dognovel Chapter 552 Tank Battle
Chapter 552 Tank Battle
552 Tank Battle
The news reached Ye Qingshan, who was also very surprised when he knew about it.
"General Stilwell is indeed more reliable.
Even after suffering a great defeat, he was still able to command the British army and gain a foothold in the second line of defense.
It firmly blocked tens of thousands of Japanese troops of the 25th Army.
This way, I feel relieved.”
Ye Qingshan smiled and said.
During these two days, Ye Qingshan had been in the headquarters a lot, worrying about the British troops hundreds of kilometers away.
"Commander, it seems that General Stilwell commanded the British Army to hold off the Japanese 25th Army for a week.
It should be fine.
The rest depends on our expeditionary force."
The Chief of Staff Luo Zhuoying next to him was also smiling happily.
"Ok.
The time is ripe for us too."
Ye Qingshan looked at the sand table.
After two days of development, the situation on the northern battlefield has also undergone tremendous changes.
The 100,000 Japanese soldiers of the 15th Army who broke through have now all left Mandalay.
In addition to the 10,000 Japanese soldiers who were annihilated by the Fifth Army in Mandalay.
The remaining more than 90,000 Japanese devils are currently mainly distributed in four locations.
The main force of the Japanese 33rd Division in Dongsha seized the main force of the Japanese 18th Division in Meiktila.
As well as the remnants of the Japanese 55th and 56th Divisions who are still near Misha.
The last one was the three Japanese regiments that were blocked north of Toungoo.
The reason why the Japanese who broke through suddenly dispersed.
On the one hand, it is related to the different routes they took to break out.
On the other hand, it was also because the armored division sent out by Ye Qingshan forcibly cut off and surrounded the Japanese troops.
In the past two days, the armored divisions and assault groups have been moving across the northern battlefield.
It has become the biggest threat to the Japanese who are trying to break through.
"The Fifth Army, the Sixth Army, and my 86th Army, and several other units have not yet been deployed.
We have to wait a little longer.”
Ye Qingshan looked at the map, waiting for the final opportunity to come.
Just as Ye Qingshan was waiting for the expeditionary forces to move to the appropriate positions, they were ready to annihilate the separated Japanese devils one by one.
The various units of the Japanese 15th Army also received Yamashita Tomoyuki's death order again.
Let the various units of the 15th Army move towards Yenangyaung with all their strength before the expeditionary force forms a new encirclement around them.
The old Japanese soldier Yamashita Tomoyuki understood Ye Qingshan's combat intentions.
I know that Ye Qingshan wants to divide the Japanese 15th Army and eat them one by one.
Yamashita Fengwen cannot give Ye Qingshan this opportunity.
On the evening of May 4, a group of Japanese generals were arguing fiercely in the temporary headquarters of the Japanese 18th Division in Meiktila.
“General Yamashita’s order requires us to continue to break out to the west.
We cannot allow the Chinese army to surround us in Meiktila.
Now, our biggest trouble.
It is imperative to eliminate the Chinese armored forces outside the city.
Otherwise, if we continue to allow the Chinese armored forces to exist, we will never be able to achieve our goal of moving westward.”
The commander of the Japanese 18th Division, Mutaguchi Ren'ya, looked at the other Japanese generals and said with a firm attitude.
In the past two days, the Japanese troops who broke through suffered a lot of losses at the hands of the armored divisions' assault groups.
It also allowed the Japanese commander to witness for the first time the power of tanks and armored vehicles used on such a large scale in such an organized manner.
"My Lord, I agree with you.
It is necessary to annihilate these Chinese armored forces.
They have been too arrogant these past two days.
Moreover, our army is running out of fuel and ammunition.
Rather than waiting for our fuel to run out and let all the tanks and cars in the army break down.
It would be better to concentrate the last of the fuel, use the tanks and anti-tank guns in our hands, and concentrate our superior forces.
Ambush the Chinese armored forces and annihilate them completely."
The Japanese chief of staff also stood up and expressed his suggestions.
The other Japanese generals immediately cheered and agreed.
"Okay, then get ready immediately.
This time, all the tanks and anti-tank guns, as well as mines and artillery of our division were taken.
Gather them all.
Let the 55th and 56th Regiments serve as the main force in this operation.
Eat this damn Chinese armored force."
The Japanese 18th Division immediately took action that night.
On May 5, the main force of the Japanese 18th Division began to pretend to withdraw from Meiktila as they had planned.
Lure Zhang Kedi's First Armored Assault Group and launch an operation against them.
At 11 o'clock in the morning on the 5th, when Zhang Kedi was commanding his armored forces, he tried to cut off the rear of the Japanese 18th Division again.
When they were passing through the wilderness west of Meiktila City, they suddenly discovered a large number of the Japanese tiny tanks in front of them.
"Brigade Commander, we have spotted a number of enemy tanks ahead."
The soldier reported to Zhang Kedi.
Zhang Kedi climbed out of the tank and looked ahead through a telescope.
Sure enough, we found a lot of Japanese tanks emerging from behind the hills in front.
The terrain in front was slightly higher, blocking Zhang Kedi's view.
He didn't know how many Japanese tanks were behind the high hill in front.
But at this time, there were more than twenty Japanese tanks that could be seen rushing out.
Boom boom boom!
Moreover, at this time, Zhang Kedi and his armored forces were also bombarded by the Japanese.
"All tanks ready, the battle is about to begin."
Zhang Kedi realized that the appearance of so many Japanese tanks here was not a coincidence.
The Japanese deliberately mobilized so many of their tanks.
Just to ambush them.
boom!
Soon, the front tanks of both sides opened fire on each other.
A tank battle is about to begin!
Behind the high hill, more Japanese tanks were rushing out one by one.
The number soon exceeded thirty.
And the number is still increasing.
For this battle, the commander of the Japanese 18th Division, Mutaguchi Ren'ya, concentrated the last 78 tanks of their division.
There are also more than 94 artillery pieces of various types, including a number of Type 37 mm anti-tank guns, which are specifically designed to target the tanks of the Expeditionary Force.
Among the 94 tanks on the Japanese side, more than half were their Type tanks, also known as "Ding Tanks" by the Chinese.
There are less than one-third of Type 95 light tanks, whose performance is slightly better than that of Type 94.
But its strength is limited.
At this time, Zhang Kedi's First Armored Assault Group had about 55 tanks, as well as other 30 or so armored vehicles, anti-tank guns and other equipment.
The military strength is about 3,000 people.
The Japs numbered at least five or six thousand men.
The battle hadn't even started yet but Zhang Kedi had already realized it.
This was an ambush operation launched by the Japanese using their armored forces to attack them.
This instead aroused Zhang Kedi's competitive spirit.
Instead of ordering a retreat, he charged forward head-on, vowing to defeat the Japanese armored force.
This was also the first time that Ye Qingshan's armored division encountered a well-organized armored unit of the Japanese on the battlefield after its formation.
The first tank battle between the two sides broke out!
(I’ll post this later because the book has been renamed. I’ll see if you can find it, haha!)