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 One: On the Songhua River Chapter 1,706: Crazy Attack on the U.S. Defense Line

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    To be honest, when General Ito learned that Lieutenant General Yoshihiko Haruta ordered the troops of the Fourteenth Army to launch a full-scale attack on the U.S. Manila Defense Line with pure infantry without any preparation, even though he was accustomed to using  General Ito, who was strategic and believed in the combat effectiveness of the imperial army, was also stunned.

    His worry was the same as Tang Qiuli's analysis. Once MacArthur took advantage of the Fourteenth Army's long journey and was not stable, he launched a counterattack, or the Fourteenth Army's attack was frustrated and the US military took the opportunity to counterattack. In either case,  If it happens, Haruta Yoshihiko will have to suffer a big loss!

    These two situations are very likely to occur. The total strength of the U.S-Philippine Army in Manila is around 140,000 to 50,000, while the Fourteenth Army has only more than 70,000 troops. The U.S. military relies on solid fortifications to wait for work, while the Fourteenth Army is  After a long journey, people and horses were exhausted, and the soldiers were extremely tired. What's even worse is that Yoshihiko Haruta didn't even have the proper artillery preparations, so he ordered the soldiers to kill them.

    Taking the report, General Ito and Chief of Staff Kawashima stared at each other, relatively speechless. After a long time, Chief of Staff Kawashima broke the silence and said: "Commander-in-Chief, you don't have to worry too much.  , Considering the current situation of the U.S. military, Haruta-kun¡¯s move can be described as extremely brave. He did something that ordinary people would not dare to do. Ordinary generals do not have such courage, but he is a little impatient! "

    General Ito swallowed hard and said to Kawashima with a wry smile: "Kawashima-kun, regarding what Haruta did, I don't know whether to praise him for his bravery or to accuse him of being reckless. I am now issuing orders.  It is impossible to order the 14th Army to withdraw from the battle. On a front line of more than 100 kilometers from Quezon City to Cavite, the 14th Army and the US military are fighting fiercely. Forcing the 14th Army to withdraw from the battle is not possible.  , not the best approach.¡±

    "If the U.S. military takes the opportunity to counterattack, the situation will only get worse. Hey. We can only take one step at a time. I hope MacArthur is so stunned by the ferocity of this guy in Springfield that he can't think of counterattack for the time being, or he doesn't have the courage. Sichuan  Mr. Shima, this is the first time I have encountered this situation in my many years of service in the Imperial Army!¡±

    Chief of Staff Kawashima thought for a while and suggested: "General, we cannot wait passively. The Fourteenth Army is in a very dangerous situation. If it is beaten back by the US military, it may be defeated across the board. My opinion is, stay  Leave the next division and one brigade to my command and continue to clear out the remaining US troops in the Calais Mountains. It is best to leave the other divisions and brigades to the battlefield in Manila under your command!"

    This is also a no-brainer. The imperial troops, who are scattered in the Calais Mountains and are chasing and attacking the remaining American soldiers, will take most of a day to assemble. The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, so we can only try our best to remedy it. General Ito nodded and agreed.  Following the advice of Chief of Staff Kawashima, it was already past nine o'clock in the morning on August 14th.

    General Ito, who was as anxious as a cat, was like an ant on a hot pot in the headquarters. An hour later, General Ito received a telegram from Lieutenant General Yoshihiko Haruta. The first sentence at the beginning of the telegram almost scared him out of his skin.  Cold sweat, "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, Springfield has failed the general's trust! We failed in the first battle, and we are willing to accept any punishment!"

    Suppressing his fear and uneasiness, General Ito continued to look down, "All the officers and men of our Fourteenth Army launched a full-line attack on the US military's Manila defense line at about 2 o'clock in the morning today. By about 8 o'clock in the morning, they were already in many places.  Breaking through the US defense line, victory was already in sight. Unexpectedly, US commander MacArthur mobilized a large number of reserve forces to counterattack our troops at various breaches. The battle situation reversed. Seeing that they could not break through, the staff had to order their troops to stop the attack and switch to battlefield rest.  Look for opportunities to fight again!¡±

    "The promise I made before to welcome the Commander-in-Chief in Manila has become an empty promise. Every time I think of this, Haruta feels ashamed. The first battle was unfavorable, which harmed the military might of our Imperial Japanese Army.  Responsibility, while reporting the battle situation, Chuntian asked for punishment!"

    After reading the entire telegram, General Ito was a little bit dumbfounded. How could this guy from Springfield be breathing hard even after sending a telegram? The result of the battle was much better than he expected. Attacking with pure infantry, MacArthur had to use the reserve team. Springfield  This guy is indeed a tough guy!

    Worrying was followed by a surprise. General Ito couldn't help shouting: "Go to the west! Go to the west! Mr. Haruta is worthy of being a brave general and communications officer of our Imperial Japanese Army. He sent a telegram to commend Lieutenant General Haruta Yoshihiko and all the officers of the 14th Army, and will  The commendation order is notified to all troops of the Expeditionary Force. I, Ito, am so lucky to have such a brave general!"

    It happened that Chief of Staff Kawashima returned to the headquarters after arranging the troop assembly. He saw His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, so excited. It was really rare. He asked in surprise: "General, what makes you so happy?"

    Ito handed the telegram from Lieutenant General Yoshihiko Haruta to Major General Kawashima, whoAfter reading the telegram quickly, he looked incredulous and said with some stuttering: "Commander-in-Chief, how do you explain this?" The meaning couldn't be more obvious, is this okay?

    General Ito, who was in a good mood, was very satisfied with the surprise that Yoshihiko Haruta created for his chief of staff. He laughed and shook his head and said: "Kawashima-kun, there is no need to explain, this is the bravery of Haruta-kun, this is the combat effectiveness of the Fourteenth Army!  "

    Major General Kawashima remembered something and said: "Commander-in-Chief, do we still need to implement the previous plan?"

    General Ito shook his head and replied: "No need. The most dangerous period of the Fourteenth Army has passed. It has established a firm foothold on the front line in Manila. MacArthur is now in a passive defensive state. He sent a telegram to the Fourteenth Army and ordered them to  , launched an attack on the US military in a rhythmic manner, and American reinforcements from Australia should be arriving soon! "

    Seeing the commendation order personally signed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Southwest Pacific Expedition Force of the Empire of Japan, General Ito Genzaburo, Lieutenant General Haruta Yoshihiko was so moved that he felt that he had no shame to show his face to General Ito. However, the Commander-in-Chief gave him  With such high praise for himself and the Fourteenth Army, Lieutenant General Springfield spontaneously felt that a soldier would die for his confidant. At the subsequent military meeting, Lieutenant General Springfield was in high spirits.

    Through the battle the previous day, Commander Yoshihiko Haruta had already seen through MacArthur's weak and cowardly nature. The Americans had more than twice their own strength, so what could they do? Instead of cowering behind the fortifications, waiting fearfully for the imperial army  As part of the army's offensive, the artillery and tank units belonging to his own unit have reached the front line in Manila. After more than a day of rest, the soldiers' energy and physical strength have returned to their peak state, and he cannot spare the Americans.

    Therefore, Commander Springfield¡¯s pre-war meeting was filled with murderous intent, ¡°Gentlemen, our Fourteenth Army has just received an award from the headquarters. This is an honor and a responsibility. It will spur us to serve the Empire of Japan and the Emperor.  Your Majesty, to achieve greater feats, I order all troops to launch continuous attacks on the U.S. military positions opposite you from today on. However, pay attention to tactics and focus on killing large numbers of U.S. military effective forces! "

    "Before the commander-in-chief leads other troops to the front line in Manila, we must try our best to tire out and consume the U.S. military. Gentlemen, this is a battle that requires your commanding ability and combat skills. You must not be reckless!"

    Commander Springfield said this to the division commanders and brigade commanders attending the military meeting. The division commanders and brigade commanders below were dumbfounded. When these words came out of Commander Springfield's mouth, how could they?  It sounds so awkward. To say it is reckless, among all the commanders of the entire dispatch army, Lieutenant General Springfield is ranked second, and no one dares to be ranked first. Who forced more than 70,000 soldiers to fight in the early hours of yesterday morning?  A battle that looks suspenseful?

    Thanks to the great blessing of His Majesty the Emperor and the blessing of Amaterasu, the Americans did not react and were punched in the head by the imperial army. You, Commander Haruta, are getting a big deal. Who knows, but our brothers are so pinched.  I was sweating, and my heart was in my throat. If MacArthur was bold enough and hundreds of thousands of American and Philippine soldiers came forward together, we would have no choice but to turn around and run away!

    Now, Your Excellency, Commander, is solemnly warning us not to be reckless. Is there anything wrong?  In the Fourteenth Army, as long as you, Commander Springfield, are not crazy, reckless, or doing such trivial things, you can rest assured that no one will do such trivial things!

    No matter how nervous Lieutenant General Springfield was, he could still see the disapproving looks of his generals. However, Commander Springfield, who believed in letting results speak for himself, did not care. On the contrary, he was very proud. No matter what, I only use  With more than 70,000 troops, they defeated more than 100,000 U.S. troops so that they did not dare to show their heads. This is a credit!

    Lieutenant General Yoshihiko Haruta once again showed his bravery. Starting at 3 a.m. on August 15th, the four divisions of the Japanese Fourteenth Army were divided into four attack directions and launched an offensive of more than 100 kilometers.  On the front, they launched a ferocious attack on the US military position!

    At this point, the Battle of Manila officially kicked off. There were no longer quiet days on the Manila front line. There were shouts of killing and gunfire. The Japanese army was like a tireless robot, attacking wave after wave, making the American soldiers worse and worse.  He was so frightened that by the afternoon of August 18, the U.S. troops on the Manila defense line felt tremendous pressure. MacArthur put all the available troops in his hands into the front-line positions.

    Assaults and counter-assaults were staged on every position. The Japanese soldiers were like unbeatable monsters, causing a lot of casualties to the American soldiers. In the evening, as night fell, the last Japanese attack was finally repulsed.  Commander-in-Chief MacArthur, who was exhausted and mentally exhausted, was almost worried to death. According to the current casualty consumption, in less than a month, there will be no usable troops on the Manila defense line!

      (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