Beiyang 1917

() Although the Ukrainian Volunteer Infantry Division still followed the square organization of the 1st Division, 2nd Brigade, and 4th Regiment of the former Tsarist Russian Army, the German-made mg08 machine gun and 7.6cm German-made light infantry mortars have been strengthened to the infantry company level. The rifle in the hands of the Japanese Infantry Division is still the Russian-made Mosin Nagant rifle, but this gun is not inferior to the 13 rifles of the Japanese troops on the offensive side, let alone the soldiers of the [-]th Volga Federation Infantry Division. Most of my rifles are Mosin Nagant rifles...

Speaking of which, the time when Liukin Alexievich Voronievich's troops were equipped with Chinese-style Browning squad machine guns, Browning heavy machine guns, and m60 and m81 mortars was also short. It took more than ten days, not to mention the fact that the number of volunteers is superior, and they have solid and complete trenches and fortifications. The federal infantry who were attacking on the field failed to rush to the attack range of the grenades yesterday. There will be a confrontation with a rifle at a distance of 300 meters....... .

In the fierce battles yesterday afternoon and evening, the losses of both sides were not light, but it is clear that the defenders are barely considered the winners. The first is that the casualties of the German-Ukrainian coalition forces in the air strikes of the coalition air force during the day were not too large. Not too many fortifications were destroyed, and there were only a few hundred more casualties. Of course, this is related to the fact that the coalition air force avoided bombing the city on the first day of operations. Lieutenant General Erlang is also Utsunomiya Taro, the commander of the 3rd Army and the Southwest Front Army. They all regard Kharkov as a city that must be won in the Ukrainian campaign.

The policy of appeasement is often the judgment and result of such considerations. Of course, after being ambushed by the German heavy artillery and the Ukrainian artillery battalion in the city, the ban on air strikes and shelling of urban buildings was completely lifted. Whether Fang's Japanese 3rd Division is angry or judging the situation, anyway, in the air strike of the coalition air force this morning, the circular defense line in the north of the city, the northern city of Kharkov and the central city, those yesterday and yesterday At night, the artillery positions of the defenders were all under special attention and bombing without exception! . .

Of course, the 200-year-old East Ukrainian stone fortress of Kharkov, which stands at the confluence of the Kharkov, Lopan and Yudi rivers, is stronger and more tenacious than the attackers expected. In the large-scale air strikes, only the bomber group consisting mainly of dh4 reconnaissance bombers was dispatched, and the bombs dropped were only slightly stronger than the explosion power of the shells of the 150mm heavy howitzers. The fortification is something that can withstand the bombardment of the 230mm caliber fortress gun...

What's more, the battlefield commander of the defenders, German Major General von Neuhaus, evacuated and arranged the only remaining 1mm Ukrainian field artillery battalion and two 75mm German heavy howitzers to the southern city of Kharkov overnight... This made the coalition forces The air attack launched in the morning barely hit the artillery of the defenders...

On the European battlefield that has been going on for more than 4 years, heavy machine guns and trenches are the only magic weapons for defensive warfare, while artillery is the killer weapon of the offensive side. Of course, the cannons of the defensive side are also critical, not destroying or suppressing the opponent's artillery It is impossible to really hold any position, unless you fill it with human life regardless of casualties... In fact, nearly 70% of the casualties in the European war came from the opponent's shelling instead of machine gun bullets...

In yesterday's attack and defense, the defensive side of the Ukrainian Volunteers 1st Division 1st Brigade suffered about 1800 casualties, including 2 casualties in the ground defense operations on the 1200nd wing, and about 600 casualties caused by the opponent's shelling and air strikes. Therefore, the volunteers The 1st Brigade of the 1st Division was withdrawn by the former enemy headquarters of the German-Ukrainian coalition forces and deployed to the western city. The pressure on the western defense line of Kharkov was relatively minimal. After the river merged into the south along the west city, it became a natural danger, and there was no bridge outside the west city, and the ferry by the river was completely under the control of the artillery and machine gun fire of the defenders...

More importantly, many eddies have formed at the confluence of the Lopan River and the Yudi River, and the banks at the confluence of the two rivers have formed large swamps and swamps due to the flooding of the river... the Jing force of the Japanese 4th Cavalry Regiment on the opposite bank It was all consumed by muddy wetlands and swamps...It is simply a fantasy to expect to build a pontoon bridge or ride a horse to cross and attack the west city...not to mention that the western wall of Kharkov's old city fortress is as complete as the eastern wall Absolutely solid and exceptional.

The Ukrainian Volunteers 1st is the 1st Brigade. Rather than switching defenses to the west city to defend, it is better to say that they withdrew to rest. The 6000st Brigade, which has more than 1 people, still has more than 4000 troops left. Although the morale is high, the casualties are not small. Only less than 1 people were killed in the 1st Brigade of the 500st Division, and most of the remaining 1300 were lightly or severely wounded. You must know that the 139th Regiment of the German elite reserve infantry attacked last night with around 800 casualties, of which nearly 300 were killed. Therefore, the 1st Brigade of the 1st Volunteer Division can be proud that they have grown into a combat-capable force after World War I yesterday.

Simon Petliura, Prime Minister of the Ruling Cabinet of Ukraine, Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the National Army, this guy still has a certain degree of military literacy. He knows that he can’t whip a fast cow. The 1st Volunteer Division and 1st Brigade fought yesterday. No matter how brave and tenacious, under the sharp attack of the opponent's air-ground integrated infantry, the casualties have already reached one-third. The 1st Brigade of the 1st Division defending the circular defense line in the northern suburbs became the 1nd Brigade of the 2st Division...

Kharkov, the most important northern city in Eastern Ukraine, was chosen as the new capital by Simon Petliura, of course because the city’s location is quite important and crucial. The gate, keep Kharkov, then the right bank of the Dnieper River in the south is under the protection of Kharkov...

Kharkov is divided into two parts, the old city and the new city. The old city is the Kharkov stone fortress that has stood for more than 200 years. The south gate of the old city of Kharkov is located on the north bank of the confluence of three rivers. The city walls on both sides of the east and west are intact and towering. The northern city wall of Kharkov's old city fortress is divided into two sections because of the relationship between the entrance and exit of the railway road. The construction was abolished and dismantled. It can also be said that the first line of defense in the north of Kharkov was to form a complete trench fortification to protect the northern city, so it was arranged and excavated at a position about 2 meters outside the city wall...