bookrandom Chapter 274 Suddenly
Chapter 274 Suddenly
Back to the First Expeditionary Force, in September 1944, it was mainly composed of the main forces of the 9st Army and the 1rd Army, a total of 3 divisions, and the 4nd Division of the US Marine Corps, more than 2 people, with the support of the 10rd and 3th Fleets, started the battle for Iwo Jima.
At the same time, the 7th Fleet and the 116th and 206th Chinese Divisions landed in Sandakan, northern Kalimantan, officially entering the northern part of the island. Perhaps intimidated by their defeat in the Philippines, or perhaps because they had lost a competing navy, the Japanese army, after a barrage of artillery and bombardment by the 7th Fleet, successfully landed approximately 166 Chinese troops from the 206th and 5th Chinese Divisions, encountering virtually no resistance.
The Chinese army's landing on Kalimantan didn't actually involve a plan to occupy the entire island at once. Kalimantan (also known as Borneo) is the world's third-largest island, covering an area of 74.33 square kilometers. Most importantly, it lies within a tropical rainforest belt, boasting lush vegetation. Many areas remain largely undeveloped, boasting numerous pristine landscapes and numerous indigenous tribes, including rumors of cannibalism. After the Japanese occupied Southeast Asia, they primarily seized the already-developed colonial areas of Britain and the Netherlands on Kalimantan, collaborating with Brunei, which ostensibly still maintained its independence, to purportedly drive out Western colonial rule and establish a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Belt. In reality, however, Western colonialism was even more ruthless, with the island being plundered.
To justify their plunder, the Japanese army employed multiple tactics. First, they forcibly seized the property of British, Dutch, and other Westerners on the island, imprisoning them as slaves and subjecting them to arbitrary abuse. Second, they incited the local indigenous people to confront the Chinese, exploiting them and plundering their property.
There were not many Japanese troops stationed on the entire island of Kalimantan. The main force was the 37th Division, whose commander was Lieutenant General Masao Baba; there were also the 56th Mixed Brigade and the 71st Brigade, whose commanders were Major General Nomizo Tsutomu and Major General Shigenobu Yoshitsugu respectively; in Sibu, the Japanese Navy also had the so-called 2nd Fleet, but at this time, the nd Fleet only had some destroyers, frigates, and some transport ships left, and no combat power was left.
Masao Baba was temporarily appointed commander of the Borneo garrison. When the Chinese and American forces appeared off the coast of Sandakan, he decisively ordered the northern garrison to evacuate Sandakan, one of the island's key cities, and head south, concentrating troops in central and southern areas like Kuching, Sibu, and Pontianak. Even Brunei was prepared to be abandoned. The Japanese army was cunning. While evacuating the north, they distributed a large number of captured Dutch weapons to the indigenous peoples on the island who had been closely cooperating with them. They also warned them that if Westerners and Chinese attacked, they would certainly massacre the indigenous people, especially the Chinese.
In recent years, with the support of the Japanese army, the indigenous people have indeed committed many evil deeds, especially targeting local Chinese and overseas Chinese, and have slaughtered many of them openly and covertly. Under the instigation of the Japanese army, the indigenous tribes began to gather together and prepare for a major battle with the invading Chinese and American troops.
In places like Sandakan, with the arrival of Chinese troops and a small number of US Marines, the long-oppressed and persecuted Chinese and overseas Chinese were moved to tears upon seeing the Chinese troops, who shared their common culture and ancestry, and spread the news. In the densely populated and early developed areas of northern Kalimantan, overseas Chinese, with the support of the Chinese army, began to drive out the surrounding indigenous tribes and reclaim their occupied land and property, further exacerbating tensions with the indigenous tribes.
Luo Bing and his Overseas Chinese Guerrilla Column quickly entered Borneo. Using their Chinese and overseas Chinese identities as cover, they seized power in cities and towns in the northern coastal areas. They quickly united with local Chinese and overseas Chinese to form and expand the Overseas Chinese Column.
The US Marine Corps landing on the island consisted of only two regiments, from the 10th Army, which had a strong relationship with the Chinese military and had been rescued by the Chinese on Leyte. Their presence on Kalimantan was nominal, primarily to assist the Chinese in searching and rescuing surviving Europeans and Americans and to perform some military police duties. According to an agreement reached between the United States and China, the US military secretly transferred a large amount of captured Japanese weapons to Luo Bing's guerrilla column, secretly assisting these overseas Chinese troops in their occupation of the island.
Of course, the US military would support Wang Chengwu, who had openly broken with Yang Hong. Some Chinese Americans from the 1st and 3rd Armies, as well as Wang Chengwu's supporters, did not participate in the offensive against Iwo Jima and Kalimantan. In the Philippines, they took advantage of the Chinese army's departure to join the war and aggressively recruited pro-American Chinese and overseas Chinese in the Philippines to form a supplementary force under the name of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. These troops, equipped with all-American weapons, ultimately aimed to invade the Indies and establish a Chinese nation there, supported by the United States.
Half a month after the 166th and 206th Divisions entered northern Kalimantan, Luo Bing's Chinese column had expanded to more than 2 people. They established the Kalimantan Chinese Autonomous Provisional Government, Sandakan, Kudat, Langang and other autonomous governments, and arrested members of the puppet government during the Japanese occupation period, especially the Chinese scum who participated in the persecution of Chinese and overseas Chinese, Europeans and Americans, indigenous puppet government officials, police, puppet officers, etc.
That day, a force of over 500 men and a working group of over 30 men set out from the coastal town of Klagan, 80 kilometers southwest of Sandakan. They began advancing deep into the northern part of the island along the old British-built road from Sandakan to Kotaki. Their plan was to capture Ranau, a key town along the road, and then open up a road to Kotaki. This would allow them to link up with a section of the 166th Division, which had just captured Kotaki, and advance north along the road to sweep through northern Sabah. Intelligence indicated that a remnant of the Japanese army was still in the area, entrenched in a holding station housing captured Europeans, Americans, and Chinese resistance fighters.
Led by Major Du Yiping, the troops followed the highway into the dense forest, quickly disappearing into the lush tropical rainforest. Comprised of over thirty trucks, escorted by four M4A5 light tanks and nine American-made M1 tracked armored vehicles, they navigated the winding, rugged road, led by a Type 9 light tank captured from the Japanese army and three three-wheeled motorcycles. Although Borneo had been occupied by the Japanese for over two years, its pristine location in the heart of Southeast Asia meant it had not experienced much warfare. Aside from the decrepit roads, the landscape remained largely pristine, with towering ancient trees, crisscrossing vines, and a characteristic tropical mist and rain, obscuring all view of the interior.
The leader was a second lieutenant, who was clearly unaccustomed to the daunting sight of the short Japanese Type 95 tanks. He ran to the first motorcycle and was casually taking a nap. Suddenly, a crisp gunshot knocked the driver of the first motorcycle down...