mtl008 Chapter 529: Mobile Group Lost Contact
Chapter 529: Mobile Group Lost Contact
529th Mobile Regiment Lost Contact
"Commander-in-Chief, our expeditionary force paid heavy casualties to recapture Yenangyaung.
Commander Alexander moved his mouth and was about to take it back.
Do you think our commander would agree?
If our commander really agrees, wouldn’t it chill the hearts of hundreds of thousands of our soldiers? "
Luo Zhuoying spread his hands and said helplessly.
“That is to say, your commander is not unwilling to return Yenangyaung to the British army.
You want the British army to compensate you, right?"
Stilwell suddenly realized that this was in line with the character of the young commander Ye Qingshan.
A man who won't release the eagle until he sees the rabbit.
"I think it should be."
Luo Zhuoying smiled.
In fact, when he received Ye Qingshan’s telegram just now, he already understood what Ye Qingshan meant from the lines.
If you want to go to Yenangyaung, you can, but you have to pay extra.
“Okay, go ask Commander Ye.
What he needs from Alexander they give.”
Half a day later, Ye Qingshan gave a reply.
"What? He wants an armored division's worth of equipment?
Your commander is crazy. The British army only has two armored divisions in Imphal now.
One of them was a newly formed armored division, and its equipment had just been delivered less than a month ago.
Your commander must have known this news for a long time, so he targeted their armored division's equipment. "
After hearing Ye Qingshan's request, Stilwell looked strange, feeling that Ye Qingshan had already planned this.
“But I’m curious, your expeditionary force simply doesn’t have that many soldiers who can operate tanks and armored vehicles.
What good would it do if I gave you an armored division's equipment? You won't have time to use it in this battle.
It takes a long time to train a group of mature tank and armored soldiers.
You might as well ask for more artillery and ammunition."
Stilwell was puzzled.
“Don’t ask me, I don’t know.
I am just repeating the commander's words."
Luo Zhuoying also didn't understand why Ye Qingshan wanted the armored division equipment.
Because Stilwell was right, their expeditionary force did not have that many armored troops.
The entire expeditionary force consisted of only one armored regiment of the Fifth Army.
This is also why the weapons and equipment that Stilwell allocated to the expeditionary force were mainly guns, artillery and vehicles.
There are very few tanks and armored vehicles.
On the one hand, the Americans did not send much of this kind of heavy equipment.
On the contrary, the British army has stockpiled a lot of these heavy equipment in India over the years.
On the other hand, because the expeditionary force had no use for tanks and armored vehicles, the Americans simply did not give priority to transporting these tanks and armored vehicles.
Afterwards, Stilwell went to communicate with Alexander to see whether the British army was willing to use an armored division's equipment in exchange for Yenangyaung.
As a result, Alexander refused without hesitation.
What a joke, whether it was the previous armored division or their newly formed armored division.
They are the treasures of his British army, how could he possibly hand over one of them?
Even if it's just equipment, it won't work.
Moreover, in Alexander's opinion, it would be a waste to hand over the equipment of an armored division to the expeditionary force.
Neither side gave in and the situation reached a stalemate.
*
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After Ye Qingshan offered a price, he no longer paid attention to the matter.
Anyway, unless the British spit blood, Ye Qingshan will not give them the chance to return to Myanmar this time.
Not to mention taking back the oil fields in Yenangyaung.
At this time, the battle situation on Ye Qingshan's side had reached the most critical moment.
Ye Qingshan focused all his energy on commanding the battle, and left the task of dealing with Stilwell and Alexander to Chief of Staff Luo Zhuoying.
At two o'clock in the afternoon of the 25th, it was the sixth day of the Expeditionary Force's counterattack and siege of the Japanese 15th Army in Mandalay.
The young martial artist hurried into the command center and brought Ye Qingshan some bad news.
"Commander, our contact with Captain Zhao of Toungoo has been cut off."
After hearing this, Ye Qingshan's face suddenly changed, and he immediately asked, "When did it happen?"
“It happened just two hours ago.
We have an agreement with Captain Zhao to meet every two hours.
Just contact each other by telegram.
We last made contact two hours ago.
It was just two o'clock, the contact time, but Captain Zhao did not send the message as promised.
There might be something wrong with their radio station.
Two days ago, Captain Zhao said that their regimental headquarters had begun to move frequently.
The Japanese had already entered Toungoo City three days ago, and they were engaged in fierce street fighting.
Captain Zhao himself doesn't know how many people are left in the mobile regiment.
Their team had long been broken up and was fighting in various places in the city. We could only tell whether the defense zone was still in our hands by the sound of gunfire."
The young martial artist said this with a sad and angry look on his face.
In the past few days, Ye Qingshan asked him to deliver the telegrams from Zhao Dongsheng's mobile regiment as soon as he received them.
So, during these few days, Xiao Wusheng read every telegram sent by the mobile regiment.
Learn about the Toungoo Battle and its daily changes.
I know how fiercely the mobile group in Toungoo fought in the past few days.
Compared with the expeditionary force, which won successive victories on the northern and western fronts.
The mobile regiment defended the southern and eastern battlefields, which was the line from Toungoo to Loikaw and then to Taunggyi.
The expeditionary force's defense was extremely difficult.
In order to capture Toungoo and open up a route for retreat to the south, the Japanese 15th Army launched a frantic attack on Toungoo's mobile regiment.
In order to cut off the mobile regiment's ability to obtain supplies in Toungoo.
So they divided their troops to attack Leigu and Taunggyi.
The expeditionary force had only one mobile regiment in Toungoo and an armored battalion in Leigu, but not many tanks and armored vehicles.
There is a camp in Taunggyi.
Unfortunately, both Taunggyi and Loikaw, two strategic points, were lost the day before yesterday and yesterday respectively.
The mobile regiment in Toungoo has been cut off from supplies.
"How many reinforcements and supplies did Lao Zhou send to Toungoo in the past few days?"
Ye Qingshan asked with a serious expression.
"According to statistics, there should be two battalions of reinforcements, carrying weapons and ammunition, who have passed through the Japanese blockade.
Arrived in Toungoo.
The rest of the reinforcements were blocked by the Japanese in the Dongzhi area."
“Only two battalions?
If this is the case, Zhao Dongsheng and his men may not be able to hold out in Toungoo for much longer."
Ye Qingshan knew that he was facing the Japanese's attack at all costs.
Even if the soldiers of the mobile regiment have a strong fighting spirit, Toungoo will inevitably fall if they suffer too many casualties.
In fact, the terrain in Toungoo is not dangerous.
The terrain is mostly hills and jungles, and the soldiers of the mobile regiment often need to use their flesh and blood to form a defense line to block the enemy.
It would be great if it was a mountainous area, so that we could build solid fortifications against the mountains and fight tunnel battles.
Unfortunately, such conditions do not exist there.
"Continue to radio the mobile regiment.
Be sure to find a way to contact them.
Also, before dark, contact the Special Operations Group and tell them.
Tell them to get to Yangon as soon as possible.
This time, can you support Toungoo, relieve Toungoo's power, and tightly tie up the pocket that traps the Japanese 15th Army?
It’s up to them.”