"The enemy on the southern front is a German infantry division and two National Army infantry divisions in the direction of Donetsk. We have a certain advantage on the northern front. The task on the southern front is more difficult, but the armored troops are our trump card. , Now that we have reorganized the mixed brigades, we are stronger on the northern front, but will we only invest in clustered mixed armored brigades on the southern front? In that case, the strength will be as thin as three infantry regiments than in the previous plan" Seishiro Itagaki looked at it. Said to the crowd.
"I don't think the problem is big!" Captain Matsuki of the 12th Cavalry Regiment stood up confidently and said. Although he was a little regretful that he could not become the acting commander of the mixed armored brigade, the position of an acting chief of staff is He couldn't run away. The mechanized infantry regiment to be formed by the 16th Inza Infantry Division was just led by a federal brigade commander. Wouldn't it have to listen to himself and Zhao Yikuan's command by then?
In Songmu's view, this is much safer than letting the cunning-looking Kikweize command an infantry division to pick up the enemy behind him and the Chinese armored forces. Otherwise, it is very likely that the Japanese cavalry and the Chinese armored forces will fight to the death in front. The casualties were huge, but the victory and victory were lost to the 17th Federal Infantry Division, which followed up with the second echelon.
"No, there is a problem. Does Major General Kikvedze's 17th Infantry Division still need to follow up as a second echelon on the southern front? If not, Donetsk will have a vast area, and the clustered mixed armored brigade will not have the strength. There are only nearly ten thousand people, how can we consolidate and occupy these coal mines and towns?" Fujita Osaka, the acting commander of the heavy artillery brigade who stood up to oppose, had just been arguing with the federal generals with Itagaki, and now he was a bit defensive. Unstoppable attitude!
"The coal mines and towns are there, as are the buildings and warehouses. So what if we occupy them without dividing the troops? We can also save some rations for Ukrainian refugees. As long as the direction of Kharkiv is closed to Kharkiv Ekaterino The railway lines and roads between Slavic countries, the Germans and Ukrainians in Eastern Ukraine are like turtles in the urn, and they cannot escape even if they want to!" Utis, the commander of the 18th Federal Infantry Division, stood up to retort.
If Kikveeze's 17th Infantry Division will also assume the task of the second-line reserve force, then Slippery Utis's 18th Infantry Division will be the third-line garrison force. There is basically no possibility of crossing the Ukrainian border to join the battlefield. The infantry The mission of the 18th Division is to guard Tsaritsyn and other important towns in the state, maintain order and security, and then serve as the third-line reserve force of the Donetsk Cluster.
"Hmm I suggest that my 17th Infantry Division can allocate one brigade for the northern line reserve, and the remaining brigade should maintain its original mission and move along the railway line as the second-line force of the clustered mixed armored brigade. The focus is To ensure the safety of railway logistics and important towns along the route, right? We don¡¯t need to occupy so much space, and of course we can¡¯t miss it easily if we do!¡±
Kikweize is thinking in his mind that I will send out a brigade on each of the north and south roads. When the time comes, it will be you who will fight hard against the Germans at the front, while my troops will stay behind to prepare for seizures and supplies and accept prisoners of war. , maybe after the battle is over, I can pick and choose from the Ukrainian prisoners and expand the brigade into two divisions. This is definitely a good thing with a great chance!
"I think Kikweeze's suggestion is good. Inza, don't argue. Your main regiment has been expanded into a mechanized infantry regiment and added to the mixed armored brigade. The strength of the troops on the northern front has been reduced by less than half. Kikweeze's brigade, I can leave it to you to take unified command!" Inza's eyes lit up at Yegorov's words, but Kikweize was speechless and blushed when he heard this!
August 1, 1918, 12:15, in the territory of the Volga Federation, Kamensk Yehtinsky, Donetsk Group Command of the Allied Forces
"Then the Donetsk cluster's plan to continue to maintain a two-pronged attack is clear. The southern front will use Novoyekhtinsky as the forward base. I will personally command Colonel Zhao's cluster mixed armored brigade and Major General Kikweize's The 33rd Infantry Brigade of the 17th Infantry Division attacked. On the northern front, the 12th Infantry Brigade commanded by Major General Morinari Morioka, the 24th Infantry Brigade commanded by Maj. Gen. Tš Isomura, and the 16th Infantry Division commanded by Major General Inza were sent to the northern front. The main force, plus the 34th Infantry Brigade of the 17th Division, attack!"
Cluster Chief of Staff Seishiro Itagaki was talking in front of the combat map. In fact, he had discussed this plan with Cluster Commander Shibagoro in private before, so now that it was almost ready, he just threw it out. He only made slight adjustments to Kikwei. The two brigades of Ze's 17th Federal Infantry Division were divided into two, and were used as the second echelon on the southern line and the third echelon on the northern line. However, in this way, the Mule Army, which had been enriched after the replacement of the two artillery regiments, The cavalry personnel's hopes of forming a makeshift cavalry regiment were dashed.
"Why does the chief of staff personally direct the southern front attack? I think that as the chief of staff of the cluster, Colonel Itagaki should stay with the cluster headquarters at all times. Doesn't Commander Shibagoro need Colonel Itagaki to advise him? It's agreed. Why did the plan for me to be the former enemy commander to attack on the southern front suddenly change?"
ClusterColonel Zhao Yikuan, the acting brigade commander of the National Armored Brigade and the commander of the 3rd Armored Regiment of China, finally couldn't help but stand up and question Itagaki's plan.
Unlike the group of federal generals who supported Zhao Yikuan and Songmu just now, the conference room was quiet now, with only the dissatisfied voice of the Chinese colonel echoing. Colonel Matsuki, the captain of the 12th Cavalry Regiment, was not used to it. Itagaki was promoted rapidly through the Rockets, but as the general of Japan's 12th Division, he did not dare to blatantly help the Chinese generals quarrel with their immediate superiors. Especially, Itagaki was deeply trusted by Commander Shibagoro. situation.
Sure enough, before Itagaki could answer, Lieutenant General Shibagoro, the commander of the cluster, waved his hand and said, "Colonel Zhao, the cluster has appointed you as the acting commander of the mixed armored brigade, and Colonel Matsuki will be your deputy and chief of staff. In order to strengthen The Donetsk Cluster¡¯s tactical guidance to the southern front troops and Chief of Staff Itagaki¡¯s personal command of the southern front troops¡¯ operations are decisions made after careful consideration. Let¡¯s not argue about this anymore!¡±
As a non-lineage general among the first-level generals of the Japanese Army, it is not easy for Shibagoro to reach his current position. After all, generals who were born in the Japanese Army University are the essence and direct lineage of the Japanese Army, and they are known as the masters of China. Shibagoro only had a Rokushi education, and lacked the stepping stone from mainland China. In addition, the Aizu clan, from which he was born, was the mortal enemy of the Choshu clan and the Satsuma clan during the Overthrow War. Therefore, his career in the Japanese Army was better than that of other continental clans. It is much more difficult for generals who graduate from college.