After the July 7th Incident broke out, the leaders of Guangxi at that time, Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi and Huang Xu, immediately electrified all the soldiers in Guangxi and the entire province130,000 people to express their determination to fight the war to the end. "I swear to sacrifice my life, no matter what." 1between September and June, Guangxi troops were organized into the first 1 1 army group (commander Li,) and the second1army group (commander Liao Lei). With the encouragement and support of the people of Guangxi, they were full of patriotic enthusiasm and high morale, and went out to fight against Japan. On June 7th, 10, when the Anti-Japanese War in Shanghai was tight, the Japanese main force, with the cooperation of the navy and air force, stormed our army's military position on the south bank of Kunzaobang, in an attempt to occupy Ono, jump straight for Nanxiang and cut off the Beijing-Shanghai line. At this critical moment, Liao Lei led 2 1 48th Army (commander) and 7 Army 17 1 division (division) into the south bank position, and after repeated battles and killings, he stabilized the position and opened the prelude to the Guangxi troops' anti-Japanese war in Shanghai.
The situation of the 21st Army before the war.
Establishment: The establishment adopted by Guangxi Army is two brigades per division and two regiments per brigade, each with about 1.500 personnel. 2 1 The army governs the 7th and 48th armies. The Seventh Army has three divisions: 170, 17 1 and 1722. The 48th Army is under the jurisdiction of 173, 174 and 176 divisions. Before the Anti-Japanese War, Guangxi implemented the policy of "putting soldiers in the people". The province has trained 6.5438+0.2 million able-bodied men, with sufficient troops.
Anti-Japanese troops marching to the front line of Songhu
Equipment: Guangxi troops did not have much heavy equipment, but due to full preparation before the war, they bought tens of thousands of guns from Germany. Their own arsenal can also manufacture some light weapons and communication equipment, and the equipment is relatively complete. At that time, the Guangxi army wore helmets purchased by the Czech Republic and yellow military uniforms, which were different from the gray military uniforms and cloth military hats in other provinces.
Training: 2 1 Army is an elite force in Guangxi, most of which are veterans. After long-term training, the squad leader and above have strong combat effectiveness. Before leaving for Shanghai, the group army strengthened its combat training, paying special attention to night combat education, emphasizing technical training in charge, combat and hand-to-hand combat, and paying attention to communication means. In addition, we have carried out in-depth ideological work, instilled patriotic thoughts, emphasized the spirit of defending the country, and stimulated the patriotic enthusiasm and determination of officers and men.
Action of the 2nd1Group Army in Shanghai
After the 2 1 army drove to the south bank of Zuolibang, the deputy commander of the third war zone thought that the new troops had arrived and decided to counterattack the Japanese army. Among them, the 2nd1Army, with six infantry brigades as the first attack force, attacked with Tan Jiatou and Chen Jiaxing. The first targets were the Holy House, Qiaoting House and Dawu Temple. The second target is Xitang Bridge, East Zhaojiajiao and West Liufang Line.
2 1 8 pm, the attack begins. Because the front is too narrow, only one division can be used. Yunsong Wei, commander of the 48th Army, decided to counterattack with one division, one to take over the defense, one to support the front line with fire, and one as the reserve. The next morning, 2 1 Army recaptured Chen Jiaxing and Taoyuan Bin. At this time, the Japanese army fully counterattacked our army. Chen Jiaxing's position was bombed by enemy planes and heavy artillery, and its fortifications were completely destroyed. 2 1 Army still fought to the death, fighting enemy tanks with flesh and blood. At that time, the Japanese army put up a smoke screen to cover the infantry's advance, but our army mistakenly thought that the enemy had released poison gas, which was chaotic. The enemy took the opportunity to rush, and the positions of Beihouzhai, Tanjiatou and Chenjiaxing were broken. 2 1 Army retaken its position through three counter-attacks, and made no progress despite desperate efforts. On the morning of 23rd, the Japanese army on the south bank of Ruozaobang attacked 2 1 army with the main force. After several days of fierce fighting, the 2 1 Army suffered heavy casualties and was forced to quit fighting and retreat to Xiaoshiqiao and Dachang. Pang He, the brigade commander of the two brigades of the Seventh Army, both died during the transfer.
165438+1In mid-October, Shanghai fell. The commander of the Seventh Army in Zhou led the 170th Division and the 172nd Division from Xuzhou to cover the retreat of Shanghai defenders. 165438+ 10 17, two divisions of the Seventh Army joined forces with more than 20,000 Japanese Sixth Division near Nanxun Town, and were forced to retreat to Shengshan City because they were outnumbered. On 2 1 day, the Japanese army attacked Shangshancheng on a large scale, and 170 division commander Xia Guozhang personally supervised the division, unfortunately sacrificed and Shangshancheng fell. The seventh army retreated to the front line of Zhujiagang and continued to hold its ground. On the 25th, enemy planes, artillery, tanks, and infantry came out together and pounced on our position. Our army persisted until the evening and was forced to retreat to Xi 'an. After eight or nine days of fierce fighting, 170 division has only half a regiment, and 1 72 division has only two battalions. At this time, the main force of our army has withdrawn from Xi 'an, and the 21st Army has moved to northern Zhejiang.
Reflections on Guangxi Army's Anti-Japanese War in Shanghai
Guangxi troops only participated in the Shanghai Anti-Japanese War for more than 1 month, but they made great contributions in the history of the Anti-Japanese War.
First of all, they are very brave. Every time Guangxi troops went to the fire line, they were still desperate under the indiscriminate bombing of the enemy and planes. They went forward bravely and were charged by enemy tanks, even bloody pieces. 17 1 division 5 1 1 Li Dayu, the squad leader of the brigade, blew up Japanese tanks with cluster grenades, and he also died gloriously. 170 The 1st Battalion of the 508th Brigade of the Division, led by the company commander, attacked enemy tanks, bombed tank tracks with grenades, threw them at observation holes and destroyed 3 enemy tanks. Most of our officers and men also died.
Secondly, the indomitable tenacity and superhuman endurance of Guangxi troops are also deeply admirable. When the Japanese attacked, the mechanized units of land, sea and air cooperated with each other. At eight or nine o'clock every morning, they take off with balloons to observe our positions, then bombard them with planes and artillery, and then cover the infantry with tanks to charge our positions. At night, they used flares and searchlights to interweave, and then bombed our positions with the cooperation of land and air, so it was around the clock, and our army could endure extreme fatigue and refused to give up an inch of land. In terms of materials, due to the bombing by enemy planes, the main and non-staple foods were rarely delivered, and only biscuits were used to satisfy the hunger. In less than 1 month, the biscuits were eaten up, so General Feng Yuxiang's suggestion was adopted and the biscuits were baked into dry food. However, Guangxi officers and men from the south are not used to eating cakes and often go hungry. After the soldiers were injured, the health team could not go to the fire line during the day, and the wounded could only lie in the trenches. However, the soldiers in Guangxi overcame many difficulties, held their ground and won a tenacious reputation.
Third, the troops in Guangxi are disciplined and the officers and men are consistent. Junior officers are promoted from soldiers to squad leaders, then trained by the teaching team, and then become platoon leaders and company commanders. Therefore, their officers and men have a good relationship, and officers often take the lead in fighting the Japanese aggressors. During the Sino-Japanese War between Songhu and Shanghai, 6 brigade commanders of 2 1 Army were killed and 2 wounded, and more than one person, such as Xie and Chu, died, and even junior officers were killed or injured. At the same time, the Guangxi army has strict discipline, and it can obey the dispatch and strictly obey orders regardless of attack, defense or retreat. Li Fa, the commander of the 2nd1Army, chickened out and was executed by Liao Lei, the commander. As long as the frontline officers and soldiers are not seriously injured, they will not leave their positions. After the fall of Shanghai, 2 1 Army retreated to Wuxi and Changshu, paying attention to military discipline. Even if it is extremely hungry, it will not disturb the people.
History will not be covered with dust because of time. This unforgettable history written by the sons and daughters of Guangxi in the epic Shanghai Anti-Japanese War more than 60 years ago is always worth remembering.