Chapter 356: The Battle of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Thailand (I)

Chiang Kai-shek thought so much, and in a moment, he looked at President Roosevelt calmly and tried to answer Roosevelt in a calm tone. "Mr. President, I am very happy that China can participate in the handling of Japan with the United States. We China are willing to govern the Ryukyu Islands and station troops in Japan after the war. I believe that China and the United States will definitely become the closest friends!"

President Roosevelt looked at Chiang Kai-shek excitedly, and he also noticed Chiang Kai-shek's ambitions flashing in his eyes. President Roosevelt looked at Chiang Kai-shek meaningfully, with a trace of playfulness in his deep and wise eyes, "I believe that China will always be a friend of the United States!"

In the subsequent meeting, President Roosevelt also asked the Chinese Expeditionary Force to continue to march towards Southeast Asia and cooperate with the US military's attack on the South Pacific battlefield. The British Prime Minister Churchill was not interested in this proposal, and the British army would not launch an attack on other Southeast Asian countries outside Myanmar.

Chiang Kai-shek immediately stated that the mission of the Chinese expeditionary force was not over and would cooperate with the US military to attack Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and other countries, attack Taiwan and Ryukyu all the way, and finally capture the main island of Japan.

President Roosevelt was very grateful to Chiang Kai-shek for his statement, saying that all war materials of the Chinese Expeditionary Force were provided by the United States, and that the Chinese Expeditionary Force and the British 14th Army will be commanded by General Stilwell to attack Thailand and other places. The 10th and 14th Air Force of the United States will continue to cooperate with the Chinese Expeditionary Force and the British 14th Army to fight for air supremacy in the war zone.

In order to increase the counterattack on the Chinese battlefield, President Roosevelt promised to equip China with a total of 120 divisions of American weapons and 600 American fighter jets before December 1944. These weapons will be transported directly to Yangon, then transported to Lashio by railway, and then transported to China via the Yunnan-Burma Highway.

Chiang Kai-shek became much smarter this time. He first thanked President Roosevelt for his support, and at the same time proposed to ask the United States to assist a batch of military industrial machines and raw materials to China to enhance China's military production capacity. He also urged President Roosevelt to send military personnel to help train the Chinese army.

President Roosevelt thought for a moment and happily agreed to Chiang Kai-shek's request, promising to send a military advisory team to China to help train the ** army.

Chiang Kai-shek planned to set up a training camp in Guilin, Kunming and Guizhou to train officers and soldiers, receive American weapons, and prepare to welcome the major counterattack of the War of Resistance against Japan with a new attitude.

On November 26, the heads of China, the United States and Britain signed the Cairo Declaration, clearly declaring to the world that China, the United States and Britain will fight against Japan to the end. The Declaration sets the basic framework of the post-war world order, and China participated in the reconstruction of the post-war order as a major power for the first time.

On November 27, Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram to the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Cairo, commending the expeditionary force for China's national prestige in foreign countries, and also called the Chinese Expeditionary Force to be prepared to continue the battle. In the telegram, Yue Hanping ordered the Chinese Expeditionary Force to cooperate with the US military's counterattack in Southeast Asia. The Chinese Expeditionary Force's offensive routes were Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Taiwan, Ryukyu Islands, and Japan.

In Yangon, the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Expeditionary Force (already moved from Mandalay), Chiang Kai-shek's telegram was circulated one by one by one by Chinese generals. With the telegram, the Chinese generals were all excited and extremely excited. Not only because of the release of the Cairo Declaration, but also because the achievements of the Chinese Expeditionary Force were recognized by the heads of allies. The Chinese Expeditionary Force will carry out a larger-scale military operation as a strategic mobile force of the Allied forces.

According to Chiang Kai-shek's order, Yue Hanping prepared to launch the Battle of Thailand in early 1944, drive the Japanese army out of Thailand and force Thailand to become a member of the anti-Japanese alliance. In order to ensure the smooth arrival of American aid to China, Chiang Kai-shek and Churchill discussed that the 8th Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force was stationed in Lashio and protected the Yunnan-Burma Highway.

The troops used by the Chinese Expeditionary Force for offensive operations include the New 1st Army, the 66th Army, the 6th Army, the New 6th Army, the 71st Army, the Youth Army, the 20th Army, and the Armored Army, a total of eight armies.

General Aung San is worthy of being one of the most intelligent politicians in Myanmar's history. He took the initiative to hold an anti-Japanese uprising in Yangon and stood on the side of the Allied forces. With General Aung San's efforts, Britain was forced to agree to General Aung San to form the Myanmar New Policy. As a member of the anti-Japanese alliance, the reorganized Myanmar Self-Defense Forces became a member of the Allied forces.

General Aung San was deeply grateful to Yuan Hanping. If it weren't for Yue Hanping, General Aung San and his self-defense forces would not have the status they are today. At the initiative of General Aung San, the Burmese people showed their greatest enthusiasm for the Chinese Expeditionary Force and helped the Chinese Expeditionary Force transport wounded, food, and ammunition. The Chinese Expeditionary Force gained even more than the British in Myanmar.

All of this scared Churchill. He was afraid that the Chinese would stay in Myanmar and would not leave and seize control of Myanmar with the British. Therefore, Prime Minister Churchill repeatedly urged Chiang Kai-shek to ask the Chinese Expeditionary Force to implement the decision of the Cairo Conference as soon as possible and send troops to Thailand. The British army used the excuse that they needed to be repaired and sent troops later.

Chiang Kai-shek was very clear about Churchill's thoughts. It was Churchill's great concession to be Churchill that the Chinese troops who could leave behind a military force to protect the Yunnan-Burma Highway in Myanmar and monitor the British army not to detain Chinese aid supplies. Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the Chinese Expeditionary Force to prepare for a separate attack on Thailand.

In early December 1943, the Chinese Expeditionary Force Command sent reconnaissance personnel to infiltrate Thailand in batches to collect Japanese defense intelligence. At this time, the Japanese army lost successively on the Pacific battlefield and Southeast Asian battlefield, and its troops were seriously insufficient. The Japanese base again formulated a plan to expand its troops to 120 by the end of 1944.

The Japanese garrison troops in Thailand were reorganized into the 39th Army. The commander of the army, Lieutenant General Nakamura, was under the jurisdiction of the 4th Division, the 22nd Division, the 78th Division, and the 29th Brigade. All three divisions were three-way divisions, with a total force of 53,000.

After careful reconnaissance, Yue Hanping learned that the Japanese troops in Thailand were mainly gathered in Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Beibi and other places. The five infantry brigades of the 29th Brigade were stationed in Chiang Mai, Lampang, Phafu, Phantanul, Nakong Sawang and other northern Thailand. The 78th Division was stationed in Beibi, the 4th Division was stationed in Bangkok, and the 22nd Division was stationed in Dacheng, forming a force to protect Bangkok.

The Thai Defense Forces were mainly gathered on the east side of the Myanmar-Thailand border. Yue Hanping decided to adopt the tactic of sounding north and attacking south, and gathered troops on the front line of the land and solidified the situation in Myanmar, making an attack on Chiang Mai.

In order to confuse the Japanese army, the Chinese Expeditionary Force mobilized the troops southwards quickly at night. The Northern Line was made by the 8th Army and the Myanmar Shan Sang Self-Defense Forces as the main force, marking barracks everywhere, making a fuss like a few troops on the Northern Line, ready to attack Thailand openly.

On the southern front, Yue Hanping gathered the main force and quietly moved to Delindayi, preparing to launch a shocking attack on Thailand. The strategic deception of the Chinese expedition really made the Japanese army deceived. The Japanese defenders on the northern front of Chiang Mai Prefecture quickly strengthened the fortifications and prepared to fight the Chinese team to the death. The Japanese 22nd Division in the Great City also received an order to reinforce the Northern Front at any time.

In January 1944, the 260,000 Chinese Expeditionary Force secretly gathered in Delindayi, turned this southeastern Myanmar city into a military city. General Aung San specially sent some Myanmar Self-Defense Forces to assist the Chinese Expeditionary Force in coordinating relations with the local people and blocking the news.

Delindayi City is full of search soldiers from the Chinese Expeditionary Force. Radio search vehicles are constantly cruising on the streets in the city, searching for underground radio stations of Japanese lurking intelligence personnel. Delindayi City is strictly controlled by the Chinese Expeditionary Force, and residents are allowed to enter and leave.

The Chinese Expeditionary Force successively dropped the radio stations of several underground Japanese intelligence personnel and cut off the Japanese intelligence network. In the early morning of January 26, Yue Hanping issued an order that eight Chinese Expeditionary Forces suddenly launched an attack on the Moor Pass in the Bilao Mountains.

The Mor Pass has a dangerous terrain and narrow mountain shape, but after careful calculations by the Chinese Expeditionary Force, this pass can pass through a single marching tank. Therefore, the armored army's tanks took the lead in front.

A brigade of the Thai army was stationed at the Yamaguchi. They built a blockade line at the Thailand exit of the Yamaguchi and covered with bunkers. More than 70 tanks of the Chinese Expeditionary Force's vanguard tank regiment crossed the mountain pass and suddenly appeared in front of the Thai army.

The roar of the deafening tanks shocked the Thai army. Although the Thai army built solid fortifications, it lacked heavy artillery and anti-tank artillery fire. Facing the overwhelming gray steel fortress, the weak nerves of the Thai army were broken.

The Sherman tank rushed towards the Thai army's defense line without any scruples. The tank weighing about 30 tons directly hit the Thai army's bunker. The Thai army's bunker kept swaying, which scared the Thai army in the bunker to come out with their hands raised.

In less than 30 minutes, the Thai army's mountain pass defense line completely collapsed. A brigade of Thai troops was captured by more than 4,000 people. The remaining small number of soldiers escaped the encirclement and annihilation of the Central ** team based on familiar terrain.

After leaving the Mor Mountain Pass, the plains of Thailand were at the foot of the mountain. The armored army went straight to the eighth office at the gate of the eighth office. The Thai defenders of the eighth office had long heard that a large number of Chinese tanks had come. Before they could see the Chinese tanks, the defenders had already run away.

The Armored Army's vanguard tank regiment rushed into Bashu City, and no Thai soldiers were seen in the city. Chinese soldiers quickly occupied the warehouses and supplies discarded by the Thai army. The armored army's mechanics and infantry quickly controlled the train station. Several locomotives and dozens of car wands that were not too late to drive were all captured by Chinese soldiers.

The main force of the Chinese Expeditionary Force crossed the mountain pass. Yue Hanping immediately ordered that the armored army approach Bangkok along the peninsula road. The New 1st Army and the 66th Army attacked the north wall under automobile transportation to suppress the Japanese 78th Division.

The 6th Army, the New 6th Army, and the 71st Army attacked Thonburi and Monkary on the outskirts of Bangkok in three directions, surrounding the 4th Division of Bangkok. The 20th Army, the three divisions of the Youth Army crossed the Apiye River north of Bangkok, and surrounded the 22nd Division of the Japanese Army in Aichi City.
Chapter completed!