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Text Chapter 432 The Dilemma of the 23rd Division

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    However, while he breathed a sigh of relief, Kimura Hyoutarou said with some hesitation: "Your Excellency, Commander, since we are temporarily waiting for changes in the international situation before launching an attack, do you think the 23rd Division deployed on the front line of Hylar is going to attack?"  Should the garrison area be adjusted?§

    "The 23rd Division deployed on the front line of Hailar is the only mechanized division of the Kwantung Army. For the Kwantung Army, whether it is fighting the Soviet Union or the decisive battle with the Anti-Japanese Alliance, it is an extremely valuable asset for the next battle. Now.  The 23rd Division was deployed alone on the Hailar front line, and after the Heihe and Longjiang front lines were lost, the 23rd Division lost almost all support and cover. "

    "The current situation of the 23rd Division can be said to be that it stands alone in Xing'an North, which is extremely detrimental to the 23rd Division. At present, the 23rd Division can be described as being attacked from both sides. During the war, it has neither defensive depth nor surrounding areas.  There is also a lack of friendly forces to support and respond. Once an abnormal situation occurs, the 23rd Division currently deployed alone is likely to be surrounded by enemy forces. "

    "If there were another battle at Nomenhan, the 23rd Division might not even get reinforcements. Once Jiangbei and the Soviet army attacked from both sides, the 23rd Division, fighting alone, might be in danger of being destroyed. Once the 23rd Division  The accident that occurred to the Thirteenth Division would undoubtedly be a very heavy loss for the Kwantung Army and even the entire Japanese Army. "

    "And after the loss of Longjiang Province, the railway lines connecting the Kwantung Army and the 23rd Division have been cut off. All the current supplies of food, ammunition and materials for the 23rd Division can only be transported by trucks.  The road conditions leading to Hailar are extremely poor, the distance is long, and the terrain is extremely complex. "

    "Because this supply line is too long, it is easily attacked. The Anti-Japanese Alliance often sends small groups and large numbers of aircraft to attack the 23rd Division's supply line. Relying only on roads and a small number of trucks, we can't attack  The supply of the 23rd Division was quite difficult.

    "Last month alone, we lost more than a hundred trucks due to attacks and air strikes by small enemy forces. The covering troops also suffered heavy casualties. Your Excellency, Commander, it is impossible for us to mobilize all the trucks of the Kwantung Army for twenty  The Third Division needs to replenish supplies, and we cannot afford this consumption in the long run."

    "Now due to the shortage of supplies, the supplies of the 23rd Division have dropped to an extremely dangerous situation. The reserves of food and ammunition have dropped to a very low amount. The entire division, from the division commander to ordinary soldiers, has now begun to  Implement rationed supply of materials.§

    "Daily training can only be cut down due to the lack of ammunition. Now that the weather has gradually warmed up, the uniforms for the 23rd Division have not yet arrived. As for the imperial immigrants in Hylar, whether they are military police personnel or  Ordinary residents can only implement strict rationing.§

    "The new division commander, Lieutenant General Nishihara Kanji, has proposed more than once that if the Kwantung Army no longer finds a way to improve the supplies of the 23rd Division to meet the daily life and training needs of the 23rd Division, he will take action on his own  , to change the current situation of the 23rd Division.§

    "I think that since the two provinces of Heihe and Longjiang have been lost, the current deployment of the 23rd Division is no longer necessary. I suggest that the entire 23rd Division be withdrawn south to the Wangye Temple line. With the deployment in the central  The various divisions in the area have formed a unified front. As for the Hailar front line, I think it＊s better to give up for now.§

    Originally, Hy身taro Kimura did not want to propose the withdrawal of the 23rd Division to the south at this time.  After all, it was already very unpleasant for the arrogant General Umezu to accept the advice of Prime Minister Lu, whom he had always looked down upon.  At this time, bringing up the matter of withdrawing the 23rd Division southward, which he had always placed high hopes on, would be tantamount to adding fuel to the fire.

    But the affairs of the 23rd Division have now reached a situation where they cannot be delayed any longer.  Hailar is a Mongolian pastoral area with a large number of cattle and sheep, but all food depends on other places.  The tens of thousands of officers and soldiers of the 23rd Division consume a huge amount of food every day.  If the Hailar region alone raises its own funds, even if all the local Mongolian herdsmen starve to death, it will not be able to do anything.

    The commander of the 23rd Division has repeatedly stated that if the Kwantung Army is unable to solve the supply problem, the 23rd Division can only move freely in order to survive.  Under the current situation, in addition to withdrawing southward on their own, the 23rd Division will affect the next combat deployment of the entire Kwantung Army no matter what they do.  It may even affect the next overall strategic deployment of the entire empire.

    "What is freedom of action? Kimura Hy身taro, who organized troops many times to carry out the liquidation of the Shandong Anti-Japanese Base Area of ??the 18th Army when he was the commander of the 32nd Division, knows it all too well.  The so-called free movement, to put it bluntly, is nothing more than "rob".  As for who to rob, Kimura Hy身taro could roughly figure it out.

    The local area itself is not a grain producing area, and the scale of grain production is extremely large.Under limited circumstances.  This robbery is not to go eastward to rob the Anti-Japanese Alliance.  Then go west and grab the so-called Mongolian People's Republic.  It doesn't matter if we go east, but if we offend the Soviet troops stationed in Mongolia by going west, the consequences will be disastrous.

    ※Once the Soviet Army and the Anti-Alliance were attacked from the east and west, with no support, the 23rd Division, even with three heads and six arms, could not withstand the attack from both sides.  During the Battle of Nomenhan last year, the Soviet army alone caused serious losses to the 23rd Division.  Now with the addition of the Anti-Japanese Alliance, the 23rd Division may be even more difficult to resist.

    But if it is not approved, the supply quantity will have dropped again and again, and the 23rd Division, which has almost reached a dangerous situation, is indeed unsustainable.  If this situation cannot be alleviated in a short period of time, there will be no need to fight. Even hunger will destroy the 23rd Division.

    If an entire division dies from hunger like this, the Prime Minister Lu behind him, let alone others, will not be able to spare him.  Therefore, no matter how reluctant he is in his heart, Hyoutaro Kimura, as the current chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, can only perform his duties as chief of staff.  It is recommended that Umezu Yoshijiro approve the withdrawal of the 23rd Division southward as soon as possible to improve the current supply situation of the division.

    Hearing that Kimura Hy身taro actually wanted to voluntarily abandon the Hylar front line and prepare himself for the future attack plan, all the 23rd Division used for flank attacks would withdraw south to the Wangye Temple front line, but Umezu Yoshijiro's brows deepened.  Wrinkled deeply.

    It＊s not as if Umezu Yoshijiro didn＊t know what Hy身taro Kimura said.  Umezu Yoshijiro still attaches great importance to the only division among the Kwantung Army that is still holding on to the northern front.  He knew that Kimura Hy身taro was telling the truth.  The 23rd Division, which is currently standing alone and far away from other divisions, and whose supply lines can only rely on limited trucks to maintain, has indeed reached the point where it cannot be opened.

    The Kwantung Army＊s supply line to the 23rd Division was extremely unstable under attacks by anti-alliance aircraft and small groups of troops.  Ten percent of the supplies departed from Xinjing, and two of them were able to be safely transported to Hailar, which is already quite good.  And that little material, for a fully-staffed division, is nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

    No matter how perseverant and patient the Japanese soldiers are.  But you can＊t be hungry for a long time and hold on there.  The most critical issue now is not just the food problem. The security of the supply lines cannot be solved. All supplies such as ammunition, food, fuel, and clothing are in a difficult situation.

    For the Japanese army, which has a relatively low degree of mechanization, it cannot withstand the loss of a large number of cars for a long time.  In order to ensure the supplies of the 23rd Division, the Kwantung Army transferred half of the trucks supplied by Tokyo after the battle last year.  However, the number of trucks currently lost to air strikes and attacks has reached a figure that is unacceptable to the Kwantung Army.  The losses of two to three hundred per month are really unbearable for the Kwantung Army.

    Judging from the current situation of the 23rd Division, Kimura Hyoutaro's worries are not wrong.  But if the 23rd Division were to withdraw in such despair, Umezu Yoshijiro would not be willing to do so.  Moreover, the Kwantung Army also has a huge fortress group in the Hailar area.

    The construction of the Aobao Mountain and Beishan fortress complex in the mountainous area north of Hailar began in 1934. Because of its large scale, it took a full five years and was not completed until 1939.  But until now, the final finishing work of the fortress group has not been completed.  It is a fortress group located on the eastern border of Northeast China and one of the two largest fortress groups built by the Kwantung Army in the Northeast.

    The strategic location of Hailar Fortress is extremely important, and it is the most important link in controlling the entire western side of the Kwantung Army's defense line against the Soviet Union.  Compared with the eastern border, which is densely covered with mountains and swamps.  The terrain on the front line of Hailar is relatively flat, which is extremely conducive to the Soviet army, which is highly mechanized and equipped with a large number of tanks and other weapons, for assault operations.

    With this fortress group, when the Japanese army fought against the Soviet Union, they were in a position to advance, attack, retreat and defend in the entire northeast and northwest direction with ease.  Even if they lose the first battle, they can still rely on the solid fortifications of this fortress group to block the Soviet army's subsequent attacks.

    Abandoning North Hung Yen Province and allowing the 23rd Division to withdraw southward to the line of Wangye Temple means that all the newly completed fortresses will be abandoned.  And giving up the largest fortress group of the Kwantung Army without a battle is something that Umezu Yoshijiro cannot easily accept no matter what?

    Kimura Hy身taro knew exactly what the reason for Umezu Meijiro's hesitation was.  He also knew that after last year's battle, the 23rd Division was actually in an extremely disadvantageous situation. The key factor why it had not been able to get the order to retreat was the Hylar Fortress Group.

    Last year in the First World War, the Kwantung Army lost nearly half of its strength.  In terms of the use of troops, there has been a situation of being stretched.  But in that severe situation, the Umezu beautyGeneral Xilang did not say that the 23rd Division, the only complete division of the Kwantung Army in northern Manchuria, would be withdrawn southward to strengthen the already open Xinjing defense line.

    And now that all the divisions that suffered huge losses last year have been replenished, withdrawing the 23rd Division will probably be even more difficult for this arrogant man who always believed that the Kwantung Army fought last year.  Even the commander-in-chief accepted it as a great disgrace to himself
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