General Utsunomiya invested 50,000 people in the four mixed brigades of the Kharkov cluster. Together with the armored brigade, heavy artillery brigade and logistics troops, the total number of the main force of the cluster was more than 80,000, 320 cannons, and more than 200 armored vehicles. Attacked Yekaterinoslav, lost 30,000 people, 200 cannons and 60 armored vehicles and then returned to Kharkov!
On the defensive side, the German army dispatched 6 German infantry divisions and 4 Ukrainian National Army infantry divisions. The number of artillery pieces was approximately 430, and the total strength was 130,000. All of them were deployed from Ekaterinoslav to Krasno A front-line fighting force. The rate of Yuan's surrender was between 10,000 and 25,000, and the loss of artillery was about 150 pieces! "
"Why did General Utsunomiya leave the four federal infantry divisions on the line from Kharkiv to Belgorod instead of bringing them all to the front line to fight?!" Tanaka Giichi stood up and questioned, while other generals were still immersed in The shock caused by the huge casualties and losses made it impossible to recover!
"General Tanaka, on the one hand, because Kharkov is the headquarters and base, and also the retreat of the offensive group, the two infantry divisions of the Voronezh Group Army did not dare to move arbitrarily to defend Kharkov. On the other hand, the troops stationed in Kiev A main division of the German 27th Army took a train through Soviet Russia and took advantage of the opportunity to pounce on Kursk. The 8th Federal Infantry Division urgently transferred a brigade back to Kursk, while the 7th and 9th Federal Infantry Divisions Take the train from Belgorod to Kursk to close the gap!¡±
"Why are these battle reports not reported in time? General Utsunomiya is too wanton and reckless?!" Tanaka Yoshiichi's face turned green and white, and the generals present in the conference room also took a breath. The Germans were so difficult to deal with. , in extremely bad weather conditions, actually performed such a beautiful combination of punches!
"The Germans' sneak attacks on the northern front were very secretive. The opponent used battalion and company squads to pretend to be active many times. In fact, Moscow and the Soviet Union had an early warning, but who would have thought that the opponent sent out not a regiment but a German The ace infantry division, Kursk cannot be defended at all, but fortunately
The Germans' goal was to mobilize our deployment to encircle Wei and rescue Zhao, so they did not storm and capture Kursk. However, the 15th Brigade of the 8th Federal Infantry Division, which rushed back to block the gap, was almost completely wiped out, with only one battalion remaining to hold on to the train in the western suburbs. Stand until the reinforcements 7th Division and 9th Division arrive along the railway line! "
"Utsunomiya Taro said in the battle report that he would take responsibility for this defeat. He requested the headquarters to remove him from his duties as commander of the Southwest Front Army and commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian campaign, and let Chief of Staff Shunroku Hata take over as acting commander!" Qian Tianfu said at the end! .
Jiang Fangzhen shook his head and said, "Victory and defeat are common matters for military personnel. What's more, the main force of the Donetsk cluster is still in our hands, and Kharkov is also in our hands. How can General Utsunomiya resign lightly?!"
"Hmph, if the people below hadn't stopped me, I would have committed seppuku on the battlefield! It's a total embarrassment to the Imperial Army. There is no difference between Oba's 3rd Division and the entire army being annihilated? Fujii's 3rd Division The 7th Division was also crippled, and even the Chinese armored forces suffered heavy losses! Your Excellency, Commander, I propose that General Utsunomiya be relieved of all duties, summoned back to reflect on his mistakes, and let me lead the Central Front Mechanized Eighth Army to rush for reinforcements. Kharkiv!¡±
August 8, 1918, 10:00, Allied Army Headquarters, Samara,
"Of course someone has to take responsibility for the defeat, and I, the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, cannot escape the blame! Jiang Hongyu, Jiang Fangzhen, and you, Giichi Tanaka, what about you, the Kharkov Cluster is fighting hard in Kharkov What were the three of you doing?! Are you just thinking about setting up the group army that you are also in charge of, and are you ignoring the responsibilities of the coalition headquarters? Or are you talking about the front line? Are you optimistic that the world will be peaceful once and for all?¡±
Wang Geng's voice was quite harsh. A week ago, due to the deadlock in the domestic parliamentary election and the discussion of constitutional amendments, Premier Duan Qirui and Army Chief Xu Shuzheng in Beijing sent several urgent telegrams, asking him to rush back to mediate, or To put the final word on it, at this time, the Parliament has become the only position for the Southern Party in the country, so the competition for seats is extremely fierce. The King of China, whose reputation is soaring in Asia and even the entire world, has become the root that all political forces have to bow to. Dinghai Shenzhen
Wang Geng didn¡¯t expect that he would go back just like this. In the second stage of the Ukrainian campaign, he would be beaten to such an extent by Utsunomiya Taro. Can heavy rains and flash floods and swollen rivers be the total reasons for failure? From the coalition headquarters to the fronts and clusters below, especially Utsunomiya and his subordinates who commanded the Ukrainian campaign, they were eager for quick success, overly optimistic, and relied too much on the firepower of the air force. They underestimated the enemy and rushed forward. In addition, the German army's elusive and all-or-nothing style of play created the battlefield. The situation is reversed!
"Commander-in-Chief, I, the Chief of Staff, have the responsibility. Due to the bad weather, logistics supply and support have been extremely difficult.The outbreak washed out roads, and repairs were being carried out everywhere. The construction teams of more than 100,000 people on both sides of the Volga River were almost exhausted. They also had to supply food and ammunition for 400,000 people in the Ukrainian battlefield and the Caucasus battlefield in two directions. !
"And the Central Front Army's 600,000 people who were resting and reorganizing on the Ufa Plain also encountered difficulties in providing material support. The main railway transportation capacity and the number of trains were stretched so the degree of attention to the battle on the battlefield was ignored! This is because I, the Chief of General Staff of the Eastern Front Allied Forces, am incompetent. I am willing to resign as Chief of Staff and concentrate on the work of the Logistics Headquarters! "
Jiang Hongyu looked ashamed. The problem with the coalition headquarters was that except for Wang Geng, the commander-in-chief and the uncrowned king, no one else was enough to lead the overall situation and serve the people. This time the commander-in-chief rushed back to China temporarily to handle government affairs. Several deputy commanders on the front line and The deputy chiefs of staff just let the sheep go. Taro Utsunomiya on the front line was full of confidence and wanted to fight independently in the second stage to win Yekaterinoslav.
Jiang Hongyu, who was in the rear, was occupied with all his time and energy by a large number of matters in the Logistics Headquarters. The two deputy chiefs of staff, Tanaka Yiyi and Jiang Fangzhen, simply let go of the responsibility of the General Staff Headquarters to Qian Tianfu, the executive chief of staff. To do it, the two of them rushed into the assembly areas of the 7th and 8th Army to run in the team, preparing to complete the reorganization and cadre allocation as soon as possible and go to the battlefield a day earlier to show off their skills.