mtl008 Chapter 355 Japanese Army Adjustment
Chapter 355 Japanese Army Adjustment
At noon, after a fierce attack all morning, the Second Army finally broke through the last line of defense of the 104th Regiment. The th Regiment of the Japanese Army was directly driven back to the defensive position of the th Regiment.
"Mr. Tachibana, my 104th Regiment suffered heavy casualties and must rest in the back. How is the position on your side going? The Chinese army's attack is still fierce." Colonel Shizue Sukekawa, commander of the th Regiment, said to Colonel Yoshio Tachibana, commander of the th Regiment, with a sullen look on his face.
"Sukekawa, it's impossible to build all the defense positions in just one morning. Now we can only fight and build them at the same time. You should take the 104th Regiment to withdraw and rest. I can at least stop the Chinese army's attack for two days." Colonel Tachibana Yoshio, commander of the th Regiment, spoke helplessly about the position construction situation.
Colonel Shizue Sukekawa, commander of the 104th Regiment, was impressed by the confidence of Colonel Yoshio Tachibana, commander of the 104th Regiment, but the th Regiment was a unit assigned from the th Division and had reinforced forces from other units of the division, which was the reason they said they could hold the position for at least two days.
However, the commander of the 104th Regiment, Colonel Shizuji Sukekawa, felt that the commander of the th Regiment, Colonel Yoshio Tachibana, was a little too optimistic, as the attack power of the opposing Chinese army was very strong.
"Okay, then I will lead the troops to withdraw first. I have also figured out the number of the Chinese attacking force, and I need to pass the message to the division commander as soon as possible. I'll leave it to you!" Colonel Shizuji Sukekawa, commander of the 104th Regiment, bowed deeply to Colonel Yoshio Tachibana, commander of the th Regiment, and said politely.
"What? The 30th, 55th and 68th armies of the Chinese government, where are these troops from? Report this news to the th Army Headquarters immediately and ask them to check the situation of the Chinese army." Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie, commander of the th Division, asked Chief of Staff Major General Mitsuo Nakazawa to report the newly obtained Chinese army numbers to the headquarters immediately.
Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke was also walking back and forth in the headquarters in a somewhat irritated manner. Now he knew that three Chinese armies were attacking his back, so which Chinese army was attacking his defensive position on the west wing? Could it be an army-level combat unit as well?
After this analysis, the division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, became more and more surprised. Including the troops of the 31st Army in the Zaoyang area, his 16th Division would now have to face the attack of more than 100,000 Chinese troops, and the pressure would be unprecedentedly huge.
At the Japanese 11th Army Headquarters, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto also reported the numbers of some of the attacking Chinese troops discovered by the 16th Division to the commander Lieutenant General Okamura Neiji.
"Commander, after our analysis and investigation, it can be basically confirmed that the Chinese troops coming from Xinye to attack the 16th Division are the Second Army of the Chinese government. According to the previous division of the Chinese government, this Second Army belongs to the combat sequence of the First War Zone." Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi explained the intelligence to Commander Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji.
"The Second Army? How did this army get here from the First War Zone?" Commander Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji was also surprised at the Second Army's participation in the war.
Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura originally thought that the Fifth War Zone had gathered some miscellaneous troops that were resting in the rear to launch this attack, but now it seems that the Fifth War Zone has long been determined to encircle and destroy the 16th Division. In order to ensure the execution of the mission, they have secretly transferred complete and combat-ready troops from other war zones.
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto did not answer the question from Commander Okamura Yasuji because he did not know the specific situation. Moreover, he knew that the commander did not need to know the specific situation now because they needed to deal with the actual situation quickly.
"Tell this news to Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, and order the entire 16th Division to switch to defense. Let them hold the line. We will send reinforcements as soon as possible to support their breakout. Also, order the commander of the 13th Division, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, to lead his troops to attack northward as soon as possible, break through the Chinese army's line of defense as soon as possible, retake Shinno, and support the 16th Division's safe retreat." Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji also quickly issued new orders and instructions based on the current battle situation.
"Also, have Lieutenant General Susumu Fujita of the 3rd Division attack Zaoyang from Suixian, try to delay some Chinese troops and reduce the defensive pressure on the 16th Division. Let the Air Force airdrop supplies to the surrounded 16th Division to ensure their combat needs." Commander Neiji Okamura continued to give orders.
After the Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi recorded the order information, he also supplemented it by asking, "Commander, should we withdraw some troops from the three towns to the north to support the operations in Changshoudian? The 13th Division Commander Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei still does not have enough troops. They are facing the troops of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government."
Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji looked at the sand table and thought for a while, then nodded and said, "Mr. Yoshimoto, your staff should quickly see which troops we can dispatch to the north to reinforce. Facing the defense of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government, the troops available to Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei are indeed not enough. We need to provide him with actual troop support as soon as possible."
Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji also wanted to send reinforcements as soon as possible, but the combat scope of his 11th Army was too large, and he had so few troops. If he drew too many troops to reinforce, the troops in the rear would be relatively empty, and it would be easy for the Chinese army to find gaps in the defense to launch harassment attacks.
You know, the troops of the Ninth War Zone of the Chinese Government may always be eyeing your troops on the south bank of the Yangtze River. You must ensure that you have enough troops to deal with possible attacks from the Ninth War Zone of the Chinese Government.
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto also quickly filtered the current situation of the various units of the 11th Army in his mind, but what made him frustrated was that in the screening in his mind just now, he did not find which unit could be sent to Changshoudian for reinforcement.
However, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, commander of the 13th Division, was in no mood to care about the trivial matters at the headquarters. At this moment, he was giving pre-war instructions to Colonel Fukushima Yoshitomo, commander of the quartermaster regiment who was about to launch an attack.
"Captain Fukushima, when you lead your troops to launch an attack, you must be careful. This attack is mainly exploratory. Try to find out the firepower deployment of the Chinese army on the position. All personnel in the regiment must participate in this attack. Do you understand?" The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, gave earnest pre-war instructions.
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