Chapter 3 Chapter II China will never give up any part of its territory

Powell, editor-in-chief of the American "Miller's Review" based in Shanghai, decided to spend a cool weekend in the Zhoushan Islands not far from Shanghai.However, when he took a small Chinese steamer named "Three North" and sailed slowly along the Huangpu River to the mouth of the wide and turbid Yangtze River, he immediately felt that something was wrong: this small ship belonging to the Chinese steamship company On the steamer, besides the Chinese captain and Chinese sailors bustling around, there was also a German who was said to be the captain standing on the deck in a brand-new uniform.Moreover, the Chinese ship actually raised a German swastika flag.

We saw Japanese destroyers moored in twos and threes in the Huangpu River, and six or seven warships were moored outside the breakwater at Wusongkou.When our small boat passed by the warship, the Japanese officers on board watched us carefully with binoculars.In such a narrow river, the actions of Japanese naval officers naturally caused us to panic again and again. The German captain whose duty seemed to be only to smile at the Japanese warship told Powell: This Chinese shipping company signed an agreement with a German company to transfer all Chinese ships to the German company's name on the grounds that "the Chinese have already expected the flames of war." Sooner or later, it will burn to the Yangtze River Basin", "Once there is a war, the Japanese will not confiscate the ships flying the Nazi flag".

Shanghai, China's largest economic and cultural center, is the most international city in modern China.The shrewd Shanghainese's judgment about the possibility of war is well-founded.Just came the news that Beiping and Tianjin were occupied by the Japanese army. Immediately afterwards, on August 9, 1937, a Japanese officer was killed in Shanghai: Captain of the Western Detachment of the Japanese Navy Special Marine Corps, Navy Lieutenant Dashan Yongfu and Private First Class Saito Yozo were shot dead by Chinese soldiers at the gate of Hongqiao Airport. There are various versions of the so-called "Hongqiao Incident".The most common story heard by Shanghai citizens is: Dashan Yufu and Saito Yozou drove a car to Hongqiao, and they wanted to forcefully pass through the cordon of the Chinese guards to enter the airport. They not only ignored the warnings of the Chinese guards, but also shot at them. A gun fired, resulting in the death of a Chinese soldier named Shi Jingzhe.Afterwards, the Chinese guards opened fire in self-defense and killed Oyama Yuo and Saito Yozo on the spot.

Whether a Chinese guard was killed, there are differences in historical records. Shi said that when he was the head of the Operations Section of the Ninth Army Headquarters of the Chinese Army, he explained why there was a dead body of a Chinese guard at the gate of the airport: "These (Chinese) soldiers usually hate the Japanese to the core. He went on a rampage and refused to stop him, so he resolutely defended himself and shot and killed the sergeant. The Songhu Garrison Command was in a hurry. Chief of Staff Tong Yuanliang discussed with Shanghai Mayor Yu Hongjun to let a death row prisoner wear the uniform of the security force and beat him up. He died at the gate of Hongqiao Airport, saying that when the Japanese military commander wanted to force his way into the airport gate, he beat my guards to death in order to negotiate with the Japanese.” On the day the incident occurred, Shanghai Mayor Yu Hongjun sent a letter to the Military Commission of the Nanjing Nationalist Government A confidential telegram, the telegram described the incident as follows:

No matter how the incident happened, there is one premise that must be emphasized: two Japanese soldiers were rampant on Chinese soil, trying to attack China's important airport facilities, and were killed while ignoring the warnings of Chinese guards—not to mention the current Chinese The Japanese and Japanese armies have entered into a state of war in northern China. Even in peacetime, the Chinese side's handling is also justified. However, the proper handling of the Chinese has once again become an "incident" for the Japanese. The Japanese have long planned to launch a war in Shanghai, China.

Shanghai is the mouth of the Yangtze River and the gateway to East China.Once Shanghai is occupied, not only can East China be controlled, but Nanjing can also be pushed into. The Japanese are very aware of the importance of its strategic location.Therefore, after the "January 28th" Incident, the Japanese army has been preparing for war by taking advantage of the clauses in the "Shanghai Armistice Agreement" that restricted the Chinese army stationed in Shanghai.In August 1936, when the Japanese General Staff Headquarters was drafting the 1937 "Operation Plan against China", it had already drawn up a detailed operational plan for East China. This ultimate goal was the operational plan for the Chinese capital Nanjing. Its main content includes: occupying Shanghai and its surrounding areas with three divisions, "landing from Hangzhou Bay and advancing from the south of Taihu Lake" with two divisions, forming "the two armies should fight against Nanjing to achieve occupation and ensure Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing triangle."However, out of high vigilance against the Soviet Union's involvement in the rights and interests of the Far East, Japan worried that in the event of a conflict with the Soviet Union, its main force would not be able to quickly gather north if it had been placed in southern China, so it only invested a small amount of navy in the Songhu area.

After the "January 28" Songhu armistice, in Shanghai, the Japanese army established a core facility based on the Hongkou barracks in the north, and peripheral strongholds supported by Yangshupu in the east and Huxi in the west.After years of operation, the Japanese concession in the urban area of ​​Shanghai has actually become a solid military fortress. Various military bunkers have been built in the organs, schools, shops and houses inside, and a large number of weapons and ammunition are hidden .By the eve of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the Japanese army had more than 100 military installations in the Shanghai area and deployed about 15,000 troops, including a brigade of infantry, special marines, and the Third Fleet with more than 30 warships. The navy's air force also has more than a hundred aircraft ready to support operations at any time.

In the direction of Shanghai, the Japanese Navy is already eager to fight. There are differences between the Japanese navy and the Japanese army on the strategy toward China.Out of wariness against the Soviet Union, the army was very conservative in sending troops to southern China at the beginning of the war; the navy insisted that there would be no large-scale military conflicts between Japan and the Soviet Union for the time being, and that the direction of Japanese military power could be directed southward. South China extends all the way to the Pacific Ocean.Therefore, after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the Japanese navy immediately prepared to dispatch to support the army's operations in North China, and at the same time quickly proposed a plan to exert military pressure on southern China.Among the Japanese admirals who were eager to fight, Lieutenant General Kiyoshi Hasegawa, commander of the Third Fleet stationed in Shanghai, was the most enthusiastic.When the Marco Polo Bridge Incident happened, he was leading a team to conduct a joint exercise with the Army in Taiwan. The day after the incident, the Third Fleet stopped the exercise and returned to Wusongkou. Hasegawa Kiyoshi proposed to the Japanese Naval Command (Command) in Tokyo: "Central China In combat, the necessary forces should be used to secure Shanghai and capture Nanjing." Therefore, it is necessary to send five additional army divisions to central China.

According to the usual tactics of the Japanese army, launching a war requires creating an "incident" in advance, so the Chinese and Japanese militaries have been at war in Shanghai in the past two years.In September 1936, under the pretext that three sailors from the "Izumo" battleship were attacked in the concession, the Japanese Navy dispatched the Marine Corps to set up guard posts throughout Shanghai.In July 1937, the Japanese Navy held continuous military exercises in the Shanghai area, dispatched fleets to frequent ports near Shanghai, and landed for military reconnaissance.According to the "Shanghai Armistice Agreement" signed by China and Japan in 1932, the Chinese side could not have regular troops stationed in Shanghai, so a "security force" was established, named "Baoan", which actually still consisted of officers and soldiers of the regular army.The resentment of Chinese officers and soldiers against the Japanese army has been accumulated for a long time, and it will explode as soon as the opportunity arises.After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Shanghai's "security forces" immediately made preparations for war. The officers sent all their family members back to their hometowns, and the troops began to step up military training and prepare a large amount of raw materials for building barricades.At this moment, someone suddenly came to the garrison of the Chinese "security forces" and said that they needed to "check the house number". According to the experience of the soldiers, the big toes of the Japanese are spread apart-they came to admit that they were a small captain of the Japanese Marine Corps and a soldier Cao Chang.The notebooks seized from the two men were full of the Chinese army's military strongholds in Shanghai, as well as their weapons and strength.The Chinese soldiers beat up the two Japanese soldiers.After repeated negotiations by the Japanese side, the two Japanese soldiers were released.However, within two days, a similar incident happened on Xiangshan Road in Shanghai. This time, angry Chinese soldiers tied the captured Japanese officer to a telegraph pole and beat him half to death. As a result, China and Japan continued fierce negotiations for several days.

On July 28, 1937, the Japanese government "ordered the evacuation of 29,230 Japanese overseas Chinese living along the Yangtze River (instructing the overseas Chinese in Shanghai to evacuate to the Japanese Concession on August 6). In the Navy Under the cover of the 11th Marine Corps, they were completely evacuated to Shanghai by August 9”——we should pay special attention to the date set by the Japanese government for the completion of evacuation: August 9.On this day, the Japanese Navy Lieutenant Oyama Yuo and Private First Class Yozo Saito attacked the Chinese defenders at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.

In this world, nothing that happens is absolutely accidental. At least after the "January 28th" Incident, the national government had clearly realized that the Japanese army's war of aggression in Zhejiang and Shanghai was not a matter of possibility or impossibility, but a matter of sooner or later.Therefore, since 1933, the Nationalist Government ordered the General Staff Headquarters to send personnel to survey the terrain, deploy them to build defense fortifications in Nanjing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou, and organize the tenth batch of Army University students to conduct tactical exercises to study and formulate defense plans. .In order to prevent the Japanese army from landing on the north and south sides of Hangzhou Bay and Wusongkou and then advancing towards Nanjing, the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government established a secret agency to be responsible for the design and construction of defense fortifications in Nanjing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou. In the three combat defense areas of Nanjing and Nanjing, fortifications with reinforced concrete as the main body were built on the four main defense lines: the Beijing-Shanghai defense area took the Wu-Fu line (Wujiang to Fushan) and the Xicheng line (Wuxi to Jiangyin) as the main positions; The Shanghai-Hangzhou defense zone is based on the Zhajia Line (from Zhapu to Suzhou via Jiaxing) and the Haijia Line (from Haiyan to Wujiang via Jiaxing).In order to facilitate the mobility of the troops, a railway from Suzhou to Jiaxing was specially built.In February 1936, the national government established a secret combat command organization in Suzhou, which was called the "Central Military Academy Senior Instructor's Office" and later renamed the "Central Military Academy Camping Office". The military chief was Zhang Zhizhong. The task is: to be responsible for formulating the combat plan for the Beijing-Shanghai area, presiding over the construction of defense fortifications on the defense line, and quickly transforming into a front-line command post once a war breaks out in Songhu.This last point is very important. Zhang Zhizhong, formerly known as Ben Yao, styled Wenbai, was born in Chao County, Anhui Province.Born in October 1890 in a poor family that has been farming for generations.He successively graduated from Wuchang Army Officer Preparatory School and Baoding Army Officer Academy.In 1924, he entered the Whampoa Military Academy and served as the captain of the third batch of enlisted students.Zhang Zhizhong was not only a general in Chiang Kai-shek's favor, but also a close friend of the Communists, which determined his political career to be complicated and tortuous.During the Anti-Japanese War in Songhu in 1932, he took the initiative to invite Ying, and as the commander of the left-wing army, he led the troops to fight fiercely with the Japanese army for several days.After being appointed as the military chief of the Beijing-Shanghai Defense Zone, Zhang Zhizhong was always in a heavy and anxious mood because he knew that the war was imminent and there were so many defensive preparations that needed to be done.Including the Japanese military, no one knows what kind of organization the "Central Military Academy Camping Office" headed by him is, and he has sent groups of people to "reconnaissance on the Songhu Line, Sufu Line, and Xicheng Line" , measuring, and drawing maps. After this group of people came back, they completed their tactical operations and preliminary operational plans, and began to build small artillery and machine gun strongholds along the Songhu Line, Sufu Line, and Xicheng Line.”What made Zhang Zhizhong very disturbed was that the war was imminent, and the military and political officials in various places "still inevitably vague, relieved, and prevaricated, leaving subordinates with nothing to carry on.As the Japanese army used the name of military exercises to provoke more and more frequently in the Songhu area, Zhang Zhizhong began to secretly expand the strength of the Shanghai "Security Regiment", and at the same time ordered the 36th Division under his command to advance from Wuxi to the vicinity of Suzhou. The 87th Division advanced from Jiangyin to the Fushan area of ​​Changshu, and the 88th Division advanced from near Nanjing to Wuxi and Jiangyin.Zhang Zhizhong kept asking Nanjing Chen to increase troops, because there was only one "security regiment" in Shanghai at this time, and there were only three combat divisions in the Songhu area, and according to the offensive and defensive plan he formulated, at least three to four additional combat divisions were needed.In December 1936, after the Xi'an Incident broke out, in order to "rescue" Chiang Kai-shek, the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government transferred away the 36th Division and the 88th Division that he had deployed around Shanghai.That was the period of time when Zhang Zhizhong was most worried: if the Japanese army took advantage of the Xi'an Incident to attack Shanghai on a large scale, the consequences would be disastrous. ——"However, the Japanese army in Shanghai adopted a calm and wait-and-see attitude." This may be because the Xi'an Incident was completely unexpected by the Japanese side.After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Zhang Zhizhong took over as the commander of the Beijing-Shanghai garrison.As a precaution, he ordered a regiment of the second brigade to be stationed in Songjiang disguised as a military police; another regiment was disguised as a Shanghai "security team" and stationed in Hongqiao and Longhua airports - the Chinese "security guard" who killed the Japanese captain Yuo Oyama , In fact, it is the regular army soldiers deployed by Zhang Zhizhong at the airport. Zhang Zhizhong strongly advocated "preempting the enemy" against Japan: Zhang Zhizhong solemnly suggested to Nanjing that due to the weak strength of the Chinese army and Shanghai being an important place for "international audio-visual", it is necessary to adopt offensive defense, that is, "first enter Songhu with sufficient troops, attack the enemy fiercely, and inflict heavy damage." "Preempting the enemy" means taking the initiative to initiate combat actions-in the history of confrontation with the Japanese aggressors, when did China "preempt the enemy"?Besides "he hits me, I don't fight back" and "he hits me, I fight back", when did China ever have a precedent of "judging that he is going to hit me" and making the first move to make the opponent dizzy? Inside the Nanjing military and political leadership, there are some people who hold the same or similar views as Zhang Zhizhong, including Bai Chongxi, the deputy chief of staff, Liu Fei, the head of the combat team of the military order department, Chen Cheng, the director of the Wuchang Army Reorganization Division, and members of the Military Commission. Yao Qiong, deputy director of the Chief Attendant's Office, etc.Their basic proposition was: the Japanese army must not be allowed to use Shanghai as a military base for invading central China, and the Japanese army in Shanghai and its ships in the Yangtze River must be actively wiped out to open up the battlefield in East China.Their reason is that the Japanese army is equipped with advanced weapons such as aircraft, cannons, tanks, armored combat vehicles, and aircraft carriers.If the Chinese army puts its main force into the North China Great Plains to fight against it, it is bound to be quickly defeated by the Japanese army one by one, because the Japanese army can make full use of its mechanized advantages on the Great Plains, and the Beijing-Hanzhou and Jinpu railways can be used to drive straight from south to north. Once the main force of the Chinese army is forced back to the southeast coast, the war will basically be settled, and the Japanese army is likely to realize their delusion of destroying China within three to four months.And if the Chinese army is resisting steadily in North China, and at the same time opens up a "second battlefield" against Japan in East China, it can disperse the strength of the Japanese army and delay the Japanese army's southward attack.At present, Songhu is an ideal place to open up the "second battlefield".Because this is the economic center of China, the Japanese army will definitely launch a war.But also because of this, once a war breaks out in Songhu, the interests of the great powers of various countries will inevitably be damaged. It is impossible for the great powers to sit back and watch Japan monopolize China's rights and interests, so they are likely to intervene in the war. The intervention of the great powers is beneficial to China.From a military point of view, use the reinforced concrete buildings in Shanghai to fight the Japanese army in street battles, contain the enemy, and then gradually lead the Japanese army to the water network area in the south of the Yangtze River, so that their mechanized weapons cannot fully play their roles. This will drag the Japanese army into The quagmire of a long war.As long as China persists in the war of resistance, it will eventually receive assistance from the international community. This is the correct way to finally defeat Japan.Of course, there is another explanation for the geography of the battlefield: From the perspective of China's topographical characteristics, from the east coast to the west, the terrain gradually rises, and it goes up against the river flow, which is not good for the attacking side; while China's Anti-Japanese War rear base In the southwest, even if you retreat while fighting, you still fight with your back facing the rear, and the higher you retreat, the higher the terrain. This situation is beneficial to the defensive side of the battle. The above views are indeed far-sighted. First of all, this is not a theory of compromise, let alone a theory of surrender, but out of the standpoint of resolute resistance.As far as this position is concerned, it is extremely precious to the future and destiny of the Chinese nation.Secondly, in terms of the strength comparison between the two warring parties and the national conditions of the two countries, it is undoubtedly a calm and sober choice to try to stretch the front and prepare for a long-term war. However, it is also obvious to take the initiative to open up a "second battlefield" in Songhu: this is China's soft belly and the most economically developed area. Once a war breaks out, the economy will suffer huge impact and losses.Moreover, it is too close to the capital Nanjing, and a war near the national capital will inevitably bring enormous political and military pressure.More importantly: who knows whether the great powers will intervene after the Sino-Japanese war?If it interferes, can it interfere to the extent that Japan stops its aggression against China? History has proved time and again that China has never relied on foreign powers to get rid of any suffering. In a sense, war is gambling. Zhang Zhizhong, who knew that the war was inevitable but was eager to fight, issued a statement to the Chinese army in the Songhu area. After counting the national humiliation after the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, he called on the soldiers to sacrifice their lives for the country in the upcoming war of resistance: ...To this day, all kinds of problems between the enemy and ourselves can no longer be resolved peacefully, especially in our war of resistance.The flames of full-scale challenge are burning high, and the opportunity to sacrifice one's life to serve the country has come!Wherever I go, I must be excited, and this is the time to avenge and wipe out my enemies! ...Although, I should know that the inevitable victory of this great and holy nation's war of resistance was bought by countless sufferings and sacrifices. Only the determination to sacrifice to the end can win the final victory.Therefore, our life on this day has no other meaning at all, it is only a sacrifice of national liberation, and it is only a drop in the countless sacrifices and bloody sacrifices.Only with the determination to dedicate oneself to serve the country can one achieve great success for thousands of years; and only with the courage of "I die and the country lives" can I go forward!After the blood curtain unfolds, every piece of land in China will be covered with the blood of every citizen. Everyone will become a hero and martyr, and everyone can become a man of lofty ideals!We belong to the pioneers, how can we expect to die later? ... The Japanese side obviously noticed the bad situation in Songhu.From Pan Lianbi and Yu Yixing, the military inspectors of the British patrol house in the Shanghai Concession, they learned that the Chinese side was stepping up the construction of a military stronghold in the city center and the expansion of the strength of the Shanghai "security regiment".Yoshio Okino, the Japanese naval attaché in China, protested to Gao Zongwu, director of the Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Government, on the grounds that China had violated the "armistice agreement", and asked for an on-site inspection, which was rejected by the Chinese side.Yu Hongjun, Mayor of Shanghai, replied: Not only did the relevant articles of the so-called "armistice agreement" not restrict China's construction of fortifications, but the Chinese had no right to interfere with any other country's construction of fortifications on their own land.Based on this, it is unreasonable for the Japanese side to say that China's actions are "hostile acts".On the contrary, Japan did not withdraw its military forces from the designated area in accordance with the terms stipulated in the "armistice agreement". This is the clear manifestation of hostile behavior. What makes the Japanese feel even more ominous is that after the "Hongqiao incident", the attitude of the Chinese side is very tough.At 4:00 p.m. on August 11th, Mayor Yu Hongjun met with the Consul General of Japan in Shanghai, Okamoto Jimasa.Jimasa Okamoto first stated: The "Hongqiao Airport incident" occurred, and the Japanese "massacred officers and sailors in navy uniforms for the Chinese".Therefore, the Japanese side demanded that the Chinese side immediately dismantle the military fortifications and withdraw the security forces.Yu Hongjun immediately stated: "This place belongs to our country's territory, so there is no need to retreat." Okamoto Jizheng also advocated the convening of an emergency meeting of the Songhu Joint Armistice Committee composed of members from China, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, requesting countries to sanction China. .Yu Hongjun was even more resolute: "(1) The armistice agreement was broken by the Japanese side long ago. Because Japanese troops often invade the area around the Bazi Bridge, all Japanese troops should withdraw in accordance with the agreement. (2) The Japanese side has broken the armistice (3) Every time the Japanese side uses the Joint Committee as a tool to carry out its aggressive policy, mentioning it when it is beneficial and ignoring it when it is not, it should ask other countries Note. (4) Regarding the Hongqiao incident, the Japanese side agreed to resolve it diplomatically, and the other side gathered warships, increased troops, and replenished military supplies. "——Yu Hongjun is very clear: Negotiations are Japan's usual means of delaying time and waiting for additional troops. Once Japan is ready, it will not only ignore the so-called "joint committee", but will launch a large-scale war against China. war of aggression. An opportunity bought at the cost of the lives of a lieutenant and a corporal is "lost and never returned."An anxious Japanese navy said it must not "make the dead a meaningless sacrifice." On the night of the "Hongqiao Incident", Kiyoshi Hasegawa, commander of the Third Fleet, ordered the Eighth Squadron, the First Mine Squadron, the First Aviation Squadron, and the First and Second Special Marine Squadrons to prepare for dispatch.On the morning of the 11th, nineteen warships under the jurisdiction of the Third Fleet arrived at Wusongkou, carrying two thousand marines.On the 12th, the number of Japanese warships in the Songhu area soared to 31. At the same time, nine warships, including an aircraft carrier, were moored outside Wusongkou. The number of combat personnel of the Japanese Marine Corps surged to more than 9,000. . The Japanese navy knows that once the war starts, it must get the coordination of the army.On the 10th, Japanese Navy Minister Mitsumasa Yonei formally put forward a request for "mobilization and dispatch of army troops" at a cabinet meeting.Army Minister Moto Sugiyama immediately agreed.The next day, the Japanese General Staff Headquarters formulated a plan for dispatching troops: "(1) The troops dispatched by Shanghai will be composed of the 11th Division (one part missing) and the 3rd Division as the backbone. The first day of mobilization; (2) Qingdao dispatched troops, which are scheduled to be part of the 11th Division and the 14th Division, and the dispatch time will be determined according to the opportunity; Ships to mobilize troops (scheduled to be completed on the 16th); (4) Mobilization scale: about 300,000 soldiers and about 87,000 horses." The Nationalist Government also launched comprehensive preparations for the war of resistance: changing all national defense matters from a peacetime state to a wartime state; organizing the national army into an anti-Japanese war sequence, with about 100 divisions on the front line and about 80 divisions in the reserve force; The ammunition stored for many years will be distributed, two-thirds will be stockpiled in the north of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, and one-third in the south of the Yangtze River, which can meet the needs of all troops for six months of combat. Purchase food and fodder for 1 million combatants and 100,000 horses for six months; establish 30 supplementary battalions of soldiers; due to the fall of Pingjin, there are no flying fields and aviation fuel reserves in Hebei, and the air force decided to participate in the North China War Based in Taiyuan Airport.etc. On August 11, Chiang Kai-shek convened the Supreme National Defense Conference to study the combat strategy against Japan.This was a top-secret meeting. Apart from Wang Jingwei, Vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission, He Yingqin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Military Commission, Bai Chongxi, and members of the Military Commission, the only staff member was Huang Jun, Wang Jingwei's confidential secretary (who served as the minutes of the meeting).The meeting decided to implement the strategy of "strike first" against the Japanese army. While the main force of the Japanese army was concentrated in North China, it took the lead in annihilating the Japanese navy's marines in the Shanghai area. They went up the river to attack Nanjing, and intercepted Japanese warships and Japanese merchant ships staying at Nanjing, Jiujiang, Wuhan, Yichang and other ports.Based on this, the Military Commission issued an order that night: Commander Zhang Zhizhong led the 87th and 88th divisions to advance to the predetermined siege line tonight, preparing for the siege of Songhu; A regiment of the 2nd Artillery Brigade in Jiaxing and a battalion of the 10th Regiment equipped with new howitzers immediately marched to Suzhou, and they were all under the command of Zhang Zhizhong. After receiving the order, Zhang Zhizhong ordered: the first part of the 87th Division will advance to Wusong, and the main force will advance to the center of Shanghai; the 88th Division will enter between the North Station and Jiangwan (south of Wusong); The Eighth Artillery Regiment advanced to Zhenru and Dachang (southwest of Jiangwan); the 20th Independent Brigade advanced to Nanxiang (southwest of Dachang).At the same time, he ordered the Second Battalion of the Third Artillery Regiment and the 56th Division to advance to Shanghai at night. At midnight on the 11th, Zhang Zhizhong left Suzhou, led his troops to advance towards Shanghai at full speed, and occupied the predetermined position in downtown Shanghai before dawn. On the 12th, at dawn, Shanghai citizens woke up from their dreams early in the morning, and saw Chinese soldiers everywhere outside the window, and asked in surprise where did they come from?How come so fast?Since the "January 28th" Songhu War in 1932, the citizens of Shanghai had never seen a regular Chinese army. The sudden appearance of this army surprised them a lot: Wearing a German-style helmet, wearing grass-green military uniforms, shorts, and straw sandals, all officers and soldiers wear leather belts. Soldiers hold new-style rifles with bayonets, 200 rounds of bullets, eight grenades on their chests, and officers carry box guns on their waists. All of them are valiant and high-spirited, and their eyes show the determination to kill the enemy to their compatriots. The Chinese Navy was also ordered to start military operations. On the 11th, under the cover of two gunboats, three survey ships carried out large-scale damage to the Yangtze River channel in the lower reaches of Jiangyin, successively destroying the Xizhou, Hupukou, Tiehuangsha, Xigang Road, Langshanxia, ​​Yaogangzui, and Langshan. , Dayao Port, Tongzhousha, Qingtianjiao, Liuhaisha, Changfusha, Haibeigangsha, Longtan Port, Fujiangshan and other places have all been dismantled.During the operation, the two survey ships were attacked by Japanese ships and bombed by Japanese planes and sank.On the 12th, Chen Shaokuan, Minister of the Navy Department of the Nationalist Government, led the main fleet to Jiangyin and sent the Chinese Navy's "Tongji", "Datong", "Ziqiang", "Desheng", "Weisheng", and "Wuhan" to Jiangyin. The eight warships "Sheng", "Chenzi", and "Suzi", together with various freighters and merchant ships collected from the people, totaled 28 ships, all of which were scuttled and sunk on the Jiangyin River to block the Yangtze River waterway. ——If the old warships of the Chinese Navy are used for combat, they are no match for the modern warships of the Japanese Navy. Before the war comes, perhaps this is the most practical use of these warships.But what about the civilian ships sent by the people for food and clothing? ——Here is a list of the names of merchant ships that self-destructed for the survival of the nation on August 12, 1937, on the eve of the Songhu War: "Jiahe", "Xinming", "Tonghua", "Yushun", " Guangli", "Taishun", "Hui'an", "Tongli", "Tranquility", "Kunxing", "Xinpingan", "Maoli No. 2", "Yuanchang", "Xingshi", "Muyou", "Huafu", "Dalai" " "Tonghe" "Ruikang" "Huaxin". However, this operation failed to achieve the goal of intercepting the Japanese warships and Japanese merchant ships——Chiang Kai-shek’s order had not yet been conveyed to the troops, and the Japanese warships and Japanese merchant ships at the ports of the Yangtze River such as Yichang, Hankou, Jiujiang, and Nanjing had already flown along the Yangtze River. And down, quickly passed the Jiangyin Fortress.After investigation, it was found that Huang Jun, Wang Jingwei's confidential secretary and the only staff member who participated in the top secret national defense meeting, was a Japanese spy. The top-secret content of the China National Defense Conference betrayed by Huang Jun is not only the blockade of the Jiangyin waterway, but more importantly, the strategic intention and operational plan of the Chinese army to "strike first" in Songhu.At this time, the Japanese side is well aware of the military operations that the Chinese army will launch. On the 12th, China's combat troops in the Songhu area were ordered to enter the attack starting position. ——At this time, in order to adapt to the wartime system, the Beijing-Shanghai Garrison Command has been abolished, and the subordinate troops have been reorganized into the Ninth Army, with the commander Zhang Zhizhong.Zhang Zhizhong sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek asking for a battle: "All units of our army can be transported and deployed before the evening of this day. Can we start the attack before dawn tomorrow (that is, the 13th)? Can our air force act at the same time tomorrow morning?" What the Chinese army is about to face is the Third Fleet of the Japanese Navy under the command of Commander Hasegawa Kiyoshi. Its subordinate units are: the Tenth Squadron, Commander Masasuke Shimomura, and the battleships are two cruisers including the "Tenryu" and three Destroyer; 11th Squadron, Commander Major General Mataro Tanimoto. Combat ships include "Yaeyama" and other destroyers, a laying ship and seven gunboats. Most of them are shallow water ships suitable for operations on the Yangtze River in China; the Fifth Mine Squadron , Commander Major General Okuma Masakichi, the battleships are "Yubari" and other cruisers and five destroyers; Eighth Squadron, Commander Major General Nagumo Chuichi, the battleships are "Hira" and other cruisers and three destroyers ; The First Mine Squadron, Commander Major General Yoshida Yoshimitsu, the battleships are "Sichuanuchi" and other cruisers and six destroyers; Five hundred and forty people, organized into infantry squadrons and engineering, communications, and machine gun squads, equipped with heavy weapons such as small tanks, light armored vehicles, mountain artillery, field artillery, and anti-aircraft artillery. The naval aviation unit under the command of the Third Fleet of the Japanese Navy is: the First United Air Force, which governs the Kisarazu Air Force and the Kanoya Air Force. Eighteen attack aircraft and fourteen Type 95 carrier-based fighters; the First Air Force has 21 fighters, twelve bombers and nine attack aircraft; the Second Air Force has twelve fighters and ten bombers. Two and eighteen attack aircraft. The Chinese participated in the battle was the Ninth Army under the command of Zhang Zhizhong. Its main units were: the 87th Division, commanded by Wang Jingjiu, under the jurisdiction of the 259th Brigade, brigade commander Shen Fazao, the 261st Brigade, brigade commander Liu Anqi; Eighty-eighth Division, Commander Sun Yuanliang, Jurisdiction over the 262nd Brigade, Commander Peng Gongying, 264th Brigade, Commander Huang Meixing; 56th Division, Division Commander Liu Heding (and Commander of the 39th Army); Independent The second brigade, brigade commander Zhong Song; the 169th brigade of the 57th division; the Shanghai Security Corps, chief Ji Zhangjian; the Shanghai Police Corps, police chief Cai Jinjun; the third, eighth and tenth artillery regiments. The 87th and 88th Divisions, the main force of the Chinese Army, were adapted from the 1st and 2nd Divisions trained by German consultants in 1936.Each division has two brigades, and each brigade has two regiments. The directly subordinate units include cavalry companies, artillery battalions, engineer battalions, communication battalions, supply battalions, health teams, and special service companies.The division has a total of 10,923 people, more than 3,800 rifles, 328 light and heavy machine guns, 46 artillery and mortars of various types, and 243 grenade launchers. Tool.Among them, the 88th Division is also equipped with a tank defense artillery company.The 56th Division was reorganized during the Northern Expedition by the Ma Xiangbin Division of the Anhui Army and the Wu Xintian Division of the Fujian Army. After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, it moved from Fujian to Shanghai. The division has three brigades with a total of 8,170 people. The equipment is poor and the combat effectiveness is weak. The total strength of the above-mentioned Chinese Army in the Songhu area is about 50,000. The Military Commission of the Nationalist Government subsequently ordered that the Office of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Border Region be reorganized into the Eighth Group Army, under the command of Zhang Fakui, the 61st, 62nd, 55th, 57th Divisions and the Independent 45th Army. Brigade, Artillery Second Brigade (less than three regiments).The demarcated combat area is: bounded by the Suzhou Creek flowing from west to east into the Huangpu River, the Ninth Army is in the north, and the Eighth Army is in the south. The equipment of the Chinese navy in 1937 was outdated, and compared with the strength of the Japanese navy, there was almost no possibility of winning.Those who participated in the battle in the Songhu area basically belonged to the first and second fleets under the command of the Ministry of the Navy, as well as the practice fleet and surveying fleet. Some of the old ships in these two fleets were left over from the navy of the Qing Dynasty and had been sunk into the Yangtze River The channel was used as an obstacle, and the only ships that could really fight the Japanese navy were the four cruisers "Pinghai", "Ninghai", "Yingrui" and "Yixian". The total tonnage is less than 10,000 tons, which is not as good as the tonnage of an armored cruiser of the Japanese Navy "Izumo". The Chinese Air Force in 1937 was in its infancy, and the number and quality of aircraft were far from those of the Japanese Air Force.After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the 25 main squadrons of the Chinese Air Force were ordered to go north to North China to delay the Japanese army from going south.待淞沪战事将起时，以南京、广德为基地，以曹娥、杭州、嘉兴、扬州、苏州、长兴为主要机场，淞沪地区可以参战的空军只有四个大队，战机百余架。 大战即将爆发时，从中日双方在淞沪地区的军力对比上看，中国军队在陆、海、空军的武器装备上远落后于日军——海军基本上没有对抗的可能，空军只能说是略占优势，因为日军暂时能够投入的战机有限，且中国空军由于距离基地较近补给便捷。在中国军队方面，占有绝对优势的，只有地面部队的兵力总数。 “一举把日本海军陆战队扫荡出上海。”这是淞沪地区中国军队官兵们的决心。 蒋介石致电第九集团军司令长官张治中： 一九三七年八月十三日上午，日军海军陆战队第三大队突然越界强占了八字桥，袭击了中国守军第八十八师的步哨，两军随即发生了小规模的步哨战。八字桥枪炮声一起，日方立即说：“在商务印书馆附近的中国军队，突然向陆战队阵地进行射击”；而中方说：“日陆战队今晨违背诺言，轻启衅端，向我北区守军攻击。” 这一天张治中心绪烦乱，因为他昨夜收到蒋介石的密电：“希等候命令并须避免小部队之冲突。”——“本想以一个扫荡的态势，乘敌措手不及之时，一举将敌主力击溃，把上海一次整个拿下。但现在失此良机，似乎是太可惜了！”攻击发动前夕，蒋介石突然命令避免冲突，原因是列强们组成的“上海外交团”建议中国政府把上海设为“不设防城市”。这一建议，让“南京政府不免犹豫了一下”，“故突然命令”张治中先不要进攻。十三日上午日军向八字桥发动的袭击，令张治中心情更加恶劣：先下手的反而是日军了。 上海市市长俞鸿钧以抗议书的形式向日方提出了严重抗议：“贵方陆战队于本晨九时十五分，在北区地带急向本市区内警戒线内冲入，攻击我守军，当经我守军沉着抵抗后，因我方不欲事态扩大，除将贵方挑衅部队驱回外，并未追击，纠纷旋即停止。本市长认为贵方陆战队此举足以危害和平，妨碍治安，相应提出抗议，请烦查照，转之贵国海军当局尊重承诺，严切制止为荷。” 史称淞沪抗战为“八一三”战役。实际上，八月十三日并未开战，只是中日两军发生了小规模的军事冲突。但无论如何，这是中日两军在淞沪地区正规部队的正式接战。史称的“八一三淞沪会战”自此爆发。 只是，中日双方都没有料到，两军在中国淞沪地区的正式作战，竟然从空战开始。 按照日方拟定的作战方案，日本海军航空兵的任务，是在开战第一天对中国空军进行大规模急袭，力争取得先发制人的效果。十三日午夜，长谷川清对他指挥的海军航空兵下达了十四日清晨倾巢而出的作战命令：第二航空队空袭南京、广德、杭州机场；第一联合航空队的鹿屋航空队空袭南昌机场；第八、第十战队和第一水雷战队空袭上海虹桥机场；第一航空队以及木更津航空队作为预备队待命。 十四日黎明时分，中国东南沿海的海面上移动着一股巨大的低压气流，天空风雨交加，风速达到每秒二十二米。由于气象条件恶劣，凌晨五时三十分，长谷川清下令：等待天气好转后升空作战。 尽管日方已经得知，中国空军将大部分作战飞机紧急调向了东南沿海地区，至少在淞沪这一局部空域里，中日两军的空军力量并没有明显的优劣，但日军还是没把中国空军放在眼里。他们普遍认为，中国空军机型老旧，数量有限，舍不得拿出来血拼；且中国空军的飞行员作战经验不足，没有胆量与日军真枪实弹的作战，只要用急袭的手段把中国空军的作战飞机击毁在东南沿海几个机场的停机库里或者跑道上，中国空军就基本上等于被消灭了。 但是，这一次日本人错了。 十三日，日本海军陆战队与中国军队第八十八师小规模的冲突发，下午二时，中国空军前敌总指挥周至柔下达了第一号空军作战命令，要求部队在十四日黄昏前做好出动的一切准备。其出发机场的分配是：第九大队在曹娥机场；第四大队在笕桥机场；第二大队在广德和长兴机场；暂编大队在嘉兴机场；第五大队在扬州机场；第六大队的五队在苏州机场，四队在淮阴机场；第七大队、第十六大队在滁县机场；第八大队和第三大队八队在南京机场；第三大队十七队在句容机场。由于得知日军军舰大量麇集吴淞口，并且已经开始炮击上海市区，加之十四日中国军队的地面部队将有大动作，十四日凌晨二时，周至柔又发布了第二号作战命令： （一）毁灭公大纱厂敌之飞机及破坏其机场。 （二）轰炸向我射击及游弋海面之敌舰。 （三）第二大队由航校霍机（霍克战斗机）掩护，以一队轰炸公大纱厂附近敌构筑之机场及飞机，以两队轰炸吴淞口向我市府射击之敌舰；吴淞口若未发现敌舰，应向集结崇明附近之敌舰轰炸之。 （四）航校霍机六架，应掩护第二大队之轰炸。 （五）第二大队及霍克队，以九时四十分到达目标为准。 （六）第五大队（欠二十八队）先集中扬州，携带五百磅炸弹于本日（十四日）午前七时准备完毕，向长江口外敌舰轰炸之，以午前九时到达目标为准。 （七）第三大队自本日（十四日）晨起，采紧急警戒姿态，担任首都之防空。 （八）第六大队仍不断侦查海面，特须侦查敌航空母舰之行踪……如发现敌航空母舰时，则加马力飞回，迅速报告。 （九）本日（十四日）出动之空军，以达成轰炸任务为第一目的，切忌与敌在空中作战…… （十）各驱逐机在离地之前，遇敌机来袭时，应在地面拉脱炸弹，立即起飞应战，以掩护友机之起飞。 （十一）十四日开始轰炸后，应迅速准备连续轰炸，至敌舰毁灭为止…… 十四日晨七时，杭州笕桥机场，中国空军第三十五独立队的五架寇蒂斯BT-32型轰炸机起飞了——风急雨猛，云高三百米，在恶劣气象条件下，日军在等待天气好转，中国空军却果决地升空了——五架轰炸机成楔形队形，以一千五百米的高度，冒着日军密集的地面高射炮火，直扑公大纱厂的日军阵地和军械库，命中目标后全部安全返航，部分飞机机身上弹孔密布。 八时四十分，第二大队副大队长孙桐岗率领二十一架诺斯罗普-2E轻型轰炸机，携带十四枚二百五十公斤炸弹、七十枚五十公斤炸弹自广德机场起飞，兵分两路轰炸日军的公大机场、汇山码头以及吴淞口海面上的日军军舰。轰炸机场和码头的飞机在八百米投弹，全部命中目标。轰炸吴淞口日军军舰的轰炸机，由于能见度很差，投弹后效果不详，但是被轰炸的日舰已经开始向长江入海口逃窜。返航时，二十一架轰炸机有六架因天气恶劣迫降其他机场，两个小时后全部归队。 九时二十分，第五大队大队长丁纪徐驾驶霍克式驱逐机，携带五百磅炸弹一枚，自扬州机场起飞，沿着长江寻找日舰，在南通附近江面发现日军驱逐舰一艘，俯冲投弹后，日舰舰尾中弹，随即沉没。 长谷川清没有想到中国空军能够不顾恶劣气象条件抢先下手了。当停泊在吴淞口外的第三舰队旗舰“出云”号受到攻击时，他决定不顾天气是否转好命令航空兵立即出击。 午后，在新一轮的轰炸中，中国空军第五大队、第二大队以及三十五队的飞机，先后轰炸了上海日军海军陆战队司令部和日军基地公大机场、汇山码头等地。日军显然加强了防空火力，第五大队被击落一架驱逐机，击伤两架；第二大队的轰炸机被击伤两架。 中国空军在黄浦江上空冒着日军高射炮的弹幕，毫不畏缩奋勇轰炸日军的面目标和军舰的作战，让上海市民进入一种难以名状的兴奋中，他们纷纷跑向外滩，登上各个大厦的楼顶观战，欢呼雀跃之声响彻整个城市。 日军海军陆战队在大规模轰炸中伤亡惨重，因此不断呼叫空军请求援助。但是，第三舰队的空战飞机多是舰载飞机，由于风浪太大，舰载飞机无法在军舰上安全起降。长谷川清只好命令驻守台北的鹿屋航空队升空，拦截中国空军的轰炸机，摧毁上海周边中国空军的主要机场。 笕桥机场是中国航空学校所在地，也是中国空军在淞沪作战的主要基地，于是成为日军鹿屋航空队发动袭击的首选目标。 杭州上空，狂风暴雨。 中国空军第四大队，原定用于华北作战，已于八月四日飞抵周家口机场，但十三日那天接到命令：全队向杭州笕桥机场转场。十四日，大雨滂沱中，全队三十二架飞机有的无法起飞，有的因为跑道过于泥泞而发生事故，仅有二十七架战机安全飞抵笕桥。刚刚着陆，敌机靠近机场的战斗警报就响了。大队长高志航命令全队紧急加油。没等全部飞机加油完毕，鹿屋航空队的九架飞机已经进入杭州空域。这些日式双翼轰炸机在风雨中努力保持着队形，摇摇晃晃地终于从雨云的缝隙中发现了笕桥机场。突然，他们看见中国空军的飞机迎面而来。首先紧急起飞的是大队长高志航和二十一队分队长谭文，两人当即将一架日军飞机击落。日机发觉中国空军在此有备，迅速拉升进入云层躲避，但第四大队升空的飞机已经追击而来。二十二队队长郑少愚在曹娥江上空追上了一架日机并将其击落，二十一队队长李桂丹和队员柳哲生、王文弾也合力击落一架日机。 空军初战的结果，令日本人大感意外。 木更津航空队队长石井义因羞愧难当剖腹自杀。 激烈的空战发生在一座人口稠密的繁华城市上空，对于这座城市的市民而言无疑是一场悲剧。大量的航空炸弹直接落在了上海城区内——有的是日军飞机投掷的以及军舰上的舰炮发射的，有的是中国轰炸机轰炸黄浦江上的日舰时投掷误差造成的。被驻上海的外国通讯社称之为“黑色星期六”的这一天，两颗重磅炸弹落在了距外滩不远的公共租界与法租界相邻的虞洽卿路（今西藏中路）和爰多亚路（今延安东路）相交的大街上，那里有一个由上海著名的娱乐公司大世界设立的救济站，五千多难民每日到那里领取救济粥。炸弹爆炸的那一刻死伤无数：“第一枚炸弹在马路的沥青路面上爆炸；而第二枚炸弹，显然是在离地面数英尺的空中爆炸的。由于弹片的散落，人员死伤特别多。数十辆汽车挤成一团，车内的人们不是被碎弹片击伤，就是因车子油箱爆炸燃烧而活活烧死。至于街上的数百名行人，则被炸得尸肉横飞，四分五裂。最惨不忍睹的场面是在大世界游乐场前面的广场上，数千难民当时正簇拥在施粥站前。血肉模糊的尸体中有男人、女人，还有孩子，大部分人的衣服都被烧光。后来，尸体都被堆在这幢建筑物的旁边，其高度惊人有五英尺。”接着，又有五颗航空炸弹落在了繁华的南京路上，在两家上海最著名的饭店——汇中饭店和华懋饭店的大门口爆炸，当时的南京路上挤满了欲去租界里避难的难民，即刻又有数百人死伤。那一天，驻上海的美国《密勒氏评论报》主编鲍威尔的记述是：“生平第一次看见人血汩汩流入下水道的惨象。”美国总统罗斯福的妻子埃莉诺·罗斯福正在上海访问，她目睹了“毫无防卫能力的平民百姓，惨遭杀戮和毁灭”的惨状，立即给中日双方的领导人发出电报，呼吁停止轰炸公共租界。在发给日本内阁首相的电报中罗斯福夫人说： 我今天致电蒋介石夫人，希望在上海租界的无辜平民的生命得到保障前，暂停轰炸上海。由于数量过多的日本陆海军部队出现在上海公共租界的边界内外，使得中国方面认为他们必须采取必要的军事措施加以防卫。我请求阁下设法使上海中立化，并使非战斗人员获得安全。鉴于贵国皇室过去对我的友谊，故致电向你请求。 罗斯福夫人的电报，令日本海军第三舰队旗舰“出云”号驶离了它之前的停泊地点，即避开了“上海市区的正面”。只是，“出云”号的驶离，令中国空军的轰炸“从上海市区的边缘向外延伸”，日本海军也用舰载重炮“越过上海市区”轰击中国军队，这就使得上海郊区的百姓又死伤无数。 作为淞沪战场最高指挥官，张治中目睹了上海市民的遭遇，他特别发表声明告诉百姓：“和平确已完全绝望，牺牲已到最后关头”，中国军队与日本侵略者不共戴天，必以“当年喋血淞沪、长城之精神，扫荡敌军出境，不达保卫我领土主权之目的，誓不终止”。同日，国民政府发表《自卫抗战声明书》，宣示抵抗侵略的决心不可动摇，因为“中国决不放弃领土之任何部分”： ……中国之领土主权，已横遭日本之侵略，国联盟约、九国公约、非战公约，已为日本所破坏无余。此等条约，其最大目的，在维持正义与和平。中国责任所在，自应尽其能力，以维护其领土主权，及维护上述各条约之尊严。中国决不放弃领土之任何部分，遇有侵略，惟有实行天赋自卫权以应之…… 十四日下午，张治中下达了总攻命令。 在猛烈的炮火准备后，中国军队第八十七、第八十八师向日本海军陆战队阵地发起了攻击。——与空战相反，在兵力上占据绝对优势的中国军队，当地面进攻开始后，即刻遭遇了重大伤亡。 第八十八师是最早进入淞沪地区的部队。早在卢沟桥事变发生不久后，这个师就已派出部分官兵化装成保安队分批潜入上海市区，并对市区内的战场进行了详细侦查。师主力于十一日夜乘火车急运上海后，师长孙元良命令部队抢占火车北站、宝山路、八字桥和江湾路一线，沿着上海至吴淞口的铁路线，建立起自南向北延伸的轴心阵地。第八十八师官兵面对的日军阵地，是以汇山码头为起点、以日军海军陆战队司令部为终点，沿着吴淞路、北四川路直至虹口公园的一条背靠黄浦江的线形防御阵地。按照预定作战计划，第八十八师需集中兵力在第一时间击毁日军海军陆战队司令部。 攻击开始后，原来据守前沿的第二六二旅以火车北站为中心在右翼牵制日军，黄梅兴旅长指挥的第264旅为主攻部队从左翼突进直扑日军海军陆战队司令部。自知兵力不足的日军节节抵制，尽量拖延时间以待援军。两军面对面相搏，作战技能和武器装备的差距立即显现。日军作战意志顽固，单兵武器精良，加上“一·二八”事变后的多年经营，各个据点都有高大的围墙以及密集的明碉暗堡。这些明碉暗堡多为钢筋水泥建筑，十分坚固，经得起五百磅以上炸弹的轰击。特别是在虹桥与吴淞之间的江湾路一线，日军建筑以厚钢板为主体的防御工事，火力配备十分密集。攻击开始的时候，第八十八师德国军事顾问决定，按照德军的作战样式，在突击正面组织一支五百人的突击队，对日军阵地实施“闪电战”。突击队的行动被取名为“铁拳计划”。这个旨在先行捣毁日军指挥部的突击计划，策划得近乎完美：选择日军阵地的薄弱点，五百精壮士兵配备轻便的自动武器，由一个炮兵营专门为其炮火开路支援，以便形成一个拳头猛插狠攻进去。但是，尽管带队营长刘宏深身先士卒，士兵们勇猛冲击，却还是几乎每前进一米的距离都要用战死士兵的尸体铺路，日军凶猛的火力令中国军队在正面攻击时付出了惨重的伤亡代价。最终，“铁拳计划”没有成功。营长刘宏深，湖南醴陵人，黄埔军校第五期毕业，阵亡时年仅二十八岁，新婚不足百天。中国左右两翼的攻击部队，在炮兵支援不利的情况下拼死向前。随着中国官兵的决死推进，其攻击前锋已至距日军海军陆战队司令部不远的地方，日军终于在抵抗线上显出了退却的迹象，一些日军士兵开始向租界方向逃跑。但是，就在这时候，一发炮弹击中了第264旅的前敌指挥所，旅长黄梅兴、旅参谋主任邓洸以及通讯排三十多名官兵当场全部阵亡。黄梅兴，广东平远人，出身贫苦，一九二四年考入黄埔军校第一期。一九三二年上海爆发“一·二八”事变时，身为第264旅五二八团团长的他，奉命率部增援与日军作战的第十九路军。在著名的庙行战役中，五二八团不但扼制了日军深入的企图，且以顽强的意志和强大的火力逐步迫使日军后退。因战功卓著，战后他升任第264旅旅长，晋级为陆军少将。黄梅兴旅长的阵亡和前敌指挥所的被毁，令中国军队最前沿的攻击部队失去了指挥，攻击不得不停止。 此战没有达成攻占日军海军陆战队司令部的目的。 攻击停止后，经过清查，在数小时的攻击中，担任主攻的第264旅，包括旅长在内伤亡千人，其中五二七团就有七名连长阵亡。 十四日晚上，张治中突然接到蒋介石电令：“今晚不可进攻。另候后命。” 无法得知蒋介石为什么命令停止攻击。 至少有一点可以肯定，那就是这一天的战斗让中国军事统帅部意识到，之前对中日两军在综合战力上的衡量与预计存在着严重失误。——至少在淞沪会战开始的时候，中国军队的兵力是日军的十倍，这个“十比一”的战场兵力对比比例，在今后长达数年之久的战争中，对中国方面的战役决策与部署影响甚深。 十四日，日本召开内阁会议，会上讨论了一系列急需明确的问题：局势发展到今日是否已不再是不扩大但也还不是全面战争？战争的目的何在？是否应该把“华北事变”改称为“日华事变”？继而有必要对中国宣战？最后的结论是：“筹划战时形势下所需要的各种对策”；向第三、第十一、第十四师团等下达紧急动员令。 十五日，中国军队没有发动全线攻击。为了迫近日军海军陆战队司令部，为了给再次开始的总攻击做准备，中国军队第八十七、第八十八师组织了突击队向日军阵地实施渗透，并多次突破日军的防线，占领了五洲公墓、爱国女校以及粤东中学等日军据点。第八十七师突击队甚至一度攻入日军海军倶乐部，将陆战第一大队第二中队中队长贵志金吾击毙。同时，中国海军电雷学校的两艘鱼雷快艇向日本海军第三舰队旗舰“出云”号实施了一次鱼雷攻击，但是没有成功。 鉴于十四日海军航空兵在作战中的惨败，十五日，日本海军第三舰队的作战飞机几乎倾巢而出对中国空军实施报复性攻击。早晨七时三十分，鹿屋航空队的十四架攻击机从台北机场起飞，前往攻击南昌机场；九时十分，木更津航空队的二十架攻击机从大村机场起飞，袭击南京机场；与此同时，十六架94式舰载轰炸机、十三架96式舰载攻击机和十六架89式舰载攻击机，从吴淞口外的日军“加贺”号航空母舰上起飞，前往攻击绍兴、笕桥、嘉兴等机场。也是从早晨七时起，中国空军的第五、第二、第六和第七大队相继带弹升空，对日军军舰、日军海军陆战队司令部以及日军虹口军营进行轰炸和袭击。驻扎杭州笕桥机场的中国空军第四大队在警报声中登机起飞，在大队长高志航的率领下，迎击从“加贺”号航空母舰上起飞的日机机群。中国空军飞行员凭借胆量和仇恨，冲入敌机机群展开如同陆地上拼刺刀般的格斗，先后有五架日军飞机被击落和击伤。木更津航空队在南京上空也遭遇中国空军的拦截和追击，飞机被击落四架，击伤六架。十五日中日空战的最后统计是：日军损失飞机二十架，中国空军仅损失九架。如果说这一天中国空军有损失的话，主要不是来自空战，而是自己造成的混乱：第九大队从河南许昌机场向浙江曹娥机场转场时，有九架飞机因找不到目标试图在杭州机场降落，因被中国的地面部队误认为是日本飞机而遭到炮火射击，降落时又与机场上停着的飞机相撞，结果这些飞机尚未参战便损失惨重，而它们都是国民政府刚从美国购置的崭新的雪腊克超低空攻击机。 十五日，日本裕仁天皇批准了参谋本部下达的“临参命第七十三号”，即派遣军队“占领上海及其北方地区要线”的命令： Order 一、上海派遣军派到上海。