In 1943, in response to the Pacific Theater and the Burma Theater, the Japanese Army cut off Chongqing's ties with Britain and the United States. In November, the Japanese 11th Army was ordered to launch the Battle of Changde. The Battle of Changde lasted 2 months and annihilated more than 10,000 Japanese troops. The people of Changde thanked the 57th Division stationed in Changde City for their stay, but why did Chiang Kai-shek send someone to arrest the commander of the 57th Tiger Ben Division after chiang kai-shek learned of it?
a little more than a million
Born on May 24, 1902 in Taishan, Guangdong Province, he was inspired to join the army and serve the country under the influence of his father when he was young. Graduated from Panyu Normal School in his early years, in the spring of 1924, Dr. Sun Yat-sen founded the Whampoa Military Academy in Guangzhou to train the party army. Yu Wancheng, who heard the news, was ecstatic, and then immediately went to apply for the examination, entered the school in May, and in December of the same year, the 22-year-old Yu Wancheng graduated from the first phase of Huangpu and ranked 11th.
He participated in the Eastern Expedition and the Northern Expedition, and later became the director of the Naval Political Department. In 1940, he became the commander of the 57th Division. In 1941, he led the 57th Division to participate in the Battle of Shanggao, and Yu Wancheng commanded the heroic battle, successfully holding shanggao city, and winning time for support for the brother troops. After the battle,
The 57th Division led by him was also known as the 57th Tiger Division.
May 1943,
Leading the 57th Division in the Battle of Western Hubei, rushing to Changde to take over the defensive line, the people of Changde at this time heard that the Japanese Kou attacked in a big way, and they did not rush to pack up their things, only took some daily change of clothes, and left Changde.
When the leading troops arrived, there was no shadow in the entire Changde City, and some people's doors were wide open, and they did not hurry to close them when they left.
The 57th Division was ordered to close the door where the door was opened, and without order not to break into the house, and to register the items left on the street. After the victory in the Great Battle of Western Hubei, the citizens of Changde learned of the failure of the Japanese attack and returned one after another.
Ordered the 57th Division, at the docks and traffic arteries, to volunteer to help the people carry their luggage and goods, and wait until Changde returned to normal.
Leading the troops out of the city and stationing, it was the autumn high and refreshing, the harvest season, Yu Wancheng took the lead to help the peasants harvest grain, which greatly changed the impression of the people of Changde on the nationalist army.
In 1943, on November 2, Heng Shanyong, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Kou, led 5 divisions and more than 100,000 people to launch an attack on Changde, which Chiang Kai-shek personally ordered
Rushed to Changde to defend. Subsequently, at the Cairo meeting, he told US President Roosevelt that the city was in the city, and the city forgot to die, and sent a telegram to Xue Yue, commander of the Ninth Theater, and Wang Yaowu, commander of the 74th Army: We must hold on to Changde and must not be lost.
Received the order
Arrived in Changde two days after the starry night,
Seeing the ancient city that had just regained its popularity, it began to evacuate to the south bank of Yuanshui.
Seeing that there were not enough boats crossing the river at the port, he immediately led the 57th Division to build a free ferry port and send the people across the river for free. In order to protect the safety of the people, the soldiers sent a brigade of soldiers to send them thirty miles voluntarily, and the Changde people who saw this scene wept one after another.
Actively arrange for the construction of defensive fortifications and actively prepare for war.
Before the war, soldiers were mobilized, and the battle slogan of the city in the people, the city forgot the people, and fought to the death in Changde. On November 18, the main force of the Japanese army was assembled, and the first battle of the Japanese army was held at Tujiahu Lake, firing the "first shot of the Battle of Changde".
On the 21st, Deng Xianfeng, the commander of the 63rd Division of the 188th Regiment of the 100th Army, who was temporarily sent to escape, led to the fall of Deshan, and then the Japanese Kou captured hesu River. The 57th Division was surrounded by Japanese troops in Changde. On the 26th, the Japanese began to attack the city,
Supervising the battle everywhere, all the officers and men fought with the same enemy and held the confidence that they would also return to the same place.
The 57th Division fought to the death of the enemy, fought with the enemy with the bayonet empty handed in the case of running out of ammunition and food, and finally held out for 16 days, Yu Wancheng saw that the reinforcements were delayed.
Forced to break through on December 3, the night breakout was carried out, leaving the regimental commander Chai Yixin and others to continue the counterattack. Until the whole regiment was killed in battle, Changde fell. Break out
The remnants, looking for signs of reinforcements to Tokuyama, and made contact with the reinforcements of the 58th Army's Houzhenbang Division, on the 9th,
Led the remnants as the vanguard of the 58th Army to repel the Japanese army, and on the 11th, recaptured Changde.
However, at the celebration banquet on the same day, he was arrested by Chiang Kai-shek on the charge of "escaping from the battlefield." Escorted to Chongqing for trial and sentenced to execution. When the people of Changde learned that the Kuomintang top brass wanted to shoot Yu Wancheng, they voluntarily marched in the streets one after another, demanding that Chiang Kai-shek should not kill Yu Wancheng. In the Battle of Changde, Chiang Kai-shek and many leaders of many countries held a meeting in Cairo, Egypt, and at the same time Chiang Kai-shek confidently told US President Roosevelt that Changde would definitely be able to hold on. This meeting was of incomparable significance to Chiang Kai-shek. It can improve his international status and the intensity of his speech. After Chiang Kai-shek returned to Chongqing after the meeting and learned of the fall of Changde, he knew that his next series of plans had failed, and immediately sent people to arrest him in the name of "fleeing from the front"
Yu Chengwan came to regain face for what he had said at the meeting.
Under the intercession of Wang Yaowu and others, Yu Chengwan was released after only 4 months of imprisonment, and in the following days, Yu Chengwan was entrusted with idle posts until the end of the Liberation War, Yu Chengwan settled in Hong Kong, and on August 27, 1955, Yu Chengwan was robbed in Hong Kong and shot and killed.