Chapter 514 Kwantung Army: End the Battle Before Christmas

Late at night, the Kwantung Army Headquarters was still brightly lit. The occasional arguments in the combat meeting room added a bit of tension and urgency to the atmosphere on the scene.

"Baga, is it possible that the entire Operations Section 2 is full of undercovers sent by the Navy? Have you carefully read the intelligence sent by the North China Front Army?"

"The Eighth Route Army has tanks, and their mobility and firepower are no less than the Type 97 medium tanks."

"In this case, if you send the First Tank Division to fight the enemy on the plains, isn't it equivalent to letting Lieutenant General Hoshino Toshimoto die?"

Operation No. 1 was the largest joint operation of the Japanese army since the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain.

This campaign not only concerns the future ownership of the North China region, but also involves the planning and construction of the local defense circle. Under such double pressure, even the Kwantung Army, which has always been arrogant, has to go all out.

The arguments among the staff during the war game simulation made the commander Meizu Mijiro, who was still resting with his eyes closed, frown.

After thinking for a while, the old devil slowly opened his eyes and ordered the chief of staff and the deputy chief of staff who were on standby:

"Kasahara-kun, send someone to send a telegram now to ask where the train that Okamura Yasuji took has gone? With such a casual character, it's no wonder that their North China Front Army suffered a series of setbacks."

"Ikeda-kun, don't be idle either, go and call the division commanders to a meeting."

"The final version of the combat plan must be finalized quickly. We must work harder tonight to make the entire operation foolproof."

After the Battle of Nomonhan, the entire Kwantung Army basically never carried out large-scale military operations except for last year's special combat readiness exercise.

Plan No. 1 formulated by the headquarters directly excited the entire Kwantung Army, which had not fought for a long time, and several lieutenant generals were so excited that they stayed up all night.

If it weren't for Umezu Mijiro forcing his subordinates to rest, the division commanders might have stayed in the combat meeting room until the last second before departure.

As for why the devils were so excited?

It's very simple, because they all know one thing, from generals to privates, that is, the Kwantung Army will sooner or later be used as a blood bag by various battlefields and constantly drained of blood.

The Ichiki Detachment, which was completely destroyed on Guadalcanal a few days ago, is the most straightforward example.

If we don't take the initiative to fight for a large-scale battle, I'm afraid it will be difficult to have a chance next time.

After receiving the order from their commander, Lieutenant General Yukio Kasahara, the chief of staff, and Major General Junhisa Ikeda, the deputy chief of staff, felt relieved. The two set off immediately, and no one could find fault with their hurried appearance.

But it was a coincidence that they ran into Okamura Yasuji, who looked tired, just after they went out. In desperation, the former could only return the same way and returned to the combat meeting room with the guest again.

"Mr. Okamura, I miss you so much after not seeing you for so many days. How do you feel about returning to the Kwantung Army again?"

"It's really hard for you to come all the way this time. If the war situation requires it next time, I will go to the headquarters of your North China Front Command."

Operation No. 1 is related to the overall strategy, and it is definitely not something that a single front can decide independently. The early preparation stage was easy, but the meetings before the departure had to be held in person by the two commanders.

There was no way, because Benzi's cryptography was so poor that he often faced the risk of being intercepted and deciphered by TG and Ah Chou.

Hearing this, Okamura Ningji nodded softly. To be honest, he was even prepared to be ridiculed in person before coming to Chuncheng, and he never expected that his old senior would be so considerate of the overall situation.

"Mr. Meijin, you are really too polite."

"The Kwantung Army is willing to send troops to help, and it is our North China Front Army that has accepted the favor. Even if the future war situation really needs it, it should be me who comes to Chuncheng."

Just as the two were "brotherly and humble", several old devils in lieutenant general uniforms appeared at the headquarters.

They walked into the combat meeting room with a step that did not recognize their relatives, talking and laughing all the way, as if the next war was a sure win.

Everyone was gathered, and the meeting officially began.

Facing the eyes of the crowd, Meizu Mijiro took the baton handed over by the staff officer and explained confidently:

"Let me first talk about the conclusion. For this Operation No. 1, our Kwantung Army will send out six divisions, including the 8th, 11th, 14th, 23rd and the 1st and 2nd tank divisions."

"Among them, the 11th Division is the general reserve and will be on standby at the junction of Hebei, Shandong and Henan provinces."

"In addition, the North China Front Army will also provide troops from the 27th, 32nd, 35th and 59th divisions. I hope everyone will work together to take back the territory of our brother country in one go."

Facts have proved that Meizu Mijiro really attaches great importance to Operation No. 1. Otherwise, the troops selected by the old devils for the expedition would not be the elite among the elite.

The 8th Division is the most efficient unit in the Kwantung Army. They have always executed the orders issued by the headquarters intactly.

The 11th Division participated in the Battle of Shanghai and was the only one among the six divisions that was good at mountain warfare. Its combat effectiveness should not be underestimated.

The 14th Division, in a sense, can be regarded as the strongest of the Kwantung Army. They participated in the Battle of Lanfeng and were able to stage a central victory in the face of the encirclement of 200,000 direct Central Army troops.

The 23rd Division was originally quite weak, just a Class C garrison division, and even suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Nomonhan.

In order to avenge itself, the Kwantung Army made an extreme and comprehensive supplement to the division after the war, making it a very rare mechanized division.

Needless to say, the two tank divisions, tanks and armored vehicles are scarce goods for the Japanese. All the armored forces were deployed at once, which shows how serious Meizu Mijiro is.

As soon as these words came out, the entire combat meeting room was instantly boiling. Lieutenant General Hoshino Toshimoto of the First Tank Division cheered loudly, and even Okamura Neiji secretly clenched his fists.

In the eyes of the old devils, ten divisions with more than 200,000 troops can definitely sweep the Eighth Route Army entrenched in Shandong and Henan provinces.

"Mr. Meijin, I am really grateful to everyone in the Kwantung Army this time. The North China Front lost the three provinces of Shanxi, Suiyuan and Henan before, because of insufficient troops."

"In the next few months, I must avenge the entire front army."

For Operation No. 1, Okamura Neiji put all the resources at hand and went all in. Even the 27th Division originally stationed in Hebei Province was sent to the battlefield by the old devils.

If they win, they will take back Shandong and Henan provinces, and they may even have a chance to get involved in Shanxi and Suiyuan again in the future.

Read the error-free version! 6=9+Shu_bar publishes this novel for the first time.

If they lose, they will lose miserably, and the North China Front Army will become a dust in history.

Looking at the spirited combat meeting room, Meizu Mijiro nodded with satisfaction. He took a document from the staff officer and then handed it to Okamura Yasuji.

"The headquarters promised to supplement your North China Front Army with aviation forces. Now the pilots and equipment are in place, with a total of 24 flight squadrons and 268 fighters of various types."

"Add to that the 19 squadrons of our Kwantung Army, and there are really a lot of aircraft that can be deployed for Operation No. 1 this time."

"Although we don't know the specific strength of the Eighth Route Army Air Force, I believe that the enemy's new military branch, which has only been established for more than a year, will not be too strong in the end!"

"Gentlemen, let go and do a big job next."

······

After determining the combat units, Meizu Mijiro took a short break and began to explain the specific details of the deployment.

In Operation No. 1, the 11th Army in the south will not directly join the battle, but Anami Korechika will implement the "Exercise Plan No. 5".

This is a combat plan for Hunan and Guangxi provinces. If the news spreads, it will surely attract the attention of Guofu, thereby implementing the purpose of strategic fraud.

"In this operation, our main battlefield is in Shandong Province. The whole army will first go south along the Jinpu Road to Jinan, and then recover the entire Shandong Province in turn."

"After completing the first phase of the goal, you still need to go all the way west to restore the connection between Shandong and Henan provinces. Among them, the Pinghan Railway is the top priority, and we must ensure that the entire line is in our hands."

"The railway line between Huanghuai is about 300 kilometers. That section of the road is flat, with neither high mountains nor large water systems, which is very suitable for two tank divisions to fight."

"My requirements for everyone are very simple, that is, to achieve a combat loss ratio of at least 1:2. The Type A division must look like a Type A division. Operation No. 1 dispatched a large number of land aviation and armored units, and must win beautifully."

Here it comes, the classic navy idiot has submarine damage control, and our army idiots must also have Showa Superman.

However, the commanders in the conference room did not object to the requirements of their own commander, Meijin Mijiro. To be precise, the old devils fully believed that they could do it.

After all, the reason for the previous defeats was that we did not have air superiority and the ground forces did not have enough artillery.

Now that the Army Aviation has been supplemented, the main force of the attack is the well-equipped Type A division, and even the Navy will help, so the division commanders are of course full of confidence.

In order to boost the morale of his side again, Okamura Neiji, who had not spoken much before, stood up.

"With the help of the Kanto Army, I believe we can end the battle before Christmas. The warriors of each division can even go back to Manchuria for the holiday."

"I wish you all good luck in the military!"

Well, this is another weapon of causality that is comparable to my advantage. If Okamura Neiji could figure out the relationship between Hong Tianwang and Pius IX, he would not be able to raise such a flag. (End of this chapter)