introduction
The Seagull General Dai Anlan had mainly commanded two battles in Burma, namely the Battle of Tonggu and the capture of Tangji. Compared with the 12-day Tonggu War, the Battle of Tangji may be a bit "unknown". However, the process and significance of this battle is extraordinary. Misled by misinformation, the 200th Division traveled hundreds of miles (by car) for three days, attacked Tangji at night with a tired division, and conquered it in the form of street battles, ensuring the rear safety of the expeditionary force. Unfortunately, Stilwell and Luo Zhuoying's orders allowed Tang Ji to regain and lose, and only then did he lose Savage Mountain.
First, the British army collapsed at the touch of a button, and the Battle of Binh Manna was cancelled
After the 200th Division withdrew from Tonggu, the High Command of the Expeditionary Force began to plan the Battle of Pingmana, and at the same time ordered the New 22nd Division to block the Japanese army near Yedasi, and Liao Yaoxiang chose the location on the Swa River. The battle was fought very beautifully, and they held back the Japanese army here for more than 20 days, which won enough time for the teams to assemble and deploy. However, at this time, the British army once again "dropped the chain".
The Eastern Front (in the direction of Roi Khao) at the Battle of Binh Manna was the 6th Army, and the Western Front was the Anglo-Burmese Army. The British continued to play out their "fine tradition" on the battlefields of Burma: to collapse at the touch of a button, and to flee for their lives without a single greeting. At the same time, the Provisional 55th Division of the 6th Army was scattered and lost its destination. In this way, the two wings of the 5th Army in the middle of the road were all exposed to the Japanese, and they were most likely surrounded on three sides. The Battle of Binh Manna was no longer realistic, and the Expeditionary Force Commander's Headquarters was forced to cancel it.
While a new battle plan was being drawn up at the Commander's Headquarters, news came that Chokhabatang had spotted a large number of Japanese troops (about 3,000 men) on the Western Front. Stilwell and Luo Zhuoying ordered three regiments of the 200th Division to rush to meet the battle. But in fact, this is a piece of false information spread by the British army!
The British spread false information, and the 200th Division was forced to move to the Western Front
The British retreated all the way to the west of Ren'anqiang, where Sun Liren's new 38th Division was supposed to cover it. The British retreated with not only their families but also a large amount of belongings. Fearing that the sudden appearance of the new 38th Division of the Japanese Army would not be enough to cope, they lied that there was really Japanese troops here, so that more Chinese troops could cover for them.
Upon hearing of this, Du Yuming refused to carry out the order for the following reasons:
First, the new 38th Division was stationed at Ren'an Qiang and did not report the presence of Japanese troops.
Second, the 5th and 66th Armies were spread over a route of more than 300 miles from Binh Manna to Mandalay, and their forces were too dispersed to form an effective fighting force. Now to send the 200th Division to the western front 200 kilometers away, it is undoubtedly a self-destruction of martial arts.
Third, the British were treacherous and could not revolve around them in everything.
In fact, what was more serious than Du Yuming said was the next battle plan of the Japanese army. After the Japanese learned that the expeditionary force had abandoned the Battle of Binh Manna, the 56th Division was sent to attack the 6th Army on the Eastern Front, and after the loss of the Royikao position, Tangji was occupied. What does this mean? Tang Ji was occupied, Lashio was about to be destroyed, and the gate for the expeditionary force to return to China would be completely blocked.
However, at this time, the expeditionary force headquarters was still "exhausted" for the British army. The 200th Division eventually set out for Chokhabadang, and they began a three-day, hundred-mile round trip.
Three or three days of "running" for hundreds of miles, 200 nights to attack Tangji
The 5th Army was a mechanized regiment, with 3 regiments of the 200th Division going to Chokbadang for motor transport. When they arrived, Dai Anlan had the urge to curse. There were no Japanese troops found here, only a group of defeated Anglo-Burmese troops, unhurriedly in the so-called "escape". Dai Anlan knew that the 200th Division had been deceived, so he had to order the team to rest on the spot, eat the meal first, and wait for the next step.
At this time, the commanders of the expeditionary force had learned of Tangji's loss, and they understood the seriousness of the problem, so they ordered Du Yuming to let the 200th Division immediately set off from Joker Beidang and drive to Tangji and conquer it. The 200th Division had just marched all the way to the Western Front, and before it could sit hot, it was going to fight from the Western Front back to the Eastern Front. This round trip lasted for three days, and the mood of the officers and men could be imagined.
Dai Anlan also had a fire in his heart, but he couldn't show it. Tang Ji was at stake in the fate of the entire expeditionary force, and the hearts of the army absolutely could not be affected. Near the time of reaching Tangji, the vanguard and cavalry regiments (motorized teams) of the 200th Division took the lead in encountering the Japanese army, and the soldiers spilled all their anger on the Japanese. As the follow-up teams continued to arrive on the battlefield, Du Yuming also personally took command, and he set up a command post 15 kilometers away from Tangji. With the command of the three armies, the 200th Division quickly occupied the highlands on the west, south and north sides of Tangji, and the rest was Tangji City.
The task of capturing Tangji was given to Zheng Tingji, the infantry commander of the 200th Division and the commander of the 598th Regiment. At this time, it was late, and he decided to lead the officers and men of the 598th Regiment to attack Tangji at night to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese army, and then fight in the street, and the other teams of the 200th Division followed in turn with the 598th Regiment. The battle was extremely fierce: the soldiers of the 598th Regiment fought with the Japanese house by house; the commander of the 599th Regiment, Yanagisaki, after the death of the light machine gunner, personally went into battle to continue shooting despite the guards' obstruction. It was in this way that the 200th Division completely conquered Tangji in such a successive attack.
epilogue
After the recapture of Tangji, if the 200th Division continues to pursue the 56th Division, it is very likely to eliminate it (the 56th Division has become a lone army), at least it can protect Lashio from losing and keep the enemy out of the country. However, the commander's office of the Expeditionary Force insisted on the Battle of Mandalay. In the end, the 200th Division abandoned the newly recaptured Tangji, which also became the beginning of the expeditionary army's nightmare. However, the 200th Division still played the prestige of the Chinese soldiers under various unfavorable factors, and it was worthy of the ace division.