Chapter 31 Chapter Thirty-One Fist of Anger (1)

While recalling Stilwell, Roosevelt, at the request of Chiang Kai-shek, reappointed Major General Wedemeyer as the new Chief of Staff of the China Theater. People are so contradictory. If you say you want to show your sharpness like Chennault and speak out what others dare not say, the higher-ups will not use you. But on the other hand, if you are always calm and modest, gentle, courteous and thrifty, others may not know you. . Wedemeyer is the latter type. Like Stilwell, he graduated from West Point Military Academy. He has excellent staff skills, but his career has not been smooth. He even served in the army for more than 20 years and was only a lieutenant. , was promoted to major general step by step.

Before receiving the latest appointment, Wedemeyer's position was the deputy chief of staff of the Southeast Asian theater. This was mainly because Stilwell's relationship with the British was also quite bad, and Marshall transferred him to play a buffer role. Everyone else was happy to be promoted, but Wei Demei wanted to cry with the letter of appointment. This honest man doesn't have the big heart of Stilwell, and he has never imagined to be the boss. Moreover, he is more than 20 years younger than Stilwell, has only been in China for two years, and lacks understanding of the Eastern people's sophistication.

In Wedemeyer's view, Stilwell is recognized by the U.S. military as a "China hand". He can even speak Chinese. Such a guy has been fired. One can imagine what kind of evil character the future boss will be. Let me go, then Isn't it free? But the military order is like a mountain, and it is impossible not to go. Chinese tragedy Wedemeyer once hoped that Stilwell could give him some advice, so that he could at least be prepared psychologically, so as not to be embarrassed by that terrible boss as soon as they met, but after Stilwell was dismissed, he didn't even have a stomachache. I was so angry that I flew back to the United States early, and I couldn't find anyone there.

On October 31, with a restless heart, Wei Demei bit the bullet and came to Chongqing to perform his duties. Unable to get off the boat, Wedemeyer quickly devoted himself to his business.He found that the situation in China's domestic battlefield was indeed quite serious at this time. The Battle of Henan, Hunan and Guangxi, which lasted half a year, had already defeated three Chinese theaters in succession from north to south: Jiang Dingwen's first theater, Xue Yue's ninth theater, Zhang Fakui's fourth theater. These war zones have survived in name only, and all the troops have become dilapidated divisions. Many armies have only about 3,000 soldiers left, which is not even as good as a division in the past, and their combat effectiveness cannot meet the needs of actual combat.

The chaos of the retreat of the frontline troops far exceeded the original imagination. Since the fall of Guilin and Liuzhou, Guizhou is also in danger. If it hadn't been for Chiang Kai-shek to take a precautionary measure in advance, everyone would really be over. On November 6, Chiang Kai-shek mobilized troops from the still-capable theater to organize an emergency resistance corps in Guizhou, led by Tang Enbo, and formally appointed him as the commander-in-chief of the Guizhou-Guizhou-Hunan Border Region. Four days later, Gui and Liu fell at the same time. Heng Shanyong's 11th Army chased Guizhou. With the troops along the way completely incapacitated, Tang Enbo's resistance corps became the only barrier to defend Chongqing and Kunming.

Guizhou's unique karst terrain has helped Tang Enbo a lot. As the Japanese army moved forward, the mountain road became more complicated and steep, with cliffs on both sides. Many soldiers and horses accidentally fell to the bottom of the cliff and fell to their deaths. Therefore, the Eleventh Army could only lengthen the distance and march slowly in a column. In this way, the defenders were able to defend a narrow intersection with a small force and mortars. On those mossy roads in Guizhou, the corpses of the Japanese soldiers overlapped. Some brigades were beaten down to only one squadron. The military door panels are carried, and the cremation can only be done at night. It is so miserable that it cannot be described with words and pen and ink.

Due to the extreme shortage of officers, even a teacher regiment like Nagoya had to be a squadron leader with a senior soldier, and he could only move forward two miles a day on average. But the problem is that the resistance of the Corps itself is limited. Most of the Corps has to come from the northwest and is still on the road at this time, so the number of people fighting is getting smaller and smaller. Even if it is a tortoise, Isamu Yokoyama will be able to climb to Chongqing sooner or later. After seeing these battle reports from the front line and facing various dangers in his own place, Wedemeyer finally understood the Chinese people he had never known before.

They are by no means stupid, cowardly, passive, and doing nothing as described by Stilwell and some superficial Americans. On the contrary, this oriental nation has amazing perseverance, endurance and sacrifice. One of the most obvious facts is that France chose to bow its knees and surrender six weeks after Germany launched its offensive, but seven years have passed since Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China. The aid was less than a fraction of that of Britain and the Soviet Union. Wedemeyer sighed with emotion, saying, this is a Chinese tragedy. There is no doubt that Chiang Kai-shek was also a part of the Chinese tragedy.In the process of interacting with Chiang Kai-shek, Wei Demei found that this legendary evil spirit is not so terrible, even very pitiful.In fact, it was just a "leader of a loose coalition government". It was not easy to knead so many troops that were not completely subordinate to him to fight against Japan.

It is precisely because of these understandings and evaluations that Wedemeyer took a path that was completely different from Stilwell's but similar to Chennault's.He believes that at this moment, what the Chinese people need is not complaints, threats and suppression, but practical help and support. At the end of November, the Japanese army had already approached Dushan County, the terminus of the Guizhou-Guizhou Railway. The Japanese media blatantly teased Wedemeyer, a "newcomer": You will have to go to India to work in a short time. Wedemeyer was indeed a little panicked. He suggested to Chiang Kai-shek twice to move the capital, but the latter refused to discuss this issue.

As a last resort, I will stick to Chongqing and "definitely live and die with this city". Seeing this scene, Wei Demei said: "Well, I will not leave, the city is alive, and the city is dead and the people are dead." Chiang Kai-shek was very moved. In the eyes of the Chinese people, this kind of person who is willing to live and die together is a brother in need, a friend of life and death. However, Wedemeyer's real thoughts are not like this. The concept of Europe and the United States is different from that of the East. If you can’t fight on the battlefield, of course you have to retreat. If you can’t, you can surrender and surrender. What’s the value in that?

Wedemeyer later admitted that what he was thinking at the time was actually going to Kunming to organize "the strongest fortification". Wedemeyer is not a duplicity person. The reason why he said that is because he can understand Chiang Kai-shek's state of mind at this moment. At this moment, you tell him "don't abandon, don't give up" is better than saying anything else. With such a reasonable American general as his assistant, Chiang Kai-shek's suffering days are over. Wedemeyer's succession relieved Chiang Kai-shek Wedemeyer is very aware of his status, and knows that the best guy can't overwhelm the boss. Even if you directly represent the truth, you still have to give others three points, so he pays attention to his attitude and tone. Every time he proposes and deploys a plan, he will not "put it in his trouser pocket" like Stilwell, but will make suggestions to Chiang Kai-shek-after fully experiencing Stilwell's "hurry up" and "otherwise" persuasive style After playing, Chiang Kai-shek almost felt like a spring breeze. According to Wedemeyer's suggestion, Chiang Kai-shek's high command issued a call-back order to Liao Yaoxiang's New Sixth Army in Burma, and the transport aircraft provided by Wedemeyer also quickly improved the assembly efficiency of Tang Enbo's resistance corps. As a result, Chiang Kai-shek had a very good impression of Wedemeyer, and praised him for "sincerely understanding Qinmin, it can be said that he has no city", and he did not readily agree to any of Wedemeyer's suggestions, and cooperated closely. The spark, just wiped out. Chiang Kai-shek changed a good buddy, and Chennault also changed a good boss.In Chennault's eyes, Wedemeyer was fair and honest, which made him and his air force useful. Under Chennault's command, the "Flying Tigers" carried out large-scale activities in the sky over Guizhou, even strafing and bombing, so frightened that the Japanese army did not dare to light a fire to cook during the day, lest the smoke from the cooking would be found in the air, which would bring bad luck. This is still light, the most important thing is that the air force can cut off the other party's logistical supplies. Whenever he saw a Japanese army's transport team on the ground, Chennault would implement continuous and indiscriminate attack tactics, and would never stop until they were bombed to pieces.If it is a single Japanese army unit, it can still hide in villages or hidden places for air defense, but ships, cars, and trains cannot do so. Due to the difficulty of transportation, Yokoyama changed the rules temporarily: in the future, he will mainly transport ammunition, and find his own way for food. The so-called finding a way was actually robbing, but at that time there was no room to rob, and many Japanese soldiers had no choice but to pick bananas on the roadside to satisfy their hunger. You can still deal with it like this when you eat, but not when you wear it. It was winter, and the temperature dropped sharply. The Japanese soldiers were all wearing summer clothes, shivering in the cold wind. On December 2, with no chance of winning, Yokoyama sent a telegram to the vanguard troops that had already occupied Dushan, withdrawing them to Guangxi. The most thrilling scene in the eight-year war of resistance is over (“the eight-year war of resistance is not as dangerous as it is today”), and it ushers in the opportunity for China to turn defeat into victory. promise in the wind When Stilwell was in office, there were rumors that Chennault wanted to compete with him for leadership in China. In fact, if an air force commander, a commander-in-chief of the three armies, wants to compete for fame, Chennault will never be able to jump higher than Stilwell no matter how he climbs up. people. The difference in strategic thinking is the fundamental difference between the two. Stilwell was an "army supremacist" who believed in finding a way out under the bayonet. He believed that, like in the European battlefield, the army would always decide the war, and the air force had little effect. Chennault held the completely opposite view. Since the Battle of Changde, the Chinese and American Air Forces have defeated the Japanese Air Force with no power to fight back. The latter has completely lost its air supremacy. Therefore, the Chinese battlefield is different from the European battlefield. Support, cutting off the opponent's supply line is absolutely no problem, and once the supply line is cut off, it is tantamount to strangling the throat of the Japanese army. Stilwell couldn't listen to a word of Chennault's words. For him, the "Flying Tigers" were dispensable, and even became an important means for him to exert pressure on Chiang Kai-shek. For a long time, Stilwell could only rely on some old-fashioned aircraft to complete the bombing mission, and sometimes even the supplies of the Chinese and American air forces could not be guaranteed. Even at the critical moment when Gui and Liu were about to fall, the "Flying Tigers" were still fighting for Worrying about the lack of enough gasoline, the planes had to lie on the airport one by one, unable to participate in coordinated operations at all. Chennault was originally a tiger in the air, but under the pressure of Stilwell, he couldn't do anything, especially when he saw his Chinese buddy Xue Yue fell into a miserable situation, he was even more angry and anxious. The arrival of Wedemeyer completely changed Chennault's situation. Not only was the supply of the "Flying Tigers" no longer stuck, the old bombers were replaced by B-29s, and Chennault's air combat plan was also fully appreciated and supported. When the air tiger jumped up again, the Japanese army suffered the most violent blow in three years. On December 18, the tenth day after "Pearl Harbor Memorial Day", seventy-seven B-29s flew over Hankou, forming a super sky fortress. Just like when the Japanese planes bombed Chongqing back then, the anti-aircraft guns were powerless against this dense fortress, because the B-29 was at an altitude of 20,000 feet, and the shells could not reach it, so they could only form a useless barrage under the plane. The aerial fortress immediately began to drop bombs, and its bombing method was four plus one, that is, five planes formed a group, four of which threw incendiary bombs, and one threw high-explosive bombs. These two types of shells were used for the first time on the Chinese battlefield, and their destructive power was astonishing. Even the commander of the U.S. Air Force later recalled that even if atomic bombs were not used, they alone would be enough to bomb the Japanese mainland. Force Japan to surrender. The anti-aircraft guns are too far away, and the plane can still be intercepted. What's more, the B-29 fleet does not have fighter jets to escort it. Leng pretended not to hear, just hid in the room and pretended to be stupid. An hour later, the first round of bombing by the B-29 bomber group on the warehouse at the dock ended, thinking that they had left, some Japanese planes took off tremblingly to make a show. Unexpectedly, after the emergence, what awaited them was not a mission, but an annihilation. Chennault ambushed all the fighters available to the Fourteenth Air Force around Wuhan.After heavy armor modification, the shotguns of today's "Flying Tigers" have been changed. In addition to bombers becoming "air fortresses", the main fighter model has also been upgraded from the P-40 Tomahawk to the P-51 Mustang. The Mustang is known as the "King of Fighters". In the Pacific battlefield, even the Type Zero can only bow down, not to mention other Japanese aircraft models. However, the old pilots of the Japanese Air Force are almost dead, and the new pilots are all absent. The rookie with combat experience has caused his combat effectiveness to drop to the lowest level. Using the super class to deal with the low class, whoever wins and who loses is almost something that can be imagined without using the brain. Sure enough, when the winged tiger burst out suddenly, the Japanese Air Force ran around like a flock of chickens scattered. A total of forty-six Japanese planes were destroyed, while the "Flying Tigers" remained intact. Flying Tigers' majestic attack formation At the same time as the air battle, the bomber fleet made a comeback, this time even better, all flying at low altitude. Anti-aircraft guns, bombed; hangars, bombed; oil depots, bombed.No one will be spared, and no one will be forgiven. Hankou was an important supply base for the Japanese army in central China, storing a large amount of strategic materials, but after the "12-18" bombing, most of the warehouses and barracks were turned into ruins. In the next month, Chennault continued to launch his air counterattack non-stop, and the Japanese Air Force was destroyed more than 200 planes, so that there was no more planes that could be used for combat. This sky is completely complete. Exclusive to the "Flying Tigers". In his own field, Chennault could do whatever he wanted, and he began to turn the target of "bullying" to the Continental Communications Line. By land, thirty-seven locomotives were destroyed in one day, by water, nearly 40,000 tons of ships were sunk, and the Japanese army on the Yangtze River could not even keep a small steamboat of ten tons. This important line, acquired by the Japanese at a high price, actually played an extremely low role. As time went on, the "Flying Tigers" gradually understood what the "Dugu seeking defeat" in the East meant, because there were fewer and fewer planes in the sky for them to destroy. In March 1945, forty-seven Japanese planes were destroyed, which was not enough. In April, only three were encountered in total, and they were still old-fashioned dive bombers. From May to July, there was none. The Flying Tigers couldn't bear the loneliness of having no battle to fight, so they simply went deep into the enemy-occupied area and flew from the northeast to Vietnam, but they were still disappointed. In such a vast area, there are still no traces of Japanese aircraft, and the Japanese air force that was once arrogant over China was completely wiped out. For eight years, Chennault's sole ambition was to help China defeat Japan, and he fulfilled his promise, which made him known as the most beloved foreigner by the Chinese since Marco Polo. Fat pigs are not lucky If you want to name a person Okamura Neiji admires the most, he will definitely say that it is the "Master Fortune Teller" - that person's fortune-telling is not a spirit, but too clever. On November 24, 1944, Neiji Okamura succeeded Hata Shunroku as the commander of the "China Expeditionary Force". This time it was really promoted, and the last divination words of the "Master" were fully fulfilled. When Okamura was the commander of the Sixth Front Army, he was really wronged. He was a small officer, and Yokoyama Isamu below him kept getting into trouble with him every day. When the original invasion of Guilin and Liuzhou, Okamura wanted to motivate the underdogs based on the experience of the previous Nanchang Battle, so he specially assigned the 23rd Army of Hisazu Tanaka to attack Liuzhou. order, directly robbed Tanaka Jiuichi of his military exploits, causing the latter to roll his eyes. Yokoyama always feels so good about himself, and he often says: "In the current Great East Asian War, the only one who can immediately take the initiative is the front of our own army." Okamura wished he could immediately give this ignorant guy a "two-finger Zen". Without me strategizing and transporting food and grass, can you win thousands of miles? Being the leader of such a person is really bad luck for eight lifetimes.The first thing Okamura did after taking office in Nanjing was to take down Isamu Yokoyama and let him go back to China as the commander of the Western Army, leading a group of women and children to play with bamboo guns. Okamura has been promoted, but there is no free lunch in the world. The Japanese high command is willing to throw this top hat, and it still wants to use him as a mason. Soon, Okamura saw something was wrong.Since Chennault launched the air counterattack, the mainland communication lines have been almost unusable. Not only has material transportation and storage become extremely difficult, but even the safety of senior commanders has sometimes been difficult to guarantee. Lieutenant General Okabe Naozaburo, the new Commander of the 11th Army, was suddenly attacked by four Mustang fighter jets when he was inspecting in Guangzhou. Although he was covered by fighter jets, he was still injured and lay down in the hospital. The Chinese and American air forces are so "rampant", which was unimaginable before. How is this possible? Didn't the "Operation No. 1" destroy all the local flight bases, especially after the occupation of Gui and Liu? As a result of the research, in addition to the strong long-distance navigation capabilities of the "Sky Fortress" and the Mustang, Chennault also has a number of new flight bases, which cannot but be said to be the most important reason. In other words, the Japanese army destroyed the airport quickly, while the Chinese, known for their hard work and hard work, rebuilt the airport faster. After occupying Gui and Liu, Okamura found that the strength of the Chinese army was no longer the same as when he was the commander of the 11th Army. The opponent had lost more than half of its regular troops. Army" could only continue to retreat. It is a pity that the "Operation No. 1", which is like a flashback, has almost exhausted the last bit of potential left in Japan. After this large-scale continuous battle, most of the Japanese troops participating in the war have reduced by one-third, and some have only Half left. The 20th Army of Kazuyoshi Banxi belongs to the directly-administered troops of the Sixth Front Army. The number of battles is not high, and the intensity is not high, but more than 7,000 people were killed or injured. The situation of the main front force can be imagined. Calculated in this way, although others are full of scars, you are almost collapsed to the ground. In addition to the lack of logistical supplies, how can you still have the ability to chase so far. Thinking about how to avoid being bombed by the plane is the top priority. On January 29, 1945, Okamura convened a meeting of commanders above the army in Nanjing and decided to launch a spring offensive to destroy the two major flight bases of the Chinese and American air forces: Laohekou in northern Hubei and Zhijiang in western Hunan. The north and the south are the two sharp swords used by Chennault to cut off the Japanese army's logistical supplies. Originally, this was the job of the pilots, but the air team dared not go there, but they had no choice but to leave the army to do it for the air team. In the first battle against Laohekou, the Twelfth Army of Uchiyama, which defeated the first theater in the Battle of Central Henan, had a team from infantry divisions to special forces. Okamura also hoped that they would win the first battle, like "a "Operation No. 1" is a good start. On March 22, the Twelfth Army launched the Battle of Northern Hubei. At that time, Li Zongren had been transferred to the director of the Hanzhong camp, and Liu Zhi, the new commander of the fifth theater, was in charge of Laohekou. This was also the last battle he commanded before the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. The situation of the Chinese army in northern Hubei and western Henan is as bad as in Guangxi. Liu Zhi can dispatch troops from three theaters: the first, fifth, and tenth theaters. Not necessarily worth a soup clique of yesteryear. Fortunately, Liu Zhi had a lesson from the Battle of Baoding. While Waterloo in his military career knocked him down, it also taught him an important rule of survival. This rule is: on the plains, infantry cannot carry tanks. People's thinking usually has inertia. Liu Zhi tasted the bitterness, but Uishan felt the sweetness, so his tactics basically copied the one that defeated Tang Enbo in the past, that is, use the infantry to break through the front, and then use the infantry to hide behind the infantry. Car riding special forces beyond the dash. It's a pity that such a good tactic can only be wasted, because Liu Zhi was not prepared to stick to the plains at all, and gave up those places early. But before retreating, Liu Zhi dug the road. The third tank division of the "Tiger Division" has been sneaking behind the infantry, trying to take advantage of it. Unexpectedly, the dug-up road exposed its original shape, and had to move forward while filling the hole. It happened that there was heavy rain again in those few days, and the road became more muddy and soft. In desperation, Lieutenant General Hideo Yamaji made a rule that all motorized infantry should be replaced by ordinary infantry, and they should get out of the car and walk honestly. Motorcycles are easy to handle, but tanks can't get down and push them. Even if you spin around in the mud, you can't do anything about it. This is exactly what the saying "a fat pig is not a good life" means. It finally cleared up, but before the mountain road was repaired, someone came over with a knife. "Liu Zhi Edition" New Survival Rules: If the infantry can't do it, try the plane! Tanks are invincible in front of infantry, but when they see airplanes, they are like chicks who encounter eagles. There is no other clever trick except to hide around with their buttocks pouted. With a clear view on the plain, it is difficult to hide people, let alone hide tanks, because the target of this thing is too big, black smoke, gun barrels, and even the ruts behind you may reveal your whereabouts. For experienced pilots, as long as the plane is lowered to a certain altitude, there is always a way to find that if a few anti-tank bombs go down, the tank will become scrap iron. I was frightened during the day and had trouble closing my eyes at night. The Chinese and U.S. air forces operate in three shifts, with their own night shifts to serve them, and this time they are also equipped with stage lights-flares and tracer bombs, followed by the strafing of large-caliber machine guns and the bombing of anti-tank shells. Since Hu Zongnan's first army was beaten hard in the Battle of Lingbao that year, the "Tiger Division" once again suffered heavy casualties.The most irritating thing is that during the battle of Lingbao, the defenders on the opposite side could still be seen and attacked to some extent, but this time they could only be beaten and could not fight back. The translating team traveling with the head of the division was riding a truck. It was a happy thing, at least not having to walk like a soldier. Unexpectedly, the truck was bombed, and the translators were killed and injured. After being broken, the confetti flew around, which is really interesting. The translation team is directly under the headquarters of the division and regiment. Even if they are treated like this, the situation of other people can be imagined, and they are almost in fear all the way. Uchiyama originally hoped that the "Tiger Division" would be able to play a fast maneuvering role, but it turned out to be counterproductive, and the tanks were still far behind the infantry. Compared with tanks, Dongyang horses do not necessarily have to take roads, so cavalry can instead catch up from behind and run to the front by taking trails. On March 27, the cavalry brigade had reached an area less than fifty miles east of Laohekou. On the one hand, Liu Zhi carried out emergency relocation of the Laohekou Airport, and on the other hand, he dispatched the army and the air force to attack the cavalry brigade around Laohekou. Laohekou is a hilly terrain, which is not conducive to cavalry operations.The cavalry brigade suffered heavy casualties because of this, and each cavalry squadron was cut off by one-third until the attached infantry arrived and finally occupied the Laohekou Airport, but it was already empty, and some gasoline and Aviation equipment was also burned by the bombing of the plane.