HCB Chapter 217 The Battle Ends
Chapter 217 The Battle Ends
On February 2, Yoshio Iwamatsu's order for a large-scale retreat reached Changzhi. At that time, only one regiment of the Japanese devils in Jincheng had retreated to Changzhi, and most of the main forces were still on the way of retreat.
However, the 520th Regiment had already entered the city and was only a few streets away from the Japanese headquarters in Changzhi.
For a time, the entire Jincheng was in chaos, with street fortifications purchased by the devils and armored vehicles of the 520th Regiment everywhere.
In street fighting, the infantry certainly cannot all stay in the armored vehicles. After all, there are only 6 firing holes in the vehicle, which cannot meet the desired firepower.
The mortar operators were assigned to each squad, and if they wanted to destroy the enemy's fortifications, the mortar operators had to get off the vehicle.
In order to ensure the firing of the mortar, there must be infantry protecting it.
Moreover, the space in street fighting is small, and the range of maneuver of armored vehicles is very limited. A single mortar shell from the Japanese can severely damage an armored vehicle. In serious cases, the entire infantry squad will be killed.
After all, the full name of the Type 63 armored vehicle should be the Type 63 tracked armored personnel carrier. Its outstanding ability lies in troop transportation, not combat.
Therefore, the armored vehicles in street fighting actually only have the task of moving heavy machine guns.
So under normal combat circumstances, after arriving at the combat site, only 13 of the 6 soldiers in a squad will remain in the vehicle, and the rest will be outside the vehicle and follow the armored vehicle.
Although this method is quite dangerous, it is countless times stronger than the Japanese.
Xu Le also expressed his helplessness. He also wanted to develop an infantry fighting vehicle with a cannon, an anti-aircraft machine gun, enough shooting holes, and thick armor, but it was expensive!
It's okay to buy a few, but it's not okay to buy thousands or tens of thousands of them to equip the troops, at least not for the time being.
[The armor thickness of the Type 63 armored vehicle was previously set to 20 mm, but it is actually 14 mm. Now it has been changed. ]
After a day of fierce fighting, the 520th Regiment's advance was very slow, and the Japanese even launched several suicidal counterattacks.
They would tie grenades to their bodies and hide in secluded places, then wait for an armored vehicle to pass by and then rush forward to detonate it.
In view of this, in order to avoid causing greater losses, Tan Qiuzong suspended the offensive and defended the streets that had already been occupied.
At this time, the street fighting in Taiyuan seemed much easier. The Japanese focused on retreating. Since there was no obstacle at the north gate and the Japanese had been in a slump for several days, the armored division and mechanized infantry division did not suffer any desperate blows.
The purpose of this operation is to recapture Taiyuan. Now the situation in Taiyuan has basically stabilized. As for the Japanese troops fleeing to Xinkou, they will be ignored for the time being.
After all, in such a large-scale battle, the actual main force of combat was borne by the 88th Army, and the troops seemed a little overwhelmed after fighting for several consecutive days.
After Xu Le learned of the predicament of the Changzhi 520th Regiment, he ordered to slow down the attack.
There are about 20 Japanese troops in Jincheng and Changzhi. They are about to withdraw from Shanxi Province. If they are pushed too hard, I am afraid that the entire 520th Regiment will be destroyed in Changzhi.
It's not worth it!
If you want to deal with the Japanese, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future!
Xu Le was not afraid that the Japanese would fight back. In the entire battle, the Japanese mobilized about 50 troops. Almost every organization was broken up and disrupted, and the loss of equipment and personnel was also huge. In a short period of time, let alone these hundreds of thousands of Japanese, even the entire North China could not organize the strength to launch an offensive.
Therefore, as long as the 520th Regiment slows down its offensive and waits for the Japanese in Jincheng to pass smoothly through Changzhi, everything will be much easier.
Two days later, the Mechanized Infantry Division completely occupied the entire Taiyuan, and the Armored Division went to Xin County to confront the Japanese at Xinkou.
The Japanese in Jincheng also retreated through Changzhi under the pursuit of the 644th Regiment.
As all the Japanese invaders in Changzhi area withdrew, the Japanese invaders in Liao County under the direction of the 521st Regiment also withdrew from Shanxi Province one after another and rested in She County in northern Henan.
The Japanese invaders in Shouyang County and Pingding County east of the Zhengtai Railway also retreated to Niangzi Pass one after another, and blew up more than 10 kilometers of railway from Niangzi Pass to Taiyuan.
In the northwest of Shanxi, the guerrillas seized the opportunity when the Japanese abandoned the Luliang Mountains and summoned their unreorganized troops, as well as the battalions and squads from various counties, to attack the Japanese in Guancen Mountain and other areas.
The Japanese were in a strategic retreat and had no mood to fight the guerrillas. Within a few days, the entire northwest Shanxi region was occupied by the guerrillas.
At this point, within the province of Shanxi, the Japanese troops had shrunk to the basins and hilly areas north of the Zhengtai Railway, with Taiyuan as the node, east to Niangziguan, and east of the Luliang Mountains.
According to Xu Le's instructions, after the Motorized Infantry Division captured Jincheng, Changzhi and other areas, it first searched various areas to prevent the remaining Japanese troops from mixing in the mountainous areas.
A week later, the entire motorized infantry division withdrew from the southeastern Shanxi region and was warmly welcomed by the local people.
As for the defense work between the Japanese in southeastern Shanxi and northern Henan, it will be temporarily under the responsibility of the 5th Army and the 6th Army. The specific arrangements will be up to Commander Yan himself.
However, at Niangzi Pass, the 664th Regiment moved here to confront the Japanese and did not repair the railway for the time being.
.......
"Zhao Xingcai, a soldier of the 176th Company, 666nd Battalion, 2th Mechanized Infantry Regiment, 5th Armored Division, went behind the enemy alone during the Battle of Luowangzhuang, blew up the headquarters of the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade of the Japanese with a rocket, annihilated the enemy's Major General Brigade Commander and several lieutenants, and led the troops to attack. He is specially awarded the First Class Medal of Honor and his rank is promoted to Sergeant!"
After the war, the first thing Xu Le did was to commend the soldiers who had fought meritorious services in the battle.
Xu Le did not think that generals needed to eat and live with the soldiers. He felt that as long as they were given enough rewards and the soldiers felt that they would live up to their trust as long as they fought bravely, the army would be able to exert combat effectiveness beyond imagination.
This is also the principle he has always adhered to, and it is also the reason why the troops have been so powerful for so long.
This is not just an advantage in equipment firepower, but also the soldiers fighting for themselves.
All the people participating in the commendation meeting looked with envy at Zhao Xingcai who was walking towards the podium with his head held high.
"This is a first-class merit. If I could get this medal once, I would be willing to die!"
"As far as I know, only two people in our 88th Army have won first-class merit so far. One is the reconnaissance company commander named Chen Sen who has died. Zhao Xingcai is the second one, and he is a living first-class merit winner. He is really an honor to our family!"
"Looking at the situation today, I'm afraid there will be countless second-class merits!"
"That's right. Do you know how generous the reward for first-class merit is? Even though Chen Sen died, his wife and daughter received thousands of dollars. His daughter is studying in a school established by the military, and the teachers are all officers above the level of company commander.
And Chen Sen’s wife is currently working in a bedding factory as a team leader, earning several yuan a month! ”
......
Xu Le listened to everyone's discussion, then waved his hand, and the whole place suddenly became quiet. He looked at the second report in his hand, was stunned for a moment, and then continued:
"Pilot Wang Yuji, while carrying out the bombing of Luowangzhuang, blew up the headquarters of the Japanese 15th Division. The commander of the division, Lieutenant General Sakai Naotsugu, and the chief of staff, Major General Yokoyama Shinpei, were killed in the bombing, as well as many lieutenant generals. He is awarded the first-class medal of honor and his rank is promoted to Air Force Colonel!"