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Speaking of the "three Yangs" in the army, that is, yang Dezhi, Yang Chengwu, and Yang Yong, the three generals, they are almost household names. Their images also appeared in many film and television dramas, such as "Blood Battle Xiangjiang", "Liberation of Shijiazhuang", "Eastern Battlefield", "Yang Dezhi Siege and Aid", "Yang Chengwu's Strong Attack on Dongtuan Fort", "Blood Battle Qingfeng Shop" and so on. The three admirals were known for their bravery and good fighting during the Long March of the Red Army, and after the outbreak of the War of Resistance, they became famous generals of the War of Resistance. Coincidentally, the "Three Yangs" all participated in the famous Battle of Pingxingguan, and they were all the main forces.
The Battle of Pingxingguan was an ambush battle conducted by the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army against the Japanese army on September 25, 1937, annihilating more than 1,000 subordinate units of the 21st Brigade of the 5th Division of the Itagaki Seishiro Division, known as the "Steel Army", and was the first major victory since the Eighth Route Army was released. This battle broke the myth of the so-called "invincibility" of the Japanese army and greatly encouraged the confidence of the whole people in the War of Resistance.
So, who were the commanders of the Battle of Pingxingguan? There are 10 bronze statues on the General Shuai Square in the center of the Pingxingguan Campaign Site, including Lin Shuai, Nie Shuai, and Xiao Hua, leaders of the 115th Division, Chen Guang and Xu Haidong, brigade leaders, and Yang Dezhi, Li Tianyou, Zhang Shaodong, Chen Jinxiu, and Yang Chengwu, leaders of the regiment, who are recognized as the commanders of the divisions, brigades, and regiments in the campaign.
In the battle, what are the identities of the "Three Yang" brave generals? Why is there no Yang Yong among the 10 bronze statues?
First, let's look at Yang Dezhi, who was then the commander of the 685th Regiment of the 4 regular main regiments of the 115th Division (formally organized by the Nationalist Government).
The 685th Regiment ambushed the line from Xinzhuang to Lizhuang at the westernmost tip of the Shiliqiaogou and was responsible for "leading the way", which showed its importance. The battle unfolded in the open river valley, and after the enemy encountered a head-on blow, he tried to seize the commanding heights, and Yang Dezhi immediately gave orders to the battalions after discovering it, and the enemy should not be allowed to occupy any of the commanding heights. Then, the enemy's planes also came to reinforcements, and Yang Dezhi immediately adopted the "close" tactics, trying to get as close as possible to the enemy to fight, so that the enemy planes were useless.
The white-knife battle of the 685th Regiment was particularly fierce, and Zeng Xiansheng, the commander of the 5th Company of the 2nd Battalion, stabbed more than a dozen devils to death by himself, and finally pulled the only grenade and died with the enemy! After the war, the 5th Company of the 685th Regiment was awarded the honorary title of "Pingxingguan Battle Assault Company".
In the Battle of Pingxingguan, Yang Chengwu's identity was very special; first, he was the regimental commander of the "non-organization" main independent regiment of the 115th Division, which crossed the brigade level and was directly subordinate to the division; second, Yang Chengwu's independent regiment was not in the main battlefield of Pingxingguan, but blocked the Japanese reinforcements from Laiyuan and Guangling at Stagecoach Ridge, cut off the enemy's road transport line, and ensured that the main force annihilated the enemy on the front, which was an arduous task.
Yang Cheng led his troops in a hurry, and after arriving at the predetermined place, he found that an enemy cavalry reconnaissance team had occupied Stagecoach Ridge in advance. Yang Chengwu immediately ordered his troops to occupy the hills on both sides of the road and build fortifications, which were shorter than Stagecoach Ridge but could still block the enemy's way.
At about 7:00 a.m., the Japanese army drove a reinforcement company of Pingxingguan, and as soon as they arrived at Stagecoach Ridge, they set up a combat formation and approached the position of the independent regiment. At 30 meters, 20 meters, and 10 meters, the machine guns of our army began to speak, and suddenly the guns on various hills were fired in unison, and dozens of Japanese troops fell to the ground in response. However, the enemy did not retreat, but set up a formation on the spot to confront the Eighth Route Army.
The sound of artillery in the direction of Pingxingguan came from time to time, and the Japanese army was a little panicked, and the fire weakened a little. Yang Chengwu immediately made a decision and urgently ordered the 2 companies ambushed on the side of the mountain to detour from the right wing to block the attack, so that the enemy could not feel the strength of our army.
The blockade battle lasted until 6 p.m., and after Receiving the telegram that the battle at Pingxingguan had ended, Yang Chengwu immediately ordered the reserve to insert itself into the east of the pass and fight from behind the Japanese army's ass.
Yang Chengwu led the independent regiment to pursue more than 50 miles in one go, killing Laiyuan City, and the Japanese army abandoned the city and fled!
Yang Yong's battle merit in the Battle of Pingxingguan was no less than that of the general in the 10 bronze statues, but Yang Yong was the deputy commander of the 686th Regiment, another main regiment of the 115th Division, and the regimental commander was Li Tianhuan. Since there was no political commissar in the early stage of the Eighth Route Army's reorganization, the deputy post was equivalent to that of political commissar. In the Battle of Pingxingguan, Yang Yong commanded the fiercest and most important battle for the Laoye Temple.
The 686th Regiment was responsible for "beheading" the Japanese army and occupying the highlands on the south side of the line from Laoye Temple to Xiaozhai Village. After the battle began, the Japanese army was anxious to occupy the favorable terrain and discovered the commanding heights of the Laoye Temple, and the commander of the 115th Division also realized its importance. Yang Yong was tasked with leading 3 battalions to compete for the Laoye Temple.
The ravine was filled with smoke and the sound of killing was tremendous. Yang Yong led the 3rd Battalion to rush to the road, launched a white-knife hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese army, and captured the commanding heights of the Laoye Temple after the reinforcements of the 2nd Battalion. The Japanese army was not satisfied, and urgently ordered 1 brigade to repeatedly attack the Laoye Temple, and sent aircraft to bomb to assist in the battle, but under the desperate resistance of the two battalions commanded by Yang Yong, they did not take the commanding heights in the end. Yang Yong was wounded in the left shoulder during the battle, the fourth time in his revolutionary career.
In the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in order to defend the homeland, our army emerged many commanders who dared to sacrifice and were both wise and courageous, and the "Three Yangs" were outstanding representatives of them.