On July 5, during the rainy season, the Allied forces in the India-Burma Theater suddenly launched a large-scale attack!
The fighter jets of the 10th and 14th Air Forces of the U.S. Army raided various Japanese airfields in Bangkok, Phnom Penh and the Malay Peninsula. It took only six hours to defeat the 19th Air Force and the 21st Independent Flying Group of the Japanese Burmese Front. Completely cripple and firmly control the air superiority of the battlefield.
Subsequently, a huge fleet of aircraft began to air attack the Japanese troops in southern Thailand. The 105th Division of the 101st Group Army rushed to Bangkok from Nakhon Sawan. The 212th and 213th Divisions of the 121st Group Army started from the Dawei Station of the South Burma Railway Branch Line and entered East Vietnam. On the Myanmar-Thailand border, they stormed Nando Phanom and threatened Ban Peng. The 214th Division served as a reserve force and subsequently followed up.
The 106th Division of the 101st Group Army used only one day to annihilate the Japanese and puppet troops, occupy the important town of Vientiane in Laos, and then move south to Thailand and advance toward Bangkok; the 107th Division went straight along the railway line to southern Myanmar to mop up the remaining Japanese and puppet troops.
The 103rd Group Army (New First Army) is responsible for guarding Burma. All the officers and soldiers under the army commander Sun Liren were very angry, and they were angry that they could not win this battle! But they know that this is all because of domestic orders-their first task is to defend the Burma Highway, and it also has a hidden meaning: to preserve strength.
Li Junhao left the 104th Gurkha Division as a reserve force, while the 82nd Airborne Division was preparing for combat!
Combat in the rainy season is a severe test for any army, but the India-Burma theater is very well prepared this time. A large number of LVT-4 tracked amphibious combat vehicles and DUKW-353 wheeled amphibious transport vehicles have been prepared, together with special engineering vehicles. The careful planning of road opening, bridge building, transportation, etc. turned the difficulties in the rainy season into an advantage for the Japanese army. Floods and mud all became problems for the Japanese army!
To be honest, the success of this battle exceeded Li Junhao's most optimistic imagination. Within the first 24 hours of the battle, the 106th Division occupied Vientiane and eliminated the last organized Japanese Vientiane garrison brigade in Laos;
In the next 24 hours, the 105th Division, which moved south, attacked Chaina and severely defeated the Japanese 110th Division...
The 121st Group Army captured Nando Phanom, and the 212th Division was left to clear out the remnants of the Japanese 431st Mixed Brigade. The 213th Division took a short rest, and the 214th Division, which was previously in reserve, overtook them and attacked Ban Peng - the defenders here are The Japanese 21st and 27th Divisions are enough for them to fight for a while!
On the third day, the 106th Division, which moved south from Vientiane along the Central-Thailand Railway, led its troops to Korat and Korat, basically wiping out the fully-equipped Japanese 433rd Mixed Brigade along the way. However, the Japanese 20th Division is stationed in Korat and is about to fight for a while!
In the frontline headquarters in Tonggu, Li Junhao, deputy commander Li Qiwei, chief of staff Wheeler, and deputy chief of staff Yang Shixiong studied the battlefield situation.
Yang Shixiong said: "The use of military strength is still a bit lacking..."
Li Qiwei said: "Pan Sen, why don't you let the 82nd Division come up?"
"Why, you want to use your airborne troops as infantry?" Li Junhao joked, "It's not that time yet..."
At this moment, a "report" sounded, and Sun Liren, who was supposed to return to Lashio, appeared at the door.
Sun Liren, who entered the conference room, said without any nonsense: "Commander Pan Sen, on behalf of the 103rd Army, I am requesting a fight!"
Everyone looked at him without saying a word, knowing what was going on.
Li Junhao said with some embarrassment: "General Sun, you should know what Chairman Chiang means. If I agree to your participation in the war, it will of course be beneficial to the entire war situation, but it may not be a good thing for you!"
"Commander, I have discussed this with Commander Yu and Commander Chen before coming..." Sun Liren said, "We participated in the previous two Burma battles, but we only watched from the side in this third battle. This is not The style of a soldier, so we all jointly request: join the war!"
Seeing the look in his eyes, Li Junhao knew that he had really made up his mind, so he nodded and said, "In that case, I will arrange a task for you!"
——
On July 9, the New 38th Division of the 103rd Group Army, led by Lieutenant General Sun Liren, took a train from Mandalay all the way south. It took two days to arrive at Dawei in southern Myanmar. Then the whole group entered Thailand eastward, arriving on the 12th. Ban Peng, join the siege!
At this time, the 21st and 27th Divisions in Ban Peng City could no longer withstand it. Yamashita Fengwen urgently sent the 29th Division and the 418th Mixed Brigade from Bangkok for reinforcements, and the two sides fell into a fierce battle.
The 96th Division and the temporary 55th Division each left a regiment in Lashio, and the main force marched eastward to Laos. On the one hand, they wiped out the remaining Japanese garrison troops and puppet troops, while on the other hand, they intimidated the Japanese garrison in Vietnam and ensured the security of the right wing of the battlefield.
On the afternoon of the 13th, the 106th Division defeated the Japanese 20th Division in Korat, chasing the defeated army and approaching Ayutthaya!
The 105th Division, which attacked Chaina, used heavy artillery and tanks to open the way. It has captured most of the city and is annihilating the last part of the enemy in the south of the city. The Japanese 110th Division has been basically defeated and cannot hold out for long.
The 107th Division, which was marching south deep into southern Myanmar, had reached Panjian En at this time. If it moved forward, it would invade the Malay Peninsula. It was currently clearing out the last remnants of the enemy, arranging railways and roads, and preparing for the army to move south.
By now, everyone could see that the Japanese Burmese Front was almost finished. There were still two divisions, the 5th and 30th, and the 431st Mixed Brigade in Bangkok, but six more were waiting for them. The division's siege and the Allied victory were completely predictable!
——
On the 15th, the Allied forces completely cleared away surrounding enemies. The 105th and 106th Divisions of the 101st Group Army, the New 38th Division of the 103rd Group Army, and the 212th, 213th, and 214th Divisions of the 121st Group Army encircled Bangkok!
In the current city of Bangkok, Yamashita Fengfumi still has the relatively intact 5th Division, 30th Division and 431st Mixed Brigade, as well as the remnants of the 21st, 27th and 29th Divisions and the 19th Air Force that have retreated from defeat. The remaining troops of the army have 57,000 combat troops and 12,000 logistics troops at full strength; while the siege troops number more than 100,000, not counting the air power flying in from Yangon at any time.
The Thai royal family that was originally in the city had already evacuated to Geling in the southern bay. They could do nothing but tremble. They were completely unable to command and mobilize the remaining puppet troops - they were scared to death!
On the 16th, Li Junhao personally led the 104th Gurkha Light Infantry Division outside Bangkok, and then assigned it. The 108th, 109th, and 110th brigades led the new 38th, 106th, and 212th divisions respectively to fight urban street battles. 107 The three divisions, 213 and 214, are responsible for peripheral support.
Although they had enough experience and weapons and equipment to support them, the brutal street fighting continued for five days. The Allies wiped out all the Japanese troops in the city at the cost of nearly 8,000 casualties...well, no prisoners!
(End of chapter)
