Chapter 22 Chapter 21 The Great Counteroffensive in the Asia-Pacific Battlefield

Long before the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, some insightful people in the Chinese military circle predicted that the war against Japanese invasion would be a protracted one.The famous military theorist Jiang Baili accurately predicted as early as 1922 that Japan would inevitably launch a war of aggression against China, and China should fight it with a protracted war.According to the military strength of China and Japan and China's topographical conditions, he predicted that the Chinese and Japanese armies would face a stalemate west of the Ping-Han and Guangdong-Han lines.After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the national government, after a series of military conferences held by the Supreme Command, finally formed a strategic policy for fighting Japan at the Nanyue Military Conference in November 1938, namely the "Strategy of Enduring Consumption". Change time, and time for space."It is aimed at Japan's strategic policy of "quick battle and quick decision".Due to the successful implementation of the grand strategy of the Chinese Supreme Command to lure the Japanese army to attack from east to west, after the Battle of Wuhan, the situation of the Anti-Japanese War entered a stalemate stage according to the pre-conceived plan of the Chinese High Command.

During the long period of strategic stalemate, the Chinese army fought 22 large-scale battles with the Japanese invading army on the frontal battlefield.The most important of these are the Battle of Nanchang, the Battle of Southern Guangxi, the Battle of Suizao, the Three Battles of Changsha, the Battle of Shanggao, the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, the Battle of the Chinese Expeditionary Force's two entry into Burma, the Battle of Zhejiang and Jiangxi, the Battle of Changde, the Battle of Central Henan, and the Battle of Changsha. Battle of Heng, Battle of Guiliu.In these battles, except for the disastrous defeat at Zhongtiao Mountain and a few victories such as the Kunlun Pass victory, most of the Chinese troops drew with the Japanese army.In most of the battles, although the Chinese army's weapons and equipment were very backward, they showed the heroic spirit of fighting the invaders to the end, which made the international community admire.Churchill once believed that among all the countries that fought against Japan, the Chinese army was the most successful. If the Chinese army hadn't entangled the main force of the Japanese army in China, Japan would have dispatched 15 to 20 divisions to Egypt to fight with North Africa, Germany and Italy. The army join forces, which will deal a fatal blow to Britain.At the critical juncture of the defense of Moscow, the troops quickly reinforced from Siberia defeated the German 2nd Panzer Army, which was the most ferocious of the German army and was always winning every battle. , It is precisely because the 31 divisions of the Japanese army, including the Kwantung Army, have been deeply trapped in the Chinese battlefield and cannot move.Due to the deep retreat of the Chinese army to the southwest and the backwardness of its weapons and equipment, it was impossible to rely on its own strength alone to force Japan to surrender in the short term. Therefore, in the summer of 1945, when Germany had collapsed, the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom formed a war against Japan. When Taishan was overwhelming, China's strategic counter-offensive on the frontal battlefield had just entered the deployment stage, and before it could be launched, Japan, seeing that the situation was over, quickly surrendered.

In addition to the frontal battlefield, the Chinese army also took advantage of the insurmountable weakness of the Japanese army's limited strength, which could only hold large and medium-sized cities and main railways and highways in the occupied area, and was unable to control the vast countryside, and opened up a vast battlefield behind enemy lines.Among them, the battlefields in the liberated areas established by the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army, and the Dongjiang Column under the leadership of the Communist Party of China are the main battlefields behind enemy lines. After the "July 7th Incident" in 1937, according to the second cooperation agreement between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the Red Army that reached northern Shaanxi after a 25,000-mile long march was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army, and the Red Army that stayed in the south to persist in guerrilla warfare was reorganized into New Fourth Army.According to the decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army marched into the vast mountainous and plain countryside behind the enemy to establish a solid anti-Japanese base.During the eight years of the Anti-Japanese War, the anti-Japanese bases in Jinsui, Jinchaji, Shanxi, Hebei, Hebei, Shandong and Henan, Shandong, and Henan in North China were successively established; Huainan, Huaibei, Wanjiang, Northern Jiangsu, Central Jiangsu, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Eastern Zhejiang, Southern Zhejiang, Eastern Fujian, Northern Fujian, Central Fujian, Hubei, Henan, Anhui, Hunan and Jiangxi Anti-Japanese Bases; Dongjiang, Pearl River, and Qiongya Anti-Japanese Bases in South China.

The armed forces led by the Communist Party of China implemented the "three-three system" in the administrative system, which gathered the strength of anti-Japanese people from all walks of life; Due to the different nature of combat missions, local military organizations and paramilitary organizations at all levels have been established to cooperate with the military operations of the field army.The strategic policy adopted basically focuses on guerrilla warfare, and does not give up mobile warfare under favorable conditions.Under the guidance of this strategic policy, the anti-Japanese army led by the Communist Party created a variety of tactically innovative tactics.For example, the "Pingxingguan Great Victory" commanded by Lin Biao to attack the Japanese logistics troops, the "Hundred Regiment War" commanded by Peng Dehuai to destroy the transportation lines behind the enemy on a large scale, and the "Shenzhen War" commanded by Liu Bocheng, which was called "the first-class guerrilla tactics of the Chinese Army" by the Japanese army. Ambush warfare in Touling, mine warfare in Jiaodong, tunnel warfare in the Jizhong Plain, water guerrilla warfare in Baiyangdian, etc., in the face of this kind of strategy and tactics of anti-aggression war with Chinese characteristics, all modern weapons and equipment and personnel with modern military training The Japanese army felt helpless and helpless.

The classic example of fighting in the anti-Japanese base areas behind enemy lines is the Mijiawu tunnel battle that took place on the Jizhong Plain.Mijiawu is a large village composed of several villages. In the village, houses are connected to houses, streets are connected to streets, and several villages are connected underground. There is a telephone communication network in the tunnel, and a set of combat facilities on the ground.Around the village, in the village, front, back, left, and right, up and down, there are dark fire points connected to the tunnel.The whole village is actually a battle fortress with a continuous firepower system consisting of the roof, the ground, and the tunnel.During a large raid by the Japanese and puppet troops, all the villages around Mijiawu were occupied. The Japanese Yidou Takeo Battalion and the 18th Regiment of the puppet army surrounded Dongda Village of Mijiawu. The defenders were only dozens of officers and soldiers of the Eighth Route Army and a few local militiamen. , only one-tenth of the intruder.The Japanese and puppet troops were shot by hidden firepower on the edge of the village, killing and injuring a number of them, but they did not find a single person or point of firepower on the other side.So they bombarded the village with cannons for half an hour. The Japanese and puppet troops thought that the defenders had been wiped out by artillery fire, so they rushed into the village, but were immediately hit by mines, grenades, and rifle bullets from all directions.After paying the price of more than 100 casualties, the Japanese and puppet troops occupied an empty village without even a single figure on the ground.At this time, the Eighth Route Army commanded Mijiawu Xida Village's militia to attack, and the Japanese left the 18th Regiment of the Puppet Army and was lured to go straight to Xida Village.It was night, the 18th regiment of the puppet army was afraid of being attacked, so they all gathered in a big dyeing workshop for the night.In the middle of the night, the landmines and explosives buried in the dyeing workshop exploded in batches, and the Eighth Route Army guard company, local armed county brigade, militia and ordinary people rushed into the dyeing workshop yard from the outside line and wiped out the 18th regiment of the puppet army.Although the Japanese brigade that stayed overnight in Xida Village was close at hand, they did not dare to go to the rescue. They set a fire the next morning and fled without having breakfast.

The anti-Japanese base areas behind enemy lines and the unique style of people's war established by the Chinese Communist Party are a pioneering work in military art. The Japanese invaders armed with tanks, planes, and cannons were really caught in the vast ocean of the people's war and were helpless. The anti-aggression wars of weak and small countries and nations have set a shining example and provided valuable experience.The opening of the battlefield behind the enemy line greatly restrained the Japanese army. When the War of Resistance came to an end, the Liberated Area battlefield behind the enemy line led by the CCP resisted 64% of the Japanese invaders and 95% of the puppet army, thus effectively supporting the frontal battlefield operations.

Because the troops led by the CCP were on the battlefield behind the enemy, when the war was about to end, the troops in the liberated areas were at the forefront of the counter-offensive. Judging from the national war situation, the battlefield in the liberated areas behind the enemy first started a partial counter-offensive.Since 1944, the troops in the Jinsui base area have recovered 95 strongholds of the Japanese and puppet troops, liberated 370,000 compatriots, and recovered 97,000 square kilometers of land after a year of fighting.In the spring of 1944, the troops in the Shandong base area launched five consecutive attacks against the Japanese and puppet troops, which opened the prelude to the counter-offensive.The various departments of the New Fourth Army in the central China base area also attacked the city behind the enemy and recovered many occupied areas. In the spring of 1945, the troops in the liberated areas under the leadership of the Communist Party of China launched the spring offensive one after another.In the summer of that year, Germany had surrendered, and Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union quickly shifted the focus of the war to the Far East battlefield. According to the "Yalta Agreement", the Soviet army declared war on Japan on August 8, and the next day divided into three groups to attack Japan in northeast China. The Kwantung Army attacked.The United States also dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan on August 5 and 9, and Japan was about to collapse. On August 6 and 7, 1945, the Yan'an Headquarters of the Communist Party of China issued seven major counter-offensive orders. The troops in the liberated areas obeyed the order and launched a fierce offensive against the areas occupied by the Japanese and puppet troops. Before and after Japan announced its unconditional surrender on August 14, Recovered large areas of land behind enemy lines.

In the spring of 1943, after the Japanese army withdrew from Guadalcanal, they withdrew their forces in an attempt to hold on to the defense lines of the Solomon Islands and New Guinea for a long time. In this regard, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff decided: 1. Continue to blockade Japan, especially in terms of oil; 2. . Continuous bombing of major cities in Japan; 3. Once the time is right, attack the Japanese mainland.Since the United Kingdom and China are on the defensive and unable to join the above-mentioned strategic actions, the United States had no choice but to launch an offensive against the Japanese Pacific defense line from the North, Central and South Pacific with the help of troops from Canada, New Zealand and Australia. , and attacked the Japanese navy and merchant ships with submarines.The specific division of labor is: MacArthur's Southwest Pacific Allied Forces attacked in two ways, going north along the Solomon Islands and westward from New Guinea.

At the beginning of March 1943, 8 Japanese transport ships were loaded with 6,900 people. In the Dambol Strait of the Bismarck Sea, 7 ships were bombed and sunk by the U.S. Air Force. More than half of the personnel were buried in the sea, and the Japanese base camp was shocked.Subsequently, the Japanese army mobilized the air force to Guinea, and the Japanese Combined Fleet Commander Yamamoto Fifty-Six personally rushed from the Caroline Islands to Rabaul to oversee the battle. On April 18, the Japanese army’s radio code was deciphered by the U.S. military. Yamamoto’s plane was shot down by a U.S. long-range fighter jet taking off from Henderson Airport on Guadalcanal on the way from Rabaul to Buin. Yamamoto was on the spot kill.A few days later, Koga Mineichi took over as commander of the Combined Fleet.

In mid-August, the 3rd Fleet commanded by U.S. Hasir adopted "island hopping tactics" to bypass Kolombangara Island in the central Solomon Islands where 10,000 Japanese troops were firmly defending, and captured the weaker Vila- Lavella Island blocked the supply line of the Japanese defenders with sea and air superiority, and did not attack the isolated enemy, but let them struggle with hunger and disease and let them "fend for themselves", while the U.S. military both saved It saves time and is the most economical.Hasir's new tactics indeed hit the Japanese army's vitals. It was impossible for the Japanese army to hold on to the frontier islands.Marshall and the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff decided to adopt the "island hopping tactic" to deal with the Japanese army's tactic of preparing island-by-island resistance in the Pacific Ocean. Transport line, then make it "sleepy".

On November 1, MacArthur's three divisions landed on Bougainville Island in the northern Solomon Islands. By mid-December, the Allied forces had won consecutive naval and air battles, and two airports had been built on the island. On December 26, two divisions of the US Marine Corps landed at Cape Gloucester, west of New Britain Island.In this way, the 115,000 Japanese troops in Rabaul and New Ireland were completely isolated. When the U.S. military successfully marched northward in the Solomon Islands, the Australian forces under the command of MacArthur also won successive victories in New Guinea in September. On March 12, 1944, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff issued an order requiring the U.S. Southwest Pacific Forces and Central Pacific Forces to advance toward the Philippines in two routes. On April 22, 1944, MacArthur's 50,000 ground troops, under the cover of continuous bombing by the Air Force, landed in Hollandia in three routes at the same time, and wiped out more than 10,000 Japanese defenders.Although the Japanese army invested 100,000 people in the navy and more than 6,000 aircraft, and 270,000 people in the army and 2,000 aircraft in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea, it still ended in a disastrous defeat. On July 1, MacArthur's troops landed on the Bird's Head Peninsula at the westernmost tip of New Guinea to mop up the remnants of the Japanese army. In mid-August 1943, Admiral Nimitz commanded the U.S. Central Pacific Forces and recovered Attu Island and Kiska Island in the Aleutian Islands, which were occupied by the Japanese during the Battle of Midway in 1942.The actions of Nimitz and MacArthur in the Central and Southwest Pacific prompted Japan to re-plan its strategy in the Pacific. On September 30, 1943, the imperial meeting held by the Japanese headquarters and the government decided: In 1944, make a strategic deployment to deal with the British and American offensives, capture and destroy the British and American counterattack forces at any time, and absolutely ensure the Kuril Islands, The defense circle formed by the Ogasawara Islands, the Inner Nanyang Islands, Western Guinea, the Sunda Islands, and Myanmar, and ensure the maritime traffic within the defense circle.The U.S. Joint Strategic Investigation Committee pointed out that the key to defeating Japan lies in a full-scale operation in the Central Pacific, with support from the North and South wings. On November 13, 1943, the 5th Fleet, the main force of the Nimitz Central Pacific Force, attacked the Gilbert Islands. After more than 10 days of fierce fighting, the U.S. military took the islands at a huge cost and pulled out the advance base of the Japanese attack on Fiji. Simultaneously, forward airfields were established on the islands of Makin and Tarawa. On February 1, 1944, Nimitz's forces began to attack the Marshall Islands.With the support of a powerful aircraft carrier formation, the U.S. carrier-based aircraft first defeated the Japanese navy and air force, seized air and sea supremacy, and then carried out landing operations, completely occupying the Marshall Islands on February 23.At the same time, attacks on Truk, the capital of the Caroline Islands, began. Nimitz succeeded frequently, forcing the Japanese base camp to deploy land, sea and air forces to reinforce the Central Pacific, and set up the Central Pacific Fleet, commanded by Nagumo Chuichi, which was part of the Combined Fleet during operations. In addition, the First Mobile Fleet commanded by Ozawa Jisaburo was also established.On the occasion of dispatching troops, Mine Koga died in a plane crash, and Deputy Takeshi Toyoda succeeded as the commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet.The Japanese army set up a decisive battle posture in the west of the Caroline Islands and the Mariana Islands. At the end of March 1944, the US 58th Air Commando bombed the Bello Islands, the base of the Japanese Combined Fleet, destroying almost all aircraft on the ground. On June 6, the day the Allied forces landed in Normandy, Nimitz, led by Spruance's 5th Fleet and Mitchell's 58th Carrier Assault Fleet (15 aircraft carriers and 956 aircraft), took 535 A huge fleet composed of three ships followed up, and a ground combat force full of 127,000 people marched towards the Mariana Islands. On June 15, the U.S. military began to attack Saipan and Tinian Islands, important bases of the Chinese and Japanese troops in the Mariana Islands.On the 19th of the war, the 1st Mobile Fleet, commanded by Jisaburo Ozawa, with 9 aircraft carriers as the core, arrived in the waters west of Saipan Island. The Commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Deputy Takeshi Toyoda, issued an instruction to all officers and soldiers: "The rise and fall of the empire is here. In one fell swoop, all the officers and soldiers will work hard!" - this is the attack order issued by Togo Heihachiro, commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet 39 years ago, when he attacked the Russian fleet in the Battle of Tsushima, and now Toyota uses this sentence to encourage his subordinates.At this time, the 58th US Aircraft Carrier Fleet had completed its deployment and was ready to attack in five ring formations.A "Philippine Sea Battle" (also known as the "Mariana Sea Battle") that had a profound impact on the outcome of the Pacific War finally broke out. The aircraft of the US 58th aircraft carrier fleet first destroyed the Japanese airport facilities and aircraft in Guam, more than 120 kilometers southeast, in the early morning, making them unusable, and then waited for the Japanese fleet to attack. At 10 am on June 19, the U.S. military discovered the first attack wave composed of 69 planes sent by Ozawa. Mitchell dispatched more than 450 fighter jets to intercept, and 42 Japanese planes were shot down.Then, the Japanese planes dispatched a second attack wave with a total of 128 planes, which were intercepted by US carrier-based planes and 97 planes were destroyed.The Japanese army dispatched 47 planes in the third attack, and lost 7 planes.Ozawa released 82 planes for the last time, but suffered even more heavy losses, with 71 planes destroyed. American soldiers joked that this air battle was "hunting Mariana turkeys".When the air battle was in full swing, two American submarines quietly passed through the gap of the Japanese fleet, released torpedoes, and sank the Japanese aircraft carriers "Shokaku" and "Gale".In the second day's pursuit, U.S. aircraft sank the Japanese aircraft carrier "Flying Eagle". The Japanese army suffered a disastrous defeat in the Philippine Sea naval battle. Only 25 of the 360 ​​aircraft participating in the war remained, and the US military lost 80 aircraft.The reason for the failure of the Japanese army was that the performance, quantity, and quality of the pilots of the aircraft were not as good as those of the United States.During the battle of Midway Island, most of Japan's top pilots were killed. The newly recruited pilots were severely limited in flight training time due to the gasoline shortage caused by the oil embargo. After the defeat of the Ozawa fleet, Nimitz concentrated his forces and conquered Saipan on July 7. Nagumo Chuichi, commander of the Japanese Central Pacific Fleet, and Saito Yoshiji, commander of the 41st Division, committed suicide. On July 31, the U.S. Army occupied Tinian Island. On August 8, the U.S. Army regained Guam, but the remnants of the Japanese troops on several occupied islands resisted tenaciously, which lasted for a year.In this way, after a bloody battle, the U.S. military finally broke through the defense line of the Mariana Islands, which was regarded as a Japanese barrier and the so-called "breakwater" in the Pacific Ocean, broke into Japan's "absolute defense circle", and cut off Japan's connection with the Caroline Islands.At the same time, the United States obtained a new naval and air force forward base. The navy can attack Japan's transportation lines with various places in Southeast Asia, and the long-range bomber B-29 can directly attack the Japanese mainland.The Japanese ruling and opposition parties were shocked by the victory of the US military in the Philippine Sea and the capture of Saipan. On July 18, the Tojo Hideki cabinet was overthrown, and Tojo himself was included in the army's "reserve." On July 22, the Governor of North Korea Koiso Kunizhao formally formed a cabinet, claiming to carry the war to the end. After the United States won a big victory in the Mariana Islands, it has gained complete initiative in the Pacific battlefield and has absolute sea and air superiority, so it can choose its attack target at will.At this time, MacArthur and Nimitz disagreed on the direction of the next move. The former wanted to capture the Philippines, while the latter advocated capturing the air base in Mindanao in the Philippines, then capturing Taiwan and the coastal areas of China, and then directly attacking Japan.The main point of the Nimitz plan is to disregard Japan's heavy overseas forces and advance its old nest, which is actually the strategic use of "island hopping tactics".He believes that this method of fighting by cutting off the snake's head first will reduce losses and shorten the war time.But in the end, President Roosevelt agreed to MacArthur's plan from the perspective of long-term diplomatic and political considerations. In mid-September 1944, the reorganized U.S. Central Pacific and Southwest Pacific forces, under the command of Nimitz and MacArthur, began to march toward the Philippines. On September 15, MacArthur once again used the "island hopping tactic" to cross over the heavily guarded Halmahera Island by the Japanese army and captured Morotai Island in one fell swoop. However, when they captured Peleliu Island, the US military suffered heavy losses.At this moment, in order to cooperate with the attack on the Philippines, the planes and ship-based planes of the US air force bases in the Pacific Ocean and in China carried out extensive bombing of Japanese naval and air bases in the Philippines, China's coast, Taiwan, and the Ryukyu Islands. More than 1,200 Japanese troops were bombed. plane. On October 17, with the support of Kincaid's 7th Fleet, MacArthur led a landing force of 700 ships to land in Wright Gulf.After a lapse of two and a half years, MacArthur finally returned to the place where he fled in the past as a winner. Deputy Takeshi Toyoda, commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, has long decided that once the United States attacks the Philippines, a decisive battle will take place immediately.Because once Japan loses the Philippines, the lifeline between Japan and the Dutch East Indies will be cut off, the source of oil will be cut off, and Japan will not be able to wage a long-term war.On the day that the U.S. Army landed in Wright Gulf, Toyota ordered the Japanese Mobile Fleet to advance to Wright Gulf in four ways.Takeo Kurita's 1st Assault Fleet stationed in Singapore, Seihide Shima's 2nd Assault Fleet stationed in the Ryukyu Islands, Ozawa Jisaburo's main fleet anchored in Japan's Seto Inland Sea, and another Nishimura Shoji Fleet in Singapore received the order. Leave the anchorage, or go south, or go north, and gather towards Wright Gulf, preparing for a decisive battle with the powerful US 3rd Fleet and 7th Fleet. From October 23 to 26, 1944, the largest naval battle in Leyte Gulf since World War II broke out, which consisted of four naval battles. On October 24, the Kurita Fleet of the Japanese central formation, without air cover, still forcibly crossed the Sibuyan Sea and broke through in the direction of the San Bernardino Strait. Heavy damage to the 3rd Fleet, the Japanese super battleship "Musashi" was sunk.On the same day, the Ozawa fleet of the northern formation of the Japanese army had an air battle with the US military at Cape Ingano in the northeast of Luzon Island. Only 20 of the 76 Japanese aircraft escaped.The US escort aircraft carrier "Prince Shield" was sunk.Ozawa's task is to lure Halsey's 3rd Fleet to leave Wright Gulf and go north, so that the Kurita, Nishimura, and Shima fleets can attack the U.S. troops who landed in Wright Gulf.Halsey was indeed attracted to go north. On October 25, the Nishimura Fleet and the Shima Fleet that forcibly advanced were ambushed by the US 7th Fleet under the command of Kincaid in the Surigao Strait. As a result of the Battle of the Surigao Strait, almost all of the Nishimura Fleet After being overwhelmed, the Zhimo fleet saw that the situation was not good, and quickly retreated.On the same day, Halsey's forces caught up with Ozawa's fleet in the waters near Cape Ingano, and the two sides fought fiercely.The Battle of Cape Ingano caused heavy losses to the Japanese army. One heavy aircraft carrier "Zuihe" and three light aircraft carriers "Chitose", "Chiyoda", and "Zuiho" in the Ozawa fleet were all sunk.Although the Ozawa Fleet completed the task of luring the enemy at a heavy cost, the southern and central formations of the Japanese army did not achieve the task of attacking Wright Gulf and landing the US military.While Ozawa was fighting hard, the Kurita Fleet was advancing along the coast of Samar Island to Wright Gulf. The Japanese army soon had a fierce battle with the Sprague Battalion, which was serving as a cover in the US 7th Fleet. In this naval battle on Samar Island, despite The Japanese army had the upper hand, but in the melee, Kurita made a misjudgment and ordered to withdraw from the battle, thus giving up the victory at hand.The Sprague Battalion not only covered the landing force, but also avoided its own defeat, and forced the Japanese fleet to withdraw from the battlefield, leaving a glorious page in the history of the US Navy. In the Wright Gulf naval battle, the Japanese army failed to achieve the main operational goal of annihilating the Allied landing transport force, and lost 306,000 tons of combat ships, including 3 battleships, 4 aircraft carriers, 10 light and heavy cruisers, and 9 destroyers.The United States lost only 37,000 tons, including 1 light aircraft carrier, 2 escort aircraft carriers, 2 destroyers, and 1 frigate.No matter in terms of losses and combat objectives, the U.S. military has achieved a huge victory. If the U.S. fleets can exchange information in a timely manner and coordinate operations, the Japanese fleet is likely to be completely wiped out. After the defeat of the Japanese fleet, they withdrew from the battlefield and fled back to the anchorage. However, the 270,000 troops of the 14th Front Army of Yamashita Hokumi stationed in the Philippines were preparing for a land decisive battle on Wright Island and Luzon Island. On January 1, 1945, the U.S. ground forces captured Wright Island with 15,000 casualties after two months of hard work.The Japanese army suffered 70,000 casualties, and the remnants retreated to Luzon Island.Yamashita divided the defenders into three parts, with 140,000 people deployed in the north to prevent the Allied forces from landing from the Bay of Lingayen; 30,000 people guarding the Clark Airport in the middle; and 110,000 people defending southern Luzon. On January 9, 1945, Clark commanded 4 divisions of the 6th Army of the US Army to land in Lingayin Bay, fought hard for more than 20 days, and occupied Clark Airport and fortress facilities on the 31st.After another month of fierce fighting, the U.S. army wiped out the enemy troops in the capital Manila. The Japanese army retreated to the eastern mountainous area and continued to resist until early September 1945. They all surrendered.While attacking the northern Philippines, the U.S. Eighth Army continued to mop up the remnants of the Japanese army in the islands south of Luzon.The Australian 1st Army was responsible for eliminating the remaining Japanese forces in the Pacific Ocean such as New Guinea, New Britain and Bougainville, and was responsible for retaking the island of Borneo (now known as Kalimantan) rich in oil fields in Malaysia. During the Battle of the Philippines, Masayoshi Arima, the commander of Japan's 26th Air Force, personally drove an attack plane loaded with torpedoes to hit a US warship.As a result, the so-called "Kamikaze Special Attack Fleet" specialized in such suicide attacks appeared in the Japanese army, which caused great losses to the US warships.Until the "Kamikaze Special Attack Fleet" was completely wiped out, a total of 17 US warships were sunk, 20 were seriously injured, and 30 were slightly injured.But even though the Japanese army was so desperate, it could not restore the decline. On January 1, 1942, 26 countries including China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union signed the United Nations Declaration, declaring that they would jointly fight against the Axis powers. On January 2, Chiang Kai-shek took office as the Supreme Commander of the Allied China Theater (including China, Vietnam, and Thailand). On March 8, American General Stilwell was appointed Chief of Staff of the China Theater. At the end of 1941, the Japanese army began to attack Burma in order to cut off China's only wartime international channel, the Burma Road, and further compete for the British territory in Southeast Asia. On February 16, Yangon was in a hurry, and the United Kingdom reversed its previous attitude of reneging on its promises and demanded that the Chinese army quickly enter Myanmar.The 5th, 6th, and 66th armies of the Chinese Expeditionary Force led by Du Yuming were ordered by the Chinese Supreme Command to enter Burma to fight. On March 2, Dai Anlan's 200th Division of the Chinese Expeditionary Force dealt the first blow to the Japanese army at the Pew River.Then, in the 12-day siege of Tonggu, the 55th Division of the Japanese Army was severely damaged.The Chinese High Command was not aware of the situation of the Japanese troops in Burma, and did not know that the Japanese 18th Division and 56th Division entered the battlefield quickly. They mistakenly regarded the three Japanese divisions as one to fight, and instead made those who arrived at the battlefield the first Dai Anlan's division was caught in a bitter battle with an enemy four times its own size, facing the danger of annihilation of the entire army, Du Yuming defied Stilwell's order and resolutely ordered to withdraw from the battle. An episode occurred in mid-April.The Japanese army, which broke through the British defense line, went north along the Ayeyarwady River, reached the rear of the British army, and surrounded 7,000 people from the 1st Division of the British Burmese Army in the area north of Renangqiang.Alexander, the commander-in-chief of the British Burmese Army, asked Chiang Kai-shek for help. On April 19, the 38th Division of the Chinese Expeditionary Force Sun Liren raided Ren'an Qiang, defeated the Japanese army, and rescued 7,000 besieged British soldiers, as well as captured British soldiers, missionaries, and journalists. 500 people handed over more than 100 vehicles and more than 1,000 war horses that had become trophies of the Japanese army to the British army. Although the Battle of Ren'an and Qiang brought worldwide honor to the Chinese army, it did not change the extremely bad battlefield situation of the Chinese Expeditionary Force at all. On April 1, Luo Zhuoying served as the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force and began to implement the established plan for a decisive battle in the Pingmanna area.However, after the Battle of Tonggu, the Chinese Expeditionary Force retreated steadily, but they knew nothing about the Japanese 56th Division's detour to the rear. After April 22, the 56th Division of the Japanese Army suddenly launched on the left wing of the Chinese Expeditionary Force after receiving reinforcements from the heavy artillery units, tank units, and automobile units directly under the 15th Army. The weak line of defense of the 55th Division.15,000 to 20,000 Japanese troops consisting of more than 50 tanks and 400 trucks, with the air support of the 5th Air Division of the Japanese Army, broke through the weak defense of the left wing and rushed to the rear of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. It contributed to the frontal collapse of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.China's previous plans to organize the Pinmanna Battle and the subsequent Mandalay Battle were completely disrupted.On April 19th, before the Japanese army broke through the left wing and penetrated, Stilwell and Luo Zhuoying refused the deputy commander of the expeditionary force, Du Yuming, to quickly shift the focus of operations to the left wing and stop the 56th division of the Japanese army in Hebang to ensure that the rear was safe. The correct suggestion, but based on the erroneous information provided by the British side, strictly ordered Du Yuming to transfer troops to the right wing.The Japanese army made a long-distance raid and captured the rear base of the Chinese Expeditionary Force on April 29 - Lashio, an important town in northern Myanmar, and the Yunnan-Burma Highway was cut off.At this time, the British army disregarded the three divisions of the 5th Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, which were assembled to participate in the Battle of Mandalay, and hurriedly abandoned Mandalay. The Chinese army was forced to retreat to Myitkyina, and tens of thousands of Chinese troops were trapped in northern Myanmar. narrow strip. In May, the Japanese army took advantage of the situation and invaded the border of Yunnan, China. The Chinese Expeditionary Force was forced to retreat in an all-round way. Part of the 5th Army retreated to India and entered the "Savage Mountain" along the way. It went through hardships and suffered heavy losses.The 6th Army and 66th Army of the Expeditionary Army also retreated into Yunnan and confronted the Japanese army on the Nu River. The Chinese Expeditionary Force failed to complete the mission of entering Burma, and the number of troops was reduced from 100,000 to 40,000.There are many reasons for the failure.At that time, Germany's Rommel's African Army was approaching Egypt, and the British concentrated their efforts to save the defeat in North Africa. They had no intention of fighting seriously with the Japanese army in Burma. They asked the Chinese army to enter Burma to cover the defense deployment in India. Therefore, in case of crisis, they ignored the Chinese army. If you don't care about your safety, just slip away.In addition, one of the most important factors is that the Chinese Expeditionary Force does not have air supremacy. The famous German general Rommel once said with emotion: In modern warfare, even if both sides have mechanized troops on the ground, the side without air supremacy is still like a primitive tribal army meeting a European army. The same is true of modern armies.When it was originally scheduled to enter Burma, the U.S. 10th Air Force was assigned to the Chinese Expeditionary Force. However, in May 1942, the British Army’s Ghachara line of defense in North Africa collapsed. Under British pressure, the U.S. 10th Air Force was transferred to Egypt to make The Chinese Expeditionary Force lost its air force protection when fighting in Burma.It is objectively irresistible that the Chinese Expeditionary Force did not achieve the set goal for the first time in Myanmar.The absolute air supremacy gained by the British army in the North African battlefield was obtained by giving up the air supremacy in the Burmese battlefield, and at the cost of the tragic failure of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.The complete loss of air supremacy also caused some generals to lack the belief in victory, which in turn led to passive avoidance of battle, and even serious dereliction of duty.As the supreme commander, Stilwell lacked careful consideration of the overall situation and battlefield adaptability. On April 19, he and Luo Zhuoying rejected the correct judgment and suggestion of Du Yuming, the deputy commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, which directly led to the disastrous defeat of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. More than 20 years later, Du Yuming regretted in his memoirs: "My biggest responsibility is that I did not completely fall out with Stilwell and Luo Zhuoying on April 19, 1942, and that I did not act arbitrarily and ordered the first All the five armies will concentrate on Tangji (Tunggyi)." In the spring of 1943, the New 22nd Division and the New 38th Division of the Chinese Expeditionary Force that had retreated to India were organized into the New 1st Army and received American training. At the same time, the General Command of the Chinese Army in India was established, with Zheng Dongguo as the commander. In August 1943, at the Quebec meeting, the heads of government of the United States and Britain decided to counterattack to northern Myanmar. The combat troops were mainly the Chinese troops stationed in India and the Chinese expeditionary force from Yunnan.Supplemented by British, Indian and American troops.By April 1944, the conquest troops of three more divisions were airlifted to India to receive training or equipment from American instructors. Subsequently, the troops stationed in India were expanded into the New 1st Army and the New 6th Army. On October 10, 1943, under the command of Stilwell, the New 38th, New 22nd, and New 30th Divisions of the Chinese Army in India began to attack the Japanese 18th Division entrenched in the Hukang Valley. In early March 1944, a regiment-level commando of the U.S. military joined the combat sequence. At the end of March, after half a year of fierce fighting, the Chinese and American coalition forces had advanced more than 150 kilometers southward, eliminated the remnants of the Hukang River Valley, and opened the gate of the Menggong River Valley.From mid-May to early August, after repeated contests and seesaws, the Chinese and American coalition forces finally captured Myitkyina, an important military town in northern Myanmar. The Allied victory in Myitkyina increased Stilwell's reputation. Stilwell took the opportunity to seize Chiang Kai-shek's army command and suggested that President Roosevelt come forward and ask the Nationalist government to appoint him to command all China's armed forces.In this way, the conflict between the long-standing Stilwell and Chiang Kai-shek was further intensified. At Chiang Kai-shek's firm request, the U.S. government transferred Stilwell back and sent Weidman to succeed the chief of staff of the China Theater and the commander of the U.S. Army in China. Saltan served as the commander of the US military and also served as the commander-in-chief of the Chinese army stationed in India. In late October, the New 1st Army, the New 6th Army of the Chinese Army in India, the 36th Division of the British Army, the 3rd Division of the Indian Army, and the US commando, logistics, and air forces jointly attacked the Japanese army occupying Bhamo. On December 15, the Confederate forces captured the city. On January 27, 1945, after the Chinese New 1st Army captured Nankan, it joined forces with the Chinese Expeditionary Force commanded by Wei Lihuang who attacked from Yunnan in Mangyou.Afterwards, the New 1st Army continued to go south to support the British and Indian troops to attack Mandalay. In March 1945, the Chinese troops stationed in India were called back to China after achieving brilliant results in the counteroffensive in northern Myanmar.In addition to the inherent indomitable spirit and indomitable fighting style of the Chinese army, the victory of the battle in northern Myanmar, the US air force played an indispensable role. From the Hukang River Valley to the battle of Myitkyina, the Allied forces had the air supremacy of the entire battlefield, and the ground troops depended almost entirely on air supplies for food, equipment and ammunition. On May 11 and 12, 1944, the 20th Group Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force under the command of Wei Lihuang began to forcibly cross the Nu River, aiming at Tengchong, and launched an attack on the 56th Division of the Japanese Army on the West Bank. On June 1, the 11th Group Army also crossed the river to attack one after another, attacking the Japanese troops entrenched in Mangshi (now Luxi) and Longling.With the strong support of the U.S. Air Force, the Chinese Expeditionary Force captured Tengchong on September 14, Longling on November 3, Mangshi on November 20, and Wanding was liberated on January 20, 1945. Meet up with friends.中国驻印军和远征军在缅北、中缅边境作战中，在友军协助下，歼灭了日军第18师团和56师团的大部，还击溃了另外两个师团的一部，有力地支援了盟军在东南亚地区的作战。 1944年1月7日，为呼应日军在中国境内打通交通线的作战，日军大本营批准了进攻英军在印度的重要军事基地英帕尔的计划。到了2月，日军缅甸方面军司令官河边正三下辖3个军：第28军第54、55、2师团防守孟加拉湾和仰光一带海岸；工程部第30军第18、53、56师团对付北缅的中国驻印军和中国远征军；第15军第15、31、33师团担任进攻英帕尔的任务。日本还与同设在仰光的“印度临时政府”达成协议，利用所谓“印度国民军”第1师共同进攻英军。 1944年3月8日，牟田口廉指挥的日军第15军开始向印度进军，日军将赌注押在奇袭上，只准备了20天的弹药和粮食储备，企图冒险取胜。起初，日军进展较为顺利，在4月中旬，对英帕尔形成包围态势。与之对抗的英军第14集团军司令斯利姆将军迅速调兵遣将，进行增援。5月初，日军向英帕尔发动总攻，激战40天，日军第33师团伤亡70％以上，仍然毫无进展。由于粮弹补给用尽，日军在坚城之下陷于困境。盟军运用制空权的优势，切断了科希马－英帕尔公路，使日军第15军三个师团失去联络，各自为战。这时恰逢雨季来临，江河泛滥，交通阻塞。日军粮弹匮乏，瘟疫流行，部队成千成千地死去。7月7日，日军第15军撤回进攻出发地，历时4个月的英帕尔会战就此结束。日军第15军10万大军只有5万人生还，半数以上是病号，损失武器辎重无数。 日军在英帕尔惨败后，迅速向缅甸中部撤退，英军斯利姆的第14集团军迅速跟踪而来，抢占了钦敦江东岸的桥头堡，为日后出击创造了有利条件。新任日本缅甸方面军司令木村兵太郎还有10个师团，两个独立旅团，一个坦克联队和10万人的后勤部队，但能担任机动作战的只有5、6个不满员的师团。1944年12月3日，经过了一个秋季修整，盟军越过钦敦江开始进攻。当斯利姆发现木村不打算在瑞波平原决战时，便把打击重点转到敏铁拉附近的日军第15、第33军的补给基地。1945年1月中旬，斯利姆的部队渡过伊洛瓦底江，佯装进攻曼德勒，木村调动重兵前往增援，梅塞维第4军于2月中旬乘机猛攻敏铁拉，经过20多天血战，盟军于3月5日攻克敏铁拉。木村感到形势严重，重新调整态势，以两个师团向敏铁拉反扑。3月下旬，双方在敏铁拉附近再一次展开激战。4月5日，盟军南北夹击，日军大败，退入曼德勒－仰光以东的山中。 当日军向敏铁拉反扑时，斯利姆调动其所有能使用的兵力，于3月21日攻下曼德勒。1945年3月27日，在昂山将军领导下，缅甸国民军和各地游击队发动总起义，5月1日，仰光解放。日军东南亚战场彻底战败，开始向缅甸附近国家溃逃。盟军在东南亚的胜利，主要是人力、物力、武器装备、后期保障、制空权方面占有绝对优势。日军虽然训练有素，战斗意志死硬、负隅顽抗，但在缺乏精良武器、制空权和后勤保障的情况下，仍一败涂地。