On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's unconditional surrender, ending World War II and the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan. However, what is less known is that a war broke out between China and Japan four months later, which really ended the war of resistance, that is, the Battle of Gaoyou, which was also an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War. The victory in the Battle of Gaoyou marked the complete victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan.
The Battle of Gaoyou took place in December 1945, although Japan announced its surrender in August, there were still some Japanese puppet troops stationed in Gaoyou, Taizhou and other places, especially the Japanese troops entrenched in Gaoyou, who refused to surrender and tried to turn the tide of the war with many soldiers. Gaoyou Castle is surrounded by lakes and rivers, and its walls are high and strong. Two battalions of the 90th Brigade of the Japanese Army, as well as seven regiments of the 42nd Division of the puppet army, were stationed in the city. The 8th Column of the New Fourth Army was dispatched on December 21, first clearing the outlying strongholds of the Japanese army, and then taking artillery fire to storm the city, and at the same time shouting through loudspeakers to shake the psychology of the Japanese army, inducing them to surrender and promise to treat the prisoners preferentially. On the night of the 25th, our army attacked the city in three ways, making a feint in the east of the city, and using a ladder to break through in the south and east of the city, successfully repelling the defenders and concentrating forces for a fierce artillery offensive. After seven hours of fierce fighting, the puppet army was defeated. On the morning of the 26th, our troops attacked the Japanese headquarters and captured Iwasaki Daisa. With the capture of the supreme commander, the Japanese army chose to surrender, marking the successful recovery of Gaoyou City by our army in less than a week. The battle achieved great results, annihilating more than 1,200 Japanese troops, annihilating more than 8,000 puppet troops, and capturing more than 6,000 rifles and more than 80 artillery pieces of the Japanese army.
The real end of the War of Resistance was attributed to the Battle of Gaoyou. In this campaign, the New Fourth Army adopted flexible and changeable tactics, skillfully responded to unfavorable terrain, and constantly launched attacks and counterattacks. At the same time, our army also actively carried out a political offensive to break the morale of the enemy. Through hard fighting, our army finally annihilated the main force of the Japanese puppet army and recovered the ancient city of Gaoyou. In this battle, the New Fourth Army displayed a tenacious fighting spirit and firm conviction, and wrote a strong stroke for China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
Although it has been more than 70 years since the end of the Anti-Japanese War, the brutal crimes of the Japanese army invading China are still vividly remembered. On the land of China, the Japanese army burned, killed and looted, causing countless injuries and humiliation. However, more than half a century later, Japan is still unrepentant, worshipping "war criminals" every year and acting as a-stirring stick in international affairs, which makes the world vigilant.