readytorunbook Chapter 510 The Japanese Army's Trap
Chapter 510 The Japanese Army's Trap
Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, immediately ordered the 13th Division, the 39th Division and the Ikeda Detachment to move south to launch a fierce attack on the 33rd Army Group. The 3rd Division covered the north and blocked the Chinese army attacking from Nanyang.
In fact, the Fifth War Zone and the Chinese Military Commission did not know that the Japanese intelligence department had obtained China's military decoding codes, and the telegrams between the Military Commission and the Fifth War Zone had been intercepted by the Japanese. The Japanese also learned the specific location of the 33rd Army Group from the telegram in which Zhang Zizhong reported to the highest level of the government on the actions of the five divisions he led.
The Japanese 11th Army launched a fierce attack on the five divisions of the 33rd Army in the Fifth War Zone with the strength of more than two divisions, which plunged the 33rd Army into a bitter battle.
However, to the surprise of Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, the first to collapse was not the 33rd Army of the Fifth War Zone, which he thought was being attacked by more than two divisions, but his own 3rd Division which was fighting on the northern front.
The Japanese 3rd Division was besieged from the north, east and west by the 31st Army of the Fifth War Zone. In addition, the 3rd Division had almost consumed most of its supplies and ammunition in the previous attack operations, and subsequent supplies had not been transported smoothly. As a result, the 3rd Division could not withstand the fierce attack of the Chinese army and had to retreat to Zaoyang City to continue blocking the advance of the 31st Army.
While progress was being made on the northern front, the Japanese intelligence department learned about the situation and location of the 10rd Army Headquarters radio station based on the radio call signs and radio wave direction detection. The Japanese army immediately realized that the rd Army Headquarters was about kilometers northeast of Yicheng, so the Japanese army concentrated its forces and encircled the area with the cooperation of the air force.
Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, ordered the 39th Division to advance towards Nanguaidian from Fangjiaji and Nanying, and complete the tactical encirclement of the 33rd Army Headquarters before dawn the next day.
The 39th Division of the Japanese Army, with the support of fierce artillery fire, besieged the 33rd Army Headquarters from all sides. The 74th Division guarding the 33rd Army Headquarters also held its line tightly under the fierce artillery fire of the Japanese Army and continuously launched counterattacks against the attacking Japanese troops.
As the Japanese offensive became more and more fierce, the officers and soldiers of the 74th Division suffered extremely heavy casualties. In the end, even the special forces battalion around Zhang Zizhong, commander-in-chief of the 33rd Army, rushed to the defensive position to participate in the battle.
The Japanese 39th Division concentrated more than 5,000 offensive forces and, with the support of massive artillery and aircraft, launched a general attack on the 74th Division's last position.
The 74th Division of the Fifth War Zone and the Special Service Battalion of the Headquarters have suffered heavy casualties and are out of ammunition and food. Even General Zhang Zizhong, commander-in-chief of the 33rd Army Group, has personally participated in the battle and has been wounded in many places. However, facing the Japanese general offensive, General Zhang still calmly commanded the few remaining officers and soldiers to hold their positions until they died heroically.
On the same day, the 13th Division of the Japanese Army also defeated the main force of the 33rd Army. The encirclement of the Fifth War Zone on the southern front had been completely broken by the Japanese Army, which immediately adjusted its forces and concentrated on Zaoyang.
While the Japanese 13th Division and 39th Division were fighting fiercely with the 33rd Army of the Fifth War Zone, the 3rd Division in Zaoyang was almost beaten to a pulp.
Among them, Major General Kanichiro Ueno, commander of the 29th Brigade of the 3rd Division, sent a telegram to Lieutenant General Masataka Yamawaki, commander of the division, saying: "The attack of the Chinese army is too fierce, and the fighting spirit of the officers and soldiers of the Chinese army is extremely strong. According to the current situation of the Chinese army, the possibility of the 29th Brigade being able to retreat safely is really not very great. I hope that the division commander can send a battalion of reinforcements to help the 29th Brigade in the subsequent operations."
However, the commander of the 3rd Division, Lieutenant General Masataka Yamawaki, had no extra troops to transfer to reinforce the 29th Brigade. Therefore, he sent the current situation and a telegram requesting help directly to the commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Sonobe Kazuichiro. He hoped that Commander Sonobe Kazuichiro could send reinforcements to the 3rd Division as soon as possible.
At this time, there were only two choices before Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army. Either order the 3rd Division to retreat alone, or order the 3rd Division to hold on and wait for reinforcements, and wait for the 13th Division and the 39th Division on the southern front to defeat the 33rd Army before heading north to rescue.
After receiving the telegram for assistance from Lieutenant General Yamawaki Masataka, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, after weighing the current situation of the 3rd Division and combining the progress of the attacks of the 13th Division and the 39th Division on the southern front, decided to let the 3rd Division retreat first. At the same time, Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, arranged a bigger trap.
Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, immediately ordered the 3rd Division to retreat to the southeast of Zaoyang in order to lure the main force of the Fifth War Zone to pursue him. After the 13th Division and the 39th Division on the southern front defeated the 33rd Army of the Fifth War Zone of the Chinese government, they would turn around and reunite with the 3rd Division, and then concentrate all their forces to attack the main force of the Fifth War Zone.
When Lieutenant General Masataka Yamawaki, commander of the 3rd Division, received an order from Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army, he led the troops of the 3rd Division of the Japanese Army to fight and retreat, luring the troops of the Fifth War Zone to pursue the 3rd Division relentlessly.
At this time, after defeating the 33rd Army of the Fifth War Zone of China in the south, the 13th and 39th Divisions of the Japanese Army turned north according to the order of Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, and advanced to the Zaoyang line to complete the deployment.
The retreat of the Japanese 3rd Division shortened the distance between the two Japanese troops in the north and south, and also accelerated the time for the two troops to converge. The pursuing troops of the Fifth War Zone did not notice any abnormality of the Japanese army. Even if the enemy's 13th Division and 39th Division defeated the blockade of the 33rd Army in the south, it could only be said that this operation could not surround the Japanese army, but it did not affect their pursuit operations.
After all, from a normal perspective, the Japanese army should have continued to retreat quickly after opening the passage to the south. However, who knew that Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, suddenly felt that this was a good time for a decisive battle and changed the battle plan.