"Oh? What's the solution? ”

Yoshio Iwamatsu asked.

This time, the 36th Division suffered about 1,000 casualties, which is nothing compared to the tens of thousands of casualties of the First Army during the time of Yoshio Shinozuka.

However, there are some problems that will always be problems if they are not solved.

In response to the guerrilla tactics of the Eighth Route Army, Commander Tada Jun came up with a cage tactic to counteract, but in the end it fell short.

Now the Eighth Route Army has invented and used tunnel tactics, which has caused a lot of trouble to the First Army.

If you can't find countermeasures, then there will be more soldiers in the future under this kind of tunnel tactics, and the law and order war in Shanxi and even North China will be greatly affected.

Yamamoto Kazuki says:

"No matter how clever a tactic is, it has its advantages and disadvantages."

"It's not difficult to crack the tunnel tactics, you just need to find a way to shorten the attack distance of the imperial infantry."

The group of devil officers were still thinking about Yamamoto Kazuki's words.

Kuribayashi Tadamichi guessed what Yamamoto Kazuki meant, and said tentatively, "What does Yamamoto-kun mean to dig forward in the way of earthwork?" ”

"Yes!" Yamamoto Kazuki did not pretend to be profound, and said directly: "Major General Miyazaki's tactic of bombarding with artillery while charging with infantry is a good way if the enemy's firepower is not strong." ”

If the enemy's firepower is not strong, the artillery fire can suppress the enemy's firepower, and then the infantry will most likely be able to rush into the position and engage in hand-to-hand combat.

Yamamoto Kazuki then said: "Look at the sand table, from the attack position of the 3rd Infantry Brigade of the 222nd Wing to the forward position of the Eighth Route is more than 400 meters, that is to say, the impact distance of the imperial soldiers after the artillery is more than 400 meters long, and the imperial soldiers have become the live targets of the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army in this open land. ”

"Just dig the trench to 30 meters of the forward position of the Eighth Road and shorten the attack distance."

"The artillery of the Imperial Army bombarded the positions of the Eighth Road."

"If the Eighth Route Army does not enter the tunnel, it will suffer heavy losses."

"If the Eighth Route Army enters the tunnel, as soon as the artillery ends, the imperial soldiers will press up, and the Eighth Route will not have time to come out of the tunnel, and the position will be occupied by the imperial army."

"Then, the imperial army will be able to suppress the eight roads in the tunnel."

Iwamatsu Yoshio's eyes lit up slightly, and he thought carefully about this method.

The units of the Japanese army generally have engineers, such as divisions and regiments, which have special engineer wings.

In addition to being able to clear mines, the sappers also have the task of opening roads in the mountains and building bridges in the face of water, and the earthwork work is naturally also the specialty of the sapper troops.

The commander of the 41st Division, Qing Shui Gui, pointed to the sand table and questioned: "However, the Eighth Route will not look at the sappers of the Imperial Army working on the earth under their noses, and the mountain artillery position set up a few kilometers behind the Eighth Route position will definitely launch an artillery bombardment on the sappers of the earth work, the Eighth Road is equipped with 105 mm caliber howitzers, and the trenches dug by the sappers may not be able to withstand 105 mm caliber shells." ”

It's like a sandbox exercise.

A group of devil officers looked at the sand table.

They seemed to see that in front of the forward slope position of the Eighth Road, the Japanese sappers were working hard to excavate the earthworks.

But suddenly there was a sharp whistling sound in the sky, and the shells fell in pieces, some into the trenches that had been dug out.

After several rounds of artillery fire at the level of two mountain artillery wings, the trenches excavated by the earthworks were blown to pieces, and the sappers who were working in the earthworks suffered heavy casualties.

Reinforced concrete fortifications are difficult to defend against 105-mm howitzer attacks, let alone pure trench fortifications.

Kazuki Yamamoto replied: "This requires the cooperation of the aviation forces, using fighters and bombers to suppress or even destroy the artillery positions of the Eighth Route Army, if only a small number of mortars in the anti-slope positions are left, the threat to the engineers is limited." ”

Qing Shui ruled: "As we all know, the anti-aircraft firepower of the new regiment is very strong, and I am afraid that the aviation will suffer a lot of losses." ”

In the Battle of Taiyuan, the entire 3rd Flying Group suffered heavy losses, and even several Kwantung Army flight battles that came to support suffered heavy losses.

The aviation units of the North China Front have not recovered until now.

The devil aviation was beaten a little scared.

"If you want to occupy the enemy's position, how can you not lose some price."

Yamamoto Kazuki Road:

"Although in the Battle of Taiyuan, the imperial army lost more than 110 aircraft, but the artillery unit and anti-aircraft fire of the new regiment also suffered heavy losses."

"There is a high probability that the dispatch of aviation will be able to find or even destroy the artillery positions of the Eighth Road."

"Even if it can't be destroyed, it can frighten the Eighth Route Position not to open fire to expose the position of the position, so that the engineers can operate smoothly."

After speaking, Yamamoto's eyes flashed.

Hanaya asked, "Yamamoto-kun, why don't you send fighter jets and bombers to blow up the tunnel directly?" ”

"Has Your Excellency the Chief of Staff considered it?" Kazuki Yamamoto, "How many tons of aerial bombs do you need to blow up such a tunnel?" ”

"I'm afraid it's going to be dozens of tons." Hanaya pondered.

"That's just a conservative estimate." Yamamoto Kazuki said, "The empire is poor in resources, and aerial bombs are even more strategic resources. ”

Hanaya Masashi no longer refutes, because he Yamamoto Kazuki is telling the truth, this kind of attritional local tyrant fighting, the Japanese army really can't afford to fight.

Yoshio Iwamatsu nodded, his expression slightly relaxed:

"Yamamoto-kun really deserves to have studied in Germany, which is a good countermeasure."

This tactic has its limitations, and the civil work also requires the cooperation of the air force, without which it is difficult to implement this tactic without the air force to suppress and destroy the enemy's artillery positions.

Then, Iwamatsu Yoshio looked at Kuribayashi Tadamichi and asked, "Kuribayashi-kun, I heard that you are quite interested in this tunnel tactic, do you have any idea of how to solve it?" ”

"Report to the General!"

Kuribayashi Nakamichi said frankly: "As for the tactics of cracking the tunnel, I haven't thought of a good way to do it yet. ”

Iwamatsu Yoshio was suddenly a little disappointed, Kuribayashi Tadamichi had been studying this tunnel tactic these days, and he thought that something had been studied.

As a result, nothing was studied.

In fact, this is not to blame Kuribayashi Tadamichi, until the 21st century, there is no good way for countries around the world to crack the tunnel war.

Some military experts even say that tunnel warfare is an unsolvable topic.

Seeing Iwamatsu Yoshio's disappointed expression, Kuribayashi Tadamichi said, "I am indeed studying tunnel tactics, but the direction of my research may be different from what His Excellency the General imagined. ”

"Oh?" Yoshio Iwamatsu said in a surprised tone, "What is the direction of Kuribayashi-kun's research?" ”

Kuribayashi said, "I'm studying how to use the tunnel tactic, and since I can't find a better way to crack it, why not use it." ”

If you can't beat it, join it, this is Kuribayashi Tadamichi's idea.

Next, Kuribayashi Tadamichi boldly speculated that in two to three years at most from the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army in the North China battlefield would likely turn to the defensive.

Let's try it soon, everyone. 】

It is likely that the Eighth Route Army will switch from a defensive to an offensive, and the Japanese can use this trench tactic.

And Shanxi, as the advance base of the Eighth Route Army's attack on the North China Plain, will definitely be the first to be attacked by the Eighth Route Army, and then it will be another Taiyuan Campaign.

Kuribayashi Tadamichi proposed to build a large number of tunnels in the mountainous areas around Taiyuan, such as Wohu Mountain and Tianlong Mountain, to resist the offensive of the Eighth Route Army.

However, this idea of Kuribayashi Tadamichi was unanimously refuted by almost all the officers present except for Yamamoto Kazuki.

Kazuki Yamamoto was silent, he was pessimistic about the entire Sino-Japanese war.

And Iwamatsu Yoshio only encouraged two words, and did not take Kuribayashi Tadamichi's words too seriously, thinking that Kuribayashi Tadamichi was just a matter of unfounded concern.

Even though the Eighth Route Army had achieved some successes in North China, except for the Shanxi battlefield, the overall situation was still under the control of the Japanese army.

In the Shanxi battlefield, only the northwest and southeast of Jin could pose some threat to the First Army.

Iwamatsu Yoshio said murderously: "This attack on Taiyuan by the Eighth Route has attracted further attention from the base camp, and when the base camp increases troops and mobilizes materials, it will inevitably have an unprecedented large-scale sweep of the Eighth Road, and the imperial army will destroy the Eighth Route at all costs." ”

However, considering that many large-scale sweeps in the past few years have failed to eliminate the Eighth Road, but on the contrary, there have been heavy losses in soldiers and materials, and this sweep may not be able to do it.

He changed his words and said:

"But... Kuribayashi-kun's words also make sense, we must take precautions. ”

"I will apply for the mobilization of reinforced concrete, the construction of permanent fortifications around Taiyuan, and the construction of tunnels to strengthen Taiyuan's defenses."

Within a few months, the Japanese army was able to build thousands of artillery towers and strongholds around large and small roads and railways in North China.

Moreover, within a few months after the Battle of the Hundred Regiments, the Tongpu Railway and the Zhengtai Railway could be restored.

The devil's architectural ability is naturally not to be underestimated.

Yoshio Iwamatsu is also afraid of following in the footsteps of Yoshio Shinozuka.

The Eighth Route Army took only three days to break through Taiyuan, and the battle ended so quickly that even if the total strength of the First Army reached 100,000 people, and even the Second Army and the Mongolian Army sent troops, it was too late to rescue.

Before this, it is estimated that everyone did not expect that the Eighth Route Army would capture Taiyuan in three days.

If Yoshio Shinozuka had built more fortifications in Taiyuan and could make Taiyuan last for half a month or even a month, the result might have been different.

Yoshio Iwamatsu knows very well that he must not look at the Eight Roads with common sense.

While killing all the Eight Roads and completely destroying them, you must not take it lightly, and you must prevent the Eight Roads from jumping up and biting you.

If the bite is not the key point, it is easy to say, if it is like this Taiyuan Battle, the Eighth Route Army will come to the heart of the black tiger again, it will be very bad.

……

Three days later.

Zhaojiayu Village, the new regiment headquarters.

Li Yunlong was staring at the map and studying.

Since the battle of Dagu Town, the 36th Division has not attacked again, but has played the cage blockade again.

On the periphery of the base area, the common people were driven to build trenches, pillboxes, and artillery towers.

Ordinary turrets and strongholds naturally cannot block the new regiment.

Therefore, this time the devil is engaged in reinforced concrete pillboxes and turrets.

If these pillboxes and turrets can be made to be the same as those of the Maginot Line, they can even hold off howitzer attacks.

But with the resources of the devils, it is impossible to build all of them into that kind of big pillbox, and it is very good to be able to resist the attack of 75mm mountain artillery.

Staring at the map, Li Yunlong sneered: "When the expansion of the labor-management troops is completed, it is not certain who will block whom." ”

Guard Huang Erhu hurriedly walked in and reported: "Report to the regiment commander, the pilots and battalion-level officers escorted by the Wolf Tooth Squadron have arrived!" ”

Li Yunlong's expression was slightly happy: "Haha, looking forward to the stars and the moon, they are finally here!" ”