On August 9, 1937, the 87th Division and the 188th Division, which had participated in the 128th Anti-Japanese War in 1932, secretly stationed at Hongqiao Airport, and killed the Japanese captain Isamu Oyama who came to investigate and deliberately provoke. The Japanese used this as an excuse to create the August 13th Incident, which shocked both China and the world. The Battle of Songhu, known as the Oriental Meat Grinder, officially opened.
Battle of August 13, 1937
On the morning of August 13, 1937, the morning bell of the Shanghai Jiangguan Customs Building first rang. At around 9 o'clock in the morning, the Chinese army launched a full-scale offensive. Our Air Force, which went into battle for the first time, took the lead in making Japan famous. More than half of the world's aviation fleet was wiped out. For a time, the pilots became inspiring national heroes. The Chinese army's early operations went smoothly and they once approached the Japanese headquarters building.
The Japanese army mobilized 4 aircraft carriers and more than 70 warships in a short period of time, lined up in the Huangpu River and Yangtze River estuary, , and fired wantonly towards the urban area of โโShanghai. Hundreds of ordinary people were screaming and running after being hit by the shelling. According to an American's later recollection, he witnessed a woman holding a two-year-old girl in her arms. The woman's face was full of fear and sorrow, and the little girl's entire face had been blown off.
Little girl on the battlefield
htmlOn August 23, Japanese reinforcements successfully landed, but under the tenacious resistance of the Chinese army, casualties were heavy. By mid-September, the Japanese army used aircraft carriers , large transport ships and other modern logistics support systems, with only two or three troops In just a few days, more than 200,000 people were mobilized to join the battle of and .China also launched a war mobilization at that time, mobilizing nearly 1/3 of China's troops and about 700,000 troops to rush to the battlefield, including the elite Central Army, as well as different factions of Guangxi Army , Guangdong Army, Sichuan Army, Hunan Army , Northwest Army and Northeast Army etc. Although they had grievances against each other during the civil war, , they ignored the past grievances and united to fight against the foreign enemy. Even though they knew that they were running towards death, they did not hesitate and still rushed to the battlefield one after another, just for the sake of Protect the country.
Chinese defenders
The Japanese army relied on advanced weapons and equipment to continuously shoot artillery shells at the Chinese army from the sea, land and air. Often, with one shot, half the people in the football field were gone in an instant, and the battlefield instantly became a melting pot. No matter how many people there were, , it melts when filled in. Feng Yuxiang, former commander of the Third War Zone, recalled that every day we put troops into the battlefield one division after another. Some were wiped out in less than three hours, and some lasted for four hours, with 2/3 casualties. . Chinese soldiers used their flesh and blood to block the cold shells.
Japanese tanks
Shanghai was reduced to ruins under the bombardment. The movie " Eight Hundred " is about this Battle of Songhu. Xie Jinyuan of the 88th Division led the team to defend the Sihang Warehouse, , and fought bloody battles. Only more than 400 people repelled the Japanese attacks many times. On the other side of the river is the British and French Concession, with hell on one side and heaven on the other. This is a wonder that cannot be seen in any war.
The movie "Eight Hundred"
The Battle of Songhu on August 13 was a large-scale and fierce battle. It lasted for three months. The Japanese army invested more than 300,000 troops and suffered more than 40,000 casualties. The Chinese army invested a total of more than 750,000 troops and suffered casualties. With more than 330,000 people, the Chinese brave men exchanged an average of 8 lives for 1 life of the Japanese army. During the battle, more than 1,000 Chinese officers of the second lieutenant level and above were killed. The Battle of Songhu shattered Japan's arrogant three-month plan to destroy China, dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese aggressors, and safeguarded China's territorial integrity.
Japanese invaders
