68 years ago summer, July 68 years ago, and this moment 68 years ago.
Hengyang, the entire city is 500 meters east and west and 1,600 meters north and south. This continental geographical indication that the geese no longer fly south is becoming a city of suffering for war. From June 22 to August 8, 1944, China and Japan fought here for 47 days, setting a miracle in China's eight-year war of resistance.
Blood and tears Hengyang. When China and Japan recalled the fight, they both used the words "blood and tears".
1946, the year after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Jiang Hongxi, the battalion commander of the 30th Regiment of the 10th Army of the Hengyang Guards, dragged a life that escaped from Hengyang and a broken leg that was broken in Hengyang to complete his thoughts before the battle began - to record the battle in Hengyang. "I am writing myself, reading myself, and crying myself."
Jiang Hongxi's "Blood Tears Reminiscing of Hengyang" has become the first and only record of a front-line combatant in the world, and has become the most vivid witness from the trenches. Its preciousness is that it is different from memoirs after the war, especially after the Liberation War - many have been confused due to long periods of time, or have been subject to ideology and have damaged the authenticity.
Wang Xuan, who has been studying in Japan for more than 30 years and fighting bacterial war lawsuits, collected a large number of military history of Japanese troops participating in the war, war records and personal memoirs written by military personnel, including the "History of the Hundred and Twenty-twentieth Regiment of the Lan Corps Infantry Regiment in All War History" with a page number of more than 2,000 pages and two previous and lower parts. After sorting out, almost all the Japanese military history that participated in the Battle of Hengyang was found, and the blood was leaching again.
On August 8, 1944, when the Japanese army rushed into Hengyang from north to south, the scene in front of them stunned them.
There is no mouse here, and the bird was also injured, and the bullet holes on the telephone pole look like honeycombs. There are more than 50,000 houses in the city, only seven or eight are left intact, and less than 60 are still able to live in.
"There are only rubble here and corpses. There are also wounded soldiers, and there are no gaps in their feet. In the hot August summer, the corpses piled up like mountains are rotten and the strong smell makes me dare not breathe. The wounded soldiers' wounds are also rotting, crawling with rolling maggots." As soon as Hengyang occupied, Japan's "Daily News" special correspondent Yasuichi Yuichi followed the Japanese army to enter the city, freezing this painful war. As the winner, the Japanese army suffered several times more casualties than the defenders.
After entering the city, the hungry Japanese army searched the whole city for food, but found nothing except finding some leftover soy sauce and sauce in a sauce shop. Such victory as
was something the Japanese army had never thought of and could not accept.
This battle is "shocking for such great sacrifice" and is "the only painful and memorable siege battle in the eight years of Sino-Japanese war." The Japanese "History of the 68th Division of the Cypress" reads.
What kind of tragic and tragic battle in Hengyang in the 47 days from June 22 to August 8, 1944?
"Operation No. 1" drawings. The hard date pits
Hengyang was a small small town during the war. The three rivers - Xiangjiang River, Steamed Water, Leishui and two railways - Xiangguang Railway and Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway are wrapped around Hengyang's waist, and the narrow and long landform looks like a date pit.
Due to the war, this small city concentrated many industries and industries that migrated from Shanghai, Hankou and other places, and was lively. Hengyang's fiscal and tax revenue at that time even ranked third in the ruling region of the National Government, second only to Chongqing and Kunming.
5 On June 1, Fang Xianjue, the commander of the 10th National Army, led Chiang Kai-shek to defend Hengyang for up to two weeks for ten days and led the main force from Hengsan to Hengyang City. The whole city welcomed, and the sound of firecrackers rang out in the sky.
The 10th Army is known as the "Taishan Army". Its troops were at that time: the 3rd Division, the 10th Preparatory Division, the 190th Division (only one regiment is complete, and the rest are cadres), the 54th Division (only one battalion), plus the subordinate troops: 1 company of the chariot defense artillery battalion of the 48th Division of the 5th Army, 1 company of the 46th Army Artillery Battalion, and 1 company of the 74th Army Field Artillery Battalion, a total of 18,000 people.
The Japanese army gathered 362,000 troops, 67,000 horses, and 9,500 cars.
On June 18, on the day Changsha fell, Fang Xianjue urgently ordered the evacuation of 300,000 residents and 200,000 refugees in the city. On June 20, at the call of Hengyang Mayor Zhao Junmai, more than 23,000 citizens formed an ammunition team, fortification repair team, fire brigade, injury service team and corpse collection team to support the 10th Army in the defense of Hengyang.
hastily prepared for the war, and with Hengyang's narrow area, some people judge that Hengyang can be kept for up to three days. In the eyes of the Japanese army, Hengyang was within reach, and it was just a small step in its "Operation No. 1".
, the "Operation No. 1" including the Battle of Hengyang was called "ancient war" by the Japanese army. The war preparations began in 1943 and about 80% of the troops equivalent to 620,000 Chinese dispatched troops at that time. The front line ran about 1,500 kilometers from Henan through Hunan to Guangdong and French Indochina borders.
Japan's preparation is incomparable. The aircraft is scheduled to be replenished for 50 aircraft every month, and the air force ammunition is enough for half a year, and the Air Force has enough for two years. Before the war in Hengyang began, intelligence work had already drawn maps of every block in Hengyang. In the view of Stilwell, the chief of staff of the US military's Chinese Theater of Staff, the average division was not 10,000, but at most 5,000; soldiers did not pay, had no food, were malnourished, and had a lot of diseases; old weapons were not suitable...
11944, the Japanese army crossed the Yellow River in Kaifeng and occupied Zhengzhou on the 19th; on May 1, it captured Xuchang, and Luoyang fell on the 25th; on June 16, the Japanese army besieged Changsha with 14 divisions, and on the 18th, Changsha fell. On May 29, before
, Chiang Kai-shek called Fang Xianjue to defend Hengyang for ten days to two weeks, and told him: "This battle is related to the survival of the country and nation, and Hengyang's gains and losses are especially the key to victory or defeat."
The Japanese army planned to take advantage of the victory and pursue Hengyang before the Chinese army was able to complete the defense, and quickly conquered Hengyang. The troops of its 68th and 116th Divisions and the main force of the 218th Regiment of the 34th Division only brought food for one week, and advanced into Hengyang like an arrow from the string.
"Fang Xianjuehao"
On June 22, Japanese planes began to bomb Hengyang and threw incendiary bombs. There were many fires on both sides of the Xiangjiang River. The 68th Division forced its way across the Leishui River east of Hengyang, attacking from south to north from Hengyang City, while the 116th Division attacked from west to east.
As soon as the two sides caught fire, the Japanese army immediately encountered "a fierce firefight that had never been done on the Chinese battlefield." At around 10:30 on June 28, the concentrated artillery fire of the Chinese army's mortars hit Sakuma, the commander of the 68th Division of the Japanese Army, who was observing with a telescope at the forefront position, and other officers. The Japanese army was shocked by this artillery and had to stop a fierce siege for 10 days on July 2. Although the Japanese army has used strong attack measures such as taking turns to bombard positions in the air, bombard positions, deploying poison gas bombs, and human sea tactics over the past 10 days, they still have to admit defeat.
The Japanese army received information that the 10th Army of the Chinese Army was guarding Hengyang. Its commander "General Fang was a powerful general who defended Changsha during the first and second battles with the second Changsha in autumn and winter of 1941 (at that time, Fang was the commander of the 10th Division of the 10th Army). He served as the commander of the 10th Army during the Changde battle in early winter of 1943. He had reinforced the south side of Changde and had experience in fighting with our 11th Army, especially the 3rd Division."
old opponent once again encountered on the battlefield.
Fang knew that 18,000 troops could not match several times the Japanese army, so he took the initiative to give up the peripheral positions that could accommodate four armies outside Hengyang City, and narrowed the guard circle to the hilly positions in the south of the city, Jiangxi Guizhou Hall, Wuguiling, Zhangjiashan, Fengshushan, Tiger-shaped Nest Line and the West Point Bus Station, Tianma Mountain, Xichan Temple, Waziping, and Qingshan Street. This means that Fang Xianjue has determined to defend Hengyang without leaving any way out. When the Japanese army arrived in Hengyang from Changsha in the north, Fang Xiankai predicted that the Japanese army would not attack Hengyang directly from the north, but would cross the Lei River to attack from the south and west. As it turns out, this judgment is accurate.
In the hilly areas in the southern area, Fang Xianjue dug half of the enemy mountain in Wuguiling, Zhangjiashan and other areas, forming a rift of 90 degrees upright and 3-5 meters deep. A door panel with iron nails was placed at the bottom of the ravine, and then water was placed.There are bunkers on the top of the wall, and each bunker forms a cross firepower shot from side to block the valley. Grenades were set up before the bunkers, and soldiers could cooperate in dropping grenades at the enemy at the bottom of the trench.
Strong and complex obstacles are set up in front of the fire network, and mines are laid; each position has a main position to cover the traffic trench and go directly to the center of the city and streets. The 10th Army Command is located in the only solid steel and concrete building in the city area - the underground warehouse of the Central Bank. The instructions issued there make the entire Hengyang City a major fortified comprehensive position.
The Japanese army could not advance in front of such trenches. They stacked arhats and took human ladders. They often were swept through the trenches by the Chinese defenders before they could climb halfway. Later, he simply went naked and charged up with his partner's body as a step.
American journalist Bai Xiude recorded this: "Miracle, in Hengyang, the 10th Army withstood. They were surrounded and had no way to retreat, but they fought bravely, like Shanghai back then."
Later, the Japanese army, who suffered heavy casualties, learned that the guard fortifications that blocked their advance had a name: "Fang Xianjuehao".
was promoted to 5 battalion commanders in half a day and
The Japanese army siege for 47 days, and in fact they were divided into three main attack waves.
The first round starts from June 28 to end from July 2. This time, the Japanese army wanted to attack Hengyang quickly, and first used aircraft bombing, artillery bombardment and poison gas attacks. When the defenders fell into a semi-paralyzed state, they would charge in groups of three or four hundred men, and implement "close tactics" and "meat-bulletism."
The number of Chinese defenders in wild mountain artillery is far less than that of the Japanese army, but "Fang Xianjuehao" cooperates with the soldiers' grenade throwing, which exerted extraordinary power. In the past few days, 20,000 to 30,000 grenades are consumed every day.
After a few days, the 10th Army suffered more than 4,000 casualties, and the Japanese army suffered more than 16,000 casualties. At the airport across the Xiangjiang River, fires lit every night. They were the bodies that the Japanese army died in battle the night before burning. You could smell bloody and disgusting stench of corpses in the evening breeze.
The second attack began on July 11 and lasted for 10 days. This is an extremely arduous battle for both China and Japan. The combat power, physical strength and psychology have reached their limits. Moreover, it was hot summer, the bodies of soldiers who died in battle were corrupt and the stench was hard to bear. Malaria and dysentery began to spread in the arms of both sides, including Fang Xianjue and Hengshan Yong, the highest generals of both sides.
The Japanese army fought again obviously learned the lesson and built temporary shelters every time they pushed forward. After waiting for the support of the Air Force and the arrival of the heavy artillery, the strategy was adjusted to bombard the positions and Hengyang City even more violently. In front of the position, there was still "meat-bombing" with 300 people coming into battle shirtlessly and attacking in turn.
The fierce Japanese artillery fire turned Hengyang into a scorched earth. Huang Renhua, the battalion commander of the 10th Division, was killed at the Prince's Wharf. His subordinates found him a coffin to restrain the body. On the second night, the Japanese army's heavy artillery hit the coffin and the bones were blown to pieces. His subordinates packed up a little bit of broken bones and stored them in the clay pot. Unexpectedly, that night, Japanese artillery fire smashed the clay pot again.
main guards Zhangjiashan and Wuguiling positions in the south of the city, the 10th Division, and the direct troops suffered more than 90% casualties. The company-level cadres on the front line of the battle were killed, let alone soldiers. In the battle for Wuguiling, five battalion commanders were promoted to the stage in half a day, but they were all killed.
7 in the middle and late July, the weather was so hot, and the enemy and the enemy changed to fighting at night. Both sides kept a battle schedule silently. At around 9 a.m. every day, gunfire sounds stopped on the whole line and they each had breakfast and rested; at around 6 p.m., shouting to each other: "Let's start!" Since the enemy and us were only tens of meters apart, both sides could hear their words, so they fought overnight.
On July 18, Fang Xianjue convened a meeting of four division commanders to report the situation of the war, indicating that from the 12th (the battle to the 26th), a two-word password will be sent to Chairman Chiang every night. Before the war, Chiang Kai-shek and Fang Xianjue made an appointment with each other when they were unable to support their combat effectiveness in order to obtain foreign aid. But there was no news of reinforcements.
Both parties have reached the limit of their psychological endurance. When Japanese planes bombed, they threw a small amount of cigarettes and a large number of leaflets. The leaflet reads: "The soldiers of the 10th Army who are good at fighting: the mission has been achieved. This is the inherent stubborn character of Hunan people.Unfortunately, your fate is not good, reinforcements cannot advance, and you are all in the future! "
According to Chiang Kai-shek's deadline for the city, the 10th Army had already completed its mission, not only for more than ten days, but even for one month. The grain in Hengyang City was burned to burnt by Japanese artillery fire, the burnt grain was eaten up in salt water, and the fish, shrimps and duckweed in the pond had been caught. What's even more unbearable is that the wounded soldiers were everywhere, and the field hospitals hid in Tibet under the enemy's artillery fire, and the wounded were helpless. Every day, the wounded committed suicide by not being able to bear the pain.
" That one The moon is dimmer than usual.
August 4, the Japanese army launched the final attack on Hengyang. The Japanese army attacked with 5 divisions, more than 100 light and heavy artillery pieces and 40,000 shells. It no longer implemented "meat-bombism" and used heavy artillery to bombard the Chinese defenders' positions. Under the heavy artillery, the trenches that had previously played a role were mostly razed to the ground, and the soldiers used the bodies of their dead comrades to build up as bunkers to fight with the Japanese army again. On the night of the 4th, 14, the north of Xinghua Village, which had been fiercely fighting for a day. The 6th Company of the 9th Regiment of the 1st Highland died with its position; the corpses of Xichan Temple and Tianma Mountain were accumulated for several layers and remained firmly defended.
The Japanese army's offensive re-allocated their strength. The 58th Division, which was skilled in siege battles, rushed from Changsha at night and attacked the city from the north of Hengyang. The gap in the north of Hengyang on the night of the 6th opened on the night of the 6th.
was noon on the day, and the street battle started in Hengyang City. The tragic battle continued on the 7th, and the Qingshan Street position was penetrated by the enemy three times in a row. 3 Wang Jinding, the commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Regiment of the Division, personally led the officers and soldiers to throw more than 20 grenades to the enemy, but was later shot and died. At this time, only 12 officers and soldiers in the battalion remained, and they were sobbed. Battalion Commander Hou Shude used the battle gap to collect Wang Jinding's body and cremated it, and hung his ashes on his waist, swearing to avenge him and fight against the enemy in a crazy state.
At noon, Fang Xianjue summoned the division commander to gather in the Central Bank Army Command and sent the last telegram to Chongqing: "The enemy has broken into the north city this morning, and then launched street fighting in the city. My officers and soldiers were killed and killed, and there was no more soldiers to block the attack. I vowed to repay the party and the country with one death, and I will do my best to do my best to be a military officer. This telegram may be the last telegram, see you again in the next life. "
There are only a few broken buildings left in Hengyang, with scorched earth. The bell tower in the city is still standing in the city center. Hengyang saw that it was about to fall into the enemy, and the soldiers of the defenders cried.
Jiang Hongxi, the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 30th Regiment of the 10th Army Preparatory Division, survived by luck. In the battle of Hengyang, he was injured three times, the first time was injured in the head, no fire line, and the second time he was shot, eight parts of his body were injured, and he went forward without hesitation. Line. On August 3, while guarding the Tianma Mountain position, Jiang was interrupted by the enemy's dense bullets and retreated to the battle.
At 10 pm on August 3, the last bit of peace before the war, Jiang Hongxi lay on a stretcher, holding the only military blanket, a piece of dough cloth and two boxes of needles and medicine given by the regiment commander, and went to the hospital with the sorrow of not being able to live and die with his comrades.
"The moon seems to be much darker than usual. "The moon that night gave him a deep impression.
International storm and clouds Hengyang
1944, Chiang Kai-shek, as the commander-in-chief of the Chinese theater of the Pacific War Allied Forces, was under pressure from both inside and outside. Under the pressure of the United States, the seven most elite troops of China's 67th War Zone had already dispatched the Indian-Myanmar battlefield in batches. Stilwell repeatedly conveyed the message to the United States that "the situation in China is extremely dim". On July 7, Roosevelt called to congratulate him, but "unexpectedly, another sudden call came, that is, because China's war situation was critical, and he wanted to send Stilwell to command all Chinese troops under my direct jurisdiction." Not only that, the telegram also mentioned Chiang Kai-shek's most painful point: "It means that the Communist army is also inside it. ”
■Nanxianghong
selected from "Looking at the World" 2012 Issue 18
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