The Death Process of Japanese Army 18 Division

After the outbreak of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, in order to cope with the war situation in Chinese mainland, the Japanese decided to expand their troops. 18 division was incorporated into 10 army and landed in Hangzhou on 1 1.4, under the command of Lieutenant General Yanagawa Hiroyuki. The national defense line completely collapsed and lost to Nanjing. 18 division followed closely until Nanjing was captured, and it was one of the main divisions involved in the Nanjing Massacre.

1943 10, General Stilwell, Commander-in-Chief of Indian Forces in India, made a plan of counterattack against North China with the code name "Taishan" in order to cooperate with the war situation in the Pacific region and reopen the communication line between China and China. It is planned to start from Lido, a small town on the India-Myanmar border, cross the India-Myanmar border, first occupy the area east of the Tanai River, such as New Pingyang, and establish an offensive starting position and logistics supply base; Then it crossed savage mountain, broke through Kang Hu Valley and Meng Gong Valley with powerful firepower and circuitous tactics, seized Myitkyina, an important town in northern Myanmar, and finally connected the Yunnan-Myanmar Highway.

The main tasks are the New 1 Army of Indian troops stationed in Zheng Dongguo, the New 38th Division commanded by Sun Liren and the New 22nd Division commanded by Liao Yaoxiang, with nearly 35,000 troops.

The enemy face to face is the Japanese army 18 division under the command of Lieutenant General Tanaka Shinichi, which has jurisdiction over the two wings of 1 14, 55 and 56, with 32,000 troops. This division is the ace of the Japanese army. Its soldiers are industrial workers from Kyushu Island. They are famous for their ferocity. They participated in the attacks on Shanghai and Nanjing and were one of the culprits of the Nanjing Massacre. In Singapore, more than 30 thousand people forced more than 80 thousand British troops to surrender, and then went to Burma to fight. Known as the "king of jungle warfare."

Hukanghe Valley means "the place where the devil lives" in Burmese. Located in the northernmost part of Myanmar, it consists of Luoda Basin and Xinpingyang Basin, with high mountains and dense forests, vertical and horizontal rivers and flooding in rainy season. It is said that there used to be savages here, so the locals call this no man's land hundreds of miles away from Fiona Fang "savage mountain". Indian troops stationed in China are too familiar with the Hu Kang River basin. When the Chinese expeditionary force was defeated the year before last, it broke into this restricted area, causing heavy losses and corpses everywhere. Almost every tree head in the Hu Kang River Basin was covered with the bones of China officers and soldiers, and their blood and tears flowed on every beach.

1943101on the morning of October 20th, 1 1, the outpost war started in the unknown highland west of new Pingyang. The search company of the new 38th Division met a Japanese army on the road. Both sides immediately seized the favorable terrain and fired at each other almost at the same time. According to past experience, the combat effectiveness of a brigade (battalion) of the Japanese army is equivalent to or more than that of a division of the China Army. At the beginning of this battle, the Japanese army simply ignored a few China soldiers and immediately charged the unknown highland occupied by the China army. Soso Company is the vanguard of the newly-formed 38th Division, with more than 300 soldiers, equipped with 12 mortars, 3 anti-tank guns and 25 light and heavy machine guns. Soldiers are all "M4 Tom" submachine guns. At the beginning of the battle, the company calmly took up the battle, put the enemy within range and gave full play to its firepower advantage to kill it. When the Japanese soldiers rushed up against the March 8th cover, mortar shells like hail swept down at once, and machine gun bullets like heavy rain formed an impenetrable fire wall, which knocked the arrogant Japanese soldiers dizzy and fell to the ground one by one like mowing grass. It's China's turn to recoil, only to see China soldiers with helmets scrambling and overwhelming. They gave full play to the advantages of automatic weapons in melee, and beat the Japanese army with old rifles to pieces and covered in holes. In the afternoon, another company of China soldiers arrived in time, and they were attacked by two sides. The Japanese left more than 200 bodies and fled in a hurry. The first battle of the outpost was successful, and the Indian troops stationed in China won much more than the Japanese.

65438+1On October 24th, the New 38th Division 1 12 regiment began to attack and occupied New Pingyang on the 29th. The Japanese 18 Division immediately adjusted its deployment after discovering that the China army had entered Myanmar. It defended Myitkyina with the 1 14 wing, reinforced the front with the 56th wing of the 55th wing, and the division also advanced. 1 65438+1At the beginning of October, when the New 38th Division12 Regiment1Battalion and Battalion 2 entered Fubon, they met with the 55th Wing of the Japanese Army 18 Division, and the two sides fought fiercely in the hills around Galasu. 1 12 regiment occupied the top of the mountain, commanding, with 60 mortars of various calibers and light and heavy machine guns1/kloc-0. Although the Japanese army is dominant, there are less than 20 mortars and only 10 machine guns. On the first day, China's army mortars almost dominated the battlefield situation. The Japanese attack was repeatedly defeated, and even the headquarters was hit by two shells. Ichiro Hirata, vice captain of the 55th United, who was directing the operation, was killed on the spot. The Japanese army failed to storm, so it changed its tactics and made a detour to the rear of the position of 112 regiment with1brigade, cutting off its retreat and continuing to pretend to attack small groups of harassment to attract China troops to shoot and consume ammunition. Sure enough, after several days in a row, China's counterattack became sparse and artillery firing became very scattered. At dawn on the fifth day, the Japanese army began to assemble troops on a large scale, and Nobuo Maruyama, commander of the 55th Japanese Army, personally went into battle to prepare for the final general attack. At this moment, however, a group of American planes thundered over the battlefield and dropped ammunition accurately on the hills and positions of China's army. A month later, the 1 12 regiment obtained water and air supplies from the US military transport plane by cutting banana trees and vines, and confronted the Japanese army of 1 regiment for 50 days. The Japanese 55th Wing suffered nearly 1,000 casualties, but failed to break through the positions of the two battalions of China Army. In his report to Lieutenant General Tanaka Shinichi, the head of 18 Division, Maruyama Shinzo lamented: "The Battle of the Highlands (Galasu) is an unprecedented example, and the changes of the people in China are amazing. I hope to attract the attention of the head of the division ... "

65438+At 9: 00 am on February 24th, the new 38th Division launched an all-out attack on Yubang. The artillery units carried out an artillery attack of 1 hour, and more than 370 shells blossomed in enemy positions. When the cannon was ready, China's army launched an attack on the Japanese with a loud charge. Stilwell, who personally supervised the war at the front line, wrote his impression in his diary: "China people played very well. These people are brave and fearless, and junior officers are also good." 12 On February 29th, after six days of fierce fighting, all the new 38th divisions captured the Japanese positions in Yubang. The Japanese 56th United Front left more than 300 bodies and retreated hastily. It is difficult for the Japanese army to understand how the defeated divisions were so magical. The history of Japanese war after the war is recorded as follows: "18 Division, which was compiled in Kyushu and moved to China, has the most confidence in China's military operations. Unexpectedly, the China army in the Hu Kang River basin has completely changed its face in organization, equipment, tactics and technology, ... causing heavy losses to our army. "

After the Battle of Yubang, the captured Japanese army was brought before General Sun Liren, the commander of the new 38th Division. Sun Liren frowned in disgust and ordered his men without thinking: "These little devils! Go and have a try. Anyone who has been to China will be shot on the spot. Do this in the future. " These orders were quickly carried out. The Japanese18th Division once committed numerous crimes in the battlefield of China. The hands of these prisoners are stained with the blood of the people of China, and of course they are born to die.

1944 65438+ 10, the 55th and 56th United Front of the Japanese army retreated to the Rhoda-Taibaijia line in the Hu Kang River basin. The new 1 army attacked south in two ways. On the left is the new 38th Division commanded by Sun Liren, starting from Yubang area and attacking Taibai. On the right is the new 22nd Division of Liao Yaoxiang, starting from New Pingyang, attacking the heroes in the legal field. By the middle of 5438+ 10, the left-wing new 38th Division had occupied the peripheral positions of the Japanese army and began to attack the front of Taibaijia. The new 22nd division on the right also crossed the Tanai River and entered the Baizeyi River near the northern part of the legal hero.

1at dawn on October 28th, American planes taking off from New Pingyang began to violently bomb the Japanese positions of heroes in the legal field. At about 8 o'clock, the tank column of the new 22 nd division chariot battalion appeared. The torrent of steel is like a sharp knife inserted into the enemy's position, tearing open the enemy's defense line, and then covering the infantry to cut and kill repeatedly, and rushing to the depth without losing time. This is the first mechanized war in the history of China's K-War. China manipulated and attacked the Japanese, and the modernization advantage was on China's side. Tankers drove armored chariots, violently swept through enemy positions and infantry, expelled them, chased and crushed them, and beat them insane. China infantry followed closely behind the tanks, using the cover of steel barriers to eliminate all dead ends and occupy enemy fortifications and positions. On June 365438+1October 3 1 day, a group of tanks braved the enemy's gunfire and quickly rushed into the town of rhoda. The steel crawler repeatedly crushed the Japanese army 18 division headquarters in the town, crushing Major General Seto, chief of staff of the Japanese military division, and dozens of officers into paste. Although Shinichi Tanaka, the head of the division, escaped from the town, the seal of the division's defense fell into the hands of Japanese soldiers, so the Battle of Heroes in the Legal World became a great shame in the history of the Japanese 18 Division.

The new 38th Division on the left also launched a general attack on Taibai Family on June 365438+1October 3 1. The US Army 10 Air Force dispatched more than 30 planes to carry out air strikes in turn, and the Japanese army had to break through and retreat. In February 1, the new 38th division occupied Taibai's home. The victory of the Battle of Rhoda-Taibaijia enabled the Indian troops stationed in China to retreat in Myanmar and gain a firm foothold, thus opening the way to attack in depth.

After the Japanese 18 Division retreated from the Luoda and Taibaijia lines, it changed its defense deployment, arranged the 55th and 56th wings step by step, and occupied the Mengguan and Varuban areas in the center of the Hu Kang River basin, with a distance of about 12km, in an attempt to prevent the Indian troops from attacking with deep and solid defense.

On February 20th or so, Indian troops stationed in China advanced to the outer position of Mengguan, and all the new 22nd divisions went into battle. American Laghard commandos transferred from India have also arrived at the front. According to Stilwell's deployment, the new 38th Division was on the left and the new 22nd Division was on the right, as a frontal attack on the enemy of Mengguan. At the same time, each division took out a force and attacked the opposite Mengguan. The tanks and chariots stationed in India crossed the jungle, cutting off the connection between Mengguan and the enemy of Varuban. The American Lagahad commandos took a long detour along the mountain on the north side, captured Varuban and completed the encirclement of the Japanese army.

On February 24th, the Sino-American allied forces launched an all-round attack on the Japanese army, and the main forces of the new 22nd Division and the new 38th Division quickly approached Mengguan. On March 1 day, the American Lagahad Commando arrived in the northeast of Varuban, and immediately launched an attack on the Japanese army, occupying the North-South River ferry on its side. After discovering that its rear was cut off, the Japanese army concentrated on launching a counterattack against Varuban, except for leaving a few troops to resist in Mengguan. With the support of the new 38th Division 1 13 Regiment, the American Laghard Commando launched a fierce battle with the Japanese. On March 4th, the new 22nd Division conquered Mengguan and continued to develop its offensive. The Japanese army was surrounded in a narrow area around Varuban.

At noon on March 8th, the new 38th Division 1 13 Regiment, Chariot 1 Battalion and the American Lagahard Commando launched an attack on Varuban. In the afternoon 1, the chariot 1 camp waded across the river from the gap in the river bank. On the other side, the Japanese army didn't expect the tank to wade across the river and quickly concentrated fire to block the river. The Sino-American Coalition forces did not show weakness, and large and small artillery aimed at the enemy lines to suppress shooting. American planes also came to help, and the Japanese position fell into flames. In the afternoon 1: 30, the chariot had already boarded the opposite position, and the tank soldiers were extremely excited. What a slaughterhouse! They stepped on the accelerator and rampaged forward bravely. Under the pursuit of chariots, Japanese soldiers fled like rabbits. This is a contest between stones and eggs, and steel and flesh. This is blood out, blood out. This is an overwhelming victory for Mount Tai. Some Japanese troops hid in earthen bags to resist. The tanker gave it an armor-piercing bullet and immediately told it to hang upside down. Some Japanese soldiers hid under a tree and fired. A shrapnel hit them. The jungle was a pool of meat and mud. The Japanese army squatted in the grass and told him to finish the road with one RS bullet, and the bones were piled up. There are also some clumsy Japanese soldiers who are driven by chariots. The tanker teased him first, and the game. The Japanese ran in front and the chariots chased after them. After running for a short time, the Japanese couldn't run any further, so they wanted to dodge aside. So, as soon as the driver stepped on the gas pedal, the chariot "roared" and ran over the devil's ass ... and entered the highway, lying with the Japanese body. By March 9, Japan's 55th and 56th regiments had suffered more than half of the casualties. Finally, with the help of two secret passages temporarily opened by the engineering troops in the jungle, they escaped from the desperate situation.

Surprise Myitkyina

Fighting in the Hu Kang River Valley, the Japanese 18 Division suffered more than half of the casualties. Japan-Burma War. At the same time, Myanmar established the 33rd Army. The versatile Lieutenant General Ben was appointed as the commander in charge of 18, 53 and 56 divisions. Ben Cai deployed the remnants of 18 Division and 53 Division in the river basin in an attempt to resist according to the danger.

The terrain of Meng Gong Valley is dangerous, and Gukou is the natural barrier of Jianbu Mountain. Mai Jia and Meng Gong, the two main towns in the valley, face each other across the Nangao River, and they are horns of each other. After discussing with the generals in China, Stilwell made bold operational arrangements: attacking Gamay with the new 22nd Division; Attack Meng Gong with the new 38th Division; In addition, the American Laghard Commando, the 88th Regiment of the New 30th Division and the 50th Division 150 Regiment, which just arrived at the front line, formed the Sino-US joint commandos, bypassed the mountains on the north side and inserted into Myitkyina, a strategic place behind enemy lines. Divide and annihilate the Japanese troops surrounding Myitkyina, Meng Gong and Karmai.

On March 1944 and 14, the Indian troops of China began to attack Mount Gyanbu. The new 22nd Division feinted from the front, and the new 38th Division 1 13 Regiment made a decisive decision. On March 14, he crossed the mountains from the left wing and returned to the back of the winding Gyanbu Mountain, where he was attacked by the new 22nd Division. On April 24th, the new 22nd Division and the new 38th Division attacked Gamai and Meng Gong respectively. On the 28th, the Sino-American joint commandos secretly headed for Mi * *. /kloc-In May of 0/4, Stilwell finally received the signal from the Sino-American joint commandos, 48 hours away from Mi * *. Two days later, the army secretly approached the periphery of the meter.

Myitkyina is the largest town in northern Myanmar, the northern terminal of Myanmar Railway, and there are highways leading to Meng Gong, Mandalay and bhamo. Myitkyina is an important transportation hub in northern Myanmar and an important passage of China-India highway. The 1 14 United front main force of the Japanese army 18 division and the first division of the 56th division built strong fortifications here.

/kloc-in the early morning of may, the us military dispatched a large number of planes to bomb mi * * for a long time. In the morning 10, the Sino-American joint commando raided the airport about 1 km west of Mi * *. The Japanese army was at a loss to the sudden Chinese and American troops and rushed to resist. After four hours of fighting, the Sino-American coalition forces completely wiped out the enemy at the airport. In the afternoon, transport planes and gliders loaded with weapons, ammunition, materials and reinforcements landed at Mi * * airport. The next morning, Stilwell led 12 war reporters to fly to Mi * *. Immediately, the news of "Allied surprise attack occupied the secret * *" quickly spread to the Allies. The self-righteous British once asserted that Chinese and American troops could not occupy Myitkyina. When Churchill learned that Chinese and American troops suddenly occupied Myitkyina airport, he immediately asked mountbatten, commander of British Southeast Asia Theater, "How did they fall from the sky beautifully in Myitkyina? What's your explanation? "

Myitkyina's success in the first battle cut off the logistics supply lines of the enemies of Meng Gong and Karmai, and greatly encouraged the new 22nd Division and the new 38th Division to attack the Japanese army. In late May, the new 22nd Division surrounded the main force of the Japanese18th Division on Soka Road. On May 27th, the New 38th Division 1 12 Regiment crossed the turbulent Nangao River and occupied Xitong. 1 13 group is advancing rapidly in the direction of barley; 1 14 regiment attacked Meng Gong. June 1. The new 22nd Division wiped out all the enemies in Sokado, killing 565,438+008 people and capturing 65,438+065,438+02 Japanese troops under Captain Sakurai. After that, the new 22nd Division went south and strode forward to Gamai. /KOOC-0/6, the new 22nd Division/KOOC-0/3 Regiment and the new 38th Division joined forces in Mai Jia./KOOC-0/8, the head of the Japanese division, Shinichi Tanaka, led more than 500 wounded soldiers, and fled south with the help of the main force of the 53rd Division. On June 25th, the new 38th Division 1 14 Regiment conquered Meng Gong and annihilated 1600 people.

However, the battle to capture Myitkyina is fierce and arduous. Stilwell was encouraged by the success of airborne, and ordered the troops to take Myitkyina within two weeks. However, he underestimated the enemy. After Sino-US joint commandos occupied Myitkyina airport, the Japanese army quickly dispatched troops from western Yunnan and bhamo to reinforce Myitkyina, bringing the Japanese army there to about two regiments. The Chinese and American troops who underestimated the enemy were ambushed by the Japanese at Myitkyina Railway Station, causing heavy casualties. Stilwell continuously airlifted 4 1 and 42 regiments of KLOC-0/4 Division, 89 and 90 regiments of the new 30 Division, and 149 regiments of the 50 Division to Mi * *. Troops from all walks of life constantly stormed the Japanese army, but the Japanese army stubbornly resisted with strong fortifications. With the arrival of rainy season in Myanmar and Yunnan, the fighting is more difficult.

After July, the enemies of Meng Gong and Gamai have been annihilated, and Myitkyina has become an isolated city. However, Major General Shui Yuan Zang, commander of the Japanese army, still fought to the death according to the order of Bendo Cai Zheng, commander of the 33rd Army, to "keep secrets". Stilwell replaced the Allied Commander Brigadier General Botner, readjusted his deployment, and besieged Myitkyina on three sides with the 50th Division, the new 30th Division and the American Lagahard Commando.

On July 13, the Sino-American allied forces launched a general attack on Myitkyina, quickly cleared the peripheral positions and invaded the urban area, and then began to fight against the Japanese army house by house and street by street. After 20 days of fierce fighting, the remnants of Myitkyina were finally eliminated on August 3, and the whole city was occupied. When the Japanese city defense commander saw that the water source was gone, he was forced to commit suicide. Only a few remnants of the enemy sneaked into the Irrawaddy River and fled to Ba Maw. In this 80-day battle of Myitkyina, the Sino-American allied forces fought bloody battles, annihilating about 3,000 Japanese troops with about 7,000 casualties.

Fighting in the Hu Kang River Basin-Meng Gong River Basin, the Indian troops stationed in wiped out the Japanese army 18 divisions, 53 divisions and 56 divisions 1 each, wiped out more than 20,000 Japanese troops, and erased the humiliation of defeat in Myanmar two years ago. After the victory, Liao Yaoxiang immediately called Chiang Kai-shek and talked excitedly about "the huge losses of the enemy's heavy weapons and military vehicles, casualties and diseases turned into ravines, and it was even worse than the turn of the national army in savage mountain two years ago." Looking back and seeing the present, the officers and men are ashamed. "

After the Indian troops stationed in China conquered Myitkyina, they expanded in rainy season, and the new 1 Army was expanded into two armies, namely the new 1 Army under the command of Sun Liren and the 6th Army under the command of Liao Yaoxiang. The new 1 Army has 38 divisions in Li Hongxin and 30 divisions in Tang Shouzhi. The new 6th Army includes Li 22nd Division, dragon day Wuxin 14 Division and Pan Yukun 50th Division.

1944 10 months, the rainy season is about to pass. China's troops stationed in India crossed the Irrawaddy River in two ways, passing through Mya * * and Meng Gong, and launched the second-stage counterattack against northern Myanmar. Sun Liren led Xin 1 Army to the East Road and attacked South Ba Maw along Mizhi. Liao Yaoxiang led the New 6th Army West Road, took Shiwei Valley from Meng Gong, besieged the Japanese army in the border areas of Yunnan, Myanmar and Thailand, and then developed eastward to cooperate with the New 1 Army in encirclement and suppression of the enemy in Ba Maw.

165438+ 10 In October, the Japanese army invaded Dushan, China on a large scale, and Guiyang was in an emergency. The new 6th Army was ordered to fly back to China for assistance, leaving 50 divisions to be incorporated into the new 1 Army. In the first ten days of the same month, the new 38th Division completed the encirclement of the Japanese 2nd Division about 1 wing in bhamo. After 1 months of hard fighting, in February 15, the Japanese army captured the Bamo fortress, which claimed to last at least three months, and annihilated more than 5,000 people under the former Miyoshi Colonel, the enemy garrison commander.

While the new 38th Division captured Ba Maw, the new 30th Division bypassed Ba Maw and attacked Nankan. On June 5438+065438+1October 15, it captured the south of Northwest Namkham. On February 3rd, 65438, the 90th regiment of the vanguard of the new 30th Division met the Japanese troops who reinforced bhamo in the north. The Japanese army concentrated two or more regiments to storm the highland defended by the 90th regiment, charging 15 times a day, but never crossing the line. The 90th Regiment took advantage of the situation to fight back, and the Japanese left behind 1263 bodies and a large number of guns in a mess. 1 945 65438+1On October 7th, the new1army completed the siege of Namkham. The New 30th Division and the New 30th Division, with circuitous surprise attack tactics, attacked the north and south, and broke into the downtown area of Nankan on June 5438+1October 65438+May, all of which occupied Nankan and annihilated more than 700 Japanese troops1May. At the same time, the 50 th Division also wiped out the enemy along the Ruili River, so that the whole Nankan area was occupied by the new 1 Army.

After Indian troops in China occupied Namkham, Mangyou became the only stronghold occupied by the enemy on the Sino-Indian highway. The Chinese Expeditionary Force, which retreated from Myanmar to Yunnan two years ago, rebuilt the Western Yunnan Expeditionary Force, and at the same time counterattacked North Myanmar with Indian troops stationed in Myanmar, carrying out an attack from east to west and attacking Mangya. According to the Japanese troops guarding Mangya, in addition to the 56th division, there are the 16 wing of the 2nd division, the 29th wing of the 33rd division and the 1 19 wing. Their deployment of mutual support and successive resistance delayed the attack of troops stationed in India and the Western Yunnan Expeditionary Force.

1945 65438+ 10/6, the main force of the new 38th Division attacked along the Mangyou Highway, and the main force of the new 30th Division besieged the enemy in the Laolongshan area. On 65438+1October 2 1 day, the new 38th Division successively occupied the outlying strongholds of Mangyou, such as Kaiyang, Manweiyin and Miaoxi, and got in touch with the 53rd Division of the Western Yunnan Expeditionary Force 1 16, and jointly launched an attack. On the 27th, Mangyou was captured, and the Yunnan-Myanmar Highway was completely opened. At the same time, the new 30 th division captured the old Longshan. On February 8, the new 38th Division invaded South Baka. 1 the new army continues to make great strides. After more than 20 days of fighting, we have successively conquered Nongshu, Banni, Helao, Taoxiao, Guijie and Li Man. On March 8th, the new 30th Division and the new 38th Division joined forces and captured Lashio. On March 23, the 50th Division occupied Nantu. On the 24th, the new 38th Division joined forces with the 50th Division. On 27th, the new 30th Division conquered Meng Yan. At this point, the battle of northern Myanmar ended successfully. China's troops stationed in India have completed the historical mission of destroying the Japanese army in northern Myanmar and opening up the Sino-Indian highway.

During the two-year campaign in northern China, the Indian troops stationed in annihilated the Japanese 18, 56th divisions and severely damaged the Japanese 53rd, 2nd, 33rd and 49th divisions, with more than 33,000 Japanese dead, 75,000 injured and 323 captured. Captured artillery 186 doors, 67 chariots and 552 cars. Casualties of China troops in India 17000.