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- Chapter 1,108 An unusually smooth breakout
Alexander immediately telegraphed the news to Tang Qiuli that the British army had begun a breakout operation, "Dear Vice Chairman Tang, our Mandalay troops have left Mandalay on time at two o'clock this morning. Le breakout, on behalf of all the soldiers of the British Empire's troops in Indochina, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to you for your effective work in helping the British troops break out. In addition, I have a question about your troops. Are you on your way to Mandalay?¡±
After reading Alexander's telegram, Tang Qiuli breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression relaxed. He leaned back comfortably in his chair. From the afternoon of June 7th to now, he was very tired. On the one hand, he paid attention to Myitkyina. On the battlefield, on the other hand, we still have to fight with Alexander and master the rhythm of the battle. Now that the British have begun to break through, everything has become a foregone conclusion and no one can change it. .
With the arrival of this telegram, the tense atmosphere in the frontline headquarters of the Bhamo ** Division in northern Myanmar suddenly relaxed. Chief of Staff Chang Feng asked him, "Division Commander, how should we reply to the telegram to Alexander?" Tang Qiu Li smiled and replied: "Ignore him. The British are on the verge of an attack and have no choice but to take action. It's too late for Alexander to play any tricks."
"Also, Yu Guanghan was telegraphed that if Japanese troops are found to be setting up an ambush along the road to Myitkyina, do not intervene. If necessary, the existing positions can be evacuated and handed over to the Japanese army. Having helped the British once, it should also be Help the Japanese and order the troops to attack Myitkyina. The battle in the urban area of ??Myitkyina must end in two hours.
There was a burst of relaxed laughter in the headquarters. Tang Qiuli looked at the mountain tiger on the side and said: "Huzi, why don't you get some game? Let's have a late-night snack, have a few drinks, and wait for General Alexander to do something good." News? Why do I feel so hungry?" Shan Hu smiled. He knew his good brother since childhood. This suggestion is the relief of having everything under control. Often at this time, Xiao Qiu's appetite is surprisingly good. .
As long as the British start to break through, this will be an unsolvable knot. Tang Qiuli can conclude that Ito will definitely ambush him somewhere on the way to Myitkyina. This preparation time was given to Ito Yanzaburo by Alexander. Indeed In this way, Alexander's hesitation gave Ito more than two hours to adjust his deployment.
Chief of Staff Koizumi was very confused by Ito's deployment. He asked: "Your Excellency, Commander, why didn't we stop the British at the gate of the city when they first started to break out? Instead, we sent them to Ribo to fight, which is in the wilderness." , if the British are defeated, won't our plan of total annihilation become a pursuit? "
Ito said to Koizumi in an unusually gentle manner: "Koizumi-kun, you don't understand. The ancient Chinese art of war is really unpredictable. Among them, there is a strategy that is suitable for the current battlefield situation. It's called surrounding three and missing one, and fighting in the wild. Annihilating the enemy can avoid the heavy casualties caused by our storming of Mandalay, and can also give the British a sudden blow on the way to break out. Don't forget the saying that a trapped beast still fights. "
"As for what you are worried about, you have not taken into account the suddenness of the attack, the British army's eagerness to break out of the encirclement, the panic of not choosing the right road, and the complex terrain of Libao. Along the way to Myitkyina, there is no one more suitable to ambush the British army than Libao. The terrain is a long canyon with dense forests and rolling hills on both sides. It is not a problem to accommodate a million troops, not to mention the more than 400,000 British people who are eager to flee? "
"Order to set up an ambush force and leave a small number of troops. When the British army breaks through, they must fight to the death. However, other troops are not allowed to reinforce this direction. The troops in the other three directions bypass Mandalay and follow the British army to advance north. After the Libao attack, immediately block all routes for the British army to flee!"
After Ito Yanzaburo finished speaking, he looked like he had a pearl of wisdom in his hand, and seemed to be talking to himself: "Isn't this another case of catching a turtle in a jar? Let's wait and see!"
The vanguard of the British 7th Mechanized Division, Whiteman's Royal Tank Battalion, encountered a Japanese attack after leaving the north gate of Mandalay. Those who can serve as sharp knife troops are not ordinary people. The battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Whiteman, organized Dozens of tanks were fired with machine guns, and then the follow-up troops spread out on both wings at the breach. The Japanese suffered heavy casualties, but the strength of a regiment was no match for the British tanks and infantry. .
In less than thirty minutes, a large hole about four kilometers wide was torn open. Lieutenant Colonel Whiteman immediately grabbed the mobile phone and said, "Report to the Chief of Staff that our Sharp Knife Battalion has broken through the Japanese troops in northern Mandalay. The blocking position opened a three-kilometer-wide gap, and the troops could follow up immediately. In addition, it was discovered that there were large Japanese troops on both sides, closing in on the breach. "
Because of the excitement, Lieutenant Colonel Whiteman's voice was somewhat trembling. He was besieged for ten days.I am sleepy, like a bird that has not yet come out of its cage. I wish I could grow wings and fly to Myitkyina. It would be strange not to be excited!
Ito Yanzaburo was also insidious enough. He took out a regiment of more than 3,000 soldiers as sacrifices, giving the British the impression that a breakthrough was opened after fierce fighting. He also ordered the troops on the northern flanks of Mandalay to move north with great fanfare. The direction of the breach was feinted, creating the illusion that the Japanese army was eager to block the breach. All this was to make the British believe that their breakout operation had achieved an unexpected effect. In fact, it was to push the British to another death. Drive away.
Major General Francis, in the city of Mandalay, was anxiously waiting for news about Whiteman's Sharp Knife Camp. An extremely fierce sound of gunfire suddenly rang in the night sky of Mandalay. Francis trembled all over, and a feeling of despair filled the air instantly. In his heart, he didn't expect to successfully break through without firing a shot.
But the sound of gunfire and artillery was too intense. Could it be that they encountered heavy Japanese troops? Or is it simply a Japanese trap? All kinds of speculations bit Francis's heart like poisonous snakes. In just thirty minutes, it seemed to him that decades had passed. Whiteman's call made him go from extreme worry to extreme ecstasy. This instant change made his heart beat almost uncontrollably, making him feel dizzy.
Francis asked with difficulty: "Lieutenant Colonel Whiteman, are you sure?" After receiving a positive answer, Francis suppressed his excitement and ordered: "Start the breakout according to the plan." The British and Burmese soldiers looked uncertain as if they were waiting for God's judgment.
The fierce sound of gunfire in the north of Mandalay, their feelings were no less than Francis's. The atmosphere of tension and uneasiness mixed with helplessness permeated among the soldiers. They suddenly received the order to start a breakout. The morale of the British and Burmese soldiers They were all shocked, as if a door to India had opened before their eyes.
More than 400,000 British and Burmese troops poured out of Mandalay in accordance with the order of battle, like a flood that broke the embankment. It should be said that Francis's commanding ability far exceeded that of Alexander. In such a short period of time, he could control dozens of troops. Thousands of troops were organized and orderly, which is not simple in itself. Don't forget, this was a troop that had been surrounded for ten days and whose morale was extremely low. They retreated all the way from Yangon and Bangkok, eager to escape.
After most of the troops left Mandalay, Francis took the headquarters personnel and left the city that had been tortured by fear and despair for ten days. He was not careless and immediately ordered four brigades of troops to attack at the breakthrough point. The two wings were responsible for blocking the Japanese encirclement. Originally, no army was willing to undertake such a task.
But the British troops, who had successfully boosted their morale through the breakout, also gained courage in this situation. The troops of the four brigades spread out to the two wings, mustered up their courage, and started fighting with the Japanese troops. Strangely enough, the Japanese It was not as difficult to deal with as imagined. After several charges, there was no more effective attack.
The breach was still firmly in the hands of the British army, and with this momentum, the Japanese blocking troops were repelled and the breach was expanded to a width of eight kilometers. The speed of the British breakout was obviously accelerated. After more than two hours of fighting, at about 4:30 in the morning, Francis received a report that the 9th and 11th Infantry Divisions, which served as rearguards, had broken away from the battle and moved closer to the main force after repelling the pursuing Japanese troops.
Francis looked up to the sky and sighed, "God bless me, I finally stood out." No wonder he sighed that more than 400,000 people could break through the siege of more than 500,000 Japanese troops with very few casualties. This in itself is a miracle. , "Immediately send a telegram to Commander-in-Chief Alexander. In one sentence, the breakout was successful and the troops are advancing rapidly towards Myitkyina."
Francis felt that this good news should be told to the anxious Alexander. No matter how incompetent this old guy was, he was able to mobilize the Chinese Tang Qiuli to send troops and open up the westward withdrawal route to Myitkyina. This was a great achievement. In this way, without Alexander's trip to Tengchong, there would be no Mandalay breakout operation early this morning.
On a mountain peak northeast of Mandalay City, Ito Yanzaburo put down his binoculars and looked at a long dragon of various vehicles in the darkness before dawn, meandering rapidly towards the north, with an old fox look at the corner of his mouth. With a smile like that, the British successfully broke through in the direction he arranged and in the way he hoped. At this moment, the British commander must be very proud, right?
Ito said to Chief of Staff Koizumi without looking back: "Koizumi-kun, order the pursuing troops to hold on to the British who are breaking through. Don't let their minds think about other things. Report to the Ribo ambush troops that the fish have been caught in the net." , Mr. Koizumi, we should go too, oh, by the way, arrange an army, tomorrowFinally, prepare to accept the British prisoners, and the prisoner of war camp should be located in Mandalay! "
(To be continued)
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