Chapter 40 Shanghai: Three months of fierce fighting

The entry into an all-out war between China and Japan actually started in Shanghai, the largest city in the Far East.The war in Shanghai has been unprecedentedly tragic since its outbreak. China is quite active in this war.In order to seize the opportunity, troops were secretly sent to Shanghai in advance. Since the "Songhu Armistice Agreement" in 1932 stipulated that the Chinese army could not enter the urban area to deploy defenses, the officers and soldiers disguised themselves as civilians and policemen and sneaked into the city in batches. Area, build positions according to the predetermined plan.

On the evening of August 11, 1937, the entire line of the Beijing-Shanghai Railway stopped passenger traffic, and all passengers got off at each station. The entire railway line was nervously transporting trains full of soldiers and equipment.I heard that the morale of the officers and soldiers was very high when they went to the front to fight the Japanese army.The superior ordered the train to get off when it arrived at Nanxiang in the suburbs of Shanghai.But many officers and soldiers refused to get off the train, insisting that the train go directly to Zhabei, fearing that they would not be able to fight if it was too late.The superior explained: "This is because of the range of the Japanese artillery fire." They said: "Why are you afraid of the artillery fire?"

In the early morning of the 12th, when the residents of Shanghai woke up from their dreams, the 88th Division and the 87th Division had already entered the urban area of ​​Shanghai.The citizens were very excited to see their troops coming.The 88th Division deployed defenses in the area around Zhabei Station in Shanghai, and the 87th Division arrived in Jiangwan City. The speed of action was beyond the expectations of the Japanese side.The veterans of the two divisions have rich combat experience. They once fought against the Japanese army in the "January 28th" Incident. The outcome of the war depends to a considerable extent on the state of traffic.On the eve of the Anti-Japanese War, China's national railways were less than 18,000 kilometers long, while waterways had 47,000 kilometers.Transportation is carried out by air, railway, water, post, and road, among which road is the most important.Therefore, during the Anti-Japanese War, car drivers were highly valued, and they were unparalleled for a while.After the outbreak of the war, the military situation was urgent, and the number of vehicles increased greatly, but there was a lack of skilled drivers. Fortunately, many overseas Chinese returned to China to serve. In 1939, the number reached 3,032, and a special mutual aid association for overseas Chinese mechanics was established in Kunming.

The Battle of Songhu, which began on August 13, 1937, was one of the most important battles in the War of Resistance Against Japan.China has 700,000 troops, and Japan has mobilized 270,000 troops in land, sea and air.This was an unprecedented large-scale corps battle fought in and around Shanghai. The scale and number of casualties of the Songhu Battle are among the largest battles recorded in World War II.Neither the Normandy landings nor the bloody battle at Iwo Jima can be compared.In terms of history, this battle was the historical battle that decided China and Japan to enter an all-out war. Although in terms of time sequence, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident could not be concluded and eventually triggered the Sino-Japanese War, at that time, neither China nor Japan initially had due to The Marco Polo Bridge Incident immediately decided to launch a full-scale war.

After the "August 13" Songhu Battle began, on August 14, the Nationalist Government issued the "Self-Defense Letter for the War of Resistance Against Japan"; on August 15, Japan announced the mobilization of the whole country and the establishment of a combat base camp, and the all-out war between China and Japan began. Regardless of victory or defeat, vow not to give up on the road. Today's understanding of this battle is far from in-depth.Different conclusions can be drawn from observations from different angles.Generally speaking, this battle can be viewed from three aspects.One is to see it merely as a symbol of the spread of war across the country.The second is related to whether China consciously shifted the strategic focus of the Japanese offensive from North China to East China, so that the overall situation of the war against Japan would be more favorable.This statement was first put forward by General Chen Cheng, and it is still debated among researchers.The third is how to judge the military strategy of the High Command and Chiang Kai-shek's indecision on the issue of retreat in the later stages of the campaign.

If we look at this war from the perspective of transportation, we will gain new insights.Without the fast transportation conditions in Shanghai and its surrounding areas, it would have been impossible to gather so many elite troops from all over the country in a short period of time.In fact, there has never been a battle with such an unprecedented concentration of people since then, because there is no place with such superior traffic conditions.The reason why Japan can effectively suppress the Chinese army, which is nearly five times larger than itself, with a force of about 1 million for a long time, is not only well-trained and well-equipped, but also because they controlled important railways, waterways, and highways in the early stages of the war. The line of communication, the transfer of troops is quick and convenient, and can save a lot of troops.