Chapter 8 Chapter Seven Keeping the Chinese Nation in the World

When the battle in Shanghai gradually expanded, the Chinese Supreme Command ignored the Shanxi battlefield for a time. At the junction of Shanxi and Hebei, the Taihang Mountain runs from north to south, overlooking the entire North China region from a high position.Since ancient times, Shanxi has been the western barrier of North China, and controlling Shanxi is equivalent to controlling North China from the commanding heights.Therefore, to secure North China, Shanxi must be secured, and to seize North China must also control Shanxi. ——From the beginning of the war in North China, the Japanese army focused their attack on northern Shanxi, based on this common sense of military affairs.

However, after the Battle of Nankou, when the Japanese army on Pingsui Road was aggressively advancing towards Shanxi, Chiang Kai-shek transferred Tang Enbo's Thirteenth Army, which was located in the Second Theater, to the direction of Songhu.In this regard, Yan Xishan expressed serious dissatisfaction, saying that he was "anxious for what he needed and slowed down his urgent needs, so why not mend the sores and gouge out the flesh".The Communists also have objections to this, and believe that Chiang Kai-shek "did not clearly realize the important strategic significance of defending Shanxi, and failed to use more elite troops to defend Shanxi first. reason".

After the Japanese army broke through the Pingxing Pass and Yanmen Pass, they attacked Taiyuan directly. Only then did Chiang Kai-shek realize the importance of Shanxi to the national war situation: "When we fight the Japanese, we are not afraid to fight from the south or from the north. Marco Polo Bridge enters Shanxi, passes through Hanzhong, and enters Sichuan.” What Chiang Kai-shek worried about was the safety of the rear of China’s Anti-Japanese War—the war had just begun, if there was no rear, how would the war continue? Seishiro Itagaki, head of the Fifth Division of the Japanese Army, was eager to occupy Taiyuan.

According to the intention of the Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters in the early days of the war, the North China War should be limited to the North China Plain: "The North China Front Army's combat area (excluding aviation) is probably located north of the Shijiazhuang-Dezhou line." However, Itagaki Seishiro believes that it is necessary to comprehensively To control Shanxi, one must at least occupy Taiyuan: "The basic theory of combat for conquering Taiyuan is based on the anciently recognized saying that 'If you subdue Shanxi, you can subdue North China, and if you subdue North China, you can subdue the whole of China'." Itagaki Seishiro's staff officer Miyama Kaname Zang Dazuo said: "The officers and soldiers of the Fifth Division at that time almost all had a charming sense of mission to this sentence, as if it was a spell that could use it to overcome all difficulties."

The Kwantung Army highly agrees with Itagaki Seishiro that strong force must be used to control Shanxi and North China.After that, a puppet regime controlled by the Japanese was quickly established to fundamentally guarantee the "national defense security" of "Manchukuo".The Japanese General Staff Headquarters finally agreed to Itagaki Seishiro's request and issued an operational order to attack Taiyuan on October 1, 1927.The North China Front Army of the Japanese Army immediately ordered a part of the Kwantung Army to be under the command of Seishiro Itagaki; a part of the Japanese Army in Hebei was ordered to break through the defense line of the Chinese defenders in Shijiazhuang, and to attack along Zhengtai Road (Zhengding-Taiyuan) in the direction of Jingxing, and was registered as the Fifth Division . ——Jingxing, located in the west of Shijiazhuang in Hebei and east of Niangziguan in Shanxi, is the hub of the Zhengtai Railway from Hebei to Shanxi.

Yan Xishan retreated from Taihe Lingkou, and as soon as he returned to Taiyuan, he received an order from Chiang Kai-shek asking him to stick to Shanxi, and asked him to stick to Shanxi for as long as possible—at least a month or more.For this reason, Yan Xishan requested that Wei Lihuang's Fourteenth Group Army on the Ping-Han Line be transferred to the command of the Second Theater.Chiang Kai-shek agreed. ——Yan Xishan took the initiative to ask the Central Army troops to enter his Shanxi territory, which was absolutely impossible in the past. Wei Lihuang's Fourteenth Group Army, one of the elite units of the Chinese Army, at least looks completely different from Yan Xishan's Jin Army: officers and soldiers all wear dark gray uniforms, and all carry 7.9mm rifles.There are also a lot of machine guns, and there are even German mountain guns for tanks.Most of them speak Cantonese or Anhui accents, and they don’t talk much when they sit and rest. They like to sing when they are marching. They sing the "Fourteenth Army Song" written by Wei Lihuang:

On October 4th, Wei Lihuang arrived in Taiyuan before the troops. Seeing Wei Lihuang, Yan Xishan couldn't help sighing, "We begged you here". The next day, Yan Xishan, Zhou Enlai, Wei Lihuang, Fu Zuoyi, and Huang Shaohong, the newly appointed deputy commander of the second war zone, discussed the defense of Xinkou together.Regarding the enemy's situation, everyone's unanimous judgment is: "The main force of the enemy is to attack from Daying and Fanzhi, one part is to attack from Datong and Yanmen along the automobile road, and the other part is to carry out diversion attacks near Yangfangkou (located in the southwest of Yanmen Pass) to make it easier for the main force to attack.” Therefore, it was decided that the Chinese defenders would rely on the mountains from Wutai in the east to Ningwu in the west, and use the key points north of Xinkou as combat support to shorten the front line and concentrate their forces against the Japanese troops heading south. To snipe.The specific deployment is: Zhu De's Eighteenth Army is the right wing, Wei Lihuang's Fourteenth Army is the center, Yang Aiyuan's Sixth Army is the left wing, and Fu Zuoyi's Seventh Army is the general reserve.

Because the Japanese army had captured the important areas in northern Shanxi, the edge of its offensive hung straight to the south.This caused Yan Xishan to be overly alert to Xinkou just north of Taiyuan, while ignoring the defense in the direction of Niangziguan to the east of Taiyuan.For this reason, Mao Zedong called Zhou Enlai specifically and entrusted him to remind Yan Xishan: After the Japanese army in North China occupied Shijiazhuang, they would definitely attack westward along the Zhengtai Railway. Therefore, heavy troops must be sent to guard the Niangziguan direction, so as to ensure the safety of the Xinkou battlefield. .Mao Zedong believed that the total number of Japanese troops entering Shanxi was no more than two and a half divisions. In order to ensure the occupied areas in northern Shanxi, the Japanese army needed to allocate troops for defense.Therefore, the Japanese army attacking Xinkou had at most one division.If our army is properly deployed, it is possible to defeat the enemy, but the premise is that Niangziguan must be safe and stable.Otherwise, once the Japanese army in the North China battlefield advances westward, as long as they pass Niangziguan, not only will Taiyuan be within easy reach, but Yan Xishan will also be forced to fight on both sides due to the flanking attack of the Japanese army. ——Among the three points of combat that must be adhered to: Xinkou blockade, rear raid, and Niangziguan hold, Mao Zedong clearly puts sticking to Niangziguan first.

On the thirteenth, Mao Zedong called Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, and Peng Dehuai: ...Can you propose to Chiang (Chiang Kai-shek), Cheng (Cheng Qian) and Yan (Yan Xishan) to appoint Huang Shaohong as the commander-in-chief of all the armies (not including the Red Army) along the Niangziguan and Longquanguan along the east of the Taihang Mountains, so as to unify the command and ensure Niangziguan.Because if Niangziguan is not lost, Taiyuan can still be supported even if it is lost. If Niangziguan is lost, the war in North China will immediately become a local war, losing the meaning of the overall situation.It should be noted that the focus of the war in North China is not Taiyuan, but in the Taihang Mountains around Niangziguan and Longquanguan.If the Taihang Mountains and Zhengtai Road are in my hands, and the enemy enters Taiyuan as if they are in an urn, our army can still make a difference...

It is impossible to know whether Yan Xishan really understood and paid full attention to Mao Zedong's reminder.Although Huang Shaohong, the deputy commander in charge of the Niangziguan operation, transferred the Sun Lianzhong Department of the First Army Corps to Niangziguan as a reserve force according to Mao Zedong's reminder, but judging from the distribution of troops in the entire Shanxi battlefield, the Chinese army's deployment of troops in the direction of Niangziguan is still a small number. Too thin.The subsequent development of the war proved that Mao Zedong's worries about Niangziguan unfortunately became a reality, which made the Chinese army's operations on the Shanxi battlefield a pity.

When China's second war zone was formulating a combat plan, Seishiro Itagaki commanded the 21st Infantry Brigade of the 5th Division of the Japanese Army and the 2nd and 15th Brigades of the independent mixed group to gather near Dai County, and then began to attack Nao County. He Yuanping. On the 4th, the Japanese army occupied Yangmingbao in the southwest of Dai County, and when they continued to attack Nao County southward, they were repelled by the 19th Army of the Chinese defender Wang Jingguo.On the 5th, the Japanese army attacked Yangfangkou, west of Yangmingbao. After fighting fiercely with the Japanese army all night, the 7th Independent Brigade of the Chinese defenders retreated to Duanjialing and Wayao. The Japanese army occupied Ningwu County, south of Yangfangkou.In the afternoon, the Second Independent Brigade of the Japanese Army approached Beiguan in Nao County. Two regiments of the Second Independent Brigade of the Nineteenth Army fought with the Japanese in the north of the city. 〇Liu Liangxiang, head of the Seventh Regiment, and Gao Zhenlin attached to the regiment were killed; the special agent platoon of the 205th Brigade and the remnant of the 407th Regiment were ordered to launch a counterattack, but were forced to retreat into Nao County due to heavy casualties. The Japanese mixed fifteenth brigade began to attack Yuanping on the same day. At this time, the main force of Wei Lihuang's Fourteenth Army was still on the way, and it would not arrive at the Xinkou battlefield until around eight days at the earliest.This means that the Chinese defenders on the front line of Yuanping and Nao County must not retreat, and try their best to slow down the speed of the Japanese army going south.However, at this time, Yan Xishan issued an order to attack the Japanese army in an all-round way, requiring the Chinese troops from the left, center, and right to attack the Japanese army in front of them. road.Yan Xishan's purpose was to encircle and wipe out the Japanese troops in Nao County and Yuanping in the south - no one knows how it was possible to achieve a full-scale attack when the main force had not yet deployed.The most urgent problem at hand is: including the Eighth Route Army, the Chinese defenders must block the Japanese troops going south, and buy the necessary time for the main force to deploy in Xinkou, which is south of Yuanping and north of Taiyuan. On the 7th, with the support of more than 20 planes, more than 20 heavy artillery pieces and more than 30 mountain artillery pieces, the Second Independent Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army launched a fierce attack on Nao County.The city wall of Nao County collapsed more than ten feet, all the fortifications of the Chinese defenders were destroyed, and the telephone lines in the city were cut off. More than a thousand Japanese infantrymen began a group charge under the leadership of tanks.In the afternoon, the 409th Regiment on the Dongqiao position suffered all casualties. The head of the 410th Regiment, Shi Huanran, led more than 300 remnants to reinforce them.The Japanese army swarmed in from the gap in the collapsed city wall, and the remnants of the Chinese defenders withdrew from the county after brutal street fighting.Nao County fell. On this day, in the direction of Yuanping, the 15th Brigade of the Japanese Independent Army and the 196th Brigade of the Chinese garrison formed a confrontation. With the fall of Nao County, the Chinese army lost the support point for blocking and counterattack, which instantly made Yan Xishan's order for a full-scale attack come to naught. On the 8th, Yan Xishan ordered Xinkou to be on the defensive across the board. Mao Zedong called Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, and Peng Dehuai on the combat issues of the divisions of the Eighth Route Army: A. Fully agree with the battle plan decided by Zhou, Cheng Qian and Yan Xishan. B. All of our five divisions, except one for local workers, should be quickly concentrated in the mountains north of Taihuai Town and south of Daying Town and Shahe Town, waiting for the enemy to be drawn into the Yuanping and Xinxian areas and defeated When it is fierce, attack the Pingxingguan, Daying, Shahe, and Fanzhi lines.After succeeding, the friendship army occupied the line, and our army assaulted northward, occupying the Hunyuan and Yingxian areas, and opened up a new situation. C. Wang Zhen's department quickly returned to He Shi's establishment.Except for the guerrilla detachment, all of He's divisions should hide their main force in the Wuzhai area at this moment. When Yuanping fights fiercely head-on, and our 115th Division has launched operations to Daying and Hunyuan, we will use the main force to go out of the Great Wall and attack the enemy. Shuo County and Zuoyun area, echoing the Fifth Division, disrupted the entire rear of the enemy. Ding and the 129th Division are located in Xiaoyi with one regiment, and the main force is located behind the Zhengtai Railway, including Niangziguan. The areas originally designated by the E, Lin, and He Divisions should dispatch necessary local personnel to spread out their work in a planned way to complete certain tasks in certain areas, and the local work in the original areas should not be ignored because of the main force of operations. .Please Zhu and Peng quickly consider and implement the above deployment opinions. The deployment of our army can only be told to Yan Xishan face to face, not to him by telegram, and Yan must not issue it to anyone to prevent leakage. After the victory in the Pingxingguan ambush, the Eighth Route Army led by the Communist Party was respected by other units of the Chinese army on the northern Shanxi front.Mao Zedong specifically asked Zhu De and Peng Dehuai to tell all the commanders of the troops under the jurisdiction of the Eighth Route Army that once there were "troops entrusted to us by the Kuomintang" in combat, the Eighth Route Army should "take an attitude of love and assistance, and not let them take on the most dangerous tasks, and not let them Supplies are lacking”, and they should be “discussed more, express love and care, and refrain from contempt, neglect, ridicule, indifference” and other wrong attitudes.Being on the same battlefield as the Eighth Route Army, Yan Xishan's officers and soldiers of the Jin Army were surprised to find that the Eighth Route Army was very young from officers to soldiers. Pamphlet - "Ten Programs for Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation". According to the combat order issued by the Eighth Route Army headquarters, on October 1, the Yanbei Detachment of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army attacked Jingping Town, Kepinglu County, north of Shuo County, and ambushed the Japanese transport team near Xinzhuang; On the 10th, the 344th Brigade of the 344th Brigade of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army cut off the Japanese army's line of communication near Pingxingguan.Since the main force of the Japanese army had already moved south, the important places in northern Shanxi could only be defended separately.Therefore, the Eighth Route Army, which was located in the battlefield behind the enemy, took advantage of the weak strength of the Japanese army and took advantage of raids and ambushes to annihilate the Japanese transport convoys many times, and successively fought to recover many cities, "cutting off the rear traffic of the Japanese army between Zhangjiakou and Daixian Wire". On October 6, Chiang Kai-shek called Zhu De, Commander-in-Chief of the Eighth Route Army: The good news comes, no one is gratified.Attacking the enemy's side and breaking their connection has achieved great results. It is more beneficial to occupy if he hopes to mobilize the people and expand operations so that the enemy has worries about the future. On October 7th, Chiang Kai-shek called Zhu De and Peng Dehuai again: The Song Detachment (Song Shilun, the leader of the Yanbei Detachment of the Eighth Route Army) fought the enemy bravely and regained Jingping, which is very gratifying.If we can expand the guerrilla attack and move towards the Pingsui Line Mountains, it will be especially meaningful to make the enemy feel pain.And I hope that the soldiers in front will send praises and encouragements on behalf of them. The operations of the Eighth Route Army were completely isolated battles on the battlefield behind enemy lines, so the troops suffered heavy casualties. For this reason, the First Department (Operational Department) of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government called Zhang Zhizhong, then head of the Management Department of the Military Commission, regarding the issue of combat awards and stipends for the Eighth Route Army: According to the 18th Group Army Commander-in-Chief Zhu De (Yangqu) Jiang's (3rd) telegram, "Since Zhilu entered the battle, the main force has been organized on the two flanks of the Pingxingguan, Yanmenguan, and Shuoxian lines, and another four detachments have been organized to attack the enemy's rear. The main task is to cut off transportation, destroy traffic, mobilize mass organizations, and expand guerrilla warfare. All detachments have won successively. A total of more than 80 cars, one 92 field gun, and 73 and 75 mountain shells were seized. More than 3,000 shots, more than 300 rifles, more than 20 machine guns, and killed more than a thousand enemies. Now the traffic in Laiyuan, Guangling, and Lingqiu has been completely cut off by me, and the enemy dare not transport them during the day. But I suffered casualties There are more than 600 officers and soldiers, and there are two deputy regimental commanders and two battalion commanders each. Please give me awards and shirts" and other words. On the 10th, the Japanese army continued to launch a group charge at the gap in the city wall opened by artillery fire in Yuanping County, repeatedly exhausting the strength of the 196th Brigade of the Chinese defenders who had withdrawn into the city.The Chinese defenders suffered heavy casualties and ran out of ammunition. During the fierce street fighting, those officers and soldiers who were still alive fought repeatedly on every street and every courtyard.The 196th Brigade was tasked with defending for seven days. Now that the task had been completed, it received an order to defend for another three days, because the deployment of the main force in the direction of Xinkou had not yet been completed.Seeing that the troops were almost wiped out, some officers and soldiers advocated withdrawing from Yuanping, but the brigade commander Jiang Yuzhen expressed that he would live and die with Yuanping County. After Jiang Yuzhen was ordered to stick to Yuanping, she was barebacked, with a short gun on her back, and she would take the lead in every battle, carrying grenades and rushing to kill with the soldiers.On the 11th day of the battle, there were only five or six hundred troops left in Yuanping County.The surviving officers and soldiers escorted the wounded out of the city without ammunition, because everyone knew that the fall of Yuanping City was irreversible.However, Jiang Yuzhen believed that as long as he, the brigade commander, was still there, Yuan Ping could not be regarded as lost.At the last moment, the only ones staying in the city with Brigadier Jiang were the special agent platoon leader Huang Hongyou and a few soldiers, and they stood guard in a courtyard.More and more Japanese troops besieged, and the shells fell directly into the courtyard, and Jiang Yuzhen was blown down.The soldiers dragged the brigade commander who got up from the mud and moved out of the city wall from the pre-dug hole in the city wall.During the transfer, Jiang Yuzhen's leg was injured by a Japanese shell.He was tall and burly, and it was difficult for the soldiers to walk on his back. When the Japanese army caught up with him, he had lost consciousness due to excessive blood loss, and the Japanese army's bayonet pierced his abdomen. The Japanese army blocked the vehicles of the 196th Brigade transporting the wounded and stabbed more than 200 wounded to death. Huang Hongyou, the leader of the spy platoon, once led the soldiers back to search for the body of the brigade commander, but when they failed, they cried. After the Japanese army found out that this was the brigade commander of the Chinese army who was sticking to Yuanping City, they dragged Jiang Yuzhen's body away and cut off his head. Jiang Yuzhen, the son of a poor farmer in Heze, Shandong Province, lost his father before he was born, and his mother raised him with difficulty.The Jin army who entered Yan Xishan at the age of 19 was hard-working and brave in combat. He successively entered the Shanxi Army Cadre School and the Central Military Academy for further studies.In 1934, he was promoted to the commander of the 196th Brigade with the rank of major general. He was 43 years old when he died in battle. The 196th Brigade of the Chinese Army defended Yuanping for nearly ten days, annihilating nearly a thousand Japanese soldiers, and only 200 of the 5,000 officers and soldiers of the brigade survived. The persistence of Nao County and Yuanping, as well as the Eighth Route Army's attack on the rear of the Japanese army, bought precious time for the main force of the second theater to assemble and deploy defenses on the Xinkou line. Xinkou, "the last mountain pass that can be guarded on the way to Taiyuan". Xinkou is actually a large village located at the junction of Xin County, Nao County, and Dingxiang County, about 100 kilometers south of Taiyuan.Wutai Mountain in the east and Yunzhong Mountain in the west form a canyon running through the north and south. A mountain ridge is 16 kilometers long and 3 kilometers wide across the canyon. The terrain is very dangerous.At the foot of the mountain on the right side of the northern end of the mountain, that is, to the north of the big village of Xinkou, the Hutuo River flows from the north, and the Yunzhong River flows from the west. After converging here, they continue to flow east.Xinkou, sandwiched between the two mountains, is like a gourd mouth, which has been an important traffic channel for entering and leaving Jinzhong since ancient times.In 1935, the national government allocated special funds to build national defense fortifications in Xinkou, and built dozens of cave dwellings in a ravine called "Honggou" on the southwest side of Xinkou as the military headquarters in wartime. As of October 11, the Chinese defenders on the front line of Xinkou had all entered the designated positions and occupied the preset positions. On the 12th, the Japanese army continued to move south from Yuanping. Yan Xishan assigned the armored convoy and air force to Wei Lihuang, the former enemy commander-in-chief, and re-divided the combat tasks and areas of each unit: Liu Maoen was the commander-in-chief of the Right Wing Corps, which governed the 15th, 17th and 94th armies. The left-wing corps is commanded by Li Moan, and it governs the 10th, 83rd, and 85th divisions of the 14th Army and the 68th and 71st divisions of the Jinsui Army; the Central Corps is led by Wang Jingguo. He served as the commander-in-chief, Hao Mengling was the commander-in-chief of the former enemy, and Chen Changjie was the deputy commander-in-chief of the former enemy, governing the Ninth, Nineteenth, Thirty-fifth, and Sixty-first armies. The specific combat deployment of Wei Lihuang, the former commander-in-chief of the enemy, is as follows: (1) Starting from tomorrow (13th), the flight team will send planes to detect and bomb the enemy south of Yuanping every day, and investigate the situation of the enemy's follow-up troops between Yuanping, Nao County, and Dai County. (2) The Right Wing Corps (Fifteenth Army) should still occupy the line of Shangshe Village, Barracks, and Lingshan, focusing on the left rear, and cut contact with the Central Corps; Set up guards at each key point; the other is to move forward as much as possible to the area south of Dai County to ensure the safety of the right side of the army, and to occupy the highlands east of Nanshentou and Tingzitou as a place for subsequent encirclement and attack stronghold. (3) The Central Corps (Ninth Army—Qian 47th Division, 21st Division, 28th Artillery Regiment, 2nd Anti-Japanese Artillery Company, 1st Armored Vehicle Team) should still occupy the north of Sanjiazhuang, The lines of Jiehepu, Nanhuaihua, and Xinlianzhuang should be placed in the right rear of the center, and they should be in contact with the right and left corps; and occupy advanced positions in Banshi and Xiawangzhuang. (4) The Fourteenth Corps of the Left Wing Corps (the Eighty-fifth Division, the Second Battalion of the Twenty-seventh Artillery Regiment, the Battle Defense Artillery Battalion - two companies owed, one company of Shanpao) should still occupy Qinjiazhuang, Dabaishui, The line of Nanyu is focused on the rear of the center to get in touch with the Central Corps; and a guard is deployed on the line of the 1482 highland at the head of the rear city.The other one moved to the area south of Mount Kailash, protecting the left side of the army. (5) The location of the general reserve: the 17th Army (less than the 21st Division) is still in the area near Xifeng Village; the Independent Fifth Brigade is still in the vicinity of Xinxian County; line preparation position.The rest of the 196th Brigade assembled near Daiqun Village, and then went to Guancheng Town to rebuild. The total strength of the Chinese army assembled on the Xinkou battlefield is about 280,000. In addition to the Ninth Army, Fourteenth Army, and Ninety-fourth Division of the Central Army, there are also Jin Army, Shaanxi Army, Henan Army, and Northeast Army. , Eighth Route Army and other units, as well as eight regiments of artillery, four divisions of cavalry, and 30 air force fighter planes that can support operations. In addition to Seishiro Itagaki's 5th Division, the Japanese attacking Xinkou also included the independent mixed Second and Fifteenth Brigades that belonged to the Kwantung Army's Chahar Corps, and the Kawashima High Detachment and Dibujiagui Detachment. About 15 infantry brigades are equipped with 150 tanks, 250 cannons, and 300 combat aircraft, with a total strength of about 50,000. Itagaki Seishiro always complained about the lack of troops, especially when his Ninth Brigade was transferred to Hangzhou Bay to land, the troops felt even more stretched.Although Terauchi Shouichi, the commander of the North China Front Army, drew two infantry brigades from the 109th Division responsible for the security of Hiraitjin, plus a mechanized infantry regiment, and ordered him to reinforce the Shanxi battlefield, Seishiro Itagaki still believed that his troops were weak. . Itagaki Seishiro knew that the Chinese army in front of him would definitely fight bloody battle with him. On October 12, the Japanese army carried out a tentative attack and infiltration to the frontier of Xinkou, and the Chinese garrison left wing corps was the first to bear the brunt.After the planes dived and bombed in turn, more than 300 Japanese cavalry and more than 400 infantry marched towards the important points on an arc-shaped defensive line northwest of Xinkou——Lancun, Yanzhuang, Weijiazhuang and 1482. Highland—Launch an attack, and then break through the Chinese defenders. On 148, the Chinese defenders fought back with artillery fire support, destroying four Japanese tanks, causing the Japanese troops who broke into the position to retreat temporarily.During the battle, the left and right wing corps of the Chinese army dispatched troops to carry out guerrilla operations behind enemy lines in Guangling, Lingqiu, Daixian and Nao counties respectively.The Seventh Brigade of the Chinese Air Force also dispatched four fighter planes. Under the leadership of the deputy captain Wu Pei, they took off from Taigu Airport and flew over Nao County to reconnaissance and bomb the moving Japanese army. The Japanese army suffered confusion and casualties and was forced to retreat. .When the Chinese warplanes returned, one of them lost its way and crashed into a mountain, and the other three landed safely at Taigu Airport. After the tentative attack was frustrated, the Japanese army decided to launch a formal attack with the mixed 15th Brigade and Di Bujiagui Detachment as the right wing and the 5th Division as the left wing. At dawn on the 13th, the Japanese army first carried out fire reconnaissance with one unit, and then began a full-scale assault.Since the left and right flanks of the Chinese defenders were blocked by Yunzhong Mountain and Wutai Mountain, the Japanese army concentrated more than 5,000 infantry, and with the support of more than 30 fighter planes, more than 50 tanks and more than 50 artillery pieces, they adopted the tactic of breaking through the center. Launched a fierce attack on the Nanhuaihua position of the 54th Division of the Chinese garrison and the Yanzhuang position of the Left Wing Corps.By ten o'clock in the morning, Nanhuaihua's positions along the north bank of the Yunzhong River were all destroyed, and the Chinese defenders suffered all casualties.Due to the lack of timely reinforcements, the Japanese army swarmed in from the torn gap, crossed the Yunzhong River, and continued to attack the 1200 Highland.Hao Mengling, commander of the Ninth Army, ordered Li Xianzhou, commander of the 21st Division, to counterattack.Master Li took the lead and personally led the 63rd regiment to charge. In the face of the powerful firepower of the Japanese army, the officers and soldiers of the 63rd Regiment suffered huge casualties—"Several company and platoon leaders were replaced in the morning, and finally even the cooks also went to the battlefield to support, transport bullets, and deliver the wounded." After three days and three nights of fierce fighting , the 21st Division destroyed 15 Japanese tanks and forced the intruding Japanese army back to the other side of the Yunzhong River—"We finally recovered the hill. When we reached the commanding heights, the enemy was left with only one officer and one A soldier. The soldier ran down the mountain and was shot dead by the officer, who then committed suicide by cutting himself open.” On the left wing, the Japanese army increased the force attacking Yanzhuang to more than 3,000 people, broke through the position of the 10th Division of the Chinese defenders in front of them, and the two sides entered a state of repeated contention. On the right wing, more than 900 Japanese troops crossed the Hutuo River near Taoyuan, south of Yuanping, and a regiment of the 64th Division of the Chinese Army went to meet them, and the two sides fell into continuous fierce fighting. At the same time, the main force of the 344th Brigade of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army "attacked the entrance of the regiment at night, and then recovered Pingxingguan and Hunyuan County"; Army, and then conquered Fanzhi County to the west in one fell swoop.Then, part of the 716th Regiment of the 358th Brigade of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army launched an attack on the Japanese defenders at Yanmenguan, "once cutting off the traffic from Yanmenguan to Xinkou." "The Japanese army seems to feel a great threat, and their heavy weapons seem to be retreating." Wei Lihuang and Fu Zuoyi judged that the face-to-face Japanese attack was frustrated, and they needed to sort out the situation and wait for reinforcements before launching an offensive again, so they immediately decided to take advantage of the situation and launch a counterattack. Wei Lihuang called Yan Xishan from the frontline headquarters in Xinxian County, informing him that he was going to use the reserve force to attack from the Central Corps area.Yan Xishan immediately ordered the troops of the left and right wing corps to move to the enemy's rear to block the reinforcements of the Japanese army; he ordered the 68th and 71st divisions of the left wing to join the battle sequence of the central corps to increase their strength. Wei Lihuang and Fu Zuoyi jointly planned the essentials of the counterattack, that is, to use Hao Mengling's Ninth Army (less than the 47th Division) to attach Li Xianzhou's 21st Division to resist the Japanese attack at the current position; The Fourteenth Army launched a joint attack from near Dabaishui, and Fu Zuoyi's Seventh Army launched a joint attack from near Xinkou, flanking the Japanese troops in front of them from the left and right. At 1 o'clock in the morning on the 14th, Wei Lihuang issued a combat order for counterattack across the board: 1. The right-wing corps should use its main force to attack the enemies in Taoyuan and Beiguoxia at dawn on the 14th of tomorrow, and keep in close contact with the Seventh Army, trying to threaten the reinforcements of the northern and southern enemies in Yuanping, and control a part near Zhiyu. According to the situation, enter and leave the area north of Yuanping, and intercept the enemy's retreat. 2. On the evening of this (13th), the Central Corps must annihilate the enemies who invaded the vicinity of Nanhuaihua, secure the original position, and provide support for the Seventh Army's attack. 3. The left-wing corps should encircle and attack the enemies in Yongxing Village and the highlands to the north with the main force at dawn on the 14th of tomorrow; The Wangjiazhuang and Anjiazhuang areas were attacked. 4. The 71st Division, before the evening of this (13th) day, took over the defense of the 14th Army and the 85th Division in the area from Yanzhuang, Shuiyougou to Shanshui Village, and provided support for the army's attack , and then under the command of Commander Li (Li Mo'an) of the Fourteenth Army. On the night of the 13th, all the Chinese troops participating in the counterattack had arrived at the attack position near Jiehepu, north of Xinkou. From a military point of view, Wei Lihuang's counterattack plan is correct and decisive: take offense as defense, and if conditions permit, it can be regarded as an effective means of active defense. most lacking. However, when launching a large-scale counterattack on the Xinkou battlefield at this moment, we should pay attention to the following premise: Although the Japanese army's attack was frustrated, it was not at the point where it was powerless to attack, and it was not at the point where reinforcements were necessary.If the Japanese army failed to attack on the 13th, a larger-scale attack may be launched on the 14th, and the focus is likely to be the position of the Central Corps of the Chinese defenders, which is currently the position of the 21st Division of Li Xianzhou. ——So, has Wei Lihuang thought about what will happen once the 21st Division is not only the main direction of the Japanese army's attack, but also the main direction of the Chinese army's counterattack—the two armies of the enemy and our own collide head-on? It is impossible to know whether the Japanese army in front of them has the intelligence of the Chinese army-when the Chinese defenders began a full-scale counterattack, the Japanese army in front of them also launched an attack at the same time. At 2 o'clock in the morning, on the bank of the Yunzhong River, the Chinese and Japanese armies collided instantly. According to the battle plan, Dong Qiwu's 218th Brigade rushed to the north bank of the Yunzhong River.When crossing a wooden bridge over the river, they were tightly blocked by Japanese machine guns in front of them. More than 20 officers and soldiers including Wang Xingming, commander of the machine gun company of the 2nd Battalion of the 420th Regiment, were killed.When the brigade continued to attack at the risk of casualties, it received an order to reinforce the Nanhuaihua position.Nanhuaihua is located in the northwest of Jiehepu. It is the core support point of the Chinese army's Xinkou frontline position. The defenders on the position are the 161st Brigade of the 54th Division of the Ninth Army.Supported by heavy artillery fire, the Japanese army attacked the positions of the 322nd Battalion of the 161st Brigade in turn.After the third battalion suffered heavy casualties, the first battalion came for reinforcements and was forced to start a brutal hand-to-hand battle with the Japanese army.The Japanese army broke through the frontier of the Nanhuaihua position, and the Chinese defenders retreated into the village of Nanhuaihua, and then retreated to the small high ground outside the village.In order to close the gap in Nanhuaihua, Hao Mengling, the commander of the Ninth Army, went to the front to supervise the battle, commanded the troops to counterattack continuously, and entered several places with the Japanese army in Nanhuaihua village.Dai Muzhen, head of the 322nd Regiment, Zhao Zili attached to the regiment, and three battalion commanders were seriously injured and carried down. The casualties of the whole regiment amounted to over a thousand.After Commander Hao ordered Dong Qiwu's troops to reinforce Nanhuaihua, the Chinese defenders organized commandos in front of the position and launched counterattacks against the Japanese in turn, but the Nanhuaihua position still failed to recover.Commander Hao organized the officers and soldiers of the 322nd Regiment who were still on the ground. He said to these officers and soldiers who had been fighting hard for many days: "If one day does not die, the mission of the War of Resistance cannot be counted in one day. Before departure, I have written my will at home. You will never survive until you defeat the Japanese army. Now I will stick to this position with you and will never retreat first. If I retreat first, no matter who you are, you can shoot me; no matter who you are, as long as you take a step back, I will shoot him immediately. Do you dare to accompany me to hold the position again?" The officers and soldiers shouted in unison: "Swear to the death to hold the position!" The combined troops launched a counterattack again, trying to regain the Nanhuaihua position.The Japanese army concentrated more than 30 aircraft, more than 30 tanks, and dozens of artillery pieces to bombard Huaihua in the south, causing the Chinese defenders to fall into a rain of shrapnel.Zhai Hongzhang, deputy battalion commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 322nd Regiment, had just taken over the position of the commander of the 1st Battalion. He led five messengers to hide in a temporarily dug shelter. "Unexpectedly, a shell fell on it. The shelter was blown down." , and all five messengers were killed."When Battalion Commander Zhai dug himself out of the mud, he found "blood and brains splattered all over his body."Battalion Commander Zhai asked Commander Hao for reinforcements, and Hao Mengling replied: "Where is the battle, where is the death." The 218th Brigade sent the 436th Regiment to reinforce Nanhuaihua.Dong Qiwu led the 420th regiment to continue the counterattack mission.The head of the regiment Li Siwen ordered Zhang Shizhen, the commander of the first battalion, to attack as the main attack, the third battalion followed up, and the second battalion was the reserve team. The whole regiment rushed into Gongjiazhuang located in the northwest of Nanhuaihua.The Japanese army in Gongjiazhuang did not expect the Chinese army to rush in directly, and fled out of the village in a panic. More than a hundred Chinese officers and soldiers including Yang Zixi and the commander of the Ninth Company Fan Xiwen were killed.Then, the 218th Brigade continued to attack Dongnihe Village, annihilating most of the Japanese troops who were eating in the village, but then they were counterattacked by Japanese tanks, and the troops suffered heavy casualties again, and Brigadier Dong Qiwu was injured. At this time, on the Xinkou line, all the positions of the Central Corps of the Chinese Army were under continuous and fierce Japanese attacks.On the forward position where the shrapnel flew across, a bullet shot into the left chest of Li Xianzhou, the commander of the 21st Division: At noon, I observed the enemy's situation on the mountainside with Commander Hao and Commander Zhuang Cunfu.While I was talking to the head of the group, I suddenly felt something touch my left chest. I didn't care at the time, so I climbed to the top of the mountain with them.Commander Hao found blood on my back and said loudly: "Mr. Li, you are injured!" I said, "It's okay, it seems that something touched me." "He said it's okay! The bullets have passed through your back!" Commander Hao gave me some Baiyao while talking, and I was still awake at this time.When it was bandaged, I passed out and passed out. When the soldiers carried Master Li down the mountain, the military doctor thought that there was blood stasis in the chest cavity and asked him to lift the unconscious Master Li upside down to control the bleeding. Arrived at the Division Headquarters in Houshan.Then, Li Xianzhou was transferred to an American missionary hospital in Fenyang. The director personally operated on him. He said that when the bullet entered from the left chest and came out from the back, Mr. Li was at the "moment of exhaling"—"the heart contracted backwards." , the bullet passed through the middle of the lung lobe. If it was at the moment of inhalation, the bullet would penetrate the lung, and it would be over." Two months later, Li Xianzhou recovered from his injury and was promoted to the commander of the 29th Army. At 8 o'clock in the evening on the 14th, Wei Lihuang led the Fifth Independent Brigade to the front.他发现前线部队太多，伤亡严重，且指挥很不统一，于是重新调整了部署：命令陈长捷指挥第二十一师，独立第二、第三旅（欠第四团），新编第四旅，负责扫清南怀化之敌；命令郝梦龄指挥第五十四师，独立第三旅的四团，第二一八、第二一七旅，担任正面防御并向日军再次实施反击作战。 十五日，左翼中国军队第十师的大白水村阵地，受到日军在三十多辆坦克引导下的持续攻击。中国官兵最痛恨的就是日军的坦克，他们打坦克的山炮很少，只能在阵地前挖出很深的反坦克壕沟。日军的坦克被阻挡后，中国官兵便用机枪向日军步兵射击，壕沟的底部很快就被日军的尸体覆盖。中国守军为对付日军的坦克使用了各种方法：“先往坦克上浇汽油，再投以手榴弹；或是冲到坦克前面，把手榴弹塞到履带里。抗日战士为了往日军坦克履带中塞手榴弹，手指被辗断者有许多人。”李默庵的第十四军第十师，其武器装备在中国陆军中可算精良：每个步兵连有九挺捷克式轻机枪和七十五支中正式步枪，每个重机枪连有六挺马克沁重机枪和六门迫击炮，这使得每个营的阵地上能够配备二十七挺轻机枪、六挺重机枪、两门迫击炮和二百五十支步枪，另外还临时配备了两门德制的战防炮。但是，面对日军坦克的集团冲锋，大白水村阵地还是危机重重。有限的反坦克战防炮击毁了几辆日军坦克后，立即招致日军报复性的炮击——“十几门大炮集中轰击，雨点似的炸弹、炮弹和飞机上的机枪子弹，不过十几分钟，就把一个战防炮排阵地炸得血肉横飞，尘土漫天，战防炮排的官兵完全与阵地共存亡，无幸存者。”日军在炮击之后趁势冲锋，冲锋时竟把从中国百姓那里抢来的大群牛羊赶在前面挡子弹。第十师官兵与日军在大白水村里激战多时，大白水村阵地依旧在中国守军手中。 董其武旅长负伤后，孙兰峰接替指挥，第二一八旅奉命攻击威胁中国守军进攻的旧河北村日军阵地。四二〇团攻入村庄后，在一座院落里发现了数名脸上抹了锅灰的妇女，其惊恐万状的样子令官兵们心里十分酸楚。攻到最后一座大院子时，残存的日军龟缩在内不肯投降。突然，从院子里跑出来一个十来岁的小女孩，中国官兵的射击骤然停止。 小女孩来到我们面前，声音颤抖地说：院子里的日本鬼子叫我告诉你们说，如果你们不开枪，他们就向西北走。我们照顾好小女孩，仍用中国话喊“缴枪不杀，优待俘虏”等语，但仍不见动静。最后两位李团长商定，派人上房投弹歼敌。随即竖起了梯子，二十余人上房顶，伏在外坡向里投手榴弹。敌人虽多死伤，但始终不肯投降……垂死之敌不肯投降，见房顶上有人，即由房内向房上穿射，致使伏在房上的三排排长张玉山等十余人壮烈牺牲……我军决定火烧大院，全歼该敌。大家积草堆柴，引火烧房。十几分钟，院内敌人始得全歼。 中国空军第二十七大队的两架战机自汾阳机场起飞，于凌晨五时三十分轰炸了位于崞县的日军阵地，十分钟后安全返航。六时十五分以及八时十分，两架中国战机再次轰炸了崞县日军阵地，返航时遭遇四架日军驱逐机的拦截，中国飞行员苏英祥、廖兆琼阵亡，飞机残骸坠落于忻县附近。十四时三十分，中国空军第七大队和第十二大队的战机再次起飞，轰炸目标是崞县西北日军运输线上的一座桥梁，但因投弹偏离没有命中，战机安全返航。 忻口激战的同时，根据第二战区的作战计划，八路军继续深入敌后顽强袭扰。第一一五师第三四四旅将从灵丘方向开来的一百三十多辆日军汽车堵在了小寨村附近，尽管日军派出一个大队增援，但第三四四旅死顶不退，日军被迫撤回了灵丘。该师独立团和骑兵营在广灵以南的冯家沟伏击了日军第五师团的第二运输队，毙伤日军百余人后，先后克复广灵、紫荆关、易县、灵丘和蔚县。八路军第一二〇师在忻口的右翼，先后占领了攻击忻口日军的数个后方要点，并向原平附近出击，破坏了大同至太原的公路，严重打击了日军后方补给线。 但是，忻口全线的关键支撑点南怀化阵地，仍在日军手中。 十五日晚，卫立煌严令郝梦龄十六日出击，必须夺回南怀化阵地。 据此，第九军军长郝梦龄和第六十一军军长陈长捷商定了作战部署：一、第五十四师之第一六二旅（欠一个团）向位于南怀化以北的“官村左前方之敌攻击”；二、第二十一师之第六十三旅向南怀化以北之敌攻击；三、独立第五旅由现地向南怀化东端之敌攻击；四、新编第四旅强行占领南怀化；五、第五十四师之三二二团为向导队，分属于第六十三旅、独立第五旅和新编第四旅；六、独立第二、第三两旅协同右翼各部队增援新编第四旅，攻击南怀化之敌；七、第二十一师之第六十一旅，由一三〇〇高地攻击南怀化以南新练庄东北之敌；八、第六十八师由南怀化以南的秦家庄、新练庄向北出击，协助歼灭位于南怀化西北方向的后城头的敌人；九、第十师派一部由兰村向北面的前城头与后城头协助攻击；十、第二一七旅及第一六一旅攻击南怀化北面龙庄、下王庄以北之敌；十一、第二一八旅攻占后城头以北的旧河北后，向南怀化之背后实行攻击；十二、第二一一旅、第十九军之第二〇九旅于金山铺泡池村集结，为预备队；十三、以上各部队，均于十六日二时开始行动。 出击的时间还是午夜两点。 这几乎是中国军队孤注一掷的反击。 与十四日的情况一样，中国军队刚刚发动反击，日军的大举进攻同时开始了。担负反击南怀化阵地任务的独立第三、第五旅和新编第四旅等部队，作战一开始就陷入了混乱——阵地狭窄，地形复杂，夜色黑暗，日军的枪弹炮弹大雨一般倾泻，新编第四旅二团团长梁鸿勋腰部和腿部负重伤，二营营长覃连登和三营营长张学英阵亡，全团的四名连长张振华、李登山、李明和王明亮阵亡后，接替的代理连长陈三缘和徐鸿章也相继阵亡。十二团代理团长李正元以及该团的营连长也伤亡过半，两个团士兵的伤亡人数已达两个营的兵力数。独立第五旅向日军无名高地连续发起三次冲锋都未能得手，组织第四次冲锋时，旅长郑廷珍亲上前沿，日军的一颗子弹从他的右眼入，后脑出。郑旅长不幸阵亡。 郑廷珍，中国陆军第十四集团军独立第五旅旅长，河南人，出身一个中医世家，但他没有子承父业，而是在二十岁那年加入冯玉祥的队伍开始了从军生涯。此次部队奉命从河北开赴山西战场，他对第五旅的官兵们表示，过去打内战，胜不足武，败不足惜，现在是打侵略者日本，拼死拼光也值得，这是军人的光荣。部队途经河南时，他打电报让家人来车站见面。在车站站台上，戎装男儿跪倒在地向年迈的老母磕头道别，表示儿子此去奉令杀敌，鬼子不败誓不生还。郑旅长阵亡后，遗体被护送回河南老家，灵柩所经之路百姓沿途祭奠，家乡父老厚葬了他。 郝梦龄命令六一四团团长李继程代理旅长职务。 日军在南怀化阵地正面增加了兵力，李继程旅长指挥六一四团二营，再调来六一五团三营，避开日军的攻击正面试图从左右夹攻，日军的炮火即刻覆盖了战场的左右两翼。战至两个小时后，二营和三营的官兵因伤亡所亡剩无几，李继程旅长也在赴前沿督战时阵亡。 独立第五旅旅长再次易人，由六一五团团长高增级代理。 独立第五旅反击受挫，令军长郝梦龄焦灼万分，决定亲上前沿督战。部下阻止说，前往独立第五旅的阵地，必须通过一段长约二十米的小路，小路被日军的四挺机枪严密封锁，已经导致四名传令兵阵亡。如果军长坚持要去，必须绕路。郝梦龄军长不肯，认为绕路会耽误时间。部下又请求军长写下手令，表示他们愿意冒死送达独立第五旅的阵地。郝梦龄军长还是不肯，说正在前沿血战的官兵需要看见他：“今天的战斗，谁能坚持最后五分钟，谁就胜利！你们要坚守阵地，就是剩下一兵一卒也不能撤离！”说完，郝梦龄带着第五十四师师长刘家麒走向了那条令他们一去不复返的小路： 将军在前，刘师长在后，拉开距离用快步奔向独立第五旅。刚进入被敌人控制的危险路口，即被占领烽火台南沿制高点之敌发现，四挺机枪一阵疯狂扫射，将军身中十余弹，倒在血泊中。师长刘家麒不顾生死，急救将军遗体，尚未离开地方，也同样殉国。 中国陆军第十四集团军第九军军长郝梦龄，是抗日战争爆发后阵亡的第一位军长，殉国时年仅三十九岁。 郝梦龄，字锡九，河北藁城县庄合村人。十六岁从军，毕业于保定陆军军官学校步兵科，参加过直皖大战、直奉大战、中原大战以及国民革命军的北伐战争。虽多年在军阀部队里作战，但他始终洁身自好，严于律己，不置私产，爱护士兵。抗日战争爆发后，他奉命率部北上，部队自贵州沿湘黔公路徒步行军，然后在汉口转乘火车至石家庄。原定参加平汉路作战，因山西战局紧张，遂跟随卫立煌的第十四集团军增援晋北。十月三日进抵太原，四日午夜到达忻口。十二日，忻口阻击作战开始，他的部队始终处于中央正面战场，必须直面日军优势武器的猛烈打击以及重兵的持续攻击。官兵舍命血战五昼夜后，他知道自己“既无援兵，又不能放弃，只有拼杀到底”。部队北上路过汉口时，他曾与家人有过短暂的也是最后的相聚。他对他的儿女们说，我爱你们，但是更爱国家。如果国家亡了，你们就没有好日子了。我没有钱，如果我死了，你们就进国家设立的遗族学校去读书。郝梦龄军长给他的妻子留有遗书一封： 此次抗战，乃民族国家生存之最后关头，抱定牺牲决心，不能成功即成仁。为争取最后胜利，使中华民族永存世上，故成功不必在我，我先牺牲。我即牺牲后，只要国家存在，诸子女之教育当然不成问题。别无所念，所念者，此中华民国及我们的最高领袖蒋委员长。倘余牺牲，望汝孝顺吾老母，及教育子女，对于兄弟姊妹等，亦要照拂。致余牺牲，亦有荣焉，为军人者，对国际战亡死，可谓得其所矣。 “使中华民族永存世上”，这是郝军长无惧战死的唯一理由。 一九三七年十二月六日，国民政府颁布褒奖令： 陆军第九军军长郝梦龄、第五十四师师长刘家麒、第五旅旅长郑廷珍，矢忠革命，夙著勋勤。此次奉命抗战，于南怀化之役，率部鏖战，历五昼夜，犹复身先士卒，奋厉无前，竟以身殉国。眷怀壮烈，轸悼弥深，应予特令褒扬。郝梦龄追赠上将，刘、郑各追赠陆军中将，并交行政院转行从优抚恤，生平事迹存备宣付史馆，用彰勋荩，而垂永久。 卫立煌指令第十四集团军参谋长郭寄峤接任第九军军长，第一六一旅旅长孔繁瀛接替第五十四师师长，指定第六十一军军长陈长捷统一指挥中央兵团继续作战。 十五日，卫立煌致电蒋介石： 敌于文未刻（十二日五时）起，以重轰炸机二十余架，向我四九八团髫髻山阵地往复轰炸数小时，投弹数百枚。元（十三日）拂晓迄午，敌复以轻重炮数十门掩护步兵团一联队指向髫髻山进攻，发炮二千余发，我阵地工事全成灰土。守军浴血抗战，与敌肉搏，阵地进出数次，均经击退。团长曾邦宪两次饮弹，殉国；营长三员，相继负伤；连长以下官兵伤亡殆尽。至午后一时许，阵地遂被陷落。当时抗战之勇敢、与阵地同存亡之精神殊为壮烈，而损失之奇重亦为前所未有…… 日军显然也因久攻不下而筋疲力尽： 决心死守太原的山西军、中央军、共产军三方面联合部队，在背靠忻县盆地、忻口镇前面的高地，构筑了坚固的防御工事，迎击我大场、粟饭原、长野、和田工兵、竹田炮兵各部队，自十三日以来进行拼命的抵抗。总攻忻口镇，可以说是总攻太原的前哨战，展开壮烈的激战前后达四昼夜。敌军布防把前线部队配置在从沿大同至原平镇道路东侧的滹沱河左岸，忻口镇西方沿滹沱河支流；把主力配置在忻口镇西方高地。以迫击炮、山炮、机枪猛烈射击，在最前线以战车、装甲车疯狂地顽强抵抗。共产军到处使用擅长的游击战术，使我军大伤脑筋。十七日清晨，占领了忻口镇西侧高地的一角，仍在猛烈攻击中。 十六日，南怀化阵地依旧未能收复。 这天早晨，第六十一军司令部参谋张光曙奉命前去忻口，在这片战场上他看见了触目惊心的一幕： 遥见忻口阵地上，浓烟爆起，喊声连天。十几架日军飞机轮番轰炸扫射，爆炸声震耳欲聋。双方正在激战中，大批伤员涌退下来，有的呻吟叫嚷，有的边走边骂：“鬼医生都滚到哪里去了，连个人影儿都不见。”有一个端着自己另一支骨断筋连血淋淋的伤臂，号啕大哭。还有一个躺着对过路人说：“给我一枪吧！我受不了啦。”原来他的小肠已经流出来一大截…… 卫立煌判断，日军的增援部队最迟十七日抵达，在此之前击溃当面之敌当然有利，然而忻口一线的中国守军伤亡过大，消耗甚巨，已经无力支持大规模的全线反击作战。尽管蒋介石命令驻扎潼关一带的邓锡侯的第二十二集团军日夜兼程赶赴忻口，阎锡山也命令朱怀冰的第九十四师等部队迅速抵达前线归卫立煌指挥，可援军的抵达毕竟需要时间。基于目前战场局势，卫立煌决定全线采取守势——坚守现有阵地，援军抵达再战。 忻口阻击的第一个星期，中国军队以顽强的作战顶住了日军的疯狂攻击。从军事上讲，在忻口战场进入僵持的时刻，如果中国方面能够迅速增兵，或许只要再投入几个武器装备较好的陆军师，便有可能将当面日军击溃，至少能够利用有利的地形把日军阻挡在滹沱河边。但是，阎锡山和卫立煌最害怕的事还是发生了——或许现在他们应该想起了毛泽东的提醒——在忻口战场的侧背，晋东的娘子关方向，此刻已是炮声隆隆。 娘子关，河北与山西交界处的一座要隘，是河北正定至山西太原铁路线上的要冲和门户。娘子关以西是太行山主脉和山西台地，以东群峰逐次下落直至华北平原。娘子关分为新、旧两关，旧关山峦交错，沟壑纵横，一条狭窄的古道沿着桃河在陡壁和深渊之间蜿蜒崎岖；旧关南面的新关，地形略为开阔，成为冀晋之间的主要通路，明清时这里便沿关筑有城墙。民国初年军阀混战，阎锡山在旧关和新关都修筑了军事设施，并派出重兵把守，以阻挡任何势力由此进入山西，染指他的地盘。抗战爆发前，国民政府在此筑有窑洞式半永久性的国防工事。 一九三七年九月中旬，在北平向南的华北平原上，日军第二十师团配合第六、第十四师团和第一〇九师团，在平汉路北段的作战中，相继击败中国军队孙连仲指挥的第一军团、刘峙指挥的第二集团军各部。之后，日军第十四师团和第一〇八师团沿平汉路越过石家庄继续南下，第二十师团和第一〇九师团奉命向西面的山西攻击，以配合板垣征四郎的第五师团作战。而谷寿夫的第六师团则被抽调至淞沪战场。 当侦知华北日军有攻击娘子关的企图后，蒋介石立即命令位于晋东附近的西北军冯钦哉的第十四军团和赵寿山的第十七师以及滇军曾万钟的第三军等部队担负娘子关防御任务。可是，被蒋介石从南京派往山西帮助阎锡山指挥作战的副司令长官黄绍竑对娘子关方向始终充满忧虑：“我方的计划，是想以少数的部队据守石家庄，牵制平汉路正面的敌人，使他们不能转向山西，而以主力转向太原，从事忻口的会战。因雁门关、平型关已失，敌人已进入山西之腹地，若能在太原以北忻口附近将敌歼灭，则太原尚可保，晋局尚可控制。否则，形势必相反地突变。但敌人何尝不预料及此。而且我们的部队行动，无一不在敌机侦察之中，他必针对我们的行动而确立他们的计划。敌人以迅速而有力的攻击，将石家庄的防线突破后，仅以少数的兵力配合较多的骑兵和机械化部队，向平汉路沿线的平原地区追击，而以主力转向娘子关会攻山西，并不受我正面的牵制。反而我因正面不能确保，将整个太行山脉的侧面暴露出来，变成一个绵长而单薄的防线。” 十月七日——忻口方向的日军已开始试探性攻击——黄绍竑决定亲自去一趟娘子关。他率领几名幕僚出娘子关来到井陉。井陉位于娘子关的东北方向，扼守着正太铁路线，是从北面或东面进入娘子关的必经之地。见到冯钦哉，黄绍竑问及娘子关防御，冯钦哉认为情况不妙，因为防御尚未部署完毕，而日军的先头部队距井陉已经不足三十里了。话音未落，黄绍竑的卫士就捉到一名可疑人员，经过审讯证实是日军的侦察兵。黄绍竑感到十分吃惊，因为这证明日军不但确实很近了，而且侦察兵的出现预示着大战即将来临。 目前，防守娘子关正面的仅有赵寿山的第十七师，冯钦哉部所辖第四十二、第一六九师以及曾万钟部所辖第七、第十二师防卫娘子关的两翼。在兵力如此少的情况下，防御的正面却有一百七八十里宽，以致处处显出薄弱，处处都是空隙。相对于地理位置的重要性、相对于日军强大的火力攻势来讲，娘子关的防御实在是过于单薄了。黄绍竑认为，应该迅速收拢左右两翼防线以集中兵力。而冯钦哉认为，部队已经向之前指定的位置移动了，能不能迅速收拢回来还是个问题。回到太原后，黄绍竑建议阎锡山改变娘子关的部署，要求派原计划增