Changde, located in the lower reaches of Yuanjiang River, is a big city west of Dongting Lake. Dongting Lake in the east, Wuling Mountain in the west, Xuefeng Mountain in the south, Sun Mountain and Tai Fu Shan in the north. Crossing the Yuanjiang River is Deshan, and the Hunan-Guizhou Highway leads to Changsha, surrounded by rivers. This is a well-known "land of plenty". Once Changde falls, not only the flank of Changsha will be threatened, but also the only supply line in Chongqing's rear area will be cut off, and Chongqing will be directly exposed to the Japanese army. More importantly, Changde's gains and losses are also related to the victory and defeat of the southwest battlefield and even the entire Southeast Asian battlefield, and its strategic position is extremely important. Cili is located in the transition zone from Wuling Mountain to Dongting Lake Plain, backed by Shimen, forming a barrier to the northwest of Changde. After the fall of Shimen, Cili began to be occupied by the Japanese army. On this land, China's army launched a 12 tragic blocking war day and night.
Two. Troops and numbers of both sides in the war.
1, China Army
Commander of the 74th Army (under the jurisdiction of 5 1 Division, 57th Division and 58th Division): Wang.
Among them, 57 divisions are stationed in Changde City, and in Cili, 58 divisions and 5 1 division mainly undertake the task of blocking the enemy.
58th Division (under the jurisdiction of 172, 173, 174 regiments): Zhang, with 8 174 troops; 5/KOOC-0/Division (under its jurisdiction/KOOC-0/5/KOOC-0/Regiment,/KOOC-0/52 Regiment,/KOOC-0/53 Regiment) Division Commander: Zhou Zhidao, with 8,400 troops, the total strength of the Chinese Army participating in the war is/KOOC-0/6574.
2. Japanese aggressor troops
The Japanese troops who invaded Cili were all 13 division and Sasaki detachment of the 34th division. 13 division (headed by Chiluli) has 65 regiments (Ito troops), 104 regiments (Haifu troops) and10/6 regiments (Daping troops) with 23 137 troops. Sasaki detachment strength of 6220 people. The total number of Japanese troops is 29,357.
It is worth noting that the right-wing position of the 5 1 Division has to fight against the Japanese 3rd Division and the116th Division in Taoyuan County, so the national army on the battlefield in Cili has to deal with twice as many Japanese troops as itself.
Battle route
The first stage: the enemy soldiers hold the edge.
1, Japanese invasion route
The first way is to take the backbone of the Japanese 65th Infantry Regiment 13 Division as the vanguard of the left-wing column. At 8 o'clock on 13, start from Diaomu Temple, head south towards Maojiashan, and enter Qinshui River near Tongzixi, Shimen at 18. /kloc-On the morning of 0/4, United Airlines 65 crossed Lishui and entered Yangjiaxi in Cili. 15 night, cross Lishui and enter Maoeryu. It was blocked by the 3rd Battalion of the 58th Division of the National Army172nd Regiment in Maoeryu and Chisongshan, and entered Cili County at 8 pm on 18.
On the second road, the right column is 104 infantry wing (Haifu troops) of 13 division, which starts from Dujiagang in the morning of 13, crosses the mountainous area and passes through Wan Ren Cave and Snail Dam. After passing Sanhe Mountain, Yongsheng Bridge and Dashaxi, we entered the other side of Chalin River on the evening of 17, crossed Lishui that night, and met with the 65th Wing at Baoan Bridge. 18 entered Cili County at 8 pm.
On the third road, the right column is 13 division (Dapingjun) 1 16 infantry wing. 13 starts from the vicinity of Xinmen Temple, passes through Dujiagang, and crosses the water in the south of Wan Ren Cave. Then cross the watershed, the foothills of Sanhe Mountain near Dongyue Temple, and make rapid progress towards Cili. According to the Japanese war history, the Japanese army arrived in Yanbodu on the 20th due to the wrong marching route, and entered Longtan River via Chaoyang and Jinping.
The fourth way is to cooperate with the Sasaki detachment of 13 division. 17 starts from the vicinity of Xinguan, passes through Yongsheng Bridge and Dongyueguan, and is blocked by the 1st Battalion of 58th Division 172 Division at Yamenguan. 19 crossed Lishui at noon and entered Cili.
2, the basic process
1October 2 1 13 crossed Songzi River from Hubei, and arrived at Dujiagang and Xinmen Temple in Shimen on June 18+0/. Sasaki's detachment entered Hunan from Gongan County and arrived in Xinyan, northwest of 13 Division on the same day. At this time, the 73 rd Army stationed in Shimen is facing extinction. Sasaki detachment cooperated with the 3rd Division, another elite division of the Japanese army, and surrounded the 73rd Corps.
As soon as the battle started, this army, which suffered heavy losses in the "factory pit tragedy" in Nanxian County, was quickly defeated. Peng Shiliang, the commander of the temporary fifth division, was killed in command operations. Commander Wang Zhibin reported to the Sixth Theater by telephone: "One deputy commander, three division commanders and three deputy division commanders were killed or their whereabouts are unknown. There are only about 4,000 troops left in the four divisions, and all heavy firearms and equipment have been lost, basically losing their combat capability. "
165438+1October 14, the 73rd Army fleeing Shimen was fatally attacked by 13 Division near Yangjiaxi, Cili.
On this day, the Lishui River beside Yangjiaxi was dyed red with blood. Many old people who witnessed the terrible situation of that year still can't bear to look back on that bloody past.
When we returned to Cili, the 73rd Army had less than 13 company.
/kloc-on the evening of 0/4, Chiang Kai-shek emphasized in his phone call to the military headquarters that the focus of the 74th Army's future operations is to "ensure Changde with one unit and fight a decisive battle with the enemy near Cili".
The 74th Army is the elite of the Kuomintang Central Army. Its military equipment supply and quality are always superior. This army is also unambiguous in actual combat. During the eight-year anti-Japanese war, almost all the hard battles in the battlefield in Central China were fought. 1940, the 74th Army was reorganized, equipped with the latest equipment and directly under the Central Military Commission. The Japanese army was deeply in awe of the ace troops in this army, and called it the "35 th Army" (referring to 5 1 division, with 57 divisions and 58 divisions under its jurisdiction, all starting with 5).
According to the instructions of the military region, the commander Wang ordered: "In addition to the fifty-seventh division, it will stick to Changde and mainly control the mountainous areas between Baihe Mountain, Jigongyan and Yanziqiao in the southeast of Cili. Keep moving and fight for the outer wing to attack the enemy. "
According to veterans of the 73rd Army, the 74th Army also undertakes the task of meeting them.
5 1 division and 58th division were ordered to act immediately. 165438+1October 15, 58th division, led by Zhang, arrived at Erdugang, Yanziqiao and Huangliandong in Cili, and sent a search team to search and reconnoiter in the direction of Shimen.
The operational deployment of the main three regiments under the jurisdiction of the 58th Division is 172 regiment, which arrived at Luomapo south of Cili on the afternoon of 15. Occupy the main points of ancestral temple and yamen entrance, and send alert troops near Maoeryu and Dongyueguan. 174 arrived at Huanglian Cave on the afternoon of 15, and sent alert troops to guard the direction of Shimen. 173 group, on the morning of June 6th 10, arrived at the vicinity of Yanzi Bridge in the south of Cili City to gather, scout the crossing point and collect crossing materials near Yanbodu and Liulinpu.
Directly under the cavalry company, passing through Shangwutong, Cili and Yamenguan, arrived in Tongjinpu on the afternoon of 15 as the left-back of the division. On that day, the front command post of the 58 th Division was located in Jianjiaping.
5 1 division (under its jurisdiction 15 1, 152, 153) followed the 58th division and set up a defense line at the junction of Cili and Taoyuan. Division headquarters is in Wangjiapeng.
165438+1October16, the Japanese army 13 division broke through the Shimen defense line of the 73rd National Army and marched into Cili in four ways.
At 9: 00 a.m. on June 16, the search and alert troops of the 58th Japanese Division and the first brigade of the 65th United Front vanguard met in Maoeryu narrow road. The two sides wiped off their guns and fired the first shot of Cili's blocking war. The small unit of this national army fought with the enemy until noon and was ordered to retreat to defend the Biandan Cliff position of Songchi Mountain.
17 at dawn, about 1000 Japanese troops invaded Yamenkou from Nanjia village in Dongyue. 172 the 1st battalion of the regiment is at the entrance of Shouyamen. They have already occupied favorable terrain, built fortifications in Chenjiatu and Shijiatu near Yamen Well, and prepared for battle.
On the afternoon of the same day 14, the cavalry company on alert in Tongjinpu also encountered enemy soldiers, and a fierce battle immediately broke out between the two sides.
With the exchange of fire between the enemy and ourselves in Maoeryu, Yamenguan and Tongjinpu, the Cili blockade war started in an all-round way.
The second stage: offensive and defensive tug-of-war
/kloc-from 0/7 to 24, the Japanese army was stubbornly blocked by the national army in Songchi Mountain, Yamenguan, Yangjiaoshan and Qigu Mountain. In the meantime, the national army organized three beautiful ambushes. On one occasion, on the morning of 18, the 5 1 division and the 58th division each surrounded the 68th wing of the third division sent by the Japanese army to reinforce Liang Ya Songchishan (Laopeng Village, Guangfuqiao), killing about 200 people. The second time was to annihilate about 300 enemy troops who raided the left-wing position of Yangjiaoshan National Army in Lishui near Liaojiacun. The third time, the Japanese army attacked the foot of Mount Guqi, and the national army took advantage of the enemy's shaky foothold. Two battalions fought out from Guqi Mountain and Zero Yang Mountain respectively, annihilating thousands of enemies. Yi Yan Ito, captain of the 65th Allied Enemy Team, was also shot in the right leg in this battle and nearly died. At this stage, the national army has always occupied the terrain advantage, but the Japanese army used planes and cannons and used poison gas many times, causing heavy casualties to the national army. In the battle of Yangjiaoshan, the National Army suffered more than 900 casualties. In the battle of Qigushan, the Japanese army dispatched 13 divisions, 104 divisions, the fourth brigade and the third division of Sasaki detachment, with about 15000 people. They attacked all fronts, and their positions changed hands several times. Zhang Xianyong, Battalion Commander of the 5th12nd Division of the National Army, died heroically, and Zhou Demin, Battalion Commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Regiment of 153, led a crowd to kill and was wounded with honor.
The third stage: comprehensive counterattack
Kindness prevents war. The 5 1 and 58 divisions on the periphery of the 74th Army blocked the war, luring the enemy to the southwest of Cili and alleviating the pressure on Changde. After the enemy and I saw each other in Longtan River, the battlefield situation changed, and the two divisions began to counterattack in an all-round way.
165438+1October 2 1 day, 1 16 about 2,000 Japanese troops bypassed the national defense line and arrived at Longtan River in an attempt to sneak attack the headquarters of the 58th Division. The troops directly under the division resisted and covered the HQ to retreat in the direction of Gao Qiao. Qijiashan was fighting, but gunshots rang out from the Longtan River. At the same time, the Japanese army 104 United entered Erfangping circuitously, and several detachments infiltrated into Beijing Dragon Bridge. Japanese planes circled and bombed in the sky. At that time, the triangle fell into a scuffle.
At 3 pm on 23rd, the 5 1 division was ordered to move. Except for the Qigu Mountain Division, which was commanded by the 58th division Zhang nearby, the main force occupied Xinpu and Gao Qiao.
On the 25th, the peripheral positions of Changde were successively lost, and the city was surrounded by Japanese troops. At the same time, the sixth and ninth theaters of the National Army were urgently dispatched to send troops to rescue Changde. However, the enemy 13 division failed to make progress in Cili, which caused dissatisfaction in the military department. 1October 20th,116 attacked Panlong Bridge in Taoyuan. Blackpool United Division received orders, and the 13 Division failed to make progress in Cili. Blackpool troops were directly under the jurisdiction of the army and turned to attack the enemy of 13 Division in Huangshi. The enemy troops rushed back and forth between Panlongqiao-Qijiahe, Qijiahe-Shi Jiao, Shi Jiao-Qijiahe-Huangshi (Longtan River) and Huangshi-Changde, and arrived in the northwest of Changde on 24th to participate in the siege.
In order to destroy the Japanese army along the Longtan River as soon as possible and save Changde, Zhang decided to launch a big counterattack. He asked the 174 regiment, which had just arrived at Baiguo Temple, to quickly shrink its defense line and attack from the west via Yunchaoshan, Gaoziyu and Gao Qiao. Each regiment selected 200 warriors to organize brave teams, interspersed behind enemy lines and launched surprise attacks; Infantry commander Song Li rushed to Fengqiuping to direct operations. And sent a battalion and a cavalry company, plus radio troops, to form a raid team to help Changde.
25th 13, the general attack was officially launched. 174 attacked from the west, 172 attacked from the north, and 5 1 division 173 and 152 attacked from the east at the same time. The Japanese army was attacked on three sides, taking care of one thing and losing the other, and hurriedly fought back. The two sides fought fiercely for an afternoon, and Kawasaki Fangxiong, the first squadron leader of the Japanese 13 Division16 United Front, was killed in the melee.
Until late at night, the brave team is still attacking everywhere. Gunfire broke out one after another, and the Japanese army did not get a moment's rest. In the fierce battle, some hills of Longtan River were razed to the ground by shells, houses were blown up and land was burnt.
On the morning of 26th, smoke billowed from Longtan River Town, and the Japanese army could not resist the storm and retreated to Huangshi. Before running away, set fire everywhere. The ancient Longtan River town was suddenly swallowed up by the fire.
In the morning 10, Longtan River was recovered by me.
As a brother force, the 58th Division sent troops to rescue Changde, and at the same time, the 5 1 Division also sent a regiment to advance to Changde. They passed through the layers of Japanese troops and arrived at Panlong Bridge. 1 On the evening of February 2, 2008, the vanguard of the 5 1 division rescue troops ventured across the Yuanjiang River to get in touch with the defenders in the city. However, on February 3, 65438, Changde City had fallen.
Cili blocked the war, lasting 12 days and nights. After more than ten battles, after the Longtan River was recovered, the 5 1 Division and the 58th Division began to counterattack and drove the enemy out of Huangshi and Qijiahe. The 73rd Army renovated in Cili also took part in the attack, wiped out thousands of enemies near the Hot Water Pit and the Mantis Gang, and finally avenged the shame of Yangjiaxi.
According to the casualty statistics of the 74th Army, there were 3,990 casualties among Cili anti-Japanese soldiers, including 19 14 killed. According to Japanese data, in the battle of Changde, the 13 division and Sasaki detachment suffered a total of 666 1 person, of which 3,472 were killed.
The Japanese invasion of Cili brought great disaster to Cili people. According to the statistics of losses in Hunan during the Anti-Japanese War, Cili burned 962 houses in the county seat alone, with casualties 1 123 people and direct losses116 billion yuan. Xiejiapu and Biandian, prosperous commercial ports in Yangliupu Township, were set on fire, leaving only two geographical terms in the memory of a few old people. Two-thirds of Dongyueguan Old Street was burned down, and Cili County was completely unrecognizable and turned into ruins. Jinglongqiao Street 17 wooden house was burned; The ancient town of Longtan River disappeared into the raging fire overnight.
Fourthly, the significance of Cili's blocking war to the whole Changde battle.
Two months after the Battle of Changde, Chiang Kai-shek said at the Fourth Nanyue Military Conference: Except for the 57th Division, the other two divisions of the 74th Army have only six regiments, and there are no fewer than six regiments to deal with the enemy 13 Division and another division around Changde. After more than a month's hard struggle, we always fought the enemy to the end, and we took the initiative to attack the enemy everywhere. This is really the most brilliant record of our revolutionary army in the history of anti-Japanese war. ...
Zhang was awarded the Yunhui Medal for his outstanding performance in the peripheral operations of Changde Campaign. He was one of the few generals who had the honor to be decorated in Changde Campaign, and was praised as a "model soldier" by Chiang Kai-shek.