In order to occupy Wuhan in order to fight a war, the Japanese army also divided its troops into two ways to attack Wuhan. www.biquge.info The 11th Army of the Japanese Army, which served as the main attacker, was commanded by Okamura Ninji, and led the troops of five and a half divisions under his command to attack Wuhan along both sides of the Yangtze River.

And the Second Army commanded by Minoru Higashikunomiya was actually responsible for assisting Wuhan along the northern foot of Dabie Mountain. But the commander in charge of the command of the Battle of Wuhan, Shunroku Hata would not have thought that the Second Army would suffer heavy losses in Dabie Mountain.

After receiving a telegram from the Second Army, requesting the rear to send reinforcements again, Xi Junliu, who had already drawn many troops from the south, also felt a little incredible. The reason was that the losses of the Second Army were beyond his imagination.

If the 13th Division had been hit hard, it would have been more likely that the attackers had taken it by surprise and made a little rash mistake. Then the total annihilation of the 10th Division really shocked Xi Junliu.

But just two days after such a nightmare, the 16th Division, the main force of the Second Army, was once again surrounded by the troops of the Fifth Theater. This kind of sharp turn of the year made Xi Junliu undoubtedly very dissatisfied.

Although the Second Army was not the main attacking force, the role of the Second Army was no less significant. As long as they fight in the Dabie Mountain area, they will be able to contain the Fifth Theater troops of the Central Army and make the Central Army dare not act rashly.

But now, the Second Army, which was originally going well on the offensive, suddenly became weak and deceitful, and one and a half divisions were lost on the battlefield. This was undoubtedly an unacceptable defeat for the Japanese army, which was already underwhelmed in strength.

If the 16th Division is lost on the battlefield, then the Second Army, which is composed of three and a half divisions, can basically be declared dead in name. Even Xi Junliu had to start worrying that the troops of the Fifth Theater of Operations would support the fighting on the Wuhan front from the flanks.

In order to carry out the Wuhan operation, the Japanese army base camp gathered 14 divisions in central China. Directly participating in the Wuhan operation were the strength of nine divisions of the Second Army and the Eleventh Army.

However, in addition to the troops participating in the battle on the front line, in order to ensure the security tasks in Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou and other regions, to achieve the task of consolidating the rear and ensuring the smooth operation of this operation, the other troops in the hands of Xi Junliu also have combat missions.

A turnip and a pit, and now facing the telegram of the Second Army requesting reinforcements, Xi Junliu is undoubtedly very angry and has a headache. If there was any mistake in the 16th Division, then the 2nd Army would have almost lost the ability to attack.

In this case, Hosojun Roku can only order Minoru Higashikunomiya to do everything possible to rescue the 16th Division. As for the reinforcements, even if they have to draw troops from the rear, it will take a long time.

Facing the telegram sent by Hosojun Liu, Minoru Higashikurenomiya said with a bitter face: "Rescue, now we have a full plan in our hands, and we only have about one division." How to send troops to the rescue? ”

The 13th Division, which was dispatched before, had less than 20,000 actual combat troops. Moreover, many of them are new recruits who were urgently replenished during the period of recuperation. Even if it is still in the name of the division, it no longer has the combat effectiveness of the first-class division.

It was precisely because of the heavy damage on the south bank of the Shihe River that the 13th Division, which had just appointed the commander of the new division, did not have time to rest and continue to embark on the journey. However, the 13th Division, which lost its heavy artillery, undoubtedly suffered a significant reduction in combat effectiveness.

And the first division responsible for blocking them was undoubtedly an elite unit under He Zhengdao. With the strength of one division, blocking an almost half-crippled Japanese division, even if it goes head-to-head, I believe that the first division will not be afraid of anything.

If it weren't for He Zhengdao's emphasis that the enemy reinforcements must be prevented at the lowest cost, Zhang Cheng would have thought about whether to find a way to set up a trap to annihilate this half-crippled Japanese division. In this case, the second army of the little devils will really be crippled.

Regarding the helplessness of Minoru Higashikunomiya, the staff officers of the combat command also knew that the battle during this period of time had changed too quickly. This kind of fastness even makes them have no time to adjust accordingly, and there is an illusion that the rhythm is completely disrupted.

However, many Japanese staff officers knew that the Dabie Mountain battle would become like this, and there was an inseparable reason with the new 67th Army led by He Zhengdao to go south to participate in the war. If it weren't for this force, they wouldn't have been so passive.

He Zhengdao, who is good at special operations himself, is most accustomed to using the combat method of 'fast and ruthless' tactics. Taking advantage of the fact that the Japanese army in the south did not know much about the new 67th Army, they attacked and completely annihilated the 10th Division of the Japanese Army.

Taking advantage of the loophole of single communication in this era, He Zhengdao crossed the river to mobilize the troops to the rear of the Japanese army in the shortest possible time. When the Japanese army reacted, it was completely too late to react.

The 16th Division, which was fighting on the front line, was suddenly cut off from the troops that were preparing to follow up in the rear. This kind of cutting tactic also really hit the Japanese army above seven inches, and after jumping feet, they had to make the decision to retreat to preserve their strength.

The Japanese troops, who had re-established radio contact with the 16th Division, learned that the troops of the 5th Theater had begun to encircle the 16th Division. I also know that the situation of the 16th Division will become even more dangerous in the future.

In this case, a staff officer suggested: "General, as far as the current battlefield situation is concerned, it is very unfavorable for the 16th Division. If you continue to retreat, I'm afraid that the situation will get worse.

I have a bold idea, can I let the 16th Division launch a defensive operation on the spot? Although the 16th Division lost a lot of troops, their main force was still preserved, and the heavy artillery units also suffered no losses.

At present, the 13th Division's attack is not going well, and it is more because of the lack of favorable offensive weapons. And the heavy artillery we have mobilized from the rear should arrive tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. When the time comes, heavy artillery units can be sent directly to the front to participate in operations.

Heavy artillery units were used to strengthen the offensive, and the air force was allowed to cooperate in the air, and a tank wing was transferred from the headquarters to strengthen the offensive capability of the 13th Division. Collect more livestock for demining, and I believe the 13th Division will advance faster.

As long as the 16th Division can hold out for three days, the 13th Division, which has been replenished in strength, should be able to break through the opponent's resistance within three days. At least judging from the intelligence collected so far, the Eighth Route Army also has few blocking troops.

If the 16th Division is allowed to carry out defensive operations on the spot, the supplies we have previously delivered to the 16th Division should be sufficient for them to fight several large-scale battles. At worst, we will be able to hold back the main forces of the Chinese army in this direction. ”

After this staff officer's operational idea was spoken, it really made many staff officers feel that their eyes were bright. However, many staff officers knew that once the 13th Division could not break through the blockade of the Eighth Route Army as soon as possible, the 16th Division might be encircled and annihilated.

At least they can all believe that as long as the 16th Division is determined to defend on the spot, with the materials and combat strength that the 16th Division currently has, they should be able to hold out for at least three days.

Defending in place seemed to be a better option than being chased by troops from the Fifth Theater of Operations during a retreat. Moreover, this kind of combat method is tantamount to forcing the Fifth Theater to fight a decisive battle with the 16th Division.

If the 16th Division suffers heavy losses by then, it is believed that the 5th Theater Army, which intends to encircle and annihilate the 16th Division, will definitely not have a good time. This tactic of killing 1,000 enemies and damaging 800 yourself has to be said to be very vicious!

What Minoru Higashikuremiya didn't know was that Keisuke Fujie, who had learned that the road ahead had been blocked again at this moment, seemed to realize that with so many supplies on the road, they would not be able to go fast at all, let alone run past the pursuing Central Army.

Thinking of this, Keisuke Fujie, who originally planned to divide his troops to break through, heard the chief of staff of the division and regiment say: "Your Excellency the division commander, judging from the current situation, if we divide our troops to break through, I am afraid that it will be difficult to break through the interception of the other party."

It can be seen from the fact that last night's arrest troops and late-night sorties were blocked by the small units of the Eighth Route Army, and we are afraid that there are only many reconnaissance detachments of the Eighth Route Army around us. It's hard for us to escape their control with every move.

Even judging from the current situation, they may be hoping that we will break out of the siege. In that case, they will be able to concentrate their superior forces and break them one by one. If that's the case, we're really in danger. ”

Listening to the chief of staff's analysis, Keisuke Fujie also felt that it made sense, and thought about it: "Then what do you think should be done now?" ”

'Defend in place, wait for backup!' ’

Speaking of the operational plan discussed by the staff officers of the division and regiment, Keisuke Fujie said noncommittally: "This operational plan can indeed play a certain role in changing our current unfavorable situation.

But we have to consider that if reinforcements don't arrive soon, our existing troops won't last long. Although we have sufficient supplies, our troops are not numbered, and we are afraid that we will not be able to withstand too many casualties. ”

'General, our losses are not small now. But I'm sure our opponents won't have it easy either. According to what we have learned before, there are not many elite troops in the Fifth War Zone that we are fighting against.

Even the Eighth Route Army, which is now blocking our retreat, has only sent one corps of troops. And one of the main divisions of this army is currently on the mall side. This shows that they have not many troops in their hands.

Think about it again, they had previously attacked our 10th Division in the direction of Huaibin. Even if their combat effectiveness is indeed not to be underestimated, I believe that their battle to encircle and annihilate the 10th Division must have paid a lot of price.

If we stay here for help, we'll disrupt their battle plans. If they continue to block in front, I believe that the 13th Division and the military headquarters will not let them bargain too much.

In this battle plan, the final victory depends on who can hold out to the end. If we can defend the counterattack, we will inflict heavy losses on the troops that come to pursue us. I believe that it is still very favorable for the entire battle of Wuhan. ’

Saying these words is undoubtedly a gamble with the lives of the remaining troops of the 16th Division. However, in the eyes of the chief of staff of the Japanese army, if they could inflict heavy damage on the troops in the Fifth Theater before their divisions and regiments were completely annihilated, it would also relatively clear the obstacles for the troops coming behind.

In this way, they may also be called the 'place of death', and they will truly be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor and the East Asian Holy War!" (To be continued.) )