Introduction
This article is excerpted from the second volume of "Selected Literary and Historical Materials of Mengzi", and the original title of the author Li Shenjian is "Memories of My Participation in the War of Resistance Against Japan".
Body
On July 7, 1937, Japanese imperialism launched an attack on the defenders of our Lugou Bridge, and the officers and men of the 29th Army fought back bravely, and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out. In order to save the nation from peril, under the initiative of the Communist Party of China, the second KMT-CPC cooperation was realized and a patriotic national united front was formed.
The provincial love team has gone to the front line to fight. An upsurge of the anti-Japanese salvation movement was set off throughout the country. "March of the Volunteers" (now the national anthem), "March of the Great Sword" and other majestic songs inspired our young students to put pen to paper and go to the front line of resistance against Japan. I was fortunate to be admitted to the 14th phase of the 5th branch of the Whampoa Military Academy (Kunming). After entering the school, we have 80 students organized into 2 teams of Grade A students (Transportation Subject) and 1 team of Grade A students as Infantry Subject. Soon Director Tang Jiteng announced: Yunnan will organize the 58th Army to go on an expedition. In order to meet the needs of wartime, in addition to studying infantry courses, the 2nd Squadron A should step up its training in wireline and wireless telegraph communications, and after graduation, it will take up communications tasks in the army. After intense and serious study of military fundamentals and communications, he graduated early on July 25, 1938. We have 60 second lieutenants, platoon commanders, and radio platoon second lieutenants assigned to all levels of the 58th Army. I was the commander of the 1st platoon of the signal corps company of the military headquarters, and the company commander was Tang Dezhi (Huangpu 11). The army commander is Sun Du, and the chief of staff Miao Jiaqi (chief instructor of tactics of the 5th branch). Liu Zhengfu, commander of the new 10th Division, Lu Daoyuan, commander of the new 11th Division, and Gong Shunbi, commander of the new 12th Division.
On August 13, 1938 (the anniversary of the Shanghai Anti-Japanese War), the military headquarters set off from Kunming, and at 9 o'clock in the morning, all its departments, battalions, and companies gathered at the Tuodong Stadium, and were greeted by the provincial and municipal party, government, and military, people from all walks of life, college and middle school students, and the people. When Adjutant Yuan Zhonghu gave an order, the singing along the way was loud and resounding in the sky, reflecting the great expectations of the fathers, elders, brothers and sisters of Yunnan for the three athletes, and inspiring us to move forward bravely.
The Dian army swore to go on the expedition, and his father was the magistrate of Xundian County at that time, and personally went to Yilong Town to preside over the welcome and send-off. When we arrived at the town to camp, my father prepared a light meal and invited Yang Yongzhong and Liu Shiru, old colleagues from the Military Political Department who had been engaged in party affairs in the past, as well as our company commanders and platoon commanders to attend. During the banquet, I wish the victory of the Anti-Japanese War and the triumphant return. I was asked to serve the country and complete the mission as a sign of my son's instructions to send my son to the front. The whole army traveled more than 3,500 miles on foot, receiving greetings from all walks of life along the way, and arrived in Changsha, Hunan Province in mid-October.
(1) The Battle of Wuhan
In mid-October 1938, after being inspected by the Kuomintang Military and Political Department in Changsha, he was ordered to take a train to the outskirts of Wuhan to participate in the battle. When it arrived in Chongyang, Hubei, the 58th Army was ordered to transfer the new 12th Division to the jurisdiction of Commander Zhang Chong of the New 3rd Army. Our army immediately entered the position on the line of the Wu (Han) and Chang (Sha) highways. On the left is the Tang Enbo Division, and on the right is the New 3rd Army and the 60th Army. On the 25th, Wuhan was lost, and the Japanese army quickly attacked southward with a combination of land and air. Liu Baihai, the commander of the 4th Regiment of the New 10th Division, was killed, the deputy division commander Hou Zhenbang was wounded, and the commander of the New 11th Division, Lu Division, was in Yunnan due to illness, and the deputy division commander Ma Pu**, but he was not able to command and retreated. The battalion commander Ma Xuegui was killed in battle at Maojiajia and retreated to Tongcheng. When the military headquarters withdrew to Dashaping, it was bombed by Japanese planes and strafed at low altitudes, killing and wounding more than 10 soldiers of the special service battalion. Two of our company were wounded, followed by the enemy's artillery cavalry from the east of the Chongyang River to surround it, our army broke through the siege and was very heavy, while fighting and retreating to Jiuling, the second line of troops has been deployed here. The army commander ordered to gather troops in Pingjiang, Hunan, and when they arrived, Yueyang had fallen into the hands of the enemy, and heard the rumbling of artillery. The telegraph was transmitted to Changsha and the Japanese army stopped attacking. In order to stop the Japanese army's attempt to open up the communication line, our side sabotaged the Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway to Zhuzhou, the Hunan-Jiangxi Railway, and the Wuchang Highway. The Yunnan Army withdrew to Liuyang and Liling in Hunan for reorganization, and was organized into the 1st Group Army (Yunnan Provincial Chairman Long Yun concurrently served as the commander-in-chief, and later Lu Han held this position), and still governed the New 3rd Army. The 58th Army abolished the brigade commander level, reduced the original division of 4 regiments to 3 regiments, and the new 10th division governed the regiment; The new 11th Division is under its jurisdiction. The deputy commander of the new 11th Division, Ma, was dismissed from his post due to poor command, and the division was punished with the number revoked.
(2) **Battle of Nanchang
In April 1939, Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, was lost, and the 9th Theater Commander ordered the 1st Group Army to participate in the battle of Nanchang in northern Jiangxi, and arrived in Fengxin and Gao'an areas. Before the war, Lu Daoyuan, commander of the new 11th Division, encouraged the officers and men to wash away the shame of the Chongyang Campaign and win glory for Yunnan. In the battle for the front line of Daheling, the division engaged in a fierce tug-of-war, and the two sides lost and alternated. After about 30 days of fierce fighting, the results were frequent, and the merits were made up, and the number of the 11th Division was finally restored. Later, due to the heavy weight of the whole front, after being ordered to stop the offensive, the 58th Army firmly held the third line of Gaoyou City and Xiangfuguan on the north bank of the Jinjiang River, and stepped up the construction of fortifications.
(3) The First Battle of Changsha
In mid-September 1939, Okamura Ninji, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, mobilized divisions and regiments, with aircraft and more than 100,000 troops, and attacked Changsha in three routes: northern Jiangxi, southern Hunan, and northern Hunan. The 1st Army was ordered to block the enemy's aid to Hunan, and the 58th Army held its original defensive position. With the cooperation of powerful platoon artillery, more than 10 planes bombed our forward positions indiscriminately, rushed with infantry cavalry, and most of the fortifications were destroyed. The Japanese army must not be allowed to break through our army's position first, the first line of the bombing was blown up and lost contact, Gaoyou City and some other positions were lost, and Commander Sun immediately ordered Division Commander Lu to go to the first place, and it must be recaptured. After many times, the division commander personally went to the front line to supervise the battle and conquered it, and then lost it. The Yunnan army transferred to the second line, fought with the Japanese army in the Tangpu area, the battle was very fierce, because our army cooperated with each other, fought hard, and the friendly army blocked the Japanese army in northern Jiangxi, creating favorable conditions for the victory of the Battle of Changsha, and ended the battle in mid-October.
In 1940, the Japanese army invaded Vietnam, and the 60th Army was transferred back to Yunnan to strengthen the defense of Yunnan, and Liu Zhengfu, commander of the new 10th Division of the 58th Army, was promoted to the deputy commander of the army; Lu Daoyuan, commander of the new 11th Division, was promoted to deputy commander of the 58th Army and commander of the new 10th Division. Liang Dekui was promoted to commander of the new 11th Division. The Hunan and Hubei borders were transferred from Gao'an to the 79th Army defense area. It is under the direct command of the Ninth Theater Commander's Department. Deployed in Jiuling, responsible for the defense of Tiezhu Mountain, Beigang Line position. The new 10th Division conducted training in Shangta City and Baijiaao on the Pingjiang River in Hunan, and the military headquarters was stationed at Nanjiangqiao. On the left is the 4th Army (commonly known as the Iron Army), and on the right is the 20th Army (Sichuan Army). During this period, in order to improve combat effectiveness, seize the opportunity to train troops in rotation, carry out patriotic education, establish the belief in victory, and add glory to the Yunnan army, he wrote "Dancing at the foot of Fushan Mountain, waving the Dongting Lake......The lyrics of the 58th Army military song greatly boosted morale. At that time, military discipline was very strict, and two people, including Zhong Fangying, a doctor of the military medical department, and two soldiers, blocked the road and robbed pedestrians of their money, and were executed in Nanjiangqiao Street, which was praised by the local people.
(4) The bloody battle of Dayun Mountain
At the beginning of September 1941, the commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, Anan Weiji, mobilized nearly 100,000 people from the 1st Division to launch the 2nd Battle of Changsha, and attacked the position of Nanshan, Jipoling and Zhanjiaqiao of the 4th Army and the new 11th Division of our army with large-scale infantry and artillery.
For three or four days and nights, although the Japanese army launched many attacks on our army under the cover of aircraft, our army's morale was high, and it dared to fight and withstood the attack of the Japanese army, but it was very heavy, and with the support of the local villagers, the dead officers and soldiers were rushed (transported) to the high ground on the side of the Nanjiang Bridge to be buried, and the wounded were sent to the field hospital for treatment. The 4th Army ** was larger and withdrew from the stronghold of Dayun Mountain. Deputy Commander Yang Sen ordered the 4th Army, 58th Army, and 20th Army to attack the enemy who wanted to cross the Xinqiang River, and the commander of the new 10th Division, Lu Division, received the army commander **, and he must first capture the commanding heights of Dayun Mountain before it is conducive to the battle, that is, he personally supervised the battle and launched many charges under the cover of light and heavy firepower under the cover of the commander of the 30th Regiment Mao Jiagu, and finally recovered the stronghold. Later, relying on the commanding advantage of Dayun Mountain, the 28th Regiment regained Shitangchong and forced the Japanese army to the line of Shimiao. The new 11th Division cooperated with the enemy besieging Gantian, and its enemy reinforcements, the 40th Division, arrived to participate in the battle, and the battle was fierce. The army commander went to the front line to command, and the division commander went to the forward position to supervise the battle, repelled the Japanese attack many times, and bought enough time for the deployment of the battle. When the Japanese army was bombarded with more than 50 planes, 10 tanks and intensive artillery fire, they broke through the Xinqiang River and advanced towards the Guanwang Bridge, and soon crossed the Miluo River and rushed to Changsha. The 58th Army was ordered to attack from the flanks in order to consume the combat effectiveness of the Japanese follow-up troops, and to destroy the main communication routes, communication facilities, and cut off the enemy's lines of communication. In the past few days, the enemy who has invaded Changsha, after the stubborn resistance of the defenders and the combined attack of the peripheral armies, the Japanese army has suffered a heavy weight and its spirit has been greatly reduced. By the time our army reached Tuanshanpu, the Japanese army had already retreated from the original route. Our army immediately intercepted the retreating enemy at Changle Street and Guanwang Bridge and inflicted heavy losses. In mid-October, the Japanese army returned to its original defensive position, and the battle ended. There are more than 120 officers and more than 5,000 soldiers of the 58th Army, so they were ordered to Huang'an City and Chang'an Bridge to be repaired.
(5) The Shadow Pearl Mountain Blockade Battle
In mid-December 1941, the commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, Anan Weiji, was unwilling to accept defeat, concentrated about 100,000 troops of various arms, and marched south along the Guangdong-Han Line to launch the Third Battle of Changsha. Onslaught at the positions of the 20th Division of our 134th Army. The 58th Army immediately ordered the new 11th Division to reinforce the battle at Yanglin Street. The 20th Army was besieged, and the 58th Army was ordered to annihilate the besieging enemy and contain the Japanese attack. By the end of the fierce battle, the battle was ready, and the commander's headquarters ordered the troops on the front line to retreat. While resisting, the 58th Army gradually retreated to the south bank of the Tear River in order to find fighters to annihilate the Japanese army. The new 10th Division slammed into the Japanese baggage units and inflicted heavy losses. The Japanese army attacking Changsha was defeated by the combined efforts of our 10th Army, 73rd Army and the 4th, 26th, 37th, 74th and 79th armies on the periphery of Changsha. The 58th Army was ordered to deploy at Yingzhu Mountain on the north bank of the Laodao River, and the 20th Army served as a blocking army at Mingyue Mountain to jointly encircle and annihilate the retreating enemy. Yingzhu Mountain is a pass, it is the main road from Changsha to Changle Street and Xinshi, if the Japanese army can pass through this place, they can escape north. The 58th Army ordered the new 10th Division to occupy the Yingzhu Mountain position, the new 11th Division to control the left flank of the mountain, and the corps command post was located in the Youzen Temple on the mountainside. All the troops stepped up to build fortifications and prepare to block and annihilate the enemy in the north. On January 7, 1942, the 3rd and 40th divisions of the Japanese army retreating to the Fulinpu area were severely attacked by our pursuing army and blocking army. The Japanese army that went south to meet it came to the rescue, and at dawn on the 8th, the planes carried out a large-scale bombing, and the artillery was fired in unison, and the entire area of Yingzhu Mountain was suddenly filled with gunsmoke. The Japanese launched several charges and counterattacks, but they were all repulsed by our troops. At the same time, the Japanese army also organized about 500 elite soldiers to raid the position of the 2nd Battalion of our 31st Regiment in an attempt to seize the commanding heights, but they were routed. On the night of the 9th, the Japanese army Captain Shanqi led more than 600 death squads to the mountainside to attack the command post of the new 10th Division (only 500 meters away from the army headquarters). The more soldiers of our army became, the higher their morale, and they fought dozens of rounds of white-knuckle battles, and hundreds of corpses of Japanese soldiers were on the slopes of the mountain. Some of the wounded Japanese officers and soldiers committed suicide by disembowelment or stabbed each other with knives, and Shan Qi also committed suicide. The bloody battle lasted until about 10 a.m. on the 10th, and the enemy who had sneak attack was completely annihilated, which greatly boosted the morale of our officers and men. Two days after the fierce battle of Yingzhu Mountain, the Japanese army was defeated and retreated to the original position in Yueyang under the cover of bombing by the reinforcements and a large number of planes rushing in. In the bloody battles of the past few days, our army is also very large, and only the company commander and platoon commander Zhang Chao (Meng Ziren, now living in Guilin Street) and 11 soldiers of the 4th Company of the 31st Regiment of the New 11th Division remain. Yin Ran, the battalion commander of the 30th Regiment of the New 10th Division, was killed heroically, and more than 200 officers and soldiers of the team directly under the army and division were killed.
After the battle, the 58th Army withdrew to Liling Beixiang for rectification, and in May 1942, the Japanese army launched the Battle of Zhejiang-Jiangxi in the 3rd War Zone, in an attempt to open up the Zhejiang-Jiangxi line to make it one. The 58th Army was transferred to eastern Jiangxi to participate in the battle, and fought fiercely with the enemy in the areas of Linchuan, Chongren, and Fengyu for more than half a month, and won the victory. Sun Du was promoted to deputy commander-in-chief (later commander-in-chief) of the 1st Group Army, Lu Daoyuan was promoted to army commander, and Hou Zhenbang was promoted to commander of the new 10th Division. In August 1943, the Kuomintang Military Training Department ordered some short-term students of the 14th and 15th phases of the Whampoa Military Academy to return to the school in batches for one year of supplementary training. With the approval of the army commander, Zheng Dehou, Wang Fuguang, Deng Shaohua, and I went to the No. 1 Corps of the Chengdu Huangpu Military Academy for training, so I left my original unit.
On the occasion of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, in order to cherish the memory of the martyrs of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and not forget the national shame, I would like to commemorate this memory.
August 1995.
Source**: Selected Literature and History Materials of Mengzi (2nd Edition).