With the release of the film "Mine Warfare" released by Bayi Film Studio in 1962, landmines played a pivotal role in the war behind enemy lines, but in contrast, the contribution of mines in the War of Resistance against Japan was little known. However, in fact, mine warfare has always been the main mode of combat of China's navy, and it used to spread all over the waters of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and coastal provinces.
1] The early stage of the Anti-Japanese War: a great challenge for the Chinese Navy.
On the eve of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Chinese Navy faced a severe test. Although the Chinese Navy has four fleets and one training fleet, the tonnage of the ships is small and the equipment is backward, with a total of only more than 120 ships, less than 70,000 tons. In contrast, the Japanese Navy has more than 280 large and medium-sized ships, with a total displacement of nearly 1 million tons, ranking third in the world.
Sure enough, shortly after the outbreak of the all-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, our navy paid a huge price, 82 ships were sunk by Japanese bombing, plus 25 ships were used to block the shipping lanes and sank themselves, and the main force of the Chinese navy was heavily damaged. At this critical juncture, the mine-laying blockade became the main way for our navy to confront Japan, opening a new stage of "focusing on mine warfare," and at the same time achieving gratifying results.
2] A new stage in mine warfare: Mine laying has achieved fruitful results.
During the period from the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937 to 1939, the Chinese Navy laid mines, sank or damaged a total of 148 Japanese ships. In the next one and a half years, the navy made brilliant achievements in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, sinking 18 medium-sized ships, 28 transport ships, 5 merchant ships, 61 motorboats, and 8 barges. In addition, 14 medium-sized ships, 18 small ships, 19 transport ships, 5 merchant ships, 56 motor boats, and 4 barges were damaged. Such achievements are only in the waters of the Yangtze River, and the results in the waters of the rivers and rivers of the southeastern provinces are not counted.
3] Strong Collaboration with the Army: Multiple Combat Missions in Mine Warfare.
After the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression entered the stalemate stage, an important task of the mine-laying team was to coordinate with the operations of various theaters in the Yangtze River Valley. The Japanese army attacked Changsha three times, and the Chinese navy laid more than 5,000 mines in the Xiangyuan rivers in order to deter the enemy, making it impossible for the Japanese army to "make it impassable for ships and fail to realize the plan of separate and combined attacks by the naval and land forces." In the operation to recover Yichang in October 1941, the squadron was able to pass through the mine barrier, thus successfully recovering Yichang.
4] Defending Chongqing: An Important Strategic Value of Mine Warfare.
With the loss of Wuhan, the national government moved its capital to Chongqing and relied on the natural hazards of the Sichuan River to carry out a long-term war of resistance. In order to defend Chongqing, the navy set up the Yiba District Fortress and the Bawan District Fortress respectively between Yichang and Badong and Badong and Wanxian. Due to the laying of a large number of mines, the Japanese army could not attack Sichuan through the waterway, and it was difficult for the infantry to pass through the Qianli Shu Road, which made great contributions to the defense of Chongqing.
In the mine warfare of the Chinese Navy, they not only defended the country with a solid defense line, but also bought precious time for the Chinese people and made indelible contributions to the final victory.