At 2 p.m. on March 6, 1946, negotiations between Chinese and French army representatives in a building in Huaren Street, HaiPhong Port, Vietnam, reached an impasse.
The commander of the French fleet threw down the cigar smoke in his mouth in chagrin and stood up angrily:
"The conditions put forward by these Chinese are insults to our army and unfriendly!" On behalf of the French Republic, I refuse to accept these unreasonable conditions! ”
He picked up his military hat and pulled the U.S. liaison officer next to him out of his seat, wanting to go downstairs.
The Chinese general, who was sitting upright, looked at them coldly. As the two men walked up the stairs, the Chinese general suddenly spoke:
"If your officer leaves my headquarters, I will not be responsible for your safety."
The pace of the French commander and the American liaison officer suddenly froze, and then immediately turned around, sat back down at the negotiating table, and squeezed out a smile:
"My Chinese friend, don't worry, let's continue to discuss!"
……
On this day, less than a year before the end of World War II, the French Far East Dispatch Force suddenly dispatched more than 20,000 officers and men, 12 naval ships, carrying hundreds of US-made amphibious combat vehicles, armored vehicles, automobiles, hundreds of artillery, etc., to brazenly launch a surprise attack on the Chinese army.
However, the Chinese military is no longer what it used to be. After a short and fierce battle, the French had to swallow the bitter fruit of more than 3,000 casualties and the sinking of 1 warship, while the Chinese suffered only more than 30 casualties. Faced with a tragic battle loss ratio, the originally invincible supreme commander of the French army admitted defeat, led his subordinates ashore to seek peace, and signed a treaty of no more invasion, thus washing away the historical shame of the Opium War a hundred years ago.
The Chinese army was the victor of World War II, representing the Allies in the port of Haiphong, why did it encounter an unreasonable attack by the French army?
In the face of the sudden sound of artillery, who decisively ordered and resolutely returned fire?
During the conflict, our troops stationed in Vietnam defended national honor, performed their natural duties as soldiers, and fearlessly shed blood and sacrifice, but why were they quickly sent to the road of no return?
The Sino-French Battle of Coastal Defense, this little-known battle, deserves to look back at the descendants of Yan huang and take a closer look at the storms of that year.
North Vietnamese storm
On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender, and World War II ended.
The Allied headquarters stipulated that French Indochina, south of the sixteenth parallel north, would be surrendered by British troops and to the north by Chinese troops.
On September 12, a Chinese delegation flew to Hanoi.
At this time, the situation in Vietnam is becoming confusing. The Japanese-backed Baoda ruling clique collapsed. Ho Chi Minh declared vietnam independence and established the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic. The U.S. and British governments, overtly or covertly, supported the return of the French colonial army to take Vietnam. The British directly reached out, releasing French prisoners in the south, providing warships, aircraft, tanks, artillery, etc., and even said that even if the French army went to war with the Chinese army, it would fully support it.
With the support of the British occupation forces, the French army quickly became strong, captured Saigon in one fell swoop, and pointed its spearhead north of the sixteenth parallel north.
On the night of February 7, 1946, eight British transport planes, laden with French soldiers, landed at Hue airfield north of the 16th Parallel in an attempt to test the bottom line of the Chinese occupation forces. Unexpectedly, under the orders of General Chen Xiuhe (General Chen Yi's cousin), the representative of the Chinese Army Headquarters in Vietnam, the Chinese army had already made preparations, and dozens of tanks, armored vehicles, and heavily armed Chinese soldiers were detained by the British and French troops.
When the French command in Saigon heard the news, it became angry and immediately mobilized for battle, promising to wage war against the Chinese troops stationed in Vietnam.
Lieutenant General Sutrinson, then commander-in-chief of the French forces in Vietnam, held a press conference and arbitrarily declared:
"The Chinese army has no aircraft and warships, poor equipment and weak combat effectiveness. I have ordered that all French naval, army and air forces stationed in the Far East must be assembled and that the Chinese driven out of North Vietnam completely and cleanly. ”
For a time, the skies over North Vietnam were thick with war clouds. Faced with the fate of possible re-becoming a French colony, Vietnam's political factional contradictions disappeared, and all parties expressed their support for the Chinese army to go to war against France.
On March 4, the final pre-war negotiations took place in Hanoi. Present at the talks on the Chinese side were General Chen Xiuhe, as well as four military commanders of the First Front, including Wan Baobang, Zeng Zesheng, Lu Ruiquan, and Zhou Fucheng. The French sent Major General Sully.
At the beginning of the negotiations, Sully put on a big grinning face.
He said he had been ordered to report that the French would land at the port of Haiphong on March 6. He also said that this was the "result" achieved by the two governments in the negotiations in Chongqing.
In response to this unreasonable demand, Chen Xiuhe solemnly warned:
"At present, the negotiations between the Chinese and French governments are still taking place in Chongqing, and our army has not received the order to go to the peak. If the French army insists on going its own way and forcibly takes up defenses, it will inevitably be resisted by our army with all its might. ”
Sally said arrogantly:
"The opinions I bring represent the result of our army's careful consideration."
"Then..."
General Chen got up to send off the guests:
"Let's see you on the battlefield!"
The battle of coastal defense is inevitable.
Port gunfire
At about 8 a.m. on March 6, 12 U.S. warships, flying the French tricolor flag, divided into three echelons, began to march towards the port of Haiphong. This "long snake array" fleet came to the port of Coastal Phong and issued a flash signal of wanting to enter the port, and the Chinese troops on the shore sent back signals and refused.
Stationed in Haiphong was the 130th Division of the 53rd Army of the National Revolutionary Army, which, unlike other Chinese troops stationed in Vietnam, was not a faction of the Dian Army, but belonged to the last Northeast Army. Since the sino-French and two armies had negotiated the transfer of defense, the orders given by division commander Wang Lihuan were unclear, and he was informed that he was ready to hand over the defenses, and then he was told to revoke the order, but he was not instructed how to deal with the French army when it forced the landing.
Wang Lihuan
Faced with the complicated situation, Wang Lihuan encouraged his subordinates to say that it was the responsibility of the soldiers to defend the territory, and as long as there was no order, the 130th Division would coexist and die with the port of Haiphong. This patriotic spirit not only led the whole division, but also infected Zeng Zesheng, commander of the 60th Army, who, although he was a Dian army, also decided to send the 184th Division to participate in the sea defense and defense.
Wang Lihuan personally commanded the equipped positions at the coastal docks. He took the 1st Battalion of the 388th Regiment plus two engineer companies as the main defensive units, of which 1 company defended the docks frontally, and the whole company concentrated 6 bazookas, 6 mortars, 6 light machine guns, 2 flat-fire guns, 2 heavy mortars, and 1 flame emitter. The warriors were gearing up against the arrogance of the French army.
The invincible French army, unaware that the Chinese army was waiting for it, brazenly drove into the harbor and approached the dock. In the process of entering, the warships continued to use intensive artillery fire to carry out fierce demonstrations and fire on the shore. Amid the rumbling of artillery, bullets rained down and the flames soared into the sky, the houses in Haiphong Fell in pieces, and the cries of ordinary Vietnamese people sounded in one piece.
In the ammunition depot on the side of the coastal defense pier, there were 2 platoons of the 184th Division's guard company, and as soon as the French invaded the port, the sentries on duty on the watchtower found and reported it to the platoon leader Li Yue. The ammunition depot was very close to the dock, Li Yue saw that the French warship had already rushed through here, hurriedly grabbed the telephone set to report, the handle only shook once, and the French shell hit the ammunition depot. After a loud noise, the place turned into ruins...
The constant roar of the cannon shook Li Yue, who was buried in the mound, and he got up and kept shouting at his soldiers, but found that the only people who survived were himself and the sergeant squad leader Yang Jin.
When Yang Jin saw him wake up, he couldn't help but say, picked up the rifle on the ground, stuffed it into him, and roared:
"Platoon leader, we beat the dog to death!"
At this time, on the front of the dock, Wang Lihuan, commander of the 130th Division, had issued an order for the garrison to counterattack the French with all its might. A fierce battle between the two sides began.
Initially, the firepower of 1 company defending the dock suffered, and most people could only strafe the warships with rifles and machine guns. Dozens of soldiers bravely braved the rain of bullets to rush to the docks, facing the warships close at hand, trying to attack with grenades and grenades, but fell one after another.
The commander of the French fleet, General Abanoo, witnessed all this in his "Adam Erk" flagship and laughed happily:
"These stupid Chinese, and I bet they'll all be finished by dark!"
At the critical moment, Pan Shuorui of the 184th Division rushed to the ammunition depot with people, and Yang Jin, who was covered in mud, stood in front of him:
"Commander, do you have bazookas?"
Pan Shuorui was familiar with Yang Jin and knew that he was nicknamed "Yang Big Man", because of his high skills in rifle, machine gun and bazooka shooting, he ranked first in several all-division single-soldier competitions. So Pan Shuorui waved and let the fire reinforcement company behind him send an American bazooka.
I saw Yang Jin carrying a bazooka on his shoulders, kneeling on one leg, shaking his spirit, and aiming at the last "Sea Lion" troop carrier of the French "One-Word Long Snake Array". At this time, the French fleet was only tens of meters from the shore and was swinging forward. Yang Jin took a deep breath, his steady fingers pulled the trigger, and the rocket flew out with a whistling sound, hitting the ship's ammunition depot in a flash.
After a dazzling burst of fire, the Sea Lion gradually tilted in the explosion and began to sink slowly. The French soldiers jumped off the boats and fled for their lives on the burning water. Yang Jin laughed loudly, and immediately began to command the other bazooka shooters, and continued to fire at the French ships in front.
The dense rockets drew more powerful rumbling of artillery. The soldiers on the dock suddenly shouted:
"It's our mountain artillery battalion!"
It turned out that the 184th and 21st Divisions of the 60th Army had two mountain artillery battalions, and they were practicing on the large playground of Haiphong Harbor, but they were suddenly attacked by French ships, and then spontaneously joined the battle. 24 neat Japanese-made Type 94 mountain guns, at a distance of less than 2,000 meters, directly aimed at the French warships, round after round of concentrated firing.
The situation on the battlefield was thus reversed. The French army had mountain artillery in front and bazookas in the back, and the large and small shells kept falling on the ship like raindrops, and the French soldiers waiting for the landing on the ship were crowded together, and there was no way to dodge, and a shell would hit a group of soldiers, only to hear screams, cries, and so on. The French did not expect that what was supposed to be a flaunting takeover would become a battlefield full of gunfire.
The narrow inland sea of the port did not allow the fleet to be fully deployed. Seeing that the situation was not good, Abanu commanded the fleet to withdraw from the docks and re-attack after forming a formation at the surface of the sea. They spearheaded six warships, divided into three groups, and charged toward the docks, while the remaining five acted as rearguards and lined up in the harbor to meet them.
This time, they suffered a greater blow, and the defenders of the 1 company on the front of the dock had mobilized more bazookas and were ready to fire in the dock fortifications.
When the first French fleet sailed into the docks, the bazookas were eager to try. Company Commander Zhao Jingwu said in a low voice:
"Don't fight, let them in!"
Soon, the second and third groups of warships entered the docks. Zhao Jingwu slammed his hand down:
"Put!"
Suddenly, dozens of rocket launchers were fired together, and within a distance of less than 200 meters, dozens of rockets with beautiful curves flew away, hitting many French ships.
Through the smoke, the warriors clearly saw three French ships on fire, and the remaining three took advantage of the smoke cover and began to turn around and flee.
On the three French ships that caught fire, the French army was like ants on a hot pot, busy holding their heads and fleeing, in a mess. Some of them were fighting for lifebuoys and putting down lifeboats, some were forced to retreat into the cabin or deck by the flames, and some were desperate to jump into the water.
Taking advantage of the hustle and bustle on the ship, the machine gunners of the 1st Company began to "roll call", and the crisp machine gun sound was like a whirlwind of death, sweeping through the eardrums of everyone on the ship, sending the French troops to hell one by one.
"Charge!"
Seeing that the fire had arrived, Wang Lihuan issued an order, and the commando team organized by the 1st Company immediately rushed to the coastal waters by the dock like arrows off the string. At this time, the French guns and artillery had long been dumbfounded, and the French soldiers after falling into the sea raised their hands in the face of the Chinese troops descending the mountain.
The 3 wounded French ships also left the soldiers alone and slowly retreated backwards.
Watching the sharp counterattack on the dock, the brothers of the 184th Division of the Ammunition Depot were overjoyed. Yang Jin clutched his already gray-black hat tightly in his hand, pointed to the French troops who were escaping on the surface of the sea, and said to Li Yue:
"Platoon leader, you see, the 130th Division has fought well and avenged our platoon brothers!"
The retreat of the French fleet had been blocked again by the mountain artillery battalion, and a white flag was slowly raised on the French flagship "Adam Erk".
A hundred years of snow shame
The Sino-French military conflict, which lasted for more than 4 hours from 8 a.m. to 13 p.m., was finally declared over under the white flag of the French army.
In order to end the battle with dignity, Abanoo took several officers ashore and wanted to negotiate with Chinese generals such as Wang Lihuan and Pan Shuorui. However, they also wanted to preserve the last dignity of the French army, and tried to hang the Chinese flag and the white flag on the shore. The Liaison Officer of the Chinese Army said ruthlessly that the Chinese flag is never hung with the white flag, and if it is to be hung, it is necessary to hang the French flag.
Abano agreed in frustration, and soon a small boat with the French flag and white flag, carrying a French negotiating delegation, accompanied by the head of the US liaison team, Green, drove into the docks of Haiphong Harbor, and then transferred to a car flying a white flag to the headquarters of the 130th Division on Chinese Street.
Although the French officers wanted a truce, they seemed to be rejuvenated at the negotiating table. They scrambled to speak, saying that the Chinese military had violated the agreement and damaged the friendship of the allies, demanding assurances that similar incidents would not happen again, and that they were responsible for the consequences of today's events.
Wang Lihuan refuted them one by one, saying:
"The Chinese army is sending you a signal, why don't you stop?" Is it in line with Sino-French friendship and international law that you rush straight to the docks and fire the ammunition depot first? ”
Abano bowed his head and said nothing, and Wang Lihuan put the agreement document that had been drawn up long ago in front of him.
Its main content is that the responsibility for the incident should be borne by the French army, the French army must compensate all the losses of the residents of Haiphong, and the French army promises that it will never sneak into Haiphong again in the future.
After reading the document, Abano frowned and said:
"The third article of this word cannot be used, it is an insult to us French!"
Then came the scene at the beginning of this article.
Wang Lihuan did not expect that the French and Americans knew that they had committed crimes against Coastal Defense, lest they be hurt by the Vietnamese masses after leaving, they were simply overwhelmed with fear, and quickly nodded their heads and agreed to the agreement.
Sure enough, after the signing was completed, the divisional mouth was already surrounded by an angry Vietnamese crowd.
Amid the scolding, the Chinese army safely returned the delegation and others to the docks, and returned the prisoners who had been initially treated to the ship.
It was not until 8 a.m. the next morning that the defeated remnants of the army had recovered the body, finally left the coast, and slowly retreated towards Saigon.
The Chinese army struck hard at the French army and won the enthusiastic support of the Vietnamese people in coastal defense.
At 12:00 noon on the 7th, more than 20,000 citizens marched and demonstrated, shouting slogans, and posting slogans such as "Long live China", "Long live Vietnam", "Down with French imperialism", "French troops get out of Vietnam", and so on.
Witnessing the military and civilian celebrations, Chinese officers and soldiers felt extraordinary emotions, and many people thought of the national shame of a hundred years ago.
At that time, it was still the invincible Anglo-French coalition, still warships from the sea, who wantonly trampled on China's land and forced the Chinese to sign humiliating unequal treaties.
Today, after the baptism of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the morale and strength of the Chinese nation are enough to wash away the shame and throw the signature pen of the alliance under the city in front of the French.
However, Wang Lihuan did not expect that soon after, Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist government still cooperated in handing over the right to garrison North Vietnam. The iron hooves of the French colonists once again stepped on the defense of shanghai, and military vehicles once again rampaged through the city center.
At the same time, Zeng Zesheng's 60th Army, Wang Lihuan's 130th Division... One after another, the blood-blooded enemy-killing troops were about to be sent to the warship, and they would go all the way north, deceived by Chiang Kai-shek into the distant northeast battlefield, and fell into the unknown blood red.