Chapter 273 Battle of Overlord 2

Regardless of whether it is the era of cold weapons or the era of hot weapons, whether it is the Napoleonic War, World War I or World War II, it is often not the breakthrough on the front battlefield that often determines the victory or defeat of the war, but the breakthrough on the flanks, but the formation of a threat to the flank of the enemy, thus forming a multi-faceted attack situation that makes the enemy There is no support.

Whether the era of cold weapons is just a few hundred meters of circuitous maneuvers, or several kilometers of circuitous maneuvers during World War I, or tens of kilometers or even hundreds of kilometers of kilometers during World War II, although different times and sizes and distances are different, they all have the same term, that isyou Back to attack!

Throughout the recent Russo-Japanese War and the Tongzhou Campaign last year, although the recent Tangshan Campaign was dominated by heavy machine guns and trenches, it was the four words that gave the two sides the victory or defeat.

During the Russo-Japanese War, the Battle of Yalu River, the Liaoyang Campaign and the Fengtian Campaign. In most cases, the Japanese army did not break through from the front, but launched an attack from the flank from the circuitous attack, and even ran to the back of the Russian army to launch an attack. Almost the entire Liaoyang and Fengtian Campaign, the Japanese army tried to launch a circuitous operation. , while the Russian army desperately blocked the circuitous attack of the Japanese army.

Last year, the Tongzhou battle between Zhao Dongyun, Wang Shizhen and Feng Guozhang was a more typical roundabout attack. At the beginning, the soldiers of the 3rd Division were strong, but there was nothing they could do in the Tongzhou defense line of Wang Shizhen's 6th Division. Finally, Gu Lanyu boldly led his troops around Tongzhou and detoured to the side of the 6th Division. Force Wang Shizhen to retreat on a large scale, and then let the third division capture Tongzhou. You know, this is a situation where the two sides have equal strength, weapons and equipment and even the quality of soldiers. It can also be said that it is quite difficult to use the circuit to force the enemy to retreat. Otherwise, Gu Lanyu would not have become famous in this battle.

The recent Battle of Tangshan was actually a typical example of a circuitous attack. The Feng army made a large-scale breakthrough from Fengdengwu and tried to make a detour to the north and west of Huanxizhuang, with a whole circuitous distance of more than 30 kilometers. After that, after the 10th Division made a breakthrough in Yinfeng, it also began a large-scale westward march, trying to bypass the 2nd Brigade, the 1st Mixed Brigade and the side of the 11th Division, but the roundabout attack was not too successful, which made Lu Yongxiang's 2nd and 11th Division run away and only surrounded the 1st Mixed Brigade.

Looking at many battles in the past, you will find that the contemporary Feng army, like the Japanese army, who also studied under the German army, is more respected and is also good at this kind of 'round attack'.

Wang Zhanyuan has been the commander of the Fifth Brigade in the Feng army system for many years, which is inevitably affected by the Feng army system, especially the tactical concept and even the command style are with strong traces of the Feng army. From the time Wang Zhanyuan reorganized the 7th Division, he did not imitate the tactics of the old Beiyang troops such as the first division. After this reorganizer, it can be seen that in addition to the younger soldiers, inexperienced, without mortars and a large number of light machine guns, other aspects, especially infantry tactics, can be said to be a replica of the Third Division.

Wang Zhanyuan's own command style also has a strong style of Soviet Feng army generals. If it is replaced by Lu Yongxiang and even Wang Yingkai, under the current predicament of the Battle of Bazhou, ten * will withdraw their troops.

But Wang Zhanyuan did not. Instead of withdrawing his army and fleeing, he used the 28th Regiment to contain the 5th Brigade of the Feng army, and the 13th Brigade under his command had already detoured behind the side of the 5th Brigade.

On the evening of July 5, Kong Guanbei frowned and looked at the map in his hand. After a while, he said, "This Wang Zhanyuan really can't be underestimated. He actually wants to attack the back of our side!"

"There are at least 4,000 to 5,000 enemy troops detouring from the northwest. I think Wang Zhanyuan has put a whole brigade into it. There are only two battalions on the right wing now. I'm afraid it can't be stopped!"

Kong Guanbei said, "Reduce the fourth battalion to the right wing and block this wave first!"

"Send another message to the division and ask for reinforcements!" Kong Jingbei is not a man of stubbornness. Although he is confident to block the attack of Wang Zhanyuan's whole division with a brigade of troops, he is unwilling to take risks. Any failure on the battlefield will be completely defeated. In the Tangshan Campaign, the example of Zhu Panzao's first brigade being defeated by the 10th Division is still ahead. Although the defense has a great advantage in the contemporary battle, no one can say whether there will be an accident.

Although Kong Guanbei was cautious enough, he did not expect Wang Zhanyuan to be more resolute and decisive than he thought. Wang Zhanyuan has served as the commander of the Fifth Brigade of the Third Division for a long time. He has a very clear understanding of the officers of the upper and lower departments of the Third Division, and more about the combat effectiveness and tactics of the Third Division.

The 13th Brigade of the 7th Division, which launched an attack from the northern flank of the 5th Brigade, showed tactical literacy that stunned Kong to the north. This is not to say how strong the 13th Brigade is, but their tactics are almost exclusively aimed at the 3rd Division.

Whenever the troops of the Fifth Brigade use fire reconnaissance to find out the location of the heavy machine gun of the opposite army, and after the 60mm mortar is fired by rapid fire, and the heavy machine gun fire point on the opposite side does not fire, the soldiers of the 5th Brigade often launch a small-scale counterattack. It was hit by the fire of the direct heavy machine gun from the side, and in many heavy machine gun positions captured, it was found that the bodies of the heavy machine guns and machine gun shooters that had not been destroyed were not even blood.

There is no doubt that the heavy machine guns of the direct army used frequent maneuvers to avoid the fixed-point clearance of the Feng army's mortars, which has reduced the firepower of the heavy machine guns of the direct army, but it has also greatly reduced the combat efficiency of the anti-heavy machine guns that have been extremely efficient in the Feng army.

And the 13th Brigade opposite does not want to be like the direct troops such as the 1st Division and the 1st Mixed Brigade encountered by the soldiers of the 3rd Division before, but only stays passively defend in the trenches. The 13th Brigade not only bypasses the whole brigade to the northern position of the 5th Brigade, but also has no specific small-scale attacks. Launching even one large-scale attack above the company scale, but adopted a large number of frequent tactical roundabout manoeuvres on the front line, often launching attacks from the unexpected side or even behind the Fifth Brigade.

Ordinary soldiers can't figure out what's going on, but those middle and senior officers with some insight can see it at a glance. Many offensive tactics used by the 7th Division, especially the platoon tactics, are almost the most commonly used and best tactics of the Third Division.

"This seventh division, people who don't know this thought it would be our army!" To be honest, this situation makes Kong Guanbei quite depressed. After all, it is quite depressing to let the enemy attack him with the tactics he is best at, and he can't think of any good way to resist.

Today's experience of the Fifth Brigade is similar to that of Wang Zhanyuan's 6th Division in the Tongzhou Campaign and the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division in the Tangshan Campaign. In the face of the enemy's frequent mobile and circuitous attacks, the front-line defense forces can only passively use trenches and heavy machine guns to defend like other troops.

Although this trench defense tactic is still very effective and is very simple to resist the attack of the same number of enemies, it can be said that it is quite difficult for the Fifth Brigade to resist the attack of the whole brigade of Wang Zhanyuan with three battalions.

Unexpectedly, the Fifth Brigade fell into an embarrassing crisis in just two days, which made the group of senior generals almost unbelievable their eyes.

"The Fifth Brigade was hit on both sides? Has the northern flank been broken through and forced to retreat to the main position? Zhao Dongyun looked at the emergency war report, and his first reaction was not to believe it.

He knows very well that the combat effectiveness of the Fifth Brigade is a force that can fight, and if you want to defeat the Fifth Brigade, you need at least three times more old Beiyang troops!

If the 5th Brigade was in trouble because it was attacked by the whole army of the 7th Division, where were the other troops of the 3rd Division? Where is the Sixth Brigade? Why haven't the Sixth Brigade reinforced the front line after two days?

Zhao Dongyun put down the war report: "Where is the Sixth Brigade? Where is it now?"

Yang Deming said, "At present, the Sixth Brigade has gone to Bazhou for reinforcements!"

Zhao Dongyun still frowned and said, "Where was the Sixth Brigade before? Why are you still on the way?"

As the director of the Operations Department, Yang Deming is actually responsible for the operations of the whole Feng army. In other words, Chen Guangyuan's Third Division, which is commanded by his Operations Department, will not directly issue direct operational orders to Gu Lanyu's 6th Brigade, but he still knows the situation of each department well and immediately said: "Three days ago, the Third Division received He was ordered to go south to Bazhou urgently to contain the seventh division of Zhanyuan, the king of hegemony. After the order of the third division, the fifth brigade of its front force went south from Yongqing to Bazhou, and successfully arrived at the outskirts of Bazhou a day later to fight against the enemy of Bazhou. At the same time, the sixth brigade went from Beiguzhuang to Yongqing, especially the department has marched for many consecutive days, so the headquarters of the third division ordered the department to temporarily rest in Yongqing. Yesterday, it was close to the order of the third division to start reinforcements to Bazhou.

As soon as Zhao Dongyun heard this, he said, "Why did the Sixth Brigade stay in Yongqing for two days?"

The rest of the Sixth Brigade in Yongqing is not the kind of rest after being seriously damaged, but just an ordinary rest and supplementary ammunition and food can't wait. Nowadays, the war is so frequent and tense. Basically, it is very luxurious to have this kind of rest time for one day. It is unusual for the Sixth Brigade to rest for two days. .

Yang Deming really didn't know about this matter. He immediately turned over the war reports in his hand, and then said, "The Second Artillery Battalion of the Third Artillery Regiment, which was assigned to the brigade, lost many artillery pieces in the previous war. The Ordnance Department replenished the battalion with four guns. At the same time, the Quartermaster Department was for the artillery battalion and the sixth brigade. The mortar force replenished a batch of shells. When this batch of ordnance was transported from Langfang Station to Yongqing, it took a day longer than expected, causing the brigade to stay in Yongqing for an extra day to wait for this batch of ordnance supplies.

Zhao Dongyun has already understood the situation. The reason why the Fifth Brigade fell into this dilemma is also related to his previous order. At the beginning, in order to leave the 7th Division in Bazhou and ordered the 3rd Division to go south quickly, Chen Guangyuan naturally did not dare to disobey his order. That's why the 5th Brigade was allowed to go south alone.