In the battle to liberate Shanghai, 7,785 martyrs died. Among them, there were 7,612 commanders and fighters of the People's Liberation Army, a total of 408 martyrs at or above the company level; 100 local martyrs who sacrificed to meet the liberation of Shanghai (limited to January to May 1949); and 72 martyrs of cadres and migrant workers who accompanied the military branch. The oldest is 62 years old and the youngest is 16 years old. Revolutionary martyrs have exchanged their blood and lives for the rebirth of Shanghai, and we must always remember them...
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and the 72nd anniversary of the liberation of Shanghai and the founding of New China. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, Shanghai has experienced the great historical process of socialist revolutionary construction and reform and opening up, undergone earth-shaking changes, and made major contributions to the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. On the occasion of Martyrs' Day, we deeply remember the revolutionary martyrs who gave their lives heroically for the liberation of Shanghai.
The Battle of Shanghai was the largest urban offensive in the history of our army's war conducted by the Third Field Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. First of all, a total of 408 martyrs at or above the company level of the People's Liberation Army were martyred. The maximum age is 48 years, the youngest is 18 years old, and the average is 28.9 years. According to preliminary statistics, of the 408 martyrs, 329 enlisted before the Liberation War, of which 188 were veterans of the New Fourth Army, accounting for 57.1 percent. There were 7 regimental cadres and 4 veteran soldiers of the New Fourth Army; namely: Hu Wenjie, commander of the 259th Regiment of the 87th Division of the 29th Army; Zhang Zhiming, director of the Quartermaster Supply Department of the Logistics Department of the 20th Army; Wang Tirean, deputy commander of the 262nd Regiment of the 88th Division of the 30th Army; Wang Qingfu, deputy commander of the 278th Regiment of the 93rd Division of the 31st Army; Shi Feng, chief of staff of the 226th Regiment Headquarters of the 76th Division of the 26th Army; Wang Li, director of the Political Department of the 253rd Regiment of the 85th Division of the 29th Army; and Yao Zenghe, chief of the Medical Insurance Section of the Logistics Department of the 26th Army. There are 58 battalion cadres, 24 veterans of the New Fourth Army, 268 company cadres, and 160 veterans of the New Fourth Army.
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 carried out devastating bombardment of Yuepu Town, with more than 200 aircraft bombing and infantry counterattacks under the cover of tanks. Hu Wenjie led his troops to launch a 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) was a native of Jurong, Jiangsu Province, who 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. Before the Battle of the River Crossing, he had just married Shi Mulan, a nurse in the army, and Shi Mulan was pregnant. On 14 May, he led 2 battalions into the town of Tsukiura 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, was 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 Province. In 1944, he joined the New Fourth Army, a member of the Communist Party of China, and was the 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. On May 9, he wrote in a letter to his newly married wife Hu Xingye, "The final battle, I firmly believe that it will be won, but it is also hard and cruel, but I am not afraid, I will contribute everything I have to this battle, for eternal peace and happiness." ”
We must not forget that there are many unknown martyrs! For example, on May 20, 5 companies of the 2nd Battalion, 275th Regiment of the 92nd Division of the 31st Army lost nearly 50 people in the battle to capture the Zeiss Temple in Pudong. On the 21st, enemy aircraft artillery bombarded indiscriminately, and 5 companies engaged in fierce battles with the enemy. At that time, there were more than 190 people in the whole company, and only 11 people were left. The 3rd class is the "Little Ghost Class", and the 11 little fighters are all under the age of 18. Company commander Wang Tingfa dug down with his fingers on the position covered by enemy artillery, dug out the remains of 11 small soldiers, examined them carefully one by one, and buried them with tears. Subsequently, 8 connections replaced the positions of 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 who died did not leave their names.
Second, a total of 100 local martyrs died to welcome the liberation of Shanghai (only from January to May 1949). The maximum age is 62 years and the minimum age is 20 years. The average age is 29.2 years.
The personnel are divided into three categories, the first of which is 68 Communists and Revolutionary Volunteers. 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 party work, accounting for 32 percent. as:
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.
On May 30, 1949, Chen Yi received a telegram from Li Kenong, acting minister of the Central Intelligence Department, asking to find out the whereabouts of a comrade named Li Jing'an (i.e., Li Bai). It was found that Li Bai had died. Chen Yi wrote in a callback: "The blood debt must be repaid with blood! The counter-revolutionaries who brutalized the martyr Li Bai, we will certainly repay this blood debt from them! On June 20, 1949, Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau personnel excavated the remains of 12 martyrs, including Li Bai, at the Qijia Temple in Pudong. In September 1950, The Kuomintang agent Ye Danqiu was arrested and confessed to the crimes of killing Li Bai and Qin Hongjun. On January 13, 1951, Ye Danqiu was sentenced to death. In September 2009, Li Bai was named a hero who made outstanding contributions to the founding of New China.
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. After the founding of New China, the coffin of the martyr Shen Dingfa was buried next to the Chongming Xinhe Martyrs Memorial Tower.
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. He 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. The Longhua Martyrs Memorial Hall displays the heroic deeds and relics of martyr Qin Hongjun.
The second category was the 21 people in the Kuomintang army and police who were engaged in counterinsurgency. For example: Zhang Quan (1899-1949), a strong man in Hebei Province, graduated from the Japanese Non-Commissioned Officer School. He served as company commander, staff officer, section chief, deputy division commander, guerrilla commander of the First Theater, and commander of the teaching corps. He had close contacts with Zhou Enlai, Dong Biwu, Ye Jianying, etc., and repeatedly provided intelligence for the People's Liberation Army. Before the Battle of Crossing the River, someone was sent 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, and the blood stained the Zhabei Northern Song Park red.
The third category is 11 democratic party members who are fighting against the reactionary rule of the Kuomintang. For example: Zeng Wei (1912 ~ 1949) Guangdong Huiyang people. In 1935, he joined the Chinese National Liberation Action Committee, 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.
Third, there were 72 cadres and migrant workers and martyrs who accompanied the army in front of the army. The maximum age is 55 years, the youngest is 19 years old, and the average is 39.9 years. There are 8 cadres and 64 migrant workers. Among them, 43 people came from the New Fourth Army and the anti-Japanese base areas in central China, accounting for about 60 percent. 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 have the courage to sacrifice more, dare to change the sun and the moon for a new day. In order to establish a new China, how many martyrs, shackles and locks have higher ambitions, and beheading is only used as a wind blowing hat; how many heroes, guns and bullets are fearless, and all kinds of difficulties and dangers will always move forward. They poured their blood on their ideals and defended their faith with their lives. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The light of ideals is not extinguished, and the light of faith is not extinguished." We must remember the last wishes of the martyrs and never forget the great ideals for which they shed blood and sacrificed. "Remembering the martyrs, purifying the soul, and inheriting the spirit are the lofty missions entrusted to us by the times."
The ideals and beliefs, revolutionary spirit and noble sentiments of the revolutionary martyrs fully embody the original intention of the older generation of Chinese communists, represent the spiritual brand of the country and the nation of an era, and are the most precious spiritual wealth left to us, which will surely inspire us not to forget our original intentions, keep in mind the mission, and make unremitting efforts to build a modern socialist country in an all-round way in the new era under the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core.
Author: Liu Sumin (President of Shanghai New Fourth Army Historical Research Association)
Editor: Liu Liyuan