Author: Military handsome man
At the end of 1939, the 5th Army of the Chinese Army, under the command of General Du Yuming, launched a counterattack against Kunlun Pass, and the opponent of the 5th Army of the Chinese Army was the Japanese 5th Division. After fierce fighting, the 5th Army annihilated more than 4,000 of the main force of the 21st Brigade of the Japanese 5th Division, and the Japanese suffered heavy losses.
It is worth mentioning that among the various infantry divisions of the Chinese army that participated in the Battle of Kunlun Pass at the Battle of Guinan, there was one division with a rather special designation, this division was the Honorary 1st Division, and the division commander was General Zheng Dongguo, who was later promoted to the commander of the newly organized 1st Army of the National Revolutionary Army. So, what kind of unit is the Honor Division, and what is the difference between the Honor Division and the ordinary infantry division?
▲ Chinese soldiers during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
What is an Honorist?
Taken literally, the Honor Division is a divisional combat unit with "honors." Then in the army, "honor" is naturally experienced in hundreds of battles and made outstanding achievements. It just so happens that the composition of the Honor Division is closely related to "Honor".
In February 1938, the Battle of Xuzhou was in full swing, and the Chinese central administration retreated to Chongqing, but the Military Commission commanded the War of Resistance in Wuhan. Due to the Japanese occupation of a large number of traffic arteries, coupled with the inconvenience of transportation during the war, many officers and soldiers who were treated in the rear could not return to the front line.
▲The battle of Xuzhou is planned
The heroic wounded soldiers are the heroes of the country and the glory of the Chinese army. In order to inspire the wounded veterans to continue the war of resistance, the determination to serve the country, and to encourage the morale of the army, the Military Commission at that time gathered the veterans who had recovered from the war wounds and could not return to the front line, and the veterans with combat experience gathered together and formally established the Honorary 1st Division of the National Revolutionary Army in February 1938.
In 1943, the military and political authorities formed the second unit composed of war-wounded honorary soldiers, the 2nd Army Honorary Division of the National Revolutionary Army. As the old Chiang Kai-shek's concubine unit, the Honorary 2nd Division was well-equipped, with more than 14,000 officers and men in the division, 3 infantry regiments, 1 artillery regiment, and engineering and communications. After Japan's surrender, according to the plan, the Honorary 2nd Division will be the Chinese occupation force after Japan's surrender, along with the Allies, to enter the Japanese mainland.
▲ Chinese artillery during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
What is the difference between the Honor Division and the Ordinary Combat Unit?
So, what is the difference between the Honor Division and the Ordinary Infantry Division?
First, the composition of the soldiers is different. The officers and men of the Honor Division were veterans who had been wounded on the battlefield, while the ordinary infantry division had recruits recruited from all over the place.
Second, the difference between combat experience and will to fight. All the officers and men of the Honor Division have personally experienced the bloody battle with the Japanese army, and they know how to choose the right tactics to fight the Japanese army at a small cost. To put it bluntly, the officers and men of the Honor Division are all "veteran oilers," and when their superiors give them combat tasks, the Honor Division can go directly to the front line to complete the task. They bear the hard battles and vicious battles in battle, and the will to fight is higher than that of ordinary infantry divisions.
How to more accurately understand the difference between the Honor Division and the ordinary infantry division, the status of the Honor Division is equivalent to the Guards Infantry Division of the Soviet Red Army. Together with the Guards Infantry Division, the Honor Division undertook the most arduous and heavy casualties against the Japanese and German forces, and was the enemy's invincible unit. At the Battle of Stalingrad, the 13th Guards Infantry Division of the Soviet Union and the Germans engaged in fierce street battles, interpreting loyalty to the country with blood and life. In the Battle of Kunlun Pass and the ranks of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, the Honorary 1st Division will also use its own actions to interpret the loyalty of the wounded veterans to the country.
▲General Zheng Dongguo
Honor Division and Resistance
The combat effectiveness of the Honorary 1st Division can be reflected in two battles, the first was the Battle of Kunlun Pass, and the second was the Battle of Songshan in western Yunnan by the Chinese Expeditionary Force.
In December 1939, Du Yuming, commander of the 5th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, commanded the troops to undertake the heavy task of counterattacking Kunlun Pass. The operational deployment of the 5th Army was to let the 1st Division of Honor undertake the task of attacking, and the 5th Army of the Chinese Army concentrated all the artillery of the artillery regiment and the divisional artillery battalion to shell the Japanese positions at Kunlun Pass. Under the cover of artillery fire, the officers and men of the Honorary 1st Division of the 5th Army concentrated their forces and violently attacked the Japanese defensive line, and the two sides engaged in fierce close combat and hand-to-hand combat on various positions.
The Japanese could not have imagined that the Chinese army would break through its defenses. The commander of the 21st Brigade, Major General Masao Nakamura, requested support, and a Japanese wing advanced toward Kunlun Pass. The fighting is getting fiercer.
In the early morning of December 19, the Honor 1st Division attacked again, launching a fierce attack on the 635th Heights held by the Japanese. After fierce fighting, Heights 635 was retaken by the Honorary 1st Division. On the 24th, the Honorary 1st Division took the Luotang Heights after a bloody battle. A Japanese unit rushed to support, and two honor regiments of the Honorary 1st Division resisted the Japanese attack northeast of Jiutang.
Every time they fought for a position, the officers and men of the Honorary 1st Division had to fight repeatedly with the Japanese army. Before his death, Japanese commander Masao Nakamura spoke highly of the officers and men of the 5th Army, including the Honorary 1st Division: the 21st Brigade of the 5th Division of the Japanese Army was called the Steel Army because the tenacity of the Japanese defeated the tenacity of the Russians. But, at Kunlun Pass, we must admit that we have encountered an army more tenacious than the Russians.
The Japanese military history acknowledges that the Battle of Kunlun Pass was the "most bleak" period for the Japanese Army since the outbreak of the July 7 Incident in 1937.
▲Kunlun Pass Battle Site Area
Which unit caused the "most bleak" period for the Japanese army? It was the 1st Honor Division, the officers and men of the Honor 1st Division, who defeated the Resistance of the Japanese Army and won the high praise of the Japanese Army. The strong fighting power of the Honorary 1st Division can be seen from this.
By 1944, the Honorary 1st Division was once again in full force, targeting the Matsuyama area, where more than 1,200 Japanese troops were stationed. Due to the unfavorable operation of the new 28th Division of the 71st Army, the military urgently put the 8th Army into the battlefield. Subordinates of the 8th Army participated in the Battle of Kunlun Pass, the Honorary 1st Division, composed of anti-war veterans, as well as the 82nd and 103rd Divisions.
Beginning in early July 1941, the 1st Honor Division concentrated its forces to storm the Matsuyama position. On 5 July, the 3rd Honor Regiment, under the cover of artillery fire from the 2nd Artillery Regiment, organized a commando team to attack the main peak position of Matsuyama. After fierce fighting, the officers and men of the Rong 3rd Regiment suffered heavy losses and were forced to withdraw.
By 7 July, the Rong 3rd Regiment had taken part in the attack on Rolling Dragon Slope. Due to the desperate resistance of the Japanese army relying on favorable terrain, the attack of the Rong 3rd Regiment was delayed.
▲ The Chinese army rushed to the anti-Japanese front
Beginning in August, the 1st Honor Division concentrated its forces to attack Matsuyama. The 2nd Honor Regiment was met with Japanese resistance at Songlin Slope and suffered heavy casualties. The 3rd Regiment of Honor was blocked by Japanese fire near the summit of Pine Hill and suffered heavy losses. In order to take Matsuyama, the soldiers of the Honorary 1st Division tried their best.
Tactics must be changed! The 8th Army decided to take Matsuyama with explosive tactics. After the explosion and the final strong attack, by early September, the officers and men of the Honorary 1st Division, the 103rd Division and the 82nd Division of the 8th Army annihilated more than 1,200 Japanese troops in Matsuyama. The Honorary 1st Division also paid a huge price.
Songshan was recaptured, and the rear supplies were continuously sent to the large troops attacking Tengchong and Longling. The Honorary 1st Division took Songshan and made a significant contribution to the great counteroffensive in western Yunnan.
From the introduction of the above battles, it can be seen that the Honorary 1st Division participated in the Kunlun Pass Campaign, the Songshan Campaign and other major battles of the War of Resistance, and its tasks were also the hard and vicious battles in the Chinese Army's War of Resistance - the Kunlun Pass Campaign, the 5th Division of the Japanese Army who was condescending to the death of the 1st Division, and thousands of officers and men of the whole division were martyred. In the bloody battle of Matsuyama, the Honorary 1st Division faced the underground three-dimensional defense line built by the Japanese army and took the main peak of Matsuyama at a huge cost. The honor of the 1st Division is worthy of honor, worthy of the Chinese troops composed of anti-war veterans.
References 1. "Memoirs of Zheng Dongguo: My Career as a Horseman", Unity Publishing House
2. "The Complete Record of the Battle of Kunlun Guan, Guinan", chen Liangwu, by The Great Wall Publishing House
3. "The Finale of the Chinese Expeditionary Force", Liu Gexue