Japan controlled the Chinese coastal belt and ports so everything had to be shipped by a roundabout route. Firstly it went by ship to Haiphong in Vietnam, French Indochina. Then by train from Haiphong to Kunming in Yunnan province, China. Finally by road from Kunming to Chongqing, the capital of Nationalist China. Thereafter it was distributed to the various regiments.
From the day he arrived in China, Rommel, assisted by Klaus von Altendorf, had worked non-stop in re-organising and training the Chinese troops. As the new equipment started to arrive, the German and French contingents instructed the troops in the use and maintenance of the same equipment previously used by their own armed forces.
The result at the end of June, was that the Chinese were more or less equally matched with the Japanese in terms of equipment, but outnumbered them three to one in manpower. The Japanese had deployed one million troops but these were spread over all of the territory they occupied, including the vast northern Manchuria, the puppet state now known as Manchukuo. All these territories tied up a large number of troops to maintain their hold on the populations.
Chiang Kai-shek had three million troops under his command. Of these he was going to commit one million against the Japanese. Another quarter of a million would be launched against the Chinese communist forces. The remainder would be held in reserve. The plan of attack had been worked out by Rommel. All was ready for 1 July.
“Well Klaus, we are as ready as we can be in the time we have had available. I would like more time to train them, but that cannot be. They are willing enough, that I will say. I hope it is sufficient.” Rommel continued to watch the Chinese troops.
“The majority of our own troops had no battle experience when we attacked and defeated all those countries in the European war, sir,” Klaus answered. “This is going to be very interesting.”
“Yes, that is true. The big difference is the quality of the officers. Ours were generally good, but the Chinese officers have not had the benefit of years of training and discipline that our men had. Some of them are good, but many of them display a lack of confidence that can get them, and their men, killed.”
He paused. “Our own men clearly understand that they are not to get involved in the actual fighting? They are at all times to stay behind the front line and simply guide and advise through the senior Chinese officers.”
“They all understand sir.”
“Then we are as ready as we can be. Let us enjoy a good meal tonight, Klaus. We don’t know how long it will be before the next one.” Rommel grinned. He was looking forward to the morning.
At dawn the offensive would begin on three fronts.
A northern army of a quarter of a million men would move north east against the Chinese Communist, (CC), forces. It would be supported by tanks and air power in a combined operation aimed at eliminating the communists one and for all.
A second, (southern), army, four hundred thousand strong, had been built up in South West China, again with tank and air support. Their task was to retake the coastal territories occupied by the Japanese, starting with the southernmost enemy enclave opposite Hainan Island, then move eastwards as rapidly as possible, with a view to linking up with the main Chinese army for the recapture of the crucial port of Shanghai.
The main army, six hundred thousand strong, would attack the important centre of Wuhan. Once Wuhan was captured it would then swing north east towards Nanking to inflict revenge on the Japanese for their previous atrocity.
For the past couple of months Chinese agents had been infiltrated into the cities of Wuhan and Nanking to stir the population into action against the occupying troops at an appropriate time. They had also been smuggling in arms and explosives. After Nanking had been taken, the city would be left with a garrison while the rest of the army drove for Shanghai.
The thinking was that by the time Shanghai was liberated, the northern force would have dealt with the CC forces and would then engage the Japanese from the north east. Thus the Japanese would be fighting on all fronts other than the far north in Manchuria.
The Governing Council had debated the imminent Chinese operation in great detail. The civilian members did not pretend to any knowledge of military strategy, but clearly understood the danger of a communist China. They also realised that, indirectly, Japan’s war on China made it easier for the communists to succeed in their objectives.
A different threat was posed by Japan’s aggressive expansionist policy. This could bring them into conflict with the USA and, of more immediate concern to Germany, the European powers with colonies in the Far East.
All were agreed that Japan had to be brought to the negotiating table. And to do this the Imperial Japanese Army needed to suffer a major military reverse.
Germany’s current involvement with China was a critical part of the Council’s wider strategy.
The northern army advancing towards the unsuspecting communist forces was under the command of General Cheng. A tough and able soldier who had fought the Japanese non-stop for the past five years. His senior advisor was Major Hans von Luck, a former panzer commander who had seen action in Poland, and later in France, with Rommel. Highly respected by Rommel, he was only 30 years old. Von Luck had a fifty strong German contingent with him.
Cheng’s army moved rapidly. Speed of movement had been drummed into the Chinese soldiers from the first day the German advisors arrived. They had stayed away from the Japanese controlled areas as they moved north. As they reached a point where intelligence reports said the CC forces were based somewhere directly to the east, they changed direction and slowed their pace while scout vehicles went forward.
Two days later the scouts reported the first CC strongpoints lay ahead.
Cheng called a meeting with von Luck and the senior Chinese officers. All knew what they had to do. One of the difficulties faced by Cheng had been finding suitable flat terrain to establish temporary airstrips for his fifty supporting aircraft. By conscripting labour along the way he had accomplished this daunting task. Now he could count on continuous air strikes against his CC opponents.
As the CC were nominally in alliance with the nationalist forces, they were not expecting a major attack from this quarter. Their many informants had failed them.
The southern army was commanded by General Yue. His military advisor was also an ex-panzer battalion commander, Colonel Rudolf Sieckenius, another Rommel man. In support was a further three hundred German and French ‘advisors’.
They had one hundred and fifty tanks for support, as well as one hundred and fifty aircraft. Reconnaissance had already determined the weakest spot in the perimeter of the Japanese defences in their enclave opposite Hainan Island. All was ready.
Generalissimo Chiang personally commanded the main army, with Rommel, assisted by Klaus von Altendorf, as his advisor. The remaining eight hundred German advisors, and seven hundred French specialists, together with the bulk of the tanks and aircraft supplied to China by Germany, were attached to this army.
They had a detailed plan of the enemy’s defences and strongpoints in Wuhan. They were straining at the leash to attack. Morale was high among the Chinese troops.