Cheqiao Town was stationed with a Japanese squad of about 40 people, and a brigade of about 500 puppet troops; the enemy built 53 bunkers in the town, forming a dense firepower network; with Cheqiao as the center, there were more than a dozen strong strongholds on the periphery.
Before the Battle of Cheqiao, Su Yu formulated a detailed campaign plan after a long period of deliberation, in-depth investigation, and careful planning. In addition, the main force of the Soviet Union has reached 20 regiments, more than 30,000 people, and morale is booming. As long as the command is proper, the victory of the Battle of Cheqiao is very certain.
Su Yu finalized the battle plan as follows: 7 regiments should be responsible for the main attack on Cheqiao; the 1st Regiment, the Third Sub-district Business Battalion, and the Taizhou Independent Regiment would serve as the guards in the direction of the two Huaihuai Regiments; the 52nd Regiment, the Jiangdu Independent Regiment, and the Gaoyou Independent Regiment would each serve as a warning in the direction of Huai'an, Caodian, and Baoying; and the 1st Battalion of the Teaching Regiment, the Special Agent Regiment of the Fourth Sub-district, and the Artillery Brigade would form a general reserve.
On the afternoon of March 3, 1944, the 7th Regiment, which was the main attacker, marched towards the bridge in two directions, north and south. The northern troops, led by regimental commander Peng Deqing, arrived at the attack position north of the bridge by 1:50 a.m. on the 5th. Zhang Yunlong, deputy commander of the Southern Route, also arrived southwest of the bridge before the same time as the northern troops.
Just as everything was proceeding as planned, Su Yu suddenly received an intelligence: More than a hundred Japanese troops and more than a thousand puppet troops were reinforcing the Anfeng stronghold, and there was a posture of "sweeping" to the east; the enemy in Hai'an in the south had entered and occupied Fort Li, and also had the appearance of "sweeping" toward the base area.
Su Yu was ready to make a plan, and launched a series of east and west attacks in the Cheqiao Campaign to attract the attention of the enemy and cover the suddenness of the Cheqiao Campaign. Su Yu sent Guan Wenwei to lead part of the division's directly subordinate organs to move northward, and himself to lead another part to move south, pretending that the north and south should attack the enemy's "sweeping" troops.
Late on the night of March 5, the 7th Regiment launched an attack on the bridge as planned. The New Fourth Army launched a surprise attack, which went well, breaking through the wall in only 20 minutes and capturing more than 10 pillboxes. It occupied all the streets of the town and divided and surrounded the Japanese and puppet troops.
After half a day of fighting, the New Fourth Army completely annihilated the puppet army in the town, leaving only the bunkers in the Japanese fortifications. At 3 p.m., the 7th Regiment began a general attack on the Japanese bunkers.
Just as the fighting in Cheqiao Town was fierce, the battle for the outer blockade and reinforcements also began.
Just after noon, more than a hundred japanese puppet troops stationed in Caodian and Tartou were the first to go out and marched to the Dashi River, where they were hit by mines planted by the New Fourth Army.
At 3 p.m., the Japanese troops in Huaiyin, Lianshui, Huai'an, and other places gathered more than 700 puppet troops and assembled in batches in Huai'an. The first group of more than 240 Japanese troops traveled in 7 cars to Zhouzhuang and Lujiatan and entered the ambush positions of the New Fourth Army.
The First Regiment, the Special Agent Battalion, and the Taizhou Independent Regiment opened fire fiercely, forcing the enemy into a preset mine position, instantly killing more than 60 enemies.
The second and third groups of japanese reinforcements, each with about 100 men, entered Hanzhuang at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., joined the first group of remnants of the enemy, and attacked the positions of the New Fourth Army that night.
The soldiers of the First Regiment, the Special Agent Battalion and the Taizhou Independent Regiment bravely fought from the enemy's flank and back, engaged in a white-knife battle with the Japanese army, stabbed more than 30 enemy soldiers, and killed the captain of the 72nd Brigade of the 62nd Division of the North China Dispatch Army.
The enemy suffered heavy casualties and broke through to the northeast of Hanzhuang, where it was split into three sections by the New Fourth Army, and most of it was annihilated.
At about 3:00 a.m. on the 6th, the enemy's fourth group of reinforcements, about 120 people, entered Xiaowangzhuang and Hanzhuang in two small cars and met the previous remnants of the enemy.
On the 7th, the remnants of cheqiao fled under the support of reinforcements, and more than 30,000 militiamen from more than 40 townships in Baoying County, which had long been prepared, quickly entered Cheqiao Town, destroyed the fortifications, and demolished the walls and bunkers.
The Japanese puppet armies of Caodian, Jingkou, Tartou, and Zhangqiao retreated to Huai'an like birds of fright. On the 12th, the New Fourth Army of the Soviet Union recaptured Zhigang and Lujiazhuang, and on the 13th, it recaptured Zhouzhuang.
In the Battle of Cheqiao, more than 460 Japanese troops were annihilated, 24 were taken prisoner, more than 500 puppet troops were annihilated, and more than 50 pillboxes were destroyed.
The Battle of Cheqiao was a double victory between attacking strong points and fighting for aid, through which the connection between Central Jiangsu and northern Jiangsu, Huainan and Huaibei strategic areas was opened, and it was also the most shocking offensive against the Japanese army in the history of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in central China.
Japanese Lieutenant Kazuzo Yamamoto, who was captured in the battle, said: This is probably the biggest victory of your New Fourth Army in jiangsu province against the Japanese army.
Yamamoto Ichizo spoke in awe of Su Yu and said in a loud voice, "Your Su Yu is amazing!" terrific!