Quartermasters can also fight the devils

Chapter 628 Phase 1 Operation

The various units of the Japanese Army's 11th Army participating in the first phase of operations began to gather on April 16. By May 4, the various units of the Japanese Army's 11th Army participating in the first phase of operations had gathered at designated locations and completed the corresponding combat preparations.

In order to better command the operations, on May 3, the commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, personally led the 11th Army Operations Command Headquarters into the city of Shashi. According to the combat plan formulated by Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, the various units of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army will launch attacks on their respective offensive targets in the early morning of May 5 according to the predetermined combat plan.

At dawn on May 5, 1943, with an order from Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, the Battle of Western Hubei officially began. The various units of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army participating in the first phase of the battle also began operations according to the pre-war combat plan.

The Japanese 3rd Division launched an attack from near Ouchikou towards the defensive positions of the New 23rd Division of the 87th Army of the Chinese Government's 10th Army stationed in Baigongzui. The Japanese Independent Mixed 17th Brigade launched an attack from the east of Ouchikou towards the defensive positions of the 15th Division of the 73rd Army of the Chinese Government's 29th Army stationed in Maocao Street.

The Xiaochai Detachment launched an attack on the defensive positions of the Chinese government troops at Tuanshan Temple from Shishou, and the Toda Detachment launched an attack on the defensive positions of the Provisional Fifth Division of the 73rd Army of the Chinese government at Sanchahe from near Huarong.

For a time, the Chinese army and the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army were engaged in fierce battles in Beiwan, Maocao Street, Xujiapu, Tuanshan Temple, Huangtai Mountain, and other places. The troops of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government had made sufficient preparations before, and after the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army launched the attack, they immediately put up a strong resistance.

On the morning of the second day after the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army launched the attack, the 77th Division and the 15th Division of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government jointly launched a counterattack against the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army. They fought fiercely with the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army at the Meitang Lake, Zhimaping, Sanchahe, Huangshizui, and Bagutou lines. Many positions were repeatedly fought over and changed hands between the two sides.

After two days of fierce fighting, the casualties of officers and soldiers of the 15th Division of the Huaxia government had reached as high as three-quarters. Among them, the commander of the 45th Regiment of the 15th Division, Chen Shefan, and the battalion commander, Li Ya'an, were both killed in the counterattack.

The 77th Division, another Chinese government army that took part in the counterattack, also suffered more than half of its casualties. The situation of the troops was extremely serious. Anxiang and Nanxian were also in danger of being semi-surrounded by the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army.

In order to first annihilate the attacking forces of the Japanese 11th Army that were preparing to advance from Ouchikou, General Sun, acting commander of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government, sent a telegram ordering the 29th and 10th Army of the Chinese government to continue to hold their positions in accordance with the pre-war combat plan, and at the same time organize troops to counterattack the Japanese attacking forces.

At the same time, General Sun, acting commander of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government, sent a telegram ordering the Jiang Defense Army to withdraw the 67th Division of the 86th Army and two regiments of the 18th Army to support the operations in the direction of the Tenth Army and the 29th Army.

However, this order from Commander Sun, acting commander of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government, was rejected by the highest level of the government. The highest level of the government believed that the defense in the direction of Yichang was extremely critical, as it was the gateway to Sichuan Province and the pivot of the Chinese army's operations. The Jiang Defense Army could not fight in the downstream area of ​​Yichang.

As for Nanxian, Jinshi, Gong'an, and Songzi, which are currently being attacked by the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, the highest level of the government has asked the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese Government to use the existing forces to deal with the offensive forces of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army and protect China's grain-producing areas.

After receiving instructions from the highest level of the government, General Sun, acting commander of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government, could only immediately send a telegram to tell the Jiang Defense Army to cancel the previous combat order.

Since the commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, concentrated his forces to attack the right wing of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government located along the river defense line, and the Sixth War Zone Command of the Chinese government could not withdraw troops from the left wing of the river defense line to support the defense, the troops were unable to stop the offensive of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army in the face of heavy casualties.

The fighting between the two sides lasted until the evening of the 7th. Anxiang, which was in the main attack direction of the Japanese 11th Army's offensive forces, was first captured by the Japanese 17th Independent Mixed Brigade and part of the Japanese 3rd Division. The Chinese government's 73rd Army even lost contact with the 29th Army Group and the theater command.

In order to reverse the current unfavorable situation, the Sixth War Zone Command of the Chinese Government organized the 29th Army and the 10th Army to concentrate their forces to launch a counterattack the day after Anxiang was lost. However, due to poor communications, many troops preparing to participate in the counterattack lost control. Before the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese Government had completed the adjustment of its deployment, the offensive forces of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army concentrated their forces and launched a fierce attack on Nanxian County.

The Fifth Provisional Division of the Huaxia Government, which was responsible for the defense of Nan County, suffered heavy casualties under the pincer attack of the attacking forces of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army. It could only break out to the Yuanjiang area for shelter that night. As a result, the attacking forces of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army successfully occupied Nan County the next day.

At this point, the 73rd Army of the 29th Army Group of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese Government had completely lost its combat capability under the continuous attacks of the offensive forces of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army. The entire army had to be transferred to the vicinity of Changde for accommodation and reorganization. However, the 44th Army of the Chinese Government was still carrying out a difficult defense in Jinshi and Lixian.

However, the attacking forces of the 11th Japanese Army also suffered heavy casualties in the battles with the Chinese government troops in the past few days. During the first day of the battle of the Toda Detachment of the 11th Japanese Army, the commander of the second battalion, Major Shuzo Yasumura, was seriously injured by a mortar shell from the Chinese defenders and was rushed to the rear.

During the battles of the Koshiba Detachment at Umeda Lake and Lotus City, the 234rd Battalion of the th Infantry Regiment suffered an even more miserable fate. All the squadron leaders of this battalion were killed or wounded in the battles with the Chinese army. No one was spared.

Lieutenant Colonel Yoshiharu Masuo, commander of the 90th Infantry Battalion of the 17th Independent Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army, was hit in the head by a bullet from the Chinese defenders during the attack on Huangshizui and went to see Amaterasu on the spot. Lieutenant Shinobu Nagisasamoto, commander of the 9th Squadron of the 3rd Division of the Japanese Army, was also killed by the Chinese army in the seven-day battle.

Interestingly, Lieutenant Shinobu Nagisamoto, commander of the 9th Squadron of the 3rd Division of the Japanese Army, was commended by the Japanese 11th Army Command for his heroic fighting during the attack on Mianyang and Honghu areas.