Chapter 452

With the roar of "attack", a new war began in the Far East. A group of small Japanese troops with leggings and light yellow uniforms set out on the vast plains of Mongolia and started the battle of Nomenkan.

This is a war that Japan, as an axis power, has decided with Germany for a long time. In accordance with the cooperation commitment of both sides, Japan should have started this agreed war as early as half a month ago. However, the Japanese base camp played a trick. They delayed the war until today, because it was only today that they confirmed that Germany had won the battle of landing in Britain. Just a few hours ago, the new British government in Canada announced the downfall of Churchill's regime in London.

Even for partners, the relationship between countries is so strange. Every country is always happy with the icing on the cake, but few people give timely help. Not all countries are willing to take the risk of standing in advance, but once the outcome is determined, some countries need to make a decision, and the number of allies will be numerous overnight.

On the day when Churchill was abandoned by the British government, Spain declared war on Britain and started the war of gibraltarian. Franco mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops to attack British gibraltarian area. Although no substantial progress has been made because of the counterattack of the British garrison, the sad atmosphere of falling trees and scattered monkeys has indeed shaken the determination of the United States to participate in the war.

Now it's not a simple matter to take action against Germany. Looking at the long list of countries on the axis group list, President Roosevelt's mood is a little sad: Germany, Italy, Japan, Romania, Spain, Vichy, France, Ireland... If not, Turkey and Finland. Although these countries don't look very powerful even when they are added together, there are many ants that kill elephants after all.

Moreover, there are not many potential allies of the United States: Chamberlain in the north of Britain is competing with the British royal family in Canada for the command of orthodox Britain; On the Chinese side, although the United States has been assisting, chairman Jiang has been secretly flirting with the Germans; It's hard to say that the Soviet Union has not formally entered the war and left; Charles de Gaulle's French government in exile firmly supported the US Declaration of war against Germany - but they did not even have decent combat troops.

Therefore, in such a situation that the result is almost certain, the northward faction of the Japanese army has the upper hand. After a series of analysis, the base camp decided to play Soha with both sides this time. As a result, the Japanese army's operational plan was divided into two parts. A good operational plan of going north to attack the Soviet Union turned into a crazy gamble of going north and South at the same time.

After Spain declared war on Britain, Japan also prepared to declare war on Britain. The Japanese Navy will be responsible for covering the Japanese troops in the South attacking Hong Kong and seizing the British colony in South Asia. At the same time, Japanese troops from Vietnam moved into Myanmar and attacked British troops in Myanmar.

Of course, the Japanese Kwantung Army mobilized an army's combat forces to attack Mongolia northward to test the reaction of the Soviet Union. If the Soviet Union entered Outer Mongolia to fight against the Japanese army, the Japanese army would try its best to defeat the Soviet Red Army and recreate the glory of the Russo Japanese war.

This battle plan seems to be extremely arrogant, but it has the consideration of the Japanese base camp. After some discussion, they think that this plan is comprehensive and effective, and it is a more efficient expansion action, which is fully in line with Japan's future development strategy.

Why do you say that? Because the Japanese Army thought that the Soviet Red Army was vulnerable, they were sure to defeat the Soviet Far East army. This self-confidence comes from many aspects, such as the Russo Japanese War, which marked the official rise of Japan; For example, the poor performance of the Soviet Red Army during the Soviet Finnish war, and the ugly behavior of the Soviet Army during the two Soviet Polish wars.

Therefore, Japanese high-level officials think that this exploratory attack on the Soviet Union is likely to look like this: the great Japanese Imperial Army entered Outer Mongolia, and the Soviet Red Army was forced to fight. After the first World War, Japan won and began to pursue after the victory. Then Outer Mongolia became Japan's treasure, and places like Vladivostok would become Japan's territory.

Since we are so optimistic, the idle Navy and the southern army can't continue to be idle. It's only reasonable to find something to do, right? So the Japanese Navy, which has been at loggerheads with the army, put forward its own "grand strategy" -- isn't your army going north to the Soviet Union? Our navy is going south to kick the British and American ass! If you mess with the Soviet Union, I'll smoke the United States! We must not weaken the momentum of the Navy and be robbed of the limelight by the army!

So in Japan's strategy of going south, attacking Hong Kong, invading Singapore and attacking Myanmar are just appetizers. The insistence hidden in the heart of the Japanese Navy is actually to pick the Philippines, slash Malaysia, and trample on Australia to kill the United States. You little Italy has such ambition. Just want to turn the Mediterranean into an inner lake of the Roman Empire, are you satisfied? You see how awesome our Japanese Imperial Navy is. We should take the whole Pacific Ocean as our emperor's bathtub!

More than 90% of Japanese soldiers think that the Soviet Red Army is vulnerable. More than 70% of the Japanese commanders did not know the situation of the Soviet Red Army at all, so they confidently declared that one Japanese division could win three Soviet divisions.

So on March 15, the 23rd division and the 7th Division of the Japanese Kwantung Army arrived at the border between China and Mongolia, and then opened the prelude of the war between Japan and Russia.

"General Komatsu, the Japanese army seems determined to win this time. How much do you know about this battle?" A reporter with the army, holding a notebook in his hand, asked lieutenant general Komatsu Hara, the top commander of the Japanese front line, who was standing on the hillside to watch the 23 division winding forward. This lieutenant general komatsuhara is a military officer of the Japanese Embassy in the Soviet Union and a Soviet general in the Japanese army. He is well deserved to be the commander-in-chief of this offensive. Komatsuna, with his hands on his back and his slender Japanese sword hanging around his legs, looks like a general. For this battle, the Japanese Kwantung Army has prepared the whole three divisions of the 1st tank division, the 7th Division and the 23rd division. If he can't win again, Komatsuna estimates that he will kill himself. Judging from his earlier observation of the Soviet Red Army, although he could not blindly and optimistically say that one Japanese division was the top three divisions of the Soviet Union, he felt that the three Japanese divisions were very sure to fight against the three or four divisions of the Soviet Union. So komatsuhara said to the Japanese reporter with a smile: "there is no saying that the war is bound to win, but this time Japan will not lose!"“ Ah, general, congratulations on the victory of the Japanese Imperial Army. " Naturally, the reporter wrote down the general's words and flattered himself. On March 16, the Japanese front-line investigation troops made contact with the Soviet Red Army for the first time. Both sides immediately launched a fierce battle. Komatsuna gave the front to his 23rd division, ordered the 7th Division and the 1st tank division to make a detour northward attack, cut off and isolate the Soviet troops in the front of the 23rd division. On the morning of the 17th, when the Red Army of the Soviet Union was defeated, the Japanese army's telegram of victory flew to Tokyo like snow. The most outrageous telegram claimed that "5000 people of the Soviet Red Army were killed and an unprecedented victory was achieved." However, Komatsu's own telegram denied the exaggerated results. He truthfully reported the results of the day: defeated the Soviet army, killed 270 Soviet soldiers and captured 4. This victory made Moscow angry. The angry Stalin replaced the front-line commander-in-chief of the Soviet Red Army in the Far East, and gave the command to Zhukov, a few of the remaining Soviet senior commanders. As soon as Zhukov took office, he redeployed his combat plan and expanded the scale of the battle. The Soviet Far East invested more combat troops, and the battle of Nomenkan broke out in an all-round way. When a large number of Soviet armored forces entered the battlefield, they immediately showed the power to frighten the Japanese Army - the Soviet armored forces were half of the apprentices who were abused by German tanks in Poland. To deal with the "old cars" of the Japanese army was like killing chickens with ox knives, which made the Japanese tank troops learn how to behave in an instant. The Soviet Union was battered to pieces by German Leopard tanks. The performance of T-26 tanks was much better than that of Japanese tanks. As a result, after a series of improvements, the thickness of front armor was strengthened, and it became the enemy of Japanese tanks. Some Russian tank soldiers finally found the feeling when German tanks slaughtered them in the past, and set a brilliant record of one tank destroying several Japanese tanks. A T-26 tank which was destroyed by the Japanese army because of the fault was transported back to Shenyang. It was immediately regarded as an artifact by the Japanese chariot designers who came to watch. A designer touched the fragile cardboard armor of the T-26 in front of the German tank gun and couldn't help sighing: "the armor thickness of this kind of tank is very worthy of our Japanese learning and imitating." Of course, following the example, the battle of Nomenkan will continue, but the Japanese army, like another time and space, was beaten by the Soviet Red Army under Zhukov's command, and returned to its place of departure. Even Puyi, the "emperor" of the puppet Manchukuo, knew that the Soviet artillery was so powerful that even the Japanese could not be provoked. The result of the battle did not come out of akkado's expectation at all. Japan lost more than 5000 people, abandoned its armor and returned to China. Zhukov played better than he thought, and the Soviet Union probably lost 5000 people. The puffed face of the Japanese army no longer talked about going north, and the Soviets temporarily delayed their attack on Germany. Stalin and the high-level officials in Moscow paid more attention to the Far East.