LEBENSRAUM
June 2nd 1938 – January 1st 1939
NEW POST MAY 28th
NORTH AMERICA SERIES GAME #3
Players (9/10): AXIS (Germany, Italy, Japan & Hungary), ALLIES (UK, USA, France & Nationalist China), KOMINTERN (USSR)
DIARY OF A CHINEESE WAR LORD
THE 1st CHINESE OFFENSIVE: XEIBE SAN MA
Chiang Kai-shek Diary
July 1938
In May, young Commander Sou-Zshang was able to cut the Japanese lines and isolate 3-4 Japanese mountain divisions between Yunnan and our lines. In July, I ordered him to clear those pockets and secure the mountains of Xeibe San ma. The combats in the pockets lasted more than I thought. But within three months, we finally got rid of those pockets. The Japanese tried to save those troops, by attacking on the border (Liangzhen province) but we hold the position. First, they came with aggressiveness. Then, with despair.
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This campaign was well executed. Our airplanes scattered Japanese troops and harassed their supply lines on a daily basis throughout June and July 1938. We must have destroyed a hundred trucks and killed thousands of mules and horses in the process. This is a victory. My guess is that we killed more than 50 000 elite soldiers of the Emperor in those pockets. My “peasants” did well. The strength of the will prevailed.
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This success can be the key to others. I ordered Sou-Zshang to keep pressuring the Japanese. They shall not rest. Our troops shall ambush them. They shall enter Japanese territory every night and bring fear and terror. Sapping Japanese moral by any means and then wait for the opportunity shall be our only and true goal.
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The opportunity will come…
THE 5th JAPANESE OFFENSIVE: ZHENGZHOU OR NANJING?
Chiang Kai-shek Diary
August 1938
The offensive on Zhengzhou was a diversion… A diversion !!! It masked their real offensive on Nanjing… What a fool I was. I should never have believed Chief of Staff Jiang Baily. This Japanese agent… or is he?
This is the first time I do not follow my instincts and here we are, on the verge of a disaster.
They came in force this time. They broke 3 lines of defense in a row. They are in the suburbs of Nanjing. I can hear the echoes of their cannons. Smoke is filling the horizon. This morning, I reviewed our last line of defense. The city has been converted into a fortress. The enemy waves shall break on it, like water on reef.
They broke three ;ines but it took them time to do so… I was able to gather troops. Tons of them. I can count on more than 600 000 men around Nanjing to sustain casualties and drain the enemy. I will rotate them. When a first 60 000 will be exhausted by the fighting, I shall ask another one to take its place and withdraw those units. Then, when the Japanese will be exhausted, I shall order a swift counter attack. Something that will hurt them. They are aggressive but there must be a weakness in their deployment.
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2 weeks of fighting so far. A lot of advances and retreats. Somekind of a tango. The situation is unclear. The Japanese came close to take the city. Combats took place in the suburbs, but we prevailed. The Japanese offense came to a halt. I still did not find their weakness. But we managed to stop them.
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Fighting is still ongoing. There is no clear winner. But I can feel it. The Japanese will break soon. It is time to call the reserves in and launch our offensive. We shall go along the coast, to isolate the main Japanese army North of Nanjing. At the same time, we shall cut their lines in Ganyu. This is their weakest spot. By doing so, I will trap more than 15 Japanese divisions between Ganyu and Nanjing, along the coast and inland.
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Our counter attack is underway. From the first reports I got, the Japanese lines broke very quickly. They can foresee their future and they are running. They want to get out of the trap. But it is too late. Too late, unless we fail to implement my plan. Or should I say, “Unless someone fails to implement my plan”. That’s more like it. How could I fail to implement my own plan? I did not take direct command of this offensive to fail. Chief of Staff Jiang Baily is out. I asked him to oversee the transit of reinforcement to the main front. This way, he can’t fail me. I will not forget his betrayal, but I will deal with him later. Now is not the proper time. China is at stake.
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3 weeks of fighting and we did some marvelous work. First, we managed to kill 6 divisions in a pocket North of Nanjing. That’s about 72 000 men. Then, we managed to break through the enemy lines in Ganyu like I planned. The Gods favor us. From there, we can free the Quingdao Peninsula, retake Jinan and disrupt Japanese lines all the way back to the Yellow River. This is too good to be true. I can’t believe we did it. The Emperor is probably thinking the same… Hahaha ! His troops are like ripe tomatoes in my hand… I shall crush them.
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Jinan has been freed. The Japanese lines are disrupted and they began their retreating movement. As they were doing so, our troops pushed forward. The front is moving. Will I succeed in pushing them back to the Yellow River?
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I even have troops near Quingdao by now, but Japanese landed new expeditionary forces in there. So we will not prevail. We made real progress. We went up to 1 or 2 provinces into Japanese controlled territory. Clearly, we hurt them. I know we encircled and kill a couple of other divisions, but reports are unclear.
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End of the month. The Japanese were able to stabilize their front. They retook Ganyu and re-establish the link with the remnants of their main forces North of Nanjing. We were not able to push them back up to the Yellow River. Neither were we able to definitely pocket all their main attack force. It was probably too much asking.
But the front lines moved East and Japanese left the East Coast near Nanjing. They will come back. They have to. But not now. We clearly prevailed. The next time, they will be more cautious and they will secure their lines. So a similar counter attack won’t work. I will have to thing about something else… Something sneakier… Hahaha ! Sneakier…
Battle for Nanjing
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=e6af355183388b4a#cid=E6AF355183388B4A&id=E6AF355183388B4A%21210
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=e6af355183388b4a#cid=E6AF355183388B4A&id=E6AF355183388B4A%21207
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=e6af355183388b4a#cid=E6AF355183388B4A&id=E6AF355183388B4A%21205
(1) Click to enlarge the pictures.
CHAN SHACKUAN TREACHEROUS ACTION
Chiang Kai-shek Diary
October 1938
Admiral Chan Shackuan, bold and impetuous, ordered the Navy to seek and destroy Japanese merchants’ ships in the Ryukyu Sea. At first, the trio of ships, (Yung-Swei, Chao-Ho and Hai-Chen) were quite successful, sinking unescorted ships as the old Junk Rig Pirates. Who would have thought so? The IJN had left the Sea wide open to our raiders. Well, for the time being as I doubt Yamamoto will let Admiral Chan Shackuan make a fool of the IJN.
But this was a nice surprise. A very nice one indeed.
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I received a bad news today from Chan Shackuan. The fleet was intercepted and sunk by the Japanese. It was first able to reach safe haven in Shanghai but the Fool ordered the fleet to break the blockade. If I had no confidence in him, I would say he gave that order on purpose.
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This is getting annoying. Every morning, I keep asking myself why Chan Shackuan ordered the fleet out. We have nothing left, except an old cargo rusting in the British port of Hong-Kong. Yeah, my trick worked well, until Chan Shackuan spoiled it. Our fleet was safe from Japanese attack in Hong-Kong. Out of our ports. Out of Japanese sight. But he had to sneak out and make some stupid decision of his own. Why?
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This failure of Chan Shackuan is a stain. China glorious victories on the battlefield cannot afford to be affected by such a despicable action. Chan Shackuan must have done this on purpose. Was he acting alone?
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My first good night of sleep in a week. Yesterday, Chan Shackuan was killed while inspecting our last cargo in Hong-Kong. I ordered Chen Lifu, the Chief of our secret service, to make sure he would not survive the little surprise I organised in his honor: the scuttling of his last vessel. It shall be his tomb. May he rest in peace at the bottom of the sea.
Now, I shall replace him with another man of confidence… Maybe Zen Yiding? He does not know anything about the sea, but he is an expert at organising shipping. An accountant at the head of the Navy. That shall do for the time being. Let’s name that fellow.
THE 2nd CHINESE OFFENSIVE: RAIDING BEIPING
Chiang Kai-shek Diary
November 1938
Opportunity comes to the one who shows patience.
Commander Sou-Zshang finally reported the news I was waiting for. There is a weakness in the Japanese lines East of Xeibe San ma. A weakness we can exploit to raid through Japanese lines in order to disrupt their supply lines. I can’t believe this opportunity comes to us again. Twice in the last 4 months in fact.
I sent a sealed letter to the Commander: send 2 divisions through Japanese lines, raid and destroy everything, up to Beiping if possible. Beiping… this old city previously owned by Xanghi. I could not dream of a better way to wear down Japanese will to fight.
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I’m waiting for news. 3 days and still no news of Commander Sou-Zshang. Has the letter been intercepted? Was my order misinterpreted? Did the mission fail?
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At last, a messenger came in today. Reports are from first hand as the Commander himself came to tell me a story our children and grandchildren will talk about in a 100 years from now.
The assault was done during the night. 5 divisions made a frontal assault on the Japanese positions in Otog Quianqi, a previously Communist China held fief. By midday, the mountain division broke and the Commander was able to send through 2 divisions. Soon, the 2 divisions split themselves into smaller units of 1 or 2 brigades each. And they began their work of raiding behind the enemy lines. Disrupting supply lines. Destroying supply depots. Burning amunitions and fuel. Even taking an airport and destroying a few planes on the ground. Most OPS took place during the night, as Japanese, quite stunned at first, soon took steps to control the situation. The units were ordered to avoid direct contact. To keep on skirmishing behind enemy lines.
By November 18th, they entered Beiping. They were welcomed as heroes. Heroes of a new China. My new China. A unified China.
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Of course, they were all dead a week later. But they fulfilled their duty: to bring hope to a devastated China; to deliver fear to a hated enemy; to break the confidence of the Emperor.
Xeibe San Ma Offensive
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=e6af355183388b4a#cid=E6AF355183388B4A&id=E6AF355183388B4A%21211
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=e6af355183388b4a#cid=E6AF355183388B4A&id=E6AF355183388B4A%21209
(1) Click to enlarge the pictures.
To be continued…