readx; The entire occupation of Myitkyina was far from as smooth as expected. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

In view of Myitkyina's extremely important strategic position, the army did everything in its power to try to keep the city. Reinforcements led by Major General Minakami Genzo poured into Myitkyina from the direction of Bhamo, more than doubling the defenders of the city and having the strength of a brigade. Major General Minakami succeeded Maruyama Daisa and was responsible for commanding the entire city's army. In accordance with the will of Commander Honda Masasai, the chief staff officer of the 33rd Army, in a sad mood, wept while sending the order of "Major General Shuishui to defend Myitkyina" to Myitkyina.

Death looms over Myitkyina. After the ground fortifications were destroyed, the two sides engaged in tunnel warfare. These Kyushu miners-born soldiers knew that since the battle had gone underground, there was no way to retreat, so they could only defend it. They carried bamboo tubes and pipes into the tunnel to prevent the tunnel from collapsing and suffocating. The tunnels are filled with rainwater, and the devil soldiers are immersed in waist-deep water all day long. Huangquan Road is near, so I have to fight to the death.

The American "looters" commandos resolutely ended their mission in the occupation of Myitkyina airport and refused to take up the assault on the city.

Stilwell had no choice but to leave the glory of capturing Myitkyina to the [***] team. In addition to the 19th Regiment of the Task Force and the 18th Regiment that arrived a little later, the siege force flew in five regiments one after another.

In the end, he threw the new 2nd, 14th, and 50th divisions he wanted from Chiang Kai-shek into the Myitkyina battlefield. As a consolation to the [***] team, after the "Marauters" withdrew from the battlefield, General Stilwell joined the siege operations with two American combat engineer battalions and 600 recruits from the "Marauders" supplementary regiment hastily transferred from India.

With the onset of the rainy season, the Myitkyina offensive has fallen into a quagmire. The reinforced Japanese army not only strengthened the resistance on the ground, but also desperately carried out air interception. Airplanes full of Chinese soldiers were often destroyed in the air, and some gliders were hung on big trees and became targets for the Chinese army, hitting them like honeycombs, and the blood of Chinese soldiers flowed down from the bottom of the cabin, staining the trees red. Air supplies were often interrupted by heavy rains, and the army's rations were depleted. The offensive was thwarted, the wounded increased, and the disease spread. Every drop of rain during the rainy season in Myanmar is heart-wrenching.

Stilwell watched the battle in Myitkyina anxiously.

The United States, who commanded the siege battle, took the lead and replaced four brigadier generals. Each failure of the offensive led to the dismissal of a commander. Under the city of Myitkyina, American generals fell one after another, and the stars fell. The shrewd and capable Brigadier General Meryl, while taking the airport and attacking the city, was dismantled by the army in the vicinity of the railway station. Merrill was exhausted, had a heart attack, and left the command post. Brigadier General McCammen took office.

On May 25, McCarmen launched a general attack with the 88th and 89th regiments as the main force, intending to capture the city in one fell swoop, but the onslaught lasted only 200 meters in one day. Stilwell flew to Myitkyina again to war. Finding that McCarmen was demoralized due to the failure of the attack, he categorically removed McCarmen and appointed Brigadier General Boltner as his successor. Boltner was very ambitious, and on June 3 and 13, respectively, he launched a general attack with seven infantry regiments and some artillery, but the army relied on strong underground fortifications and was elusive. At night, the Chinese [***] team occupied the surface position, and at night, the army attacked from all over the tunnel, frantically counterattacking, and the [***] team suffered from the enemy on the back and frustrated the offensive. On 18 June, Stilwell flew to Myitkyina for the third time and replaced the third siege commander with Brigadier General Wessel replacing Bauttner. Wesel was a tactically active general, assisting Stilwell in Rumgar's [***] team. After he took office, he adopted the tactics of digging trenches to destroy the enemy, using tunnels against tunnels, and the offensive was quite effective, but the progress was still too slow.

Stilwell had nothing to do, and in early July, he sent Lieutenant General Hei, commander of the new 8th Army and commander of the [***] 26th Division, to Myitkyina to supervise the battle.

Lao Hei inspected the whole city, and saw that the enemy was glued, and the enemy relied on the fortifications to wait for work. When you procrastinate, it is not good for me. Therefore, it was decided to adjust the deployment and make a non-stop pounce on the enemy army. After all, Lao Hei was familiar with his soldiers, and he set the date for the general attack on July 7, the seventh anniversary of the Lugou Bridge Incident.

On the afternoon of July 7, the squadron concentrated all its artillery and bombarded the enemy's position. For the first time, dozens of powerful new rocket launchers were put into service. More than 20 B-25 Flying Fortress heavy bombers were also dispatched. The blazing artillery fire rolled up the carpet and turned the shallow positions of the enemy troops over.

After half an hour of artillery preparation, the three infantry divisions of the [***] squadron attacked on all fronts. They used the method of digging ground rats, one pit after another, one hole after another, repeatedly culling, fighting for size, developing the results of the battle, and then purging the positions of the city and compressing all the enemies into the blocks.

After that, the [***] squadron marched step by step, digging trenches and advancing, tightening the fire net, and approaching the enemy day by day. The Myitkyina neighborhood was full of gunfire day and night, and the flames were soaring into the sky, and the enemy and us fought to the death and fought bloodily, and the scene was extremely tragic.

By July 31, the Central [***] team had occupied most of the city of Myitkyina. Seeing that the time of death had come, on August 1, some of the enemy soldiers tried to break through the encirclement and flee for their lives, and they drifted downstream from the Irrawaddy River on a bamboo raft, and were intercepted by the [***] team, and none of them escaped the net. On August 2, the [***] squadron launched a final assault on the remnants of the enemy who were stubbornly defending the city center. Pan Yukun, commander of the 50th Division, selected 100 elite soldiers to form a death squad to break into the enemy's command post and paralyze the command hub of the army. Our main forces attacked from all sides, and finally completely annihilated the defending enemy.

The 80-day siege of Myitkyina came to an end.

When the city was broken, Major General Minakami committed suicide with a pistol under an ancient tree. Finally, he fulfilled the order given to him by Honda Masaki to "defend Myitkyina".

At the same time, Stilwell received an order from President Roosevelt to be promoted from a three-star lieutenant general to a four-star general.

A summer rain, fluttering and sprinkling, drenched the mountain city of Yucheng.

After being washed by the rain, the dirt accumulated for a winter was washed away, and the black ash painted on the buildings and houses for the air raid was washed away, and the street was refreshing and the road was smooth. The loquat mountain is verdant and verdant. The Chaotianmen Wharf, which is misty and smells musty, is also breezy and fresh. The mountain city, which is already very delicate, after the heavy rain, the water is bright, and it is even more bright and beautiful, and the spirit is spiritual.

It is rare for Yucheng to have such a refreshing summer, especially in these years of the War of Resistance against Japan.

Since the Kuomintang brought the capital to Chongqing, the people of the mountain city have always spent the sultry summer in fear. The city's population is swollen, traffic is congested, supply is tight, and the chaos adds to the feeling of heat and dryness. The ears were full of news of the defeat of the battle, and the bad news of "the loss of such and such a city" and "the 'transfer' of such and such an army" was mixed with the hot and humid air. In addition, in summer, when there is little fog, the exposed mountain town has become the target of aircraft bombing. On June 6, 1941, there was an air raid, and more than 300 planes were dispatched, which turned Chongqing into chaos. It is said that thousands of people suffocated in bomb shelters alone.

However, the global war situation has changed radically. The fascist camp is irreversibly moving towards extinction.

After several years of bloodshed and sacrifice, the Chinese people are convinced that victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is no longer as distant as the stars in the sky.

However, victory has not yet come, and China is still suffering and paying bloody sacrifices. Victory is also the same as the pregnant woman who is about to give birth, the more labor pain increases.

That night, Chiang Kai-shek's face had been gloomy, and there were several things that upset him. In the afternoon, I received a report from the Ministry of Finance that the financial situation had been deteriorating recently, the legal tender had depreciated, and prices had skyrocketed. In the evening, General Cai Wenzhi, who was in charge of intelligence, sent several reports on the enemy situation, and there were more and more signs that the army was stepping up planning for the so-called "Operation No. 1" in an attempt to launch a large-scale offensive in southeastern China and open up a land passage between South China and Vietnam. The gums with the dentures were inflamed, which also made him snort and restless.

What annoyed Chiang Kai-shek the most was President Roosevelt's phone call.

The telegram was now pressing on Chiang Kai-shek's desk. In less than ten days, Roosevelt sent six telegrams in succession, each in a tougher tone, forcing Chiang Kai-shek to put 15 divisions of Y Force stationed in Yunnan into northern Burma. Today's telegram, which already has the flavor of an ultimatum, is full of sarcasm and coercion, and the full text is as follows:

President Roosevelt to Chairman Chiang Kai-shek:

At present, the Chinese army is launching an offensive against Britain and Far, with the aim of cutting off the connection between India and China. If the offensive succeeds, the next target of the army will undoubtedly be Unit X in northern Burma, followed by Your Excellency's Y Force in Yunnan.

It is hard to imagine that Your Excellency's American-equipped Y Unit will not be able to attack the weakened enemy's 56th Division. Even if the artillery shells of a weak division could interfere with your army on the banks of the Nu River, they could not stop your army's attack.

Our Y troops, which have been equipped and trained in the past, were used at this time.

If Unit Y is not used for the purpose of coordinated operations, there will be no point in providing extensive support from our side, such as airlifting equipment and providing training instructors.

What does it matter to me that the army is attacking the Anglo-Far? How can it be reasonable to force me to send troops!

Putting Roosevelt's telegram on the desk, Chiang Kai-shek angrily tilted his thin body to the side, reached out from a drawer containing medicines, pulled out a few cotton balls, and slowly recuperated his dental disease.

To be honest, Chiang Kai-shek was not only not as anxious as Roosevelt about the attack on the Anglo-Farers, but he was somewhat gloating about the embarrassment of the British!

After the Cairo Conference, Chiang Kai-shek's mood has not been smooth. With regard to the Burma operation, it was agreed at the meeting that China, Britain and the United States would counterattack northern Burma by the Chinese X and Y troops, the British Fourth Army would attack Burma from the British and far, and at the same time, the British navy would land from Rangoon for amphibious operations. But the ink of the agreement was not dry, and Churchill was arrogant and unreasonable, unilaterally canceling the amphibious operation plan. Chiang Kai-shek, in a fit of rage, also detained Unit Y.

The British were determined to get China to fight for them. When Unit X was thrown into the battle of Savage Mountain, the British [***] regiment stationed in the Anglo-Farr on the India-Burma border was still watching the fire from the other side and did not move. The army was beaten and bruised and swollen in Savage Mountain, and could not parry, so it changed its strategy and suddenly attacked the British and Farland, surrounding the British Fourth Army.

Lieutenant General Mutaguchi was intoxicated by the victory, and said unashamedly: "It is said that this army has reached the point of invincibility in the world, and the sun flag declares that our occupation of India is not far off. ”

Churchill was momentarily alarmed. Roosevelt was also worried.

They believed that the only way to save the situation was for the Chinese troops to cross the Nu River at once, counterattack northern Burma, and attract the enemy forces attacking the British and far.

Churchill had the heart to deign to turn to China for help, but he had no choice but to appeal to Roosevelt to come forward and exert influence on China.

Chiang Kai-shek had already rejected Roosevelt's first five telegrams. Of course, the words were cleverly said, neither offending Roosevelt nor taking responsibility for not sending troops. In the letter, he said:

Whenever we think of President Luo's sincere friendship in canceling the unequal treaties in China, improving our country's status, and assisting our country in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, no matter what the President wants to do, he should do everything he can. Therefore, on the occasion of the Cairo Conference, Yu told His Excellency the President that as soon as Britain launched a large-scale landing operation along the coast of Burma, our main forces should immediately take an offensive against Burma. This agreement is still in force today.

The implication is that if the British Navy does not land in Rangoon, our Y troops will not be more than the Nu River.

Roosevelt urged repeatedly, but Chiang Kai-shek was unmoved. By the time of this sixth telegram, Roosevelt had apparently lost his usual reserve and patience, and began to speak in a threatening tone. The United States has provided a lot of aid to China for several years, and now is the time to ask for repayment.

Chiang Kai-shek was still heartbroken. He is already in the age of no doubt, and he has seen everything very thoroughly. He believes that there is never any unrequited aid in the world, only trading, just like the Shanghai Stock Exchange. U.S. aid is no exception. In the current war, the United States provides weapons and China invests troops. They spend dollars, we pay in blood. The blood of the Chinese is flowing uproar, and the price is still small? China doesn't owe anyone anything, and no one wants to blackmail us!

After taking a few painkillers, the toothache had subsided, and Chiang Kai-shek took a sip of the tea brought by the waiter and paced back and forth in the plush carpeted room. When he was in a frustrated mood, Chiang Kai-shek often sat in silence in his chair in a daunting state. He only paces when he is confident and relaxed, with the aim of moving his body. Meiling often admonished him to stick to indoor activities even if he couldn't hike.

The refreshing evening breeze puffs up the thin curtains, bringing coolness and the faint fragrance of redbuds. After completing the tasks assigned by his wife, Chiang Kai-shek began to sit in front of the desk and review the official documents. Roosevelt's telegram was pushed aside, and he began to deal with other, more urgent pieces of telegram

The summer in Chongqing was cloudy and sunny, and after a few heavy rains, the bauhinia flowers outside the window of the Huangshan residence had begun to wither, but the urgent telegram from the White House had been pressing on Chiang Kai-shek's desk.

The besieged British army in England was running out of ammunition and food, and was facing a desperate situation.

Churchill scratched his ears and cheeks. Roosevelt was in a hurry in his wheelchair.

The United States has finally turned intimidation into action. The US Joint Chiefs of Staff decided that within three days, if Unit Y remained still, the airlift supplies in support of Unit Y would be transferred to the US 14th Air Force stationed in China, and all aircraft loaned to China under the Lend-Lease Act would be recovered.

In order to leave a final step for Chiang Kai-shek's change of heart, the United States did not directly inform him of the above threat, but authorized the chief of staff of the US forces in China, Major General Hearn, to unofficially disclose the above decision to Madame Chiang, and at the same time, it also conveyed Roosevelt's important message, Roosevelt reminded Chiang Kai-shek:

"Don't get things done with friends."

Sending off Major General Hearn, who was speaking in an urn and arrogant, Song Meiling hurriedly left her office at No. 103 De'anli, Zengjiayan, in the city. Within a quarter of an hour, she crossed the Jialing River and drove back to the Huangshan Mansion.

On the way, she kept muttering: President Luo has said this, and she can't hesitate any longer. If it drags on, the chairman of the committee will get into trouble. Troops must be sent immediately!

Soong Meiling was by no means just a messenger before and behind the chairman, in fact, she often showed a bold politician demeanor when helping Chiang Kai-shek make major decisions. It is said that during a visit to the United States last year, at the White House, Roosevelt half-jokingly asked her: "If the workers of your country go on strike, what should the political axe do?" ”

Song Meiling raised Bai Xi's arm without hesitation and made a decisive posture to wipe her neck. Mrs. Roosevelt, who was present, was horrified.

In the Yunxiu Building, the official residence of Huangshan, Chiang Kai-shek listened to the information from the other side of the ocean brought back by his wife with a casual expression. Afterwards, he said disapprerovingly: "I've heard enough of the intimidation of the 'soft-footed crab'. ”

Recently, in front of his wife, he has repeatedly contemptuously referred to President Roosevelt, whom he admired in the past, as a "soft-footed crab." "Soft-footed crab" was a nickname given to Roosevelt by Stilwell. "Ma'am, I've already thought it out." Chiang Kai-shek went on to say, "As soon as they cut off their aid, I will order the closure of all their airports in China." At the end of the day, China is a big country and can't always let others lead it by the nose. ”

"Honey, you're right." Soong Meiling sincerely agreed with Chiang Kai-shek's determination to retaliate with a tooth for a tooth, but in this matter, he could not arch his fire. Instead, she said in a calm tone, "But now is not the time to say something like that. Things in the United States are actually more complicated than you think. President Roosevelt must have had a lot of difficulties. According to some of my American friends, quite a few people in the United States have recently been echoing Britain from afar and constantly advocating that China should be set aside and attack the mainland from the sea. Nimitz, the commander of the Pacific Fleet, and the arrogant MacArthur were desperately trying to belittle the status of China on the battlefield. At the critical moment, our Y troops should always stay in the nest and just give people the truth. If the airport in China is closed again, it will be even more in the hands of some people. Think about it, don't you? ”

Chiang Kai-shek really did not know as much about the situation in the political and military circles of the United States as his wife. At the Cairo Conference, when Chiang Kai-shek first met with Roosevelt and many other important military and political figures in the United States, Soong Meiling and many of them were already old friends. To this day, Chiang Kai-shek had never set foot on the American continent. Mrs. Fang Cai's mention of the various remarks of the United States on China's battlefield status has hit him in the heart. He thought that China had been fighting a bitter war for seven years in order to fight against Japan, and if the fruits of victory were taken from the sea and China was left aside, then nothing would be gained.

Chiang Kai-shek, with a look of pain and confusion, looked at the flowing clouds flying in the sky outside the window!

(To be continued)