novelhk Chapter 498: The Mountain Division Advances
Chapter 498: The Mountain Division Advances
498th Mountain Division in the advance
A few kilometers south of Namkham, another Japanese unit, the 56th Engineer Regiment, was also ambushed by soldiers from the 209th Division.
The front line of this counterattack was very long. The terrain where the 56th Engineer Regiment of the Japanese was ambushed was much better than that of the 148th Regiment of the Japanese in front.
At least, there were no steep mountains on both sides of the road on their side, but instead large tracts of jungle.
"Into the jungle!"
After the ambush began, Colonel Yamaguchi Nobuo, commander of the 56th Engineer Regiment of the Japanese Army, decisively gave the order.
Let the soldiers of their regiment rush into the jungle area on the west side to avoid the artillery fire.
However, Yamaguchi Ninfu didn't know that although this would allow them to avoid Ye Qingshan's artillery attack.
However, in the jungle on the west side, there were minefields waiting for them that were no less powerful than artillery.
Ye Qingshan asked the engineering corps to bury a large number of mines in the jungle in advance.
In addition, Zheng Quezi also arranged two regiments to ambush in the jungle.
Just wait for these devils to come in.
Boom boom boom!
Not long after, many of the Japanese soldiers from the 56th Engineer Regiment who rushed into the jungle ran into the minefield.
The chain mines were triggered, and steel balls flew out in all directions.
Countless Japanese soldiers were killed or injured.
Da da da!
In the jungle, intensive gunfire soon rang out, and soldiers from both sides engaged in a fierce battle at close range in the jungle.
The fighting between the two sides was extremely brutal.
And just as the ambush of the 209th Division began.
Southwest of Nankan, Lu Dahai's 208th Division was assembled here. They did not participate in the ambush operations against the two regiments of the Japanese th Division.
Ye Qingshan gave their division a more important task.
"Commander, the commander's order."
Lu Dahai took the telegram, read it, and immediately said to his officers: "Convey my order.
The entire division set out immediately and headed south at full speed.
Let the 601nd Regiment of the st Brigade take the lead, use their bicycle speed advantage, and reach Lashio before dark.
If we take over Lashio, there shouldn’t be many devils there.”
Soon, all the regiments of the 208th Division set out and headed quickly south along the Burma Road.
They used the various marching tools they were equipped with to rush all the way.
Some traveled in cars, some in armored vehicles and motorcycles, and some even rode mules.
Just to speed up the march and reach Lashio as quickly as possible.
Ye Qingshan completed his strategic goal of taking Lashio back from the devils by surprise.
At this time, the 208th Division was the most elite division under Ye Qingshan.
It is also the only mountain division built by Ye Qingshan under his 42nd Army Group.
When forming this mountain division, Ye Qingshan also drew on the structure of the German mountain division during World War II.
However, Ye Qingshan made some changes based on the actual situation on their side.
For example, a tank company is equipped and a battalion of armored vehicles is equipped.
There was no way. The training speed of Ye Qingshan's armored and tank soldiers was slower than he expected.
He could only spare this much and deploy it to the army in advance.
The mobile regiment is equipped with bicycles as a means of marching.
Heavy firepower mainly consists of rocket launchers, 60mm mortars, and 81mm mortars.
Their advantage is speed.
The mountain artillery regiment at the back is mainly equipped with a large number of 105mm howitzers and more convenient to carry 75mm howitzers.
Ye Qingshan did not bring the 155mm heavy howitzer, which is more difficult to transport, this time.
These 105mm howitzers and 75mm howitzers can be pulled by cars or mules and horses.
The entire 208th Division consists of two brigades and four regiments, plus an armored battalion, a mountain artillery regiment, an engineering regiment, a communications battalion, and other units directly under the division headquarters, with a total number of over to people.
At this time, the 601nd Regiment of the st Brigade, which was running in the front, was the mobile regiment, and all its members were equipped with bicycles.
The bicycle looks like a typical 28-inch bicycle.
These bicycles were naturally produced by Ye Qingshan in the group’s factory in the United States.
A soldier rides a bicycle.
The light weapons and ammunition carried on the back seat of the vehicle were tied to its speed on the Burma Road, and it was even faster than a motorcycle.
In this way, the more than 208 people of the th Division commanded by Zhang Fa and Lu Dahai marched at a speed that was not inferior to the Japanese armored forces.
We headed quickly south along the Burma Road, heading straight for Lashio.
"Quick, move all the rocket launchers and howitzers away."
At the artillery position, after completing the pre-war concentrated use of artillery fire, the artillery brigade commander gave the order.
Have all rocket launchers and 105mm howitzers pulled by cars or mules and horses.
They also followed the 208th Division along the Burma Road and headed south to Lashio.
Only the 81mm mortars were left to continue providing fire support to the 209th Division in its effort to encircle and annihilate the Japanese.
Annihilating the two regiments of the Japanese 56th Division is only the first step.
Later, Ye Qingshan had bigger plans.
At the same time, at the headquarters of the Japanese 148th Division in Lashio, the Japanese division commander Watanabe Masao also received a telegram from the th Regiment.
"What? The 148th Regiment and the Engineer Regiment that were chasing the Chinese Sixth Army encountered an ambush by another Chinese army near Nankan on the Burma Road?
Are there new Chinese troops entering Burma?"
Masao Watanabe looked at the telegram in his hand with a serious expression.
The old Japanese knew very well that the Nationalist army that could ambush and trap their two regiments must have at least an army of troops.
Otherwise, he was confident that with the strength of more than 148 people from the th Regiment and the Engineer Regiment, they would be able to break out.
But now, the commander of the Japanese 148th Regiment, Aihara Wuyuosuke, said in the telegram that they had failed in several attempts to break out.
The troops are now badly damaged.
The enemy's firepower was extremely fierce, more fierce than any expeditionary artillery they had encountered.
In fact, they are not inferior to the British.
"It can't be Ye Qingshan's troops."
Soon, Watanabe Masao remembered the reminder their Special High Section had sent to them when they entered the Burmese Army Headquarters a week ago.
Just tell them that Ye Qingshan’s 86th Army suddenly moved westward and arrived in Yunnan Province.
It is very likely that we will enter Burma to fight.
However, the Special High Police did not know the exact time when Ye Qingshan’s 86th Army would enter Burma.
"The ones surrounding the 148th Regiment and the Engineer Regiment must really be Ye Qingshan's 86th Army.
Then they would be in real danger.
Hurry, report this situation to the headquarters and ask them to contact the Special High Section to verify whether it is Ye Qingshan’s 86th Army that entered Burma.
Send another telegram to the 148th Regiment, asking them to break out and move in immediately.
I can’t provide him with reinforcements.”
As telegrams were sent out from the Japanese 56th Division Command, the news soon reached the Japanese rear headquarters.
Soon, the Japanese headquarters confirmed Watanabe Masao's guess from the Special Higher Police.
It was Ye Qingshan's 86th Army that entered Burma and surrounded two regiments of the th Division in Namkham.