Memoirs of the Chinese Expeditionary Force: When veterans talk about Savage Mountain, they cry that 40,000 people went in and 8,000 came out
Recommendation: Whenever I recall the war, I believe that everyone's heart is very painful, once the war brought Chinese a bloody disaster, so many compatriots lost their lives in the war; there are so many innocent people, because the war is constantly ravaged by the enemy, so many territories have been ceded to other countries because of the war. The tragic consequences of war are always there, and we sincerely hope that there will be no more wars in this world, but it is not something we hope can be completely stopped, we have not thought of encroaching on other countries, but it does not mean that other countries do not have such desires.
In order to make their countries strong, many countries have adopted the way of external expansion, such as Japan and Vietnam, which feel that their national territory is very small, so at that time they wanted to expand abroad, and they also turned their signs to China. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, China was not a rival to Japan, but it still drove the Japanese invaders out of Chinese territory by virtue of everyone's unity of purpose. In the self-defense counterattack war, China already has a solid military capital, in the face of the Vietnamese army, we are not afraid, this battle, but also played China's bloody nature. Although China has won both battles, we have also suffered heavy losses, so once there is a war, whether it is victorious or defeated, it will suffer painful consequences.
1. The Battle of Tonggu was lost, and Du Yuming led his troops through the Savage Mountain
Today, I mainly want to share with you the Battle of Tonggu, after the defeat of the Battle of Tonggu, the Japanese army occupied Myitkyina and other places, in the face of the collapse of the Allied forces, the Nationalist government issued an order for the Chinese army to retreat back to China, and then the Japanese army began a crazy siege and blockade. In the face of the frenzied attack of the Japanese, the Chinese Expeditionary Force was in crisis. At that time, for the Chinese Expeditionary Force, the only way back home was north of Myitkyina, a place with a radius of hundreds of kilometers of primeval forest, known by the locals as Savage Mountain.
In order to win a glimmer of life, Du Yuming led the Fifth Army into the Savage Mountain, for his decision at that time, the new 38th Division Sun Liren stood up against it, Sun Liren was ready to follow Stilwell's orders, with the new 38th Division to break through to India, at that time was not allowed, Sun Liren had already begun to venture out according to the actual situation, he knew that his choice was against Chiang Kai-shek's wishes, but for the sake of his subordinates, he had to do so.
The different choices of two people also bring about a completely different ending. On May 26, 1942, Sun Liren's newly organized 38th Division broke through the encirclement of the Japanese army and preserved the complete structure. After the breakthrough was successful, he led his troops to reach Imphal, India. However, the other Chinese expeditionary force led by Du Yuming was not so lucky, and once they entered the Savage Mountain, it meant that their lives could no longer be in their own hands.
2. Savage Mountain is full of crises
Yang Bofang is the only survivor after crossing the Savage Mountain, and in 2005, he was interviewed by the media, in which Yang Bofang tearfully recalled the encounter of the Savage Mountain. In the past, everyone thought that as long as you have guns and ammunition in your hand when fighting, then you don't have to be afraid wherever you go, and you can fight beasts, birds, and even tigers with guns and ammunition, but when you really face fear, these things are of no use at all. Old Man Yang Bofang couldn't help but cry as soon as he recalled the specific situation of Savage Mountain, he said that his heart was not good, so he never dared to talk about the past, and the encounter of Savage Mountain was his unforgettable fear. At that time, 40,000 people entered the big forest, but only 8,000 people came out.
The troops in front rushed to catch up with the troops in the back, and when they saw someone sitting under a tree resting, they called the man up and pushed him forward, but he did not expect that this person would fall down and die. The Savage Mountain trees are full of ants, and at a glance you can't find anything to eat, and there are a lot of things that eat people on the Savage Mountain. One of Du Yuming's lieutenants fell ill and rested under a tree for a night, and on the 2nd day, the lieutenant became a pile of white bones, and the lieutenant was eaten alive by ants. At that time, when they were rushing to the Savage Mountain, there was nothing to eat, how could they survive without food, in addition, they had to encounter various diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever, returning fever, etc., several diseases were added to the body, even if you were a strong young man, you could not eat, and the young man in his twenties died all the way.
Watching so many soldiers fall every day, panic spreading throughout the army on the march, no one knows who will fall next, after the rainy season in June, the commander of the Fifth Army, Du Yuming, also fell ill. At that time, there were more than 20 people who carried him to death, and at that time, Du Yuming also encountered the most painful and difficult moments of his life, watching his soldiers, one after another, falling, and he was powerless. The situation was terrible, the officers and soldiers on the Savage Mountain were dead, one after the other, and all at a glance were corpses and bones.
3. Burmese officers went up the mountain to fight guerrillas, and when they went into a cave to hide from the rain, they were frightened, and the hole was full of Chinese white bones
Decades later, according to the recollection of an officer in kachin state in Myanmar, this officer once took the troops to the Savage Mountain to fight guerrillas, and after heavy rain along the way, the troops encountered a cave and wanted to go inside to hide from the rain When the soldiers of the army used their knives to cut open the cave full of thorns, the big guys all froze, and in this cave they saw piles of white bones, which appeared in a sitting posture, and looking at the helmets and weapons could determine that these white bones were of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.
Later, this matter continued to circulate in Myanmar, and many old people speculated that when the Chinese Expeditionary Force crossed the Savage Mountain, because the troops were too tired, they wanted to go into the cave to rest, but they did not expect that there was miasma in the cave, and the big guys never got up again. After the victory of the War of Resistance, the Baoshan Municipal Government once organized a group of people to return to Savage Mountain, and on the way, one by one, they were shocked, and they saw that from time to time on the side of the road, a hat badge flashed, which also meant that a living Chinese soldier had fallen here.
From the two completely different choices of Sun Li and Du Yuming, the consequences are also completely different. In fact, this also tells us that when encountering things, different choices will lead us to a completely different life, and our life is right in our own hands, but we must make the right choice, otherwise we will pay a painful price because of our choices.
Summary: Everyone has to pay for their own choices after all, and we will also lead us to a completely different life because of the choices we make. Before we have experienced the ending, we don't know whether it is good or bad, but we must have a precautionary mentality. Knowing that there are tigers in the mountains that are biased towards the tiger mountain line, such courage is indeed worthy of our admiration, but the luck of surviving after the tiger mountain trip is not everyone has, you say? Welcome to share the discussion in the message area, the transformation of history and the development of the times, I will be with you!