Ayeyarwaddy Frontline…
This is a small village in the central Ayeyarwaddy Province of Myanmar. It has been requisitioned by the new army as a temporary headquarters and logistics supply station. It is equivalent to a transfer station. The wounded soldiers who have retired and various supplies that are about to be sent to the front line will be transferred there. Stop here for a moment.
The local residents had long since dispersed, and the only ones who dared to get close were the half-grown indigenous children. They gathered around the camp in small groups, and some climbed up the treetops like monkeys, curiously observing these people who came out of nowhere. The soldiers who came were soon sternly driven away by the patrol soldiers.
In the camp... Fang Jingyao was lying on the table, looking at the map in front of him seriously and lost in thought. Several staff officers stood around with dejected expressions, with large amounts of sweat hanging on their faces. The weather that was slowly getting hotter was somewhat unsettling.
Several strategic action lines are clearly marked on the map. The troops of both sides have been completely mixed together, and the expected combat objectives have been initially achieved. However, the 201st Division encountered some troubles in the lower reaches of the Pasen River.
"Hasn't the 201st Division found the location of the main artillery force of the Tanaka Regiment?" Fang Jingyao suddenly asked.
One of the staff officers quickly replied: "Yes, but the Intelligence Bureau has detected some short-wave signals. Excluding the main force of the Japanese army, it must be the artillery unit. Commander Wang and the others have sent a reconnaissance team to penetrate behind enemy lines. They should be able to have some information soon." discovered.”
The Irrawaddy battlefield is divided into three parts. It was originally planned that the three divisions of the New Army would be divided into three attacking directions and advance together. The 202nd Division and the 203rd Division in the east had defeated the Japanese defense line and were advancing straight along the river. A large number of armored troops were there. The alluvial plain is like a fish in water, and coupled with the continuous support of air fighters, it is difficult for the little devils to stop the torrent of offensive.
The 201st Division on the other side encountered quite a problem. Since the southwestern part of Ayeyarwaddy Province is a terrain of hills and swamps, with numerous branches of large and small rivers, it was difficult for soldiers and armored forces to carry out coordinated operations. To put it bluntly, They could only rely on infantry to push hard, and the large bushes became natural hiding places for the Japanese army, so the offensive efficiency was greatly reduced.
Moreover, the Japanese army used a lot of mobile warfare tactics here, never going head-to-head with the main force of the 201st Division, and chose to fight guerrillas in the bushes, using various mines, ambushes, and ambushes, causing heavy losses to the vanguard of the attack.
There are actually not many Japanese garrison forces in the southwest of Ayeyarwaddy Province, but there are still a large number of local Burmese puppet troops. Although these guys are not very effective in combat, they are better at being familiar with the environment and terrain, and cooperate with the Japanese army to return the troops. It produced quite good results.
Especially the elusive artillery unit. They use the Type 99 105mm mountain cannon specially improved by the Japanese army for the jungle battlefield. The number is unknown. However, this artillery is lower than the original shape and has very strong concealment. The overall combat is full It weighs less than 700 kilograms and is easy to disassemble and assemble, making it easy for soldiers or horses to carry it in mountainous and jungle areas without roads. Its range is not low and its power is high.
The most important thing is that it is light. In this way, a mountain cannon can be disassembled or assembled in less than ten minutes, and transportation only requires one mule and horse and three or five soldiers to drag it all over the mountain.
This Japanese artillery unit is very experienced and can always provide support to the defending Japanese troops at critical moments in the battle. They are never reluctant to fight, and they almost fight from one place to another. It is difficult to calculate their position through ballistics.
Even aerial reconnaissance planes will find it difficult to detect traces of the opponent when facing the large tracts of low bushes below. By the time you discover that their firing has exposed the position and are ready to strike, these ghostly Japanese will have already carried them. The gun mount ran away, like a living loach, and there was no chance of catching it.
There are also many Japanese observation posts hidden in the hills and mountains surrounding the main force of the 201st Division, which can provide accurate shooting coordinates for the Japanese artillery. Nearly 70% of the casualties of the offensive troops on the main battlefield were caused by this artillery.
The commander of the 201st Division was worried about casualties, coupled with the inconvenience of supplies on his side, and the materials needed for subsequent operations were not yet in place, which also led to a stalemate in the war.
The most important thing is that there are too many wounded, and the three divisions of the New Army do not have much combat experience. It is okay to fight a smooth battle. With the support of equipment and firepower, not to mention 100% combat effectiveness, 89% to 90% will be no problem.
But in a tough battle or at a disadvantage, the soldiers' mental endurance is hard to say. If the Japanese army seizes the opportunity to launch a counterattack, the entire division's retreating front may collapse in just an instant.
After hearing the answer, Fang Jingyao threw away the pencil tip in his hand and his face became a little solemn.
Now that all troops are deployed on the frontline battlefield, they really can't spare their hands to support the 201st Division. However, if they are dragged there for a long time by the little devils, it will be difficult to carry out the subsequent operational plan to encircle Yangon Province.
Sigh... I can only place my hope on that reconnaissance team. As long as the Japanese artillery can be discovered and destroyed, the situation over there can be opened up.
"Send a report to Jun Zuo, explain the specific situation of the 201st Division, request more air support, pay close attention to the battle situation there, and notify me as soon as possible if there are any changes."
"Yes, I'll go right away..."
Fang Jingyao slowly walked to the window with his hands behind his back, ready to take a breath and soothe his tense nerves over the past few days, but a faint smell of blood mixed with disinfectant floated to his nose.
Next to the headquarters was a field hospital, and bursts of wailing and pain kept coming from the rows of tents next door. The medical staff coming in and out brought out basins of blood and poured them out, and the surgeons inside even more I was so busy that I had no time to rest at all.
This newly formed new army has three divisions and one brigade with more than 40,000 people. They wear new jungle camouflage uniforms, fishnet M1-style helmets, and have all kinds of brand-new firearms in their hands. Both in terms of equipment and personnel configuration, They have reached the ceiling of the expeditionary force, but relatively speaking, their combat effectiveness and combat experience are the lowest in the entire army.
Although the new offensive in Ayeyarwady Province caught the Japanese army by surprise, with the cooperation of all parties, it was quickly pushed all the way from the southwest of Bago Province. The frontline troops were the fastest to reach the delta near the southernmost outlet of the Irrawaddy River, but The large number of casualties is also breathtaking.
As of today, the entire army has lost more than 2,700 people, and there are more than 9,000 people with minor or serious injuries. Several field hospitals are overcrowded, and new wounded people are constantly being sent to the rear from the front lines.
Obviously they have the upper hand and absolute advantage, and except for the obstacles encountered by the 201st Division, the strategic goals in other directions have been achieved, but this huge casualty is a bloody fact. To put it bluntly, the few in the hands of Changlong Article The teacher would never look like this when he comes here.
