Four Hundred and Fifty Three Really Miserable

my meta:

It has been many years since I came to Japan. As the military attache of the German embassy in Japan and as an observer of Japan's military strength, this is the tenth time I have submitted my observation report to China. Just a few days ago, the Japanese army deliberately invited me to visit their battle in the Nuomenkan area. The result of this battle ended in Japan's defeat.

What I have to say is that, as far as my observations are concerned, Japan lacks the preparation to fight against Soviet heavy weapons. Like France, they use all kinds of small-caliber weapons to deal with Soviet tanks and armored vehicles over o tons, and they also paid for it. heavy price.

I saw with my own eyes that the Japanese army was forced to organize soldiers to charge with explosives on their backs in an attempt to die with Soviet tanks or armored vehicles. The effectiveness of this tactic is very questionable, because the Japanese barely stopped the Soviet tank attack after losing about 100,000 men, and I even think the Soviets themselves were tired before stopping the advance.

The artillery carried by the Japanese army is not as good as the artillery deployed by the Soviet Union in the Far East in terms of caliber or power. fighting power.

The artillery shells fell on the positions of the Japanese army like raindrops, covering the main positions of the Japanese army and causing thousands of casualties to the Japanese army. The Japanese commander next to me even begged his artillery not to fire back, lest they attract larger-scale artillery retaliation.

On the other hand, Japan's Type 89 medium tank is actually slightly lower than the overall level of the French b1 tank, and it is even a generation behind the b1 tank in terms of main performance. The armor of this tank is not half that of the b1 tank, and the main function of the 57mm tank gun is to support infantry, not to attack the opponent's tank.

Generally speaking, this kind of Japanese tank is closer to our country's assault guns than real tanks. The combat content is to support infantry operations, but it is more expensive than the No. 3 assault gun, and its anti-tank capabilities and artillery support capabilities are weaker—— I really don't know why this tank is still in production, maybe it is really capable of its combat missions on the Chinese battlefield is one of the reasons.

However, I understand that the Japanese Navy is competing with the Japanese Army for the ratio of steel use, and as an island country, Japan, like the United Kingdom, pays more attention to the development of the navy, so in this internal struggle for the right to use steel production, Japan The navy finally won, so the army's weapons and equipment development was curbed.

Submachine guns are rarely equipped in the Japanese army, and there are many restrictions on the use of machine guns. Japan's infantry training prefers accurate shooting, which is mainly due to the army's emphasis on saving ammunition. Therefore, the armor of the tank units of the Japanese Army is generally thin, and the weight is pitifully low. This is because the military exhibition has been short of steel.

The failure of the Japanese army at Nomenkan is regrettable, but they do have their merits.

Japanese soldiers who have been brainwashed by Japan's unique Bushido spirit are not afraid of death, and they prefer to believe that their death can bring victory to their emperor. Of course, it turned out that there was nothing uniquely magical about their deaths, and the Japanese were not victorious in the Nomenkan area.

However, the fearless combat style of the Japanese army is very shocking. It is hard to imagine how difficult tasks this army can perform if it has advanced tactics. They generally carried out very accurate shooting training, focusing on bayonet fighting and charge tactics. To be honest, according to the standards of the early days of the First World War, this unit was very combat-effective.

Of course, in the face of an offensive or defensive system composed of tanks, artillery, and machine guns, the Japanese army's combat methods are obviously outdated. The result of their heroic battles repeatedly using dull and backward tactics is that they have nothing to brag about except for the high number of casualties.

The performance of the Japanese air force was also very disappointing. They competed with the Soviet fighter force for air supremacy, and listened to the valuable advice of our Luftwaffe observers in the early part of the war. His performance can be described as stupid.

They did not take advantage of their superiority in the air, and did not launch a large number of aircraft to support ground operations. The air strikes were limited to launching bombers to bomb a certain area. It was not like our Luftwaffe, which repeatedly launched a small number of aircraft to continuously provide frontline troops. Suppressive fire on the ground.

The direct consequence of this is that in addition to the loss of part of the Soviet artillery in several bombings, the Soviet artillery who lost the air supremacy can actually fight without pressure in most cases, which directly led to the failure of the Japanese artillery.

It is worth mentioning that Japan has achieved a series of victories in mainland China. The squadron seems to be retreating in an organized manner on the frontal battlefield, giving up some small but huge areas. This has also further deteriorated the situation in the Far East, and more people in Japan have turned to support continued expansion. Originally, because of the setback in the offensive in China, some people in Japan have begun to feel that they should stop the offensive and seek peace with China, but now it seems that This voice is already very weak, and the possibility of Japan continuing to expand the war is very high.

Now we all know that it seems impossible for Japan to go north, so the Japanese navy's southward combat policy deserves our attention. This battle plan includes the entire Southeast Asian region, and it will obviously conflict with the interests of the United States, Britain, and even our Germany. Please prepare early in Berlin, far away.

In the far east, I miss my great motherland all the time. I hope God bless you, my Yuan, and keep you healthy, and wish you all the best, and the empire's war against Britain will be victorious as soon as possible.

——Hadlitt von Bollett, first-class military attache of the Consulate General of the Holy German Empire in Japan

Akado finished reading the telegram, put the document on the desk, and looked at Brauchitsch and Augustus.

"The Japanese really used bayonets to hack Soviet tanks at Nomenkan?" Brauchitsch obviously did not believe the final result of the battle: "Japan's fighting power during the Russo-Japanese War cannot be underestimated...how is it so unbearable now?"

"If you know that Japan is building its fifth aircraft carrier, you know that they are not as weak as you think." Akado looked at the analysis of the Japanese Navy's combat capabilities in the upper right corner of the table, rubbed the bridge of his nose and said: "Fighting domestically is not Japan's strong point."

"Will Japan go south next?" Augustus asked, frowning.

"It has already begun to go south." Akado smiled bitterly and pointed to the information on the table and said: "The two Japanese armies have entered Burma and fought fiercely with the British troops under General Mountbatten. The accurate information obtained just this morning According to the news, the Hong Kong British Army was forced to surrender."

"So?" Augustus raised his eyebrows.

"That's right. It is only a matter of time before Japan and the United States go to war. Although the two countries are still shouting for peace between the United States and Japan, anyone who is not an idiot knows that the war will completely break out within a year." Akado clicked He nodded and said: "Our honeymoon period with Japan is over. After the battle of Nomenkan, Japan will not have any influence on our next strategy. Any requests from Japan in the future will be delayed. Take countermeasures."

"My Yuan, can I ask a question?" Brauchitsch thought for a while and said: "In terms of the choice of allies, you seem to have no good impressions of Japan. You know, Japan's current steel production is China's. times, if we choose a stronger ally, we should side with Japan."

Akado was stunned for a moment, and then laughed loudly: "China alone against Japan, it can be said that there is really no chance of winning. After all, China's current industrial base is too backward. But what if the United States is added?"

Augustus also stood up, patted and stood there in a daze...

The shoulder of Brauchitsch, who said how to answer the words: "This is why you are just a marshal, and Yuan is always Yuan... In Yuan's eyes, Japan has always been a bargaining chip with the United States, not an ally. As for China... ...that was the coup de grace that stabbed the United States in the dark."

"Then how do you reply to this telegram?" Brauchitsch knew that he couldn't see through the twists and turns of these politicians, so he didn't ask too deeply.

"This lieutenant colonel has completed his mission well, and he has a chance to be promoted." Akado glanced at the telegram again, and said with a smile: "Now that the situation in the Far East has attracted the attention of the Soviets, at least it can drag the war on." A few months. With these months, we can wait patiently for the outcome of the British home war."

Winston Churchill, this familiar name. Akado looked at the name written in cursive characters on the paper, and felt a little emotional in his heart: Goebbels, Goering, Hitler, and now Churchill is probably added—another familiar person is about to Leaving the stage of history, who will be next?

I thought of the place where the guns were ringing in London in the distance, the prime minister's office deep underground, and Churchill sitting in the dark corner. Akado raised the corner of his mouth and smiled. The scene he imagined in his mind was really familiar: In another time and space, Hitler looked like this in his last moments, right? It is also a dark basement, it is also poison and a pistol, and it is also waiting for its final outcome in despair.

What a tragedy.