Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 497: The Japanese Army Collapses Completely, Terauchi Hisaichi Cuts Off His Arm (Subscription Request)

The Japanese army, which was still attacking frantically, was caught off guard by this sudden and overwhelming counterattack.

They never dreamed of it.

After enduring such fierce air strikes and artillery suppression.

Not only did the morale of the expeditionary force not collapse, but the officers and soldiers were able to burst out with such amazing fighting power.

The Fifth Army's attack was like a dagger that stabbed fiercely into the junction of the Japanese 18th Division and the 33rd Division.

Dai Anlan's 200th Division, Qiu Qingquan's newly formed 22nd Division, as well as the Fifth Army's few armored units and the American armored regiments rushed forward desperately.

The defense line built by the Japanese army in the hasty transition from offense to defense was easily torn apart like paper under the joint attack of these two powerful divisions.

The most intense battlefield at the junction.

Huang Baitao's newly formed 11th Army, as the backbone force guarding the key junction, also switched from the original passive defense to active counterattack.

Army Commander Huang Baitao personally went to the front line to supervise the battle.

His command post was less than a kilometer away from the line of fire.

Artillery shells exploded nearby from time to time, but he remained calm and gave orders calmly: "Pass my order! Feng Wenxiang's regiment, drive hard from the left wing!"

"Yu Xiaoqing's regiment, attack head-on. Stop the Japanese offensive at all costs!"

"The two regiments of Chen Feng and Bai Yongqiang canceled their original reserve positions and immediately went into battle."

"After the frontal attack is successful, immediately launch a pursuit and be ready to expand the victory at any time!"

Huang Baitao suddenly hung up the phone.

Chen Feng, Bai Yongqiang, and Feng Wenxiang are from three groups.
Most of them are veterans brought over from China with rich combat experience.

After receiving the order, they did not hesitate and charged under the cover of their own mortars and light and heavy machine guns.

They immediately launched a fierce attack on the Japanese flank positions.

The Japanese army relied on the remaining fortifications to fight desperately.

The two sides engaged in a fierce tug-of-war on the muddy hillside.

The sound of grenade explosions rang out one after another, and the soldiers charged repeatedly with bayonets in hand. The bodies of soldiers from both sides were piled in front of the position.

Bai Yongqiang personally held a Thompson submachine gun and rushed to the front with the guard platoon. Bullets whizzed past his ears, but he was not afraid at all. He kept shouting and commanding the troops to move forward.

Yu Xiaoqing's regiment took on the tough task of attacking the enemy head-on.

At this moment, there was a gleam of determination in the eyes of this young Yunnan Army general.

Yu Xiaoqing knew that this was a crucial battle to prove his ability.

He commanded his soldiers and, braving the intensive firepower of the Japanese army, launched successive attacks on a defensive node that had been operated by the Japanese army for many days.

The soldiers carried cluster grenades and explosive packs, trying to blow up the Japanese firing points.

A young soldier was hit by several bullets from a machine gun when he approached a Japanese bunker.

Before he died, he used up his last bit of strength to detonate the explosive in his arms, and died together with the Japanese troops in the bunker, opening a bloody path for the follow-up troops.

When Yu Xiaoqing saw this scene, tears welled up in his eyes, but he had no time to be sad. He immediately ordered the follow-up troops to follow up and expand the results of the battle.

Sun Liren's newly formed 38th Division launched a powerful diversionary attack on the Japanese 33rd Division on the flank.

This prevents them from effectively supporting the main battlefield and constantly harasses their logistical supply lines.

Zhang Lingfu's newly formed 29th Division, after a brief rest and replenishment in the direction of Mindang, was ordered to launch a counterattack against the enemy in front of them. Although they were still at a disadvantage in terms of manpower and firepower, the tenacious fighting spirit they showed made the Japanese troops on the opposite side suffer.

Within the joint command headquarters.

The calls from the radio and the reports from the staff officers came one after another, but Chu Yunfei himself was quite calm.

In the three-dimensional combat map, the soldier cards of both sides are basically mixed together.

The battlefield must be zoomed in to be able to see the specific location of each troop.

"Your Excellency, the New 38th Division reports that they found the 33rd Division's previous offensive plan in the documents they seized. Xiala Village is one of their troop assembly points, less than eight kilometers from the front of the New 11th Army."

"Hunting rabbits while raking grass, order the artillery regiment, target, the second-line corps assembly area of ​​the 331rd Division of the Japanese Army, coordinates 443, , give me half a base of covering fire!"

The staff officers on the side quickly looked at the battle map.

Even if Xiala Village is not one of the troop assembly points, it is also the key to the Japanese army's second line of defense.

Now the Yankee's ammunition and artillery shells are arriving rapidly on merchant ships.

No one was worried about the consumption of artillery shells.

Chu Yunfei took over the battle reports continuously handed over by the staff officers and quickly integrated them through the General Staff.

Zhao Pengcheng on the side also played his due role.

As a mouthpiece, although Zhao Pengcheng didn't know how Chu Yunfei discovered the deployment and mobilization of the Japanese army from these reports, he still resolutely conveyed Chu Yunfei's orders.

"Notify the 200th Division led by Dai Anlan that a small group of Japanese troops were spotted on their right wing attempting to make a detour. This is considered a feint and should be ignored!

Just order them to send out a battalion of troops to stand guard, and the main force must charge forward as quickly as possible, aiming directly at the headquarters of the Japanese Army's 18th Division!

Remember not to fight too long! "

"Also, the Japanese firepower base on Huang Baitao's left wing has been eliminated by the New 22nd Division. Let him split up Chen Feng's main force regiment and immediately open a gap there to tear open the enemy's defense line! Cooperate with the New 22nd Division's follow-up attack."

Accurate and timely orders were issued from the joint command and quickly transmitted to various battlefields via radio, telegraph and telephone.

The expeditionary force's artillery fire seemed to have eyes, and it could always deliver devastating blows to the Japanese army's key targets at the most critical moment.

The coordinated operations among the various units also became extremely smooth due to Chu Yunfei's central dispatch. The transitions between offense and defense were smooth and flowing, making the Japanese commanders on the front line feel restricted everywhere and exhausted.

The fierce battle lasted all day until night fell.

The two sides stopped the offensive and defensive fighting tacitly.

They are human beings, not machines, and they also need rest and supplies.

Without the Japanese night attack, the expeditionary forces were also working hard to recover their strength and adjust the direction of subsequent attacks.

Sensitive direction.

A new force, coordinated by the Allied Forces Command in the Far East and supervised by Stilwell.

Finally we arrived at the designated assembly area outside Mindang.

Major General Smith and his 1st British Burmese Infantry Division (a newly organized unit after reorganization and adjustment, integrating some remnants of the former British Indian Army and British Burmese Army, and supplementing some new recruits from India and Myanmar, not the previous British Indian 1st Division or British Burmese 1st Division.

This force was barely put together by the British side in order to "re-demonstrate presence" and "share Allied responsibilities" on the battlefield in Burma after seeing the Chinese Expeditionary Force's amazing victory in Mindan and the United States increased its aid.

They travel long distances, most of them by air or by car to Mandalay.

Then they all took a car to the nearest supply base to resupply, and then continued on foot.

Just arrived at the front line.

The soldiers all looked tired and their appearance was not serious at all.

Compared with the main force of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, which was battle-hardened and had high morale, it seemed somewhat out of place.

A breath of "weakness" came over me.

If such an army appeared on the front battlefield, it would inevitably become the first target of the Japanese invaders.

In a relatively safe clearing in the woods near the river valley, several military tents were hastily set up on the muddy ground after the rain.

This is Major General Smith's headquarters.

Their radio antenna had just been set up and the communications soldier was busy debugging the equipment when he received the order from Chu Yunfei through the joint command center, as well as tomorrow's combat plan.

A British liaison officer breathlessly handed a translated telegram to Major General Smith, with a complicated look on his face.

Smith took the telegram and unfolded it to examine it carefully.

The wording of the telegram was concise and clear, full of Chu Yunfei's unique and unquestionable command style.

"General Smith: At dawn tomorrow, your troops will cooperate with the newly formed 271th Division of the Chinese Expeditionary Force to attack the remnants of the Japanese th Division entrenched in Position outside Mindang.

The specific combat deployment is as follows: Zhang Lingfu's newly formed 29th Division will attack from the front, using its strong attacking ability and unyielding fighting will to attract the attention of the remnants of the Japanese 18th Division and exert major pressure on them. "

Seeing this, Major General Smith raised his eyebrows slightly.

Letting the expeditionary force take on tough tasks was in line with his expectations and he was happy to see it happen.

He continued to read: "General Smith, your British-Burmese army, since most of them are light infantry and have relatively rich experience in rainforest combat, can go around to the rear of the enemy through the rugged paths in the rainforest, cut off their supply and retreat, and cooperate with the frontal attack forces to form a situation of encirclement and annihilation.

You are required to secretly move to the designated location and launch an attack before 11:00 tomorrow morning. Please see the attached map for the specific marching route and attack target. The Joint Command will provide necessary air support. "

At the end of the telegram, Chu Yunfei and Stilwell jointly signed.

But Smith knew very well that this battle plan was definitely written by Chu Yunfei.

"Go around the enemy's flank? Cut off their supply and retreat routes?"

Smith put down the telegram, walked to the simple map, and carefully studied the marching route and attack targets planned for him by Chu Yunfei.

The so-called "rugged trail" looks like a winding earthworm on the map, passing through large tracts of virgin rainforest and steep mountains.

The colonel chief of staff beside him also came over to take a look, and then he looked embarrassed: "General, this route may be very difficult to take.

Our soldiers have just finished a long march and have not yet fully recovered their strength.

Moreover, the jungle during the rainy season is full of swamps, poisonous insects and unpredictable dangers.

It is amazing that our army, which is mainly composed of light infantry, was able to secretly bypass the heavily guarded flank of the Japanese army and launch an effective attack in such a short period of time.

"It's an impossible task, isn't it?" Smith finished the second half of the sentence for him with a bitter smile on his face.

He knew very well how difficult and dangerous this task was.

It was obvious that Chu Yunfei intended to use their "newly formed" British and Burmese division as a surprise force, and it was even possible that they would serve as cannon fodder.

But Smith thought again.

The victory at Mindang has greatly enhanced the voice of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, especially Chu Yunfei, in the Allied forces.

The United States has also significantly increased its aid to China.

If the British don't show some decent performance, they will probably be completely marginalized in the future distribution of interests in the Burmese battlefield and even the entire Far East war. Moreover, although Chu Yunfei's plan is risky, it is not completely unreasonable.

The Japanese 18th Division suffered heavy losses in Mindang, morale was low, and supplies were certainly difficult.

If a surprise force really appeared from behind, it could indeed deal a fatal blow to it.

"Chief of Staff," Smith took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with determination, "Order all troops to prepare immediately!
Compress your bag and carry enough ammunition and three days' worth of rations! Except for the necessary machine guns, leave behind all the heavy equipment that a single soldier cannot carry!
We must travel light and as quickly as possible to reach the designated location within the time specified by the Joint Command!"

"But, General," the chief of staff wanted to persuade him again.

Smith waved his hand and interrupted him: "No buts! This is an order!"

"It's also a chance for our British-Burmese First Division to prove ourselves!"

"Tell the soldiers of the empire that if the Chinese can do it, the soldiers of the British Empire can definitely do it too!"

"Besides, since Chu Yunfei dared to give such an order, it means he is quite confident. I believe he will not let us die in vain. Perhaps he has prepared unexpected support for us."

Smith said this partly to boost morale and partly to comfort himself.

that's it.

Led by Smith, the British plunged into the jungle of Burma with an unstoppable momentum in the second half of the night.

Although the British army's combat effectiveness was mediocre on the front battlefield.

However, under Chu Yunfei's precise command and the strong frontal pressure from the New 29th Division, it also played the role of a surprise force.

This further exacerbated the chaos and collapse of the enemy in front of them.

Chu Yunfei, who was preparing for micro-operation at the joint command center, paid a lot of attention to this force.

He watched almost the entire process as Smith led his troops around the flank of the 18th Division and then launched an attack.

Targeting the 18th Division, the murderous unit that once participated in the Nanjing Massacre.

In fact, it was not only Zhang Lingfu's troops that participated in the war.

There were also Qiu Qingquan from the newly formed 22nd Division, Dai Anlan from the 200th Division, as well as Chen Feng from the 11th Regiment and Bai Yongqiang from the 12th Regiment of the newly formed 11th Army.

The total number of troops is nearly 35,000, all of whom are expeditionary forces, and even the elite troops in the entire national army.

The remnants of the Japanese army, caught in a pincer attack, could only resist in despair.

Just as the expeditionary force's counterattack was in full swing and good news was coming in from all fronts.

A special new force finally appeared in front of the Japanese army's most stubborn defense line at the most critical moment, like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

In the central breakthrough direction of the Fifth Army, when Qiu Qingquan's newly formed 22nd Division suffered heavy casualties, it was about to break through the deep defense line of the Japanese 18th Division.

However, they encountered a desperate resistance from their reserve forces organized on several strong points and anti-tank trenches. The offensive was once blocked and the two sides were caught in a fierce stalemate.

A low and rhythmic engine roar suddenly came from behind, getting closer and louder!

More than a dozen M3 "Stuart" light tanks painted with the eye-catching white five-pointed star emblem of the US military were seen, with their tracks rolling over the muddy land, stirring up mud more than one person high. They rushed towards the stalemate battlefield at high speed like steel beasts drilled out of hell!
It was the C Company of the 1st Armored Regiment of the U.S. Army Burma Army led by Captain Jackson "Iron Fist" Washington! It finally came in handy at this moment!
These small and flexible "Stuart" tanks may not be able to cope with the German army in the European battlefield.
But in Myanmar, a battlefield dominated by infantry confrontations, with complex terrain and a relative shortage of Japanese anti-tank weapons, the combination of its 37mm artillery and five .30-caliber Browning machine guns on the upper, lower, left and right sides of the vehicle was simply an insurmountable mobile fortress and death harvester for the Japanese infantry who mainly relied on civil fortifications and light weapons!
“Yee-haw!”

Company Captain Jackson leaned half of his body out of the turret, wearing a tank cap, holding a cigar in his mouth, and waving an M1911 pistol in his hand.

Jackson yelled in his unique loud voice, full of the wildness and unruliness of a Texas cowboy: "Chinese brothers! Get out of the way! Have a taste of our American 'iron fist'!"

Under his command, the "Stuart" tank group of Company C, like sharp razors, broke through the Japanese fortifications in the mud with its flexibility and firepower.

They cleverly used their relatively light weight and wide tracks to maneuver flexibly on the rice fields and dirt roads that were soaked by rain and became like swamps, constantly changing their shooting positions.

The 37mm artillery spewed deadly flames, and armor-piercing shells and high-explosive shells were fired alternately, accurately knocking out the Japanese machine gun fire points hidden behind bushes, under earthen ridges, and even in some simple bunkers.

The multiple Browning machine guns on the vehicle were like the scythe of the god of death, madly shooting from different angles at the Japanese soldiers who tried to approach, throw grenades or launch suicide attacks.

The Japanese Type 92 heavy machine gun bullets hit the tilted armor of the "Stuart", only producing a series of weak sparks, but were unable to cause any substantial damage to it.

Some desperate Japanese soldiers rushed towards the tanks holding explosives.

However, most of them were shot into sieves by the coaxial machine guns or azimuth machine guns on the tanks on the way, or blown to pieces by high-explosive bombs at close range.

When the officers and soldiers of the newly formed 22nd Division saw these American tanks, which were like divine soldiers sent from heaven, slaughtering the Japanese with devastating force, they all burst into earth-shaking cheers, and their morale instantly reached its peak!

They immediately followed closely behind the tanks, using the tanks as mobile cover, and launched a more fierce and more confident attack on the Japanese army's deep defense line.

As they continued to charge forward.

The armored unit led by Qiu Qingquan himself arrived late.

After seeing his own tank unit arrive, the regiment commander immediately stepped forward to report the situation.

"Damn it, this foreign guy is running faster than me!"

Qiu Qingquan looked dissatisfied, put on his helmet again and gestured forward: "Continue to attack, we Chinese must not fall behind the Americans!"

Under the fierce attack of the expeditionary infantry and the ruthless crush of the armored forces, the Japanese defense line finally began to collapse across the board!
But these damn Japanese devils still didn't flee or surrender in an organized manner.

Many Japanese troops maintained a strong will to resist even after their commanders were killed or lost contact.

Occasionally, a few soldiers fled in all directions like headless flies.

However, some small Japanese troops were divided and surrounded and had run out of ammunition and food.

When they saw those steel monsters approaching, spewing flames and making loud rumbling noises, they finally put down their weapons and chose to surrender.

This was the first time that the Japanese army suffered such a large-scale and thorough defeat since it marched south to Southeast Asia!

The battle reports that came in like snowflakes, each one was like a heavy hammer, hitting his heart hard, making his heart, which was already exhausted from days of hard work, almost stop beating.

"The left wing of the 18th Division was breached by the 200th Division of the Chinese Army! Requesting urgent tactical guidance!"

"The 33rd Division's frontal position has been lost! The enemy in front of them has tanks in coordination! Our anti-tank weapons cannot effectively counter it!"

"Eighteenth Division, the division headquarters called, the Chinese Army's newly formed eleventh army is attacking fiercely, and its artillery fire is extremely accurate!"

Another three hours later.

"Emergency military situation!"

"Report! Division Commander Mutaguchi has lost contact! His headquarters is under fierce attack by the Chinese army!"

"In the direction of Mindang, the British troops and the Chinese Army's New 29th and New 22nd Divisions have completed the encirclement of the remnants of the 18th Division!"

"Request air force support immediately! Otherwise, we will be destroyed!"

Terauchi Juichi's face gradually changed from ashen blue to ashen gray.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, but he didn't feel any pain.

He spent his whole life in military service and experienced countless wars.

I have never been as miserable as I am today.

Have we ever faced such a tragic and total collapse situation?
Especially when he received battle reports about the US M3 "Stuart" light tank being put into battle and tearing through the defense line with overwhelming force.

The feeling of powerlessness and frustration almost consumed him completely.

Terauchi Juichi knew it clearly.

This means that the balance of war has begun to tilt towards the expeditionary force in an irreversible trend.

These newly emerged, flexible and deadly steel monsters were undoubtedly a dimensionality reduction blow to the Southern Army, which mainly relied on infantry and a small number of old tanks.

"Chu Yunfei is Chu Yunfei again."

Terauchi Juichi squeezed out these few words from between his teeth, his voice was as hoarse as if it had been polished with sandpaper.

Even in the Battle of East Henan, a main division was completely wiped out.

Terauchi Juichi had never felt such a defeat.

soon.

He suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes swept over the staff officers in the headquarters who were also pale and silent, and his voice was hoarse but full of unquestionable determination: "Immediately! In my name, issue emergency combat orders to the 18th Division, the 33rd Division, the 56th Division, and all the troops still in combat!"

A senior staff officer quickly picked up a pen and prepared to take notes.

Terauchi Juichi took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. His brain was working rapidly, trying to find a glimmer of possibility for recovery from this chaotic defeat.

He knew that it was meaningless to hold on to the original defense line at this moment. It would only increase casualties and cause more imperial warriors to sacrifice in vain.

"First!" Terauchi Juichi's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, "Order all units to abandon their current positions immediately!

Avoid unnecessary wars of attrition with the enemy in front of you!

Especially avoid the coverage area of ​​the Chinese Army's heavy artillery and the attack direction of those damn armored forces!"

"Second! All troops should immediately break up into smaller units, such as regiments or battalions, and use the complex terrain and dense jungles of Burma to launch guerrilla warfare and delaying tactics against the enemy!
We must give full play to the advantages of our soldiers in jungle warfare, close combat and night combat, constantly harass the enemy's supply lines, ambush their small forces, and slow down their advance! "

"Third! All troops must make preservation of manpower their primary goal!

Allowed in situations where it is impossible to hold on.

Plan to move towards the preset second-line and third-line defense positions, and even towards the Thai border!
But during the transition, we must alternately provide cover, resist in stages, and create the greatest possible trouble for the enemy! "

"Fourth! Order the aviation forces to gather all fighters and bombers that can take off and strike hard at those armored vehicles at all costs!
I want to let those Americans know that the Locust Army's air force is not to be trifled with! At the same time, we must do everything possible to use air power to cut off the reinforcement routes of the Chinese Army's follow-up troops! "

"Fifth!" Terauchi Juichi's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness: "Order all engineering troops and logistics troops to completely destroy all bridges, roads, warehouses, and water sources that may be used by the enemy during the transfer process!
Since we can't hold it, let's leave it to them as a scorched earth! I want them to pay a heavy price for every step forward!"

"Hai!"

The Japanese military staff present were filled with despair about the war situation.

But faced with the Commander-in-Chief's almost drastic order, they could only respond in unison.

Terauchi Juichi sat back in his chair dejectedly, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

he knows.

This order was tantamount to admitting the complete failure of Myanmar's large-scale offensive.

Even the entire southward strategy would fail completely because of the inability to capture Yenangyaung.

And he, Terauchi Jūichi, will have to report to the headquarters and to His Majesty Tianhuang to take responsibility for the defeat.

But at the moment.

He no longer cares about these things.

The only thing Terauchi Juichi can do now is to try his best to reduce the losses and preserve the vitality of the Southern Army.
(End of this chapter)