If the failure of Taunggyi had made it difficult for Yamashita Fengwen to resist, the sudden appearance of the armored brigade on the lower reaches of the Yinrowaddy River was more like a sharp knife piercing the heart, which was extremely painful.
Originally, the so-called Mandalay defense plan of the Japanese army was to use the Taunggyi Nandu River and the Yinrawaddy River as the basic defense line, using the vast depth and depth of Mandalay Province to block and repel the two men who could attack and defend, and then ride two bicycles. The coalition troops surrounded the rear and made a surprise attack on Lashio.
The strategic plan was good, but things were unpredictable. First, the Yinlun troops were wiped out by the Chinese Armored Brigade that suddenly appeared. Then, the Taunggyi Fifth Division stepped into a trap and was surrounded and eaten by counterattacks. Both ends were beaten into dogs. How to play if you don’t?
Chen Jize did not choose to stop there. The armored brigade took the tank regiment as the vanguard and continued to advance southward. It took only three days from reaching the lower reaches of the Yinlowaddy River to reach Meiktila.
It was the tank regiment that advanced, the armored regiment and truck infantry behind them, and the US bombers from the sky also came to assist the gangsters. This important Japanese logistics city was easily captured by them without much resistance. An infantry brigade guarding here was basically wiped out. , countless weapons, equipment and military supplies were seized.
The armored brigade was also here to replenish the gasoline fuel and some food supplies consumed in the days of fighting. As for other useless things... they were all burned without leaving anything behind.
After attacking southward for several days, the soldiers were exhausted, but no one showed any dissatisfaction, and most of them were even extremely excited. They were not lenient at all in killing the little devils.
The armored brigade's advance was unstoppable and invincible. In less than a week, it advanced hundreds of kilometers south from the upper reaches of the Yinrawaddy River. It simply subverted everyone's imagination that this battle could still be fought like this.
Now Mandalay's little devil's mentality is almost unbearable. In the past two days, the morale of the troops has been low and they have been distracted. An unknown enemy suddenly ran up behind them. Who wouldn't panic if they put it on them?
However, the actual situation is not just these, there are more desperate things waiting for them...
"Tell me, this little devil actually got a new rifle? But it still looks like a 38-year-old."
In the camp, Fan Xiangwu was playing with a Japanese 99 rifle, holding it up in front of his eyes and taking a look at it, and kept commenting on it.
The appearance is not much different from the 38-style. The weight, length and basic structure of the two are similar. They are both sharp stabbing weapons that can turn into a 1.5-meter "spear" in seconds with the addition of a bayonet. The only big difference is the 99-style. The caliber of Type 38 was changed from 6.5mm to 7.7mm.
"Deputy brigade commander, don't underestimate this thing. The power of the 77 bullet is much stronger than the previous 38-mm bullet. Just like our 762, it goes in through a small eye and comes out through a big eye."
Yuan Li came over, he also took out a Type 99 from the oilcloth box, and pulled the bolt with a clatter. The handguard was new but the processing was a bit rough, but the butter inside the bolt was still clearly visible, which showed that these weapons They are all brand new and have not been used.
"I didn't say I looked down on it. I think back then in Shanxi, not to mention the 38 big cover, even the old socket was not enough. At that time, we all used big blades to chop down the little devils..."
Fan Xiangwu threw away the rifle in his hand, feeling filled with emotion. At the beginning, the Northwest Army was not as good as the direct line. If they could capture some Japanese equipment in the early days of the War of Resistance, it would be a treasure. But now, they no longer look down on these big guns.
"Haha, that's not the case... Comparing yourself with others will kill you. You have to throw it away when comparing goods. It's just that I don't understand... Why did this little devil design a tripod on this gun?"
As he said this, Yuan Li pulled open the monopod under the gun body. The length of nearly thirty centimeters was very abrupt. He didn't understand why the little devil installed a monopod on this rifle.
"The Point Guard Is Here"
Is it to reduce recoil? But the infantry are basically "Voldemort". Who would put the rifle so high to shoot? Isn't that like lighting a lamp in the toilet and seeking death?
The camp was filled with all kinds of weapons, and driven by curiosity, the two of them kept picking up the guns and checking them out.
The Japanese are not without progress. They have seen a lot of new equipment recently, such as Type 99 rifles, Type 99 light machine guns, etc., Type 97 vehicle-mounted heavy machine guns, etc...
The Japanese army, which has always advocated precision shooting to save ammunition, actually used uniquely designed self-produced submachine guns. Although the number was small and the reliability was poor, it also showed that they were still investing in this war.
"Buck your dick...Yuan Sang, Fan Sang..."
"Um??"
Suddenly, a strange Japanese word came from the side. When the two of them looked back, it turned out that it was Hong Mu who was learning Japanese in a weird way.
This kid didn't know where he found a fart hat and put it on his head. He also held a samurai sword in his hand and walked in with bow legs.
"Damn you brat! I'll take a bullet out of you if you're so virtuous." Fan Xiangwu cursed angrily and hit him on the head.
"Hehe, I haven't given birth to a boy who can dance with me yet. Hey, Lao Fan, several boxes of sake were found in the garage behind. Do you want to take a few sips?" Hong Mu didn't mind and pulled down the butt curtain. Throwing his hat on the ground, he asked with a playful smile.
"Come on, that stuff is not much worse than water. It's boring to drink." Fan Xiangwu waved his hands with a look of disgust on his face.
Hong Mu still wanted to make a joke, but suddenly he noticed Chen Jize in the corner who was carefully drawing a battle map. Now he was too embarrassed to make trouble anymore and hurried over to say hello:
"Jize, everything has been sorted out and the fuel has been replenished. Where should we go next?"
Chen Jize put down his paper and pen, stared at the map in front of him and pondered for a moment, and said with a serious face: "Just control the Meiktila area. This is the main transportation route for the Japanese army to retreat south, and it is also the only way for their reinforcements to go north. If everything All goes well...in less than two days, the little devils over at Mandalay will be panicking."
Originally, he wanted to continue marching southward and fight all the way to Yangon, but unfortunately after passing Meiktila, the terrain turned into hilly and mountainous areas, which was not suitable for the rapid advancement of armored troops and was prone to the risk of being ambushed.
Coupled with the continuous fighting, ammunition consumption was very serious. Although some were replenished by airdrops from the US military, the amount of ammunition still could not withstand the initial torment.
After all, the battle line was too long. Except for a dozen parachute boxes dropped from time to time, there was basically no normal logistical supplies.
Moreover, many tanks and armored vehicles have experienced mechanical failures. Soldiers have been working overtime in the past two days to repair them to ensure that the combat effectiveness of the troops is not affected.
Fortunately, the Japanese army also stocked up on gasoline in Meiktila and replenished some fuel after occupying this place. Otherwise, the dozens of iron tanks would have to be turned into ground-mounted artillery, and all the tank soldiers would have to use their guns as infantry.
Even though the long-distance attack was fun, there were too many things to consider. Chen Jize's young face was full of exhaustion, but there was still a brightness in his eyes:
"Let the brothers rest for a night. We will set off tomorrow. If we don't give the little devils in Mandalay something cruel, wouldn't such a big circle be in vain?"
"Hehe, that's not right. We need to let the little devil have a taste of Roujiamo." Hong Mu agreed with a smile.
As long as the little Japs in Mandalay are eliminated, the Japanese army will basically have very few troops left in Myanmar. Who can stop their 88th Army's script by then?
