In the 14-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in the last century, the outstanding sons and daughters of the Chinese nation fought with the same enemy, followed by former servants and successors, dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese and the Kosovars, and finally drove the enemy out of China. During this period, a large number of senior Japanese generals were also killed.
On November 7, 1939, Lieutenant General Norihide Abe, commander of the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army known as the "Flower of Famous Generals", was killed by Yang Chengwu of the Eighth Route Army at Loess Ridge, the highest Japanese general killed by the Eighth Route Army since the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. A few days later, on December 25, 1939, another major General of the Japanese Army was killed by the Chinese Nationalist forces at the Battle of Kunlun Pass, the brigade commander of the 21st Brigade of the Japanese Fifth Division, known as the "Steel Army".
The process of killing Abu Vuxiu at the Battle of Loess Ridge has been described in detail in many articles and film and television dramas. So, in the Battle of Kunlun Pass, how did Nakamura Masao die? Which unit of the Nationalist army killed him? Who is the commander?
On December 18, 1939, Chinese troops counterattacked Kunlun Pass. The main attacker was Du Yuming's 5th Army. After several days of fierce fighting, the main force of the 5th Army captured five or six high grounds outside Kunlun Pass, and the new 22nd Division of the 5th Army Qiu Qingquan blocked the reinforcements from the direction of Nanning between Wutang and Liutang. On December 20, the Japanese army in Kunlun Pass was not supported, and the commander of the Japanese 5th Division, Imamura, was anxious and ordered Nakamura Masao to lead reinforcements.
Masao Nakamura was a fanatical war criminal who had made many achievements in the Russo-Japanese War. During the war of aggression against China, he participated in major battles such as Xinkou, Taiyuan, Taierzhuang, and Guangzhou, and was a well-known general in the Japanese army. After receiving the order from the commander of the Imamura Division, he immediately led two brigades of the 42nd Wing to reinforce Kunlun Pass.
Nakamura Masao first searched slowly along the road with 1 squadron, while he himself led the main force to take the mountain road around Liutang, trying to avoid the Kuomintang army's blocking troops and reach Kunlun Pass as soon as possible. As Nakamura expected, less than an hour after he led his team into the mountain path, he heard the first cannon bombardment on the other side of the Liutang Highway, followed by the sound of gunfire. He knew that the squadron had engaged the Nationalist blocking troops, and that the men and horses he used as bait were 80% less fierce, and Nakamura ordered the troops to advance at full speed and quickly approach Kunlun Pass.
When Nakamura led his troops to the vicinity of Batang, he only heard a few cannon shots from the hillside to the west, and then the guns swept over like a rain, and Nakamura secretly cried bitterly. It turned out that Qiu Qingquan had set up an ambush here in order to prevent the Japanese army from moving back to the mountain road. Nakamura ordered a squad to seize a small height nearby, open fire to contain the blocking troops, and lead the main force to force the blockade line. Along the way, the Japanese army kept being shot and fell to the ground, but the others rushed forward without turning their heads. The Japanese left behind more than 100 bodies and wounded and finally crossed the blockade line.
At 2:00 a.m. on the 20th, Nakamura led his troops to Jiutang, and when they were only one mountain away from Kunlun Pass, they were suddenly blocked by the heavy troops of Qiu Qingquan's new 22nd Division, and neither army hastily launched an attack, forming a stalemate.
On the 22nd, Du Yuming decided to adjust the deployment and concentrate superior forces to seize several surrounding highlands first, cut off these left and right arms, and then solve the main position of Kunlun Pass. After a few days of fierce fighting, by the 23rd, the enemy at Kunlun Pass was on the verge of running out of ammunition. Late on the night of the 23rd, Miki sent a telegram to Nakamura, informing him of the situation in Kunlun Pass, which must be reunited today, otherwise the position will not be secured.
Nakamura had no choice but to organize a surprise attack on the morning of the 24th. At this time, he met his nemesis, Zheng Tingji, who was then the commander of the 3rd Regiment of the Honorary 1st Division of the 5th Army.
Zheng Tingdi was born in 1905 in Meizhu Village, Wenchang County, Hainan Province, graduated from the fifth phase of Huangpu, was the commander of the independent 5th Brigade during the Battle of Xinkou, fought with the White Blade of the Japanese Kou in battle, and was hit by several bullets, fortunately, he was desperately saved by the guards, so he called himself "Reborn".
During the day on the 24th, the 1st Regiment of the Honorary 1st Division continued to attack the Luotang Heights, and Zheng Tingdi led the 3rd Regiment to move to both sides of Jiutang to prevent possible reinforcements from the Japanese army.
The troops touched the outside of Jiutang Town at dawn. Zheng Ting ordered his troops to hide in the grass, he climbed an old tree, used a telescope to observe the town of Jiutang, and found that the Japanese army was lined up on the lawn by the road, and there were officers talking to them, and he judged that this was the "big fish" of the Japanese army. It turned out that this was Masao Nakamura who had suddenly come from Qiu Qingquan.
Taking advantage of the fact that the Japanese army did not find them, Zheng Tingdi ordered the 1st Battalion to quietly occupy the small high ground from Jiutang to Kunlun Pass, and the mortar company and heavy machine gun company took advantage of the favorable terrain to set up positions.
At 8:00 a.m., as soon as the Japanese troops left the Jiutang camp, they were strafed by mortars, machine guns, and rifles from The ambushed Zheng Tingji's troops. The Japanese army was caught off guard and suddenly made a mess.
Masao Nakamura swung his command knife and stabilized the troops, then set up a position to attack the Zheng Ting regiment, and just as the offensive was just beginning, a mortar bomb exploded 10 meters from Nakamura, and Nakamura was hit by shrapnel.
But Nakamura was Nakamura after all, he gritted his teeth, endured beads of sweat flowing down his forehead, and ordered the troops to continue to advance, and finally the less than 2 brigades led by Nakamura Masao met Miki at Kunlun Pass.
The military doctor rushed to find a place for Nakamura Masao to operate, but throughout the night, Du Yuming organized artillery fire to suppress the enemy in Kunlun Pass and other nearby highlands, and it happened that when the military doctor had just removed the shrapnel from Nakamura's abdomen and had not yet sutured, a shell exploded nearby, dust filled the operating table, and the operation was postponed again. In the middle of the night, the military doctor said helplessly: "I am only afraid that I will be able to cure my wounds and my life." ”
At 5:18 a.m. on December 25, 1939, Masao Nakamura was killed on Chinese soil.
In 1942, Zheng Tingdi and the 200th Division participated in the Expeditionary Army's Indo-Burmese War of Resistance, and after the division commander Dai Anlan was martyred, Zheng Tingji was ordered to lead the remnants of the famous Langke Breakthrough at home and abroad. He was promoted to division commander and lieutenant general, and was captured by the People's Liberation Army in the Liaoshen Campaign in October 1948. Zheng Tingji was released in December 1959 as one of the first amnesty personnel for his meritorious service in the War of Resistance.