The national army suffered more than 50,000 casualties, and the Japanese army only had more than 10,000, why did it call it a great victory in Taierzhuang? This tumultuous battle seemed to be a costly victory. However, if we look back at the historical context, we can't help but wonder: what a decisive victory was won by such a cruel sacrifice? Did it really turn the tide of the war of resistance? Or is it just a small victory in the resistance war? What did the Battle of Taierzhuang mean for China's War of Resistance? Let's explore the ins and outs of this battle and re-examine its weight in the course of the war of resistance.
Pre-war landscape: a desperate struggle
On July 7, 1937, the Lugou Bridge Incident kicked off the all-out war between China and Japan. Prior to this, the Chinese military and civilians bravely resisted the invaders for many years, from the September 18 Incident to the 128 Incident to the Xi'an Incident, all of which were the result of repeated provocations by the Japanese army. This time, however, the situation has threatened the country's survival.
In the face of the raging iron hooves of the Japanese army, Northeast China and North China fell one after another, and Nanjing was even killed by the "Asian Butcher" Fujii Sai, killing and maiming countless civilians. At this critical juncture, the Chinese people are justified and righteous, rise up to defend their homeland, and the spirit of the anti-war fighters is high. The Nationalist Government and soldiers led by Chiang Kai-shek were not afraid of danger and vowed to fight the Japanese invaders to the end and win the final victory.
On December 25, 1937, the Nationalist Government established the anti-Japanese war policy of "united front and protracted war of resistance", and then there was an anti-Japanese upsurge throughout the country. At the time of the national crisis, various local governments and warlords put aside the contradiction of mutual conquest by force and joined the anti-Japanese coalition army. The Communist Party led by Mao Zedong actively expanded its army in Yan'an and called on the people to wage a protracted people's war.
From the warlord secession to the anti-Japanese united front, Chiang Kai-shek was even more determined to win this battle for survival at all costs. He personally advanced to the front line to supervise the formation, and led the National Revolutionary Army to meet the powerful attack of the Japanese army without hesitation. In the face of an overwhelming gap in weapons and equipment, China can only rely on the strength of the masses of the people and slow down the progress of the enemy's army through mobile operations.
Comparison of the strength of the two sides: arrogance and contempt
At the end of 1937, after the Japanese victory in Nanjing, the Japanese army began to further expand into North China and Jiangsu. They pushed forward with determination in an attempt to smash the foundations of the Chinese army in one fell swoop. And Taierzhuang, which guards the city gate of Xuzhou, as the hub of the north and south, soon became a battleground for both sides.
In the face of this decisive battle, both sides made corresponding troop deployments. On the Japanese side, under the command of Commander-in-Chief Terauchi Shouichi and under the command of Nishio Shouzo, the Second Army under the command of Nishio Shouzo dispatched a total of more than 50,000 men and horses, and was divided into the 5th Division of Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki and the 10th Division of Lieutenant General Ryosuke Isoya.
As the most modern army in Asia at the time, the Japanese army was well-equipped and had a large number of tanks, heavy artillery and aircraft for fire support, reflecting the importance it attached to the battle. However, they highly contemptuous of the combat effectiveness of the national army, believing that 50,000 elites would be enough to deal a severe blow to the Chinese army.
In contrast, the national army threw all its strength into the battle, devoting 290,000 troops to meet the battle. Li Zongren served as the commander-in-chief, and famous generals such as Tang Enbo, Bai Chongxi, and Sun Lianzhong commanded the armies to fight together. In addition to the ground troops who were waiting for battle, Chiang Kai-shek personally inspected and supervised the battle, and called on the vast number of soldiers to defend Xuzhou as if they were dead.
Faced with a serious shortage of weapons and equipment, the national army had no choice but to rely on the tactics of crowds to reverse the passive situation with absolute superiority. At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek mobilized the masses along the line and organized guerrillas to provide cover for the frontal troops and delay the progress of the enemy army. A large number of civilians were also assigned to build fortified positions to make final preparations for the blockade battle.
Under such circumstances, an exchange of fire between the two sides is inevitable. Relying on the firepower superiority of tanks and artillery, the Japanese army continued all the way south. The Nationalist army stubbornly resisted the invading enemy forces with pre-built positions and fortifications. The two sides encountered fierce battles in Tengxian, Linyi and other places, and suffered numerous casualties.
The Japanese army still insisted on underestimating the enemy, and when dealing with the guerrillas and mass forces, they committed excessive atrocities and brutally slaughtered unarmed civilians. Such atrocities not only aroused the anger of the people along the route, but also strengthened their determination to fight the Japanese invaders to the end. Groups of guerrillas joined the ranks of the frontal anti-Japanese forces, adding new strength to the decisive battle of Taierzhuang, which was about to start.
Decisive Battle Taierzhuang: Bloody battle hovers on the line of life and death
On March 24, 1938, the Battle of Taierzhuang kicked off. The two sides have encountered many skirmishes in Tengxian, Linyi and other places, but this time it will be a decisive battle related to the overall survival.
The national army held the defense line of Taierzhuang City, and the Japanese army attacked in two ways. Lieutenant General Itagaki Seishiro's 5th Division advanced westward along the Jiaoji Road and approached Linyi; Lieutenant General Ryosuke Isoya's 10th Division went straight to Taierzhuang along the Jinpu Road. The generals of the two sides engaged in a skillful contest in tactical deployment, and the dark tide surged.
In the battle of Linyi, the commanders of the national army Sun Lianzhong and Zhang Zizhong bravely fought back and encountered a tragic confrontation with the Japanese army. The fighting was at a stalemate, with heavy casualties on both sides. In the rain of bullets, countless soldiers regarded death as home, and tried their best to hold back the pace of the Japanese army. The generals of the national army personally charged into battle and fought to the death with their lives to seize the strategic initiative.
With the arrival of reinforcements from the main force of the Japanese army, the national army broke down and had to abandon Linyi and move to the direction of Taierzhuang. The Japanese army thus gained a breakthrough and launched a general offensive along both sides of the canal, trying to break through the Taierzhuang defense line in one fell swoop.
In the face of pressure, Li Zongren insisted on adopting stubborn tactics and desperately fought to the death with the Japanese army. He called on his soldiers: "I'd rather sacrifice half than defeat the Japanese invaders!" Under his orders, the soldiers of the national army fought bravely to kill the enemy and desperately blocked the invading Japanese army. The two sides circled around the area of Turning Mountain and Yongkang Bridge for a long time, and the smoke of gunpowder covered the sky.
The Japanese army dispatched a large army of tanks, and the dense artillery fire strafed the fortifications of the national army's positions and fortifications under the torrent of steel. However, despite the heavy casualties, the officers and men of the national army still held their positions and died together. For a time, the Japanese army fell into passivity, trying to lure the enemy deeper. The national army immediately encircled and suppressed again, and the battle between the two sides was stalemate.
After months of siege, the Japanese army failed to break through the Taierzhuang defense line at a huge cost. Under the stubborn resistance of the Nationalist army, the main force of the Japanese army suffered heavy losses. It was not until mid-May that Li Zongren learned that Xuzhou had fallen and had to order a retreat. The Battle of Taierzhuang ended with this, but both sides suffered heavy losses.
The Price of Victory: A Turning Point in the Great Struggle
Although the Battle of Taierzhuang ended with the retreat of the national army, the significance of this battle was far from being as simple as a single victory or defeat. In fact, it opened up a new situation in China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and forged the unyielding belief in national resistance.
In this bloody battle, which lasted for more than three months, both sides paid a heavy price. According to incomplete statistics, the national army suffered at least 50,000 casualties, of which 23,000 were killed. In contrast, the Japanese lost just over 10,000 men, but they had already reached their original total strength. Therefore, the battle of Taierzhuang was a victory with heavy casualties for both sides.
Looking back on the entire course of the campaign, the Japanese army initially gained the initiative to attack by virtue of its superiority in weapons and equipment. But as the war dragged on, the stubborn resistance of the Nationalist army put them on the back foot. The generals of the two sides repeatedly competed in tactical deployment, exchanged offense and defense, and the fire of war continued to burn. Just when the Japanese army was trying to encircle and solve the main force of the national army by luring the enemy into the trick, the Xuzhou defense line was broken through by the other main force of the Japanese army, and Li Zongren had to make a difficult decision to retreat.
Although the end result was a shift of the Nationalist army to the back, the Battle of Taierzhuang was by no means a futile sacrifice. During these months of delay, the Nationalist army had achieved the strategic goal of containing the Japanese army, greatly slowing their pace of occupation of Xuzhou and inflicting heavy losses on them. More importantly, the Battle of Taierzhuang strengthened the determination of the people of the whole country to share the same hatred and hatred for the enemy, and laid a solid foundation for the final victory of the Anti-Japanese War.
It is precisely in this bloody and bloody struggle to the death that the heroic image of the soldiers of the Nationalist army who regard death as if they were at home and are indomitable is deeply engraved in the hearts of every Chinese. Despite the final retreat, the Battle of Taierzhuang became a symbol of the Chinese nation's unremitting self-improvement, and a spiritual guide that inspired and united all anti-Japanese forces. From then on, the whole country was full of enthusiasm and spirits, and vowed to fight the Japanese invaders to the end.
The significance of Taierzhuang: to forge the belief of national resistance
Although the Battle of Taierzhuang ended with the retreat of the national army, its significance was by no means limited to the victory or defeat of a battle. In fact, this bloody battle became a turning point in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and ignited the belief of the people of the whole country to stand together in the same boat and to fight unswervingly.
From the beginning of the war in March 1938 to the end of May, the two sides encountered a tragic battle in the Taierzhuang area for more than three months. Although the Nationalist army was eventually forced to retreat, the Japanese army had already paid a very heavy price in the months of delay. Their original strength of 50,000 was almost completely wiped out, and only 10,000 people were far from enough to continue the advance.
What is even more valuable is that the battle of Taierzhuang greatly encouraged the confidence of the people of the whole country in resisting Japan. For a long time, the Japanese army has been invincible in China with advanced weapons, causing panic and anxiety among the Chinese people. However, in the Battle of Taierzhuang, the heroic image of the soldiers of the national army who regarded death as their home and fought tenaciously gave the people of the whole country the hope of achieving the final victory.
Although the weapons and equipment are backward, as long as we persist in guerrilla warfare and movement warfare, we will certainly be able to defeat the Japanese invaders. It was in the bloody battle in Taierzhuang that the people of the whole country realized the importance of unity and protracted resistance to war. Since then, all localities have responded to the call and joined the ranks of resistance against Japan.
The patriotic upsurge born from the Battle of Taierzhuang became an inexhaustible driving force for the whole country to resist Japan. Base areas have been established one after another, and the people's army has continued to grow. Under the joint call of the Communist Party and the Kuomintang, the people of all ethnic groups across the country fought side by side to defend their homeland with practical actions.
Even if it fell into passivity for a while, the influence of the Battle of Taierzhuang has always been vigorous. It was this kind of spiritual pillar that gave the Chinese military and people enough confidence to withstand the Japanese army's "battle" attack. Finally, after eight years of bloody fighting, the Chinese people finally defeated the invaders and won a full-scale victory in the War of Resistance. The Battle of Taierzhuang was the beginning of this great victory.