Chapter 225 really went east

The search wing of the 56th Division of the Japanese Army took advantage of the fierce fighting with Zhanzheng to delay the two battalions of the guerrilla detachment on the east bank of the river.

Finally, on the evening of the 28th, they waded through the chest-deep Xitang River, detoured 50 miles from the east bank to the left rear of the 200th Division's position, and attacked the 200th Division's headquarters at 11 o'clock that night. The special service company of the 3rd Battalion of the 599th Regiment, which refused to serve as a guard at the division headquarters, engaged in a scuffle with the enemy.

When the enemy rushed close to the command post fifty or sixty meters, Division Commander Dai drew his pistol, and it was difficult to prepare for martyrdom, so he was dissuaded by his subordinates. When the soldiers saw that Division Commander Dai was also fighting with the enemy, they all jumped out of the battle without hesitation. A large number of Japanese troops were killed with dense grenades, and the rest no longer had the courage to attack. ”

Zhang Ziwen was mad in Dongcheng, the Japanese army actually used a wing to attack Dongcheng, causing him to be unable to rush to help, if Dai Anlan had a mistake, I was afraid that this Tonggu would be gone.

"Inform Sun Liang that he will not make a long-term plan, give me support for the positions, destroy the artillery as soon as the shells are finished, and the artillery will take the guns to the positions."

Zheng Tingji, the infantry commander in the city, heard the gunfire in Hedong getting tighter and tighter, and immediately received a call from Division Commander Dai, who learned that the division headquarters had been attacked by the enemy, and immediately sent two companies of the 598th Regiment to reinforce him.

At dawn the next day, the reinforcements in the city and the officers and soldiers of the division headquarters attacked from east to west, and in the afternoon, the enemy troops were pressed to the southeast of the bridge to confront each other, but the communication between the Hedong division headquarters and the defenders in the city of Hexi had been cut off.

On the 29th, the enemy's 55th Division launched another attack with all its might. The 56th Division's Search Wing also stormed the Sitang River Bridge. Attempted to cut off the Tonggu rear road and encircle and annihilate the 200th Division. The new 22nd Division continued to attack Nanyang Station, destroying the enemy's brigade and destroying more than 200 enemy troops. The enemy was reinforced and counterattacked with infantry artillery.

There were 5 fortified houses at Nanyang Station, and the new 22nd Division captured 2 buildings and 3 enemy buildings. A company of the 5th Army, which supplemented the 2nd Regiment, at one time attacked the Keyonggang airfield. The enemy besieging Tongzhan was pinned down by our reinforcements, and the offensive against Tongzhan was slightly reduced. However, the reinforcements were still unable to support Tonggu.

At night, Zhang Ziwen took advantage of the retreat of the Japanese army before he had time to go to Dai Anlan's division headquarters.

Dai Anlan's division headquarters had become ruins, and Zhang Ziwen found Dai Anlan's division headquarters under the leadership of his brothers from the two hundred divisions.

Dai Anlan's face was scratched, looking a little fierce, and at this time, he received a telegram from Du Luming saying that the 55th Division still needed time, his face was even more complicated, and he waved his hand to sit down when Zhang Ziwen came.

"Brother, without the brothers in your teaching team, brother, I am only afraid that I will have to promise the country with my body."

There was a lightness in his words, but Zhang Ziwen knew that Dai Anlan at this time was actually just suffering and having fun.

Zhang Ziwen said directly: "We have been fighting fiercely in the Tonggu area for more than a few days, and the British troops on the Prome side of the front have never taken any active action to cooperate. On 21 March, Japanese planes flew at Mawwe (Magway) Airport, about 160 kilometers north of Prome. 51 British planes were destroyed and damaged, and the remnants of the British planes retreated to India. The Japanese army has completely mastered the air supremacy of Burma, and the Chinese Expeditionary Force on the Tonggu front line and its rear lines of communication have been constantly bombed indiscriminately by Japanese planes. Coupled with the negative delay of the British side, the follow-up troops of the Chinese Expeditionary Force were never transported to the Tonggu front line as planned. Our army is in danger."

Dai Anlan waved his hand and said, "We are all the same in the Air Force, we are used to it, the important thing is that the 33rd Division of the Japanese Army has been replenished after 10 days of rest." Calmly advance towards Prome. There was simply great resistance along the way. On 25 March, the commander of the Japanese division, Lieutenant General Sakurai Province 3, ordered Major General Shoji Araki to lead the forward assault force composed of the 214th Infantry Wing, the 33rd Engineer Wing, the 3rd Mountain Artillery Brigade, and the 11th Independent Long-Range Artillery Squadron to advance northward. The main forces of the division followed. This is the big head, the Japanese army is advancing like this, I am afraid that the British army will be stronger than before. ”

In fact, on 29 March, the Japanese Araki Division engaged in an encounter with the British troops at Pound, more than 5 5 kilometers south of Promen, killing more than 501 British troops, capturing more than 10) more than 10) people, and capturing 22 tanks, 30 armored vehicles, more than 20 artillery pieces, and more than 160 automobiles.

On 29 March, however, the British command of Mei Miao said: "The British army has now decided to take the same offensive, and it will not affect the safety of Yin Luomei."

The new 22nd Division of the Tonggu reinforcements was blocked by the Japanese army at Nanyang Station. The vanguard regiment of the 96th Division only reached Sawat, about 16 kilometers north of Yedasi, on the 29th, one regiment reached Pingmanna, and the other regiment was still on its way from Mandalay to Pingmanna.

The 6th Army Temporary 55th Division was out by train. Still waiting for the car in Heihe, near Tanggu. The 200 divisions had been fighting hard for 12 days, suffering more than 2,000 casualties, the guerrilla detachment had suffered 1,000 casualties, there was a shortage of food and ammunition inside the city, and there were no reinforcements outside to face the enemy, which was four times its size after reinforcements, and it was trapped in the isolated city, and it had reached the most critical juncture.

Du Yuming judged the situation and sent this telegram to Dai Anlan.

"Under these circumstances, our army will not be able to concentrate its main forces on a decisive battle with the enemy in order to relieve the siege of Tonggu, and the enemy who has landed in Rangoon will inevitably participate in the battle of Tonggu for a long time. If 200 divisions are annihilated by the enemy, then our expeditionary force will be crushed by the enemy individually, and there is a risk that the whole army will be annihilated. Therefore, I was determined to order the 200th Division to break through on the night of the 29th in order to preserve the combat strength of our army and to prepare for a decisive battle with the enemy at another time and place. ”

Zhang Ziwen took the telegram on the table and looked at it, closed his eyes unbearably, and paid for the lives of thousands of brothers, but in the end he only got the order to retreat.

At the same time Stilwell ordered. "Our army, with the aim of breaking the 55th Division of the Japanese Army near Tonggu, should begin the attack on this day, and cooperate with the 200 divisions near Tonggu to flank the enemy and destroy it. The 5th Army should begin attacking the enemy on this day by concentrating its forces at Yedasi, and in coordination with the 200 divisions in the vicinity of Tonggu, first expelling the enemy's advancing troops, and then starting the main battle tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, and quickly crushing the enemy in front of it. ”

He also led a few staff officers to rush to the military headquarters of the 5th Army to supervise the battle, how Du Luming would inform Stilwell of his idea, Du Luming immediately resolutely opposed, and ordered the 200 divisions to break through the east of Tonggu on the evening of the 29th, along the east bank of the Xitang River to Yedaxi to return the formation, the vehicles were returned through the Moltke Highway, and the main force was about to destroy the bridge after scattering Tonggu. In addition, the new 22nd Division was ordered to feint against the enemy at Nanyang Station on the 30th to contain the enemy.

After Dai Anlan received the order to break through. In order to ensure the safe retreat of the whole division, careful deployment was carried out calmly and calmly. At that time, the communication between the division headquarters and the city had been cut off, and Division Commander Dai sent two messengers to disguise themselves as Burmese and enter the city at dusk on the 29th. Give his handwritten order to Zheng Tingji. The order said: "On the order of Commander Du, the whole division will retreat to the east bank of the Xitang River, and then transfer to Yedaxi to concentrate on standby." That night. Zheng Tingjian sent a battalion of the 599th Regiment to feint against the enemy from the Xitang River Bridge to cover the main force crossing the river. ”

Dai Anlan and Zhang Ziwen are now on the edge of the bridge, watching the brothers who have experienced more than ten days of war walking over one by one, and those who can't walk are carried back, and those who can't get up can only be here.