The 113th Regiment of the New 38th Division of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, under the command of regiment commander Liu Fangwu, defeated more than 4,000 Japanese troops with more than 800 troops, rescued more than 7,000 British officers and men surrounded by the Japanese army, and rescued more than 500 captured British troops, American missionaries, journalists, and civilians. In the end, British officials, for the sake of face, claimed that the British army had rescued itself from difficult circumstances. The ending is tearful. Follow me through this history.
Ren'an Qiang, 250 kilometers southwest of Mandalay in Myanmar, bordered by the Yin River in the south, the Irrawaddy River in the west, the Pingqiang River in the north, and the mountains in the east, is the earliest oil field exploited in Myanmar, with an annual output of 1 million tons at that time, which is an important strategic target for the Japanese army.
In March 1942, after occupying Rangoon, the Japanese army attacked the Burmese hinterland in an attempt to control important oil fields and communication routes in northern Burma.
The Fifth Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force fought head-on with the Japanese 55th Division in Tonggu and Mandalay, and the Sixth Army of the Expeditionary Army blocked the Japanese 56th and 18th Divisions on the left flank of Moltke and Relem. The British used the right flank along the Irrawaddy River as the main garrison in an attempt to stop the Japanese attack.
On April 9 , the Japanese 33rd Division sent an advance party of about 4,000 men to occupy the vicinity of the Ren'an Qiang oil field , and then advanced north in an attempt to encircle the British and Burmese Army Division northeast of the Ren An Qiang oil field and south of the Pingqiang River. On April 14, the commander-in-chief of the British and Burmese forces urgently sent a telegram requesting our expeditionary force to support the British troops surrounded at Ringan and Qiang. Liu Fangwu's unit of the 113th Regiment of the Expeditionary Army was closest to Ren'an Qiang, so he received an order to go to support. On the 17th of the 4th, Liu Fangwu led his troops to Choukburdang, where he met with General Slim, commander of the Burmese Army of the British Empire, and agreed on a plan of action to support the British army.
In the early morning of April 18, Liu Fangwu led more than 800 troops to cross the Pingqiang River, and under the cover of British combat vehicles and attached artillery that were cooperating, they adopted a two-flank encirclement posture against the Japanese troops on the north bank of the Pingqiang River and attacked the Japanese positions. In the end, the Japanese army surrounded the British army, and our expeditionary force surrounded the ingenious form of the Japanese army, and the Japanese army suffered from the enemy and became sandwich biscuits. However, the Japanese stubbornly resisted and fiercely returned fire on our positions with artillery fire and aircraft. The battle lasted until 4 p.m., when the Japanese army fled from the Pingqiang River at a heavy cost of more than 1,200 casualties. In the end, more than 7,500 people of the encircled British First Division were rescued.
In this battle, Zhang Qi, commander of the 113th Regiment, Gu Jichang, company commander, Liu Zhuqiu, Zhuang Tao, and a total of 202 officers and men died heroically. On January 15, 1943, 202 soldiers returned to the motherland, because most of them were from Hunan, and on July 7, a grand ceremony was held at the Nanyue Hengshan Martyrs' Shrine, and the spiritual seats entered the Nanyue Martyrs' Shrine. On that day, thousands of Hunan fathers and fellow villagers wept to welcome the return of the loyal martyrs. It is the largest martyr's cemetery commemorating the fallen officers of the Anti-Japanese Army during the Anti-Japanese War period, and it is also the first time that the memorial seat of the Chinese Expeditionary Army has entered the Martyrs' Shrine.
However, in 1943, in order to save the face of the Allies, British officials issued a communiqué that erased the facts of the great victory of Ren'an Qiang, claiming that the British army had rescued itself from difficult circumstances. It was not until 1992, the 50th anniversary of the great victory of Ren'an and Qiang, that former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher took advantage of her visit to the United States to meet with General Liu Fangwu, commander of the 113th Regiment of the New 38th Division who had settled in Los Angeles, and thanked him in person. Half a century later, General Liu Fangwu was reissued a first-class medal of the army, navy and air force. At this point, the truth was made public.
The Ren'an Qiang Victory was a world-famous battle, which was of great historical significance to the Chinese army, the Allies, and the entire Asian battlefield of World War II. The victory of this battle is not only an honor for the Chinese army to fight side by side with the allied forces for the first time, but also reflects the spirit of our Chinese Expeditionary Force that is not afraid of difficulties and strong enemies, charging ahead, and advancing step by step towards victory.
They forged ahead bravely, indomitably, defended the dignity of the motherland and the people with their blood and lives, and their courage and perseverance not only touched the whole of China, but also attracted the attention of the whole world.
Let us remember this history and remember the heroes who fought for victory and gave their lives for peace. Their heroic deeds will always be engraved in our hearts, inspiring us to keep moving forward and strive for the happiness of the motherland and the people!