Quartermasters can also fight the devils

On November 2, 1943, the participating units of the Japanese 11th Army had completed all preparations. As the attack order was issued by Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, commander of the Japanese 11th Army, the various offensive units of the Japanese 11th Army launched a full-scale attack on the defense zone of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese Government from a front line as wide as 200 kilometers.

In accordance with the combat plan formulated before the war, the attacking forces of the Japanese 11th Army lined up from right to left along the line of Wanshi, Mituo Temple, Ouchikou, Shishou and Huarong on the south bank of the Yangtze River. The 39th, 13th, 3rd, 116th and 68th Divisions of the Japanese Army lined up from right to left and launched a fierce attack from their respective starting positions on the line of Xinjiangkou, Mijitai, Zhangtianshi, Baigongzui and Lannigou on the northwest bank of Dongting Cave where the 10th Army and the 29th Army were stationed on the first line of defense of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government.

The main attack direction of the Japanese 11th Army's offensive forces was Wangjiachang in the middle, and the auxiliary support direction was Anxiang in the south. According to the Changde Battle plan formulated by the commander of the Japanese 11th Army, Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, once the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army occupied the line of Wangjiachang and Nuanshui Street in the middle, they could block the troops of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government in the north and the Jiang Defense Army from going south to reinforce the battlefield in Changde.

The attacking force of the Japanese 11th Army occupied Anxiang on the southern route in order to transport the troops of the Japanese 68th Division via the waterway of Dongting Lake to carry out landing operations from the south of Changde in the next stage. This would completely form an encirclement of Changde and at the same time block the troops sent by the Ninth War Zone of the Chinese government to reinforce Changde.

The front-line troops of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government include the 185th Division of the 66th Army of the Tenth Army Group, the Provisional 6th Division and the 98th Division of the 79th Army Group, and the 150th Division and the 162nd Division of the 44th Army of the Twenty-ninth Army Group.

Although there are many unit numbers, none of these units is fully staffed, and there are still a large number of new recruits in the units. Fortunately, the acting commander of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government, Commander Sun, and Chief of Staff Guo of the War Zone had continuously sent telegrams to remind the front-line troops to be ready to fight at any time. This made the front-line Chinese troops prepared. After the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army launched the attack, they relied on the existing defensive positions to fight back vigorously against the fierce offensive of the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army.

Among the various attacking forces of the Japanese 11th Army, the first to launch an attack was the main force of the 11th Army responsible for the central attack, the Japanese 3rd Division.

The Japanese 3rd Division has always been the main attacking force in the combat sequence of the Japanese 11th Army. As Japan's regular Type A first-class division, the quality of officers and soldiers and weapons and equipment of the Japanese 3rd Division are first-class in the Japanese Army. It is also one of the few elite divisions of the Japanese China Expeditionary Force still left on the Chinese battlefield.

However, the Changde Campaign of the Japanese 3rd Division was also the last battle of this unit on the Chinese battlefield, because the Japanese headquarters was ready to transfer the Japanese 3rd Division out of the Chinese battlefield after the Changde Campaign and send it to the Pacific battlefield to fight against the powerful American National Army.

The Japanese Third Division originally had the Sixth Regiment, the Thirty-fourth Regiment and the Sixty-eighth Regiment under its command. However, because the strength of the Japanese Eleventh Army had been stretched to the limit, it was impossible to withdraw the entire Third Division and other divisions to participate in the Changde Battle. These divisions had to allocate one-third of their forces to garrison their original defense zones, so the actual number of troops participating was only two-thirds.

Therefore, the three regiments of the Japanese Third Division participating in the battle only had the strength of two infantry battalions, and the remaining infantry battalion remained in the original defense zone to maintain public order.

On the night of November 2, Lieutenant General San'ao Yamamoto, commander of the 3rd Division of the Japanese Army, ordered his troops to launch a full-scale attack in accordance with the battle plan formulated by Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army. The target of the attack of the 3rd Division of the Japanese Army was the Public Security Bureau ten kilometers away.

A year ago, the commander of the Japanese 11th Army, Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, launched the "Jiangbei Campaign" as soon as he took office. After the 11th Army of the Japanese Army wiped out the 128th Division of the Chinese government in the central Hubei area, the 11th Army of the Japanese Army forced a crossing of the Yangtze River and all of them have moved to the area south of the Yangtze River, completely together with the Chinese army.

The positions and fortifications of the Japanese Third Division and the defensive fortifications of the Chinese Army were intertwined, and the distance between the two sides was very close. Even late at night, the officers and soldiers on the Chinese Army's positions could hear the singing of Japanese officers and soldiers in the positions of the Japanese Third Division.

Therefore, the defensive positions of the Chinese army have actually been completely exposed to the Japanese 3rd Division. There is no secret at all. With the advantage of Japanese artillery, these fortifications built by the Chinese army in the open are just targets. Within one to two hours, they will all be completely destroyed by the Japanese artillery fire.

Under such circumstances, it was obviously difficult for the Chinese army to hold its position under the fierce attack of the Japanese army. However, although the Chinese army was in a very unfavorable situation in defense, the officers and soldiers of the Chinese army still dug and built some things to hinder the advance of the Japanese offensive forces based on the existing conditions in order to make up for their weaknesses. However, these efforts of the officers and soldiers of the Chinese army can only be regarded as their best efforts.

Since the acting commander of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government, Commander Sun, and Chief of Staff Guo of the War Zone determined that the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army might attack southward from the Songzi Zhijiang area, they came up with some ways to block the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army, implement a blocking war, and delay the actions of the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army.

Commander Sun, acting commander of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government, and Chief of Staff Guo of the War Zone ordered the front-line troops to dig and build a blockade project with a depth of about 200 miles from north to south, including the communication road within a range of about ten miles, including the communication road. Every 10 meters, a trench 4 meters long, 2 meters wide and meters deep was dug. When the Chinese army passed through, a small trapezoidal bridge was added, and it was moved away when not in use.

However, if this kind of defensive fortification built by the front-line troops of the Sixth War Zone had been built a few hundred years ago, it would naturally be able to effectively deal with the attacks of cavalry units. Unfortunately, it is now World War II, and the usefulness of this kind of defensive fortifications is very limited.