In the long history of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, countless heroic troops have left a deep memory in the hearts of the people. Among them, the Sichuan Army has won the reputation of "no Sichuan can not be an army" with its brave and good fighting record, highlighting the extraordinary performance of the heroes of the Sichuan Army on the battlefield.
However, there was also a little-known but equally heroic army in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression - the Cantonese Army. There is a proverb that says it well: "If the Guangdong army is not destroyed, the Sichuan army will not be destroyed." However, compared to the Sichuan army, people's understanding of the Cantonese army is relatively limited. In fact, in the course of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Guangdong army played an extremely important role. What kind of trials have you gone through, and what kind of sacrifices have you made?
Japan's war of aggression against China
After the Meiji Restoration, Japan experienced rapid domestic development, however, due to its small status and limited land and resources, Japan has always had the ambition to covet the land of China.
Relatively speaking, China was relatively backward at that time, which made Japan eager to occupy our territory by waging a war of aggression against China in order to seek more land and resources. The aggressive intentions of Japanese imperialism gradually became clear and began to be put into action.
However, the heroic Chinese people are not willing to watch their national territory being violated. Before the full-scale outbreak of the war of aggression against China, the Japanese army launched the 918 Incident in Northeast China in 1931, which directly led to the fall of the three eastern provinces.
After the Northeast Army withdrew from the Northeast, the Japanese army still had a thief's mind, tried to advance south, and set its sights on Shanghai. After the 918 Incident, Japan planned the 128 Incident in Shanghai, however, this time the Japanese attempt was completely defeated, because it was the 19th Route Army of the Guangdong Army guarding Shanghai at that time. In the face of the Japanese attack, they resisted with all their might, doing everything to stop Japan's desire to turn Shanghai into a second Northeast.
128 Songhu Anti-Japanese War
At that time, Japan's plan was extremely simple, taking advantage of the momentum of the newly conquered Northeast China, and directly capturing Shanghai in one go. To achieve this goal, Japan mobilized nearly 100,000 troops, while the Cantonese army guarding Shanghai at that time was only 30,000. In the case of being at a disadvantage in terms of troops, ** and geographical conditions, many people have worries about whether Shanghai can be held.
However, the Cantonese army at that time was undaunted. They believed in the slogan "As long as there is resistance to Japan, the Cantonese people will be the first to fight," and the officers and men are not only full of blood, but also have outstanding combat capabilities.
Under the leadership of the commander-in-chief Jiang Guangnai and the army commander Cai Tingkai, the 30,000 Cantonese army withstood the attack of the 100,000 Japanese army without a moment of retreat. The Japanese army attacked Shanghai four times, each time ending in failure. Although the Japanese army repeatedly reinforced and changed the commanding force, the Cantonese army repelled it each time.
In order to seize Shanghai, Japan paid a huge price, mobilized two aircraft carriers and fleet gunboats, and even besieged Shanghai. However, despite a full month of fighting, the Cantonese army remained undefeated, and Shanghai did not fall into the hands of the enemy.
The tenacity and tenacity of the Cantonese army are admirable. On the battlefield, they became a formidable adversary in the hearts of the Japanese. Even after such a long period of fierce fighting, there were still people in the Cantonese army who were willing to risk their lives, with ** and grenades, and rushed to the Japanese army without hesitation. Such tactics eventually forced Japan to sit down and negotiate calmly.
The Cantonese army forced the Japanese army to the negotiating table, buying our country a precious five years of recuperation. Five years later, however, Japan's desire for aggression flared up again, and the Cantonese army was once again engaged in combat. In the same way, they maintained their usual style and became feared heroic troops.
Schematic diagram of the operation).
The Cantonese army that resolutely resisted Japan
After the full-scale outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the Cantonese army underwent a reorganization, of which the 66th Army was ordered to go to Shanghai, and the task was still to defend the city. Although the task is similar to before, the difficulty of the confrontation is more difficult than it was five years ago. The terrain of Shanghai is flat and seems to be defensible, but the Cantonese army can hardly resist wave after wave of enemy attacks with its own flesh and blood. However, the soldiers of the Cantonese army still guarded until the last moment with their tenacious will. In the Battle of Songhu, the Cantonese army suffered a heavy **, but their soldiers did not flinch.
In the Battle of Songhu, the battle was extremely fierce, some units were almost completely wiped out in just one day, and all members gave their lives on the battlefield. Although ** situations are not uncommon, in order to defend Shanghai, the soldiers who fought were not afraid and unwavering.
Subsequently, in December, the Japanese attempted to conquer Nanking by three simultaneous advances. After more than three months of hard fighting, the Cantonese army did not get enough rest, but immediately plunged into the defense of Nanjing. After seven days of hard fighting, although the Cantonese army could not get enough rest and its combat strength declined, it finally had to temporarily abandon its position in the face of the tremendous pressure of Japan's coordinated naval and land operations.
In the following Anti-Japanese War, the Guangdong army was always active on the front line, and it was the only army that dared to confront the Japanese army head-on and bravely move forward to break through. For all the officers and men of the Cantonese army, death in battle was the only option they faced, and there was no such thing as surrender.
In the Battle of Wuhan, the Cantonese army almost completely annihilated the Japanese 106th Division, successfully forcing the enemy to retreat. In order to save the war, the Japanese army even had to airdrop a new commander to take office, which further demonstrated the heroic fighting of the Cantonese army.
During the entire period of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Cantonese army dispatched nearly 920,000 soldiers, but less than 3,000 were able to return to their hometowns safely. Shockingly, not even a single one of these three thousand people was awarded a military merit medal.
Those Cantonese soldiers who died on the battlefield could only return to their homeland in the form of heroic souls. At that time, almost every family in Guangdong hung white silk to commemorate the relatives who died on the battlefield.
In 1945, with the defeat and surrender of Japan, the 62nd Army of the Guangdong Army followed abroad to accept Japan's surrender, providing a consolation for those brave soldiers.
When Japan attempted to attack Shanghai, the Cantonese army did not strategically give up because the terrain of Shanghai was not dangerous to defend. Regardless of whether it is north or south, China's territory is China's territory, and the Cantonese army is the first uncompromising guardian. With no operational superiority at all, the Cantonese army launched a fierce confrontation with Japan, and finally won a five-year armistice. The heroic name of the Guangdong army is not groundless, but won in one battle after another and sacrifices again and again. Behind this is the tenacious spirit and will of those soldiers who are not afraid of life and death, move forward bravely, and are dedicated to defending their homes and the country.
They are everywhere in times of national crisis, and whenever the need arises, they will quickly appear on the front lines and fight fiercely with the enemy. The Japanese may think that our nation is weak and can be bullied, but the Cantonese army, with its firm will and courageous fighting style, declares to them that the easy occupation of our country is a fool's dream.
The Guangdong army told Japan with practical actions that any force that tried to infringe on China's sovereignty would be completely smashed and knocked down on the battlefield. Their presence is the strongest response to the aggressor and demonstrates to the world the firm determination of our people in the face of freedom, independence and dignity.