In the spring of 1944, the Japanese army carried out the "No. 1 Battle Plan" of the Tokyo base camp, and first conquered Changsha, and at the end of May, it pointed to Hengyang.
Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram to Fang Xianjue, commander of the Kuomintang Tenth Army stationed in Hengyang, asking him to hold Hengyang for 7 days.
He also said: This battle is related to the survival of the country and the nation, and the victory and loss of Hengyang is the key to victory and defeat!
At that time, the Japanese army raised about 110,000 troops to besiege Hengyang, while Fang Xianjue's Tenth Army had only 17,000 people.
In the following twenty days of fighting, Fang Xianjue led his tenth army generals to repel the general attack launched by the Japanese army twice in a row.
The Japanese high-level was extremely angry and issued an order to Yokoyama: If you can't capture Hengyang, all the jade will be shattered!
In order to make a quick decision, the Japanese army once used "chemical weapons" on the battlefield.
The fighting between the two sides was fierce, with heavy casualties.
In the end, Fang Xianjue's Tenth Army fought in Hengyang and held out for 47 days, killing 20,000 Japanese troops and wounding 60,000 at the cost of almost total annihilation.
This battle was the first time since the "July 7 Incident" that the number of Japanese casualties exceeded that of the Chinese side in a head-on confrontation between China and Japan, and it was recorded in the annals of history, and the result directly led to the fall of Hideki Tojo.
Defense of Hengyang
In 1944, Japan lost the Pacific War and the sea supply line was interrupted. In order to reverse the decline, Japan decided to implement the "No. 1 Battle Plan" in China, which is expected to open up the land trunk line from Japan to Korea, and then to Shanhaiguan, China, through the "Pinghan Line", and finally to Singapore.
In less than a month and a half, the Japanese army defeated Tang Enbo's troops in Henan and opened the "Pinghan Line".
At the same time, isamu Yokoyama of the Japanese Eleventh Army received news
: The American B-29 large strategic bomber took off from the southwest chinese airfield and bombed the Kyushu and Yae steel mills, inflicting heavy damage on Japan.
Since New Year's Day in 1944, the Americans have repeatedly used newly developed B-29 large strategic bombers to attack the Japanese mainland. From Tokyo to Nara, from ordinary houses to the Imperial Palace of Japan. For the first time since World War II, the Japanese have tasted air raids, and the emperor has begun to "run the alarm" and is panicked all day long.
Therefore, the Japanese army decided to quickly attack Hunan and destroy the Chinese air base. After conquering Changsha, the next target was Hengyang.
On June 22, 1944, the Japanese advance troops arrived in Hengyang. Fang Xianjue, commander of the Kuomintang Tenth Army, resolutely commanded a battalion of the defenders, blew up the Xiangjiang Bridge, sank more than a dozen ships crossing the river, and hundreds of Japanese troops fell into the water. About a week later, the Japanese army was assembled, and 110,000 Japanese soldiers launched the first general attack on Hengyang in two ways. Fang Xianjue's troops received orders from Chiang Kai-shek, and according to the city, the two sides fought for more than 20 rounds without winning or losing.
On July 11, 1944, the Japanese launched a second general offensive. Artillery fire opened the way, aircraft bombed to help, and even used chemical weapons,
Gained the upper hand for a short time. However, Fang Xianjue commanded the Tenth Army, adopted a combination of defensive and mobile play, took advantage of the terrain of Hengyang City, avoided its sharp edge, attacked its weakness, and soon repelled the Japanese army. The Japanese 11th Army
Yokoyama held a combat meeting and said that he would take the order from above and make a quick decision, otherwise all the officers would be crushed together. At this time, the Hengyang defenders had been fighting continuously for nearly forty days, and the city was exhausted.
After Chiang Kai-shek learned of Fang Xianjue's battle against Hengyang, he finally decided to send reinforcements. However, the telegram sent by Chiang was deciphered by the Japanese. The Chinese reinforcements were intercepted by the Japanese on the way, and Wang Jiaben, the commander of the reinforcements of the 79th Army, was killed in the first line of reinforcements.
On August 7, 1944, Fang Xianjue held a military conference, and the division commanders and staff officers discussed countermeasures. Reinforcements are hopeless, the defenders are insufficient, break through, and people above the division commander can live. However, Fang Xianjue finally abandoned this plan and prepared to kill Chengren.
That night, Fang Xianjue gave Chiang Kai-shek the famous "last electricity." The telegram says:
After the enemy broke through the north gate this morning, a street battle began in the city. Our officers and men have suffered completely many casualties, and there are no soldiers to block the attack at the moment, and they have sworn to repay the party and the state with one death, and they have fulfilled their natural duties as soldiers, and they will never live up to the intention of the junza and the cultivation of their lives. This electricity is probably the last electricity, see you in the next life!
Afterwards, Fang Xianjue pulled out his gun and committed suicide, but was stopped by his subordinates. Considering that there were still more than 7,000 wounded and 2,000 surviving soldiers in the city, Fang Xianjue finally decided to surrender.
Upon hearing this news, the Japanese army was overjoyed and hyped up the surrender of Fang Xianjue, and public opinion was in an uproar. Some people began to attack and insult, saying that Fang Xianjue was a "traitor"! However, Chiang Kai-shek vigorously defied the public opinion and affirmed Fang Xianjue's merits in the defense of Hengyang. At the same time, he asked Dai Kasa and the military commander: "At all costs, try to save him from difficulties, so as to encourage loyalty." ”
In the end, Huang Rongjie, the leader of the Hengyang Group of the Military Command, found Fang Xianjue's detention center and rescued him.
Introduction to Fang Xianjue
Fang Xianjue is a native of Xuzhou, Zhejiang, born in 1905 in Xiao County to a gentry family, and has been well educated since childhood. In the fourteenth year of the Republic of China (1925), Fang Xianjue was admitted to the third phase of the Whampoa Military Academy. After graduation, he was promoted by the commander for his excellent performance and served as a company commander of the third company of the gendarmerie. In the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931), Fang Xianjue served as the commander of the Tenth Army of the Nationalist Army, participated in cadre training, and conducted German-style exercises. Soon after, Fang Xianjue entered the fourth stage of the higher education class of the Central Military Academy, and his training results ranked first in the whole division.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Fang Xianjue was promoted to commander of the Tenth Army because of his outstanding performance in the Battle of Changsha because of his ability to command operations. Fang Xianjue not only understood military theory, but also had rich practical combat experience. At the beginning of the defense of Hengyang, he immediately ordered that the hills south of Hengyang be leveled and artificially created defensive grabens. In the first confrontation with the Japanese army at the end of June, he gave the Japanese a timely order to give the Japanese a way to get off the horse by blowing up the Xiangjiang Bridge.
In the face of two powerful offensives launched by Yokoyama Yong, Fang Xian felt that he was not in danger, commanded his troops to avoid his sharp edge, and defeated Yong with wisdom and courage, repelling enemy attacks more than twenty times in a row.
On July 11, 1944, the Japanese 120th Wing attacked Hengyang at night, and was defeated by the officers and men of the Tenth Army, who had been ambushed in the shadows by Fang Xianjue in advance, with grenades, and most of the members of the Japanese 120th Wing were killed on the spot.
Unfortunately, because the disparity in strength between the enemy and us is too great.
After the 3rd, the Japanese attacked again, the defenders suffered heavy casualties and could not resist, and dozens of officers and soldiers were tied with grenades and died with the Japanese.
Fang Xianjue's troops finally failed after 47 days of defending the city alone. However, in this battle, the Chinese army severely damaged the Japanese army, and in the military history of both China and Japan, and even in the military history of the world, they have written a stroke that can be sung and wept, which can be said to be "glorious although defeated"!
epilogue
The Battle of Hengyang was a glorious battle recorded in history, through which the Chinese army crushed the arrogance of the Japanese army, and finally directly led to the downfall of the Japanese Tojo Hideki cabinet. At the beginning of the operation, Chiang Kai-shek only hoped that Fang Xianjue would be able to do so
"Stick to Hengyang for at least 7 days"
, and then sent troops to rescue, but for various reasons, several rescues were not completed. whereas
The Tenth Army led by Fang Xianjue, facing 110,000 Japanese troops, fought alone with 17,000 people, resisted several times the Japanese army, held the isolated city for 47 days, and killed and injured 80,000 Japanese troops, creating a miracle in military history!
After the defense of Hengyang, Fang Xianjue was first imprisoned by the Japanese army and later rescued by military agents. The Kuomintang Military Commission sent a special plane to take Fang Xianjue back to Chongqing, and Chiang Kai-shek personally hosted a banquet to entertain him, praising him for his performance in the battle. Later, Chiang Kai-shek wrote in his diary:
"Seeing the bandits with them is only a mixture of sorrow and joy, and there is a sense of reunion in another life."
In 1949, Fang Xuanjue left the mainland, died of illness in 1983, and was awarded the title of second-class general of the National Revolutionary Army.