Today is the eighth Martyrs' Day, and we deeply remember the revolutionary martyrs who gave their lives heroically for the liberation of Shanghai.
In the Battle of Shanghai, our total casualties were 33,685, and 7,785 martyrs were martyred. Among the victims, the oldest was 62 years old and the youngest was 16 years old; there were 7,613 PLA commanders and fighters, 100 local volunteers, and 72 former cadres and migrant workers accompanying the army. Revolutionary martyrs exchanged their blood and lives for the rebirth of Shanghai, and we must always remember their heroic deeds.
Here, some of the martyrs who died in the Battle of Shanghai are briefly introduced.
First of all, among the 408 MARTYRS who died at or above the company level, the oldest was 48 years old and the youngest was 18 years old, with an average of 28.9 years old. Of the 408 people, 329 were enlisted before the Liberation War, of whom 188 were veterans of the New Fourth Army, accounting for 57.1 percent; 7 were regimental cadres and 4 were veterans of the New Fourth Army, accounting for 57 percent; 58 were battalion cadres, 24 were veterans of the New Fourth Army, accounting for 44.4 percent; 268 were company cadres, and 160 were veterans of the New Fourth Army, accounting for 59.7 percent.
For example: Hu Wenjie (1916~1949), a native of Danyang, Jiangsu. In 1938, he joined the New Fourth Army, a member of the Communist Party of China, the commander of the 259th Regiment of the 87th Division of the 29th Army, and the highest-ranking among the martyrs of the People's Liberation Army who died in the Battle of Shanghai. On May 15, 1949, Hu Wenjie led two battalions into the town of Yuepu and, after fierce street fighting, drove the enemy out. Enemy shore guns and naval guns also carried out devastating bombardment of Yuepu Town, with more than 200 aircraft bombing and infantry counterattacking many times under the cover of tanks. Hu Wenjie led his troops to carry out fierce tug-of-war and hand-to-hand combat, dealing a fatal blow to the enemy. Suddenly, the enemy shells hit the regimental command post, and Hu Wenjie was hit by 7 pieces of shrapnel, unfortunately and heroically sacrificed.
Wang Li (1917-1949), a native of Jurong, Jiangsu Province, joined the New Fourth Army in 1939, was a member of the Communist Party of China, and the director of the Political Office of the 253rd Regiment of the 85th Division of the 29th Army. On May 14, 1945, he led 2 battalions into the town of Yuepu and was in danger of being attacked on all sides. He commanded his troops to resist tenaciously and unfortunately died heroically. In just one day, the regiment suffered hundreds of casualties and sacrificed 15 battalion company cadres.
Chen Dasheng (1923-1949), a native of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, joined the New Fourth Army in 1942, a member of the Communist Party of China, and an instructor of the 3rd Battalion of the 259th Regiment of the 87th Division of the 29th Army. In the street battle that broke into Yuepu Town, he led his troops to fight with the enemy house by house, and in the enemy tanks and fierce artillery counterattacks, Chen Dasheng, deputy instructor Xue Jingcheng, and 2nd Battalion instructor Sheng Changhong were killed one after another.
Daniel Zhang (1926-1949), a native of Qidong, Jiangsu, joined the New Fourth Army in 1944, a member of the Communist Party of China, and deputy instructor of the 3rd Battalion of the 260th Regiment of the 87th Division of the 29th Army. In the battle against Tsukiura, in the face of the attack of four enemy tanks and infantry, he rushed out of the trench, injured, and blew up an enemy tank with a cluster grenade, sacrificing his precious life.
There are also many Unknown Soldiers, and we must not forget them! For example, on May 20, 1945, the 5th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 275th Regiment of the 92nd Division of the 31st Army lost nearly 50 people in the battle to seize the Zeiss Temple in Pudong; on the 21st, the enemy aircraft artillery bombarded indiscriminately, and the 5th Company engaged in fierce fighting with the enemy. When the company was gone, only 11 of the company's more than 190 men remained; then, 8 connections replaced the positions of the 5 companies. The next day, more than 800 shells fell on the position, and 8 companies repelled multiple enemy attacks. In the evening, there were only 39 of the company's more than 150 people. Many of these martyrs did not leave their names.
Second, a total of 100 local martyrs died to welcome the liberation of Shanghai (January to May 1949). Among the 100 martyrs were 68 Communists and revolutionaries. Among them, 32 people were sent to Shanghai from the New Fourth Army and the Anti-Japanese Base Area in Central China to engage in underground work of the party, and then heroically rebelled.
For example, Li Bai (1910-1949), a native of Liuyang City, Hunan Province, joined the Party in 1925 and participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising in 1927. In 1934, after studying at the Central Military Commission Radio School, he was appointed as the radio director and political commissar of the Fifth Red Army. In 1937, he was sent to Shanghai to set up a secret radio station. He was arrested in 1942, and after being rescued on bail by many parties, he went to Zhejiang and other places to engage in party work. In 1945, he was reassigned to Shanghai to set up a secret radio station. He was arrested on 30 December 1948 and died on 7 May 1949.
Shen Dingfa (1906-1949), a native of Chongming, Shanghai, joined the revolution in 1927. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he served as the director of the Political Training Office of the Chongming Anti-Japanese Self-Defense Corps, the commander of the 6th Regiment of the Guerrilla Command of the Fourth Sub-district of the Soviet Central Soviet Army of the New Fourth Army, and the head of the Chongming Guard Regiment. Later, he was sent to Shanghai and other places to engage in underground work. He was arrested on 14 May 1949. On May 24, Mao Sen, the head of the military command's secret service, killed Shen Dingfa and nine other Communists at the Shanghai Municipal Police Bureau.
Zhang Yaozhai (1914-1949), a native of Zhenhai, Zhejiang, was the younger brother of Zhang Chengzong, secretary of the Shanghai underground party organization of the Communist Party of China. He joined the Party in 1937. In the following year, he entered the anti-Japanese base area behind enemy lines in Jiangnan to participate in the struggle against the enemy, and served as the editor-in-chief of the semi-monthly magazine "Jiangnan", an organ of the Jiangdong Anti-Japanese Road Special Committee of the New Fourth Army, and returned to Shanghai in the winter of 1939 to carry out underground struggle. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he was responsible for the leadership of the Party's secret radio station. He was captured on 19 March 1949 and killed on 7 May 1949.
Qin Hongjun (1911-1949), a native of Yinan, Shandong, joined the Communist Youth League in 1926 and became a member of the Communist Party of China in 1927. In 1936, he went to the Soviet Union to learn radio technology, and later set up a secret radio station in Shanghai. He traveled back and forth between Shanghai and northern Jiangsu three times, completing the task of establishing underground radio stations and transmitting intelligence. He was arrested on 17 March 1949 and killed on 7 May 1949.
Among the 100 martyrs, there were also 21 people in the Kuomintang army and police who were engaged in counter-insurgency. For example: Zhang Quan (1899-1949), a strong man in Hebei Province, graduated from the Japanese Non-Commissioned Officer School. Zhang Quan served as company commander, staff officer, section chief, deputy division commander, guerrilla commander of the First Theater, and commander of the Teaching Corps, and had close contacts with Zhou Enlai, Dong Biwu, Ye Jianying, and others, providing intelligence for the Platon On many occasions. Before the Battle of Crossing the River, he sent people to send the "Map of the Enemy's Troop Strength and Fortifications along the River" to the front-line headquarters of our army. On the eve of the liberation of Shanghai, he was appointed by our party to serve as the commander-in-chief of the Shanghai rebel army, but due to the leak of the situation, he was arrested on May 15 and calmly resigned on the 21st.
Chen Erjin (1911-1949), a native of Taiyuan, Shanxi, was a student of the eighth term of the Whampoa Military Academy. Under the influence of his wife, Wang Manxia, a member of the Communist Party of China, he joined the Communist Party of China and later became involved with the Shanghai Bureau of the Communist Party of China. In 1948, he was appointed deputy commander and chief of staff of the 13th Formation Training Command of the Kuomintang Army. In January 1949, entrusted by our Party, he actively prepared to instigate an uprising in the Kuomintang army. In early May, the couple was arrested and imprisoned for betrayal by traitors, and they were tortured to the fullest. On May 19, Chen Erjin supported his pregnant wife and 14 other Communist Party members to fight bravely.
Finally, there were 11 people from the democratic parties who fought against the reactionary rule of the Kuomintang. For example, Zeng Wei (1912-1949), a native of Huiyang, Guangdong, joined the Chinese National Liberation Action Committee in 1935, supported the party's cooperation with the CCP, organized the people's self-defense armed forces, and actively resisted Japan. In 1946, he was elected as the executive committee member of the Central Committee of the Peasants' and Workers' Party and served as the chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Party Department, insisting on carrying out the patriotic democratic movement. Later, due to the tracking of secret agents, he was forced to go to Hong Kong. In March 1949, he resolutely returned to Shanghai regardless of his personal safety. On April 5, he was arrested while studying to cooperate with the People's Liberation Army in crossing the river and plotting an uprising against the Kuomintang troops. He was killed on May 21 and buried in the Longhua Martyrs' Cemetery after liberation.
When Shanghai was liberated, 72 cadres and migrant workers who accompanied the army were sacrificed. Among them, 43 people came from the New Fourth Army and the anti-Japanese base areas in central China. For example: Xu Nong (1917~1949), a native of Yishui, Shandong, joined the Party in 1939. He once served as the secretary of the district party committee, did a lot of work for the development and expansion of the party organization, and repeatedly led the district squadron to attack the Japanese army stronghold at night and eliminate the enemy. In April 1949, he joined the cadre brigade going south, accompanied the army to work in the newly liberated areas, led the masses of party members, established party organizations and mass organizations, and carried out the struggle for land reform. The remnants of the Kuomintang colluded with bandits to harass, sabotage, assassinate and plunder, and he repeatedly led local armed forces to cooperate with the main force of the People's Liberation Army to suppress bandits, and unfortunately died heroically.
In order to establish a new China, how many martyrs, shackles and locks are higher in ambition, beheading only as a wind blowing hat; how many heroes, guns and bullets are fearless, and all kinds of difficulties and dangers will always move forward. The ideals and convictions, revolutionary spirit, and noble sentiments of the revolutionary martyrs fully embody the original intention of the older generation of Chinese communists in their struggle, represent the spiritual brand of a country and nation of the times, and are the most precious spiritual wealth left to us.
(The author is the president of the Shanghai New Fourth Army Historical Research Association)
Column Editor-in-Chief: Zhang Jun Text Editor: Cao Fei Caption Source: Shangguan Tu Editor Photo Editor: Zhu Xuan
Source: Author: Liu Sumin