In mid-1939, after the War of Resistance Against Japan entered a stalemate, the Japanese army began to withdraw a large number of troops from the frontal battlefield and launched a large-scale sweep of the anti-Japanese forces behind our enemy lines. On June 6 of that year, after a day of fierce fighting with the enemy, the 3 detachments of the Shandong Column of the Eighth Route Army withdrew to the southwest to the territory of Zhangqiu County to rest and decide on the next move. Since the Japanese army had strengthened the blockade and encirclement of the base area, the task of opening up the Jilu Border Area originally planned by the 3 detachments was difficult to complete, and in order to avoid falling into passivity, the 3 detachments decided to retreat to the east separately.
The troops were reduced to pieces before the operation in order to cross the enemy's blockade line. Ma Yaonan, commander of the 3 detachments, and some troops underestimated the ability of the Japanese army to use cars to carry infantry in the mountains during the transfer process, and as a result, the troops were suddenly attacked by pre-prepared Japanese motorized infantry on the way, and the troops were scattered by the enemy.
Commander Ma Yaonan was born in Xiangmendi, actively engaged in the anti-Japanese salvation movement before the outbreak of the War of Resistance, and was a well-known figure in the local area, but he lacked experience in military struggle, so he had to hide alone in the home of a relative in the local area, and he also sent people to look for troops. It took a while to reconnect with the troops. The detachment then sent 2 companies to meet Ma Yaonan and camped in a village at the junction of Zouping and Changshan, preparing to go east to Linzi as soon as possible after a short rest to meet the main force of the detachment.
On the evening of July 21, 1939, Ma Yaonan led the detachment guard battalion, the 7th Regiment and the Special Agent Regiment to set off overnight and arrived at Niuwangzhuang in Huantai County in the early morning of the 22nd. The terrain here is very unfavorable to our army, only 6 kilometers to the west is a stronghold of the Japanese army, the southwest and southeast of the enemy army stationed in the heavy xincheng and Tangshan strongholds, more than 10 kilometers north is Huantai County. The troops were surrounded on all sides by the enemy, but Ma Yaonan was too light on the enemy and still determined to camp here, and the news was reported to the enemy by the traitors in the village that night.
At dawn on July 22, the Japanese puppet army launched a large-scale attack from the surrounding strongholds, attacking the main force of the three detachments that were unaware. It was not until eight or nine o'clock in the morning after dawn that our army discovered the enemy, but by this time it was too late, and the enemy had completed its encirclement. At about 9:00 a.m., the enemy launched a fierce attack on our army from the two directions of west and southwest, and the 3 detachments organized some troops to block the enemy and cover the transfer of the main force, organs and masses.
Ma Yaonan ordered his troops to break through and leave cover for himself. But the other comrades insisted that he withdraw first, at this time the Japanese army was getting closer and closer, and fierce battles broke out many times in the west and southwest, and the situation was already very urgent, but no gunshots were heard in the east and southeast directions, and the organs and logistics personnel of the detachment had successfully broken through the small road from the east. In the end, Ma Yaonan agreed to everyone's request to withdraw first, but at this critical juncture of life and death, he was inexperienced and rode on a high-headed horse, taking only a few guards out of the village and then breaking through the road to the southeast.
After Ma Yaonan left, the 3 detachments continued to fight fiercely with the enemy troops pouring in from the southwest, and during the battle, in order to reduce the enemy's long-range firepower and at the same time give full play to their melee advantages, we deliberately put some enemies into the village and shoot the enemy with crossfire. Sure enough, after the Japanese army rushed into the village along the main road, it was immediately hit by bullets and grenades fired from several directions, and the enemy did not expect to be hit suddenly, and retreated one after another, taking advantage of the panic of the enemy, the blocking troops of the 3 detachments also withdrew from the battle, quickly moved, and rushed out of the encirclement from the sorghum field northeast of the village.
At this time, although commander Ma Yaonan had rushed out of the village, he had not yet escaped from the encirclement of the Japanese army. At this time, there were gunshots on three sides, only in the southeast direction. This is the usual trick of the enemy army, luring inexperienced troops into their ambush circle. Ma Yaonan did not doubt that he had him, and he rushed into the encirclement of the Japanese army from the main road in the southeast direction.
The Japanese army saw him riding a horse, and there were guards around him, presumably a senior commander of our army, and after he entered the ambush circle, they concentrated their firepower to shoot at him together, and Ma Yaonan, who was caught off guard, and the guards were shot and fell off their horses one after another.
Ma Yaonan's sacrifice was a major loss of our army, but it also reflected the poor military quality of some senior commanders of our army and their inability to adapt to a protracted war with the cunning Japanese army.
Editor/Zhou Hongxin
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