The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

Chapter 112: The main attack direction of the Japanese army?

At the last moment, reinforcements finally arrived for the Sardin Battalion. A special operations battalion under the Allied First Army launched a barrage of rockets, destroying all armor, vehicles, and artillery fire at Bugan. Hundreds of soldiers armed with automatic weapons, with a hail of bullets, completely defeated the Japanese forces advancing southward to launch a surprise attack on Long Lai. Over 1300 Japanese troops, including Bugan, were nearly completely wiped out in the Morao Valley.

Major Liu Qi, formerly deputy company commander of the 112rd Company, 2nd Battalion, 3th Regiment, and briefly acting commander of the 2nd Battalion, now commands the Special Operations Battalion directly under the Group Army. It was his first time witnessing a British Indian Army unit as brave and tenacious as the Chinese. He was deeply moved. Especially when Sardin led the remaining 30 or so soldiers away in neat formation, a feeling of kinship welled up in Liu Qi's heart.

The top brass of the Japanese 15th Army, including Heitaro Kimura, had never expected that the Allied forces on the southern front would react so quickly. The 1st Division that attacked Longlai did not carry tanks, armor, or heavy artillery. Two of the three infantry regiments actually attacked Longlai, while one regiment continued to move south along the river, attempting to launch a surprise attack on the Chittagong defenders.

However, reality proved harsh for them. The British Indian 27th Division stubbornly resisted their attack. The Longlai temporary airfield played a decisive role. Large amounts of artillery, ammunition, and support troops were continuously delivered. The Allied reserve 9th Division on the southern front arrived just in time. With the support of heavy artillery fire, the 9th and 27th Divisions counter-encircled the Japanese 1st Division's attack on Longlai, completely destroying the Japanese southern outflanking strategy.

Another unit of the Japanese 1st Division entered the lower Kaladan River network and was immediately blocked by the 28th Brigade of the Allied First Army's new 114th Division, advancing northward from the Chittagong-Dalian line. Subsequently, a component of the British-Indian 15th Division circumvented the Kaladan River flank, suddenly cutting off the Japanese retreat. Combined with the defeat of their main force at Longlai, this unit was forced to disperse and retreat into the jungles west of the river, seeking a route back. The vast, pristine jungles of the Bengal alluvial plains inflicted fatal damage on this unit. The unit, which had previously numbered over 3000, returned to the Yedao and Palai lines in Burma a month later, with fewer than a thousand remaining.

After capturing Aizawl, the Japanese 31st and 115th Divisions continued their advance westward and northward. The 31st Division's northward assault along the Aishwarya Highway was met by the British Indian 14th Army. Two tank brigades of the 14th Army launched a counterattack along the western side of the highway, defeating the Kawasaki Unit of the 31th Regiment of the 58st Division at Lagarba. The armored vehicle carrying Colonel Shiro Kawasaki, the commander of the Japanese regiment, was hit, killing several commanders of the 58th Regiment, including the colonel himself.

The 115th Regiment of the 319th Division and the Mountain Artillery Battalion of the 1st Division formed the Sasaki Detachment, commanded by Colonel Hisao Sasaki, commander of the 319th Regiment. They cut into the Alas River to the west, attempting to cross the river to attack Tripura, and then cut off the Tripura to Silchar road, posing a threat to the Allied southern line.

The Japanese actions had effectively disrupted Mountbatten and Wedemeyer's plan to lure the enemy westward and then annihilate them. At the urging of Lieutenant General Slim, commander of the 14th Army, the Allies shifted their strategic deployment, launching a counterattack on the Aizawl front, primarily with the 14th Army, supported by two newly deployed heavy artillery brigades. The 2th and 9th Divisions of Longlai advanced northward along the Ailong Road, attacking the town of Babuya Doba south of Aizawl. On the Tepurang front, the 27th Division, supported by a tank battalion, launched a counterattack against the Japanese Sasaki Detachment, forcing it back east of the Alas River. After capturing Lagarba, the 4th Army advanced along the Aisi Road, closing in on Aizawl.

At this point, the Japanese army's weakness in manpower, firepower, and supplies became apparent. This also allowed Mountbatten and Wedemeyer to discover a peculiar aspect of the Japanese army. The Japanese army revealed the designations of four divisions along the Aizawl front: the 1st, 2nd, 31st, and 115th Divisions. However, their actual strength was much smaller, especially their mechanized units and heavy artillery, which were almost absent.

According to the intelligence collected at the front line, it has now been basically confirmed that the Japanese troops attacking Aizawl were mainly the 31st Division and the 115th Division fighting under the name of the 2nd Division; on the Longlai Line, the Japanese 1st Division actually deployed three light infantry regiments.

The main Japanese forces, the 2nd Division, the 1st Division Tank Regiment, and the 15th Army's direct heavy artillery brigade, had not appeared, which was obviously abnormal. Burmese intelligence personnel also reported a very important intelligence: an unidentified Japanese heavy tank unit had landed in Yangon a month ago and its whereabouts were unknown.

Mountbatten and Wedemeyer urgently convened a meeting of the commanders of the various army groups along the southern front to analyze and discuss countermeasures. Amidst the various opinions, John Strang, commander of the 7th British Indian Tank Division, suggested that the Japanese should be prevented from organizing a surprise mechanized group attack. The Japanese must have had ulterior motives for such a covert mechanized group attack.

Stellan's words awakened Mountbatten and Wedemeyer. Based on the Japanese army's strategic goals in East India, the two immediately determined that the Japanese army's fundamental goal was still Silja!

However, there is no area suitable for large-scale armored cluster assaults east of Silchar. Mountains, hills, jungles, and rivers are all factors that restrict the combat of large-scale mechanized forces.

How would the Japanese army use concentrated mechanized forces, and from which direction would they launch an attack? This not only tested the Allied high command, but also made the commanders present at the meeting bow their heads in deep thought.

The meeting paused briefly, and Sun Liren, who had hurried over from the Jilin-Dalian Line, took the opportunity to reminisce with Yang Hong. During their conversation, the two unknowingly discussed the Japanese army's key attack routes.

Yang Hong's words, unintentionally, sparked the two men's minds. "Commander Sun, do you think the Japanese army will follow Germany's example and circumvent our defenses through the most unlikely Ardennes Mountains?"

The Ardennes region, with its complex terrain, dense forests, and rugged roads, was considered unsuitable for large-scale military operations. The French and Allied forces believed the Germans would not attack from this direction, leaving the region relatively weakly defended. The Germans exploited this psychological blind spot and sent elite troops through the Ardennes. Using rapid assault tactics involving armored units and motorized infantry, they quickly broke through the French defenses.

Mountainous terrain, unfavorable for mechanized movement, blind spots in Allied defenses, and unexpected attacks! The two immediately thought of the same location and hurried to the map to observe it carefully.

The two men's unusual behavior immediately alerted Wedemeyer, and at Wedemeyer's signal, Mountbatten and Wedemeyer approached them. Sun Liren and Yang Hongzheng carefully searched the terrain around Silchar, searching for the enemy and friendly positions, and finally, they both pointed to the low valley between Jurajandpur and Silchar.