Age of Rebirth

Chapter 82 War in Southeast Asia ([-])

Alexander, the commander-in-chief of the British Army in Southeast Asia who morbidly hated Tang Qiuli, finally tasted the bitter fruit. The Japanese, whom he treated as guests of honor and close allies, did not give him any warning. The region, the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia, carried out a comprehensive raid.

On April 25, the No. 20 First Division of the Japanese Southeast Asian Expeditionary Force, which attacked Yangon, the port city in southern Myanmar, and the [-]th Heavy Infantry Regiment, rushed into the ruins of the southern part of Yangon City. Under the combined attack of naval guns and carrier-based aircraft from the First Fleet of the Navy, the [-]th Brigade of the British Garrison in Burma, which was fortified in the Yangon port area, has already lost more than half of its troops.

Major General Etheridge, commander of the British garrison in Yangon, hastily deployed the troops stationed in the urban area, about 3000 people, at the main stronghold from the port to the urban area. In a hurry, Major General Etheridge would never have imagined that the ally who was close the day before, the sweet brother and sister who were so affectionate, turned their faces in the blink of an eye?

After receiving an emergency call from the Yangon Port Guard, Major General Etheridge couldn't believe it, and loudly reprimanded the guard captain for lying about the military situation, until the bombing of the Japanese plane exploded in the yard of the guard headquarters, splashing mud and air waves, The glass was shattered into pieces, and the Major General himself had a cut in his head unfortunately. [

This time, he believed it. The reason is very simple. Only the Japanese can fight against the British Imperial Army in Yangon. In name, order the Port Guard to stand firm and wait for reinforcements, "The telephone line was cut off before the captain of the Port Guard replied.

Major General Etheridge called a captain's staff and ordered: "Go to the Governor's Mansion immediately and inform Governor Ebsen that the Japanese army has suddenly launched a large-scale attack on Yangon. Please, Governor, organize personnel to evacuate Yangon immediately. Go!" Etheridge knew himself, relying on the strength of the British army in Yangon, it was absolutely possible to prevent the Japanese army from landing at the port of Yangon.

The total strength of the British army in Yangon originally consisted of an infantry division, a motorized mechanic, two mixed brigades of the British and Burmese troops, and a light infantry brigade. The total strength of the British army was more than [-]. It cannot finally prevent the Japanese army from landing, but at the very least it can delay the speed of the Japanese army's occupation of Yangon, fight the Japanese for a few rounds, and buy enough time for the evacuation of the British agencies and expatriates in Yangon.

However, in order to prepare for a large-scale counterattack against the independent division troops entering the Indochina Peninsula, Alexander transferred the British troops of the two divisions to the border area of ​​​​Yunnan and Burma. Yangon almost became an empty city. How long can it last?What's more serious is that the British army did not set up decent fortifications in Yangon at all. It should be said that it was all the fault of Alexander.

Etheridge knew better in his heart that the fall of Yangon was only a matter of time. How long a mixed force of more than 2 British and Burmese could last in the face of the three-dimensional attack by the Japanese army, land, sea and air. A soldier's duty is nothing more than to put it nicely, to resist desperately, but to put it more realistically, it is to linger on and procrastinate for time.

If there is no such thing as Governor Ebsen and his yamen in Yangon, Major General Etheridge has no reason to stick to Yangon. He will lead the troops to withdraw from Yangon to avoid being surrounded by the Japanese army with absolute superiority in strength and firepower. In Yangon, the soldiers are good, but there is no reason to die. Therefore, Major General Etheridge had to grit his teeth and deploy defenses in the south of Yangon.

He ordered to inform Governor Ebsen that the captain's staff was back, and he looked flustered, covered in mud and dust, beautiful military uniform, almost like a rag, very embarrassed, Etheridge's scalp tightened, and he had a premonition Not good, before the staff officer could catch his breath, he hurriedly asked: "Have you notified His Excellency the Governor himself? Have the agencies and the expatriates started to evacuate?"

The staff officer rolled his eyes, eyes full of horror, and replied: "Your Excellency, the Governor's Mansion was bombed and razed to the ground during the first Japanese air raid. Governor Ebsen's whereabouts are unknown. The scene is under investigation." For search and rescue, the Counselor of the Governor's Mansion temporarily acts as the Governor, let me come back and tell the general, please send troops to assist the evacuation of the Governor's Mansion and the overseas Chinese."

When Etheridge heard this, he almost jumped up, and shouted, "What? Send troops to assist in the evacuation? Are you kidding me? My soldiers are all in the south of Yangon, desperately blocking the Japanese army from advancing. There are heavy casualties. At this time, how can any troops Withdraw, you go and tell the staff officer that there is nothing I can do, and the royal army stationed in Yangon can only persist until four o'clock in the morning tomorrow, when that time comes, I will order the troops to withdraw from Yangon."

What Etheridge said was true. By four o'clock tomorrow morning, the British and Burmese troops stationed in Yangon would already be at their limit. In addition to counting the time when the Japanese army stopped attacking at night, he had just received a report from the troops that the Japanese artillery fire and It was violent, like a hail of artillery, falling on the barricades temporarily built by the British and Burmese troops, and the outstanding descendants of Great Britain, mixed with bricks and rubble, turned into flying debris.

Etheridge was flustered, his light blue eyes glowed like ashes, it was only around four o'clock in the afternoon, and there were still twelve hours before the scheduled evacuation time, he sent all the troops in Yangon to After investing in it, he lost a quarter in less than a day, and he almost lost confidence in the four o'clock in the morning he promised.

It has been thirteen hours since the Japanese army began to attack, and Etheridge thought of reporting the news that Yangon was attacked by the Japanese army to General Alexander, the commander-in-chief in northern Burma. In front of him, the British commander, who was both practically and psychologically prepared, was in a mess and did not abandon the city to flee, which is already commendable.

"Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, at [-] o'clock in the morning today, the Japanese army suddenly launched a three-dimensional attack on Yangon by sea, land and air. At [-] o'clock in the morning, the Japanese army landed at the port of Yangon, quickly occupied the port area, and continued to retreat to the center of the city. , I have ordered all the troops in Yangon to go into battle to buy time for the evacuation of government agencies and expatriates. My defensive force is too weak, and I have not built a solid fortification. At that time, we withdrew from Yangon and turned to the Mandalay area."

The situation is extremely urgent. His garrison headquarters is constantly being attacked by long-range artillery from the Japanese army. In addition to reporting this shocking news, Etheridge also told Alexander that I have decided to run away, regardless of your orders. , Don’t make me think about defending Yangon as soon as possible. With such a small force, what can I do to defend Yangon?

From Etheridge's telegram to Alexander, it can be seen that the commander of the Yangon garrison is full of resentment. It is no problem to hold Yangon for a week, but there are two main infantry divisions fully equipped with nearly 3 people!

Moreover, if the motorized infantry division was still there, it would be very convenient for Etheridge to run. The wheels of a car are always faster than two feet. It is no wonder that Etheridge was full of resentment. When he was in the army, Etheridge disagreed. Like his boss, he was not wary of the Japanese. He just felt that Yangon, an important port and an important military base in southern Myanmar, had too few defensive troops. , I always feel that there is no support in my heart.

For this matter, the two also had a small dispute, which was not very pleasant. In the end, the senior officer crushed the person to death, and Alexander ordered to transfer the troops of the two divisions. Etheridge resisted for 36 hours. On the one hand, because of the huge disparity in strength with the Japanese army, on the other hand, it was also to vent the grievances in his heart and make Alexander uncomfortable.

Seeing the telegram, Alexander was even more surprised than Major General Etheridge. He was so surprised that he almost collapsed. Alexander was in Myitkyina for the purpose of commanding and coordinating the various British troops transferred to northern Burma to join forces with the Japanese troops in Savage Mountain. Prepare for a full-scale war against the independent division and regain the lost ground on the Southeast Asian border.

The news of the Japanese attack on Rangoon and Thailand was like a blow to the head. It made Alexander's eyes stare and he wanted to cry. He never thought that the Japanese broke their promises and went to war without declaring. Taking advantage of the main force of the British army, they all concentrated On the occasion of northern Burma, he launched a surprise attack. Alexander thought that he was good enough for the Japanese and had done everything he had to do. [

But why the Japanese still want to attack Southeast Asia, he couldn’t figure it out, and because he couldn’t figure it out, he felt even more aggrieved, grievance, anger, panic, fear, all kinds of complex emotions rushed into Alexander’s mind, never before. At this moment, as the highest military commander of the British army in the Southeast Asian colonies, he was completely confused.

In the headquarters of Myitkyina, Alexander sat dumbfounded for a long time, suddenly jumped up as if his butt was on fire, and shouted angrily: "I want to protest, to make a serious protest to the Japanese government, to protest against this invasion of the British Empire Aggression in overseas territories, Secretary, immediately draft a protest telegram and send it immediately!"

None of the other British officers in the headquarters said anything, let alone acted. They just looked at their commander with pity, protesting?The Japanese war against the British Empire has broken out. Rangoon is fighting fiercely and is about to fall. In Thailand, the Japanese army is attacking like a wave. Within a week, Bangkok will also be lost. At this time, what kind of protest is the commander-in-chief doing!

Insane by the shocking news, stimulated, or kicked in the head by a donkey?The Japanese are determined to capture Southeast Asia, so you can solve it with a paper of protest from Alexander?I protested against Tang Qiuli, but is there any result?The Japanese are not much inferior to that Chinese Tang Qiuli when they move their hands!

(To be continued)

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