Chapter 11 Chapter 10 Taierzhuang is where our glory lies
March 24, 1938, Japanese soldier Shibuya Noboru’s diary:
At 6:00 a.m., we marched towards Taierzhuang. The machine gun team of the fifth squadron was on the first line on the right. Buzhi fell in the wheat field, Mr. Gu Chuan died in battle, the whereabouts of Mr. Ze from the third team was unknown, and Mr. Zhongcang and Zhongyuan were injured.Then, attack the villages east and west of the railway at night.The squad leader ordered that all soldiers should give up their hearts.The enemy fired fiercely with Czech machine guns, and I fell on the ground. Mori-kun standing in front of me was shot and died, Kurokawa-kun was also shot and fell to the ground, and Kaneda-kun was wounded.The chariot convoy suddenly marched towards the south, and a hand-to-hand fight broke out, and the team leader was injured.Because there were so many enemy soldiers, our army retreated in tears, ten horses fell to the ground, the manager and minister died in battle, and many other casualties.The enemy fired more fiercely, and our squadron could not get in touch with the headquarters. After about one night, Kawatani-kun died in battle.
The Japanese soldier named Noboshi Shibuya didn't know that his hellish experience on the Chinese battlefield had just begun.
The Japanese invaders who insisted on attacking Tongjinpu Road from north to south did not change their determination to fight, even though they were slow to advance on the southern and northern sections of Jinpu Road due to the continuous blocking of the Chinese army.In early March 1938, the Japanese North China Front Army once again applied to the Tokyo headquarters: "Pursuing and suppressing the enemy in front of us is by no means going deep into the south. We hope to increase our troops to guard the rear." This time, the application was approved. "It has a lot to do with the replacement of Chief Kawabe, who had always been cautious in fighting in the past, and on March 1, Lieutenant Masazu Inada, a senior officer in the Military Division of the Ministry of the Army, was appointed as the Chief of Operations." Think it will drive the war into a frenzy.However, the Tokyo base camp still imposed restrictions on the North China Front Army: "On any occasion, you must not go beyond the line of Lincheng, Zaozhuang, and Linyi."
However, the Japanese invaders would not abide by this restriction.
After capturing Lincheng and Teng County, they went south to occupy Yi County, which has surpassed the limit line set by the Tokyo base camp.At this time, the Sakamoto Detachment of the Fifth Division, which attacked Linyi, was blocked by the Chinese Army's Zhang Zizhong and Pang Bingxun's troops and could not escape. The Second Army Staff Officer Okamoto Kiyofuku came to Yanzhou and reported the plight of the Sakamoto Detachment to Isoya Rensuke , hoping to get the support of the Tenth Division.Rensuke Isoya immediately ordered the Seya Detachment: While "ensuring the line of the Hanzhuang and Taierzhuang canals, and guarding Lincheng and Yixian", "should use as many troops as possible to rush to Yizhou (Linyi) to assist the first Battle of the Five Divisions".
The Seya Detachment consists of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Headquarters, the 10th and 63rd Infantry Regiments, the 10th Independent Machine Gun Battalion, the 10th and 12th Independent Light Armored Vehicle Squadrons, and the 10th Field Artillery Regiment (absent One brigade and two squadrons), and the first squadron of the 10th Engineering Wing.
On March 22, the detachment leader Seya Qi issued a combat order:
1. The right chasing team is the defense team of Hanzhuang, responsible for guarding the vicinity of Hanzhuang;
2. The Taierzhuang dispatch team (the second brigade of the 63rd Infantry Regiment, attached to the first field artillery brigade) will set off from Yi County on the 23rd tomorrow to ensure the first-line area of the canal near Taierzhuang;
3. The Yizhou Detachment (10th Infantry Regiment) will set off from Lincheng on the 23rd tomorrow, marching towards Yizhou, and is registered to fight with the Sakamoto Detachment;
4. The main force of the detachment was gathered near Yi County.
Seiya knew that the Chinese Army's Second Division, Fourth Division, Twenty-fifth Division, and Eighty-Ninth Division had all entered the Taierzhuang area.However, he still disregarded the gathering of Chinese troops, and made a defiant decision to go deep alone. The troops he sent to attack the Taierzhuang area turned out to be only one brigade. A regiment of the Chinese army, with a strength of about 1,000 to 1,500 people-it shows the extreme contempt for the Chinese army.
Taierzhuang is located in the southeast of Yi County, Shandong Province. It is connected to the Taizao branch line of Jinpu Road (Taierzhuang to Zaozhuang) in the north, Longhai Railway in the south, and more than 50 kilometers away from Xuzhou in the southwest.The Grand Canal flows through Zhuangnan, with a water depth of more than two meters. It has been the land and water terminal of Lunan since ancient times.Taierzhuang is named "Zhuang", but it is actually a town with a wall surrounding the village and six gates. Although the wall is more than two feet high, it is made of bricks and soil. The six gates are: West Gate, Northwest Gate , North Gate, East Gate, Southeast Gate, South Gate.The north of the city is an open land with dozens of watchtowers of various sizes; the west is the railway; the east is scattered with villages.
Li Zongren, the commander-in-chief of the Fifth War Zone, later described that he had foreseen the arrogant and lonely penetration of the Japanese army: "My combat plan at the time was to use the camera to lure the enemy to penetrate the Jinpu Road by taking advantage of the enemy's strength. Arrogant, the head of the Jigu Division will definitely not wait for the reinforcements from Bengbu to respond northward, so he will go straight to Taierzhuang, hoping to go down to Xuzhou in one fell swoop and win the first victory in opening up the Jinpu Road. I am about to use this mentality of the enemy generals to set up a trap. Please enter the urn." Therefore, the essence of the battle plan drawn up by Li Zongren is: Tang Enbo's troops will gather in the north of Yixian County in advance, and the defense of Taierzhuang is only a frontal block and containment. A sudden attack will be launched from the side of the Japanese army, compressing and annihilating the Japanese army on the bank of Weishan Lake.The rationale of this plan is that the Japanese troops advancing southward are not many, and they have penetrated deep into the hinterland of the Chinese army. As long as the Japanese troops are not allowed to rush over quickly, under the outflank attack of Tang Enbo's main force, the aggressive Japanese troops will definitely fall into the trap. A dilemma.At this time, as long as the Chinese army attacks bravely and cooperates closely, it is entirely possible to inflict heavy damage on the Japanese troops going south. ——This tactic of hiding the main force first and then killing it back is called "axis turning" by Li Zongren.
The fundamental reason why Tang Enbo's 20th Army was chosen as the main flanking force was that Tang Enbo's troops belonged to the elite Central Army.The Legion has jurisdiction over the Thirteenth, Fifty-second, and Eighty-fifth Armies.The commander of the Thirteenth Army was concurrently held by Tang Enbo, under the jurisdiction of the 110th Division, and the division commander Zhang Zhen.Guan Linzheng, commander of the 52nd Army, under the jurisdiction of the second division, division commander Zheng Dongguo; twenty-fifth division, division commander Zhang Yaoming.The Eighty-fifth Army, Commander Wang Zhonglian, under the jurisdiction of the Fourth Division, Division Commander Chen Daqing; Eighty-Ninth Division, Division Commander Zhang Xuezhong. ——"The regiment is fully equipped", which was the "essence" of the Chinese Army at that time.
In charge of the frontal defense of Taierzhuang was Sun Lianzhong's Second Army transferred from the First Theater.In name, the group army has two armies, namely Tian Zhennan's 30th Army and Feng Anbang's 42nd Army. However, in the previous Pinghan Road and Niangziguan battles, Feng Anbang's 42nd Army suffered heavy losses. There is only an empty shelf left, and Sun Lianzhong's repeated requests for supplements have not been approved.Therefore, in the Second Army at this time, there are actually only three divisions that can participate in the battle, namely Huang Qiaosong's 27th Division, Zhang Jinzhao's 30th Division, and Chi Fengcheng's 31st Division.
The Second Group Army belonged to the former Department of the Northwest Army, and was transferred here and there before coming to the Xuzhou battlefield: first, Cong Shanxi was transferred to Wusheng Pass at the junction of Henan and Hubei to build defense fortifications; The 60th Army was transferred to the north to guard the Yellow River near Zhengzhou; as soon as it reached the edge of the Yellow River, it heard that Teng County had fallen, so it was ordered to march eastward to Xuzhou, under the command of Li Zongren, the commander of the fifth war zone; Rushed to the Taierzhuang area under the command of Tang Enbo.At this time, Sun Lianzhong's task was only to contain the Japanese army so that the main force of Tang Enbo's troops could attack from the side.
When the troops passed through Zhengzhou, the division commander Chi Fengcheng stopped for some reason, so Li Zongren called Qu Shen, the division chief of staff, to Xuzhou. When the lure launches an attack, resolutely hold the Taierzhuang position.Li Zongren said: "If the enemy comes out to fight, your division should do its best to block the attack, and Tang Enbo's army will attack on the side, suppressing the enemy with all its strength and gather by Weishan Lake to wipe them out; if the enemy is standing still and waiting for reinforcements, your division should do its best to restrain and monitor the enemy. , cover Guan Linzheng's army to go north and cooperate with Wang Zhonglian's army to encircle and attack, annihilate the enemy in Zaozhuang, and then return to the division to attack the enemy in Yixian County, advancing the front to the north of Yanzhou. For the convenience of coordination, your division will temporarily return to the command of the commander of the Tang Army."
After the division commander Chi Fengcheng arrived at Taierzhuang, the 20th Army Corps, which was heading north, passed by Taierzhuang South Station. Chi Fengcheng met with Tang Enbo, the regiment commander, and Guan Linzheng, the commander of the 52nd Army, at the station.Tang Enbo said: "Your division has a major task, and you must work hard to block the enemy's southward advance." And his troops will "desperate everything and immediately copy the enemy's back" after the 31st Division meets the enemy. Let your army "fight hard alone."In order to coordinate closely at that time, Commander Chi is asked to temporarily accept the command of Commander Guan, "For all details, please consult with Commander Guan nearby."Chi Fengcheng immediately asked Guan Linzheng what he was most concerned about, that is, once the 31st Division fought with the Japanese army, when would the 52nd Army launch a side attack?In other words, how long will the 31st Division stick to Taierzhuang to complete the task?Commander Guan's answer was unequivocal: "When your division comes into contact with the enemy, we can immediately return to aid as soon as the gunshots are fired. Calculated according to the distance, we will definitely be able to return to aid within a day at most. Your division guards Taierzhuang. If you can persist for three The day will count as the completion of the task.”
Commander Chi Fengcheng never imagined that the evolution of the war situation had nothing to do with Commander Guan's promise. Not only did his troops become the main target of the Japanese army's attack, but Taierzhuang, which he was responsible for defending, also became the main battlefield of the war zone; moreover, The fierce battle surrounding Taierzhuang lasted for half a month.Every minute and every second of every day during this period, he was eagerly looking forward to the immediate implementation of Li Zongren's "pivot maneuver", and hoped that Tang Enbo's department would "desperate everything" and "return to help immediately".He had to "fight hard alone" and endured the pain of cutting out bones with sharp knives in those flesh and blood days.
After the Second Army arrived at Taierzhuang, Sun Lianzhong spread out his three divisions to defend Taierzhuang: the 30th Division on the left flank, the 27th Division on the right flank, and the 31st Division in the middle to defend Taierzhuang.The 30th Division has two brigades and four regiments under its jurisdiction, plus the troops directly under the division, with a strength of more than 10,000 troops.The types of rifles in the hands of officers and soldiers are very mixed. Most of them are 79 rifles made in Hanyang, as well as Japanese 38-type and 65-type, and a small amount of Czech-style 79-type rifles.Each company has three to four light machine guns, each battalion has up to four heavy machine guns, and each mortar company has four 82 mortars.The whole division is attached to an artillery battalion with ten field guns.
When I first entered Taierzhuang, the shops here were still open, and the pedestrians on the street looked relaxed.However, as soon as the officers and soldiers of the 31st Division were stationed and heard that there was going to be a war with the Japanese, Taierzhuang became an empty city overnight.
On the 22nd, at 11 a.m., Guan Linzheng, the commander of the 52nd Army, issued a combat order, which involved the deployment of the 31st Division:
The 31st Division should cross the river from Taierzhuang this evening, and the main force will be controlled in the Nanluo and Beiluo areas. With one of the most powerful divisions, it will occupy a position near Zhangshan, guard towards Yixian County, and cover our army to cross the river from Taierzhuang.Before dawn on the 23rd of this month, we should advance to the Zhangshan, Tianguishan 115 highlands, and the Baixishan line to occupy the highlands, and use one part to attack the enemy in Yixian County from time to time, and one part to attack the Hanzhuang area.
At 15:30, Chi Fengcheng, commander of the 31st Division, issued the combat order:
1. The 85th Regiment of the 93rd Brigade is located in Beiluo. With its first battalion, it entered the Qiancheng and Zhaozhuang areas. The plainclothes team of the brigade searched Zhangshan, Beishanxi, and Huangshan Lake and occupied them.The brigade headquarters led the Yu camp to be located near Nanluo. They should attack the enemy in Yi County after dawn tomorrow, and then resisted successively near Beiluo.The 186th regiment (owed to Yuying) served as the defense of Taierzhuang.
2. The 181st Regiment of the 91st Brigade was placed in Taierzhuang, and the 182nd Regiment served as a guard on the south bank of the Taierzhuang Canal.
3. The cavalry of the division (less than two squadrons) will vigorously move towards the southeast of Yi County at dawn tomorrow.
4. The division advances to Taierzhuang.
Chifengcheng also ordered the engineering battalion to collect ships and build a pontoon bridge on the canal outside the west gate as a communication supply line and contact line between the division headquarters and the village.
This is the deployment of the last stand.
When it was dark, Guan Linzheng's 52nd Army handed over the defense of the south bank of the canal to the 110th Division directly under the Legion, and then moved to the Xiangcheng area east of Zaozhuang via Taierzhuang and Lanling Towns; Wang Zhonglian's 85th Army On the other hand, they disengaged from the Japanese army on the Yixian and Hanzhuang lines, and then moved to gather in the Baoduwei mountainous area north of Shizhuang—this was to implement Li Zongren's idea of "giving way to the front of Jinpu Road".
At dawn on the 23rd, according to Li Zongren's plan to lure the enemy deep, the 31st Division began to take the initiative to attack in the direction of Yi County north of Taierzhuang, carrying out a feint attack to lure the enemy. ——Tang Enbo said that the city of Yixian County occupied by the Japanese army is very strong, and they must be drawn out.The 31st Division dispatched a cavalry company led by company commander Liu Lanzhai, a reinforced infantry company led by Wang Baokun, deputy commander of the 1st Battalion of the 185th Regiment, and Nie Zibin, commander of the 93rd Brigade, led the main force of the 185th Regiment. Follow up later.At this time, the Taierzhuang detachment of the Japanese army was heading south along the Taizao branch line. The two armies encountered near Kangzhuang and Zhaozhuang, about 20 miles south of Yi County. The cavalry company and the reinforced infantry company of the 31st Division fought and retreated. .Near noon, the Japanese army increased its strength by more than 300 troops and added seven tanks, and charged forward fiercely along the railway line.The cavalry company and the reinforced infantry company fell into siege respectively, and suffered heavy casualties in the fierce fighting. Wang Baokun, the deputy battalion commander of the first battalion, and Kou Baozhen, the company commander of the reinforced company, were both killed.At 14:00, the Japanese army approached Beiluo on the west side of the railway and launched an attack. The simple fortifications of the 93rd Brigade were destroyed by Japanese artillery fire.
Seya Qi learned from the Chinese prisoners of war on the battlefield that the four divisions of Tang Enbo's division were to the north of Yixian County, and they planned to launch an attack on the 24th.Seya Qi immediately decided that the main force of the detachment would gather in the Lincheng and Yixian areas, preparing for a decisive battle with Tang Enbo's troops to ensure the front line of the Grand Canal near Hanzhuang, the gateway to the north of Xuzhou, and Taierzhuang.However, he did not change the mission of the Taierzhuang dispatch team.At this time, the generals of China's Fifth War Zone hadn't figured out the real intention of the Japanese army. They believed that the Japanese army's attack on Taierzhuang was tentative. The main combat goal of the Japanese army was to fight Tang Enbo's troops near Yi County.Then, as long as the Japanese army does not continue to approach Taierzhuang tomorrow, the plan to lure the enemy in depth with Taierzhuang as a backing will still need to be maintained.According to this judgment, on the night of the 23rd, the combat order issued by Commander Chi Fengcheng was still: keep in touch with the enemy in front of him, attract the enemy to move south, and cooperate with the offensive of Tang Enbo's army to wipe out the enemy in the area north of Taierzhuang.
What impressed the Chinese officers and soldiers was that the Japanese army did not attack Taierzhuang with many troops, but on the first day of contact with the enemy, more than a hundred people from the cavalry company and the reinforced infantry company were killed, and most of them were massacred by the Japanese army after being surrounded. .The brutal and ferocious lethality of the Japanese army made the officers and soldiers of the 31st Division who had to take the initiative to meet the enemy feel faintly uneasy.
At dawn on the 24th, the Chinese Air Force dispatched 14 fighter planes to bomb the Japanese strongholds in Hanzhuang, Lincheng and Chuanzhuang.Seya Kai knew that this was the harbinger of a large-scale attack by the Chinese army.The main force of the Segu Detachment was gathered on the front lines of Lincheng and Yi County, but they have not waited for any movement from the Chinese army—Tang Enbo did not launch the attack as scheduled, and his Legion Headquarters and the 85th Army are still staying in Baodu Mountain During this period, only Guan Linzheng's 52nd Army reached the scheduled attack position - the area around the Jigewo and Guoliji in the east of Zaozhuang, where it confronted the Yizhou detachment commanded by Seguqi.At this time, the Japanese Taierzhuang dispatch team was still advancing towards Taierzhuang.
At 7:00 am on the 24th, the Taierzhuang dispatched team set out from Beiluo, and its forwards tentatively attacked Sunzhuang, but made no progress under the resistance of the 31st Division.Two hours later, the follow-up troops of the Japanese army arrived. Under the cover of more than 20 artillery pieces, they launched a fierce attack to the south of Beiluo. The villages of Liujiahu in the north of Taierzhuang fell one after another. The officers and soldiers of the 31st Division resisted while fighting Step back one by one.At noon, Japanese planes bombed the Chinese defenders retreating into Yuanshang Village northeast of Taierzhuang. When the defenders were exhausted, the Japanese occupied Yuanshang Village.
From Liujia Lake and Yuanshang Village, the Japanese army could already see the thin walls of Taierzhuang.
The Taierzhuang detachment of the Japanese army went straight in, not caring about Tang Enbo's troops on the side. Its attack direction was always Taierzhuang, and the main force of the Seya detachment gathered behind the Taierzhuang detachment, ready for Tang Enbo's troops at any time.Commander Chi Fengcheng finally realized that the Taierzhuang dispatched by the Japanese army was neither a tentative attack, nor was it lured by the Chinese army. Its combat mission was to occupy Taierzhuang, and his 31st Division was already sitting on the crater.
Chi Fengcheng immediately contacted Tang Enbo's department for support:
Since the division lured the face-to-face enemy into contact on the morning of the 23rd, it has repeatedly telegraphed the battle situation to the regiment commander Tang and the army commander Guan, but no contact has been made yet.At thirteen o'clock today, Tang, commander of the army, and Guan Guan, commander of the army, sent a telegram to inform: the army is in the middle of a fierce battle with the enemy in Guoliji.
What Tang Enbo meant was that his 20th Army Corps had gone a long way to the north of Taierzhuang, and was "fiercely fighting" with the Japanese army at Guoliji, southeast of Zaozhuang, and could not "turn around" to Taierzhuang to help Chifeng City annihilate the "face-to-face bandits." .
Chifeng City had no other choice but to order the 185th Regiment to fight back against Liujiahu at all costs, and order the 186th Regiment to recapture Yuanshang Village in order to rebuild the outer defensive line to the north of Taierzhuang.At 14:00, the 185th Regiment suddenly attacked from Nanluo. The Japanese army was caught off guard and retreated after suffering casualties. The Liujiahu position was recovered.However, the Japanese army in Yuanshang Village did not retreat, and the counterattack of the 186th Regiment was unsuccessful.Just as the Liujiahu position was stabilized, the Japanese army suddenly counterattacked, causing the northern position of Taierzhuang to fall into fierce fighting. A wave of Japanese troops broke through the defense line of the Chinese defenders and approached the city of Taierzhuang.The Japanese army concentrated artillery firepower and carried out a destructive bombardment on Taierzhuang. The South Station building where the 31st Division headquarters was located was hit, and the division headquarters was forced to move to a railway bridge near the station.The north of Taierzhuang is open and flat. When the Japanese army approached the wall, they had to be exposed to the firepower of the Chinese defenders. Every step forward had to pay a huge price. I dare not look up inside.In order to suppress the firepower of the Chinese defenders, the Japanese army bombarded the Taierzhuang Walled Wall again for four hours, resulting in the collapse of many parts of the northern Walled Wall, forming several large gaps, and several Japanese troops rushed in through the gaps.In a critical moment, Wang Zhen, the head of the 186th regiment, and Jiang Changtai, the regiment affiliated, led the reserve team to provide emergency reinforcements.The light and heavy machine guns of the Chinese defenders fired fiercely at the intruding Japanese army. The Japanese army continued to charge despite the continuous casualties. The two armies fought together near the wall of the village.During the battle, the commander Wang Zhen and the deputy commander Jiang Changtai were both seriously injured.Chifengcheng sent deputy division commander Kang Faru to replace Wang Zhen in command, but deputy division commander Kang was seriously injured as soon as he came up, and Chifengcheng sent counselor Wang Guanwu to command.After a deadly battle, the Chinese defenders finally pushed back the Japanese troops who had entered the village, and the corpses of the Japanese soldiers outside the wall of the North Village retreated.
During the fierce battle in Taierzhuang, Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Xuzhou for inspection on the 23rd, and asked the accompanying Deputy Chief of Staff Bai Chongxi, Deputy Chief of the Military Command Lin Wei, and Director of the Operations Department Liu Fei to stay to assist the fifth theater in commanding operations.The violent attack on Taierzhuang surprised everyone, including Chiang Kai-shek.Perhaps at this time Li Zongren realized that it was too exaggerated to let Sun Lianzhong's department lure the enemy deep, and then let Tang Enbo's department violently attack in an attempt to suppress the Japanese army's "axis maneuver" plan to wipe it out by the Weishan Lake. Taierzhuang is the Japanese army. The strategic points to conquer.As a result, the Fifth Theater changed its combat deployment: ordered the 31st Division to defend Taierzhuang, canceled the original task of luring the enemy, and added an artillery battalion (carrying ten 75mm field guns), a mechanized field heavy artillery Company (carrying two 150mm howitzers), as well as the third squadron of armored vehicles, are all assigned to the 31st Division.At the same time, the order that the 31st Division belong to Tang Enbo's command was lifted, and the 31st Division was returned to the command of Sun Lianzhong's Second Army.
Sun Lianzhong immediately ordered the 31st Division to defend Taierzhuang with all its strength, and ordered Huang Qiaosong's 27th Division on the right wing to quickly reinforce Taierzhuang, and then he pushed his army headquarters to a small village less than two kilometers away from Taierzhuang—although It was within the range of the Japanese artillery, but this small village was so small that the Japanese army never knew that this was Sun Lianzhong's headquarters.According to regulations, the location of the general headquarters should be 20 kilometers away from the front line of the battlefield, but Sun Lianzhong led his staff to the front, which shows his determination to stick to Taierzhuang.
At 5 o'clock in the morning on the 24th, Huang Qiaosong's 27th Division marched towards Taierzhuang on foot from the Liuquan and Jiawang areas at the junction of Shandong and Jiangsu. The heavy battalion and artillery were transported by train to Taierzhuang South Station.At dusk, all the 27th Division arrived and deployed in the designated areas: the 79th Brigade was west of the railway, the 80th Brigade was east of the railway, and the division headquarters and directly subordinate teams were at Jiaqiao, about ten kilometers west of Taierzhuang.In the afternoon, Sun Lianzhong, commander-in-chief of the group army, ordered the 27th Division to replace the 31st Division's canal defense position with a battalion, and the rest of the troops immediately went to Taierzhuang to "temporarily return to the command of Division Commander Chi."
At midnight, Bai Chongxi, accompanied by Sun Lianzhong, came to the headquarters of the Second Army.After understanding the enemy's situation and the battle situation, Bai Chongxi thought: "The enemy will use one part to contain our Tang army, and use the main force to attack Taierzhuang, so as to destroy the rotation axis of our detour army." - I lured the enemy's troops into the enemy's main attack target, Our main attacking force has become the target of the enemy's containment, and the "axis" plan carefully planned by the fifth theater has "collapsed" when the battle is launched.Before leaving, Bai Chongxi told Commander Chi Fengcheng: "Tai'erzhuang is a barrier in Xuzhou. This point is no longer the axis of rotation of the Tang Army, but the axis of rotation of the theater. It is expected to be able to defend for three days, so that the theater will have more time, and the enemy can be wiped out." .”
On the same night, Seiya Kai received a telegram that the Taierzhuang dispatched team was attacked and asked for reinforcements. He immediately sent two squadrons with two heavy artillery to go south to reinforce Taierzhuang.Rensuke Isoya, head of the Tenth Division of the Japanese Army, learned that the Taierzhuang dispatched team had suffered setbacks, so he decided that the 63rd Regiment Furong would lead the third brigade to Taierzhuang to command the attack.
Apart from defending Taierzhuang, Sun Lianzhong had no other choice, but he knew that offense was the best means of defense.At 2 o'clock in the morning on the 25th, he ordered the troops to go north to counterattack the Japanese troops on the outskirts of Taierzhuang.In the dark night, part of the 186th Regiment feinted to attack Mengzhuang, while the main force launched a counterattack to Yuanshang Village. The Japanese army garrisoned the houses and pillboxes in Yuanshang Village, and the counterattack troops made little progress due to artillery fire.Part of the 185th Regiment attacked the Japanese army in Peizhuang, and after a fierce battle, the two sides formed a confrontation.The 182nd Regiment's counterattack in the direction of Canglang Temple achieved results. The Japanese army began to retreat towards Yuanshang Village, and the 185th Regiment took the opportunity to capture Peizhuang.Chinese officers and soldiers learned from the seized documents that the 3rd Battalion of the 63rd Regiment of the Japanese Army had arrived on the battlefield.
At 4:30 in the morning, Chifengcheng issued an order: the 181st Regiment will stick to its current position, and its main force will be on the east side of the Tai-Zao railway line. When the Japanese army advances southward, it will carry out a flank attack, and at the same time destroy the road near Liujia Lake to the north of Taierzhuang as much as possible; 186 The troops participating in the counterattack of the regiment retreated as soon as possible to strengthen the fortifications in Taierzhuang; the 182nd regiment retreated to the North Station as the reserve team of the whole division; the seventh artillery regiment occupied and opened artillery positions.Afterwards, Commander Chi personally led the Iron Armored Third Squadron out of Taierzhuang to the north, arrived at the northern end of Nanluo Village at 6:00 a.m., and then commanded the artillery to bombard the Japanese strongholds in Beiluo and Liujiahu. The enemy returned fire with artillery, wounding two of our soldiers, and immediately retreated to the station with a machine gun."
Its daybreak.After the bombardment by aircraft and artillery fire, the Japanese army stormed the Chinese defenders' positions near Nanluo.The 31st Division went north to Taierzhuang for reinforcements twice, but still failed to withstand the charge of the Japanese infantry. The position to the north of Nanluo was lost, and all the officers and soldiers of the two defending companies were killed.Then, the Liujiahu position east of Nanluo fell.In order to gain the initiative, Nie Zibin, commander of the 93rd brigade, led the 185th regiment to attack Nanluo.At 10 o'clock in the morning, when the troops marched near Liujia Lake, Brigadier Nie discovered that there was a Japanese artillery position in the small woods in the northeast of the village, and about ten artillery pieces were frantically bombarding Taierzhuang.Gao Hongli, the commander of the third battalion, was determined to seize those dozen cannons.
Gao is a soldier of peasant origin, with a straight and rough personality, and has always been brave and decisive in battle.Immediately assembled the whole battalion in the wheat field, pointed to the small pine forest and said: "Look, the shells that bombed Taierzhuang were all fired from there. We want to take back the dozen or so cannons in Gouri, Sha Sha The majesty of the devil! Do you dare?" As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Hongli suddenly took off his cotton military uniform and shirt on his upper body, holding a pistol in his left hand, and a big knife in his right. With his bare chest and arms, he shouted in a resonant voice: "Anyone who dares to follow me to snatch the cannon must be like me!" Before he finished speaking, all the officers and soldiers of the battalion took off their shirts in an instant, and held their rifles with bayonets. Little Pine Forest rushed away.Seeing this scene, the enemy was terrified. While blocking our Gao Battalion with rifles, they pulled out their artillery carts and turned around to flee eastward.The officers and soldiers of the Gaobattalion chased after them shouting and killing.
During the pursuit, more than a thousand infantrymen and more than 20 tanks of the Japanese army suddenly appeared in the north. Seeing their artillerymen being chased by the Chinese army and running wildly in the wheat field, the Japanese tanks immediately rushed towards Battalion Commander Gao's troops.The Chinese officers and soldiers did not have weapons to fight tanks, and they were quickly dispersed by the Japanese army, and they fought together with the Japanese infantry on their own battlefields.Wang Yubin, head of the 185th Regiment, heard the news and led the battalion to rush for reinforcements, so a larger-scale hand-to-hand battle began in the wheat field.The sound of shouts, gunshots, roar of tanks and the clash of bayonets merged into one.The two sides fought bloody battles for two hours. When the brigade commander Nie Zibin came to the rescue, the thigh of the regiment commander Wang Yubin was pierced by a bullet, the battalion commander Gao Hongli was injured in the head, and the commanders of the first and second battalions were killed. More than half were killed. ——Although the 185th regiment paid a huge price, "it made the always arrogant Japanese invaders realize that the bones of the Chinese people are not as easy to chew as they imagined"
The attack on the periphery did not stop the determination of the Japanese army to capture Taierzhuang.
On the afternoon of the 25th, under heavy Japanese shelling, the north gate of Taierzhuang and the walls of nearby villages "collapsed several feet", and Japanese infantry rushed into the village from the gap.In order to alleviate the huge pressure on the defenders in the village, the troops outside Taierzhuang were ordered to launch a side attack. Due to the weak firepower, the Japanese army's strong attack could not be slowed down. The north gate of Taierzhuang was finally broken through, and more than 200 Japanese soldiers rushed in.The officers and soldiers of the 186th regiment guarding the wall of the village fought back vigorously and sealed the gap at the cost of more than 400 officers and soldiers casualties, but some Japanese troops were blocked in the big temple in the village.This is a Town God's Temple in Taierzhuang City. The building is tall and the courtyard is deep, and it is full of weeds. Chinese soldiers set fire to the grass and ignited it, causing a raging fire to ignite in the temple. All the Japanese officers and soldiers who rushed in were burned to death inside.
On this day, news finally came from Tang Enbo's troops on the battlefield: the 1st part of the 75th Brigade of the 25th Division of the 52nd Army assembled at Guan Linzheng east of Zaozhuang, and the Yizhou Detachment of the Japanese Army under the command of Kai Seya The vanguard small unit fought; the 2nd Division of the 52nd Army also attacked Zaozhuang from the direction of the pigeon nest. After two days and nights of fierce fighting, it once occupied most of the urban area, but then encountered a strong counterattack from the Japanese reinforcements.The division commander Zheng Dongguo asked Tang Enbo for help. Tang Enbo led the main force of the 85th Army and was still in Baodugu Mountain. After receiving the telegram, he only sent out one brigade, and this brigade only sent out a regiment. After some harassment from the outside, he withdrew.Commander Guan Linzheng was furious: "Mr. Tang is our old officer. It is too wrong to play with us." However, Tang Enbo sent a telegram to Li Zongren to report: "The enemy of Zaozhuang has an appointment with a regiment. After the fierce attack of our fourth division, we retreated into the eastern part of Zaozhuang to resist tenaciously. The company’s houses are strong, and the enemy has set up outer trenches and power grids, so it is not easy to attack. The western part of Zaozhuang is occupied by us, and the enemy’s chariots are burned by fire. Seven or eight vehicles. This is a fierce battle. If the division can no longer be effective, it will use one part to monitor the enemy. The main force will still withdraw to the high ground north of Zaozhuang, and attack again tonight, and one part will enter and exit the railway line at the southern end of Zaozhuang. There are more than 3,000 enemies in Yi County and its vicinity. The Guan army started attacking last night, please order the air force to quickly come and bomb Zaozhuang Zhongxing Company and Yi County Town." - Tang Enbo knew that Taierzhuang was suffering from the Japanese army He continued to attack fiercely, but did not move, and instead asked the air force to bomb the Japanese army on the battlefield where his troops were.
In the early hours of that day, Japanese soldier Shibuya Nobo followed his troops to retreat to Nanluo Village:
The enemy's armored vehicles appeared about 50 meters in front of them, and because they were outnumbered, Hamao-kun was killed in battle. When the platoon leader led the fifth detachment to the headquarter to make contact, thousands of enemy soldiers were found in the north of our position, and they blew their horns and attacked our position.There were also many enemy soldiers on the Liujiahu side, and they attacked me. All the soldiers were determined to wait for death. After about two hours, they suddenly heard gunshots from friendly troops.The Seventh Squadron and the Sui Bing team were wounded a lot. They took a resistance posture at Liujia Lake, and the wounded were sent to the health team. All the villages were set on fire on the way.
The number of Taierzhuang Chinese defenders was five times that of the Japanese army, but their equipment was far behind that of the Japanese army.In addition to a large number of aircraft to assist the Japanese army, the advantage of heavy artillery is very obvious, and the infantry is also equipped with a large number of tanks.Sun Lianzhong's department had neither tanks nor anti-tank weapons. The officers and soldiers could only rely on their flesh and blood to block the Japanese attack.The area of Taierzhuang Town is small, there is very little room for maneuver, and there are no tall and sturdy buildings that can be used in the village.Under the bombardment of the Japanese army's ferocious firepower, the wall of the village was broken again and again, and it became more and more difficult for the defenders to fill the gap, often requiring a huge price.Most of the houses in Taierzhuang were made of stones. If the Japanese invaded and occupied a house, the house would become a bunker, and it would be difficult for the Chinese defenders to clear them one by one.But as far as the Japanese army is concerned, the Chinese defenders will not retreat. Even if some infantry rush in, they will be counterattacked without hesitation.In the street fighting from street to house, the soldiers who broke in faced the tenacious fighting of the Chinese defenders, and it was difficult to expand the results of the battle.In the narrow area of Taierzhuang, neither side could invest more and denser troops, and the hand-to-hand combat in the town also prevented the Japanese army's superior artillery from further exerting its power.The attackers are strong-willed, and the defenders will not give up an inch. The two sides are engaged in an endless tug-of-war in and out of this small town by the canal.
On the 26th, Taierzhuang was still in a melee.
At 7 o'clock in the morning, the Japanese artillery near Yuanshang Village began to bombard Taierzhuang, and the infantry stormed the Beizhai Wall again after preparing for artillery fire.Two hours later, the north gate of Taierzhuang was once again breached by Japanese troops, and a wave of Japanese troops rushed into the Town God's Temple in the town.Yesterday, the Chinese defenders set fire here and killed several Japanese soldiers. Now that the wild grass has been burned, it will be useless to set fire again. The Japanese army will not come out anyway.The gap at the north gate was getting bigger and bigger, and more and more Japanese troops were pouring in. The Taierzhuang defenders began to be attacked internally and externally. ——"Our guards filled the streets and alleys, threw earthen pots, threw furniture, folded buildings and walls to block the attack, and suffered many casualties under the enemy's shelling. There were thorns in the city every step of the way. The soldiers stopped the enemy's progress, and the enemy also died in the city. Bombers are heavy."
In the evening, the east of Taierzhuang was occupied by Japanese troops.
The Chinese army guarded the west, forming a confrontation with the Japanese army.
On this day, more than 1,000 defenders of the 31st Division were killed or injured.
In the evening, Brigadier Nie inspected the garrison positions in Taierzhuang. He told the officers and soldiers that it was now the stage of street fighting, and street fighting was all about hand grenades and big knives. This is what we are good at and the enemy is afraid of.As long as you maintain a strong morale, you can fight the enemy for a while.In order to prevent the Japanese army from setting fire, all the thatched roofs of the houses occupied by our army must be removed.You can also use a lot of wood and sundries in the houses of the people-"For those who can't bear the people, the people are exhausted now, let the king let it go." Shoot it with a bow. The oil merchants in the city have plenty of money to spend."
At nightfall, Wang Yubin, head of the 185th Regiment, ordered the four battalions of Yu Gongkui, Ru Xinming, Gu Wenzhao, and Qin Yingqi, each equipped with an engineering team and two mortars, to launch a counterattack against the Japanese troops occupying the east of Taierzhuang.The eight mortars of the four battalions first bombarded the watchtower, the commanding height of the Japanese army's firepower, and fired more than 50 shells in one breath, and then the battalions began to attack.The Japanese army resisted tenaciously, and the Chinese officers and soldiers fought one after another. Both sides did not care about life and death. In the end, the 185th Regiment's counterattack resulted in only taking back three residential courtyards.The battalion commander Yu Gongkui was promoted to the commander of the 186th regiment on the spot because of his bravery in combat.
At this time, under the order of Bai Chongxi, the chariot defense battery from Kaifeng arrived at Taierzhuang.这种新式大炮中国军队仅仅装备了两个连，虽然每个连只有两门大炮，却都是德国制造的大口径榴弹炮，还附有加农炮炮筒，射程达到两万米以上，且有现代化的通讯指挥系统，是当时中国军队中最强大最新式的重炮。池峰城师长立即命令战车防御炮连开设阵地投入作战，四门重炮果然火力非凡，直打得日军“晕头转向，莫知所措”。
二十七日凌晨，台儿庄外的日军开始攻击西寨墙。飞机和火炮将寨墙轰塌之后，步兵在二十多辆坦克的掩护下冲锋。台儿庄寨墙已经千疮百孔，根本无法阻挡日军的涌入——“我寨上官兵死伤于敌人炮火及塌陷的寨墙压埋而阵亡者甚多”。在西门附近防守的一八一团三营伤亡殆尽，三百余日军突入城内随即竖起日本旗，中国守军不得不退守街区纵深，依靠被毁坏的“破屋断墙”节节阻击。防守北车站及西阵地的一八五团，在之前的刘家湖战斗中损失惨重，这时因新的伤亡不断而致兵力捉襟见肘。第三十一师已抽不出任何增援部队，负责指挥庄内守军的副师长王冠五在电话里向师长池峰城请求撤退。池师长心力交痒，犹豫不决，询问参谋主任屈伸。屈伸认为，一点放弃将影响全局，建议把工兵营和骑兵连拿上去。池峰城在电话里对王冠五说：“台儿庄是我们的坟墓，坚决顶住，不能撤退！援军马上就到！”随即命令工兵营和骑兵连增援寨内。同时，命令一八六团和一八二团必须各抽一个营紧急增援北门。援军到达后，王冠五亲率部队反击，官兵们拔下日本旗，换上中国旗，并把一部分日军从寨墙缺口堵了回去，城里的残余日军退入城隍庙。
日军士兵涩谷升也在攻击队伍里，他认为自己还活着是“非常奇迹”：
天亮六时半，各炮队开始发炮，其音响震动天地。第五第六两中队结成敢死队，由城墙之破裂口冲入。墙边有河浜，手榴弹如雨飞来，数人中弹倒毙，其惨状为人间地狱。队长命令，不管死伤如何惨重，各应尽本分。步兵几乎全员倒毙，手榴弹仍如雨飞来，我身边亦飞来数枚，我无负伤，非常奇迹。经激战方得占领城市之一隅，我方已牺牲半数以上。然后将死伤者全部收容于大房屋内。黄昏，敌再度来袭，我方受伤数人，手榴弹仍如雨似雪飞来。夜间，我与林原、足立两君刺死敌兵九名。通宵枪声不绝。
为了牵制日军的攻击，一八一团（欠三营）和一八五团二营奉命迂回到日军侧背，向刘家湖、三里庄和墩上村发起攻击。上午十一时，一八五团二营攻占墩上村，一八一团二营逼近三里庄，一八一团一营攻占了刘家湖。但是，日军紧接着就发动了大规模反击，墩上村即刻失守，三个营的中国官兵在撤退时伤亡大半。
下午一时左右，日军的十一辆坦克直接冲到距台儿庄西北寨墙两百米处，随即停下来向台儿庄内开炮射击。日军的坦克兵尚不知台儿庄中国守军已经调来了重炮，中国军队的重炮瞄准后突然开始轰击，十一辆日军坦克中六辆中弹起火，其余五辆见状仓皇而逃。寨墙上的中国守军不禁欢呼起来，胆大的士兵跳下寨墙，开始追击四处逃散的日军坦克兵砍杀射击，另一些士兵爬上被击毁的坦克卸掉上面的机枪。在刘家湖和园上村里的日军目睹了这一场景一“举目骇视，竟不发一弹，似为我欢声所震眩，竟达五分钟之久，实战场上绝无仅有之奇景也。从此敌战车不敢迫近台儿庄矣”。
台儿庄中国守军第三十一师几天来已伤亡了三千多人，池峰城师长把全师重新编成七个营。为加强台儿庄的兵力，第二集团军总司令孙连仲命令张金照的第三十师和吴鹏举的第四十四旅增援。
晚上，日军增援部队全部抵达刘家湖。
台儿庄的战局愈发严峻。
中国守军在兵力上占据绝对优势，打来打去却让日军占了半个庄，这让战区司令长官李宗仁“殊感诧异”，他严令第二集团军于二十九日前将冲入台儿庄内的日军消灭干净：
台儿庄为徐州前方要地，又为汤军团后方联络要道，关系重要。据报该处附近敌人约一混成联队，我军兵力数倍于敌，早当解决，乃经几日战斗，台儿庄围子反被敌冲入一部，殊感诧异。着贵总司令负责严督所部，限于二十九日前将该地肃清，勿得延缓，致误戎机为要。
不知在日军绝对优势火力下苦守台儿庄的孙连仲接到这封电报时是何心情。此时，孙连仲最关切的并不是李宗仁的“殊感诧异”，而是那个说好了由他发动回旋作战的汤恩伯究竟在哪里？
汤恩伯部仅以少部兵力在枣庄附近与日军纠缠，军团主力依旧躲在抱犊圍山区里不出来。虽然汤恩伯不断致电蒋介石和李宗仁，报告他的部队对枣庄、临城一带的日军进行了持续攻击，但至少从台儿庄方向的战场态势上并没有显出任何册应的效果。倒是二十七日这一天，由行政专员兼保安司令李明扬率领的游击队攻入了临城，不但将留守在城内的日军歼灭，还焚烧了日军储存的大量军用物资。大火烧了一天一夜，迫使日军抽调兵力从南向北增援临城，但增援日军赶到时，李司令的游击队已经跑得无影无踪了。
中国官兵在战场上捉到一个为日军探听情报的中国人，这个名叫宁天成的中国人是伪军第二师三团二营六连的士兵。从这个伪军的口中，他们了解到，在自己不畏生死与日军血战的同时，还有另一群中国人在为虎作伥：
刘桂堂任伪满第十七军军长兼前敌总指挥，位置在临城、济宁附近一带。该军有三个师，师无旅，直辖四个团；每团三个营及一迫击炮连，外加通信特务排各一；每连十二班，班有十二人，配有轻机枪一挺。每营有步兵连三，机关枪连一；连有机关枪四挺，每枪驮马三匹。迫击炮连有炮六门，每炮有驮马五匹；师直属骑兵连及特务营各一。每连有日人二，每营一，每团三，担任监视工作。该军第二师师长刘桂俊，是刘桂堂的乡亲。
孙连仲不断地打电报给汤恩伯，要求他的第二十军团积极行动，全力册应台儿庄的正面防御。汤恩伯主张由第五十二军和第八十五军各抽出一个团，组成一个混成旅，向峄县的日军守军发起攻击，以回应孙连仲的一再请求。令汤恩伯没想到的是，他的主张即刻遭到军团将领们的集体反对：“我们鉴于日军复由临城向枣庄增援，在短期内攻克该城已不可能，提出放弃攻击峄枣之作战计划，以军团主力全力攻击敌之侧背，这样既可以减轻台儿庄、运河一线我第二集团军的压力，又可包抄敌濑谷支队的后路，寻机将其全歼。关麟征将军尤不同意以小部队攻击峄县敌人之侧背，主张要打就全力打，不可以零打碎敲。”
二十八日晚十时，李宗仁致电汤恩伯：“台儿庄方面孙集团陷于胶着状态，敌我均在困难中，贵军应为有力之援助迅速南下夹击之。”第二天晚八时，李宗仁再次致电汤恩伯：敌主力已“绕出台儿庄东侧第二十七师背后”，企图包抄孙连仲的第二集团军的后方。“着贵军团长以一部监视峄县，亲率主力前进，协同孙军肃清台儿庄方面之敌，限拂晓前到达”。汤恩伯这才决定第二军团向台儿庄方向出击。——当初，他与关麟征军长对池峰城师长的承诺是：只要台儿庄的枪声一响，“最多不出一日定可回援”。可现在，池峰城师长的第三十一师已在台儿庄苦战了五天。
即使已向台儿庄靠近，汤恩伯依旧存有私心：“第八十五军是汤氏的老部队，所以他处处想使该军在承担作战任务时避重就轻。在攻击枣庄时，第五十二军由东向西打，面对着临城、枣庄敌之主力，第八十五军却紧靠着抱犊崮山地。现在向台枣支线攻击，他却把原在北面的第八十五军南调，左翼依托台儿庄，右翼是第五十二军，使该军处于比较安全的地位。”
无论如何，汤恩伯部已开始向台儿庄靠近了。但是，也就仅仅是“开始”而已。
台儿庄内，日军据东，我军据西，交战双方近距离的对峙频繁引发残酷的巷战；而在台儿庄外，除了南面的徐州方向，剩下的三面都已处于日军的合围中。
二十八日午夜，趁庄外日军暂时停止攻击的间隙，庄内的中国守军向日军盘踞的城隍庙和碉楼实施反击，一次又一次，官兵们试图把闯进庄内的这股日军消灭。日军盘踞在房顶上，机枪火力十分猛烈，导致反击部队付出巨大伤亡。二十九日凌晨，第三十一师投入两个团的兵力，对城隍庙和西北角同时发起反击，“顽敌卒被驱入大庙及东南西北各碉楼内。敌每退出一房，即纵火燃烧，企图阻我前进，我官兵虽焦头烂额，终以兵器关系极难聚歼”。十日凌晨，第三十一师收集了所有的迫击炮弹，为驱赶西北角的日军开始了猛烈炮击，致使日军“纷纷窜据城角掩蔽部内及民房”内。炮击停止后，日军又纷纷窜出来，激烈的巷战开始了，一直到天再次黑下来，台儿庄内的肉搏“未尝稍停”。
为缓解台儿庄守军承受的巨大压力，外围的中国军队每晚都对日军据点发起反击。盘踞在这些据点里的日军，大多因白天作战疲惫而在睡梦中。为了消耗日军的体力和兵力，不睡觉的中国官兵认为他们必须“妨碍敌人休息”。二十九日凌晨三时三十分，第二十七师的一个团向裴庄发起攻击。官兵们一举把裴庄里的日军赶跑了，然后部队继续向邵庄追击，“毙敌极众，毙敌马匹尤多”。日军跑到邵庄后，集中炮火轰击，大量的燃烧弹令中国官兵伤亡巨大。第二十七师的另一个团向刘家湖反击，遭到日军坦克的反冲击，双方展开炮战的同时，步兵在村庄边缘的麦田里混战，第二十七师伤亡三百多人。三十日午夜，第二十七师第八十旅再次向刘家湖发起攻击，主要目标是刘家湖村内的日军炮兵阵地——“敌轻重大炮八十余门，陷入我火网之内，难以转移，死伤枕藉。刘家湖之敌向我反扑，园上之敌呼啸来援，与我发生激烈之白刃战，彼此皆腹背受敌，我为争夺此炮兵阵地，亦死伤甚众。”
无论中国军队于台儿庄内外发动的反击作战是否结束，只要天一亮，日军便再次集合起主力开始向台儿庄发动进攻。疲惫不堪的中国守军已经习惯了这一规律：大约六至七时之间，先是微明的天色中传来飞机的引擎轰鸣声，然后便是对庄里庄外的猛烈轰炸和低空扫射。同时，日军炮兵从东、西、北三个方向，集中火力轰击台儿庄内的中国守军阵地。烟火弥漫，砖石横飞，中国守军只能躲在临时挖掘的防空洞里，但寨墙上的守军不能躲藏，因为日军步兵随着炮火就上来了。寨墙已不知被炸塌过多少次，又修复过多少次，那些没有在轰炸和轰击中伤亡的守军官兵从瓦砾中爬出来，透过弥漫的烟尘，便能看见由日军士兵组成的土黄色波浪汹涌而来。
十八日早上，台儿庄中国守军发现进攻的日军多了。日军增援部队到达后，参加攻击台儿庄的部队是：步兵第六十三联队（约两个大队）、独立机枪第十大队、轻装甲车第十中队、中国驻屯军临时战车中队、野炮兵第十连队第一大队（缺第一中队）、野战重炮兵第二联队（缺第二大队）、中国驻屯军炮兵联队一小队、工兵第十联队第一中队一小队。
台儿庄寨墙的西北角再次坍塌，数百日军从缺口涌入逼近北站。中国守军编织起密集的火网，令日军步兵的冲锋受阻。九时，日军加强兵力强行冲锋，双方陷入白刃战。十一时，大股日军从西北角爬到寨墙上高高的文昌阁内。这座阁楼早已在炮火下坍塌，只剩下半截，日军士兵往上爬的时候，遭到中国守军的猛烈射击，阁下布满了日军的尸体，而冲上去的日军士兵发现他们下不来了，因为中国守军已向文昌阁发起了反击。防守西门的一八一团，把被击毁的日军装甲车作为机枪掩体，最终封堵上了西北角缺口，但寨墙上依旧有百余名日军在坚持，双方都已筋疲力尽，不得不形成对峙。
晚上，庄里的日军突然发起反击，庄外的日军也同时发动攻击。台儿庄里外火焰冲天，中国守军的电话联络都被切断，只能在各个方向上各自为战。日军再次突入四百多人，举着火把到处放火，但火光也让中国守军寻找到攻击目标。黑夜里的混战一直持续到午夜，台儿庄内的战斗逐渐停歇。
蒋介石发来电报说，如果台儿庄失守，不但第二集团军全体官兵是死罪，连第五战区司令长官李宗仁、副参谋总长白崇禧和军令部次长林蔚都将严惩不贷：
台儿庄屏障徐海，关系第二期作战至巨，故以第二集团军全力保守，即有一兵一卒，亦须本牺牲之精神，努力死拼，如果失守，不特该军官兵死罪，即李长官白总参长林次长亦当严办。
获悉电文的孙连仲派出了两名执法官：第四十二军军长冯安邦赴台儿庄右翼，负责督战第二十七师；第三十军军长田镇南赴台儿庄左翼，负责督战第三十师和第四十四旅，同时督战坚守台儿庄的第三十一师。
二十九日晨，孙连仲召集军长和师长们开会，其间他特别嘱咐第三十一师：不要指望增援，必须坚持下去。第三十一师师长池峰城的表态是：“台儿庄是吾人光荣所在，亦为吾人之坟墓。”同是这天早晨，日军第十师团师团长矶谷廉介命令濑谷启：“应以主力迅速击败台儿庄附近之敌。”
台儿庄外的日军开始攻击了，隐藏在城里的日军也冲出来企图扩大占领，中国守军与日军的混战一直持续到黄昏。日军再次发动了新一轮的全面攻击，危机于此时出现了：一股日军冲入西北角，中国守军伤亡殆尽后，日军蜂拥登城夺取了西门。孙连仲急调一个团增援，增援部队几次反击均未奏效，日军切断了台儿庄内外中国守军的联系。第三十一师副师长王冠五，再次向池峰城师长请求率残部撤退。池师长给孙连仲打电话请示，孙连仲在电话里只说了一句：“台儿庄失守，军法论处。”池师长对王冠五说：“总司令生气了，坚决不让撤。”王冠五指挥的守城部队，仅剩了不到一半兵力，因此这一次他的态度十分强硬：“城是不能再守了，弃城的责任我一个人负，决不连累你！”池峰城听到这句话，一口鲜血吐了出来。——池师长的痛苦在于：王冠五原本是一名参议，可以不上前沿打仗，但在指挥员越打越少的情况下，自己先是派他代理一八六团团长，后又任命他为副师长指挥庄内所有守军，每一次王冠五都没有过二话，现在自己如何给他下达难以完成的严令？但是，万一王冠五不顾一切，真的率部放弃了台儿庄，不但第三十一师数天的血战前功尽弃，自己也必要承担军法责任。此时，参谋主任屈伸猛地把电话夺过来，对着那边的王冠五大喊：“冠五！台儿庄得失存亡，不仅关系到徐州的安危，对整个抗战局势都有很大影响。我们已经苦战了十来天，牺牲了半数以上的官兵，才把鬼子顶住。如果我们放弃了台儿庄，不仅对不起死难的官兵，更对不起国家和人民，那就成了民族的罪人……总的一句话，台儿庄只能死拼不能撤。师部明天就撤入城内，决不会你们牺牲了我们活着回去！你听着，我现在传达师长的命令，台儿庄必须死守，谁再说放弃台儿庄，格杀勿论！”然后，屈伸转身对防守台儿庄运河浮桥的乜旅长说：“从现在起，城里的部队无论是不是因公或负伤，只要擅自退回大桥者，上自旅团长下至兵由你先杀后报！”
电话那端传来的最后一句话是：“请师长放心。”
王冠五，一条硬汉。
王冠五组织起一支由特务连七十二名官兵组成的敢死队。敢死队员短枪大刀，在逭击炮的掩护下，向台儿庄西北角摸过去，他们要爬上寨墙上文昌阁，消灭那个居高临下威胁整个西城的日军火力支撑点。冒着日军密集的机枪封锁，敢死队员叠起土囊，不顾生死地向上攀登，震天动地的呐喊声令文昌阁上的日军魂飞胆破。午夜时分，文昌阁上的日军，除了被活捉的四人外，其余全部死于敢死队员的大刀下。——“我七十二壮士者，成烈士十四人。”
台儿庄派遣队久攻不下，第六十三联队严重受阻，情报显示汤恩伯的第二十军团正向台儿庄靠近，那么，进攻台儿庄的部队很可能面临被全歼的危险。日军第二军司令官西尾寿造，急令第五师团坂本支队火速增援台儿庄，同时严令濑谷支队尽快攻克台儿庄。
三十一日清晨，日军的炮击前所未有地猛烈，二十多门大口径野炮集中轰击，犹如要“令台儿庄化为灰烬”。上午九时，大批日军涌入庄内，中国守军一八六团损失殆尽，一八五团奉命上前接替。在台儿庄外围，第二十七师在刘家湖附近反复与日军厮杀，那些配属给他们的战车防御炮也全都投入了战斗。——“激战至正午十二时，敌复以步骑炮联合部队约三四百名，战车八辆，围攻我郭团（一五九团团长郭金荣）守备之岔路口阵地。我官兵沉着抵抗，与敌死拼，毙敌甚重，敌仍猛进不退，遂发生肉搏战，杀喊之声撼动天地。时我战车防御炮将敌战车击毁三辆，突受敌重炮还击，我战车防御炮两门被击毁。我伤亡官兵三百余名。”
这天傍晚，台儿庄北门寨墙已坍塌成一片平地，无