in2ebook Chapter 277 Huge Changes
Chapter 277 Huge Changes
While Luo Bing was intensively carrying out his operations in Borneo, the 1st and 3rd Armies, commanded by Yang Hong and Liao Yaoxiang, completely captured Iwo Jima after two weeks of fierce fighting. Kuribayashi Tadamichi committed suicide, and 2.4 Japanese troops were annihilated. The expeditionary force also suffered 5000 casualties and over 8000 wounded. The Allied capture of Iwo Jima was even more significant, as it opened the door for Allied aircraft to launch large-scale bombing raids on the Japanese mainland, playing a crucial role in undermining Japan's war potential. It also laid the foundation for the Sino-US Allied offensive against the Japanese mainland.
After only a year of integration, the Huajia army had completed a completely new internal government and military reorganization, and the opportunity to launch a homeland counterattack had arrived. With the Second Expeditionary Force's impressive performance in Iraq, the leadership felt the time had come to further optimize the troops. With Huang Wei and his men's ultimate objectives now clear, the Huajia army no longer suppressed meritorious generals, granting them greater command authority. In November 1944, after much deliberation, the Huajia army issued its latest military reorganization appointments.
Domestically, the original war zones were abolished and reorganized into new ones, divided into the Central, Northern, and Southern war zones. Each war zone had two or more group armies and other auxiliary forces under its jurisdiction, and each group army had 3-4 armies under its jurisdiction.
The Expeditionary Force also underwent a new restructuring. The First Front Army was officially renamed the Marine Corps, comprising the First and Third Armies, and four corps: the 22nd, 47th, 112th, and 113th. The Marine Corps was organized entirely according to the US Army system. This meant that each division under each Marine Corps commanded a staggering 2.5 men, for a total strength of 25. Zheng Dongguo remained the Commander of the Marine Corps, Liao Yaoxiang the Deputy Commander, and Yang Hong the Chief of Staff. All three held the same rank: General.
在中东、北非的第二方面军改编为第三集团军群，下辖陆军第二集团军，第七集团军，计辖第6、28、36、47、54、61、114军共7个军，共计40万人。集团军司令匡正棋上将、副司令王YW上将、参谋长蒲正松中将。
In the Soviet Union, the Third Front was divided into two army groups: the 4st Army Group and the 5nd Army Group. The 9st Army Group consisted of the 47th, 8th, and 17th Armies, commanded by Peng DH, deputy commander Lin B, and chief of staff Ye T, with a total strength of 35. The 10nd Army Group consisted of the 56th, th, th, and th Cavalry Armies, commanded by Huang Wei, deputy commander Fu ZY, and chief of staff Liu BC, with a total strength of .
Above the army group, an expeditionary force headquarters was established, and Wei LH was appointed as the commander. The troops under his command actually included the Third Army Group in the Middle East.
The impact of the First Iraq War was profound. German forces in North Africa were forced to retreat, clinging to the Sinai Peninsula and the Suez Canal. After a month of fierce fighting, the US Eighth Army and other US and British forces ultimately captured the Suez Canal, opening a route from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean. This facilitated the transport of supplies, especially crude oil and other Middle Eastern goods, from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean, significantly reducing Allied losses.
At the same time, the Allies accelerated their military presence in North Africa, especially their strategic air force. A large number of airfields were built, and strategic bombing campaigns against northern Iraq, Türkiye, and Italy began.
In November 1944, according to the Soviet-Soviet agreement, the First Army Group, with the addition of parts of the Soviet Army, became the First Ukrainian Front, while the Second Army Group, with the addition of parts of the Soviet Army, became the Second Ukrainian Front. The primary offensive focus of both fronts was clearly Ukraine. The former Soviet Southern Front was to capture the Caucasus region in the near future, then advance southward from there, joining forces with Chinese, American, and British forces from Iraq to attack Turkey. From this direction, they would then launch an offensive into Eastern Europe.
At the end of 1944, the leaders of the four major Allied powers convened their first summit in Cairo, Egypt, formally reaching agreement on defeating the fascist Axis and, in accordance with the United States' proposal, establishing the United Nations after the war. The conference prioritized the elimination of Japan, an Axis power, embodying the principle of "four powers in one" in the future. The United States agreed to allow the Soviet Union and Britain to participate in the campaign against the Japanese mainland. The Soviet Far East garrison and the Pacific Fleet would join the attack from the north, while some British forces in Australia and Canada would also join the United States in the Pacific theater. The Chinese would begin the initial campaign to recapture their homeland, including the so-called puppet territories of Manchuria.
In late 1944, the three war zones of the Japanese Empire synchronized their operations, with 15 reorganized armies launching offensives from three directions against the Japanese occupation forces and puppet troops. Their primary foes were the 11th Front Army of the East China Expeditionary Force and the Kwantung Army in Manchuria. The Kwantung Army, divided into two fronts, boasted a combined strength of over 80 men and possessed considerable combat effectiveness, particularly with the Type 10 and Type 11 tank destroyers, modeled after the German Panther. Unfortunately, the Japanese Army was short on steel, producing fewer than 500 tanks and tank destroyers, barely enough to form a tank corps. They deployed this force entirely in North Manchuria, bordering Manchukuo's Far East, attempting to counter the 33rd Group Army of the Japanese Northern War Zone.
Unfortunately, the Japanese army clearly misjudged the strength of the reorganized 33rd Tank Army. Formed with a core of veterans recovered from Soviet battlefields, this brand-new army boasted a large number of American tanks and armored vehicles. Furthermore, with support from the United States, the newly built arsenals produced rocket launchers and assault guns. Specifically designed to counter the Kwantung Army, the 33rd Army comprised four corps: three tank and armored corps, and one mechanized infantry corps. Each corps was reinforced, boasting four to five divisions, for a total strength of a staggering 4 men. In the Northern Theater, the 3th Air Force, established with American assistance, boasted over 1 aircraft of various types. Its equipment and firepower far surpassed those of the Japanese and puppet forces in northern Manchuria. Moreover, after a year of preparation, it awaited the command from the Supreme Command to storm northern Manchuria and deliver a crushing blow to the Japanese.
Huang Wei and other senior generals made a rare return trip to China to attend the first meeting of senior officers from various theater commands and army groups convened by the Supreme Command. Huang Wei, Kuang Zhengqi, Yang Hong, and other senior generals gathered together. Most of the senior officers had been replaced by young, combat-savvy commanders, and for a time, the temporary capital was ablaze with stars.