EBE Chapter 425 Thanks to the Kwantung Army
Chapter 425 Thanks to the Kwantung Army
After the Sui-Zao Campaign ended, the New 100nd Army returned to the vicinity of Xiangyang City for replenishment and rest. In this battle, except for the New 210th Division which suffered relatively small casualties, the rest of the New 211nd Army suffered heavy casualties. The casualty rates of the New th Division and the New th Division both reached %.
However, as the main force of the government, and with the care of Commanders He and Chen, the new 22nd Army's replenishment of new recruits and weapons and ammunition is much faster than other troops.
After resting in Xiangyang for a month and a half, the New 22nd Army received an order from the Military Commission and was transferred to the Ninth War Zone to participate in the war again. At the same time, Commander Xue, the commander of the Ninth War Zone, also sent a telegram ordering the New 22nd Army to arrive in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, before July 30.
Commander Xue of the Ninth War Zone was also well aware of the combat capabilities of the New 22nd Army. This time he commanded the New 22nd Army to fight again. In view of the heavy losses suffered by the New 22nd Army in the Sui-Zao Campaign, Commander Xue also organized the New 22nd Army into the war zone's direct reserve force, responsible for the security and defense of Changsha City, and by the way, making good preparations for replenishment and training in order to cope with the upcoming war.
For Japan, since the strategic policy of advancing southward had been determined, the Japanese army must first open up China's north-south transportation lines, and then attack Southeast Asia from both sea and land lines at the same time to seize the colonies of Britain, France and other countries in Southeast Asia.
To achieve this goal, the Japanese Expeditionary Force in China must completely occupy the central China region, compress the power of the Chinese government to the southwest, open up the Guangdong-Hankou Railway, and open up road transportation lines for the southward strategy.
Inside the headquarters of the 11th Japanese Army, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto and Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura stood in front of an expanded sand table, watching carefully as a group of staff officers placed small flags on the sand table according to the intelligence.
"Commander, those proud guys of the Kwantung Army suffered such a great defeat this time. As a result, the headquarters wants us to launch a decisive battle in order to get back at the enemy. This is simply asking our 11th Army to clean up the Kwantung Army's mess." Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto looked at the sand table in front of him and complained involuntarily.
In the opinion of Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto, the 11th Army had just suffered a great loss in the Sui-Zao Campaign. Not only did it lose a large number of troops, but even the 16th Division was completely wiped out by the Chinese army. Now the overall morale of the 11th Army is simply not suitable for launching a large-scale battle. Moreover, this battle was so hasty that it was simply a battle put together at the last minute.
"Mr. Yoshimoto, we must obey the orders of the headquarters. We just suffered a defeat in the Sui-Zao Battle, and because the Kwantung Army was fighting in the north, the headquarters did not have much time to question our responsibility. Now we are cleaning up the Kwantung Army's mess, which is a way of repaying the Kwantung Army for taking the blame for our previous failure." Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura comforted Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto nonchalantly.
Indeed, if the Kwantung Army had not caused this big mess in the north, the commander, Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura, and the chief of staff, Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto, would have been questioned by the headquarters about their failure and would have been given some kind of warning or other punishment.
But this time, Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto escaped the disaster very smoothly thanks to the Kwantung Army. So, when the Imperial Headquarters issued an order for the 11th Army to launch an attack on the Chinese government and engage in a large-scale battle, Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura agreed without a second thought, and did not even make any requests.
However, Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura knew that his 11th Army was not suitable to launch an attack on the areas controlled by the Chinese government. The material reserves had been almost depleted in the previous Sui-Zao Campaign. Although some supplies were replenished during this period, overall, the current material reserves were still not enough to support the troops in a large-scale battle.
But the commander, Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura, had no choice but to go ahead, as he now hoped to make up for the previous defeat with a victory.
"Your Excellency the Commander, the Chinese government has organized a relatively complete defense relying on the mountains to the west of Sichuan and Hubei provinces. If we attack from the front, we will suffer huge losses, and we may not be able to break through what the Chinese call the natural barrier of the Shu Road. But if we can capture Hunan Province, we can go back to the border of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces in China and attack Sichuan Province from the rear. If this plan can be achieved, the destruction of the Chinese government will be just around the corner." Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto also explained the ultimate goal and strategic significance of this operation.
At the same time, he was also flattering the commander, Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura, because this combat plan was also formulated by Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura himself.
On September 14, 1939, General Okamura Yasuji, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, concentrated 100,000 troops and launched the "Hunan-Jiangxi Campaign" with the goal of capturing Changsha. In order to defend strategic locations such as northern Hunan and Jiangxi, General Xue, acting commander of the 9th War Zone of China, commanded 16 Chinese armies with a total of about 240,000 troops to carry out defensive operations in three directions.
The first battle was fought in the northern part of Jiangxi Province. Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji, commander of the 106th Army of the Japanese Army, ordered the th Division, which had already rested and replenished, to attack Gao'an, a strong military base in northern Jiangxi. This move seemed fierce, but its actual purpose was to provide cover for the main force of the Japanese Army to attack southward from Hubei Province and break through the defense line of the Chinese troops in the north of Changsha.
The Japanese 106th Division took the lead in attacking the positions of the 184th Division of the 184th Chinese Army. Although the soldiers of the th Division fought desperately, the positions were breached by the Japanese Army just one day later.
Subsequently, the 106th Division of the Japanese Army was unstoppable. It attacked from two directions and successively captured many positions of the Chinese troops. Its troops were heading straight for Gao'an. The 106th Army and the th Army defending on the front line carried out the orders of Commander Xue of the th War Zone, fighting and retreating, consuming the enemy forces to avoid defending their positions and causing heavy casualties. However, the attack speed of the th Division of the Japanese Army was far beyond the expectations of the commander of the Chinese troops.
The 106th Division of the Japanese Army was almost wiped out by the Chinese army at Wanjialing. After such a long period of rest and replenishment, it has finally replenished its personnel and equipment. The division commander, Lieutenant General Junrokuro Matsuura, has been holding his breath, determined to avenge his previous defeat in this battle.
When Lieutenant General Junrokuro Matsuura, commander of the 106th Division, learned that there were two Chinese armies opposite him, he strengthened the frontal attack while also sending troops to outflank the enemy from both wings. Lieutenant General Junrokuro Matsuura actually wanted to use his own division to encircle the two Chinese armies.