In a one-sided battle of just over an hour on the Mokpo battlefield, the 53rd Division of the Japanese-Korean Garrison Army lost more than 15,000 people, a first-class main division, a chance to fight against the infantry of the independent division. The division commander, Lieutenant General Oshima, had bloodshot eyes. He knew that if the fight continued like this, Mokpo's second line of defense would definitely not be protected!
If the independent division troops launch an attack immediately, Lieutenant General Oshima is not sure whether his own division can stop it. Why is this the result? If it is in the process of soldiers from both sides fighting each other, the five He could accept the heavy casualties of the Thirteenth Division, but what about the current casualties?
"Chief of Staff, immediately send a telegram to the commander of the garrison, General Tanaka. I want to sue that bastard Kaga. If he hadn't commanded blindly and ordered the troops to enter the ground position, how could they have been attacked by the cunning Chinese artillery for a second time?" That bastard Kaga should be primarily responsible for the losses of the Imperial Army!" Lieutenant General Oshima roared, blaming the losses of the 53rd Division on Lieutenant General Kaga, the commander of the 37th Division! on the head.
Hearing his boss's ferocious roar, the chief of staff was speechless for a moment and rolled his eyes. He looked down on his boss for being so rude like a mad dog. When Lieutenant General Oshima finally had time to take a breath, the chief of staff hurriedly reminded: " Division Commander, I must remind you that in the telegrams exchanged with Lieutenant General Kaga, the other party did not issue any orders, and the garrison headquarters did not have clear battlefield command authority!"
"In other words, our two divisions are neighboring troops and are not subordinate to each other. The accusations you made to the garrison headquarters are untenable!"
Lieutenant General Oshima suddenly became silent, and he also remembered. The call back from that guy from Kaga only explained the tactical arrangements of the 37th Division, and there was no suggestion at all. However, he was in a helpless state at the time, so he just followed the instructions if he couldn't. Obviously, in this situation, It is impossible to complain. He said that he was still incompetent, but he kept this tone in his heart. What should he do about the loss of the troops?
Seeing that his boss was no longer roaring, he no longer jumped up and down like a dog with his tail stepped on. Instead, his eyes were moving around, obviously thinking of something. The chief of staff secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The suggestion came: "Division Commander, what we need to do now is to truthfully report the battle situation and our losses to the garrison headquarters and request reinforcements. Otherwise, Mokpo's second line of defense will be in danger!"
The chief of staff's suggestion hit Lieutenant General Oshima's thoughts, and he thought about it gloomily. Said: "As you wish, send a telegram to Commander Tanaka. In addition, order the troops to withdraw to prepare for the attack of the independent division. Those despicable and cunning Chinese people will definitely not miss this opportunity! "
The same blow was more serious for Lieutenant General Kaga, the commander of the 37th Division, because he was on the front line of the independent division's attack. The casualties of the troops were greater than those of the 57th Division, with more than There were more than 18,000 people, and the chief of staff of the division who was reporting the number of casualties looked at the division commander's face as ugly as a dead man and wisely shut his mouth.
Lieutenant General Kaga's brain was numb. He would never have thought that the commander of the independent division on the opposite side was so insidious and cunning. He actually sent a large number of tanks and a small number of infantry to act as bait for the attack, and sent his own The soldiers attracted the ground position, attracted the Nakajima Field Artillery Regiment to fire, and then launched a sudden artillery attack. They were extremely cunning and insidious!
Lieutenant General Kaga also reflected on what would have been the result if he had stood still at that time and ordered the troops to continue hiding in underground fortifications without firing artillery.
The answer is very hurtful, and it obviously won't work. Then, the feinting independent division troops will quickly occupy the ground positions and block the exits of the underground fortifications. The entire 37th Division will be blocked like rats. Underground, waiting to be gradually annihilated, or the commander of the independent division ordered the main force to continue advancing toward Mokpo, and then left enough troops to deal with the imperial troops hidden in the underground fortifications.
The 37th Division, which is surrounded, will be eaten by the independent division troops like mulberry leaves. The opponent has enough time to do this. Therefore, Lieutenant General Kaga came to a conclusion. , this is an unsolvable situation. Even if it is judged, we have to follow the rhythm of the independent division commander.
After coming to this conclusion, Lieutenant General Kaga felt discouraged and became more worried. What kind of opponent was he facing? So cunning, so cunning?
But Lieutenant General Kaga had to steel himself, reorganize the troops, combine the remaining forces of each regiment to form two full regiments, and issue orders to be ready to meet the real attack of the independent division at any time. On this point, his judgment is consistent with that of the commander of the Oshima Division. The cunning Chinese people will not let go of thisIs there any chance? Next, there will be a cruel battle. Perhaps, all the 37th Division will be shattered, including himself, the division commander.
After finishing all this work, Lieutenant General Kaga sat down, wrote a report himself, and sent a report to Commander Tanaka. The content of his report was different from Lieutenant General Oshima's, including the tactics used by the independent division troops, the intensity of the firepower, etc. It was written in detail in the telegram. According to Lieutenant General Kaga's idea, even if he died for the Empire of Japan and His Majesty the Emperor in today's battle, he would still leave a valuable legacy to the Imperial Korean Garrison. Battlefield intelligence.
Of course, in the telegram, Lieutenant General Kaga did not forget to ask for reinforcements and artillery from General Tanaka. He knew that it would be nonsense to defend Mokpo's second line of defense with only the remaining troops of the 37th Division. Damn, the bravery and fearlessness of the soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army cannot replace the reality of lack of troops.
The remaining two divisions of the Japanese army, with less than half of their strength, were waiting in fear for the independent division to attack like an overwhelming force. They could even imagine how violent the independent division's attack was!
However, after more than twenty minutes, the battlefield was completely silent. The expected attack scene did not appear. The battlefield was so quiet that the Japanese officers and soldiers, even under the bright sunshine of June on the Korean Peninsula, I was also feeling cold in my heart, waiting with uneasiness and fear, and painful suffering, tearing at the hearts of Japanese officers and soldiers.
" Two telegrams from the Mokpo battlefield arrived at the desk of General Tanaka Shinichi, the commander of the Korean garrison in Japan. He was as dizzy as if he had been hit in the head. It was only more than an hour of fighting, no! It couldn't be regarded as a real battle. The independent division troops only dispatched tanks and a small amount of infantry. It was not even considered an attack. They defeated the two first-class divisions of the Empire on Mokpo's second line of defense and half disabled them!
General Tanaka's heart was bleeding. He only had a few first-class divisions in his hands. In the battle of Mokpo, he lost one. Also, the two night artillery regiments were completely wiped out. Not even a single complete field artillery piece is left. How powerful is the firepower of the independent division?
Bombing, bombing again, in one battle, the independent division aviation actually dispatched hundreds of bombers. The sky of the Korean Peninsula became a stage for Chinese aircraft. Where were the imperial aircraft? General Tanaka hated the United Air Force, which was in name only the Joint Air Force of the Korean Peninsula Theater, but in fact had no affiliation with him at all. He wanted to kill the commander, Major General Sato, who was acting treacherously. And then quickly.
Of the two telegrams, what General Tanaka paid attention to was the telegram from Lieutenant General Kaga, the commander of the 37th Division. As for the telegram from Lieutenant General Oshima, the commander of the 53rd Division, he automatically ignored it. He was very worried. Clearly, what kind of virtue is Odao?
The more he read the telegram, the uglier General Tanaka's face became. Later, it was simply livid. General Tanaka never expected that the second battle on the Mokpo battlefield would go so badly, and the tactics adopted by the independent division troops made him even more shocked. I am frightened. Now, the Mokpo battlefield has become the focus of the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. If it falls, Gwangju will be difficult to protect, and Busan will also be under the guns of the independent division troops.
Losing Busan is equivalent to cutting off the connection with the mainland. It is impossible to withdraw to the mainland, and the reinforcements from the mainland cannot rescue. The hundreds of thousands of imperial soldiers in the North Korean garrison, including myself, can only die in battle. Therefore, Mokpo must be preserved. No matter how high the price is to pay!
Only when local reinforcements arrive can the North Korean garrison counterattack. It is only possible, but at least the entire army will not be annihilated. However, the current focus of the base camp is in the direction of Manchuria. As for the battlefield on the Korean Peninsula, it is still Regardless of the fact that the four first-class divisions in the Southwest Pacific assembled on the mainland were not prepared for him, he had to rely on the North Korean garrison to wait for reinforcements. General Tanaka sighed, looking indescribably lonely.
Next to him, Chief of Staff Kamiya, who had been silent for a long time, saw that General Tanaka was in a daze, so he reminded him: "Commander, the troops on the Mokpo defense line have suffered too many casualties. Now, we urgently need to replenish our troops. You should do it early." Decide, otherwise, the Mokpo defense line will be dangerous!¡±
General Tanaka stood up and looked at the bright sunshine outside the window, but he could not feel a trace of warmth in his heart. After a long time, he gritted his teeth and said: "Kamiya-kun, give an order to the 4th Brigade and the 5th Brigade stationed in Guangzhou. The Second Artillery Brigade immediately went to the Mokpo battlefield and was placed under the command of the 53rd Division. The 55th Division stationed in Busan and the Third Artillery Brigade immediately went to the Mokpo battlefield and was placed under the command of the 37th Division. !¡±
"The advance of the above-mentioned troops must be carried out after dark. The troops mobilized in Gwangju must arrive at the designated position before dawn tomorrow, and the troops mobilized in Busan must arrive at the designated position before dawn the day after tomorrow!"
"in addition, notified all the troops on the Mokpo front line, and appointed Lieutenant General Kaga, commander of the 37th Division, as the commander of the Mokpo Defense Line of the Imperial Korean Garrison to unified command of all troops! "