The failure of the air raid on Tamchag Prague and the news of the air raid on Hailar greatly damaged Michitaro Komatsubara's confidence. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 Info As to whether he could defeat the Soviet Union and realize the northward expansion plan that he had been pursuing in military circles, he almost completely lost his original aggressive ambition and confidence.

But the Japanese, especially the Japanese in the era of imperialism, were not an easy people to give up, and once a war broke out, they would kill the enemy to the ground until they attacked the capital and all the enemies surrendered.

Influenced by the spirit of bushido, coupled with some of the positive energy inherent to the Yamato nation, there was soon a thought in the Kwantung Army that "I lost last time, and I will fight them next time".

After a series of non-objective analyses, Michitaro Komatsubara discovered that the Soviet Union was actually nothing remarkable. The first land encounter failed because Japan sent too few troops to defeat a Soviet tank brigade and a motorized rifle division.

The last time they failed in the air battle, it was because the number of planes of the Kwantung Army Air Force was too small, and only 137 planes could really be dispatched, but judging from all indications, the Soviet Army deployed at least 250 planes in the Mongolian People's Republic and the Far East, otherwise it would be impossible for them to meet the Japanese aircraft group attacking the air attack, and the other side sent a huge aircraft group to attack Hailar.

In the final analysis, it is a question of troops. In Komatsubara's view, the Soviets' first few victories were simply due to superiority in troops, and did not necessarily mean that their combat effectiveness was superior to that of the Japanese army.

The Japanese devils, who were carried away by their aggressive ambitions and previous achievements, always liked to make excuses for their failures, and they quickly found a good excuse, that is, in the first few encounters, the Soviet army had too many troops and not enough of their own troops. If the Japanese army had more troops and were on par with the Soviet army, it would have been difficult not to annihilate all the enemies.

At that time, the Japanese army was already much more powerful than before, and it was not at a disadvantage in terms of troops. They dispatched 20,000 men from the 23rd Division, as well as the main force of the 7th Division, which had participated in the Russo-Japanese War and was very famous in Japanese military circles.

This Seventh Division is very powerful, it has a very hard brand and a great reputation in the Japanese army, it is the double trump card of the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, and it has almost been recognized by the whole of Japan as the most powerful unit in the Japanese army.

In addition to the two infantry divisions, the Japanese army also dispatched an independent infantry brigade, a certain number of puppet troops, and the only tank division in the Japanese army, the First Tank Division.

The 1st Tank Division was the only tank division in Japan at that time and was known as a "national treasure." It was because of the "national treasure" that the Japanese army never dispatched this only tank division. Whether it is Kenkichi Ueda, the commander of the Kwantung Army, or Seishiro Itagaki of the headquarters of the Imperial Japanese Army, they cherish this national treasure-level unit very much, and they have never been willing to use it.

But this time, this national treasure division was also approved to fight on the front line, what does this mean? This means that the Japanese devils will fight to the death with the Soviet Union.

On June 29, 1939, the 1st Panzer Division arrived at the assembly site in Normenhan, and all the 23rd Division and the headquarters of the 7th Division also arrived at the assembly site, thus completing the deployment of the Kwantung Army Headquarters.

In response to the build-up of Japanese troops, the Soviet side also made corresponding preparations, mobilizing the 36th Motorized Rifle Division, the 57th Infantry Division, the 5th Mechanized Brigade, the 5th Machine Gun Brigade, and the 7th and 11th Tank Brigades.

In terms of numbers, the Soviet army was similar to the Japanese side. But both in terms of equipment and the number of armored vehicles, tanks, and artillery, the Soviet army had a slight advantage.

On June 30, the Military Council of the 57th Army held a military meeting in Prague in Tamchag to discuss how to respond to the Japanese attack.

As always, the first person to speak was Manturov, chairman of the Military Commissar. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Japanese army has mobilized a large number of troops to rush to the Normenhan front.

According to reliable information (from Sorge, a Soviet intelligence agent lurking in Japan and using the cover as a German), the Japanese had dispatched their only tank division and mobilized the 7th Division, the most effective in the Japanese army, with more than 40,000 troops.

Next, with a high degree of probability, they will launch an attack on the positions of our troops on the east bank of the river. Although we have sufficient troops, we may have to pay a lot of money to hold our positions on the east coast under the flanking attack of the Japanese army.

In order to avoid too many losses of our army and at the same time achieve the goal of weakening the combat strength of the Japanese army, I think that we should give up part of our positions at the appropriate time, not make stubborn resistance, lure the Japanese army to the plain on the west bank of the Haraha River, and then take advantage of this flat terrain to dispatch our armored forces to launch a counteroffensive from different directions with the cooperation of aircraft, and encircle and annihilate the Japanese troops crossing the river.

After the Japanese troops crossing the river have been eliminated, the enemy's forces have been weakened, and then we will concentrate our main forces and launch an attack on the east bank, so as to repel or even destroy the Japanese troops deployed in the Normenhan area, and force the Japanese army to abandon its plan to attack our country to the north. ”

Manturov's plan sounded good and actually worked, but it was not approved by the other commissioners.

In their opinion, the idea of Manturov to abandon part of his positions was not advisable and too risky. If the Japanese devils found out that something was wrong, did not cross the river to attack, and did not step into the trap on the west bank, then the whole plan would be in vain, and they would lose the hard-won position on the east bank.

But Manturov was a dignified military commissar, holding the supreme power of the troops, and he was still a representative of the party. Except for Zhukov, almost no one dared to oppose him.

After Zhukov listened to Manturov's plan, his brow began to wrinkle. He thought for a moment and said: "Comrade Manturov, I don't think your plan is advisable. What if the Japanese army found out that something was wrong, and was not lured by us to cross the river and did not step into the trap, then what should we do?

I believe that since we have enough troops, we should send more troops and do our best to hold all the positions. At the right time, send armored units to cross the river and attack the Japanese army. ”

Zhukov's plan was agreed to by others, but Manturov still stood his ground. "Comrade Zhukov, your suggestion is also feasible, but the Japanese army has now gathered so many troops, and has also established a solid position on the east bank, and is very familiar with the terrain over there.

In addition, they also mobilized a large number of artillery units, and also occupied the position of the high ground, and it is estimated that they will launch a fierce artillery bombardment of the positions on the east bank from a high position, and then our troops may have to face the shelling of the Japanese.

Over there, the Japanese army not only had superiority in strength but also in quality, and they were well-trained and had high morale, while we had limited space and were still at a disadvantage in terrain, and it was difficult for us to fully exploit the operational superiority of armored and mechanized troops.

At that time, our army will have to face the infantry charge, which the Japanese are best at, as well as their intensive artillery bombardment, and it is estimated that our army will suffer considerable losses, and even if we transfer all the infantry to that side, we may not be able to hold the position. Even if you hold on, you will have to pay a heavy price.

On the west bank, the terrain along the Haraha River, east of Mount Bayingchagang and north of Mount Hamar, is relatively flat, making it ideal for armored forces and air forces to work together. It can give full play to the superiority of our army's armor and aviation forces.

If we lure the enemy forces who are not familiar with armored warfare and have lost air supremacy here, and then send armored troops to counterattack them, it is estimated that we can inflict heavy losses on the enemy forces crossing the river and weaken their forces at a small cost.

Therefore, we should withdraw in time from our positions on the sandy heights on the east bank and west of the Lemizov Heights, refrain from putting up desperate resistance, avoid fighting with the enemy's superiority, and reduce casualties. Lure them to the west bank, which we are familiar with and suitable for our army to fight, and destroy them in one fell swoop.

In addition, I do not rule out the possibility that the Japanese troops will cross the river from both flanks of our army to attack the Hamaldaba Mountain and the Bayinchagang Mountain, so we will strengthen our forces there and establish a solid artillery position on the hill to shell the attacking enemy troops. ”

Zhukov, who is an expert in armored warfare, listened to it and also felt that Manturov's plan was feasible. He is an expert in armored warfare, and the advantage of the Soviet army is also in the armored forces. Therefore, Manturov's plan should be adopted, and the Japanese tank units should be lured to the flat west bank, and then the armored forces and aviation units should be dispatched to cooperate and destroy the Japanese army.

But he quickly had another question in mind. "Comrade Military Commissar, your idea is very good, but the question is, how can we ensure that the Japanese army will take the bait and cross the river and step on our trap?"

Manturov quickly answered Zhukov's question: "As I said just now, the troops on the east bank should only withdraw at the right time, don't fight reluctantly, they must first resist the Japanese army for a period of time, and if they really can't resist, they will evacuate, don't fall in love with the war."

Of course, if it can be resisted, then it can allow the Japanese troops who are attacking our army's positions on the east bank by taking advantage of the artillery positions on the high ground on the west bank to condescendingly bombarded our army's positions on the east bank.

In addition, as far as I can tell, it is very likely that the Japanese will cross the river and attack our troops on the west bank, especially the Mongolian People's Army on the hill of Bayingchagang, and our artillery positions on the hill of Hamardaba. It is necessary for us to increase our forces in these two places, just in case.

After the Japanese army crossed the river, we dispatched armored troops to take advantage of the terrain to annihilate the Japanese troops crossing the river. ”

"yes, as far as I know about the Japanese military, they probably do the same. In order to ensure that the enemy forces do not see the flaws, we will not make this strategic plan public, but first order the troops on the east bank to hold their positions. When the time comes, order the evacuation. ”

"That's what I thought too."

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