novelden Chapter 197 The Chaotic Japanese Army
Chapter 197 The Chaotic Japanese Army
The Japanese 128th Infantry Regiment, commanded by Kazuaki Obara, was responsible for the defense of Taunggyi. At this moment, the commander was in a state of panic. The search squadron had relayed intelligence, which, combined with information obtained by the Taunggyi Garrison Command, revealed that the guerrilla army (the Japanese name for the 1st Independent Army) had already advanced from the Menglan and Laika lines, and that the security forces in Mengbang and Nansang were engaging the guerrillas. Division Commander Kaoru Takeda requested reinforcements from the 128th Infantry Regiment. If Mengbang and Nansang were captured, the Japanese road connecting them to Thailand to the east would be severed, putting the Japanese at risk of losing contact with Thailand.
Of course, the Japanese reinforcements to Monbang and Namsang were not limited to the 128th Regiment. They also included troops from Lower Burma, including the 33th Regiment of the Burma Area Army's 87rd Division, which would advance north from Loikaw. Simultaneously, the Japanese Security Brigade (159th Brigade), responsible for defending the Namsang-Mondong highway, would also deploy approximately one battalion from along the route. A division-sized unit of the Burma Independence Army was also assembling in that direction.
Ohara scoffed at this. A division-level unit of the so-called Burmese Independence Army consisted of only about 3000 men, a highly disorganized group armed with only a few light machine guns and rifles, and a meager supply of small-caliber mortars. A single squadron from the 128th Regiment could easily overwhelm them. The 159th Security Brigade, comprised largely of second-class laborers from North Korea and Taiwan, had virtually no heavy firepower, and its battalion could barely function as a reinforced squadron at best.
The 87th Regiment was essentially wiped out in the Battle of Bhamo. In fact, along with the 18th and 33rd Divisions, they had been largely annihilated along the Myitkyina front in Upper Burma. The headquarters had only just begun to reorganize itself, recruiting reinforcements from various locations. Its manpower and firepower were significantly inferior, at best, to that of a Class D division. However, the 87th Regiment had saved some face for the Empire at the Battle of Bhamo, and the Front Army had provided them with relatively adequate reinforcements, making them roughly as powerful as the 128th Regiment.
The 87th Regiment headed north from Loikaw. Given the current situation of the Burma Front, the Burma sky was basically occupied by the Allied Air Force. The 87th Regiment had to take precautions against attacks from the Allied Air Force while heading north. It would probably take at least five days to arrive. During this period, the 128th Regiment could only bear the main force of defense. This was why the division commander ordered Kazuaki Ohara to send reinforcements as soon as possible.
In fact, the 128th Regiment had a hard time defending the Taunggyi line. Although there was a security headquarters and several independent security battalions in the surrounding area, the Japanese army was already at the end of its strength at that time, and its manpower and weapons were far inferior to before. Obara personally visited the troops along the line. The majority of the soldiers were in their teens and forties, and most of the young and strong ones came from the second-class colonies of Korea and Taiwan, and there were even Manchurian soldiers. Most of the backbone officers were disabled soldiers. Apart from a Type rifle for each person, the proportion of grenade launchers and heavy machine guns was very low. The battalion did not even have an artillery squad, and the small number of mortars were concentrated in the direct squadron.
Koizumi shook his head at the thought. He had to obey the division commander's orders, so he instructed his chief of staff to send a reinforcement squadron and a mountain artillery detachment. He had little confidence in holding the Mengbang-Nam Sang line, and he specifically instructed the chief of staff to focus on Mengbang. If the situation deteriorated, they were to immediately retreat along the highway to Hoabang, the forefront of his defense of Taunggyi.
Just as Koizumi Kazuaki had predicted, the 33th Regiment of the 87rd Division was so slow in action that it would be a compliment. Regiment Commander Sakusaku Toichiro had already been tricked in Bhamo. Had Chief of Staff Masaki Kuzuki not brokered a deal with the guerrillas, Sakusaku would likely have died in the service of the Emperor. Now the same scenario played out, though Kuzuki was no longer under his command, having assumed command of the 159th Security Brigade. Sakusaku Toichiro had planned a high-profile advance, deliberately exposing himself to Allied air forces. Any bombing raid would provide an excuse for Sakusaku to delay his advance. As for sacrificing cannon fodder, Sakusaku personally killed at least eighty of his closest associates in Bhamo, making this a non-issue.
With Jiu Zuo's actions, it's likely he won't reach the Mengbang-Nam Sang line for a week, or even ten days. Perhaps he'll even be halfway there when the line falls. On the 159th Brigade side, Kuzuki Masaki found an excuse to avoid leading reinforcements. He quietly gathered his trusted aides. If the situation changed, he wouldn't hesitate to stage another Bhamo operation, dumping the 159th Brigade commander and other high-ranking officials, and then openly flee eastward into Thailand.
The battle unfolded just as these experienced and foresighted Japanese commanders had predicted. Luo Bing's 1st Regiment of the 1st Division, with a single charge, captured Nansang and was preparing to advance eastward along the highway to encircle and destroy the Japanese security forces in Mengxi and Mengnai. However, they received orders from Qin Shi, ordering them to adopt a defensive posture eastward, focusing on capturing Mengbang, and then launching an offensive towards Dongzhi.
As Luo Bing ordered his troops to turn and attack Mengbang, he complained to his accompanying staff, "What kind of a fight is this? An entire division is attacking a small town, and they're not allowed to pursue. It's a complete waste of my ammunition and my soldiers' strength."
The staff officers, though grumbling, dared not voice their complaints to the divisional commander, only humming and groaning in agreement. Of course, the regimental and battalion commanders below were furious. Their fury was immediately directed at the Mengbang defenders. The mountain artillery of the former 87th Regiment rained down its weight on Mengbang, sending the Japanese troops scattering. The reinforced squadron of the 128th Regiment, which had been sent to reinforce the area, was immediately stunned by the barrage before it could even deploy. Only then did the regimental chief of staff issue a warning to retreat quickly towards Hebang.
The Mengbang defenders were now desperate and fled the city in droves, following the highway and the reinforced squadron of the 128th Regiment as they fled towards Hebang. Luo Bing's 1st Division was once again bombed to no avail, and the soldiers attacking Mengbang easily captured it without even firing a shot.
Mengbang and Nansang were all lost in less than a day, which shocked the Japanese Burma Front Army and made Takeda Kaoru stationed in Mandalay feel the crisis. He immediately ordered the 53rd Division scattered around Mandalay to move closer to the division headquarters. At the same time, he forced the security brigades, independent security battalions and other troops to strengthen the defense of important strongholds. At this time, this veteran Japanese militarist issued a death order to these cannon fodder troops: whoever deserted his post or lost his position would be executed on the spot!
The fall of Mengbang and Nansang made Sakusaku Fujiichiro feel relieved. He used the excuse that the enemy might move south along the line due to the loss of this line, and immediately withdrew his troops to the fortifications and immediately strengthened the defenses along the line.