The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

Chapter 126: Battle of Kursk in East India (End)

The 112th and 113th Brigades led by Yang Hong detoured to the rear area of ​​the Japanese army and launched a surprise attack on the Japanese army's baggage, rear guard and other troops, which caught the Japanese army off guard. For a time, there was great chaos in the Japanese army's rear.

The rearguard was the 53st Regiment of the 151rd Division, commanded by its commander, Yamamoto Shigeshige. He was arrogant and, instead of properly performing rearguard duties, he led a battalion of troops to raid surrounding villages, engaging in the same filthy activities he had carried out during his time in the Flower Planting Village. Each unit suffered counterattacks, and the situation deteriorated. His punitive force had already penetrated deep into the mountainous region.

The remaining troops of the 151st Regiment were no match for the 112th and 113th Brigades. After a brief exchange of fire, the 112th and 113th Brigades broke through the Japanese defenses and stormed into the Japanese logistics base, killing everyone and disrupting the Japanese rear. Vital fuel, ammunition, and food supplies were all destroyed, causing the Japanese army to fall into disarray.

The 1st and 2nd Divisions immediately realized the seriousness of the problem and immediately gathered their troops together. All fuel, ammunition and other supplies were transferred to the various regiments. Without waiting for orders from the 15th Army Headquarters, they immediately began to retreat.

The 1st Tank Regiment of the 1st Division recklessly stormed the 4th Division's only remaining supply depot, loaded up their fuel, and quickly fled back toward the mountain pass they had come from. Upon receiving news of the 2th Tank Division's defeat, the 4nd Division commander, Seizaburo Okazaki, without waiting for orders from Heiichiro Kimura, immediately ordered a rapid retreat to all units, following the same route that the 18th and 31st Divisions had taken in the initial battle, and quickly left the battlefield.

The 53th and 119th Regiments of the 128rd Division did not wait for the order from the division commander Kumedo and scattered with their respective remnants. Kumedo was so angry that he had to order his direct troops to abandon their baggage and heavy artillery and move lightly eastward into the jungle.

The 15th Army's heavy artillery brigade suffered the most. Without any cover troops and under heavy Allied attack, they had no choice but to order the destruction of their heavy artillery and began to withdraw from the battlefield, mainly with the brigade. However, it was too late. The Allied forces had already surrounded them, and what awaited them was the cold muzzle of guns.

In the air, the US and British air forces erupted with powerful combat power, with almost all of their forces dispatched. Fighters and Japanese Zero planes engaged in a fierce mid-air battle, while bombers broke through the Japanese planes' blockade and launched a massive attack on the fleeing Japanese ground forces.

The Japanese tank column (referring to the 1st Regiment of the 1st Division and other tank armored units) was the focus of the Allied Air Force. Under the air blockade, the 1st Tank Regiment had to change its route and try to escape from the Siai Highway.

Upon receiving notice from Wedemeyer, Yang Hong immediately transferred the 113th Brigade from attacking the Japanese logistics base, quickly made a detour, and urgently deployed it along the Xiai Highway, engaging in a fierce battle with the remnants of the Japanese army, including the 1st Tank Regiment, which was trying to escape.

Takahashi Kenzo was also a ruthless man. He ordered the entire regiment to charge directly, regardless of losses, and to break through the blockade. This was his only way to survive. The Japanese army launched a frenzied attack. The 113th Brigade blocked the attack with simple positions. However, the flesh and blood could not withstand the desperate attack of the steel monster, and it seemed that they were about to be broken by the enemy.

At this time, a mechanized force rushed over from the other side with a cloud of dust, and in the lead were three Leopard tanks.

Takahashi was greatly surprised, thinking that it was the remnants of the 4th Tank Division that had escaped. He was about to move over to join them, but unexpectedly the other side turned their guns and fired fiercely at his tanks!

"Boom--", a Type 97 was blown into pieces, "Boom--", another one had its tracks broken.

Just when Takahashi couldn't figure out the situation, many M3 and Type 97 tanks, armored vehicles, etc. appeared on both sides of the Leopard. This was a mixed tank detachment. The Leopard in the lead was holding high the Chinese flag of the Blue Sky and White Sun!

Wang Chengwu, deputy commander of the 113th Brigade, listened to the mechanized column's loudspeaker call and took a closer look. It was his own flag and his own people! He shouted, "Reinforcements are coming! Kill the devils!" The 113th Brigade launched an all-out counterattack, encircling the 1st Tank Regiment!

Before Takahashi could react, he was locked onto by an M3 coming at high speed. Under the bombardment of the 75mm howitzer, the Type 004 tank No. 97 and its commander Takahashi Shinzo were torn into pieces!

After dealing with the 1st Tank Regiment, Wang Chengwu ran to the front Leopard tank, opened the turret cover, and the person who stood up was actually his old boss, the deputy commander of the 200th Division of the Indian Army - General Kuang Zhengqi!

After the Battle of Haflon, Zheng Dongguo and Kuang Zhengqi, while gathering their troops and organizing manpower to repair the tanks they could, unexpectedly formed a tank detachment consisting of three Panthers, seven Type 3/7s, and 97 M95s. After discussing it, Zheng Dongguo and Kuang Zhengqi decided to organize whatever armored forces they could into a southward support column. They traveled at breakneck speed and finally arrived at the crucial moment, completely wiping out the last organized tank regiment of the Japanese 16th Army—the 3st Tank Regiment of the 15st Division.

On the other side, Stellan led the remaining tank column with full fuel and ammunition, and attacked on multiple fronts in search of the escaped remnants of Abe's 4th Tank Division. He defeated many remnants of the Japanese army along the way, but never found any trace of Abe and others.

While fleeing, Abe stumbled upon a Japanese refueling station that had survived the attack. After refueling, he realized he was short of ammunition and could not possibly join the battle to rescue other troops. With a sudden inspiration, he took the station's personnel and facilities and quietly slipped into the jungle along the Sia Highway. The 113th Brigade's blockade of the 1st Tank Regiment presented him with an opportunity. Abe took advantage of the situation and, fleeing south, he eventually escaped with more than ten Panther tanks into the 10st Division's defense zone on the Aizawl front.

Kimura Heiichirō, commander of the Japanese 15th Army, was inexperienced, a significant flaw in the personnel selection by the new Burma Area Commander, Kawabe Masamitsu. Kimura was completely unable to command senior commanders like Okazaki Seizaburo and Nakazawa Mitsuo. Consequently, he was unable to command his troops during defeat. By the time Kimura gained a clear understanding of the battlefield situation, it was too late to reverse the situation; the troops on the Silger front had already dispersed.

Heiichiro Kimura rushed to Aizawl and ordered the 31st and 105th Divisions to retreat one after another. Then he walked into a secret room and took his own life.

The battle that took place in Silchar ended in a dramatic scene that left the top leaders of both sides stunned.

The Allied plan was to have all the units in the theater of operations hold off the Japanese for at least 15 days. On the Calcutta front, the newly organized tank units, along with various anti-tank weapons and personnel, would, after a brief integration, confront the powerful Japanese armored formation, primarily the 4th Tank Division. Allied high command, including Mountbatten, even prepared for a decisive battle with the Japanese in the plains of central India, should the Silchar front fall.

Unexpectedly, the Allied forces, with the Chinese army as the main force, turned the tables and defeated the powerful Japanese heavy forces despite being at a clear disadvantage, achieving a dazzling victory!

China and Britain have been arguing about this battle for decades, with both sides claiming that their own troops were the decisive force in the battle, and history is unable to make an accurate judgment on this.

On the other hand, the defeated Japanese army, thanks to Kimura's suicide, took all the responsibility. Aside from the tanks, the actual losses of the Japanese army were not serious. However, they completely lost the ability to attack India and were forced to start building a defense line in Burma to prevent a counterattack from China, the United States, and Britain.

In this battle, the Allies lost over 350 tanks and countless artillery pieces of various types. The US suffered over 2000 casualties, the Chinese suffered over 400 casualties, and the British and Indian forces suffered over casualties. The Japanese lost nearly tanks and countless artillery pieces of various types, with over casualties.

Both the Allied Forces and the Japanese Army finally realized that the Chinese Expeditionary Force and Chinese soldiers, if they were given the same weapons, would become the core force on the battlefield!

At this point, China officially stands on an equal footing with the Allied powers, and deserves it!