SFS Chapter 146: The enemy's casualty ratio is 3 to 1 (5-star rating required)
Chapter 146: The enemy's casualty ratio is 3 to 1 (5-star rating required)
"After the first battle, 47 light and medium tanks and self-propelled artillery were destroyed, and two regiments suffered a total of over 1000 casualties or missing."
Inside the command center, Zhang Chi took the report handed over by Chief of Staff Tan Zhijie and raised his eyebrows.
The destruction of 47 armored vehicles sounds like a lot, but after reading the report, Zhang Chi found that most of the problems were caused by mechanical failure, broken tracks, stuck steering gear, damaged sights and other problems that forced the crew to abandon the vehicle.
Among the 47 tanks, only a few were completely destroyed by the Japanese and could not be repaired.
其中1辆155自行火炮不幸遭到了鬼子105榴弹炮的直击，露天战斗室内155炮的炮管被拧成了麻花，全车乘员也全部不幸牺牲。1辆M5A1坦克在跨越战壕时被装死的鬼子偷袭，用反坦克雷彻底炸穿了车底，牺牲车组2人。
The remaining two M5A1 tanks collided directly during the attack, and several more patients with fractures and concussions appeared in Director Hao's hospital.
After the logistics department towed the collided tank back, they found that the sights, gearbox and other parts were completely damaged. There was no need to repair them at all, so it would be better to replace them directly with new ones.
Another M5A1 tank was hit in the side by a 37mm gun ambushed by the Japanese, which ignited the engine compartment. Although the entire crew successfully escaped, the tank turned into a huge torch.
Judging from the data, Zhang Chi judged that the Japanese still lacked effective anti-tank means. The funny Type 99 anti-tank mine would be almost ineffective as long as their own tanks had enough infantry cover.
It might be useful in street or mountain fighting, but it really won't work on the plains.
The death of 1000 soldiers and more than 3600 injuries was within his expectations. After all, the opponents were the Japanese who would bite you off before they died. There were also too many new recruits after the expansion of his own army. Even with absolute firepower and armor advantages, casualties could not be avoided.
"What are the results of the battle?" Zhang Chi put down the report and asked directly.
"In total, the Japanese abandoned over 2400 bodies, and that's what we've collected. There should also be quite a few bodies killed in the bombings behind the Japanese rear, or those that were looted. The enemy and our losses are probably 3 to 1."
When talking about the ratio of 3 to 1, Tan Zhijie was delighted. After all, this was not a sneak attack or an encirclement and annihilation battle, but a serious offensive and defensive battle between the Eight Hundred and the Japs on the plains, and they were the attacking side.
In this case, a 3 to 1 casualty ratio is very valuable.
Zhang Chi was not too proud:
"Don't be too complacent. We have two regiments and nearly a hundred tanks against a 3000-man Japanese regiment. We already have the advantage in numbers. And didn't the lower ranks report that many of the Japanese killed today were new recruits? A 3 to 1 casualty ratio is normal."
"That's not counting the puppet troops. If we count the puppet troops, the enemy's strength on the battlefield would be greater than ours," Tan Zhijie said happily. "There were more than 7000 puppet troops in Wengshan. We killed more than 1000, and more than 1000 escaped. The remaining 5000 were captured."
At this moment, a staff officer suddenly interrupted: "I went to the front line and saw that there were prisoners squatting on the front line for several acres. It was so densely packed that it was a spectacular sight."
"Yes, when these 5000-plus prisoners saw that our tanks were bigger and more powerful than the Japanese's, they immediately raised their hands and surrendered, hahahaha." Tan Zhijie's face flushed as he said this.
Although the Japanese invaders came to Pegu under the banner of friendship and common prosperity, the people of Pegu thought that the Japanese invaders were good people who came to drive out the colonists and liberate them.
However, the Japs were not the kind of people who would do charity for free. Their predatory nature soon erupted. Before long, except for the Saka people of Aungsan and Bamo who were still following the Japs because of some benefits, all other ethnic groups in Bago had already rebelled against the Japs.
By the time Matsuyama Yuzo forced the Saka people to dig the soil under the bombing and sent puppet soldiers as cannon fodder, the Saka people no longer stood in solidarity with the Japanese.
Now that Zhang Chi's fist looks bigger than the Japanese's, it doesn't matter whether he's the Japanese's follower or Zhang Chi's follower, so why not choose a stronger one?
So when more than 5000 people saw the tall and mighty M4 Sherman, they saluted and surrendered.
Unfortunately, Zhang Chi did not intend to use these puppet troops.
Since they had a good time with the Japanese in the past, Zhang Chi naturally had to make a list. He had already made plans for their second half of life.
He directly imitated the way that Uncle Steel caught the devils and went to Siberia to dig potatoes, and waved his hand:
"That's right. Meng Xingfa has been complaining recently about the lack of labor in the mines. Let's send them all to the rear mines. Remember not to overfeed them, or they'll run away. Tell them to work as atonement, and if they work diligently for five years, I'll let them go home."
After that, Zhang Chi planned to fully introduce puppet army prisoners of war to the rainforest to open up wasteland, build roads, and work in the mines. Based on the enemy's attrition rate in Siberia, Zhang Chi estimated that in five years these prisoners would be gone.
"In short, I'm very satisfied with the battles over the past two days. Zhijie, please write a few commendation letters to the captains of each column to praise them. Also, inform Hao Yi and Zhang Guangjun that they can proceed as planned."
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At 5:30 in the morning on July 13, Mogang (Menggong) was shrouded in fog and quiet.
The railway from Mandalay to Myitkyina extends northeastward outside the town. The railway bridge across the tributary of the Irrawaddy River stands quietly 2 kilometers northeast of the town (see the circle in the article for a map). The steel railway bridge was left by the John colonists. During the great retreat, the John people were reluctant to even blow it up.
Now a Japanese engineering squad of more than 30 people and an infantry company of more than 300 people are guarding this important transportation route more than 30 kilometers southwest of Myitkyina.
According to Matsuyama Yuzo's plan, once the war becomes tense, the engineering team will place explosives on the bridge.
After Myitkyina fell and the entire army retreated across the railway bridge, the engineering team would detonate explosives again to blow up the railway bridge and completely stop the pursuing enemy troops.
Because they were far away from the front line, most of the Japanese soldiers did not sleep outdoors on the bridge as required. Instead, they forcibly requisitioned houses of civilians in Mogang (Menggong) town and slept in comfortable houses, leaving only a few unlucky ones to stay on guard on the bridge.
Under such circumstances, the heavy fog provided great help to the boat troops and amphibious marines led by Zhang Guangjun in their approach.
10多条PTF-7巡逻艇上的40mm博福斯和20mm厄利孔只是响了几下，从LVT-A1两栖坦克上下来的战士们就彻底控制了大桥。
When the more than 300 Japanese soldiers stationed in the town assembled and counterattacked towards Mogang Bridge, they were faced with dozens of lowered anti-aircraft guns of the boat troops on the riverside and a company of amphibious marines and their assigned amphibious tanks.
Knowing that his only fate after losing the bridge was to commit seppuku, the squadron leader made a report call and then led his subordinates in a desperate charge.
More than 300 Japanese soldiers took advantage of the fog, raised their samurai swords and rifles, and charged forward silently. However, the abundant automatic firepower allowed Zhang Guangjun's troops to cover the entire area with blind fire even though their vision was poor.
In the end, more than 300 Japanese soldiers were killed in the open ground as expected. The only trouble it caused to Zhang Guangjun was that the ammunition consumption was a bit high.