Lieutenant General Iida gave the order, and the Japanese attacked Mandalay in three groups: left, center and right:
On the left, the 33rd Division started from Guangguang and attacked Magway controlled by the expedition through Libotan and Pyay. After taking it, it flanked Mandalay from the left wing, with a total force of about 20,000;
On the right, the 18th Division and the 55th Division set out from Maoqi, attacked Taunggyi, which was heavily defended by the expeditionary force, via Pyinmala, and then attacked Mandalay to the Lashio defense line, cutting off Mandalay's back road from the right rear. The total strength About 35,000 people;
On the middle route, the strongest 6th Division reinforced the army's heavy artillery brigade. Along the railway from Yangguang to Mandalay, starting from Pyinmana, they attacked Yangmeding. The total strength was about 40,000.
The 56th Division serves as a battle reserve. If the baggage troops, troops directly under the military headquarters and air power are included, the total strength exceeds 120,000.
The 13th Regiment of the Sixth Division (organized into Kumamoto, also known as the Kumamoto Regiment), as the vanguard, took the lead in launching an attack on Yang Miding.
The First Regiment of the 2nd Division of the New Third Army, led by Captain Wan Peng, rose up to resist, and the Yangmiding offensive and defensive battle began first.
The Sixth Division, also known as the Kumamoto Division, is one of the 17 standing divisions of the Japanese, code-named "Ming". The Second Division (Sendai) is also known as the two most powerful and combat-effective troops in the Japanese army, massacring Jinling. One of the culprits in the city is called the Beast Master Group by China.
The division is organized into a four-unit system, that is, the division has two brigades, and the brigade has two infantry regiments. The infantry regiment has three infantry brigades, and the brigade has four infantry squadrons and one machine gun squadron (eight). heavy machine gun), an artillery squad (two 70mm infantry guns);
The division also has an artillery regiment, a baggage regiment, an engineer regiment, a cavalry regiment (four cavalry squadrons and a machine gun squadron) and other units;
The artillery wing has four brigades (thirty-six 75mm mountain guns and twelve 75mm field guns). The infantry wing has one artillery squadron (four mountain guns) and an infantry artillery squadron (four infantry guns). The establishment is 28,500 people.
After the Japanese opened the southern battlefield, the cavalry regiment of the Sixth Division also strengthened 12 Type 95 tanks and 8 combat vehicles. All these armored forces were assigned to the 13th regiment, which was the vanguard, and also assigned to a division. Field Artillery Battalion;
The number of Japanese attacking Yangmiding exceeded 4,500. No wonder the commander of the regiment, Hashimoto Jiro, boasted about Haikou, launched the attack at noon, and ended the battle before dark.
"Kill the chicken and give it to me!"
Colonel Hashimoto loudly ordered the field artillery brigade, and the bombardment began.
"Boom boom boom..."
"Boom boom..."
The 12 75mm mountain guns of the Japanese Division's Field Artillery Battalion were fully activated, and they fired wildly at Yangmiding City. The posture looked a bit like they were trying to wipe out Yangmiding.
"Inoue-kun, the imperial army's artillery fire is really fierce. When the artillery fire stops, your brigade will go up and prepare to collect the corpses of the Chinese people."
In the command room, Colonel Hashimoto proudly told Major Inoue, the captain of the first group, that both of them had participated in the Battle of Jinling. At that time, one was the captain and the other was the squadron leader;
After the Jinling Incident, the Sixth Division had a bad reputation, which led to their mediocre record. So far, they have not made much progress. They have high hopes for this Mandalay battle.
Major Inoue said very cooperatively:
"Your Excellency Colonel, the fighting power of the Chinese people is as fragile as tofu and vulnerable to a single blow;
In Jinling City, a small team of the imperial army captured and eliminated one of their regiments. Against the sheep-like Chinese people, such violent bombardment was like killing a chicken with a sledgehammer! "
Colonel Hashimoto nodded and said:
"Yo Xi, Mr. Inoue, the division commander has repeatedly emphasized that you must not underestimate the enemy. Even a sheep must be treated like a tiger."
Major Inoue paused and said matter-of-factly:
"Hey! Inoue learned a lesson!"
But there was no sign on their faces that they were taking it seriously. There was only one regiment of defenders in the city, and they really didn't take it seriously.
The Japanese artillery preparations lasted for half an hour, and the low city wall of Yangmiding was plowed almost completely. The city wall was blown down in several places, and the widest one was more than 300 meters wide. The city wall of Yangmiding was almost in vain. If there are defenders on the city wall, there are basically not many left.
Fortunately, Wan Peng had no intention of guarding the city wall at all. He only left an observation team on the huge city wall;
Before the artillery fire could be fully extended, the two infantry squadrons of the Inoue brigade launched a charge. The heavy machine gun squadron trailed back several hundred meters to suppress the fire. This was the Japanese standard approach.
The Kumamoto Regiment is worthy of being the elite division of the Japanese. Their attack was almost based on charging at the bullet points, and they were able to advance with barrage. As soon as the bombardment extended, the Japanese infantry stepped onto the ruins of the gap in the city wall.
This level of infantry and artillery coordination cannot be matched even by the independent army. If it were replaced by another national army, it might collapse.
Unfortunately, this time they encountered an independent army unit. The Japanese infantry rushed into the city wall. Not only did it not frighten them, it actually made them excited - finally the sixth division arrived!
Just as Major Inoue expected, they easily invaded the city, almost effortlessly, with no casualties.
According to Inoue's experience in Jinling, as long as the Japanese invaders set foot on the Chinese city wall, their situation will be decided, and the next step will be to massacre the city...
Outside the regiment's field command post in the center of the city, Wan Peng was observing the movements of the Japs with a telescope. He made a rough estimate and found that there should be three to four hundred Japs. He muttered:
"It's a little less, but it's enough to fill the gap between your teeth!"
Thinking of this, Wan Peng counted silently in his mind, waiting for the demolition team to give the Japanese a meeting gift.
The demolition team did not disappoint him. After almost all the Japs entered the open space within the city wall, they decisively detonated the high-explosive bombs buried near the city wall. The high-explosive bombs Chu Xiong asked for from Stevie came in handy.
A total of 200 kilograms of high explosives were buried, and a lot of auxiliary materials were added to the explosive bags. After a series of explosions, huge smoke and dust engulfed the Japs. A large number of Japs were killed and injured, and the survivors were also stunned by the explosions. .
"Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta..."
The ambushes on both sides used more than a dozen machine guns to fire wildly at the remaining Japs. A dozen tongues of flame formed a crossfire, mowing down the Japs without any blind spots.
Finally, a small number of Japanese soldiers came to their senses and lay down in the ruins, trying to resist.
Major Inoue's reaction speed was very fast. He immediately found a ruined bunker and escaped the machine gun fire.
He looked back at the two squadrons he had brought over. Under the intensive firepower of the despicable Chinese, they were already dead. There were only a few dozen Japanese soldiers lying down sparsely.
"Bagaya road! Chinese people are cunning and cunning——"
Before he finished speaking, his face turned pale because he saw a large number of grenades flying in the sky, at least hundreds of them. Before he could curse, a grenade landed on top of him and exploded in the air, killing him. Little life.
When he was dying, he realized that the Chinese people he met this time were different from those in Jinling;
After two consecutive rounds of grenades, there were only a few Japs left, and they stumbled out, leaving twenty or thirty things for the Japs.
"Bagayalu! Fire and kill them!"
Watching two squadrons of warriors being wiped out by the Chinese through the telescope, Hashimoto became completely angry and loudly ordered artillery fire in retaliation?
