Historically, many countries in Asia have been colonized by the British, including Burma, so before the liberation of Burma, there have always been British garrisons.
Burma was colonized by the British from World War II. The Pacific War broke out in December 1941 with Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in the United States. The Japanese army conquered Southeast Asian countries one after another, including Burma. At that time, the Burmese and British armies resisted, but they were still unable to resist the Japanese attack.
In April 1942, the British army was defeated by the Japanese attack and was besieged in Ringanqiang, the British army at that time had more than 7,000 people, it is understood that the strength of the Japanese army at that time was between 5,000 and 10,000 people, and the British army could not break through after being surrounded, so it had no choice but to ask the Chinese side for help, hoping to send reinforcements.
At that time, it was during the Anti-Japanese War, considering that Burma bordered Yunnan on the mainland to the north, if Burma was completely captured by the Japanese army, the Japanese army might penetrate directly from Burma to Yunnan on the mainland, so that the domestic pressure would also double, and finally we sent troops to support.
This team is the 113th Regiment. With more than 1,000 troops, they rushed to Burma with high spirits to rescue the British army and resist the Japanese army. Liu Fangwu, the newly formed Chinese Expeditionary Force, was the head of the regiment.
Who is Liu Fangwu?
Liu Fangwu was born in Guiyang, Hunan Province in 1899, at the end of Guangxu. When Liu Fangwu was a child, he experienced the fall of the Qing Dynasty and, like many young people, was full of enthusiasm. When Liu Fangwu was 27 years old, that is, in 1926, he began to study in Huangpu and dedicated himself to the revolution.
Liu Fangwu is a familiar and unfamiliar name, familiar because he commanded a great victory in Ren'anqiang that shocked China and foreign countries, and strange because the great victory of Ren'anqiang at that time was basically attributed to Sun Liren, the commander of the 38th Division of the Expeditionary Force. And Liu Fangwu, the commander of the 38th Regiment of the 113th Division, was rarely mentioned. In fact, the battle plan for the victory of Ren'anqiang was basically commanded by Liu Fangwu.
So what was the specific situation at that time?
Ringanqiang means "oil river" in Burmese, which was the largest source of Sino-British oil in Southeast Asia at that time, because the Japanese army front was too long, and the oil was becoming more and more scarce, so it was of great strategic significance for the Japanese army to take Ringanqiang, which could solve the problem of oil shortage of the Japanese army at that time, so it was a battleground for soldiers.
However, at that time, the Japanese army in Burma had won many battles, and the British army believed that it could not resist the Japanese attack, and they had already given up Burma and retreated to India. Keeping India was the top priority of Britain's Far East strategy, so the British army in Burma at that time did not have a high will to fight against the Japanese army from top to bottom.
Before the Japanese army prepared to attack Ringanqiang, the British army began to prepare for the retreat. In order to prevent the Japanese from getting the oil field, the British army began to destroy the oil field on the 13th, and informed the expeditionary force that the destruction would not be completed until the 16th. It was therefore hoped that the expeditionary force would take over the defense of the British army so that the British could retreat.
At that time, the Japanese 33rd Division had already controlled the east and north banks of Ringanqiang and the south bank, in an attempt to cut off the British army's retreat before seizing the oil fields. and held back British reinforcements on the northern shoreline.
In fact, the Japanese army did not expect to surround the British army before seizing the oil fields. After all, the British army was well-equipped, with aircraft and artillery, and more than 7,000 troops, so it should be able to resist the Japanese army.
However, the British army's attitude towards fighting in Burma was very passive, and its command was full of loopholes. At that time, when the British army mentioned the Japanese army, they all talked about the tiger's color change, their willpower was depressed, and they were chased and beaten by the Japanese army all the way, and they were surrounded in Ren'anqiang.
On the 17th, the British army assembled and retreated to the east of Ringanqiang, but the Japanese had already guessed the retreat route of the British army, sent reinforcements and detoured back to the east road to block the British army. The British had no choice but to withdraw.
On the 17th, more than 1,000 people of the newly formed 113th Regiment arrived at Ren'anqiang to relieve the siege, and the officers of the British army at that time looked at the commander who came to the rescue, although he was thin, but his face was resolute, and there was a sense of impeccableness, which left a good impression on the British commander.
At dusk on the 17th, with the cooperation of the British army, Liu Fangwu carried out a surprise attack on the Japanese army. Attacking overnight, the Japanese troops who were blocking British reinforcements in the north were cleared, and before dawn on the 18th, Liu Fangwu raided the north bank of the Japanese army until the afternoon to defeat the Japanese army. As a result, the remnants of the enemy army had no choice but to withdraw.
The defeated Japanese army did not give up directly, but joined up with other forces in an attempt to encircle Liu Fangwu and the British army again. When Liu Fangwu moved to the south bank, he was hit hard by the Japanese army. Liu Fangwu was unwilling to fight, so he chose to retreat and found out the enemy's situation.
At that time, the Japanese army controlled the riverside area of Ringanqiang and heavily guarded both sides of the 501 Heights leading to the bridge, which was a great obstacle to the rescue of the British army.
The Japanese army was four times stronger than ours, and after a short rest. With the cooperation of the British army, the attack on the south bank of the Japanese army began in the early morning of the 19th, and under the cover of artillery fire, Liu Fangwu quickly crossed the river and approached the bottom of the 501 high ground on the south bank. Began to assault the 501 heights head-on, the battle on this day was more fierce than the previous day, and the Japanese army was also like a mad dog desperately defending and fighting, and many times when our army had already captured the 501 heights and was recaptured by the Japanese army. All kinds of aircraft and artillery bombarded our troops indiscriminately.
In the melee, the indomitable will of our army finally defeated the Japanese army. And captured the strategic 501 heights, the Japanese army that lost the heights could not form an effective blockade of the British army, and it was not clear the specific strength of our army at that time, so in the end the Japanese army chose to retreat.
At about 5 o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, our army conquered the Ringanqiang oil field area and rescued 500 captured British and American journalists, preachers, etc. At the same time, it also covered the retreat of the besieged British 7000 soldiers.
At that time, the rescued British soldiers all burst into tears, hugged our soldiers and thanked them, and some even knelt down on the spot to thank them for saving their lives.
After the war, it was recorded that the Japanese army suffered more than 1,200 casualties at that time, and our army also lost 522 people. This was the first time since the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression that our side defeated the aggressors abroad, and it was a victory with less, which shocked China and the rest of the world, and swept away the haze of successive defeats of the Allied forces in the Pacific region.
Having said that, the British army at that time had more than 7,000 people, but it was surrounded by Japanese troops, and it had tanks and artillery but could not break through the enemy's blockade line. From the side, it also shows that the Chinese military and civilians have constantly honed their combat effectiveness in the domestic war of resistance.
After this battle, Liu Fangwu made great contributions, and was commended by the Kuomintang and the British, and was promoted to army major.
Although he was rewarded when he returned to China, Liu Fangwu was not reused, but was more appointed to an idle position such as chief of staff.
In 1949, the Kuomintang was defeated and retreated to Taiwan, China, and Liu Fangwu also came to Taiwan, China with Lao Chiang. In fact, Liu Fangwu's life was not very prosperous after he arrived in Taiwan, and it stands to reason that Liu Fangwu's military rank is not low, so he should not have a bad life.
But at that time, Sun Liren of the Chinese Expeditionary Force was falsely accused of being a soldier. Sun Liren was placed under house arrest by Lao Jiang, and many of Sun Liren's materials and history were tampered with. According to Lao Jiang's suspicion, Liu Fangwu admitted that he had not been reused, nor did he have the allowance he deserved. Not many people know that Liu Fangwu was the commander who led the 113th Regiment to defeat the Japanese army at that time.
After retiring in 1954, Liu Fangwu, who had no skills, was forced to make a living by selling briquettes. Many of the old subordinates before called Liu Fangwu the briquette general, which is really helpless.
It is unimaginable that Liu Fangwu had no money in his pocket at that time, and the money to buy coal, iron catalpa, hoes and other tools were donated by his old subordinates. At noon, he only nibbled on a steamed bun to satisfy his hunger, and in the evening, he returned home and continued to poke briquettes to prepare for the next day.
Unlike Liu Fangwu, who was almost incognito, a villain heard about this and spread rumors that he was the head of Liu.
This person is Lin Yanzhang.
Lin Yanzhang learned about the process of Ren'anqiang's victory that year, said that he was the head of Liu, and also contacted the commander of the British army stationed in Hong Kong at that time. This deception is 21 years. Lin Yanzhang has been deceived for 21 years, and Liu Fangwu has endured humiliation for 21 years.
Fortunately, Liu Fangwu's old subordinates exposed Liu Yanzhang's conspiracy at that time, and Lin Yanzhang was arrested in Hong Kong in 1963, Liu Fangwu's great achievements are well known, and those who insulted Liu Fangwu before also came to apologize, but the gentle Liu Fangwu just said: "It's all over, don't mention it again."
In 1977, at the age of 78, Liu Fangwu led his family to the United States to settle down and enjoy his old age in Los Angeles.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the victory of Ringanqiang, in April 1992, the first lady of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher, visited the United States and personally went to Liu Fangwu's residence to comfort the old man. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Liu Fangwu for bravely resisting the fascists and rescuing 7,000 soldiers of the British Army from the brink of death.
George H.W. Bush, then President of the United States, also sent a letter to the veteran, saying: On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the great victory of Ringanqiang, I would like to once again represent the country and thank you for your courage in resisting the enemy and rescuing 500 journalists and 7,000 soldiers.
It is precisely because of the condolences of the first lady of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher, and the letter from the President of the United States, George H.W. Bush, that this history has returned to our eyes and allowed us to re-acquaint ourselves with this legendary figure.
Most of his life has passed, and Liu Fangwu, who is 77 years old, is already pessimistic about life, but in fact, he still has a wish unfulfilled. It is a first-class medal of honor.
In 1993, Liu Fangwu had little time, and in order to fulfill his wish, after many efforts, it took 50 years to finally get this honor.
On June 29, 1994, Liu Fangwu died in Los Angeles at the age of 95. The first-class medal of the sea, land and air also accompanied him to rest in the ground.
Later, the TV series "My Regiment Commander, My Regiment" was also adapted based on Liu Fangwu of the Expeditionary Force, and we have a deeper understanding of the hardships and unremitting spirit of the regiment commander. And re-set off a corner of history that was sealed up, so that the expeditionary force returned to our field of vision.
While we are relish Liu Fangwu's heroic deeds, we must not forget the heroic souls who died on the battlefield abroad, they are the most lovely people.
After World War II, the cemeteries of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Burma were basically bulldozed, and the feats made with blood were not recorded on the battlefield.
On the other hand, Britain also established a national cemetery in Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar (now the capital is Naypyidaw), and Japan also erected monuments in Myanmar through various means after the war.
The Chinese Expeditionary Force died for the country and the people, but the soul did not return.
With the efforts of Liu Fangwu's children and the support of relevant departments, the monument was finally completed on January 13, 2013. According to the custom of the Burmese people, the monument was built in the shape of a stupa. A handful of dirt from their hometown and a pointer were buried under the tower to inform the spirits of their way home.
At the ceremony of the completion of the monument, retired generals from Taiwan, China, descendants of anti-Japanese soldiers from the mainland of China, Hong Kong and the United States, experts, scholars, and media witnessed this meaningful event.
Since then, the 202 loyal souls of China who died in the battle of Ren'anqiang can finally be at ease.