In central Siam, Phitsanulok, at the headquarters of the Japanese Second Tank Division, officers from the First Division and the Second Division, major generals and above, gathered together to listen to Lieutenant General Maruyama's introduction to the enemy's situation.
The Second Division has withdrawn to Phitsanulok Mansion. Their miserable situation has cast a shadow on the hearts of other Japanese soldiers. A first-class division was wiped out in this way. The brutality of the Chinese Expeditionary Force is evident.
Lieutenant General Okada Tsumugi, commander of the 2nd Tank Division, comforted Masao Maruyama:
"Maruyama-kun, victory or defeat is a matter of military strategism. The Second Division has tried its best in the battle of Chiang Mai. Only 5,000 people are left in an A-class division. If the commander hadn't ordered your troops to retreat, I think Maruyama-kun would have done it." Will fight bloody battles with the Chinese until the last moment;
The loyalty and bravery of the Second Division are an example for us to learn from. The Chinese Expeditionary Army has received strong material support from Eagle Sauce, and its combat power is already on the same level as the Imperial Army. Therefore, the next battle in Phitsanulok will be even more brutal. You must be mentally prepared for a bloody battle with the enemy.
Central Siam is dominated by plains and is suitable for mechanized cluster operations. There is an armored unit in the battle sequence of the expeditionary force. In the next attack, they should choose armored assault to prevent the enemy armored cluster from attacking. Our tank division is duty-bound!
In modern warfare, air superiority is very important. Due to the persistence of the Second Division in Chiang Mai City, it bought time for our imperial army to adjust its deployment;
The first batch of 500 fighter planes from His Majesty's air force to reinforce the Southern Army has been put in place, and 300 more will follow. A full 800 fighter planes are enough to ensure that I have the air supremacy over Siam..."
The headquarters of the New Second Army was also crowded with big shots. Sun Fumin personally led the mechanized division to assist in the battle. Li Chenxi, the leader of the flying detachment, also came to participate in the battle deployment meeting. The next battle report was still under the unified command of Yan Haoyu.
"Comrades, the terrain in central Siam is flat, which is very suitable for armored group operations. In the next battle, armored forces will be the protagonist;
According to intelligence, the Japanese deployed a tank division in Phitsanulok, with jurisdiction over the third tank brigade, the fourth tank brigade, the second mechanized infantry regiment, the division rapid-fire artillery team, the division search team, and the mechanized artillery regiment. The Second Regiment and the Air Defense Brigade, etc., have a total of four tank regiments with 300 tanks, 1,000 armored vehicles and transport vehicles, more than 100 artillery pieces of various types, and about 13,800 people.
In addition, there are about 25,000 people in the First Division assigned to combat. This is another permanent division. The Japanese battlefield in Siam is full of elite Japanese soldiers. It is a good time for our expeditionary force to let go of its hands and feet. These first-class divisions The groups were wiped out one by one. "
Everyone was excited after hearing this, and Sun Fumin immediately expressed his stance:
"Old Yan, comrades are most excited to meet the elite divisions of the Japanese. Since I went abroad to fight, the first-class divisions that have been annihilated by our expeditionary force include the Sixth Division, the Fifth Division, and the Sixteenth Division. group;
The Second Division was crippled in Chiang Mai, and now there is the First Division. There is also a Guards Division in Taijing. They are all the top divisions among the seventeen permanent divisions of the Japanese. , our expeditionary force has all been included for them, so that it will be easier at home, you can just say how to fight! "
Sun Fumin and the main generals of the New First Army have secretly joined the organization. The introducers were Chu Xiong and Huang An. He is now on the same level as Yan Haoyu in Chu Xiong's independent army system, so he is in a very good mood. This time he will lead the armored division. The posture of coming to participate in the war is also relatively low, and all actions are under the unified command of Yan Haoyu.
Now among the Eighth Route Army, the Independence Army has become the largest group. Chu Xiong and Wang Junjie are the first echelon, followed by Zhao Sihu, Li Qing, Chu Dapeng, Chen Hao, Luo Weimin, Sun Fumin, Zhang Yu, Lin Junjie, Yang Wei and others. , are all at the division level, equivalent to the main brigade level in the Eighth Route Army.
There are also many hilltops in the Independent Army. The biggest ones are the squad and platoon leaders of the old Seventh Company. As long as the youngest ones are still alive, they are all the main regimental commanders.
Li Qing and Chu Dapeng are the commanders of the military divisions, and Zhang Yu and Yan Haoyu are the commanders of the expeditionary force. They are all powerful factions. Even in Yanzhou, Chu Xiong also has a certain say.
Not surprisingly, in the future, the independent army system will replace the 101 system and become the largest force in the army. This will minimize the ambition of 101, which is a story later.
Sun Fumin's words received unanimous response from others. When they heard that there was a big battle, the tank division plus the first division was enough to stimulate them.
Seeing that his morale was boosted, Yan Haoyu started to serve a feast and told everything about his battle plan. The others listened with excitement and were full of unlimited expectations for the upcoming battle.
Yan Haoyu's battle plan naturally had to be reported to Chu Xiong. After being approved by Chu Xiong, the Battle of Phitsanulok officially started.
Naturally, Li Chenxi's flying detachment was the first to appear. The most effective way to deal with armored forces was air strikes. The Japs naturally understood this truth. The Japs fighter planes taking off from various airports around Siam started an aerial stranglehold with the Chinese aircraft fleet for air supremacy.
Every day, planes from both sides competed in a battle of wits and courage in the nearby airspace, and also carried out sneak attacks on each other's airports. Planes were constantly shot down, and the fight was exhausting until the end.
At the Expeditionary Force Command, Chu Xiong and others are also paying close attention to this air strangulation battle, and battle reports from the front line are delivered in time every day.
"Lao Chu, the Japanese dispatched more than 80 fighter jets to protect more than 50 bombers, but they were intercepted and killed by 110 fighter jets of our unit. They shot down 37 Japanese aircraft and our unit lost 12."
Zhong Guoliang brought the latest battle report. Chu Xiong nodded with satisfaction and said to Shi Diwei:
"Old Shi, as our new pilots grow up, the exchange ratio between the two sides is getting bigger and bigger. If the consumption continues like this, it won't be long before the Japanese can't hold it anymore!
I heard that many of these aircraft were squeezed out of their navy, which greatly reduced the pressure on the Yingjiang Navy, so every ton of supplies Yingjiang paid was worth it. "
Shi Diwei is now completely satisfied with Chu Xiong and the expeditionary force. Although Chu Xiong does not treat him as a leader, Chu Xiong is definitely a doer. As Chu Xiong said, every ton of supplies from Yingjiang has received satisfactory returns.
Yingjiang didn't make so many twists and turns. Stilwell's satisfaction was written on his face. He excitedly said to Chu Xiong:
"The boys have done a great job. I have decided to raise their pension to the same standard as that of the Eagle Air Force, and the treatment is also the same;
The Army's treatment is 80% that of the Eagle Army. Just fight and replenish as many aircraft as you can use. Leave the supplies to me. I just want victory! victory! "
The old man pumped his fists excitedly. He had just been praised by Franklin and planned to establish a separate Nanyang theater, with Chu Xiong as the commander and him as the chief of staff. He would no longer have to deal with peanuts from chicken thieves.
Chu Xiong said very cheerfully:
"Old Shi, as long as the supplies are in place, victory will always belong to China and the people of Yingjiang!"
