Devil's Army

In this attack on Chaoxian, the Japanese army concentrated its main infantry forces in central and southern Anhui, the entire air force of Anhui and part of the air force of Hubei, and the Japanese fleet in Wuhu and Tongling, but still suffered a Waterloo.

This battle not only failed to drive the devilish troops from Chaoxian and Chuzhou back to northern Anhui, but also resulted in the loss of air superiority over Anhui, and heavy losses to the infantry and fleet.

After the war, the Japanese army retreated to Tongling, Anqing, Wuhu, Xuancheng, Chizhou, Tunxi (now Huangshan) and other places in southern Anhui.

(Yunling in Jing County was the location of the New Fourth Army headquarters. It was a Kuomintang-controlled area, with only a portion of it occupied by the Japanese army.)

The First Independent Brigade, the 15th Brigade, and the Fifth Brigade, which recaptured Anhui, also suffered heavy casualties. The Fifth Brigade, in particular, fought fiercely with the main force of the Japanese army's encirclement and suppression for nearly two weeks.

The troops did not continue to cross the Yangtze River to recover the lost territory in southern Anhui.

Instead, they rested and reorganized on the spot to develop their troops. However, the First Army Air Force, having gained air superiority, frequently crossed the Yangtze River to bomb and strafe Japanese fortifications and strongholds.

This infuriated Commander Kumagai, but he was powerless to do anything about it.

He ordered Commander Hata Shunroku to send reinforcements.

At this point, Commander Hata Shunroku was no longer able to fully attend to Anhui.

Its Jiangxi province has been occupied by the devilish troops from the south, and now they are attacking Hubei together with the devilish troops from Henan province.

To facilitate the recapture of southern Anhui, the First Squadron of the First Army Navy and some small and medium-sized warships of the Qingdao Fleet were stationed in the Yangtze River basin of Dangtu County.

This put great pressure on the Japanese naval fleets in Wuhu, Tongling, and Anqing.

The Fifth Brigade of the First Army, which attacked Anhui, rested and developed in Huainan, Chaoxian and other places.

The First Army's Independent Brigade rested and developed in Chuzhou, Hefei, and other places.

The 15th Brigade of the First Army rested and developed in Shucheng, Lu'an, Lujiang and other places.

To facilitate command of the subsequent campaign to recapture southern Anhui, the command headquarters also moved south to Hefei.

The Anhui Army entered a phase of active preparation for war, while the Japanese army in southern Anhui continuously constructed fortifications and bunkers, entering a defensive phase.

On this day, while the First Army in Anhui was still preparing for battle, Brigade Commander Zhang of the Independent Brigade received a telegram from the New Fourth Army in Jing County, forwarded by Grey Wolf, requesting assistance.

It turned out that in order to avoid fighting on two fronts, the Japanese army intensified its encirclement and suppression of the New Fourth Army in Jing County and the Nanjing government army.

At this time, the various units of the First Army in Anhui were not yet ready to cross the river and had no way to attack the Japanese army in southern Anhui.

In desperation, Brigade Commander Zhang had no choice but to arrange for the air force stationed in Anhui to rush to the rescue.

The First Army Air Force quickly arrived in Jing County to provide reinforcements. They first bombed the Japanese artillery positions.

The attacking Japanese forces lost artillery support, greatly reducing their firepower. The pressure on the New Fourth Army in Jing County was also greatly reduced.

Subsequently, the First Army Air Force launched a fierce strafing and bombing attack on the Japanese and puppet troops who were attacking Jing County.

After the bombing by the air force, the New Fourth Army in Jing County launched a fierce counterattack while the Japanese army was still establishing its foothold and seized the lost territory occupied by the Japanese army in one fell swoop.

The Japanese army in southern Anhui and the New Fourth Army in Jing County entered another stalemate.

In an attempt to break the stalemate, Commander Kumagai mobilized a large force from various regions, pressing forward with overwhelming numbers, and trying to capture Jing County in one fell swoop.

At this time, the First Battalion of the First Army in Hainan, which had already replenished its ammunition, sailed south along the Yangtze River and engaged in battle with the Japanese fleet in Wuhu.

Commander Kumagai, fearing that the devil troops would take the opportunity to attack his major cities along the river, cancelled the plan to encircle Jing County.

They also arranged for the Japanese fleets in Tongling and Anqing to come and reinforce them.