sjar Chapter 1170 Kurihara Brigade
Chapter 1170 Kurihara Brigade
What a load of rubbish, the Kurihara Brigade! I've never even heard of it! My target is the Ninth Division!
Zhang Hongguang was holding an Air Force reconnaissance report in his hand.
It was clearly stated above that the enemy ahead was the Kurihara Brigade, which had just arrived from Nanjing. It was said to be composed entirely of second-line personnel, so its combat strength was not very formidable. About 8 kilometers behind, the 9th Division was assembling.
"Get me the armored regiment."
Having learned the true situation of the troops ahead of him, Zhang Hongguang no longer had time to beat around the bush and directly called the commander of the 1st Armored Regiment.
"I'm giving you half an hour. You must crush this ragtag brigade. You don't need to worry about the rest. About 8 kilometers ahead of this ragtag brigade, the 9th Division is assembling. Have your self-propelled artillery fire a volley."
After Zhang Haiguang gave the order, the sound of mechanical startup came from the other side. The roar of the engine was the most beautiful battlefield song. Every time Zhang Haiguang heard it, he felt like having a couple of drinks.
Of course, now is not the time to celebrate. Just as he said, the rear was mobilized. When Zhang Haiguang targeted the Ninth Division, Ma Leizi didn't utter a word and immediately added an armored regiment and a heavy artillery regiment to Zhang Haiguang's forces, and 32 transport planes airlifted various supplies to Zhang Haiguang's army in multiple batches every day.
Meanwhile, the 2nd Division of the 4th Army also began its southward advance, attacking the newly closed Japanese defensive line, determined not to allow Zhang Haiguang's 4th Division to become an isolated force. This emboldened Zhang Haiguang to charge south, thinking that no matter how far he advanced, his comrades from the 2nd Division would encircle him.
Ma Leizi wasn't blindly supporting Zhang Haiguang. After Zhang Haiguang reported his battle plan, Ma Leizi studied it thoroughly. The Japanese Third Army, which was advancing north this time, was extremely powerful. If they were to be concentrated in our south, both the north and south would face a decisive battle, which would put considerable pressure on the Fourth Army.
But the pressure we put on the Japanese is exactly what they want, which is why they've organized over a dozen divisions for this major battle. We must break this deadlock. Zhang Haiguang's strategy is exactly what Ma Leizi wants to see; only a proactive attack can disrupt the enemy's plans. Responding to their moves is not the tradition of our 72nd Army.
If Zhang Haiguang really manages to wipe out the 9th Division, then the 3rd Army's northward advance will definitely be delayed, giving us time to make various deployments to counter their operations. Judging from Zhang Haiguang's current posture, the 9th Division might not be a match for him either. If he plays well, he might even be able to wipe out two divisions at once. In any case, for Ma Leizi, Zhang Haiguang is already a bomb; how many he kills depends on his ability.
The Japanese side also recognized this operational intention, and their strategy was to have the 9th Division hold the line first. The Kurihara Brigade was cannon fodder for the 9th Division, and the 9th Division was cannon fodder for the entire 3rd Army. In short, after the 9th Division was eliminated, the 3rd Army would have to completely surround Zhang Haiguang's troops.
The Japanese army had never before wiped out a full division of the 72nd Army Group. They hadn't even managed to take down a single battalion, let alone a full division. Even if they suffered slightly greater losses, it would still be an unprecedented achievement for the entire Japanese army.
In the past, when they encountered the 72nd Army in battle, they always felt a sense of defeat, as if they were inherently inferior to them. So, even before the battle began, this sense of defeat started to spread, which was something none of the high-ranking Japanese officers wanted to see.
If we can annihilate one of their entire divisions this time, it will fundamentally change the soldiers' mindset. When we encounter the 72nd Group Army again, it will be a case of both sides having won and lost, so that the soldiers won't have to fight under such great psychological pressure.
The idea was good, of course, but reality was completely different. At this moment, with the support of the heavy artillery regiment, the Kurihara Brigade could not hold out for two hours. Less than 15 minutes after encountering the armored regiment, the first line of defense had already collapsed.
More than 1000 soldiers scrambled out of the first line of defense like madmen, throwing their belongings as they ran, hoping to get as fast as possible. They had never seen a war like this before. Tanks were speeding towards them at 40 kilometers per hour, their spiky shells like hedgehogs, firing not only their cannons but also multiple machine guns at the position. Our Type 92 machine guns and Type 96 light machine guns didn't even have a chance to fire.
At first, your position could be considered a machine gun emplacement. But as soon as sparks flew, two or three machine guns immediately came out and aimed at you. And their German machine guns had a much faster rate of fire than yours, completely blocking your firing space.
Just when the enemy is finally reloading, and you're ready to unleash your attack, their tanks are already upon you. The sheer size of the tanks puts immense pressure on the soldiers, leaving them with only one thought: to retreat to the second line of defense as quickly as possible.
Many soldiers had already been recruited into the suicide squad, but seeing the chaos on the battlefield, who would be willing to die? They quickly mingled with the other soldiers and ran back. Our armored regiment had noticed this during the charge, expecting to lose some tanks to them, but these guys didn't even have the courage to commit suicide; they ran back with the other deserters.
Brigade Commander Kurihara hadn't expected the first line of defense to be breached so quickly. Compared to the first line, the second line of defense had less than 50% of the machine guns and less than 20% of the anti-tank artillery—it was practically impossible to fight them off, and they didn't even have enough grenades.
Bullets from the Type 38 rifle only manage to create a spark when they hit the edge of a tank, and that's only if you stare intently. If you're not paying attention, you won't even see the spark. As for other types of guns, they simply can't penetrate tanks, let alone armored vehicles.
Under these circumstances, Brigade Commander Kurihara drew his sword, ready to die for his country and repay His Majesty the Emperor!