In 1963, Luo Zemin, who had served as chief of staff of the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Eighth Theater of Operations at the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, wrote in Taiwan: "After the Japanese army occupied Luoyang, two mountain divisions entered Tongguan and spied on Guanzhong, and Mr. Hu (Zongnan) dispatched three armies to engage in a fierce encounter with the Japanese army in the Lingbao area east of Tongguan. ”
Is this really the case? I totally disagree.
Chiang Kai-shek and Hu Zongnan
In the spring of 1939, chiang kai-shek secretly handed over to Hu Zongnan the sixteen-character policy according to the geographical situation and strategic location in the northwest: "Eastern Imperial Japanese Kou, Northern Communist Party, Western Defense of Soviet Russia, Internal Deterrence back to Horses." In July 1942, Hu Zongnan ascended all the way to the deputy commander of the Eighth Theater, and by the eve of the Battle of Lingbao, he had a total of more than fifteen armies and a total strength of 300,000 or 400,000 troops. As Chiang Kai-shek later mentioned, "Zong Nanzhuan trained in the northwest for five years, preparing it for the final counteroffensive, so people at home and abroad used this army as the strongest unit in life."
However, Hu Zongnan's performance was disappointing!
In May 1944, Xuchang, an important stronghold in central Henan, was lost, and the Japanese army turned around and the war spread towards the western part of Yu Province. Chiang Kai-shek was determined to use the Guanzhong Strategic Reserve to aid Yu, and Hu Zongnan was stationed in Huayin on the same day to facilitate command. Embarrassingly, Hu Bu "was under the blockade of the bandits in eastern Longdong and the garrison of Hefang in eastern Shaanxi, and most of the troops were used to serve as the first line garrison." One was used for the security of key towns and lines of communication, and there were very few mobile troops, and for the eastern front, there were no regular troops south of the Qinling Mountains except for the first division to hold Tongguan. However, the Eighth Division was near Xianyang, and it was easier to assemble and mobilize."
Two soldiers of the Hu Zongnan military system are test firing Soviet machine guns
That is to say, Hu Zongnan's troops were scattered on the front line blocking the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region of the CPC, and it was too late to assemble and dispatch for a moment and a half.
The Japanese 69th Division and other units crossed the Yellow River from Yuanqu, Shanxi, and joined the Henan Battlefield. Jiang Dingwen, commander of the First Theater, telephoned Hu Zongnan overnight: "Is the brother's troops moving?" It is advisable to consolidate the line of Shichi and Luoning as soon as possible, and at the very least, it is necessary to consolidate the Lingbao, otherwise the future battle will be even more bitter. ”
According to Wu Jun, commander of the 8th Division, "Commander Hu was extremely ambitious and wanted to use the 8th Division to form a rapid column with twenty-four motorized artillery units, engineers, and chariots to meet the Japanese invaders who crossed the river from Bailang Village in Shichi County, Henan."
Hu Zongnan and He Yingqin
Li Kungang, chief of staff of the 1st Army, reserved his opinion: "The plan is very good, but the transmission road is only the Longhai Railway, and when we concentrate, I am afraid that the enemy has already crossed the Yellow River." There is a risk of being broken by the superior enemy, not only can not play a surprise attack effect, but there is a danger of being consumed one by one. Although the sharp edge is exposed, the possibility of stepping into the first war zone must be deeply considered. ”
At this time, the Defenders of Luoyang searched for a Japanese document and found that it contained the words "Tongguan Corps", and Chiang Kai-shek "felt that the enemy army not only wanted to occupy Luoyang, but also attack Xi'an, and the situation was extremely serious", and ordered the 40th Army, which originally belonged to the First Theater, to be transferred to the command of the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Eighth Theater. At the same time, the 97th Division, the 109th Division, and the Preparatory 3rd Division also left Tongguan in the east and entered the Lingbao, Yuluo, and Fuxiang areas.
Hu Zongnan designated Li Yannian, commander-in-chief of the 34th Group Army, to coordinate the various units in western Henan, "that is, to occupy the position on the west side of the Fushui Pass, Lushi, and Guandaokou, on the line of Qiluoluo and Lingbao, and when the enemy entered the mountainous area and the separation of troops, after giving them one blow after another, he shifted the offensive with the main force at the town of Yuluo and Lingbao, and suppressed the enemy in the Ganshan Mountains or the area south bank of the Yellow River in one fell swoop, and annihilated them."
Li Yannian, commander-in-chief of the 34th Army
The war in Yuzhong was progressing smoothly, and the Japanese North China Front had indeed proposed the Tongguan Operation, but the headquarters of the Chinese Dispatch Army was not enthusiastic, "as long as there is no obstacle to the completion of the Beijing-Han Operation and the Xianggui Operation, and the Front's own strength can be captured and ensured, the Tongguan Operation can also be carried out." The North China Front considered it again and again, feeling that its headquarters was insufficient, so it had to temporarily dispel the idea of entering Tongguan in the west, and first occupied the key places near Shaanzhou as a bridgehead for attacking Shaanxi in the future.
In mid-May, the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army captured Shaanzhou and Daying, and the 59th Brigade of the 69th Division, the Shenbao Brigade of the 26th Division, and the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade were gathered together. Sadaichi Yoshimoto, commander of the Japanese 1st Army, suggested that "in order to ensure the bridgehead of Shaanxi County, it is really necessary to launch a battle near Lingbao as soon as possible in about a week to crush the enemy forces east of the vicinity of Fuxiang, especially the troops of the Eighth Theater, and then restore the original situation." The commander of the Front, Okamura Ninji, immediately approved that some tanks and heavy artillery could be seconded to cooperate with the operation, and "it was roughly scheduled to return to his original location on June 10."
Japanese forces in the Battle of Yuxianggui
The Huayin Forward Command Post found that the Japanese army was actively building fortifications in front of it, and misjudged that "the enemy will take a defensive position in western Henan", so the 8th Division was ordered to "actively search for the enemy and complete the preparation for the attack". Lin Wei, the director of the attendant room, felt that "the attack on Shaanxi Prefecture must be made before Luoyang falls, and it is still meaningful, otherwise it seems unnecessary." On the 25th, the news of the fall of Luoyang reached Chongqing, and Chiang Kai-shek advocated "suspending the attack on Shaanzhou". A few days later, Tang Enbo's troops recovered a number of strongholds in Song County, Yuxi Province, prompting Chiang Kai-shek to change his mind: "It is quite possible to capture Shaanzhou, but the Eighth Division can attack the big camp first, and after the big camp is down, it will be decided to stop after the situation is decided." ”
On 1 June, the 8th Division was ordered to serve as the vanguard of the counter-offensive and drive out the enemy to occupy some of the positions outside Wuyuankun. The 106th Division of the 40th Army stormed da Nang Shan Temple, and the crossfire of heavy artillery, field artillery, and mortars poured on the high ground of Da Nang Temple, and the artillery fire became more and more fierce, and the shells became more and more accurate, and the Japanese Shenbao Brigade desperately resisted, "stabbing the Chongqing soldiers on the temple wall with bayonets to make them fall off the cliff." On the 3rd, the artillery was assigned to the 8th Division to attack Wuyuan Kun again, "the enemy fortifications were strong, the firepower was fierce, and our officers and men followed in front of them, although they were sharp and rushed into the enemy position, but the casualties were cushioned." In the evening, Chiang Kai-shek and Hu Zong nantong telephoned, "knowing that there was no progress in attacking the Shaanzhou troops," and began to doubt the combat effectiveness of the Guanzhong strategic reserve.
Japanese tank units
Okamura Ninji learned of Hu Zongnan's menacing and designated the main force of the 3rd Tank Division to be placed under the command of Sadaichi Yoshimoto. With the arrival of Japanese tanks and heavy artillery, the situation changed abruptly. The 8th Division bore the brunt of the attack, with Wu Jun describing the fierceness as "no less tragic than the Songhu Battlefield." Chiang Kai-shek was in a sad mood, "If we cannot break through this enemy force, and we feel that the Lingbao troops are in a difficult position, we will order Wang Shuming's air force to fully assist them."
The 109th Division immediately threw itself into the front line of battle, but "it was impossible to panic about the enemy's chariots", so Chiang Kai-shek had no choice but to order Hu Zongnan to change his attack to defense, "Against the enemy of the Shaanzhou battalion, having discovered a large number of chariots, it can be seen that he has the determination to fight a decisive battle with us." Our army's current attack was originally intended to test the strength and attempt of the enemy. After three days of fighting, our army could not hope to solve the battle situation in Shaanxi County, so it was determined to retreat to the Lingbaoben position so as not to be controlled by the enemy."
Hu Zongnan scouted the terrain
On June 7 and 8, lingbao and Yu Luo fought fiercely in front of the front, and the japanese army marched in tandem with the north and south roads, and Hu Zongnan told Li Yannian that "those who are ordered to stick to the position and retreat without permission are allowed to be shot by the commander-in-chief first." The 97th Division's defensive Position of Lingbao Niuzhuang was raining down, and the division commander Fu Weifan panicked, and Liu Anqi, commander of the 57th Army, personally went to the front line to supervise the battle, found the regimental commander Zeng Qingchun lying on a large board and retreated backwards, and immediately pulled out a pistol and forced him to return to the front line to rectify the defeated troops.
The Japanese 59th Brigade tried to gain more results, and one of the brigades deviated from the route and detoured to the vicinity of Qinling Zhiyu and Couple Yu. Hu Zongnan's use of the Reserve 3rd Division to block the attack aroused Chiang Kai-shek's strong dissatisfaction: "Yu San ordered him to use sophisticated troops and lay out the order of the reserve position in Tunli, and could have sent a regiment of the Reserve Third Division to serve, but Pi Yang obeyed the Yin and did not obey the order, ignoring this most important task, but instead used the entire first division in Yangping Town, which was held back by a small number of enemy horses in Yangping Town, and used it all in this regard." This sin of ingenuity and courage cannot be forgiven."
The original of Chiang Kai-shek's diary is in the collection of Stanford University in the United States
Tunli is located behind the Ling and Yu defense lines, and controlling a certain number of mobile units can indeed play a stabilizing role. Chiang Kai-shek stressed two points: "The positions of Yu Strategy and Lingbao will never retreat, and they should be held to the death." This position prepares positions on both sides and three sides, fights internally, east, west, south, and north, and is absolutely not allowed to retreat. On the 10th, the killing sound on both sides of the Hongnongjian River was tremendous, wang Jianyue, deputy commander of the 8th Division, was killed, and the 97th Division took advantage of the steep mountainous terrain to support the front. Seeing that the return date of the subordinate troops had arrived, Sadaichi Yoshimoto was not willing to "return in a stalemate", and ordered the 120th Independent Infantry Brigade of the reserve to rush to the aid of the battle, and the breakthrough turned to the town of Yuluo.
At the critical moment, Li Yannian was determined to waver and demanded a retreat. Hu Zongnan asked Chongqing, chiang kai-shek was ambiguous, first said that the support would not be decided until after dark, and at about 6 p.m., he reiterated that "no matter who is not allowed to retreat to the west, we should ensure that Lingbao and Yu strategy are the main points, and fight the enemy in the position to maintain the honor of the national army." However, many troops were already on their way to retreat in the evening. At 23:00, Hu Zongnan again reported the chaotic situation on the front line, and Chiang Kai-shek's position was loosened, and he sighed and said to Hu: "Everything is your sole responsibility." Li Yannian could not wait, "The group army immediately shifted its position to a favorable area, turned to the line of Luling Pass pandou town, and redeployed."
Chiang Kai-shek was disappointed, "On this day, Hu Zongnan's troops were on the line of Lingbao Yuluo Town, and his division commanders retreated without authorization, so that all plans were completely ineffective. Now the result is so, the military discipline is corrupt, the orders have been abolished, and I am ashamed, which has never been seen before, and the face of the rest of the world is also seen. ”
Officers and men of the Nationalist army stationed at Tongguan
Hu Zongnan's army retreated, and the Japanese army followed in pursuit. At dawn on the 11th, chiyotai Kimura, commander of the 59th Brigade, was killed by a mine in the northwest of the town of Yuluo, becoming the highest-ranking general killed by the enemy chieftain in the Battle of Henan. The Shenbao Brigade "encountered the air wave impact of the Chongqing Army's blast road three times" and "was strafed by seven p40 aircraft at about 9 o'clock, causing several casualties." Sadaichi Yoshimoto had exhausted the combat period, announced that the purpose had been achieved, and the army "began to withdraw after sunset on the 12th, and quickly returned to its original situation." At 14:00, the Japanese army independently mixed into the 9th Brigade regiment reached the westernmost county town of Henan, Fuxiang, and then calmly withdrew.
When the war in western Henan came to an end, Chiang Kai-shek could not help but sigh with emotion: "The biggest key to the success or failure of this real War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression is that if Tongguan and Xi'an are shaken or fallen, it will be really difficult to clean up the overall situation." Not only was Xi'an important, but Zongnan had been training the strength of the Tenth Army in Guanzhong for more than five years, and if it failed, it would be difficult to maintain the hearts and minds of the whole country. Therefore, the gain and loss of this Tongguan is greater than the success or failure of any war zone, so it has been uneasy for half a month. Fortunately, blessed by God, it is beyond the reach of human beings to turn the crisis into safety. ”
Training gap
Some scholars believe that the Battle of Lingbao had the role of "blocking the Japanese invasion of the west and stabilizing the rear areas of the Northwest and Southwest Anti-Japanese War" (Zhao Ke: "Review of the Battle of Lingbao", "Research on the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression", No. 4, 1996). The local department of literature and history in Lingbao said that the Nationalist army "stubbornly resisted the Japanese outside the Tong Pass, curbed its ferocious westward momentum, stabilized the critical situation in the rear area of the northwest, and avoided further deterioration of the situation in the later stages of the War of Resistance."
I don't agree with this at all, yes! Totally disagree!
Two soldiers of Hu Zongnan's military system are operating grenadiers
First, the Japanese had no plans to advance west into Tongguan. Considering the lack of strength, the ultimate goal of the Japanese army was "only to occupy and secure the bridgehead of Shaanxi County", "to get the time necessary to build the defensive line", and "to advance to the north and south lines of Fuxiang, and withdraw to the original position when appropriate". As far as the Japanese army is concerned, the Battle of Lingbao, from the beginning to the end, belongs to the "shuanggui" campaign at a specified time and place, and only seeks to repel the Eighth Theater to aid the Yu army, and has not formulated a combat plan for further westward advance.
Second, if the Japanese army attacked Guanzhong in its true colors, Hu Zongnan's army might not be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of defending the enemy. On July 5, 1944, Hu Zongnan went to Chongqing to report for duty, and Chiang Kai-shek said: "This Lingbao operation has exposed the weaknesses of our army to the fullest, and it was a fluke that the Japanese army did not advance, if the Japanese army advances westward, Tongguan will be lost, Xi'an will be lost, Guanzhong will be lost, Chongqing will be shaken, and China will have the fear of destruction!" ”
Several soldiers of hu zongnan's military system were conducting shooting training
The Eighth Theater of Operations did not resist the last desperate bet of the Japanese army, and the enemy retreated twelve hours ahead, and the victory and defeat were divided. On the other hand, suppose that on June 10, Hu Zongnan strictly implemented Chiang Kai-shek's deathly order and survived the last five minutes, then the Battle of Lingbao shattered the dream of the Japanese army to occupy our great northwest, and it would be more or less possible to stand.
Hu Zongnan knew very well in his heart, "In the Battle of Lingbao, the battle was not fought well, and the people of Shaanxi did not blame him, but against consolation and encouragement, only Yi Jia worked hard, and in the second battle, he made meritorious contributions to the country." Chiang Kai-shek was also well aware of Hu Zongnan: "His knowledge and ability are so shallow, how can he be made to shoulder such a heavy responsibility." However, there is no one to replace, and in the future, the war situation will be difficult, and the words and minds of the personnel will not be overwhelmed by the trembling. ”
1. Xiong Xianghui: Twelve Years Underground and Zhou Enlai, Central Party School Press, 1991.
2. "Chiang Kai-shek's Diary", Taipei, compiled and printed by the Anti-Japanese War Historical Documents Research Association in 2015 (non-sale).
3. "Lingbao War of Resistance", compiled and printed by the Lingbao Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in 2015 (non-sale).
4. The Diary of Hu Zongnan, Taipei, "National History Museum", 2015 edition.
5. Wu Jun: "Counter-Offensive on Shaanzhou and the Defensive Battles of Ling and Yu", Henan Literature and History Materials, No. 3, 1997.
6. Written by the War History Office of the Defense Research Institute of the Japanese Defense Agency and translated by the Compilation Committee of the Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference: The Battle of Henan, Zhonghua Book Company, 1982 edition.
7. Luo Zemin: "The Conclusive Conclusion of Mr. Hu Zongnan's Coffin", "The Nostalgic General Hu Zongnan", Taipei, The Commercial Press, 2014 edition.