Quartermasters can also fight the devils

Prepare to cut off the Longhai Railway Line to prevent the Chinese army in Shaanxi Province from effectively supporting the Luoyang area.

Therefore, the Japanese "Heavenly Army" also occupied Mianchi after the attack on May 12. The Longhai Railway Line was completely cut off by the Japanese attacking forces. At the same time, the Japanese attacking forces captured a large number of weapons, ammunition, bedding and equipment from the military supply train of the Chinese Army.

Then, the Japanese "Tianbingtuan" immediately crossed Mianchi and divided into three groups, heading eastward along the Longhai Railway Line; at the same time, troops were sent to attack Yiyang; another attacking force of the Japanese army attacked along the west of the Longhai Railway Line.

After the attacking force of the Japanese First Army in Shanxi Province crossed the Yellow River to the south, the operational plan of Deputy Commander-in-Chief Tang of the First War Zone of the Chinese government to encircle the Japanese attacking force in the Luoyang area was completely shattered. In addition, the loss of Longmen Heights and the slow movement of Deputy Commander-in-Chief Tang's own main force on the west side of Luoyang City were also caused.

As a result, the main force of the First War Zone of the Chinese government, which was originally assembled in Luoyang and Yanshiping by Deputy Commander Tang to attack the Japanese attacking forces, turned into a pincer attack on the Chinese army by the Japanese attacking forces from the east, west and south.

Under such circumstances, the troops of the First War Zone of the Chinese government were also in a panic. The main forces of the Chinese army retreated to the valley area of ​​​​the Luo River and Luoning, leaving Luoyang an isolated city.

The First War Zone of the Chinese government divided the defense in the suburbs of Luoyang into two parts, north and south, with the Longhai Railway Line as the boundary. In the north of the city, with Shangqing Palace and Baimapo as the center, anti-tank trenches and concrete firing points were built using trenches.

At the same time, anti-tank trenches and concrete firing points were built in the southern part of Luoyang City, and many bunkers were built in Luoyang City. Moreover, all the fortifications in Luoyang City were connected by tunnels, forming a relatively solid defensive position.

In March 1944, military advisers from the United States Army came to guide the improvement of defensive fortifications. The Chinese army also made full use of hillsides, cliffs, trenches and houses to build shooting positions and constructed hidden firepower points with concrete or bricks.

The Chinese army used trenches, communication trenches and tunnels to connect various defensive positions, and laid a large amount of barbed wire on the ground. It can be said that the city defense is strong. However, there are only 14,000 Chinese defense forces in Luoyang City.

The specific defense deployment is that the 64th Division of the Chinese government is responsible for defending the Xigong District, the 65th Division of the Chinese government is responsible for defending the Mangling District, and the 94th Division of the Chinese government is responsible for defending the urban area.

On May 8, the highest level of the Chinese government also sent two telegrams to instruct the defense forces in charge of Luoyang: (1) The garrison forces in Luoyang and its vicinity should defend the area for ten to fifteen days. (2) The Luoyang city defense forces should prepare sufficient radio stations. (3) Luoyang should store more food and ammunition, and pay attention to street fighting equipment. (4) The Luoyang city defense forces should pay attention to land and air communications.

On May 9, 1944, more than 100 tanks of the 3rd Tank Division of the Japanese Army, with the cooperation of infantry, cavalry and artillery, attacked northward along the highway from Longmen and launched a fierce attack on the guard positions of the Chinese troops in Anlewo, Rujiaao and Taoyuanzhai.

Another Japanese attacking force, with the support of 60 tanks, crossed the river near Sanshan Village and launched an attack on the Chinese troops in Xinglongzhai and Qilihe. On the morning of May 10, they successfully captured the defensive positions of the Chinese troops in these places.

On the morning of May 11, the Japanese offensive forces launched an attack on the Chinese army on the outskirts of Luoyang City. The Japanese offensive forces once again adopted the tactic of outflanking the Chinese army's flank. The fierce fighting lasted until the early morning of the next day, when the Japanese offensive forces occupied Qilihe.

On the same day, another Japanese offensive force launched a fierce attack on the southeast of Luoyang, but the Chinese defenders successfully repelled this Japanese offensive force by relying on mines buried in front of the defensive positions and fierce artillery fire.

After dark, the Japanese attack force focused its attack on the west gate of Luoyang City. With the support of more than 30 tanks, the Japanese attack force finally broke into the southern position of the west city at noon on May 13. However, under the artillery bombardment of the Chinese defenders, the Japanese attack force was unable to deploy its troops.

As a result, the Japanese attacking forces and the Chinese army launched a brutal street battle in the Xiguan area of ​​Luoyang. The officers and soldiers of both sides fought for house by house. The Chinese army responsible for defense also fully exerted its firepower. The officers and soldiers used grenades to bomb the Japanese attacking forces outside the positions, causing considerable casualties to the Japanese attacking forces.

At dawn on May 14, the Japanese offensive forces launched a general attack on Luoyang. On May 17, under the cover of artillery and smoke bombs, the Japanese offensive forces successfully destroyed the Chinese army's defensive positions in the west of Mangling. The Chinese army was forced to retreat to the line of Yuecun, Shijiagou and Hougou.

The defensive positions of the Chinese army in the Shangqing Palace and Xisi Po areas came under fierce attack from Japanese heavy artillery and aircraft during the battle on May 19, but the defensive positions of the Chinese defenders remained unmoved.

At the same time, the battle between the Japanese attacking forces and the Chinese army at Xisipao lasted for four days and nights. Until the night of May 21, the Japanese attacking forces concentrated their troops and, under the cover of the tank troops, launched another fierce attack on Hougouzhi, Shangqing Palace, Shijiagou, and Xisipao.

The First War Zone Command of the Chinese government saw that the current war situation was too bad, so in order to prevent the Chinese army from being surrounded by the Japanese offensive forces, it ordered the defensive troops to retreat to Luoyang City and continue to hold on.

On May 23, 1944, Lieutenant General Uchiyama Eitaro, commander of the 12th Army of the Japanese Army, also came to the outskirts of Luoyang in person and personally commanded the offensive forces of the 12th Army of the Japanese Army to carry out siege operations.

At one o'clock in the afternoon on May 24, the Japanese attacking force, with the 63rd Division and the 3rd Tank Division as the main force, launched a general attack on Luoyang City.

The attacking forces of the Japanese 12th Army first concentrated a large number of artillery and aircraft to bombard the western wall and northeast corner of Luoyang City. Then the commander of the Japanese 12th Army, Lieutenant General Uchiyama Eitaro, sent infantry troops to follow up the assault.