readytorunbook Chapter 512 A huge misjudgment
Chapter 512 A huge misjudgment
After much deliberation, Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, took the risk and personally flew to Zaoyang to convene a meeting of senior officers of the attacking forces. He needed to hear the true reports from the commanders of each division and their real thoughts.
When Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army, walked into the conference room in Zaoyang, Lieutenant General Masataka Yamawaki, commander of the 3rd Division, Lieutenant General Shizuichi Tanaka, commander of the 13th Division, and Lieutenant General Keisaku Murakami, commander of the 39th Division, were already standing respectfully in the conference room.
"Everyone, thank you for keeping me waiting. Please take a seat. There is no need to be too restrained in this meeting. If you have anything to express, just say it. Just think of it as a casual chat between us. Everyone can speak freely." After Commander Lieutenant General Sonobe Kazuichiro sat on the sofa in the conference room, he motioned for the others to sit on the sofa as well instead of sitting at the conference table.
The words of Commander Sonobe and Lieutenant General Ichiro and his action of having everyone sit on the sofa also made the three division commanders feel relieved. After all, before Commander Sonobe and Lieutenant General Ichiro came, the three of them had communicated privately and basically reached a consensus. They just didn't know what Commander Sonobe and Lieutenant General Ichiro were thinking, so at the beginning they were a little unsure about the direction of this meeting.
After the three division commanders sat on the sofa, the commander, Lieutenant General Sonobe Kazuichiro, also said with a smile: "Gentlemen, I came here this time to discuss whether to carry out the second phase of the operation according to the combat plan formulated before the war. As the commanders of your respective troops, you are the ones who know the actual situation of the troops best and are the most qualified to speak. I would like to hear your opinions on whether to carry out the second phase of the operation."
Commander Lieutenant General Sonobe Kazuichiro did not say any polite words, but went straight to the point and stated the ultimate purpose of his visit. He was very anxious to confirm this matter. After all, if the second phase of the combat plan was to be implemented, it would be necessary to quickly organize the transportation and replenishment of supplies and ammunition, which would take time.
The commander of the 13th Division, Lieutenant General Shizuichi Tanaka, and the commander of the 39th Division, Lieutenant General Keisaku Murakami, all looked at the commander of the 3rd Division, Lieutenant General Masataka Yamawaki. This was also a tradition in the Japanese Army. The commanders of divisions with earlier numbers usually represented the other division commanders in making speeches. This was also an unwritten internal rule.
Lieutenant General Yamawaki Masataka, the commander of the Third Division, saw the other two division commanders looking at him, and after sorting out his emotions and thoughts, he said, "Commander, if we abandon the original plan and retreat, it means that our 11th Army is announcing to everyone that the first phase of the battle has suffered setbacks and failures. This will lose the authority of the commander and all the troops of the 11th Army and betray the trust of His Majesty the Emperor. The three of us believe that the headquarters does not need to worry about the fatigue and reduction of the troops, and should firmly continue to implement the second phase of the battle plan."
Commander Lieutenant General Sonobe Kazuichiro looked at the three division commanders in front of him, nodded and said, "Very good, gentlemen. You are worthy of being the pride of the Imperial Japanese Army. With your firm attitude, I feel much more relieved. Don't worry, I will arrange for transport troops to deliver the materials and ammunition needed for the second phase of the operation to you as soon as possible. I will leave the second phase of the operation to you."
After a brief communication meeting in Zaoyang, Lieutenant General Ichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, flew back to Sanzhen. This meeting made Lieutenant General Ichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, very satisfied. The morale and desire to attack of the troops were not as low as he had imagined, which made him feel that the second phase of the combat objectives could still be achieved.
That evening, Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Japanese Army, organized a transport team of six motorcades and urgently allocated more than a thousand tons of military supplies and ammunition, preparing to deliver them to the three divisions in front as soon as possible so as to start the second phase of combat operations one day earlier.
While the commander of the 11th Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, and three division commanders were meeting to discuss whether to carry out the second phase of operations, the Chinese government's Military Commission and the commander of the Fifth War Zone, Commander Li, were holding a top military meeting in Shancheng to summarize the previous operations of the Fifth War Zone in the area east of the Han River and whether the Japanese army would continue the second phase of combat missions according to the previously obtained combat plan.
At the meeting, the Chinese Government Military Committee and Commander Li of the Fifth War Zone were relatively satisfied with the results of the first phase of the battle with the Japanese army on the east bank of the Han River. After all, according to the first phase combat plan formulated by the Japanese army before the war, the goal was to eliminate the main forces of the Fifth War Zone on the east bank of the Han River, but the Japanese army basically did not achieve this goal.
Moreover, from the Japanese battle plan obtained before the war, the Military Commission and Commander Li of the Fifth War Zone knew that the planned combat time for the first phase of the Japanese army was ten days. This was also the main basis for Commander Li to judge that after the Japanese army broke through the defense line of the 33rd Army Group in the south, it should continue to retreat southward. However, in the end, the Japanese army turned north and fought with the troops of the Fifth War Zone on the east bank of the Han River for more than 20 days. This placed very high demands on the Japanese army's supplies and ammunition reserves.
In addition, the Military Commission and the Fifth War Zone Command learned from the intelligence personnel lurking in the three towns that the Japanese 11th Army had not received a large amount of strategic materials from the Japanese mainland recently.
This led the Military Commission and the Fifth War Zone Command to conclude that after the Japanese army had experienced a period of time more than twice the scheduled combat plan, the officers and soldiers were already very tired. The three combat divisions of the Japanese army had also suffered heavy losses in previous battles, and the overall morale should be relatively low. Coupled with objective circumstances such as the inability to obtain sufficient supply, the Japanese 11th Army should not continue to carry out the second phase of the combat mission in the combat plan.
Therefore, after research, the Military Commission and Commander Li of the Fifth War Zone transferred most of the main forces of the 33rd Army and the Jiang Defense Army guarding Hexi to Hedong, preparing to continue to intensify harassment of the Japanese rear, in an attempt to force the Japanese troops in the Zaoyang area to withdraw.
As for the problem of insufficient military forces in the Hexi region, the Military Commission and the Fifth War Zone Command believed that as long as the Japanese army did not concentrate its forces to attack with all its strength, there would be no problem in preventing harassment from small Japanese troops with the current military strength in Hexi.