Anti-Japanese War: Li Yunlong dared to attack Taiyuan

"..."

A group of brainwashed Japanese soldiers walked out of the barracks, shouting slogans of "Ten Victory" and "Long Live His Majesty Tianhuang".

"As long as you fight bravely, you will become the next general!"

"The Empire is invincible!"

"His Majesty the Heavenly Locust will protect you!"

Outside the military camp, there were a bunch of propaganda slogans. Some Japanese officers sitting in cars were shouting slogans with loudspeakers, brainwashing these Japanese soldiers at all times.

The Japanese Siberian Front's 400,000 troops began to move out.

The first engagement between the two sides was again with aircraft. To cover the ground offensive, the Japanese mobilized every available aircraft from the four eastern provinces and the Far East. Had the army not been too embarrassed to ask the navy for assistance, the Japanese would have long since seized air supremacy.

The Russians' aircraft numbers were drastically reduced, and after a month's depletion, they were practically without any aircraft left. Fortunately, American support arrived the day before the battle began. Most Russian pilots, having memorized the simple button controls, rushed to engage the enemy.

When the Japanese Siberian Front was dispatched, the First Army of the Kwantung Army also began to move. They did not set out from Nerchinsk, but from Chernyshevsk, about 20 kilometers away from Nerchinsk.

"Zhong Mingjun, it's time for us to set off!"

Although Kodera Kouta is now a division commander and a major general, his rank is still lower than that of Nakaaki Daisho. Nakaaki Daisho was promoted to major general for his "war achievements" before he was promoted to commander of the 4th Division. After becoming commander of the 4th Division, he was promoted again to lieutenant general.

The reason why he was promoted so quickly was not only because of Nakamiya Daxiang's "military exploits", but also because Nakamiya Daxiang's family owned a large company in Osaka that provided logistical support for the army, and there was a retired general in Nakamiya Daxiang's mother's family.

Seeing Empress Dowager Kodera Yasushi, Nakamiya Daxiang looked her up and down and said, "Mr. Kodera, you are now a celebrity in our army. His Majesty Tianhuang has even received your family and personally praised you."

Hearing what Zhongming Daxiang said, Kodera Kouta bowed and said, "Thanks to Zhongming Jun for his good cultivation. These are some specialties sent from my homeland. Please accept them, Zhongming Jun."

Nakamida Daxiang was taken aback when he heard this. He and Kotera Kouta were both from Osaka, and their hometowns had the same local specialties. However, when he took the box, Nakamida Daxiang's eyes lit up. Judging from the weight, it was indeed a local specialty.

"Kodera-kun, you're so polite!"

"Mr. Zhongming has done a good job in cultivating him."

Zhong Ming Da Xiang warmly hugged Kodera Kouta and said, "Kodera-kun, has General Li Yunlong contacted you recently?"

Hearing this, Kotaro Kotaro shook his head in confusion and said, "No, if General Li Yunlong contacts me, I will report to you as soon as possible."

"I see. I also want some information about the Russian bear. If only we could capture Kurkusk like Kodera-kun..."

"Zhong Mingjun, if there is any news, I will inform you as soon as possible!"

Kodera Kouta bowed again, but his eyes became unusually calm. Now, apart from General Li Yunlong, the only person who knew about the relationship between him and General Li Yunlong was Zhong Ming Daxiang, and he was also the commander of the 4th Division...

……

……

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To avoid some problems, this book will omit the year and only write the month.

Chapter 549 Confrontation

"Report, the forward observation post reports that the Japanese army has begun to move out and is expected to launch an attack on our front-line positions this afternoon!"

In the command center in Ulan-Ude, Gastilovich immediately received news from the front line after the Japanese set out.

"Are you finally taking action? Inform the 73rd Army Group to follow the predetermined plan. After making contact with the Japanese troops, gradually withdraw from the battlefield, utilize the terrain, and block the Japanese troops layer by layer to eliminate their effective forces to the greatest extent possible!"

Gastilovich had a rough defense plan given to him by Li Yunlong. Later, Li Yunlong was worried that Mao Xiong would mess up and fail to achieve the effect of destroying the main force of the Japanese, so he still gave Mao Xiong some detailed tactical arrangements.

The tactics that Gastilovich adopted now were to advance step by step, lure the enemy deep into their territory, and finally attack from the east while making a feint to the west.

Ten kilometers outside Chita, soldiers of the Soviet 73rd Army were already in full battle formation. Since the terrain here was not suitable for tank combat, the position had no tank defenses, but was equipped with a large number of anti-tank weapons.

The Russians didn't use rocket launchers, but instead used anti-tank rifles. These were not very effective against German tanks, and could only hit armored vehicles, some cars, or light tanks.

But it was surprisingly effective against Japanese tanks on the Siberian battlefield. After all, Japanese tanks were known for their thin skin.

In addition, the Russians also prepared anti-tank grenades and Molotov cocktails. Molotov cocktails are primitive Russian-made incendiary bombs, packaged in vodka bottles. A few Russians secretly drank some, and after discovering that they were filled with gasoline, not alcohol, some still took a sip.

The reason why the Russians secretly drink gasoline, antifreeze, and aviation fuel is not because they are not afraid of death, but because of the tragic battlefield situation. They don’t know whether they have a tomorrow, so they give up on themselves and drink whatever they have.

In front of the position, there are a large number of anti-tank trenches, obstacles and mines, waiting for the Japanese troops to appear so that they can deal a heavy blow to the Japanese armored forces.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, with the roar of engines in the distance, a hint of khaki appeared in front of the position, and the Japanese attacking force appeared.

"The Japs are coming, get ready for battle!" In the trench, the Russian political commissar was boosting morale, but he was holding a stick instead of a gun.

Because the political commissars often led the charge, the death rate was as high as 80%, and the loving father had to order that the political commissars were not allowed to carry guns. Even so, the political commissars of the Russian bear would still pick up anything that came in handy as a weapon and be ready to charge at any time.

"Attack!" When the armored forces were still five kilometers away from the Soviet position, the commander of the Japanese 1st Tank Division looked at the time. When the agreed time came, he immediately ordered the troops to start the attack.

At the same time, at the Japanese artillery position in the rear, the flag bearer lowered the flag in his hand, which meant that artillery fire could be carried out.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"... A field artillery division opened fire at the same time, and shells whizzed out of the gun barrels and flew towards the Soviet position.

"Boom!" A huge explosion suddenly erupted from the previously quiet Russian positions. Then, a second, a third, a fourth... The explosions continued from the positions. Shells rained down on the Russian positions, and then, muffled thunder could be heard from the distant horizon.

"Bombardment!"

"avoid!"

When the first shells landed, the Russian soldiers reacted quickly and took cover in the nearby cat-ear holes. These defensive positions had been dug by the Russians for over two months, and the trenches were fully equipped. Upon noticing the Japanese shells falling, the soldiers quickly took cover.

The Japanese artillery shells continued to fall, giving the Russian soldiers no chance to launch a counterattack. Meanwhile, the charging Japanese tanks were also advancing at full speed. One Type 97 modified tank after another rushed to the front, attempting to capture the Russian position in one fell swoop.

"Boom!" A huge explosion sounded, and a Japanese tank that was rushing in the front instantly "jumped" on the spot, dismembered into parts in the air, and finally scattered on the ground.

"Anti-tank mines!"

"Engineers, clear mines!"

At the same time as the first tank was blown up, several more tanks hit anti-tank mines and were directly scrapped. The Japanese reacted quickly and quickly called the engineers in the rear to prepare for mine clearance.

But this news reached the commander of the Siberian Front, Seishirō Itazō.

"Order the 1st Tank Division to immediately fire on the front of the Russian bear's position. Use artillery shells to clear a path. No need for engineers to clear mines. Speed ​​is of the essence. Quickly penetrate the Russian bear's defensive positions!"

"Hai!" After receiving the order from Itagaki Seishirō, the 1st Tank Division quickly adjusted the muzzle and fired at the ground.

The anti-tank mines used by the Russians are all pressure-sensitive mines. The power generated by the explosion of artillery shells falling around these anti-tank mines will instantly detonate these anti-tank mines.

The Japanese tanks advanced while firing and clearing mines, and soon cleared a safe passage.

However, when the Japanese tanks rushed to about 500 meters in front of the position, a new problem arose. The front of the position was filled with various tank roadblocks and some large rocks, blocking the tanks' way.

"Damn it, these bastards!" Looking at the well-prepared Soviet positions, the commander of the 1st Tank Division cursed while quickly directing the engineers to start clearing the tank roadblocks.

At this time, the Japanese armored forces were only about 500 meters away from the Russian positions. The Japanese artillery had stopped shelling, and the Russian soldiers in the trenches could counterattack. The first batch of Japanese engineers who rushed out were quickly killed.

However, the Japanese soon realized that tanks could not rush through, but infantry could. So, the Japanese infantry following behind began to charge, using these tank obstacles as cover and quickly approaching the Russian positions.

At this time, the Japanese engineers stepped forward again and began to use manpower and explosive packs to clear the tank roadblocks in front of the position.

Twenty minutes later, the engineers cleared a safe path for the Japanese tanks to pass, and the Japanese 1st Tank Division continued to advance.

As soon as the leading tank crossed the tank roadblock, it fell directly into a huge pit. Several tanks next to it also fell into the pit. The anti-tank trenches dug by the Soviet Union in advance began to take effect.

These anti-tank trenches were paved with thick wooden boards, so people could walk on them without any problem. However, if a tank, weighing more than ten tons, pressed on them, it would fall into the anti-tank trenches and be trapped inside, unable to move forward or backward.

"Baka!" The commander of the 1st Tank Division watched this scene through his telescope and was filled with rage. The tank division hadn't even reached the Soviet positions, hadn't even killed a single one, and had already lost more than a dozen tanks.

"Keep charging and take down the Soviet position for me!" At this time, he didn't care about anything else. There were only three hundred meters left to the Soviet position. It didn't matter even if some tanks were lost and fell into the anti-tank trenches. At worst, they could be pulled up after the battle.

Now he just wants to take over the Russian position immediately and kill all the Russian soldiers in the position to relieve the hatred in his heart!

Chapter 550 It’s our turn

"attack!"

"Onboard!"

"Onboard!"

"..."

The Japanese soldiers continued to rush towards the Soviet positions, and the Japanese tank divisions that broke through layers of obstacles also arrived in front of the Soviet trenches.

However, the defenders on the Russian position did not panic at this time. The political commissar was shouting orders: "Anti-tank teams, attack the tanks! Machine gunners, kill the Japanese infantry! Everyone else, find your targets. Don't panic, don't panic!"

The political commissar's words made some of the originally panicked recruits quickly calm down. They picked up their weapons and started shooting at the Japanese soldiers rushing towards them.

The anti-tank task was handed over to the veterans in the position. These bear veterans, holding PTRD-41 anti-tank rifles, looked for their targets.

"boom!"

The massive recoil from the anti-tank rifle caused the Russian soldier to stagger, and one bullet struck an approaching Japanese Type 97 modified tank. The tank, which had been charging, slowly slowed down and finally stopped in front of the position.

The sound of anti-tank rifles continued to ring out. Some Japanese tanks were hit and fell to the ground, while some continued to move forward without any damage. However, when the Japanese Panzer IV tanks rushed out, these anti-tank rifles became useless.

"With cocktails and anti-tank grenades!"

Political Commissar Mao Xiong roared, then quickly took out a few bottles and distributed them to the soldiers beside him, and took a bottle himself. Then he took out a lighter, lit the fuse in front of the bottle, and threw it at the Panzer IV tank.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

…The sound of explosions continued to be heard from the positions above. The resistance of the Russians was very fierce. Although the Japanese attacked fiercely, they were repelled again and again by the defenders on the Russian positions.

As time went by, the sky began to darken. After the Mao Bear troops repelled the Japanese attack again, they began to withdraw from their positions and move to subsequent positions.

When the Japanese launched another attack, they rushed directly to the empty Mao Xiong position. Before these Japanese soldiers could breathe a sigh of relief, they were ordered to continue the pursuit.

The Russians still put up a fierce resistance at the second line of defense they had established. However, once they had exhausted all their anti-tank weapons, they immediately withdrew without hesitation. The same was true for the third and fourth lines of defense.

One day after the war started, all five Soviet positions outside Chita were lost, leaving only Chita and Yablonov Hill still in the hands of the Soviet defenders.

However, in just one day, 14,000 Japanese soldiers of the Siberian Front were killed by the Soviets, and more than 70 tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed.

Three days after the battle began, the Russian defenders once again voluntarily withdrew from Chita and Yablonov Hill. After suffering more than 40,000 casualties, the Japanese finally recaptured Chita.

Compared to the Japanese casualties, the Mao army suffered relatively few casualties. Since the beginning of the war, only more than 7,000 people have been killed and more than 13,000 have been injured.

The reason for this casualty ratio was that most of the Japanese soldiers were new recruits with little combat experience and lacked experience in coordinated infantry and tank operations. In addition, the Japanese tank units themselves had a weak awareness of defending against anti-tank weapons.

Although the Soviet Union also has a lot of new recruits, the Japanese recruits are on the offensive side, while the Soviet Union's new recruits are on the defensive side, and the combat effectiveness they can exert is completely different.

The reason for constantly abandoning positions is that the Russians need to constantly train their troops. Each defensive position has two divisions of new recruits and one division of veterans. After a battle and retreat, the new recruits in these divisions quickly transform into veterans.