Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> Rebirth of the war years

Volume 1 On the Songhua River Chapter 1685 Standing Outside the Battlefield

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    On the night of August 10, the former Japanese Army Hengshan Brigade Headquarters, now the seat of the Singapore Military Control Commission of the ** Division, was still brightly lit. Chief of Staff Zhao Yuhe hurriedly walked into the office of division commander Tang Qiuli and said: "Division Commander  , the basic information on the battlefield situation of the US and Japanese armies in Luzon Island that you asked the staff office to collect is here!" After that, he put a folder on the desk.

    Tang Qiuli did not open it immediately, but said: "Yuhe, please tell me the general situation first!"

    Zhao Yuhe thought for a while and said: "Commander, the battle situation can be described as fierce. The Japanese Fourteenth Army and other attached units, under the command of the Commander-in-Chief General Ito Yanzaburo, advanced towards the defense line of the U.S. Third Army in the Calais Mountains.  , launched an all-out attack, and the U.S. military tried its best to resist, especially in Lucena and Kalavag. The battle was even more fierce because the Japanese army used these two places as the main attack points. After a day of fierce fighting, the U.S. military did not lose an inch of ground. "

    "However, the casualties of the U.S. Third Army were astonishing. On the day of the fierce battle, there were more than 10,000 casualties. According to the data provided by the Intelligence Analysis Center of the Intelligence Department and the deciphered telegrams of the Japanese army, the casualties of the Japanese army were approximately 8,000, mainly  It was caused by aircraft from the First Air Force of the US Southwest Pacific Theater."

    "Lucena, Caravag?" Tang Qiuli repeated these two place names in his mouth, and quickly found their location on the map. After examining them for a few minutes, he suddenly sighed and said: "Ito Yanzaburo is indeed the  The famous Japanese general had unique vision and ruthless attacks. The main breakthrough point he chose was exactly the midpoint of the US Third Army's defense line in the Calais Mountains, and the situation was conducive to the Japanese attack! "

    "Yuhe. Look, if the Japanese army takes Lucena and Caravag, it will split the US Third Army's defense line in the Calais Mountains into two separate parts. Look,  Come on, Ito has a big appetite. He wants to eat up the U.S. Third Army in the Calais Mountains. However, the resistance of the U.S. Army was beyond my expectation. After a day of fierce fighting, not a single inch of ground was lost on the entire front. Unexpectedly, this Whiteman.  He¡¯s also very good at fighting!¡±

    Zhao Yuhe did not agree with the division commander's point of view, and said with a rebuttal: "Division Commander, my opinion on the battlefield situation in Luzon Island on August 10th is not that the US military's combat effectiveness is so tenacious. It defends one side and suffers casualties.  More than 10,000 people. The attacking side suffered more than 8,000 casualties, which is a big problem. What's more, there is no air support from the US Army's Third Army in the Calais Mountains.  The casualties will more than double, and the defense line will be broken through by the Japanese army in many places. Therefore, it is not about the combat effectiveness of the US soldiers, but about their air superiority! "

    Tang Qiuli smiled and did not continue to debate this issue, but raised another question, "Yuhe, you said that the U.S. Third Army has air superiority. In the intelligence, did you mention the Japanese Air Force's participation in the battle?  ?¡±

    Zhao Yuhe shook his head and replied: "Commander, no, not a single Japanese aircraft went into battle. This is what I am confused about. According to our intelligence, Japan's Southwest Pacific Expeditionary Force, on Luzon Island alone, has Iraqi troops."  There are about 300 fighter planes of various types in the two field airports of Lagan and Bangdu. This does not include the field airports on several other islands. Japan's Southwest Pacific Expedition Force has three air fleets with more than 1,400 aircraft.  air power."

    Tang Qiuli said: "So, there is a problem here. With the air power of the two aviation groups in the US Southwest Pacific Theater, they only have more than 600 fighter planes. But on the first day of the war, why did the Japanese commander Ito Genzaburo do anything?  U.S. military aircraft provide aerial fire support to the U.S. Third Army instead of sending aircraft to fight? "

    After listening to the question raised by Tang Qiuli, Zhao Yuhe frowned and fell into deep thought. After a while, he raised his head and said, "Commander, could it be that the Japanese commander is brewing a bigger conspiracy?"

    Tang Qiuli's wise eyes flashed and he said: "It's not a conspiracy, but a trap. We have fought against Ito several times. Among the senior generals of the Japanese army, he is a guy who is good at using strategies. He is the leader of the Calais Mountains."  On the first day of the battle, Ito only used the army to attack, and it was a full-line attack, in order to put maximum pressure on MacArthur. At the same time, it was a tie with the U.S. Third Army. Don't forget, the U.S. military had aircraft to assist in the battle!  "

    "This also created a psychological dependence on the commanders and soldiers of the U.S. Third Army. Without the fire support of aircraft, they could not hold the line of defense. Therefore, in order to defend his Manila, MacArthur successfully mobilized troops and generals.  With the buffer time, more air power will inevitably be invested in the Calais Mountains battlefield. Ito¡¯s trap is designed for the two US air forces!¡±

    "In the longer term, Ito wants to kill MacArthur's air power before besieging Manila. In other words, it is to prompt MacArthur to mobilize troops from Australia as soon as possible. Yuhe, let the Intelligence Department pay attention to it. Within the next three days,  ???Over Luzon Island, the air fleets of the United States and Japan will inevitably have a decisive fight!  "

    Zhao Yuhe suddenly understood. The division commander's words analyzed and understood the essential issues of the entire Southwest Pacific war situation. A three-dimensional and vivid battlefield situation map was displayed in his mind. He said: "Commander, Ito  He did not hesitate to use thousands of soldiers as bait and spent such a large amount of money just to seize air supremacy on the battlefield of Luzon Island!"

    Tang Qiuli said with certainty: "Yes, it is to seize air supremacy. In modern warfare, whichever side seizes air supremacy will take the initiative on the battlefield. MacArthur's air power was exhausted. The rhythm of the Luzon Island battlefield.  It is completely in the hands of Ito Yanzaburo, and they can fight, surround or annihilate according to the way he envisions. The ultimate goal of the Japanese is Australia, Tamawa, and the intelligence office's focus should also be on Britain and Australia.  At the very least, we need to know whether they have begun to reinforce Luzon Island!¡±

    "It is no exaggeration to say that as soon as the British and Australian troops leave Australia and join the Luzon battlefield, the hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops that have been dormant for a long time will immediately attack Australia. That means that the Pacific War will be completely won by the Japanese.  And when it¡¯s over, it will be our turn!¡±

    Zhao Yuhe listened quietly. Suddenly, a strange idea came to his mind, and he said to Tang Qiuli: "Commander, the four fighter regiments, two bomber regiments and other aircraft types of the Southern Flying Group yesterday  We have already stationed at the Singapore Field Airport. Should we send fighter jets to join in the air battle between the Americans and the Japanese to cause trouble for them? Commander Le has been complaining that there is no fight!"

    Tang Qiuli laughed and said: "Yu He, did Le Yiqin bribe you to get a fighter plane for him? Before we even appeared on the stage, what Americans feared most was that in the Southwest Pacific battlefield, they could finally contain  More than a million Japanese troops, MacArthur's troops, were completely wiped out by the Japanese. The Japanese troops turned around and rushed towards the east coast of the United States. They will inevitably ask us for help. That is the best time for us to appear. However, it is not to disrupt the situation.  But sit on the throne!"

    Also on this night, the Japanese Army Command in the Calais Mountains and the Commander-in-Chief of Japan's Southwest Pacific Asia Expedition Force, General Ito Genzaburo, were holding a review meeting on today's battle situation. The Japanese division and brigade-level commanders involved in the attack, a  Everyone is very excited, because the opponent they face can only be described as "weak" in one word. Today is just a tentative attack, and they have already found out the details of the US military.

    Only Lieutenant General Yoshihiko Haruta, the commander of the Fourteenth Army, Major General Ichiro Hashimoto, the chief of staff, and the four division commanders looked preoccupied and looked very unhappy. The Fourteenth Army was the main force of the attack, dispatching four full personnel.  The division stormed Lucena and Caravag, paying the price of more than 6,000 casualties, but failed to break through even a single US military position. Army commander Lieutenant General Yoshihiko Haruta felt unhappy about this.

    At the same time, he was still holding back his anger. There was only one reason. When his troops were violently bombed by US aircraft, he once asked the commander-in-chief, General Ito, to provide the necessary air cover for the attacking 14th Army.  Yoshihiko Haruta's request was very simple. As long as he could drive the American planes away from his head, he would be satisfied. He did not have extravagant expectations to dispatch the air force of the army to surround his troops.

    What's more, when the soldiers of the Fourteenth Army fought for the Empire of Japan and His Majesty the Emperor, they never relied on airplanes. If there were no American planes to cause trouble, the current Fourteenth Army would have already captured Lucena and Karavague.  Otherwise, there would not have been so many casualties. However, such a small request was rejected by Commander-in-Chief Ito without hesitation. He did not understand why General Ito did this.

    Therefore, Haruta Yoshihiko came to the war review meeting with a bit of resentment, and planned to settle the rights and wrongs with the old guy Ito at the meeting. Anyway, he had offended General Ito and was demoted to the rank of military deputy.  Commander, he has been driven to the front line. Since he can't live in harmony, he should break up and take matters into his own hands. Otherwise, in the next battle, the Fourteenth Army may not suffer any losses!

    The meeting place was just in the west of the Calais Mountains, at the foot of a mountain covered with towering trees and green grass. The evening breeze blowing from the South China Sea brought with it the salty smell of the sea, which was humid and sultry.  , Commander Yoshihiko Haruta, who was feeling depressed, was so irritated that he almost jumped up. Even the refreshing drink prepared for the meeting changed its taste when he drank it in his mouth.

    The chief of staff, Major General Hashimoto Ichiro, noticed that the commander was in a bad mood and was worried that if this boss with a bad temper got into trouble with Commander-in-Chief Ito and it could not be ended, it would be Haruta Yoshihiko himself who would suffer. After all, he  He was his immediate superior, so he persuaded him in a low voice: "Your Excellency, Commander, for the sake of the future and destiny of the 14th Army, please askYou control your emotions!  "

    (To be continued)
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report