The independent division aviation bomber group bombed the Japanese defensive positions on the Liaodong Peninsula's Lushunkou line quite violently. Including the fleet's carrier-based bomber group, more than 500 bombers were dispatched in the first round of air strikes.
After the bombing, the Japanese army's positions were in a mess, with craters everywhere. All surface buildings, whether they were reinforced concrete bunkers or firepower points semi-hidden underground, without exception, were severely hit. The upturned soil, Scattered cement blocks were mixed with the broken limbs of Japanese soldiers and dark red blood stains. It is not an exaggeration to describe the current situation of the Japanese positions as devastated and full of ruins.
Lieutenant General Yokoyama, the commander of the Seventh Army, saw all these miserable scenes. His heart was filled with shock and pain. Hengshan knew that he was afraid that this bombing by the independent division's bombers would cause serious damage to the Seventh Army. The losses caused by the defense forces on the front line of Lushunkou were by no means small. Therefore, when a senior staff officer reported to him the statistical number of troop casualties, the Lieutenant General was already prepared to suffer a psychological blow!
The senior staff officer looked at the statistical table in his hand and said: "Your Excellency, Commander, according to incomplete statistics from the staff department, the 52nd Regiment, the 53rd Regiment, the 54th Regiment of the 31st Division The team searched the regiment positions. All surface fortifications were destroyed, and more than 2,870 soldiers were injured or killed. The 55th Regiment, the 56th Regiment, and the 57th Regiment of the 32nd Division The 58th Regiment, the Search Regiment, and the Search Regiment suffered heavy casualties due to the location of their positions, with more than 3,700 casualties! "
"This is the number of casualties of our imperial army at the Lushunkou defense line. The total casualties are more than 6,500. The artillery regiments of the two divisions and the field artillery brigade directly under the military headquarters have no exposed targets. No losses were suffered, only the shore artillery wing, because the phone was never connected and there were no statistics!¡±
After the senior staff officer finished his report, he looked at the commander's face with anxiety. In just forty minutes of bombing, the Seventh Army suffered more than 6,000 casualties, which was more than the strength of a regiment. For the Seventh Army, which is short of troops, the blow is very heavy. Commander, if you don't get angry, you will probably become furious?
"Haney? - More than 6,500 casualties? Staff Officer Watanabe, are your statistics accurate? Will the casualties of the Seventh Army not exceed these?" Lieutenant General Yokoyama stood up suddenly. His eyes were shining, his upper body was leaning forward, he looked closely at the senior staff officer named Watanabe, and asked, "Is that posture like he wants to eat people?"
Senior staff officer Watanabe took half a step back to get rid of the aggressive momentum of His Excellency the Commander. Facing the commander in this state, he felt breathless and oppressive, with beads of sweat on his forehead. Staff Officer Watanabe replied carefully: "Yes, your Excellency, the statistics are absolutely accurate. Except for the shore artillery regiment, all the casualties are here. Overall, the casualties will not exceed 7,000, but the surface position is severely damaged!"
"Yo Xi! Hahaha!" After hearing what senior staff officer Watanabe said, Lieutenant General Yokoyama suddenly laughed, stretched out his hand, and patted him hard on the shoulder. "Watanabe-kun, I didn't expect that under such a fierce bombing by the independent division aviation, our Seventh Army was on the front line. We deployed nearly 50,000 troops, and the casualties were so slight. It was unexpected. With the blessings of God and His Majesty the Emperor, my decision to hold on to the defense line at Lushunkou in Hengshan was correct!"
Looking at the commander who looked like a mad tiger, senior staff officer Watanabe was dumbfounded and could not react for a moment, "The casualties are so slight?" The casualties of nearly 7,000 people were close to five-fifths of the total force deployed by the Seventh Army in the front-line positions. One of them also said that the casualties were minor. Could it be that the Commander, because he was strongly stimulated, said all the irony?
Lieutenant General Hengshan was very excited in the area. According to his estimate, the independent division aviation dispatched more than 500 bombers. After more than 40 minutes of indiscriminate bombing, even with solid fortification cover, the casualties of the troops would be quite serious. After all, he saw with his own eyes the sight of the tsunami-like bombs blowing the position to pieces. Unexpectedly, there were only less than 7,000 casualties, and the Seventh Army's muscles and bones were not injured!
Lieutenant General Hengshan changed his perspective and considered his decision to stick to the front line of Lushunkou. He felt increasingly that his battle plan was brilliant. Imagine if he followed the orders of the Kwantung Army headquarters, the two divisions of the Seventh Army on the front line of Lushunkou The regiment's nearly 50,000 troops, after the Independent Division troops landed, resisted for a while and then retreated to the second line of defense. Then, on the more than 100 kilometers of retreat route, the Independent Division's bomber group alone would It would cause immeasurable losses to the Seventh Army, which had left its strong fortifications and was exposed in the wilderness.
There are independent divisions of bombers and fighter jets in the sky, roaring and circling, completely controlling the air. Countless bombs and bullets are pouring crazily. On the ground, there is an independent force in pursuit.I am afraid that before the Seventh Army can withdraw to the second line of defense, more than 70% of the soldiers will fall under countless bombs and bullets on the way back.
Lieutenant General Yokoyama rubbed his hands in excitement. Seeing senior staff officer Watanabe open his mouth and looking at him with fear, he knew that he had lost his temper, so he said: "Watanabe-kun, the surface position is seriously damaged, which is expected." , however, our underground fortifications are still intact. This is our biggest reliance on repelling the attack of the independent division. After conveying my order, each unit immediately began to repair the surface fortifications. In addition, contact the guy Kiyosaki as soon as possible. He The shore artillery exposed the target, what the losses were, I need to know!"
Colonel Kiyosaki, commander of the Seventh Army Coast Artillery Regiment, was obviously in a good mood. After the bombing, the losses at each gun position had been tallied up. Three coast defense guns were destroyed and two other shore defense guns were slightly damaged. , after emergency repairs, it can still be put into use. This kind of loss greatly exceeds Colonel Kiyosaki's expectations. As for the independent division fighter jets hovering overhead and lingering, they are not a threat at all. If they have the ability, they can penetrate my hidden cannons. Hole?
However, the call to the military headquarters was never connected, which made the happy Colonel Kiyosaki a little unhappy. When the independent division bombers started bombing, he pretended to be crazy and deliberately ignored Commander Yokoyama's call. Now , and has been unable to get through to the military headquarters, what will General Hengshan think? How do you view what you have done?
According to the practice of the Kwantung Army, now is the time to report the losses and casualties of various units to the military headquarters. The Coast Artillery Regiment is directly under the command of the military headquarters and is the backbone of the defensive firepower of the entire Lushunkou defense line. Lieutenant General Hengshan must be eager to know. Regarding the losses of the Coast Artillery Regiment, Colonel Kiyosaki originally wanted to curse and send a few words to the commander of the Regiment's Communications Squadron to let this guy know how serious it was that he was delayed in reporting the situation to the military headquarters!
But because he was in a good mood, Colonel Kiyosaki looked at the commander of the communications squadron who had just come back from the outside, his face covered with oil and sweat, and he was so nervous that he kept swallowing his saliva, his uniform was dirty, and he was talking to the captain of the communications squadron who crawled out of the trench like a broken army. Said: "Thank you for your hard work! Don't be anxious, gather all the soldiers of the communications squadron, conduct investigation one meter at a time, work hard, and restore telephone contact with the military headquarters as soon as possible!"
The squadron leader, who had been mentally prepared to be scolded by the commander of the first regiment, or beaten so hard that he couldn't find any answers, heard this, unexpectedly, was greatly moved, and couldn't help it. After getting through to the military headquarters, not only did I not get scolded or yelled at, but the commander of the regiment also said that I worked hard. I was really touched!
It was indeed hard work. Almost half of the communications squadron's manpower was invested in checking the lines, but they could not find the reason why they could not contact the military headquarters. Otherwise, how could I, a great captain of the Imperial Japanese Army, As for the commotion, like a kid emerging from the ground, the squadron leader hurriedly said "Bang!" and stood at attention. With tears in his eyes, he turned around and walked away without saying a word.
On the escort fleet flagship, Tang Qiuquan put down his telescope and said to the chief of staff, Major General Xin Xiguo: "Xiguo, have you evaluated the effect of the first round of bombing?"
Xin Xiguo said: "According to the reports of fighter pilots still stranded over the Japanese positions, the first round of bombing was extremely effective. Not a single complete defensive fortification could be seen on the Japanese positions, and all were destroyed. The assessment result is that the Japanese defensive positions , the ground fortifications were severely destroyed, and the Japanese casualties should be about one-half!"
Tang Qiuquan frowned slightly and said: "The Japanese casualties are about one-half? What is the basis? Is it the pilot's visual report? Xiguo, the Japanese Seventh Army has been operating in the Liaodong Peninsula for many years, and Lushunkou is an important The defense system of the military port is very strong. The intelligence office also mentioned that more than half of the Japanese defense system was hidden underground. Our first round of bombing may have only destroyed the surface fortifications of the Japanese army, leaving the underground part unscathed. , so don¡¯t make blindly optimistic estimates!¡±
"Once the landing force begins to land, the soldiers will be exposed on the unobstructed beach, and the Japanese defenses that have not been destroyed will cause heavy damage to the landing force. By then, rivers of blood will flow! What else will happen? "
When Tang Qiuquan said these words, his face was very serious. He was dissatisfied with his chief of staff's optimistic estimate of the battlefield situation. According to intelligence, the Japanese defense force at Lushunkou was close to 50,000, with half of the casualties One, that is, about 25,000 Japanese soldiers were killed in the first round of bombing. Tang Qiuquan did not believe it, nor was he so optimistic!
Xin Xiguo's face turned red. It was the chief of staff's duty to evaluate the results of the battle. Obviously, the commander was not satisfied with his evaluation. Seeing that the commander asked another question, he replied: "According to the reports of the fighter pilots." , after the bombing ended?, a large number of Japanese communications troops were found nervously checking the lines! "