binnovel Chapter 514: The Fall of Yichang
Chapter 514: The Fall of Yichang
Subsequently, Commander Chen of the Right Wing Corps ordered the 33rd Army to move towards Jingmen and Xianju according to the actual situation on the battlefield and cooperate with the Jiang Defense Army. At the same time, he ordered the 29th Army to attack towards Zhongxiang, hoping to cut off the rear transportation lines of the Japanese offensive forces.
Commander Chen knew very well that it was impossible to stop the advance of the Japanese army by relying on the Fifth War Zone's troops on the west bank of the Han River, which had long been defeated. Now he could only try his best to delay time and buy enough time for the 18th Army and the New 22nd Army to rush to the battlefield in Yichang.
However, the 13th Division, Ikeda Detachment and Hanshui Detachment of the Japanese Army forced their way across the Hanshui River near Jiukou and Shayang south of Zhongxiang, and together with the 3rd Division and 39th Division of the Japanese Army, they formed a pincer attack on Jingmen and Dangyang from the north and south.
Just one day later, the Ikeda Detachment of the Japanese Army broke through the blocking line of the 26th Army of the Jiang Defense Army and successfully occupied Shashi and Jingzhou. They then quickly attacked towards Yichang along the Yisha Highway. The attacking forces of the Japanese Army's 3rd Division, 13th Division and 39th Division also defeated the defense forces of the right wing corps in Dangyang and quickly attacked towards Yichang.
It was on this day that the troops of the 18th Army guarding Yichang had just arrived in Yichang and began hastily building defensive positions and fortifications. As for the troops of the new 22nd Army, due to the recent heavy rains in Hunan Province, the roads were muddy and the rivers were swollen. Until now, the new 22nd Army has not been able to leave the territory of Hunan Province.
The three Japanese divisions did not give the 18th Army of the Chinese government guarding Yichang much time to rest and build fortifications. On the third day after the 18th Army of the Chinese government arrived in Yichang, the three Japanese divisions concentrated all their forces and launched a fierce attack on Yichang with the support of tank units and hundreds of aircraft.
At present, only the 18th Division and the 199th Division of the 18th Army had arrived in Yichang. Therefore, Commander Peng of the 18th Army ordered the 18th Division to defend Yichang City and the 199th Division to defend the outskirts of Yichang, trying to delay the arrival of the new 22nd Army.
However, the Japanese army had deployed too many offensive forces. In the past, when the Chinese troops had the advantage in manpower, they had an extremely difficult time facing the attacks of the well-equipped Japanese army, not to mention now that they are at an absolute disadvantage in terms of manpower and weapons and equipment.
Moreover, the troops of the 18th Army did not even have time to build many defensive fortifications. Faced with repeated bombings from Japanese artillery, tanks and aircraft, the officers and soldiers could only use their flesh and blood to withstand the Japanese attacks.
After two days of hard fighting, the commander of the right wing, Chen Changguan, saw that the troops had suffered too many casualties without the protection of fortifications, and the new 22nd Army could not reach the Yichang battlefield in time due to road problems. In order to avoid the 18th Army's annihilation, he ordered the troops to abandon Yichang City. The entire army withdrew to the nearby mountainous area for rest and replenishment.
After the three Japanese divisions captured Yichang, they were at the end of their strength. The more than 1,000 tons of supplies and ammunition that the commander of the 11th Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Sonobe Kazuichiro, had delivered to the troops had been almost consumed.
Moreover, these three divisions are now very far away from the rear, and their logistics supply lines are constantly harassed by the Chinese troops of the Fifth War Zone. Even if they capture Yichang now, they do not have the ability and manpower to effectively guard Yichang.
Now is the period of combat offensive, and a relatively large number of troops can be dispatched to guard the logistics supply line. When the attack is over, these troops will have to be withdrawn to their original garrisons. By then, where can we draw so many troops to guard this fragile supply line? Without the supply line, how can Yichang be defended?
The most crucial point is that the combat objectives of the first phase of this battle have not been achieved, and the main force of the Chinese government's Fifth War Zone has not been eliminated. Although Yichang has been captured in the west, the rear areas in the north, south and east are constantly harassed by the troops of the Chinese government's Fifth War Zone. If things go wrong, the three divisions that occupied Yichang will be cut off by the Chinese government's Fifth War Zone and surrounded in Yichang.
This is mainly because the Japanese army's current available military forces are too tight. After local battlefield victories, there are not enough reserve forces to follow up and effectively defend the occupied areas. This is why the Japanese army always wants to find the main force of the Fifth War Zone for a decisive battle. Only by eliminating the combat power of the Chinese government's Fifth War Zone can they achieve the goal of controlling the occupied areas with very few garrison forces.
Moreover, the Japanese army did not clearly stipulate in the combat plan before the battle whether to ensure the occupation of Yichang. Because according to the general policy determined by the Japanese headquarters after the Battle of Three Towns, each offensive operation, even if it was an operation beyond the combat control area approved by the headquarters, was only a heavy blow to the Chinese army and destroy China's will to resist. It was not intended to expand the occupied area. Of course, the Japanese army itself was also well aware that it did not have enough troops to expand the scale of the existing occupied area.
However, the bosses in various war zones of the Chinese government are well aware of the current predicament of the Japanese army. The more the Japanese army wants a quick victory, the more the bosses in various war zones of the Chinese government will use China's vast territory and terrain to slowly wear down the Japanese army until the Japanese army is exhausted or the troops are dispersed, and then concentrate superior forces to attack and destroy the Japanese army.
Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, saw that the goals of the second phase of the operational plan formulated before the war had been achieved, and he was able to give a satisfactory explanation to both his own government and the Imperial Headquarters.
Therefore, in order to prevent the three divisions in Yichang from being cut off by the Fifth War Zone troops of the Chinese government, it was announced that all pre-war combat plans for the battle had been achieved, and an order was given to the three attacking divisions to withdraw from Yichang and destroy all military facilities in the city during the retreat.
Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, ordered the three divisions occupying Yichang to withdraw to the area on the east bank of the Han River. The 3rd Division and the 39th Division first withdrew to the Dangyang and Jingmen line, and then built defensive positions to prevent interception and attacks by the Fifth War Zone troops of the Chinese government. After covering the retreat of the 13th Division, they retreated in turn.
However, on the day when the Japanese army occupied Yichang, on the distant European battlefield, the German army successfully occupied the French capital of Paris. The whole world was shaken violently, which also strongly stimulated the fragile self-esteem of the entire Japanese government and military.
(Thanks to Jingjie Tachibana who loves to eat beef jerky, Weiguogong who loves to eat lamb and zucchini, Azhe who loves to eat dumplings without vinegar, and the gift support! Thank you all for your support and encouragement!)