"In this war, the Chinese tank and mechanized large corps exerted a high degree of rapid force and assault power, and became a formidable force in the hands of brave and talented commanders in the Chinese army. Even the junior officers have changed, they have been able to act decisively and are willing to take responsibility. The destruction of two corps of the Japanese Empire and the advance of Chinese tanks from the Sangye River to the Tolte River marked the beginning of a new period in the history of the Chinese army, which was also a serious warning to the West. A month later, during the Chinese army's massive offensive, we once again learned the swift action of the Chinese army's tanks. We should pay special attention to the growing strength of the Chinese armed forces and the ability of their tank crews to carry out long-range and high-speed combat operations. ”

"The rapid development of tank troops in the Chinese army deserves the attention of those who study warfare. No one can doubt that China can create people like Seydlitz, Murat or Rommel. They now have a few generals who are close to reaching this level. However, it's not just a few talented people who have grown up. In the process, a group of indifferent and ignorant people in the Chinese army, who had neither training nor skills, became brains and talented people. After the severe test of the war, the tank crew of the Chinese army has increased much more than the original level. Such development requires a high standard of organization and planning. Of course, this development is also reflected in other aspects. For example, their air force and naval fleets, etc., are developing, and the Supreme Command of the Chinese army will use every possible means to facilitate their development. ”

"From the time of the Qing Empire until the Revolution of 1911, Yuan Shikai's era of the Chinese Empire and the era of the Second Republic, the Chinese army has been a large, heavily equipped, and slow-moving army. The same can be said about the Chinese army in the European campaign and in the second operation against Japan. The rise of tank crews in the Chinese army changed all this. ”

"A peculiarity of the Chinese army is that even their tank divisions have much fewer vehicles than Western armies. It would be a mistake to blame this on the poor production capacity of the Chinese automobile industry, since even infantry divisions armed with horse-drawn transport vehicles had a small number of equipment for livestock and four-wheeled wagons. Moreover, the number of regiments or divisions of the Chinese army is much lower than that of the Western army at the same level. However, the number of combat detachments in any unit of the Chinese army is about the same level as in the West. This is due to the fact that their logistical and administrative bodies are much less staffed. In addition to paying attention to maintaining the rating standards of officers, non-commissioned officers and professionals, the Chinese military will not bother with competing for other personnel quotas. When troops need to be replenished, a large number of soldiers are often replenished. The logistics of the Chinese military should not worry about clothing, tents and blankets, and other supplies that Western forces deem important. When the troops are marching in, they can leave their supplies behind, because the troops are 'fed on the spot'. The main task of the supply units is the delivery of fuel and ammunition. Even these supplies are often delivered by combat vehicles. In the motorized divisions of the Chinese army, the soldier has no luggage other than what he carries. Soldiers, however, often crowded into trucks carrying fuel or ammunition to get around. ”

"The lack of transport vehicles has a twofold impact: tactical and mental. Because the motorized division has far fewer vehicles than Western armies, it is more agile and easy to command, camouflage, and rail [Note: The Chinese army's ability to transport troops by rail is very strong, they do not have a 'rail transport map', nor do they have the same precise calculations as the Western army commands, but they always have little time delay when moving troops from one place to another. ]。 The spiritual effects are also noteworthy. Every Western soldier has a stake in logistics, because logistics can bring them food and comfort so that their hard life can be carried by. If an army is annihilated in battle, survivors often gather around a picnic car or a train carrying a heavy load, taking refuge and finding some comfort. N.ET/ *small* say net/no pop-up ads, full text TXT download, and even deserters and people suffering from bullet shock usually appear in these places under some pretext. This is not the same as the soldiers of the Chinese army. The Chinese soldier only has his weapons, there are no attractions in the rear, there are no picnic carts, there are no luggage carts, only his artillery, tanks or machine guns can protect him, and if he loses these, he loses everything. If he is wounded and goes to the rear, sooner or later he will have to be called to the battlefield again." …,

"This is an important benefit that the Chinese army has less equipment and vehicles to bring them. The Supreme Command of the Chinese army is well aware of the psychology of its soldiers and is trying to turn their weaknesses into strengths. ”

"The Chinese army's air force played an important role in this battle, although they began to lose a lot of money in the fighting, because many of the planes were secretly sold by the Chinese government to the Americans and the British. However, this catastrophe was accompanied by an unexpected, large-scale revival that was only possible with the inexhaustible resources of a vast country. ”

"The Chinese Air Force has never been defeated by the Japanese, and the Japanese side has also carried out several effective surprise attacks, which have caused great losses to the Chinese Air Force, but the Chinese Air Force still has air supremacy, but they cannot control all parts of the vast battlefield, and the Chinese army often has partial air supremacy. By the autumn, the Imperial Japanese Army had 1,500 first-line aircraft, while the Chinese had 14,000, and the later numerical comparisons were even more unfavorable to the Imperial Japanese Army. ”

"It should be noted that the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army's air force is somewhat disproportionate to the number of its troops. In the early months of the war, they lost a lot of aircrew, and although they were quickly replenished, these losses were actually very unnecessary. In addition, their aircraft, which are produced in batches, are much inferior to ours. It seems that the senior officers have not yet mastered well the principles of air force operations in modern conditions. ”

"The Chinese army practically does not have a strategic air force. The surprise attack carried out by the long-range aviation of the Chinese army did not inflict further losses on the Japanese side. At times, reconnaissance planes could fly 30 to 60 miles over the Japanese lines, but it was rare for bombers and fighters to fly more than 20 miles over the Japanese lines, which was very beneficial to the Imperial Japanese Army, because even in the most difficult stages of the war, our troops and logistical supply units could move smoothly in the rear area. ”

"The aircraft of the Chinese army perform only tactical tasks on the battlefield. Since the summer, their flocks of aircraft have flown over the battlefield from morning to night. Their heavily armored strike aircraft were designed for low-altitude attacks, and their pilots were all very heroic. Their night bombers usually came out alone, the main purpose of which was to disturb the rest of the Japanese troops. Their ground-air coordination is constantly improving, their technical disadvantage is gradually disappearing, and tactically, they are always at an advantage, because the Japanese pilots are no match for their pilots. ”

"China was the first country to attempt large-scale airborne and parachute operations. They trained thousands of paratroopers before the war. Despite the favorable timing, in this battle they did not make a large-scale airborne landing, but often used aircraft to replenish and reinforce the partisans. ”

"The role of the Chinese Air Force in future wars is difficult to predict. It seems that ground operations are still the main one, and a prominent feature of ground operations is the conduct of anti-tank operations. In any case, it would be unwise to underestimate their air power. Now their air force is constantly improving. Judging by the quality of the aircraft used by the Chinese in North Korea and Siberia, the Chinese Air Force still has great potential. At present, they have focused their attention on the development of the strategic air force, and their long-range bombers must not be taken lightly. ”

"The results of the Imperial Japanese Army in China clearly prove that the Chinese army is not invincible. Despite China's vast territory, muddy land, and half-melted snow and ice in winter, and the Japanese army was under-equipped and inferior in numbers, the Imperial Japanese army was indeed in sight of victory. Even in the most critical period, the Japanese soldiers never felt inferior to the Chinese army. But the weakened Imperial Japanese army, like a reef in the ocean, was surrounded by endless waves of Chinese soldiers and tanks, crashing into them, and finally being drowned by them. Naturally, we should not underestimate the Chinese armed forces, and we must carefully and calmly analyze their strengths and weaknesses. As far as their combat capability is concerned, it is a mistake to think that the Chinese army is invincible due to the disparity in strength. The experience of the war showed that the Imperial Japanese army had won some victories with a one-to-five inferiority, but of course the troops they entered the battle had to be close to full strength. Sometimes, when the disparity in strength was even greater, they also emerged victorious. In this respect, the armies of other Western countries may not be stronger than Japan's. ”…,

"The Chinese army has the strongest ground combat capability, and the navy and air force are not very strong. Despite some post-war achievements, it is not so easy for the Chinese Air Force to reach the level of the air forces of Western countries. There is no doubt that the Chinese Navy has a lot to learn. In a future war, China's main forces will still be the ground forces, especially the largest number of tank forces. We expect them to launch a far-reaching offensive at lightning speed, and China's vast territory and the secret shield that conceals its activities will make China a formidable adversary of the West. ”

"No matter how powerful the air force is, it cannot stop the advance of the Chinese army. The most urgent need for armies in the Western world is infantry that is born to death, and they should be prepared to stop the assault of the Chinese army with anti-tank weapons, and the West also needs to have strong tank and mechanized units to carry out a counterattack against the invading Chinese army and repel it [Note: Although I served in the tank unit almost all the time during the war years, I still emphasize the need for infantry. ]。 ”

"The soldiers of the German army should be seriously and systematically trained for this fateful battle. Not only tactical, but also physical training is planned so that our troops can engage the Chinese army on equal terms. We must take into account the peculiarities of the Chinese army's combat methods and prepare accordingly. It is important to have courage, to act decisively, and to be prepared to take on great responsibilities. Strict discipline is also very important in fighting a war with the Chinese. And the physical training that is being strengthened is not enough to enable the soldiers to cope with the fierce struggle. ”

"The most important factor is the mental factor. We need to have an indomitable will to protect Western civilization from being undermined by the Chinese. ”

As the German officer wrote this, a loud explosion was heard out of nowhere, the ceiling above his head was shaken, and large clouds of dust fell on his head, on his military uniform, and on his notebook. The German officer raised his head, looked overhead, reached out and dusted off his body, shook his notebook, flicked the dust to the ground, and then continued his work, ignoring the panicked Japanese not far away.

On December 24, 1942, General Zhong Liwei, commander of the Northern Group Army of the Chinese National Defense Forces, was interviewed by war correspondents of "Battlefield Daily" and "Daily News" in his underground shelter at the foot of Mount Humart, and at the same time met with visiting famous writers and photojournalists at home and abroad.

Zhong Liwei, who had a sturdy body, broad chest, a big head and a round face, had just returned from his early morning bath, his cheeks were red and his face was radiant. His mood was particularly good, and he told reporters:

"On the first day of the offensive, Army Group North achieved the greatest success, with the 6th Tank Brigade and the 8th Mechanized Infantry Brigade encircling the flank of the Japanese army. By December 21 it occupied the rear area of the Japanese army on the southern front, destroyed the tactical reserves of the Japanese in close proximity, and occupied several artillery positions. The Japanese were tenacious, and every point of fire needed to be captured by storming, sometimes even using flamethrower tanks. Our air force fleet actively supported the ground forces, dropping more than 90 tons of bombs on Japanese positions in one day on December 21 alone. ”

"After occupying the positions of the Japanese Siberian garrison on December 20, Army Group North hit the well-fortified Serantura, but after a fierce battle, our troops were beaten back again. Therefore, the reserves of the army group were used, and the 9th Panzer Brigade and the 212th Paratrooper Brigade were thrown into the northern battle. In the early hours of this morning, the resistance of the Japanese army was crushed and the Serantula Heights were seized. In the fierce hand-to-hand fighting, 6,000 Japanese soldiers were killed, the trenches and shelters were full of corpses, and 52 Japanese heavy armored vehicles and 28 artillery pieces were destroyed. The plan to outflank and encircle the two flanks of the army group was completed in only 3 days. Our army formed a double encirclement network against the Japanese army, and the inner line consisted of infantry divisions, which were responsible for the attack; The outer line consisted of cavalry and chariots, and the task was mainly to blockade the border in order to close the door and fight the dogs. ”…,

Zhong Liwei introduced to the reporters while getting dressed. Suddenly, two reconnaissance staff officers came in and reported that the Japanese were concentrating a large number of troops, apparently preparing for a powerful counteroffensive. The reporters nervous, expecting the commander to be shocked. Zhong Liwei was calm. He judged that, according to what had been learned and aerial reconnaissance, the large Japanese army had not yet moved to the front line, and the existing strength of the Japanese 6th Army Corps on the frontline battlefield could not carry out an effective counteroffensive, but on the contrary, it would make the strength of the defensive positions even weaker, and the Japanese army's counteroffensive could only accelerate the early completion of the Chinese army's plan to encircle and annihilate the Japanese army. Later battles proved that what had happened was exactly what he had judged.

On December 26, the attack of Major General Morita on the left flank of the Japanese army was repulsed by the 6th Tank Brigade of the Chinese army. On December 27, an attempt by the 23rd Division to break out failed. Chinese army aviation units successfully prevented the Japanese 6th Army Corps from transferring the new reserve 14th Brigade regiment into the theater of operations.

There were 1,500 meters of silt on both sides of the Errust River, which made it difficult for tanks to move, and thus became a natural barrier for the Japanese to defend the area around the Babshetu Heights. However, Admiral Zhong Liwei ordered the engineer troops to strengthen the beaches on both sides of the riverbed with sand and soil at night, and sent tanks to attack from this direction by surprise, which greatly panicked the Japanese army. On the night of December 28, the 6th Tank Brigade and the L1st Tank Brigade of the Chinese Army passed through the reinforced riverbed and besieged the 64th Infantry Wing and the 13th Field Artillery Wing.

On December 27, Zhong Liwei's Northern Army launched a campaign to encircle and annihilate the Japanese army on the Haishan Heights. The defenders on the highlands of the sea and mountains were Yamada Daisa's 9th National Border Garrison, which numbered 20,000 infantry, 235 machine guns, 74 mortars, 67 rapid-fire guns, and 84 mountain guns. After a day and a night of fierce fighting, the Chinese army completely annihilated the 8th National Border Garrison of Yamadabe. The Nagakigawa Brigade of the 28th Infantry Wing of the Japanese Army, which cooperated with Yamadabe's defense, was also annihilated at the same time. Zhong Liwei was already confident. It's no wonder that he was able to take a comfortable bath and meet with journalists and writers with pleasure.

Contrary to Zhong Liwei's relaxed and relaxed mood, Lieutenant General Ogisu Libei, the commander of the 6th Army Corps of the Japanese Army, was borrowing wine to kill his sorrows.

Ogisu is a veritable drunkard, especially a whiskey drinker, drinking it when he is happy and even more so when he is sad.

Before the Battle of the Mulberry River, the soldiers of Ogizhou drank happy wine. He once said proudly: "None of the generals in the Japanese army are as lucky as me, I used to be just a division commander, but I didn't expect that here, there were four divisions called me to command." He was as happy as he had won the Golden Rooster Medal, and drank the whiskey in his glass in one gulp.

On December 25, when the Japanese army was surrounded, he drank whiskey. On December 29, the counteroffensive organized by the headquarters of the 6th Army Corps failed, and the infantry and artillery wings of the first line were almost all annihilated, and some of the commanders of the Osa level were killed in battle, and some committed suicide, leaving only the commander of the 23rd Division, Lieutenant General Komatsubara, and the remnants of each wing, a total of 6,000 generals, trapped in the position of the division headquarters. Outside the position, the Chinese army was surrounded by layers and the situation was extremely critical.