Post by 575 on Jun 21, 2024 17:36:01 GMT
Japanese campaign against FIC January 1942
The Chinese armies in Kwangsi and Yunnan Provinces had been reinforced by the arrival of the Italian Infantry Division and several Sqd.s of fighter and bomber aircraft but also by the Chinese generally reinforcing their own troops mainly in Kwangsi Province to keep the IJA from overrunning it to cut off the railconnections to FIC; essential in transporting munitions and heavy weapons into China along that and on the Burma Road.
The Far East Expedition had been seen by quite a number of Italian officers both of the regular forces and the CCNN Legion – Blackshirts – as a way to glory and advancement up the ranks. With that as the main driver those in high command - the Division and Staff and the CCNN Legion Infantry Regiment mainly consisted of career men who had languished in low positions. A cruel fate they wanted to change.
Also the Regimental officers was problematic as these was younger men who wieved it to be a way for a rising career.
What made the CCNN Legion even worse was it used to be a mainly ceremonial unit in Ravenna which had as it main task to parade through the city and maintain an honour Guard at Predappio close to the city where Mussolini had been born.
As a prelude to the attack on FIC the IJA opened an offensive in Kwangsi Province.
The Italian Infantry took heavy casualties as did their Chinese compatriots.
Though the Italian aircraft was no match of the Japanese ones the abilities of their pilots wasn't much less than them and they were able in areas to deny airsuperiority to the Japanese and thus prevent airattacks on ground units.
As usual the Japanese bombers flew unescorted though with the knowledge of the War in Europe the Italians knew that escorts were necessary.
And proved a real menace to these Japanese operations even if their Fighter aircraft was barely able to intercept those Japanese bombers flying unescorted. With experience of the Spanish Civil War where bombers had been fast and fighters not always able to fly faster tactics had of course evolved to counter this deficient – fighters had to stay high and dive working up speed to get at their prey. The Italian polots were able to make it work.
The Italian Infantry had been fighting well at the Battalion level but ineffective Divisional and Regimental commanders would leave it a defensive force with little ability to go on the offensive much the laughing stock of Chinese Generals.
The CCNN Legion (Blackshirt) Regiment of the Division had disintegrated at first fight and would remain the laughting stock of other Italian troops.
The Italians also had great difficulty in resupplying the Division – means being available but getting it moved! Though the British allocated transport along the Burma Road for Italian ammunition and spareparts.
Though when supplies were around the Italian Artillery was able to deliver when needed suffice to say that that weren't the usual case.
The Italians also became aware of French artillery supplied to China – old 75mm fieldguns though with HEAT shells to destroy IJA Armour formations but also used as bunker busters firing over open sights.
Not knowing of HEAT the Italians were quite impressed but also distressed as to what such could do to their own armour should hostilities erupt in Europe with the French.
As Italian artillery pieces wasn't top notch it was possible with the aid of local workshops to reload shells and produce workable ammunition. Not in sufficient quantity but sufficient to add to the meagre amounts hauled forward along the Burma Road and make the Italian infantry able to hold its own.
A week following the initial attack in Kwangsi and Yunnan the French moved some units from central Tonkin to Langson just south of the Chinese border as there were no indications of other Japanese operations in the area.
Then the IJN launched an Amphibious landing at Haiphong to capture the port supported by airforces out of Hainan Island.
The advance units were some of the few remaining IJN Amphibious troops as the majority of these had been reserved for operations against British Borneo.
The Japanese managed to overwhelm the French airdefences and get their troops ashore and land a followup IJA Infantry Division but then the French directed reinforcements south from Langson which arrived in numbers within a few days and surrounded the landed troops.
The Battle for Haiphong then became a protracted cityfight which devastated the city and wrecked the port facilities as the French had shipped the last Char B1's out to FIC which with its hull mounted 75mm howitzer were well suited to blast buildings which had been occupied by Japanese defenders.
The French Navy also took part in the battle though losing a Battleship to Japanese airattack as the airsupport by the French Airforce didn't arrive timely.
Even with airsupport and Naval gunfire almost all Japanese attackers had to be killed before the French could whisper ”Victory”.
Having defeated the Japanese attempt at landing troops in FIC the French began rebuilding their forces and Tonkin port to be able to resume supplies moving into China by train.
The Chinese armies in Kwangsi and Yunnan Provinces had been reinforced by the arrival of the Italian Infantry Division and several Sqd.s of fighter and bomber aircraft but also by the Chinese generally reinforcing their own troops mainly in Kwangsi Province to keep the IJA from overrunning it to cut off the railconnections to FIC; essential in transporting munitions and heavy weapons into China along that and on the Burma Road.
The Far East Expedition had been seen by quite a number of Italian officers both of the regular forces and the CCNN Legion – Blackshirts – as a way to glory and advancement up the ranks. With that as the main driver those in high command - the Division and Staff and the CCNN Legion Infantry Regiment mainly consisted of career men who had languished in low positions. A cruel fate they wanted to change.
Also the Regimental officers was problematic as these was younger men who wieved it to be a way for a rising career.
What made the CCNN Legion even worse was it used to be a mainly ceremonial unit in Ravenna which had as it main task to parade through the city and maintain an honour Guard at Predappio close to the city where Mussolini had been born.
As a prelude to the attack on FIC the IJA opened an offensive in Kwangsi Province.
The Italian Infantry took heavy casualties as did their Chinese compatriots.
Though the Italian aircraft was no match of the Japanese ones the abilities of their pilots wasn't much less than them and they were able in areas to deny airsuperiority to the Japanese and thus prevent airattacks on ground units.
As usual the Japanese bombers flew unescorted though with the knowledge of the War in Europe the Italians knew that escorts were necessary.
And proved a real menace to these Japanese operations even if their Fighter aircraft was barely able to intercept those Japanese bombers flying unescorted. With experience of the Spanish Civil War where bombers had been fast and fighters not always able to fly faster tactics had of course evolved to counter this deficient – fighters had to stay high and dive working up speed to get at their prey. The Italian polots were able to make it work.
The Italian Infantry had been fighting well at the Battalion level but ineffective Divisional and Regimental commanders would leave it a defensive force with little ability to go on the offensive much the laughing stock of Chinese Generals.
The CCNN Legion (Blackshirt) Regiment of the Division had disintegrated at first fight and would remain the laughting stock of other Italian troops.
The Italians also had great difficulty in resupplying the Division – means being available but getting it moved! Though the British allocated transport along the Burma Road for Italian ammunition and spareparts.
Though when supplies were around the Italian Artillery was able to deliver when needed suffice to say that that weren't the usual case.
The Italians also became aware of French artillery supplied to China – old 75mm fieldguns though with HEAT shells to destroy IJA Armour formations but also used as bunker busters firing over open sights.
Not knowing of HEAT the Italians were quite impressed but also distressed as to what such could do to their own armour should hostilities erupt in Europe with the French.
As Italian artillery pieces wasn't top notch it was possible with the aid of local workshops to reload shells and produce workable ammunition. Not in sufficient quantity but sufficient to add to the meagre amounts hauled forward along the Burma Road and make the Italian infantry able to hold its own.
A week following the initial attack in Kwangsi and Yunnan the French moved some units from central Tonkin to Langson just south of the Chinese border as there were no indications of other Japanese operations in the area.
Then the IJN launched an Amphibious landing at Haiphong to capture the port supported by airforces out of Hainan Island.
The advance units were some of the few remaining IJN Amphibious troops as the majority of these had been reserved for operations against British Borneo.
The Japanese managed to overwhelm the French airdefences and get their troops ashore and land a followup IJA Infantry Division but then the French directed reinforcements south from Langson which arrived in numbers within a few days and surrounded the landed troops.
The Battle for Haiphong then became a protracted cityfight which devastated the city and wrecked the port facilities as the French had shipped the last Char B1's out to FIC which with its hull mounted 75mm howitzer were well suited to blast buildings which had been occupied by Japanese defenders.
The French Navy also took part in the battle though losing a Battleship to Japanese airattack as the airsupport by the French Airforce didn't arrive timely.
Even with airsupport and Naval gunfire almost all Japanese attackers had to be killed before the French could whisper ”Victory”.
Having defeated the Japanese attempt at landing troops in FIC the French began rebuilding their forces and Tonkin port to be able to resume supplies moving into China by train.
Edit: oi the Japanese were VERY badly off on minisweeping