhua under the threat of Li Xianzhou's three regiments, suffering more than 1,100 casualties and more than 380 killed. The 126th Regiment stationed in Xuanhua suffered more than 1,900 casualties.
The regiment leader Cheng Zijian was injured, the battalion and company organization was basically wiped out, and the Xuanhua defense battle was defeated miserably.
The tragic and tragic Battle of Nankou attracted the attention of everyone in the northern region, while in the south, a long-planned battle attracted the attention of almost all China. Fifty thousand elite German armorers secretly stationed in Shanghai and surrounded the city in Shanghai.
of the Japanese Marine Corps.
The strength of both sides' troops - 50,000:5,000.
At dawn, it was already August 13th. At 9:30 in the morning, with the sound of a gunshot from the Security Corps defense line between Tiantong'an and Hengbang Road in Shanghai, the Battle of Songhu came as scheduled.
…
The roar of aircraft engines resounded in the sky. This was the roar of Chinese Air Force fighter planes, roaring to declare airspace sovereignty. On the ground, loud and dense gunfire almost spread throughout Shanghai. The 88th Division of the National Revolutionary Army
The Japanese troops storming the Hongkou area aimed directly at the Japanese Marine Corps headquarters.
In the outer area of the battlefield, a small hardware factory that has not received the evacuation notice from the government is located here.
"Director, there is a fight between the Nationalist Army and the Japs. What should we do? The shells have no eyes, and a shell may fly over at any time." At the door of the factory, the fitter Lao Li looked at the battlefield in the distance with a smile on his face.
With a worried expression, he asked Shen Hong, the factory director next to him.
"Old Li, what do you think?" Shen Hong, who was in his prime, nodded, gritted his teeth and stared at the Japanese invaders on the battlefield, clenched his hands tightly, the blood in his chest was hot, almost boiling, he suppressed his emotions and asked the old man
Li asked.
Shen Hong only had one thought in his mind, and that was - fight well and kill these damn beasts.
"We all listen to you. You are our backbone. Without you, the factory director, we would not be where we are today." Lao Li, the fitter, said on behalf of all workers.
As the most senior and skilled worker in the factory, Lao Li has a kind personality and has considerable status and authority among the workers.
"Then let me tell the truth, Lao Li, I want to give up all my current business, take all the machinery, equipment and workers in the factory, and rush to Yancheng." Hearing this, Shen Hong already understood the situation, with a look of determination on his face and a glow in his eyes. Decisively, he said solemnly: "You know the situation in the government. Even if we pass, we will never get ahead. I know some technology and knowledge. You and the others have experience and skills. I have purchased some foreign equipment over the years. We Bring these machines and equipment over to make guns and cannons for Yancheng and contribute your own strength."
Rushing to Yancheng was an idea that Shen Hong had been planning for a long time.
"You go to Yancheng, and we will go too!" Lao Li, the fitter, was startled when he heard Shen Hong's decision. He immediately made the decision, with a hint of expectation in his heart.
There is no worker who does not yearn for Yancheng in the north, even Lao Li, who is nearly fifty years old.
"Okay, without further ado, let's take action now while the train can still move." Shen Hong was not an indecisive person.
PS: Boss Shen Hong is online. This is the serious chief engineer of the Eighth Route Army Teahouse Arsenal. His talent and skills are among the top of that era, and he has a primary school education.
I wrote more than 7,000 pieces today and will continue writing tomorrow.