Tiger Troops: The 74th Army of the Kuomintang Anti-Japanese Ace

Chapter 22 Death's Paradise (Battle of Changsha, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Western Hubei) (1)
As soon as the Battle of Shanggao was over, the 74th Army went to Xinyu, south of Shanggao, for the second phase of training and reorganization of the attacking army. In addition to supplementing the soldiers, it also gave priority to replacing Soviet-style equipment.

In the early days of the Anti-Japanese War, although Western countries such as Britain, France, and the United States also imported weapons to China, the amount was very small. The Soviet Union was the main country that provided military loans and arms aid to China. All weapons imported from the Soviet Union were concentrated to supplement the elite troops of the Central Army. Especially an attacking army like the 74th Army.

In order to allow China to contain the Japanese army in the east, the Soviet Union not only sold weapons at a price lower than the international market, but also sent a group of military advisers again after the Northern Expedition.This time the 74th Army implemented the training, mainly with the Soviet consultant as the instructor, responsible for training the troops.

The defect of Soviet consultants is that they are too specialized. A consultant only understands professional knowledge in one field. For example, a consultant with artillery background can explain the structure of a certain cannon, but keep secrets about others.However, the equipment of the Chinese army is varied, just like the arms exhibition of all nations. It is not helpful to know only one kind of gun, but to understand all kinds of guns. Therefore, if Soviet consultants are used to coach a mixed army group, the effect is often mediocre.

When faced with a unit equipped with Soviet-style weapons like the 74th Army, the Soviet instructors found the greatest space to display their talents, and the Soviet advisers were not as arrogant or lazy as the British and French advisers. Although they were not as skilled as the German advisers, they were Possess the latter's endurance and hard-working spirit.These Soviet foreigners can often go to the front line to observe without avoiding dangers in Chinese military uniforms, which makes them rarely make the mistake of being out of touch with the reality of the battlefield when coaching.

After training, the 74th Army has not only regained its vitality, but also has improved its combat effectiveness to a certain extent compared with the past as officers and soldiers have mastered new weapons and improved their military and political quality.

On the afternoon of September 1941, 9, Wang Yaowu suddenly received a telegram from the Chief of the Ninth War Zone, requesting to go to Hunan as soon as possible in response to the Japanese army's massive attack on Changsha.

Hu Zi
Soon after the Battle of Shanggao, Sonobe, the former commander of the No.11 Army of the Japanese Army, was dismissed due to the defeat of the battle. The Nine War Zone hit hard.

The Chief of the Ninth War Zone has also grasped relevant information, so the preparations are relatively sufficient.After reporting to the Military Commission, the Xiangbei battlefield has increased the strength of several armies to defend against the enemy. Among these armies, the No.70 Fourth Army is the most important.

As early as when Okamura first attacked Changsha, some people regarded it as a pity that the 74th Army was not transferred to Changsha to fight. It is sure to expand the results of the Battle of Changsha.The victory in the Shanggao Battle further pushed the 74th Army to the pinnacle of honor, so that no matter who commanded a large-scale battle, he would be the first to think of using this ace army.In addition, the Japanese army in Northwest Jiangxi was really frightened during the battle. It has been nearly half a year since they dared to attack.

The 74th Army has been stationed in Jiangxi for a long time, and its scale and volume are not comparable to those in the past. It is not easy to gather tens of thousands of troops and send them to Hunan.Among other things, it is a big problem just to recruit civilian husbands who carry luggage.No one had the relevant mature experience. After two days of frantic preparations, the troops had to set off on September 9. The whole army marched towards Liuyang via the border of Hunan and Jiangxi in three batches.

As soon as the troops of the 74th Army moved, the telegram sent by Xue Yue to Wang Yaowu was intercepted by the No. 11 Army Command of the Japanese Army.After reading the content of the telegram, the entire army headquarters was shocked.

The outstanding performance of the 74th Army in the Battle of Shanggao allowed the "Anti-Japanese Iron Army" to firmly take root in the minds of the Japanese army. The No. 11 Army of the Japanese Army regarded it as "the most elite unit of the Central Department and a long-standing enemy."When summarizing the lessons learned from the Battle of Shanggao, the No.11 Army specifically warned the ministries: "In the future, we must pay special attention to General Wang Yaowu's No.70 Fourth Army."

The Japanese called the 74th Army "Tiger's Son". "虎の子" in Japanese refers to something that is very cherished and unwilling to give up. During the war, it became a synonym for the ace unit. According to the habits of the Chinese, it can also be called "Tiger Unit".It happened that the "Blue Sky White Sun Flying Tiger Pennant" awarded to the 74th Army had a white flying tiger embroidered on it.

When it comes to "Tiger Force", all Japanese generals attach great importance to it, and Anan is no exception.The No.11 Army of the Japanese Army tried to find the direction of the radio station of the 74th Army through ground and aerial reconnaissance and deciphering telegrams. Deployed in one place but failed.

Now that the 74th Army suddenly appeared on the nearby battlefield, the staff officers of the No. 11th Army of the Japanese Army believed that this opportunity must not be missed. If they can concentrate their forces to annihilate the 74th Army, it will not only deal a heavy blow to China's direct troops, but also reduce the number of troops in Wuhan in the future. Correspondingly, the operation in northern Hunan has achieved the expected results.

According to the original plan, after the No. 11 Army of the Japanese Army crossed the Miluo River, it would send the Sixth Division to occupy Pingjiang on the eastern flank to prevent the Chinese army from launching a flank attack based on the Pingjiang mountainous area as in the past. After entering the Hunan battlefield, Anan temporarily canceled this plan.

The painful experience of being frustrated by the 74th Army several times made the Japanese army truly realize that whether it was the 30th Division in the Wanjialing Battle, or the No.30 Third Division and No.70 Fourth Division in the Shanggao Battle However, although these newly established divisions have superior weapons, they are still far behind the battle-hardened old troops like the No.74 Fourth Army in terms of combat morale and experience.In a word, against the 74th Army, if the veteran elite divisions are not used, there is absolutely no chance of winning.For this reason, Anan did not hesitate to make changes to the overall plan in order to allow the Japanese Sixth Division to hold back the 40th Army. At the same time, the Japanese No.[-] Division, which participated in the attack on Pingjiang, was also transferred to the main battlefield.

It is not easy for Anan to make up his mind.Pingjiang is the weapon supply center of the Ninth War Zone, and it is also the headquarters of Yang Sen's No. 20 Army. Although the No.20 Army is the Sichuan Army, it is known as the "Iron Army in the Sichuan Army". Its combat effectiveness is close to that of the elite troops of the Central Army, and it is very good at flanking and mobile combat. This is really commendable among the troops of the Kuomintang system.When Okamura entered Changsha for the first time, he had already suffered from the No.20 Army.Because of this, Anan once had the intention of resolutely occupying Pingjiang. One year later, when reviewing the strategic value of Pingjiang, he also said: "In fact, destroying and causing chaos to the enemy's commanding organization (referring to Pingjiang) should be the highest priority in combat." Purpose."

When the Sixth Division received Anan's cancellation order, its leading troops were only eight kilometers away from Pingjiang, and the vanguard squadron even had only one kilometer left to reach its destination.It is said that when the soldiers learned that the order was cancelled, they became stunned and dumbfounded, just like the snacks in their mouths were suddenly knocked out.

What Anan wanted was to defeat the 74th Army, which became his highest goal of commanding operations at that time.Since then, the number of the 74th Army has frequently appeared in the Japanese army's combat plans, orders, and Anan's diary, and the 74th Army on the move has always been under the close surveillance of the No. 11 Army Headquarters of the Japanese Army.

On the morning of September 9, due to rain, the Japanese reconnaissance plane was unable to dispatch, but the clouds gradually opened and the rain stopped at noon.From a bird's-eye view from the plane, it can be clearly seen that the 23th Army has appeared on the narrow road northwest of Liuyang.

After receiving information about the appearance of the 74th Army, the headquarters of the No. 11th Army of the Japanese Army suddenly became tense.Anan even thought about whether to temporarily avoid the edge of the 74th Army.It’s just that he considered that if he retreats immediately without fighting with the most elite troops in China, he will be caught by the Chinese government for propaganda, so that the No. blow, so it is still necessary to "avoid such situations from happening".

Anan walked into the army's war room and emphasized to Chief of Staff Kinoshita and all his staff: "The problem in the future is how to deal with the No. 70 Fourth Army."

Surround with barriers
In the case of losing air supremacy, the mobilization of large Chinese troops is usually daytime and nocturnal to avoid Japanese aircraft reconnaissance and air strikes. However, due to time constraints, in order to get to the battlefield as soon as possible, the 74th Army had to implement daytime marches. The direction of travel is thus fully exposed.

On September 9, at one o'clock in the afternoon, the Japanese reconnaissance plane found "about 24 enemy troops advancing westward from Liuyang."At [-] o'clock in the afternoon, between Liuyang and Wanzai, the pilot witnessed "a large column of about [-] enemy troops."

Although Anan was eager to attack the new 74th Army, Kinoshita and others were not sure about the outcome. He also believed that it would be "foolish" to send troops across the western mountains of Liuyang to attack at this time.

Anan decided not to conduct a ground confrontation with the 74th Army for the time being, and only used aircraft for surveillance and bombing.After the order was issued, a large number of Japanese planes swarmed over the 74th Army's marching column.

74军的出发顺序是57师先行，58师及军直属部队次之，51师随军部行进。当57师、58师及其军部直属部队在经过浏西城西的蕉溪岭时，立即遭到了日机的轮番轰炸扫射。

The 74th Army is not without experience in air defense and evacuation during the march.In the event of Japanese air raids, the various ministries would disperse in squads and platoons. While defending against the air, they would use hillsides or field ridges to leap forward. This would not only reduce losses, but also not affect the marching speed.However, the terrain of Jiaoxi Ridge is different from other places. It is a [-]-kilometer trail with rocky mountains on both sides.

Under normal circumstances, air defense uses anti-aircraft machine guns or anti-aircraft guns to expel the aircraft. The problem is that the troops are marching in columns in the narrow lanes, and most of the positions have only ordinary machine rifles. There was also no in-depth research on the terrain that the troops passed, especially no air defense measures for the terrain along the way. As a result, air defense became a falsehood.The officers and soldiers only knew to use leaves as camouflage, and they were not allowed to make any noise, lest the planes might hear them. In fact, the ministries could organize machine guns to shoot intensively—there are rocky mountains on both sides, and the Japanese planes will fly low to attack. , also avoiding difficulties.It's just that no one would have thought of this when they were not fully prepared and had already panicked.

The 74th Army suffered heavy losses in the air strike, and the chain of command was disrupted.When the first division passed Jiaoxi Ridge for the last time, there were already many casualties ahead. The 51st Division itself did not escape the bombing and strafing of the Japanese planes. Someone jumped into the crater in a hurry and found that there were nearly ten dead bodies inside, so he had to lie down among the bodies for concealment.

The 74th Army was shrouded in an ominous sign, but the troops still did not dare to stop. On the morning of September 9, the whole army finally arrived in Liuyang.Then, Wang Yaowu received an urgent telegram from Xue Yue, requesting the 25th Army to rush forward to Huanghua Town, east of Changsha, and occupy positions along the south bank of the Laodao River along the line of Huanghua Town and Yong'an Town to defend the periphery of Changsha.

The tactical thinking used by Xue Yue on the Hunan battlefield was originally in the same line as Luo Zhuoying, that is, "retreat and decisive battle", but with the difference in military resources in hand, the commander's thinking will also undergo subtle changes.In addition to the 74th Army, the 30th Army, the No. 20 Seventh Army, and the No. [-] Sixth Army are not weak troops among the several armies concentrated in the Ninth Theater this time.With so many fierce dragons and fierce generals, Xue Yue was unwilling to always "retreat". He ignored the opposition of Zhao Zili, the chief of staff, and insisted on deploying the decisive battle line by the Miluo River, trying to resist the enemy in the north of the Miluo River.Unexpectedly, under the heavy assault of the Japanese army, the riverside defense line soon collapsed.

After the Miluo River defense line fell, Xue Yue predicted that the Japanese army would take Changsha directly, so he sent the 74th Army to Huanghua Town to defend Changsha.After Zhao Zili learned about it, he still believed that this decision was inappropriate.

Combining the past war history and the practice of the Anti-Japanese War, Chinese military experts found that the Japanese army not only followed the tactical principle of "offensive first, encirclement first", but also particularly advocated "use of land barriers for encirclement".For example, when attacking Nanchang, they used the barriers of Poyang Lake and Ganjiang River to encircle the left flank of the Chinese army with the main force.When attacking Changsha, Dongting Lake and Xiangjiang River are used as ground barriers, and the main force is used to encircle the right wing of the Chinese army.

According to this law and the actual situation of the ongoing battle in northern Hunan, Zhao Zili judged that the No. 11 Japanese Army still wanted to find the right wing to encircle. cast a net.He suggested that it is better to place the 74th Army in the northeast of Liuyang, and launch an attack on the outside of the Japanese army at the same time after the rest of the reinforcements arrive.

Zhao Zili's suggestion is actually another well-known tactical idea of ​​the Chinese military strategist besides the "retreat decisive battle", called "strive for the outer line" (also known as "strive for the outer wing" at the time), that is, keep the main force at the The Japanese army encircled the flanks of the troops and gave the besiegers a violent flank attack. This method was used to break the enemy instead of being surrounded and broken by the enemy.The Battle of Shanggao is actually a classic example of anti-siege.

Xue Yue certainly understands the value of "fighting for the outside line", but the real dilemma he faces is that if he waits for the outside line to attack, Changsha may not defend.Between Baochangsha and attacking the outside line, he finally chose the former.

meet by chance
One of the biggest differences between the Chinese and Japanese staff systems is that the Japanese staff have greater authority and influence. Division commanders or army commanders often act in accordance with the combat plans formulated by the staff, and sometimes the staff even directly issue orders on behalf of the chief officer. , while the role played by the Chinese staff officer is to actually make suggestions. The chief officer can listen to you or not.

Xue Yue insisted on using the 74th Army to protect Changsha, and Zhao Zili had no choice.After that, he received a call from Wang Yaowu.Wang Yaowu had followed orders to lead his troops to Huanghua Town, but he was a little worried on the way, so he called Zhao Zili to confirm.

Zhao Zili said frankly: "Putting your troops to the east of Changsha, I absolutely disagree. You advance from east to west, and the enemy advances from north to south. I guess the enemy will appear on your right. A serious encounter battle is about to take place against an enemy with absolute superiority!"

Speaking of this, this insightful think tank couldn't suppress his depression: "It's terrible that they (referring to Xue Yue and others) insist on doing this!"

Zhao Zili's words are hard not to cast a shadow in Wang Yaowu's heart, but the military order is like a mountain, and Xue Yue has already informed in the order that No. 20 Sixth Army will be sent to cover.Calculated from the time of receiving Xue Yue's order, the 74th Army is only a day's journey away from Huanghua Town. In theory, at least it will not be too dangerous before reaching the defense zone, so Wang Yaowu did not really pay attention to it, and the 74th Army continued to grow into a word. Snake formation marched towards Huanghua Town.

The previous experience of air raids at Jiaoxi Ridge made the 74th Army extra vigilant against Japanese aircraft and accelerated their night marches, but they ignored the ground warning.Relying on the cover of the No.20 Sixth Army and wanting to arrive at the designated location as soon as possible in order to buy time to occupy positions and build fortifications, Wang Yaowu neither directly contacted the front-line friendly forces, nor sent search troops or flanking troops to provide cover for the main force.

At noon on September 9, the first part of the 25th Division marched rapidly to seize Chunhua Mountain, which is about nine kilometers away from Huanghua Town, and the rest of the division arrived at dawn the next day.

(End of this chapter)