Chapter 445: The Most Advantageous Firepower Theory
May 8, 1942, Kaifeng.
As the situation became increasingly turbulent, massive amounts of intelligence flew into the headquarters of the 35th Division like snowflakes.
Looking at the piles of various types of documents on his desk, Japanese Lieutenant General Shigeta Tokumatsu held his forehead with his right hand, and then pinched his eyebrows painfully.
There is a large amount of information that is unknown to be true or false, and it is not easy to extract correct information and respond to it.
This kind of boring work is really laborious, even if he leads the staff to distinguish carefully, it will take a lot of time.
Just as the old Japanese paused his work and slumped down on the imperial chair, preparing to close his eyes and rest, an officer with the rank of major general suddenly broke in.
"Your Majesty Lieutenant General, we are in big trouble!"
"Based on the intelligence collected by our brigade, I personally believe that the Eighth Route Army in the Zhongtiao Mountain area will inevitably launch the first round of attacks around the middle of this month."
"The enemy's strength is conservatively estimated to be no less than 50,000!"
The reorganized Fourth Cavalry Brigade has been responsible for intelligence work in northern Henan.
As the first commander, Sakuma had the right to directly enter the 35th Division headquarters without notification.
The sound of the report from his superiors made Shigeta Tokumatsu slowly open his eyes. The old devil had a sad face at this time, and anyone could see that he was strong on the outside but weak on the inside.
"Inform officers above the rank of lieutenant colonel, as well as staff officers from the first section, to come to the headquarters for a meeting."
Since the war had not yet officially started, the top Japs in Kaifeng quickly gathered in the combat conference room.
After all the wing commanders and senior officers were in place, Tokusatsu Shigeta spread out a map around Jiyuan on the table, and then began to explain his views.
"The current situation is very serious. The Eighth Route Army in southern Shanxi is ready to launch an attack."
"This time the enemy is very powerful. The opponent's veterans are more elite than the samurai. The light weapons are more advanced than ours, and the heavy firepower is several times that of our younger brother's B division, and the logistical supplies are guaranteed."
"Our only advantage is that we have three defensive lines that have been operating for a whole year."
Hearing the unsubtle speech of their division commander, all the Japanese officers present felt very uncomfortable. No one expected that in just three years, our own side and the Eighth Route Army would actually change their offensive and defensive positions.
Massive artillery, a bottomless reserve of fighter planes, plus light tanks all over the mountains and plains.
Faced with the above configuration, they even had the illusion of being on the European battlefield.
Oh, right. Also include mortars of various calibers.
This is not a difference of several times of firepower, it is clearly more than ten times! Whoever hits him gets confused!
As if aware of the low air pressure in the combat conference room, the old Japanese soldier Shigeta Tokumatsu coughed lightly and forcibly said:
"Gentlemen, the difficulty is only temporary."
"Currently, the mainland and the Kwantung Army are mobilizing forces. Soon there will be new troops to deal with the Eighth Route Army, and even the most elite Class A divisions will come in to support."
"In this battle, we just need to hold on firmly. Counterattack is the task of follow-up reinforcements."
After the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, the frightened Twelfth Army decisively raised the defense level in northern Henan. In Jiyuan County alone, the Japanese deployed more than 30,000 troops, including the independent eighth brigade.
This main force has competed with the Preserved Fruit First War Zone for many years and has achieved quite impressive results.
In addition to concentrating his troops, Shigeta Tokumatsu ordered people to build fortresses, fortifications and bunkers in various transportation locations, and even laid a large number of mines frantically.
According to his own words, even if these three lines of defense together are not as good as Siegfried, they are still on the same level as Maginot.
Such a large-scale war was just to prevent the Eighth Route Army from suddenly launching an attack from the east of Zhongtiao Mountain.
"Hi."
"Best regards, Lieutenant General!"
After hearing the news that the Kwantung Army was about to reinforce, a group of Japanese officers once again burst into fighting spirit.
In their perception, those elite troops with well-equipped equipment and a long history of military establishment are basically synonymous with invincibility. Even if the enemy is the Eighth Route Army, it cannot stop the iron hoof of the Class A Division.
"Give me the order."
Shigeta Tokumatsu said in a serious tone:
"Troops at all levels in counties in northern Henan have built multi-level and deep positions at various traffic arteries, passes and commanding heights. They need to dig more tunnels, prepare anti-tank trenches, and build anti-tank bunkers."
"Rely on solid fortifications to block attacks layer by layer and consume the Eighth Route Army's effective strength! It doesn't matter if you lose your position during the day, you must regain it at night!"
"In addition, let each infantry brigade organize a dedicated suicide squad to hide in it and wait for opportunities to blow up enemy tanks."
"Hi!"
After a series of orderly orders were issued, the morale within the headquarters immediately improved significantly.
If they just hold back the Eighth Route Army in southern Shanxi, it does not seem to be an impossible task in the eyes of the Japanese. After all, they have a lot of messy troops.
It would take a while to catch tens of thousands of pigs on the plains, let alone live people.
······
At the same time, in Yuanqu County, the 129th Division advanced to the command post.
"Excluding the necessary guard troops, there are ten main regiments, two artillery regiments and one armored regiment participating in the first wave of attacks, totaling 41,700 people."
"In terms of logistics, the Suiyuan Military Region sent 500 liberation trucks some time ago. Coupled with manpower and animal power, there will definitely be no problems with supplies during the battle."
"By the way, there are also comrades from the Air Force. Under the premise of holding air superiority, the 1st and 2nd Air Divisions can provide at least 500 sorties of air support every day."
After hearing the report from the chief of staff, Cheng Shifa and Ding Wei felt relieved.
Hundreds of armored units, hundreds of artillery of various calibers, and air force support that can be called at any time. This kind of family background makes people excited.
After calming down, Cheng Xiazi pointed to the map of Jiyuan on the wall and said:
"The army is on the move, and the movement of the troops cannot be concealed from the enemy. The devils have made sufficient preparations."
"According to intelligence, our opponents in the first battle are the 8th Independent Mixed Brigade, the Manchuria and Mongolia Development Youth Corps, and the puppet troops transferred from northern and eastern Henan."
The so-called Manchuria and Mongolia Development Youth Corps is a group of young and middle-aged farmers recruited from the local area to solve the problem of insufficient manpower and immigrants.
After arriving in the Republic of China, these people will conduct exercises strictly in accordance with the requirements of the army.
After three years of training, some outstanding people can directly join the regular army. The lesser ones will be transferred to the garrison soldiers, who will be engaged in military training and production at the same time, and can be conscripted at any time.
In order to prevent the people in northern Henan from rebelling, the Manchuria-Mongolia Youth Corps was equipped with various light and heavy weapons, and even had more than a dozen small-caliber guns.
Strictly speaking, there is really no difference between these devils and the troops under the Guard Division.
As for the puppet army?
There are only 18,000 people in four armies, all of them are just a mob.
After everyone present had digested the intelligence, Cheng Xiazi picked up the second file from the table and continued to add:
"I received news from the front line that the devils have built multi-level deep defense fortifications on the road we must pass. It seems that they are planning to consume our manpower through layers of blocking."
"Everyone, do you have any ideas?"
While asking the question, Cheng Xiazi's eyes swept to the southwest corner of the conference room.
There sat seven allies who came from afar, including Brother Wen who came to learn the combat experience of the large army group, and the highest commanders of the six main divisions.
In this situation, the comrades of the Viet Minh did not understand the deep meaning of the friendly army. It was obvious that the teacher wanted to test the bottom of the students.
After thinking for a while, Wen Ge stood up in the expectant eyes of his colleagues and slowly told the battle plan in his mind.
"Our Eighth Route Army has an overall advantage in strength, but the Japanese will and ability to fight are not weak. The enemy is backed by a solid position. If we want to attack by force, it will definitely be a bloody battle."
"So I personally think that this battle should move forward steadily and step by step."
"First use heavy firepower and heavy artillery to strike the devils, and then the main infantry units slowly advance, gradually eliminate the opponent's living forces, and take it slowly."
In 1942, Wen Ge was only 31 years old.
He had just taken off his teacher's long gown. He was just a history teacher who had read a few military theories. In terms of military level, he was not even as good as the bald head.
Moreover, the Viet Minh had never had any successful military operations since its establishment. After all, their enemies were Japan and Vichy.
Needless to say, the former was definitely the hegemon of the Asian battlefield.
The latter may seem to be lame, but that is compared with De San and Dai Ying. If it is just to deal with a group of Southeast Asian natives, it is definitely a heavenly soldier in the literal sense.
All of the above causes Brother Wen to think too one-sidedly when thinking about problems, and always ignores some objective premises.
The answer of the ally made Cheng Xiazi's eyes flash with a trace of imperceptible disappointment.
If there is no famine in Henan Province now, the Eighth Route Army can indeed advance step by step, and even use the 12th Army to train troops in northern Henan.
But time waits for no one, and now every second of delay may cause heavy losses.
What's more, the allies in North Africa are still crying for food, and ending the battle early can open up a new battlefield.
After tactfully denying Brother Wen's plan and explaining the specific reasons to him, Cheng Xiazi announced his own combat plan domineeringly.
"Limited time! Limited depth! Concentrate superior forces! Encircle in a roundabout way! Quick battle and quick decision! Complete the annihilation of the enemy!"
·······
After the combat meeting, Cheng and Ding came to the office together.
The two looked at each other, and both saw helplessness and confusion on each other's faces.
"Old Ding, why do I feel that Director Xiao and I have been tricked by Director Huang? Do those Viet Minh comrades really have the same ideology as the border areas?"
"There has been war for many years, and the people's lives are very difficult. In this situation, they actually paid out of their own pockets to hold a small banquet every five hours and a large banquet every ten hours in Taiyuan?"
"The most outrageous thing is that Brother Wen actually brought a few female comrades with him, and said that he would assign one of them to take care of my daily life. Isn't this making me make a mistake!"
Hearing this, Ding Wei threw the cigarette butt in his hand to the ground fiercely, and then complained:
"I heard that in Southeast Asia, they all eat bananas when they get on the horse, lemons when they get off the horse, coffee after meals, and pineapples before going to bed. Our brigade commander has never enjoyed such a life."
"It will probably be more troublesome when we go there. Although the Viet Minh's unit number starts from 308, there are actually only six thousand-man divisions in total."
"I asked Brother Wen, and he told me about Zhouli and usurpation. What nonsense!" (End of this chapter)