In Nanjia Village, Dongting Town, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, there is an old man who is leisurely basking in the sun. Although the old man was already an elderly man, his posture was so tall. The only regret was that the old man's eyes were tightly closed, and the orbits were deeply sunken, not as round as the eyes of others. On his left cheek, there was a scar that looked frightening, almost splitting his jaw in two. A middle-aged woman was cleaning the room, sorting out the old man's clothes and some tattered things, one by one. In the process of tidying up, she saw a tightly wrapped bag. The bag was heavy, the edges were thick, and the things inside looked square. She saw it for the first time and quickly asked, "Daddy, what's in it?" An old man outside the door said, "What is it?" Show me. The woman listened, went to the door, and handed the package to his father. The old man groped around the four corners of the package, and without even opening the bag, he said, "This is the soldier's symbol of the Japanese army." The woman's heart was shocked. She always felt that her father was an ordinary person. His eyes, blinded in the war, he never thought that his father would have the Great Seal of the Japanese Military Symbol. Out of curiosity, she asked about her father and the origin of the great seal. Qian Jianmin sighed and told his daughter about his past in a very calm tone. How did the old man get this Japanese army seal? What did the old man do before? How are your eyes blinded?
"What day is this year?" It's been seventy-one years, and I'm ninety-six years old? The old man recalled. His name is "Jianmin", which means to build the motherland and the nation, carrying the Chinese people's expectations for the brilliant future of the motherland. Qian Jianmin in 1922. That era was an era of warlords fighting, internal and external troubles, and wars and strife. In the eyes of the people, there are only the ruthless and endless ruins of war, and the same is true in the eyes of Qian Jianmin.
But Unlike those around him, Qian Jianmin has always been grumpy about such a situation and has never forgotten the meaning of his name. In the case of the need for young people to go to the front line everywhere to fight, Qian Jianmin enlisted in the army with great hopes.
When Qian Jianmin was eighteen, he was admitted to the "Army Mechanical Academy". The military academy founded by General Xu Tingyao is the most important military academy on the mainland, providing a large number of military talents and backbones for the War of Resistance Against Japan. It is precisely because of this that Xu Tingyao is known as the father of China's armored forces by posterity.
After passing the exam, Qian Jianmin was assigned to a tank school and spent three years of military career there. Not surprisingly, qian Jianmin will become a lieutenant after graduation. Qian Jianmin has also always kept this dream in mind, and in the past three years, he has been studying hard.
Qian Jianmin in his later years
After three years of study, Qian Jianmin was hired by the armored vehicle unit with excellent mechanical technology and excellent results, becoming the first batch of armored soldiers. At that time, the anti-fascist war in Asia was entering a critical juncture. The Japanese left a large area of the ruins of the war in the war and have begun to covet the land of other countries.
In addition, the Japanese used Malaysia as a springboard to launch a war, and the ambitious Japanese, under the influence of Malaysia, launched a large-scale offensive to other regions in an attempt to occupy Southeast Asia. Due to military and strategic constraints, troops in other regions were gradually defeated by heavy Japanese artillery bombardment. Many places fell, and Southeast Asia was in chaos.
The ambitions of the Japanese do not stop there. The Japanese held some cities in Southeast Asia firmly in their hands and targeted a strategically important region as their next target, attempting to use highways to cut off allied supplies and support. Allies certainly won't allow that to happen. After serious consultations between China, Britain and the United States, China and Britain formed a partnership, and China formed an expeditionary force to assist the British army in Southeast Asia and smash the Japanese militarist conspiracy.
Since then, the Chinese Expeditionary Force has been recorded in the long river of history, and Qian Jianmin's armored regiment is the main force of the Chinese Expeditionary Force and the main force of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. Qian Jianmin felt that this was an opportunity for him to make meritorious achievements! Even going to Southeast Asia and fighting the invaders in a brazen manner made his blood boil. But when he really went to the battlefield, Qian Jianmin found that the truth was not what he imagined.
Qian Jianmin youth
From the moment he set foot on Southeast Asian soil, he was assigned to a special battalion for specialized training. The first time the Chinese Expeditionary Force entered Southeast Asia, it encountered an uphill battle. Fought against the Japanese Eighteenth Army. It was an ace division of the Japanese Army that had captured eighty thousand British in battle with thirty thousand men.
Although the expeditionary forces were brave and good at fighting, their deployment and command were very problematic in different battlefields. Thus, the first war in Southeast Asia ended with the defeat of the Allies. In this battle, the British army lost more than thirteen thousand people, and the southeast Asian expeditionary force also lost fifty thousand heroic souls.
The Japanese had become accustomed to the war and environment in Southeast Asia, and the casualties of soldiers were less than five thousand. The fall of this strategic highway also made the logistical access of the expeditionary force more difficult. Such an outcome is not what the allies want, nor is it what a well-trained expeditionary force would want to see.
So soon after, we began a second expedition to Southeast Asia to reclaim this strategic path. Americans, too, agree with this strategy. After that, the U.S. army supplied weapons, and the expeditionary force supplied soldiers to form the first temporary tank unit in China and the United States, which was the brigade that Qian Jianmin served.
Qian Jianmin saluted
Qian Jianmin was appointed as the tactical commander of the three battalions because of his outstanding performance and excellent tactical qualities. He was also a counselor in the first battalion. However, everyone is equal in the face of war. When Qian Jianmin arrived at the first battalion, the Battle of Mengguan had reached a stalemate, and the first chariot was ordered to be pulled out.
Qian Jianmin, on the other hand, did not hesitate to lead a battalion of fighters, driving a tank, straight to the front battlefield. A battalion of chariots led by Qian Jianmin came to the battlefield to kill the enemy bravely. Watching the front-line troops face the sharp force of the enemy, they would not hesitate to return fire under the fierce attack of the Japanese.
Qian Jianmin saw the situation and let the tanks crush the Japanese who rushed over. When the Japanese were in Southeast Asia, they had never encountered such a steel army. Suddenly, wherever Qian Jianmin's chariot went, the bodies of the Japanese fell to the ground. Under the strong attack of the first battalion of chariots, the Japanese, who thought they were invincible, retreated, threw away their armor, and shouted "Tanks are coming" while retreating backwards.
The Japanese who survived the battlefields of Southeast Asia shivered at the thought of the expeditionary force's steel behemoths. Back on the battlefield, in the face of an indestructible torrent of steel, the rout of the Japanese was inevitable. The Japanese were forced to retreat. At this time, the expeditionary force had circled behind the Japanese army, ready to kill with one blow. If this battle is successful, it will be a huge blow to the morale of the Japanese in Southeast Asia, and it will also have a great impact on japanese rule in Asia.
Qian Jianmin in his later years
The Japanese troops who retreated to the rear were like rats in cages, brainwashed by militarism, forcing them to the end of their crossbows. When the Japanese occupied it, it was in operation for a while, so a long-term fortification fortress was built here. After retreating here, the Japanese took advantage of the terrain surrounded by water on three sides to defend the area, and even blew up a bridge, hoping to wait for reinforcements to arrive.
The situation on the battlefield was ever-changing, and the expeditionary force knew that the opportunity was at hand, so after being surrounded by regiments here, they launched an attack. However, because the area was already under Japanese control, the first wave of the expeditionary force's attack did not have the desired effect, but suffered heavy losses.
A small base area is so tricky. Unable to wait any longer, the expeditionary force gathered its forces, made another assessment of the defensive forces inside and our forces, and finally decided to adopt the tactic of "moving the tiger away from the mountain". The chariot battalions of the First and Second Companies concentrated their forces and launched a fierce feint attack on the north of the Japanese base area.
The main force of the attack was concentrated in the western part of the Japanese base area, with more flexible and flexible light tanks as the main target. The plan has been finalized, but who will command it? The commander of the expeditionary force remembered Qian Jianmin, who had previously been in charge of a battalion. This young man in his twenties showed great military qualities and keen observation in the last Battle of Mengguan. He's the right guy!
Qian Jianmin touched the tank
Qian Jianmin saluted: "I will not fail in my mission!" "At noon on March 9, 1944, the campaign against the Japanese base areas was fully underway. The first tanks joined forces with other reinforcements and launched an attack on the remnants of the Japanese Eighteenth Division stationed in the Japanese base area. In this battle, the tank battalion once again showed great firepower, mobility and impact, taking the lead and rampage in the enemy's camp.
Under the leadership of Qian Jianmin, a battalion of light infantry was passing through the moat west of the Japanese base area. Although the Japanese blew up a bridge on the river west of the Japanese base area, they never expected that the river was only more than one meter deep and could not stop the march of tanks.
Therefore, when the light tank soldiers broke through the barrier and advanced into the Japanese base area, the Japanese were stunned by this huge steel monster. Qian Jianmin was standing on a light tank in the front, shouting at them: "Kill all the Japanese!" Kill all the Japanese!! Kill all the Japanese!!" Under the leadership of Qian Jianmin, seventeen light tank infantry truly achieved the goal of advancing step by step. They went on a rampage and were invincible.
These light infantrymen were like a sharp dagger piercing the heart of the enemy, and like a strong knight, they shuttled among the Japanese. They shattered the defenses of the Japanese army, completely tore apart the enemy's defenses, and the sound of tank tracks and the roar of the engines completely destroyed the morale of the enemy.
Anti-War veterans
For a time, the Japanese stationed inside the Japanese base areas had no way to organize an effective defense at all, and could only flee in a panic. The young Qian Jianmin saw this scene in full view, and his eyes were cold. That's where the invaders end! "Look, sir!" Qian Jianmin heard the gunman's words and looked in the direction the gunman was pointing.
A group of well-dressed men, in the midst of a ruins that had been blown up by a shell, rushed in. Some of these people were armed with gunpowder and some were armed with guns, but all of them had their backs to them. The people who were surrounded were wearing army green uniforms, a pair of boots on their feet, and a samurai sword in their hands.
Despite their best efforts to be calm, their expressions revealed their fears, dodging left and right in the rain of bullets. With Qian Jianmin's eyesight, he could see at a glance that these people were the leaders of the Japanese! "Boom!" As soon as he gave the order, he saw the roar of the artillery fire below, which was deafening.
The Japanese army won the battle of the base area, in this battle, the Japanese were beaten like dogs, and only a few lucky Japanese escaped from the battlefield and fled in panic to the Menggong River Valley. This tank battalion not only won the battle of the Japanese base area, but also successfully intercepted the Supplies of the Japanese in the subsequent battles.
Heroic photographs
We had enough food and grass for a division to feed for three days, and in addition to that we had received a large amount of ammunition, two armored vehicles, a divisional fortification, and a large and small trophy. During the battle, the command post of the Eighteenth Division was devastated, and Ishikawa Nakasa, battalion commander Daisa Kimura, commander of the Fifty-fifth Company, Yamazaki Daisa, and the commander of the Eighteenth Division, were all killed.
In this battle, among Qian Jianmin's booty, the most valuable thing was the seal of the command. In this war, although Japan's top commander successfully escaped, many Japanese generals were killed and achieved a huge victory. This expeditionary force not only recovered important transportation routes, but also let the world see their superb tactical literacy, military coordination ability and combat skills.
After the campaign, the vehicle received a gift from the U.S. army: an off-road vehicle with the inscription "China's First Armored Force." And this battle has made the Chinese soldiers excited, and Qian Jianmin's heart is also full of pride. Unexpectedly, however, a year later, this excellent general could only regret leaving the army.
In 1945, all the highways in Southeast Asia were opened, and the war in Southeast Asia ended. Qian Jianmin, who had a great reputation on the battlefield, had the opportunity to recuperate, and he was transferred to the logistics department by senior officers of the expeditionary force and became the liaison for the head of the automobile training regiment.
The Great Seal of the Japanese Army
Qian Jianmin passed on to them all the lessons he had learned in his life and the experience of tactics he had accumulated on the battlefield, allowing them to make great achievements in the automobile training camp. Later, Qian Jianmin was transferred from the automobile trainer to the army general headquarters. After the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Asia, the U.S. military was able to withdraw from the battlefield.
Soldiers could leave, but large amounts of military supplies, including the more than three thousand military trucks and other vehicles left behind by the U.S. army, were difficult to remove. The cars were a great gift to the expeditionary force, and the top commanders of the expeditionary force also decided to hand over the means of transport to Qian Jianmin.
However, at that time, the country was not stable, and the mountains were full of thieves and mountain bandits. Qian Jianmin and others went to Guizhou to receive this shipment, and happened to encounter a group of robbers who robbed them. Qian Jianmin saw this scene and ordered the escort to rescue the refugees. However, the thieves were not the only ones, but also several gunmen hiding in the shadows.
The leader of the bandits saw that he was an officer and a soldier, and there was no chance of victory, but he was unwilling to swallow this evil breath, and his lips moved slightly, and he made a strange gesture. A whistle like a bird's cry, then a gunshot, then a glass breaking sound. It turned out that when the bandits saw Qian Jianmin sitting in a military uniform and sitting on the car, he knew he was an officer, so he used a whistle to inform the man with the gun.
Gunners in war
The gunman hidden in the dark shot at Qian Jianmin's jaw, the windshield of the car was directly smashed by this shot, and several pieces of broken glass directly fell into Qian Jianmin's eyes. Unfortunately, this is the mountain, and by the time they have solved the gangsters, Qian Jianmin has missed the best time to treat them.
"Originally, I thought that this matter was over, let me dust these things in history, and now that you have found the Great Seal, I will tell you about it." At this point, the old man's expression was still calm, as at first. This thrilling past is like a story in a history book, page after page turned over by the old man's daughter.
Qian Jianmin's daughter listened, and her eyes turned red. She had never imagined that her father would have such a difficult encounter. Leaving aside the scars on his face, this old man looked like an ordinary old man, and no one would believe that this was a heroic anti-Japanese hero.
Qian Jianmin's daughter handed the seal to the local authorities, and after identification, it was proved that it was the Japanese military transfer seal. As soon as this news came out, it immediately attracted the attention of local governments and veteran volunteer organizations. Local government officials came to Mr. Qian's home and asked if he needed any help.
Young soldiers in war
"I'm doing fine, I don't need help. Haven't you been taking care of your daughter for so many years? "But I have a wish." The old man said, "You say. The official who came replied, "We used to drive American-made tanks, but now our country is developed, but I can't see it, I just want to try to make our own tanks." "There are many veteran volunteers at the scene who filmed this scene and uploaded it to the Internet for help.
With the support of netizens, the local army quickly discovered the elderly hero. After some investigation and research, the military decided to make a special case for the old man to visit a military base in Suzhou. On the day of the visit, Qian Jianmin wore his medals.
The soldiers also came out to greet the old hero and sent him to the tank company in the garrison. The entire company had a total of six tanks, firing in unison in front of the old hero, the artillery roared, and the shells shot straight into the sky. When the cannon sounded, the soldiers noticed that the veteran was already in tears, and he stretched out his hands and staggered toward the armored car.
The army migrates
The soldiers quickly escorted him to the chariot, and Qian Jianmin's fingers rubbed inch by inch on the armor and turret, as if touching the most precious thing in his life. Qian Jianmin touched and muttered, "We used to be very poor, we used American equipment, and it was the Americans who taught me these skills." Even in the war in Southeast Asia, the United States contributed. The Americans are reluctant to send their own tank soldiers, is it that their soldiers are expensive? What is the death of a Chinese soldier? But I have nowhere to tell, I am an old man, and no one will listen. My hand touched the Chinese tank, and my dream of a Chinese tank soldier could finally be realized. ”
Everyone was in awe of the old hero, and even the captain didn't care if the old man could see him or not, and saluted him with a standard military salute: "Salute to the old hero!" His words were like a key, and hundreds of soldiers on the school grounds, including the tank drivers, all gave a military salute and said in unison: "Salute to the martyrs!" The soldiers' neat military salutes were touching, and their roars shot straight into the sky. Two years later, the blind old hero bid farewell to his heroic life with a lung infection.
Qian Jianmin fought bravely in the army, and after retiring from the army, he did not trouble the country and the government, but relied on himself and raised his daughter as an adult. His only dream is to own his favorite tank again. No one knows whether Qian Jianmin recalled that glorious time when he touched this tank.
Wartime photos
Veterans will leave us but veteran spirits will not die. In our view, these veterans are monuments, thick history books. Today's prosperous situation and rapid development of New China are inseparable from the merits of each and every one of them. Their deeds are deeply imprinted in everyone's heart, every scar, every wound, every medal, every drop of blood, is the most solid foundation they have laid for the prosperity and development of the motherland with their lives.
The spirit of the veterans of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is our eternal spiritual wealth and a national spirit that will never fade. As young people in the new era, we will certainly live up to the expectations of our predecessors, inherit and carry forward the spirit of veterans, make selfless contributions, aim high, bravely undertake the mission of the times, integrate the pursuit of personal ideals into the cause of party and country construction, and make more contributions to the motherland and the people.
Incognito for 71 years, the troops dispatched 6 tanks to greet them, and the identity of the elderly you can not imagine