Yamada Masaki never thought that one day he would be in such an embarrassing situation!
Since receiving the battle report that the 232nd Infantry Regiment was nearly wiped out, as the de facto second-in-command of the 39th Division, Yamada Masakichi knew that he must not make any mistakes, otherwise the 39th Division would be defeated in the battle of Zaoyi last year.
The great glory gained will also be wiped out.
Therefore, he was more cautious than ever before. Even if the division commander who was in command on the warship sent a message repeatedly to urge him, he still waited for three days until the artillery wing and navy fighter planes concentrated fire and blasted the mountainous area opposite into a piece of scorched earth.
Only then did more than 1,500 soldiers be deployed to attack China's important highlands.
In his tactical plan, the Chinese side, which cannot withstand the pressure, will definitely reveal their trump cards and expose important firepower points that were not detected in the early stage.
It may not be possible in one fell swoop, but it can lay the foundation for the second wave of attacks. If nothing unexpected happens, conquering this line of defense in two days is already the limit of what the Chinese can resist.
All the tactics he planned in the early stage were realized as he expected. The Chinese were indeed very tenacious. Under such fierce bombing, they still survived in large numbers and put up effective resistance. They also revealed their final trump card as expected.
However, this trump card is a bit too powerful, so powerful that even he, the second most powerful figure in the 39th Division, who commands an army of nearly ten thousand, cannot bear it.
It doesn’t matter if the Chinese have artillery or anti-aircraft guns. After all, this is also the defense zone of the legendary 18th Army of China’s five elite infantry armies. Only some artillery proves that they are worthy of their reputation, right?
But can you believe that the Chinese actually built a tank in such a poor place where people have difficulty walking? Looking at the tens of thousands of imperial troops who entered this battlefield, there is not a single such thing.
It's not that the Imperial Division lacks tanks, but that after early reconnaissance and analysis of the terrain, the senior command officials believed that dispatching tanks to march here was time-consuming, laborious, and of no tactical help.
In fact, through the past few days of marching in the mountains, the artillery regiment's Type 41 mountain guns that can be dismantled and transported with the help of pack horses have given Yamada Masaki a headache. More than a dozen pack horses have been killed because of the terrain.
He broke his leg in a complicated manner. If a big guy like the Type 89 tank came here, a road would have to be specially built for it. It would have been a long time since he arrived at the battlefield.
It can only be said that a few days ago, His Excellency Commander Yokoyama Isamu was still regarded as an extremely wise little sweetheart in the heart of Yamada Masakichi. Now facing the Chinese tanks appearing on the battlefield, it is really true to say that Yokoyama Isamu is Mrs. Niu.
Colonel Yamada Masakichi's personal accomplishments are very good.
In the past, Masakichi Yamada would never have filled this big hole with the lives of precious imperial officers and soldiers, but the casualty figures reported by the three infantry brigades and the previous defeat of the 232nd Infantry Regiment had not yet reached the center of Shipai.
On the edge of the defensive zone, the 39th Division lost nearly 4,000 soldiers.
This terrifying number made the Japanese army commander, who sat there in silence for a long time, know that he actually had no other choice.
Apart from a strong attack, apart from breaking through this line of defense, he has no way to retreat!
However, Yamada Masakichi finally chose to send a telegram to the division commander Murakami Kisaku. He did not seek tactical guidance. He only informed him that nearly an infantry brigade had been damaged in the first round of the attack and that the Chinese tanks were currently present.
Quantity, and said that it is not ruled out that the Chinese defenders will have more tanks.
This can be regarded as the cleverness of Yamada Masakichi. He handed over the decision-making power to the division commander. In the future, no matter whether he wins or loses or the battle losses are too large, Murakami will take the blame. He is only the executor and not the decision-maker.
By.
"This battle is related to the empire's global strategic decision-making and the future of our empire. The division has decided to implement the military orders of the base camp, the China Dispatch Army Headquarters, and the 11th Army Headquarters. All officers and soldiers of our 39th Division must move forward bravely to defeat the enemy in front of them.
It’s my responsibility!” Murakami Kesaku sent such a lofty message 20 minutes later.
This message, which was sealed by the 39th Division Regiment Headquarters, was also considered by various military scholars in the future to be the most important factor that caused the 231st Infantry Regiment to become the most fertile prey after the Si Xing Regiment arrived in central China.
Murakami's thinking was actually very flexible. The information he obtained from Yamada Masakichi, a capable subordinate, was enough for him to judge that the Chinese defenders faced by the 231st Infantry Regiment were extremely strong and would suffer heavy losses in a strong attack.
But like Yamada Masakichi, the Japanese Army Lieutenant General also had no choice. The commander of the 11th Army, Yokoyama Isamu, had been laying the groundwork for half a year in order to conquer Shipai, and he did not hesitate to use 150,000 people to launch the Zaoyi Battle to conquer Yiling.
, even spending a lot of manpower and material resources to launch the Battle of Western Hubei so that the imperial army can attack the core defense area of Shipai from all sides. How could the 231st Infantry Regiment surrender and retreat just because the opponent's tanks appeared?
In addition, the 232nd Infantry Regiment was defeated. For the sake of his own future, Murakami had to take a gamble. As long as Shipai could be conquered as scheduled, victory would be able to cover up all the ugliness. No matter how heavy the casualties were in the face of victory,
It will only become a string of numbers sealed in the Imperial Army base camp, and he, the division commander, will only rise to great heights under the aura of victory.
What's more, he also brought the base camp, the China Expeditionary Forces Headquarters and the 11th Army Headquarters with him. Anyone who dares to hold him accountable must first ask the big guys who are leading all this.
Anyway, just throw the pot upwards.
Murakami's decision seems perfect on many battlefields. If he loses, it is the imperial soldier who dies, and it is the commander-in-chief who bears the responsibility; if he wins, it is the imperial soldier who dies, and he, the commander, takes over the glory of victory.
But his cleverness was used in the wrong place, because he did not know the number of the defenders on the opposite side, which was the Si Xing Regiment, a Chinese heroic regiment that defeated three general commanders in a row on the North China battlefield.
Of course, maybe even if he knew that the defenders were the Four Elements Regiment, the probability that Murakami would take a gamble for his own future would be more than 80%.
After all, the reputation of the Four Lines Regiment mainly lies in the North China battlefield. The 39th Division has never encountered it, so it can't be scared away when it hears someone else's serial number! That is not something that the Imperial Japanese Army can do, even with its industrial strength.
The Americans, who have been ahead of Japan for decades, are planning how to kill them, right?
So, January 21, 1941, a small year in southern China!
Under the extremely tough military orders of Colonel Yamada Masakichi, the three infantry brigades, which had suffered heavy battle losses, rested for half a day and replenished the missing soldiers with heavy supplies.
At around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, nearly 11 infantry squadrons were deployed, 3 brigades were heavy machine gun squadrons, 3 brigades were artillery squads, 1 artillery squadron directly under the wing headquarters, and 1 artillery battalion of the artillery wing with 12 mountain guns, a total of infantry
More than 2,200 people, 31 heavy machine guns, 10 infantry guns, 10 mortars, and 16 mountain guns launched an attack on 7 highlands in Zhujiaping.
The artillery mentioned here is not the artillery bombardment launched before the infantry attack, but the artillery that can provide fire support within 10 minutes when the front-line infantry encounters heavy firepower from the defenders.
This can be regarded as the limit of the reaction speed of the Japanese artillery, mainly due to communication problems!
But for this era, this is already an exaggeration. You have a heavy machine gun firepower point with a strong enough bunker and you are trying your best to suppress the opponent. In the end, within 10 minutes, the artillery is overwhelming and smashing the machine gun and shooter into parts.
Without the fire suppression of heavy machine guns, we can only rely on single-shot rifles in the hands of infantry. Under the constant charge of the opponent's superior forces, we have to ask how many troops can withstand it.
Fortunately, this is the Four Elements Group.
Not only are the fortifications built strong enough, but for example, the machine gun bunker that Bai Sheng assigned to each battalion's engineer company helped build. Unless it was particularly unlucky and shrapnel penetrated the bunker, a 70mm infantry cannon that could destroy an entire fortification with one shot would be destroyed here.
Basically, all efforts are in vain, and they may be counter-killed by various mortars that have been staring at them.
Moreover, the individual weapons issued by the infantry squad of the Fourth Line Regiment are Czech semi-automatic rifles and submachine guns, coupled with the light machine gun MG42 for work. The thing they are least afraid of is the intensive assault of infantry, that is, the Pure Life Harvester.
There were many highlands that were ignored at all when the Japanese infantry continued to advance. At most, they sent precision shooters to kill the exposed Japanese officers, grenadiers, and light machine gunners. Basically, they waited until the Japanese infantry entered.
At the 100-meter red line, crazy firepower output begins.
Regardless of the Japanese infantry's proficiency in individual tactics, all of them are masters of shooting. They can hit a watermelon at a distance of 300 meters. They are all scum in front of a fire net composed of submachine guns that can shoot out more than a dozen rounds of bullets.
scum.
As long as you lie down, your chance of survival is still greater than 80%. If you continue to push forward, your chance of death will be greater than 80%.
It has to be said that a B division like the 39th Division can become an elite division in the 11th Army, and its infantry fighting will is remarkable.
The 3rd Battalion had fought against many Japanese divisions, but those like the 39th Division, which was crawling from 200 meters away under a hail of bullets, and managed to climb to 70 meters in front of the front line trenches, would never have more than 3, using Boss Cao
According to the statement, it is at least as good as the 20th Division during the Jindong War.
Although in the first battle, he used the hidden Xiaoqiang tank to catch the Japanese army off guard and kill three hundred Japanese invaders, the victorious Boss Cao never underestimated his opponent.
Because he will not forget the battle on the high ground where the 4th squadron suffered almost all casualties. The Japanese corpses in front of the position could be built into a high wall, but the Japanese army was still not afraid of the death rush. This led to
The loss of part of the defense line on the high ground.
And that is also based on the fact that they have advantageous terrain, solid fortifications, advanced weapons and equipment, and sufficient ammunition storage.
The Japanese troops attacking Highland 13 were replenished and reached the size of two infantry squadrons again, still under the personal command of Major Yoshizo Sano.
In fact, the Japanese army did not invest many troops on the two flanks of Highland 13, because not far from Highland 13 are Highlands 11 and 14. As long as a machine gun is placed, they can attack the high ground from the ridge line.
The attacking Japanese infantry formed a crossfire, which was really fatal to the infantry.
Sano Yoshizo, who had exerted all his strength, threw nearly 280 Japanese infantry into the frontal battlefield in one breath, forming 6 skirmisher lines on a battlefield with a depth of only 360 meters. There were approximately 50 infantrymen in each line.
This was a typical wave-like attack, relying on a continuous assault of soldiers, which exhausted the Chinese defenders on the position, and was ultimately defeated by their superior strength.
Finally, we can also engage in a war of attrition with China.
The Japanese army's intelligence system was not perfect. They stole intelligence from the Chinese side in the afternoon of the 21st. The defenders on the left flank of the 11th Division of the 18th Army were no more than an infantry regiment. This was also the reason why Yamada Masakichi started a mad attack mode in the afternoon.
one.
A standard Chinese infantry regiment only has more than 2,500 troops, and even a reinforced regiment only has 3,000 troops. The fighting on Niuchangpo has already been in full swing, and the Yegou detachment has successively invested thousands of infantry. The Chinese still have not retreated, and the defenders will never retreat.
If it is lower than 1,500, it means that Zhujiaping will not exceed 1,500.
With 5,000 infantry VS 1,500, even if you exchange 3 for 1, you can exchange all the Chinese. This is what the Japanese officers at all levels who are ready to fight are now planning to do.
Judging from the current infantry strength alone, there is nothing wrong with Yamada Masakichi’s idea. The 3rd Battalion currently only has more than 900 infantrymen, and some of them are reserve units and have not been on the front line. For example, there are only 33 people on Highland 13 at full capacity.
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In the last round of combat, the 14 infantrymen who followed Boss Cao's attack were not intact. Four of them were injured by the bullets fired back by the Japanese army, and two of them were seriously injured. If they had not received first aid properly, they might have died on the spot.
The total force currently invested by the Japanese Army Major alone is 10 times that of the defenders on the highlands. 10 for 1 can completely replace the two infantry squads on the highlands.
However, Boss Cao is not a good bird in counterattacks without any surprise attack. Two years of battlefield experience has turned him from a super bombardier with only reckless strength to an uncle fox.
No, the first wave of Japanese who crawled on turtles were severely beaten.
Second Lieutenant Akiku Kawakami was a key candidate for training in the military with high hopes from the Kawakami family, a famous tailor shop in Hiroshima. Since entering China, he has been extremely brave and was promoted from Cao Commander to Second Lieutenant Squad Leader after his meritorious service after the Battle of Zaoyi.
If he makes another military exploit, it is very likely that the family's status in Hiroshima County will change. No matter who mentions the Kawakami family again, they will never add the word "tailor" in front of them.
Therefore, when Lord Sano issued the military order, Lieutenant Kawakami was extremely determined to lead his own infantry squad as the vanguard of the entire army.
Before entering the battlefield, Second Lieutenant Akiku Kawakami felt a surge in his heart.
"Come back alive, the brigade and the division need warriors like you!" His Excellency Major Sano, who was usually extremely serious, actually patted his shoulder and whispered tenderly.
Second Lieutenant Kawakami has made up his mind that even if he dies in battle, he will repay the kindness of the Major.
So, his wish was fulfilled, 60 meters before arriving at the Chinese front line trench.
However, poor Lieutenant Kawakami was not killed by a bullet, but by a metal thorn half buried in the soil.
The two machine guns of the Chinese are really terrifying. When the "puff" sound is heard, which is similar to tearing cloth, no matter which wave of Japanese troops they are, they can't help but tense up.
Second Lieutenant Kawakami, who had just completed a leap and advanced two or three meters with the help of his strong waist and abdominal strength, felt dust splattering on the ground beside him, until he was targeted by a Chinese machine gunner.
Therefore, the Japanese Army second lieutenant, who was brave enough and physically strong, held a rifle and rolled over continuously, dodging to a crater five meters away from his side.
He succeeded and rolled into the one-meter-deep pit that was probably caused by an aerial bomb.
But before he could be happy, the poor second lieutenant felt a stabbing pain in his chest. When he lowered his head and looked, the second lieutenant's eyes widened. It was a triangular nail with three spikes, one of which was pierced right into his left chest.
In addition, the two spikes exposed on the body surface that were covered in dust and looked gray were six centimeters long!
"Baga!" the second lieutenant roared angrily, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
That meant that the sharp thorn that had penetrated his body had penetrated the pericardium and pierced the cardiac artery.
In less than 10 seconds, Kawakami Akiku, who was able to climb up the four-meter trench with bare hands, had never felt so weak. Let alone move his once strong body, he didn't even have the strength to call out to the medics.
"The Chinese are really too insidious!" Second Lieutenant Kawakami, who was lying on his back with blood constantly flowing from the corners of his mouth and nostrils, could only express his helplessness on walking onto the Naihe Bridge with such a trace of resentment before his consciousness sank into the dark abyss.
A small triangular nail quietly took away the life of Sano Yoshizo's bravest infantry squad leader.
Second Lieutenant Aki Kawakami was the first victim of the triangle nail, but he was by no means the last.
Because, after the last round of counterattack, Boss Cao ordered hundreds of triangular nails to be thrown in front of the front-line trenches.
There was no pattern to this. Even if there was a pattern, with the Japanese army preparing for another hour of artillery fire, even the gods would not know where these triangular nails were swept by the air waves.
When you step on a steel nail that is nearly 6 centimeters long, the entire sole of your foot will be pierced. If your body jumps on it, it can penetrate into your internal organs. If your face unfortunately hits you, congratulations. You no longer have to worry about your IQ shortcomings.
Who can call a fool a fool?
Of course, it is something to be thankful for after suffering such an injury on the battlefield and still becoming a fool!
Screams came one after another, but soon, these screams basically disappeared. It was not that these Japanese infantry were tough enough to grit their teeth and persevere, but that after being exposed due to extreme pain, they were basically killed by the bullets that came from the sound.
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The Japanese troops below were agitated!
"Order, continue to advance, throw grenades to the 30-meter area, and then the whole army charges! The empire will win!" Yoshizo Sano, who watched the constant death of his own infantry in front through the telescope, had a cold face and was not moved at all.
On Hill 13, three long gun barrels were already in place behind the camouflaged shooting holes.
Because Xiaoqiang Tank had already used surprise to attack once, and it would never be effective again like before.
Boss Cao has reason to believe that the Japanese army has deployed at least 4 infantry guns and is waiting for the tanks to appear in the dense forest on the opposite side. The 70mm infantry cannon may not be able to destroy the machine gun bunker with three layers of protection, but the 10mm armor of the TKS tank is in this kind of situation.
You will be extremely vulnerable to artillery.
Therefore, the three TKS tanks became fixed turrets this time and were placed at a height of nearly 60 meters away from the front-line trenches. There were three layers of sandbags and steel plates in front, and rocks for protection, and there was a slope specifically for evacuation in the back.
The Japanese army used mountain artillery to cover the special evacuation channel when shelling.
The fire suppression is handed over to two MG42 machine guns, and the three 20mm machine guns hidden behind the fortifications will serve as the most ferocious fixed firepower point on Highland 13 when dealing with the Japanese onboard assault! ()
