On November 7, 1939, Japanese Lieutenant General Norihide Abe was killed by our army at the Battle of Loess Ridge.
The incident caused a stir in Japan, and Japan's Asahi Shimbun lamented in panic: "The 'Flower of Famous Generals' withers Taihang Mountain." ”
So, what kind of person is Norihide Abe? Why did his death cause panic among the Japanese? How did Norihide Abe die?
(Stills of Norihide Abe)
1. "The Flower of famous generals" Abe Norihide.
Born in 1886 in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, Norihide Abe began his military career by graduating from the Infantry Division of the Japanese Army Non-Commissioned Officer School at the age of 21 and being awarded the rank of corporal.
Beginning in 1907, Abe served successively as aide-de-camp of the wing, adjutant of the division, and chief of staff of the division, and was promoted to Theo in 1932. In 1937, he was promoted to major general and served as the brigade commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade of the 1st Division of the Japanese Kwantung Army, leading the invasion of China's three eastern provinces. He became the vanguard of the Japanese army invading China and has since owed a heavy blood debt to the Chinese military and people.
The reason why Abe Norihide is called "the flower of famous generals" in Japan. It was because after in-depth study of the Soviet Union and the Chinese army, he proposed a new method of mountain warfare, which is called the "new tactics" theory.
According to his theory, the Japanese adopted a light mechanized method of warfare, reducing the weight of tanks and armored vehicles, while adopting his suggestions for the rational organization of troops in mountain warfare.
(Newspaper that published the death of Norihide Abe)
Second, the vanguard of the Japanese army was surrounded and annihilated, and Abe Norihide was ambushed again in search of revenge.
In the autumn of 1939, Japan gathered more than 20,000 people from the independent mixed second brigade and the 110th division and began a major sweep of our Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region. By this time, Norihide Abe had succeeded Hiroharu Tokioka as the brigade commander of the 2nd Brigade.
After Abe Norihide arrived in Laiyuan, he immediately deployed a large force of troops and attacked Yinfang.
Our army decided to give the enemy a head-on blow. A squad was sent to lure the enemy into the Yansu Cliff Canyon, and after fierce fighting, nearly 500 enemy troops were annihilated.
When Abe Received the news, he became angry and vowed revenge.
Therefore, he personally led his troops to Yansu Cliff. Seeing the corpses of the Japanese army on the ground, he judged that the main force of our army had withdrawn, so he ordered a search to advance, looking for the main force of our army to wait for an opportunity to fight a decisive battle.
On November 6, after reconnaissance, the Japanese army learned that the main force of our army had appeared in the loess ridge area. Therefore, Abe Norihide hurriedly led his troops to come. As everyone knows, this is precisely because our army deliberately exposed the target, used the strategy of luring the enemy to go deeper, laid pockets in the Loess Ridge, and deliberately lured the Japanese army to the bait.
Near Shangzhuangzi, east of the Loess Ridge, there is a valley about 2 kilometers long and only 100 meters wide. Our army ambushed thousands of troops on the cliffs on both sides, waiting for Abe Torihide to throw himself into the net. Abe Norihide was still cautious, but first, he was light on the enemy, and second, he was eager for revenge, and he was still led by our army's nose into the encirclement.
Fierce fighting broke out, and the Japanese army was beaten by our army, killing and wounding more than half of them.
(Li Erxi's later years photo)
Third, arrogant and arrogant, under the death of the cannon.
At this time, Chen Zhengxiang, commander of the First Regiment of our army, was observing the battlefield situation with a telescope in the front-line position. Suddenly, he noticed that on a hillside 800 meters from the valley, there was a separate courtyard that looked special. Around it, from time to time, Japanese troops with sabers appeared, and on the right side of the courtyard there was a small hill with a higher ground, and there were Japanese soldiers with telescopes observing.
The perceptive Chen Zhengxiang realized that this must be the command post of a senior Officer of the Japanese Army, so he summoned the messengers and quickly dispatched mortars to shell the Japanese command post.
The task fell to Li Erxi, an 18-year-old artilleryman. Don't look at Li Erxi's young age, he is actually the best mortar gunner in this regiment, and can accurately hit enemy targets without relying on aiming facilities.
When Li Erxi rushed to Chen Zhengxiang with a mortar, Chen Zhengxiang asked if he could hit the courtyard, and Li Erxi visually measured the distance and said: "The target distance is about 800 meters, and it is guaranteed that it can hit it with one hit." ”
With the order of Commander Chen, Li Erxi quickly fired two shells, accurately hitting the target. The Japanese soldiers in the courtyard were wounded and fled, and there was a mess. Li Erxi adjusted the angle slightly, and fired the remaining two shells, and the shells once again blossomed accurately in the center of the courtyard.
At this time, Commander Chen and Li Erxi did not know that in the small courtyard opposite, Abe Norihide had been cut open in the abdomen by shrapnel, cutting off the thigh artery. With this cannon, they have already written the miracle of the War of Resistance Against Japan - the death of the indispensable Japanese Lieutenant General Norihide Abe.
According to Japanese reports afterwards, Li Erxi's first two shots did not injure Norihide Abe. While the other Japanese troops looked around for cover to hide, the conceited Norihide Abe remained on a bench facing the gate, not hiding. Immediately, the last two shells poured in, and the blind Norihide Abe was finally killed in the cannon.
After Abe Washu was killed, Li Erxi became a combat hero, and Commander Nie Rongzhen specially rewarded him with a German-made shell gun. The Jin-Cha-Ji Military Sub-district also sent congratulatory messages, commending the feat of our army in killing enemy chiefs and the brilliant victory won in the Battle of Loess Ridge.
In contrast, there was a cry of surprise in Japan. For three consecutive days, the Asahi Shimbun reported the death of Norihide Abe of Taihang mountain, saying that "since the establishment of the imperial army, there has been no precedent for such a sacrifice of a lieutenant general."
(Reference: The Complete History of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in China)