In the War of Resistance Against Japan, a number of heroic heroes of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression emerged, and the Chinese army also blocked the crazy attack of the Japanese army under the leadership of countless heroic generals. In this war to defend the family and the country, there have also been many famous generals who are admired by future generations, and the general we want to talk about today has made great contributions to the country and the people. However, in his old age, his life was miserable, and to this day, many people still feel infinite regret, and this general is Yu Chengwan.
Yu Chengwan's family was very poor, and he was born in a small village in Taishan County, Guangdong Province. However, he has loved learning since he was a child, and through his own efforts, he was admitted to the normal college. But in his literary studies, he deeply realized that in China at that time, there was no way to save the country as a literati. Therefore, Yu Chengwan resolutely applied for the Whampoa Military Academy and wanted to become a soldier to defend his family and defend the country. In the military academy, he showed extremely high military talent, and also won the attention of Chiang Kai-shek, the principal of the Whampoa Military Academy at that time.
However, Yu Chengwan, who had just joined the army, never had the opportunity to serve as a full-time leader in the army, but instead had been engaged in political and ideological work. He had always hoped that he could have his own iron army and go to the front line to fight for the country. In the end, he finally got what he wanted and became the commander of the National Revolutionary Army and the reorganized 57th Division.
After Becoming the Commander of the 57th Division, Yu Chengwan was assigned to defend Changde by the nationalist high-level at that time. Changde's own strategic location is very important, because it is the gateway to the Sichuan and Shu regions, once Changde is lost, then the Japanese army may drive straight into Chongqing, the capital of the Republic of China at that time, so Changde is also one of the key points of the Japanese army's attack.
Soon after the Battle of Western Hubei, the Japanese army tried to pass through Changde and attack the rear area of China at that time. The 57th Division, led by Yu Chengwan, became a barb that had to be cleared on the Japanese offensive line. After Yu Chengwan learned the news of the Large-scale Attack of the Japanese Army, he did not show the slightest fear. He calmly laid out the entire fortifications of Changde, and promised to lead his troops to coexist and die with the city of Changde. And the final course of historical development tells us that he fulfilled his promise.
At that time, the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army still existed, and it was much stronger than the Kuomintang army in terms of weapons and equipment and daily training. In order to conquer Changde and remove this barb that seemed to be in their throats, the Japanese sent the elite 11th Army 116th Division. This force numbered more than 30,000 people and was well-equipped with weapons and equipment, while the Japanese army had complete air superiority. Therefore, soon after the start of the war, the Japanese army had already gained a great strategic advantage, and Yu Chengwan's 57th Division could only be forced to stick to Changde City, and there was no way to carry out any counterattack.
At that time, the situation in Changde was critical, and while Yu Chengwan led his army to desperately resist, he also sent a request for help to the rear, hoping that the Kuomintang army could send troops to support Changde. However, there were many factions within the Kuomintang army, and the internal political struggle was too serious. The Kuomintang troops stationed around Changde were not at all willing to save Yu Chengwan's troops. This directly led to Yu Chengwan's troops being trapped in Changde without any external support. In the end, Yu Chengwan also fulfilled his promise, and the reorganized Fifty-seventh Division was almost completely destroyed in the nearly ten days of the Battle of Changde, and the blood of 8,000 soldiers was spilled on the battlefield. Yu Chengwan finally managed to break through with only a remnant of a hundred people. However, after the Battle of Changde, Yu Chengwan was sentenced to military law by the Kuomintang military department for sticking to the territory, and the political conflict within the Kuomintang can be seen.
After Yu Chengwan was finally released from prison, he also began to be disappointed by the social situation at that time and chose to immigrate to Hong Kong. Later, with his accumulation over the years, he started a business and achieved something in the business world. But in his later years, he was targeted by hong Kong gangsters, who kidnapped Yu Chengwan's wife and demanded that Yu Chengwan attend the meeting with a single knife and pay a ransom. And he himself was also in this kidnapping case, and finally lost his life because of the police and bandit conflict, and his little daughter was forced to shoot some unpopular films because of the family road, which still makes people feel infinitely sad. But history will not forget Yu Chengwan's historical merits, and he is still an uncompromising national hero.