Chapter 412: Counterattack Mandalay (II)

Earlier, the command of the th Division.

Dai Anlan looked at the telegram sent from the front at Jiaomei, where the 598th Regiment of the th Division was stationed, its Regiment Commander Gao Jiren.

Gao Jiren had already sent several telegrams inquiring whether to attack the Meimou Japanese forces.

He thought that attacking now would be a good opportunity.

The lower troops had unusually high morale and could launch an attack on the Japanese forces at any time.

Dai Anlan handed the telegram to Jiang Anguo, who took it and glanced at it.

Gao Jiren spoke earnestly: "The enemy lines are wavering, and the combat aircraft are fleeting. If we do not strike quickly, they may reorganize their defenses, making them harder to shake."

Dai Anlan asked: "Anguo, do you think we should attack Meimou now and open the route to Mandalay!"

Meimou's geographic position is extremely important, guarding the key points of Mandalay and the Shanbang Plateau.

Precisely because of this, the Japanese have stationed a 114th Regiment there.

"No," Jiang Anguo said slowly, "no rush. Wait until my bomber formation has bombed Meimou and Mandalay a few times, then launch the attack."

"Let the 598th Regiment continue to drill Infantry‑Tank Coordination attacks, and tell Hu Xianqun's side that the moment the war starts, we must rally the Expeditionary Force's morale and seize Meimou in one push!"

He pointed to the massive map on the wall: "Look, Meimou sits high above, surrounded on three sides by slopes; the Japanese trenches are layered, and machine‑gun nests hide in Buddha pagodas, civilian houses, and rock crevices. If our army attacks from below, we'll become live targets. One regiment with terrain advantage can hold off two of our regiments."

Jiang Anguo wanted to ensure the strength of his side's forces; his manpower was limited, and even Dai Anlan's side could not suddenly recruit soldiers.

Thus he would conduct costly air raids on Mandalay and Meimou without regard to expense.

However, for Dai Anlan and the th Division's generals, this was their first time using such a tactic; previously Tonggu's counterattack employed no fighters or bombers, only massive howitzers and tanks to strike the garrisoned Japanese.

In the past, receiving a single air support would make ground troops thank the heavens, and they would then launch an attack.

Aerial reconnaissance showed the Japanese had laid extensive trenches in Meimou, clearly to defend against the Expeditionary Force, and Meimou occupied high ground, giving the Japanese the advantage of high‑over‑low.

Jiang Anguo wanted the air force to directly eliminate the Little Devil's advantage.

A Japanese regiment has at least nearly four thousand men, and with the terrain, Jiang Anguo did not want Meimou to become a second Lashu or a Yichang street battle; that kind of fighting would incur huge losses.

It must be taken with the smallest cost.

"So," Jiang Anguo turned and ordered, "Messenger Song Yunfei, William! Carry out the second and third waves of saturation bombing on Meimou, focusing on destroying all high points, Buddha pagodas, and suspected command posts. Bomb until the ground is charred, bomb until the Little Devil doesn't even dare lift his head!"

Behind him, Meng Fanle immediately went to the communications soldier of the st Division to relay the order.

Dai Anlan looked up at the cloud‑filled sky and said, "Anguo, do you think we can still carry out the second wave of bombing? Or should we let the 598th Regiment and Hu Xianqun's tank regiment launch the attack first!"

"At least seize the forward positions."

Jiang Anguo saw Dai Anlan's urgency, but he calmly replied, "The ground troops need not rush; your haste only makes the Little Devil on the other side more frantic. The original plan was two large‑scale bombings of Mandalay each day. Now the weather is unfavorable, so I will have the Ghost Battalion of Lashu under William first eliminate the Japanese air units in Myanmar; that is also a threat to us."

Taunggyi hosts Song Yunfei's bomber squadron; the terrain there is relatively flat, the view open, and bomber takeoffs and landings are very convenient.

Lashu is surrounded by mountains, suitable for fighter takeoffs and landings, making them more flexible.

Mainly there is no other option; Jiang Anguo now has no other airfields, only Lashu and Taunggyi. As for Myitkyina and Bamo airports, those airfields are simply too small.

Not only are the airports small, the terrain is even more dangerous.

If fighters and bombers take off from the same airfield, it not only slows takeoff speed but also reduces bombing efficiency.

Lashu Airport has at least two runways, which can both accommodate the smooth execution of "Plan R" and carry out bombing missions.

Three kilometers south of Mandalay, this is the wartime command of the 18th Division.

Division Commander Mukoda Koya was raging.

"Baga Yalu! The Chinese army is so cunning, lacking martial virtue!" Mukoda Koya grabbed a cup and smashed it on the ground.

Chief of Staff Kurokawa Kunisuke, looking at the devastated Mandalay in the distance, immediately said, "Sir, we should now withdraw our forces from Mandalay; it appears the Chinese hold air superiority and will not limit themselves to just this wave of air raids."

As Kurokawa Kunisuke said, Jiang Anguo indeed would not let his air force stand down.

However, fate here helped the Little Devil in Mandalay avoid disaster; rain began to fall, and Lashu Airport and Taunggyi Airport started to fog up slowly.

But that doesn't matter; as long as an opportunity arises within a day, Jiang Anguo will immediately have the bomber formation take off and continue the bombing mission.

Mukoda Koya calmed down and told the messenger, "Immediately contact the commander in Yangon and have him send troops for support; Mandalay has been attacked by the Chinese army."

"Hey!"

Soon the losses in Mandalay were reported to the 18th Division, and Mukoda Koya's eyes widened, unable to believe the figures he saw.

Just this single bombing caused over 1,600 deaths, and many Burmese civilians also perished in the raid.

At the same time, the 114th Infantry Regiment at Meimou reported grim news, with heavy losses and over a thousand casualties, requesting tactical guidance.

Yangon.

The 15th Army commander Iida Shojirou, upon receiving Mukoda Koya's telegram, was also incredulous that the Chinese had launched a counteroffensive in Myanmar.

The Staff Department believed that the Chinese forces could not mount a counterattack during the rainy season, so the 15th Army had ample time to fortify each city in the defense zone.

However, what Iida Shojirou did not expect was that the Chinese actually launched an offensive in the rainy season.

What puzzled him was why the Chinese ground forces did not launch an attack.

"Order the 113th Regiment to move north to support Mandalay. The rd Division, advance toward Mandalay," Iida Shojirou immediately ordered.

Iida Shojirou could mobilize few troops; the 55th Division had only one regiment left to deploy, one regiment having been annihilated at Tonggu, and another regiment was attacking Morrisby Port in the South Pacific.

The 113th Regiment, stationed at Pingmana, is also the nearest support force to Mandalay.

The current regiment commander, Matsui Shuji, because the commander of the 56th Division, Division Commander Watanabe Masao, is missing, and the 56th Division's designation has been withdrawn by headquarters, now the 113th and 148th Regiments under the 56th Division are directly under Iida Shojirou's 15th Army headquarters.

However, what Iida Shojirou never imagined was that Matsui Shuji, after receiving the order to reinforce Mandalay, did not carry it out but instead continued to fortify Pingmana.