are...”
He tailed off as the shaking head indicated he had missed something vital, the tapping finger returning, this time to a more specific point where the finger waited, ready to describe a route east and then south, bringing the enemy into the flank of the attacking bottleneck.
“I would concern myself more about who is at Gulping than Wuzhou, General Yamaoka, for I think it is they who will have to fight like the devil.”
Both officers could see it clearly now.
The blocking force, causing the attackers to build-up in one area, the mobile tank force smashing hard into the flank of the stacked-up formations.
Add probable enemy aircraft attacks into the mix , and there was a serious problem for the 6th Area Army.
“Do you have anything that can stop them apart from,” Vassilevsky looked at the notations, “The 85th Infantry brigade?”
‘Not that one of your infantry brigades would stop a determined armoured force at any time!’
“Sir, the 85th Brigade has not progressed beyond Tianpingzhen, there being a high sickness rate, some sort of stomach problem, hospitalising many of the men.”
Keen to show that the Japanese Army had its own house in order , Yamaoka quickly spoke again.
“Kempai-tai units are already with the 85th resolving the problem.”
No-one needed any illumination on how the problem was being solved.
“However, Major-General Suwabe sent part of his detachment ahead to the area as a cover, which will now prove very useful to us.”
‘I suppose Gulping is too much to hope for?’
Both Russians shared identical thoughts.
“ Here, from Gulping to Mulezhen. Suwabe has positioned his 3rd Brigade.”
Neither Soviet officer was any the wiser.
“3rd Special Obligation Brigade is partially armoured Sir.”
Something broke through the haze in Lomov’s mind.
“They are a new formation , aren’t they , General?”
The nod was full and unequivocal, as was the broad smile that accompanied it.
‘Ah, one of those new formations.’
Vassilevsky relit his pipe.
“Then it seems we have no problem of note there. Proceed, Comrade Lomov.”
1 2 5 5 hrs Monday, 13th August 1945 , 3rd Imperial Special Obligation Brigade ‘Rainbow’, Nanjincun , near Guiping , China .
Captain Nomori Hamuda stood silently in front of his tank, his cre w lined respectfully behind him. T he five of them stood in silence as the Shinto priest performed the Harai ritual of purification, a small array of fruits and vegetables placed on the vehicles hot armour plate.
Despite the fact that the metal beast had been their virtual home for the last month , it was only now, on the verge of action, that Hamuda had permitted them time to conduct the important ceremony.
Like most of the men of the ‘Rainbow’ Brigade, Hamuda had been a member of 3rd Japanese Tank Division , fighting a long and bitter war against the two distinct armies of China . Communist and Republican forces had cooperated and come together to oppose the Japanese occupation in a little known war that claimed millions of lives since its start in 1937.
When volunteers were called for to train with a secret unit , Hamuda immediately put himself and his crew forward for the mission, plucking them from the 17th Tank Regiment and into the unexpected delights of getting to grip s with the new presents their covert allies had bestowed upon them.
The five men dutifully bowed on cue, honouring their own particular vehicle as the Harai drew towards its close.
Hamuda appreciate its beauty, but knew nothing of its history.
First , it ha d been known simply as the VK30 02, the product of design work with in MAN, or Maschinenfabrik Augsberg-Nürnburg AG as it was more properly known. This particular vehicle had been salvaged from the ruins of the 6th August 1944 Allied Bombing raid on the MAN production line and had been sent off for operational duties on the Russian Front . It was assigned to the commander of 2nd Platoon, 1st Company of Panzer
He tailed off as the shaking head indicated he had missed something vital, the tapping finger returning, this time to a more specific point where the finger waited, ready to describe a route east and then south, bringing the enemy into the flank of the attacking bottleneck.
“I would concern myself more about who is at Gulping than Wuzhou, General Yamaoka, for I think it is they who will have to fight like the devil.”
Both officers could see it clearly now.
The blocking force, causing the attackers to build-up in one area, the mobile tank force smashing hard into the flank of the stacked-up formations.
Add probable enemy aircraft attacks into the mix , and there was a serious problem for the 6th Area Army.
“Do you have anything that can stop them apart from,” Vassilevsky looked at the notations, “The 85th Infantry brigade?”
‘Not that one of your infantry brigades would stop a determined armoured force at any time!’
“Sir, the 85th Brigade has not progressed beyond Tianpingzhen, there being a high sickness rate, some sort of stomach problem, hospitalising many of the men.”
Keen to show that the Japanese Army had its own house in order , Yamaoka quickly spoke again.
“Kempai-tai units are already with the 85th resolving the problem.”
No-one needed any illumination on how the problem was being solved.
“However, Major-General Suwabe sent part of his detachment ahead to the area as a cover, which will now prove very useful to us.”
‘I suppose Gulping is too much to hope for?’
Both Russians shared identical thoughts.
“ Here, from Gulping to Mulezhen. Suwabe has positioned his 3rd Brigade.”
Neither Soviet officer was any the wiser.
“3rd Special Obligation Brigade is partially armoured Sir.”
Something broke through the haze in Lomov’s mind.
“They are a new formation , aren’t they , General?”
The nod was full and unequivocal, as was the broad smile that accompanied it.
‘Ah, one of those new formations.’
Vassilevsky relit his pipe.
“Then it seems we have no problem of note there. Proceed, Comrade Lomov.”
1 2 5 5 hrs Monday, 13th August 1945 , 3rd Imperial Special Obligation Brigade ‘Rainbow’, Nanjincun , near Guiping , China .
Captain Nomori Hamuda stood silently in front of his tank, his cre w lined respectfully behind him. T he five of them stood in silence as the Shinto priest performed the Harai ritual of purification, a small array of fruits and vegetables placed on the vehicles hot armour plate.
Despite the fact that the metal beast had been their virtual home for the last month , it was only now, on the verge of action, that Hamuda had permitted them time to conduct the important ceremony.
Like most of the men of the ‘Rainbow’ Brigade, Hamuda had been a member of 3rd Japanese Tank Division , fighting a long and bitter war against the two distinct armies of China . Communist and Republican forces had cooperated and come together to oppose the Japanese occupation in a little known war that claimed millions of lives since its start in 1937.
When volunteers were called for to train with a secret unit , Hamuda immediately put himself and his crew forward for the mission, plucking them from the 17th Tank Regiment and into the unexpected delights of getting to grip s with the new presents their covert allies had bestowed upon them.
The five men dutifully bowed on cue, honouring their own particular vehicle as the Harai drew towards its close.
Hamuda appreciate its beauty, but knew nothing of its history.
First , it ha d been known simply as the VK30 02, the product of design work with in MAN, or Maschinenfabrik Augsberg-Nürnburg AG as it was more properly known. This particular vehicle had been salvaged from the ruins of the 6th August 1944 Allied Bombing raid on the MAN production line and had been sent off for operational duties on the Russian Front . It was assigned to the commander of 2nd Platoon, 1st Company of Panzer