Chapter 12 Chapter Eleven: Don't Let Devils Cross the Yellow River

On May 19, 1938, two B-10 heavy bombers of the Chinese Air Force took off from Wuhan. After refueling at Ningbo Airport, they flew to Kumamoto, Kurume, and Fukuoka in Japan at 3:00 a.m. on the 20th. , Sasebo City and Nagasaki City - the heavy bombers of the Chinese Air Force dropped not bombs, but two million copies of the "Report to the Japanese Nationals". This notice issued by the Chinese National Government and written in the tone of Chiang Kai-shek details what the Japanese army did in China and what the Japanese army’s aggression against China will bring to the Japanese people:

... The first anniversary of the Anti-Japanese War has passed. Although you are afraid of the warlord's power, you must have heavy memories. Doesn't your country's military say that you can submit to China without fighting?Doesn't it mean that the battle can be resolved quickly in a short period of two or three months?But now it is actually said that we must prepare for a long-term battle.When those generations gradually became difficult and had to change their ways of deceiving the lords again and again, how many brothers and nephews of the lords have become the ghosts of the mainland; If you are lonely without telling, what do you get from the war?That is to say, in terms of the four provinces in Northeast China, it has been several years since they were seized by their generation. However, apart from paying huge war expenses, what have you gained?

... In particular, there is one thing that Zhongzheng really can't bear to say, but he has to say it, which is an atrocity against women compatriots.From young girls around the age of ten to old women in their fifties or sixties, once they are murdered, it is inevitable for the whole family, or several people gang-rape and humiliate, so that the humiliated will groan and die without hesitation.Your country has always respected etiquette and advocated martial arts, which is praised by the world.To this day, the behavior of the soldiers of your country is not only the morality and morality, but also the morality of martial arts.Such an army is not only a disgrace to Japan, but also a stain on human beings... and the lords in the country are still deceived by the propaganda of the military department, thinking that the children who died in the battle across China are all honors and national sacrifices for the country.I would rather know that these dead are all wronged souls driven and coerced by warlords, who either bear endless crimes or die with grief and anger. .

As mentioned above, you may rarely hear about it because you are deceived, but the people of justice in the world have texts and photos spread all over the world, and all human beings in the world will be ashamed.However, all the monarchs cannot bear the responsibility.The person responsible for it is the arrogant military department of that generation.The military has lost its humanity and cannot control its subordinates with reason, so those subordinates have no discipline, and even follow the example of superiors and subordinates, and they all tend to the abyss of crime, and they compete with each other by creating crimes.Any country that has no discipline to disrupt the army and degenerates to this point is still invincible.If you don't get up in time to denounce the warlords and stop the aggression, the future of your country will be sad and unimaginable!

This is the first time in Japan's history that foreign warplanes have flown over its airspace. After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident broke out, 20 Type 96 land-based attack aircraft of the Kisarazu Air Force of the Japanese Navy took off from Jeju Island on the Korean Peninsula and flew across the Yellow Sea to bomb the Chinese capital Nanjing.Afterwards, the Japanese believed that this was the world's "first cross-ocean critical attack" and "the world's first aviation combat."The Japanese never imagined that after nearly a year of fighting against China, the limited power of the Chinese Air Force has been completely lost, and when Japan is hyping that China has no power to fight back under the "magic power" of its imperial army, the Chinese Air Force has also Able to fly across the ocean to Japan for a "critical strike" and return safely.What's more, accompanied by the roar of Chinese Air Force fighter planes, what the Japanese people saw was something that was not inferior to bombs—two million notices danced like a blizzard.

The names of these warriors will be engraved in the history of Chinese air combat: Major Xu Huansheng, captain of the 14th Squadron of the Chinese Air Force, Captain Tong Yanbo, deputy captain, Lieutenant Jiang Shaoyu, Lieutenant Su Guanghua, second lieutenant Chen Guangdou, second lieutenant Wu Jichong, and second lieutenant Lei Tianchun, the navigator , Second Lieutenant Liu Rongguang—Among them, Tong Yanbo, Su Guanghua, Lei Tianchun, and Wu Jichong all died for their country in the subsequent war against Japan. "Report to the Japanese Nationals" is a resolution passed by the Kuomintang Provisional National Congress held in Wuhan in March 1938.

After the fall of Nanjing, the national government faced political and strategic adjustments in order to reorganize the national war of resistance, so it decided to convene an interim national congress of the Kuomintang to determine future war tasks and action guidelines. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sent a telegram to the Provisional National Congress of the Kuomintang on March 25th, making eight proposals: 1. Call on the people of the whole country to swear to fight the Japanese aggressors to the end with the confidence that the Chinese nation will win, pointing out that only a protracted war can kill the Japanese aggressors.Resolutely oppose all tendencies towards capitulation, compromise, pessimism and disappointment.

2. Continue to mobilize the national military, human and financial resources to fight for the defense of the Northwest and Wuhan.On the front line, thoroughly implement the new strategy of proper coordination of positional warfare, mobile warfare, and guerrilla warfare.Resolutely aid and develop the self-defense war of the broad masses of the people in the enemy's rear. 3. Continue to expand and consolidate the anti-Japanese national united front.First of all, it is necessary to issue the common program of the anti-Japanese national united front based on Mr. Sun's Three Principles of the People, as the obvious goal of mobilizing the people of the whole country to work together.Under this program, establish a certain form of national liberation alliance in which all parties participate.

4. Continue to expand and consolidate the National Revolutionary Army.Strengthen the military's political work, tighten military discipline, and earnestly improve the conscription system. 5. Continue to improve political institutions.First of all, we should convene a full-fledged National Assembly that can really represent the will of the people of the whole country, adopt the common program of the Anti-Japanese National United Front, formulate various specific laws and regulations to implement the program, and recruit a large number of patriots from all parties and factions of the people of the whole country to join the government.Effectively rectify the local government and wash away corrupt officials.

Sixth, continue the mobilization of the people across the country.Organize self-defense forces and guerrillas for the general public, support and develop a large number of anti-Japanese and national salvation and workers', peasants', youths', women's, all walks of life, and professional mass organizations, promulgate speeches, assemblies, and associations under the general policy of the National United Front , freedom of the press, and freedom of worship. 7. Implement preferential treatment for the families of anti-Japanese soldiers, exempt war zone land tax and other laws and regulations to improve people's livelihood.

8. Organize the economic base of the War of Resistance, establish defense industry, develop military supplies industry, and improve agriculture. On April 1, the Provisional National Congress of the Kuomintang passed the "Programme for the War of Resistance and National Construction": A. General (1) Determine the Three Principles of the People and the legacy of the Prime Minister as the highest criterion for general anti-Japanese operations and nation-building. (2) Under the leadership of the Party and Chairman Chiang, the national resistance forces should concentrate their efforts and forge ahead vigorously. B. Diplomacy (3) In the spirit of independence, unite countries and nations that sympathize with us in the world, and work together for world peace and justice. (4) Do our best to maintain and strengthen the authority of international peace institutions and conventions that guarantee international peace. (5) To unite all forces opposing Japanese imperialist aggression, stop Japanese aggression, establish and guarantee permanent peace in East Asia. (6) With regard to the existing friendship among all countries in the world, we should strive to increase it so as to expand our sympathy for me. (7) Denying and canceling all pseudo-political organizations formed by force by Japan in Chinese territory, as well as their internal and external behaviors. C. Military (8) Intensify the political training of the army, so that officers and soldiers all over the country understand the meaning of the war of resistance and build the country, and serve the country unanimously. (9) Train the strong men of the country, enrich the armed forces of the people, and supplement the anti-Japanese troops. For those overseas Chinese who return to the country to serve in the battlefield, special training will be given according to their skills to make them defend the motherland. (10) Guide and assist the armed people in various places, cooperate with the official army under the command of the commanders of each theater to fully exert the effectiveness of defending the homeland and defending against foreign aggression, and launch widespread guerrilla warfare in the enemy's rear to destroy and contain the enemy's forces . (11) Comforting the wounded and wounded officers and soldiers, resettling the disabled, and giving preferential treatment to the families of those who resisted the war, so as to boost morale and encourage national mobilization. D. Politics (12) To organize the people's political participation organs, unite the power of the whole country, and concentrate the thinking and opinions of the whole country, so as to facilitate the decision and implementation of national policies. (13) Implement counties as units, improve and perfect the self-defense organizations of the people, provide training, strengthen their capabilities, and accelerate the completion of local self-government conditions, so as to consolidate the political and social foundations during the War of Resistance and prepare for the implementation of the Constitution . (14) Improve political institutions at all levels, simplify and rationalize them, and increase administrative efficiency to meet wartime needs. (15) To rectify the rules and order officials at all levels to fight bravely and sacrifice for the country; and strictly observe discipline, obey orders, and advocate for the people. Those who are disloyal to their duties and delay the resistance will be punished by military law. (16) Severely punish corrupt officials and confiscate their property. E. Economy (17) Economic construction should center on the military and at the same time pay attention to improving people's lives. For this purpose, implement a planned economy, reward people at home and abroad for investment, and expand wartime production. (18) Make every effort to develop the rural economy, reward cooperation, regulate grain, open up wasteland, and dredge water conservancy. (19) Develop mineral resources, establish the foundation of heavy industry, encourage the operation of light industry, and develop handicraft industries in various places. (20) Implement the wartime tax system and thoroughly reform financial administration. (21) To control the banking business so as to regulate the activities of industry and commerce. (22) Consolidate legal currency, control foreign exchange, manage import and export goods, and stabilize finance. (23) Reorganize the transportation system, organize water, land and air transport, build more railways and roads, and add more routes. (24) It is strictly forbidden for profiteers to monopolize, speculate and manipulate, and implement a commodity parity system. self, popular movement (25) Mobilize the people of the whole country, organize various professional groups in agriculture, industry, commerce, and education, improve and enrich them, let the rich contribute money, and the powerful contribute their strength, and mobilize for the struggle for national survival. (26) During the Anti-Japanese War, within the scope of not violating the highest principles of the Three People's Principles and laws and regulations, speech, publication, assembly, and association should be fully protected legally. (27) Relief of refugees and unemployed people in the war zone, and organize and train them to strengthen the resistance against the war. (28) Strengthen the national awareness of the people so that they can assist the government in eliminating reactionaries, punish traitors severely, and confiscate their property according to law. G. Education (29) Revise the educational system and teaching materials, promote wartime courses, focus on the cultivation of national morality, improve scientific research and enrich its equipment. (30) Train various specialized technical personnel and allocate them appropriately to meet the needs of the War of Resistance. (31) Train young people so that they can serve in war zones and rural areas. (32) Train women so that they can serve in social undertakings, so as to increase the strength of the resistance war. The "Program for Anti-Japanese War and National Construction" is basically consistent with the spirit of the "Ten Programs for Anti-Japanese and National Salvation" proposed by the Communist Party of China in terms of the general direction of adhering to the War of Resistance and striving for final victory.In terms of politics, military affairs, economy, diplomacy, mass movement, and education, it even adopts formulations that are similar or similar to those of the Chinese Communist Party, such as: "The spirit of independence, uniting countries and nations that sympathize with me in the world, for Struggle together for world peace and justice”; “Unite all forces opposing Japanese imperialist aggression to stop Japanese aggression”; The "Anti-Japanese War and National Construction Program" is a product of the Anti-Japanese National United Front. Its significance lies not only in guiding future wars, but more importantly, China declares to the world: Although it has always been at a disadvantage militarily, the Chinese nation is determined to sacrifice at all costs and fear nothing. Difficulties, and the Japanese invaders to fight to the end, until the final victory. At the closing of the conference, Chiang Kai-shek emphasized in his speech the fundamental guarantee for the victory of the War of Resistance, that is, the unity of all parties and people from all walks of life across the country: "If our country can be united and unswerving, there will be no difficulties that we cannot overcome. , and there is no terrible enemy." This war of resistance is the life and death of the country and the nation. Everyone should sacrifice their lives to fight for the life of the country and the nation. The blood of our compatriots, bit by bit, is the reason for the coagulation of the hearts of 450 million people. For one, think of China's Jincheng Tangchi.That is to say, those who have reduced their mental and material resources to ashes will also generate heat from the ashes, and light their bright torch for the future of China.The final victory is achieved not only by ensuring the integrity of territorial sovereignty and administration, but also by realizing a free and equal country. My compatriots and comrades can only work together, and will never stop until the goal is achieved. How much China needs "people's hearts to condense into one". After the fighting in Taierzhuang temporarily subsided, both China and Japan began to consider the situation of the battle. In Tokyo, the debate about "expanding" or "not expanding" the war situation resurfaced. The fundamental starting point of the "non-expansion faction" is based on concerns about Japan's economic status, industrial capabilities, diplomatic difficulties, and preparations for war against the Soviet Union. The basic policy to force the national government to submit.However, the "non-expansion faction" at this time was facing a very embarrassing problem: the Japanese government had announced that it would not regard the Chinese Nationalist Government as its diplomatic party. ——As soon as this remark came out, the Japanese realized that it was too arrogant and reckless to speak too early.Now, the Japanese have to admit that the puppet regime they support in China has no political, military or popular support, and it is impossible to achieve the goal of conquering China by relying on such a puppet regime. ——While engaging in political and military contests with the Nationalist government, at the same time declaring that it does not regard the Nationalist government as its "opponent", this situation is not only absurd but also deceitful.Then, the only way left seems to be to expand the scale of the war, although this will turn the war against China into a long-term war that is very unfavorable to Japan.However, as far as the current situation of the battlefield is concerned, the "non-expansion faction" still insists that it is currently "difficult to solve the incident in combat" and "it is nothing more than forcing a small part, especially the extremity, to bleed."Under such circumstances, "occupying Xuzhou will roughly require two additional divisions, and the troops and materials related to the Soviet Union will become increasingly scarce due to the capture of Xuzhou. Moreover, it will also cause fatal obstacles to the established armament enrichment plan." The Japanese Army is the master of Japanese politics.The arrogant and tough army generals are all fanatical "expansionists", who believe that force can achieve everything the Great Japanese Empire expects.Army generals refuted the "non-expansion faction" and said that the currently occupied "territory, population, and resources are difficult to achieve local self-sufficiency, and the result will gradually consume and reduce Japan's combat power." The Chiang Kai-shek regime must be expelled from the Central Plains and oppressed. To the border areas, and occupy a favorable position in terms of strategy, politics, and tactics.At present, the Japanese army stops at Jinan in the north and Nanking in the south. This will not only fail to resolve the war, but will prolong it indefinitely.Therefore, it is necessary to "resolutely implement the Xuzhou, Wuhan, and Guangdong operations." "It is of course important to expand our combat readiness against the Soviet Union," but now the focus of everything is "Mainland China."Although the Battle of Taierzhuang humiliated the Japanese Army, the Ministry of the Army believed that from the perspective of the overall situation of the war, it was just a failure of an attack and should not affect the long-established strategy of aggression against China. Wuhan, the political and military center. On March 24, 1938, the Operations Section of the Japanese North China Front Army called the Operations Section of the Tokyo General Staff Headquarters: The operations of the Second Army have always been carried out based on the policy that has been repeatedly reported, but it is close to contact with the superior enemy, creating a situation in which the so-called decisive offensive against the enemy cannot but be met.This battle must be very beneficial to me, especially in Bengbu. Relying on the active actions of the friendly forces and responding to it, it is obvious that we will receive greater results.As a result, it is not known whether the enemy abandoned Xuzhou.But now, the enemy can use its forces freely, and we inevitably use our disadvantages to attack our superiors one after another, causing heavy losses, which is extremely detrimental to the overall situation, of course.The gains and losses of Xuzhou are still secondary. The main purpose is to give full play to the advantages of our overall strategic situation, and to deal the greatest blow to the enemy group with the smallest sacrifice possible to the enemy group that is gathering around Xuzhou.How to deal with it is an urgent matter. Many years later, Masazumi Inada, then head of the Operations Section of the General Staff Headquarters, recalled: Seya and Sakamoto's retreat from Taierzhuang is a matter of course from the battle situation.At that time, both the Front Army and the Second Army felt anxiously, why didn't they retreat earlier?The retreat of Taierzhuang is not a retreat.Sooner or later, we have to retreat. This was agreed with the base camp from the very beginning, so it is not a problem.When I got the information that "Tang Enbo's army appeared" in Taierzhuang, I was worried that the situation would get worse.The part of the second army that is too prominent will be dangerous if it is not taken in early.This is because the appearance of Tang Enbo's army means that Chiang Kai-shek's main decisive battle is coming.Since the two detachments of Seya and Sakamoto have retreated out of danger, they are relieved; but at the same time, because the main force of the enemy is close to them, this is formed: let's have a battle of Xuzhou!Get ready now! The telegram of the North China Front Army made the Tokyo headquarters realize: "There are a large number of Chinese troops in Taierzhuang, especially the appearance of Tang Enbo's army. They think that a big blow to the main force of Chiang Kai-shek's army is a good opportunity to dampen the enemy's will to resist the war. Combat." The debate on "expansion" or "non-expansion" was put on hold, and since launching the Xuzhou Battle would wipe out the main force of the Chinese army, especially for the future operations in Wuhan, the headquarters approved the North China Front Army's combat plan.On April 3, the base camp and the Ministry of the Army jointly issued the "Daluzhi No. 106" order: First, policy The North China Front Army defeated the enemy near Xuzhou with a powerful force and a part of the Central China Expeditionary Army that matched it, and occupied the Jinpu line and the vicinity of Luzhou (Hefei). The combat time is scheduled for late April. Second, essentials 1. The North China Army agreed to launch an offensive along the Longhai Line with four divisions to defeat the enemy.For this reason, use the main force to defeat the enemy near Xuzhou from the north, and about one division will attack from near the northeast of Lanfeng to the direction of Guide (Shangqiu), the enemy's retreat route. 2. Central China sent troops to fight with the North China Front Army from the south with two divisions (one of which served as rear guard).For this reason, when attacking from the areas along the Jinpu line, we should especially strive to cut off the enemy's retreat route. 3. The North China Front occupies the Jinpu line north of Xuzhou, and after defeating the enemy, occupies the area north of the Longhai line east of Lanfeng. 4. After defeating the enemy, the Central China Dispatched Army will occupy the south of Xuzhou (including the Jinpu line) and the vicinity of Luzhou. 5. The two armies must be in close contact in combat. 6. After the completion of this operation, the North China Front will deploy three divisions to the south of the Yellow River, and the Central China Dispatched Army will deploy two divisions to the south of Xuzhou (including) along the Jinpu Line and near Luzhou. After contacting the Japanese North China Front Army and the Central China Dispatch Army, they jointly formulated the Xuzhou Operation Plan. The basic content was to divide the battle into three stages: In the first stage, the North China Front Army kept in touch with the Chinese troops on the Taierzhuang battlefield and stranded them in Hanzhuang, Taierzhuang, Yixian and Linyi areas; the Central China Dispatch Army advanced from Huaiyin, Jiangsu Province to Xuzhou in the northwest, and contained the main force of the Chinese army in the In the southeast of Xuzhou, the second army, which is the main force of the attack, implemented a strategic encirclement of Xuzhou by fighting for and covering it. In the second stage, "start the offensive movement with rapid attack tactics", implement a north-south encirclement operation on Xuzhou and finally capture it; at the same time, attack from the west side of Weishan Lake, cutting off the retreat of the Chinese army "to the west and southwest of Xuzhou". In the third stage, the North China Front Army "occupied the Longhai line near the east of Lanfeng", and the Central China dispatched army "secured the Jinpu line south of Xuzhou (including)".At the same time, the North China Front Army crossed the Yellow River south from Lanfeng to Fan County with a force, captured Kaifeng and Zhengzhou, and cut off the Longhai line east of Lanfeng and the Ping-Han line south of Zhengzhou. In order to strengthen the strength of the Second Army, which was responsible for the offensive mission, the Japanese North China Front Army assigned the 114th Division, the Second Tank Battalion, the Third and Sixth Field Heavy Artillery Wings, and the Engineering Wing to the Second Army. military.The Sixteenth Division, which was previously transferred to the Songhu battlefield, was also ordered to return to construction.As a result, the total strength of the Japanese Second Army reached four divisions, a mixed brigade, and many engineering and artillery units. Judging from the Japanese combat plan, the Battle of Xuzhou was a large-scale battle, but it was still a pursuit operation.The order from the Tokyo Headquarters only called for the encirclement and defeat of the Chinese army near Xuzhou, and the occupation of key points on the Jinpu Line and the Longhai Line. It did not mention the strategic goal of "resolving the incident", nor did it expect to "force Chiang Kai-shek to regime surrenders".However, the upcoming battle of Xuzhou is the battle that the Japanese army has invested the most troops since the start of the war between China and Japan.At that time, the total strength of the Japanese invaders consisted of 18 divisions, about 400,000 people, and eight divisions were thrown into the Xuzhou battlefield, including five and a half divisions of the North China Front Army and two and a half divisions of the Central China Dispatch Army. The division has a total strength of more than 200,000 troops, accounting for half of the total strength of the Japanese invaders.It can be seen from this that the Japanese army who experienced the Battle of Taierzhuang finally realized that any important place in China can no longer be taken lightly. At this time, the Chinese army on the Taierzhuang battlefield, whether it was Sun Lianzhong's group army or Tang Enbo's corps, lacked a strong intention to continue attacking and failed to wipe out the enemy while the enemy was not firmly established. The Japanese Seya and Sakamoto detachments confronted each other.This confrontation made the situation on the battlefield more delicate: the main force of the Japanese army was not seriously injured, and if the deadlock was to be broken, a counterattack was bound to be carried out, and this counterattack was likely to cross Taierzhuang and directly point to Xuzhou; as the main force of the Chinese army gradually approached , has formed an absolute advantage in military strength in this area, and there seems to be no reason to stop expanding the results of the war.At the same time, in terms of the Chinese military, not everyone agrees with the expansion of the results. Liu Fei, Director of the First Office of the Military Command Department of the Nationalist Government, believed that this dangerous positional warfare should be ended, and the mobile defense should be quickly converted to minimize the front of the battlefield. Except for one part to maintain contact with the Japanese army, the main force should be deployed in areas that are conducive to Maneuvering the position, the camera strikes the Japanese army.At the same time, we must deploy the front line of the canal and control a strong reserve force to the west of Xuzhou. On the one hand, the Japanese army should detour to Xuzhou from southwestern Shandong or northern Anhui; Use Jinpu Road safely."Liu Fei’s reason was simple: the Chinese army could not engage in a decisive battle with the Japanese army in terms of combat capability or timing. It is also easy to fall into the trap of the Japanese army's multiple outflanking and division.At this time, Liu Fei had returned to the Hankou military headquarters from Taierzhuang, and he kept in frequent contact with Li Zongren, explaining the need to adjust deployment to ensure mobility.However, Li Zongren believed that he could "win from the existing front line", so that all the reinforcements on the Xuzhou battlefield were thrown into the front line. When the Battle of Taierzhuang had just started, Chiang Kai-shek went to the Chief of the Xuzhou Fifth War Zone and asked Li Zongren because he was worried about Xuzhou's defense: "Do you think Xuzhou can be defended?" Li Zongren replied: "Please rest assured, Chairman, Xuzhou will have no problems in the short term. .If I can get sufficient supplements, I may still win a moderate victory.” Chiang Kai-shek did not respond to Li Zongren, but Li Zongren could see that Chiang Kai-shek was “dumb in faith” about this.But according to Li Zongren's later statement, it was not he who was hotheaded at the time but the Supreme Command, "In less than a month, almost 200,000 of our reinforcements arrived in Xu, and the total number of troops in this theater totaled no less than 600,000. The large army is gathered in the area near Xuzhou, which is really overcrowded." Li Zongren called Bai Chongxi: "Why did the chairman transfer so many troops?" Bai Chongxi replied: "The chairman wants you to expand the achievements of Taierzhuang." Li Zongren believed that, It was too late to expand the results of the war, and "our army of more than hundreds of thousands of people in the plain area around Xuzhou is the best target for the enemy's mechanized troops and air force. With our army's equipment, we can only take advantage of the favorable terrain If we engage in mobile warfare with the enemy under the conditions, if we do not engage in large-scale positional attrition warfare with the enemy, we will follow the mistakes of the Beijing and Shanghai battlefields.” So, after the Battle of Taierzhuang, who on the Chinese side got hotheaded? Undoubtedly, based on the principle of "accumulating small victories into big victories", Chiang Kai-shek did have expectations for another victory like Taierzhuang in Southwest Shandong.Judging from the telegram he sent to Li Zongren on April 25, he was still reluctant to give up any key points he had controlled, and asked the frontline troops to make a defensive deployment: "Our ministries in southern Shandong and Huaibei, except for the canal position and Xuzhou defense fortifications "Besides", the troops located in the southwestern part of Shandong went south to the line of Dangshan in northern Anhui to Huangkou, and then captured Yongcheng located in the southwest of Xuzhou; .Chiang Kai-shek told Li Zongren: "The enemy's military strength is insufficient, military discipline is slack, and morale is low. The main force in Huaibei has no longer dared to go north; and the main force in Luxi is also restrained by our rear. It is very obvious that he hesitates and flinches. As long as our canal line and Xuzhou defense fortifications can hold firm, the enemy's plan to encircle the enemy will be crushed by us and wiped out." Therefore, the "Guiding Plan for the Battle of Xuzhou" formulated by the Hankou Military Command, It reflects Chiang Kai-shek's complicated mood: the direction of attack is still southwestern Shandong, and the principle of combat is still offensive and annihilating the enemy, but the content of mobile defense "when it is necessary" has been added.When the Fifth Theater followed this "Guiding Plan" and submitted the drafted combat plan, Chiang Kai-shek's request to the Fifth Theater was: "We must focus on encircling the enemy's main force on the battlefield and annihilating it." In fact, Chiang Kai-shek's "seeking the enemy's main force to encircle and annihilate the battlefield" is basically the same as Li Zongren's previous "concentrate all forces" to launch an all-out offensive to lay the "basis for victory" in the war. Only Liu Fei insisted that currently in the direction of Xuzhou, the Chinese army has too few mobile and reserve forces, and there are still too many troops engaged in front-line defensive operations.Starting from Weishan Lake in the west, passing through Zhangshan, Yi County, Lanling Town, and Xiangcheng, it extends eastward to the wharf and Tancheng on the east bank of the Yihe River. There are more than 10,000 troops, and they are basically deployed in the area north of the canal.Once the Japanese army detours to Xuzhou from the side or from behind, the wide front will be difficult to adapt to the ever-changing battle situation and fall into a passive position.As a result, Liu Fei kept asking Li Zongren whether he had deployed a mobile or reserve force? ——"Not only did the fifth theater not draw out mobile troops, but also put all the troops into the front line or immediately after the first line to compete with the enemy." The so-called "spread wing race" refers to the The main forces of the Japanese and Japanese armies are trying to encircle each other, trying to extend their respective wings to see who can encircle the other. - Isn't this a typical showdown?Liu Fei's worries were quite reasonable: at least in April 1938, the Chinese army did not yet have the ability to fight the Japanese army in the Xuzhou area.Leaving aside the huge gap in weapons and equipment, just in terms of the comparison of military strength, the Chinese army has 600,000 troops, and the Japanese army has invested more than 200,000. During the Battle of Songhu, the Chinese army still failed to win with a ratio of ten to one troops. Now it is three to one. Where does the confidence to encircle and annihilate the Japanese army come from? This is how the Battle of Xuzhou began. In order to coordinate the relationship between the North China Front Army and the Central China Dispatch Army, the Japanese Army Tokyo Base Camp sent people to Jinan, Shandong, and held a meeting on April 17 about the Xuzhou Operation.Attending the meeting were: Major General Hashimoto Gun and Lieutenant Commander Nishimura Toshio from the base camp; Commander Shimoyama Takuma, Chief of Operations Section of the North China Front Army; Lieutenant General Tomomi Haru, Chief of Staff of the First Army; Major General Suzuki and Chief of Staff of the Second Army; Colonel; Chief of Staff Akira Muto, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Central China Dispatch Army, and Chief of Staff Tanaka Tomodo, Chief of Staff of the Provisional Aviation Corps.As soon as the meeting started, a dispute broke out between the North China Front Army and the Central China Dispatch Army.First of all, who is the main player in the Xuzhou battle?The opinion of the North China Front Army is that the second army is the main one: "The enemy in front of the face may not retreat in order to save face for the world and the people. Therefore, with the goal of capturing Xuzhou, even the smallest scale of siege will not yield results." It’s not small.” The Central China Expeditionary Army believes that whether to occupy Xuzhou is secondary, and the important thing is to eliminate the main force of the Chinese army: “The second army launches an offensive immediately, and the dispatched army starts to move immediately, and the enemy may retreat. Therefore, from Considering the effect, the method should be to suspend the attack of the second army, detain the enemy, and then use the first army and the dispatched army to complete a large encirclement in Guide, so as to achieve the goal of destroying the enemy." Then there was a dispute about the time of the battle. .The opinion of the North China Front Army is: "The Fifth Division will start attacking Yizhou (Linyi) on April 16, and the Tenth Division will start attacking on the 18th. The operations in the area south of Taierzhuang will continue until the end of April. In order to prepare for the future offensive after entering the line, the 16th Division is assembled near Jining, and the Xuzhou operation can begin around May 10." The opinion of the Central China Expeditionary Army is that they act first: "For the book, it should be The North China Army started to fight, and the troops near Dongtai and Gaoyou should go ahead and start operations as early as possible. The original plan of the dispatched army was to enter Su County and Mengcheng on April 29 and around May 4 ( Focus on Mengcheng). If the North China Front Army is delayed, it is hoped that it will start to act at the same time as the Second Army’s offensive, because the distance to Xuzhou is farther than that of the Second Army, so it needs to start operations somewhat earlier.” In the face of the imminent large-scale battle, at this special staff meeting, except for the final formation of the north-south encirclement of Xuzhou, no agreement was reached on other issues. After the meeting, the North China Front Army and the Central China Expeditionary Army formulated their own combat plans. The Japanese North China Front Xuzhou battle plan: 1. Defeat the enemy's attack in the north of Xuzhou.However, the enemy is increasing its forces to the east of Lanfeng, along the line of Longhai and to the north, and there are attempts to prevent our entry. 2. The front army must quickly defeat the enemy on the Xuzhou front before the enemy's situation is completed, and occupy the area east of Lanfeng and north of the Longhai line.The Central China Expeditionary Army echoed the front army, and about two divisions launched operations from the vicinity of Bengbu and Huaiyuan, from the area west of the Jinpu line to the north, and roughly in the area east of Guide and south of the Longhai line, cutting off the main force of the enemy near Xuzhou. retreat.On April 24, a force went north from Dongtai (Jiangsu Province) to assist the front army in combat. 3. While the second army is gathering its forces, it must attack the enemy in front of it and occupy Xuzhou. 4. The First Army should cross the Yellow River with a forceful part, first quickly cut off the Longhai line between Lanfeng and Guide, and advance towards Guide.Cooperating closely with the First Division of the Central China Expeditionary Army, the Second Army's operations were carried out smoothly.The troops crossing the river covering the First Army were sent by train to the vicinity of Jining, and they were asked to act from this side.In addition, in the west of Lanfeng and along the Yellow River, feint attacks should be used to contain the enemy as much as possible. 5. The Temporary Air Corps should use its main force to assist in fighting in the Longhai Line area.In particular, it should focus on the front of the Second Army.It should also cooperate closely with the Third Flying Regiment of the Central China Expeditionary Army and the Naval Air Force. On April 24, the Central China Expeditionary Army released the battle plan for the Xuzhou battle: 1. Policy The North China Front Army and the North China Front Army captured and wiped out the enemies near Xuzhou in the area west of Xuzhou. The decisive battle time was probably set for mid-May. 2. Guidelines The corps was scheduled to begin its advance around 5 May.Depending on the situation, it is expected to start moving forward after the end of April. The generals of the Ninth Division and the Thirteenth Division fought side by side, first defeated the enemy in front of them, and quickly advanced to the Zhaojiaji-Mengcheng line. At this time, the focus remained on the left division.After entering the vicinity of the Zhaojiaji-Mengcheng line, we should advance towards Guide and Boxian, Dangshan and Yongcheng, or towards Xuzhou, depending on the situation.In particular, a decision should be made based on the enemy's situation in Xuzhou.But no matter what the situation is, one must occupy the vicinity of Su County. In order to ensure the main force of the army to fight, the sending army ordered the dispatch of the following troops before the main force of the army took action: The 101st Division drew as many troops as possible from the troops currently stationed on the north bank of the Yangtze River, and advanced towards Funing. The Sixth Division quickly used the four infantry brigades as the backbone to fight along the He County to Chao County to Luzhou Avenue area, biting the enemy in Luzhou. The dispatched army ordered on April 13 that the Ninth Division, which was on guard near Suzhou, must gather near Fengyang, and the Thirteenth Division must gather between Bengbu and Huaiyuan. The Ninth Division gathered in Pukou on the opposite bank of Nanjing in mid-April, cleared the enemy's obstacles and went northward, and assembled in Fengyang and Linhuaiguan by May 8th. The command area is assembled. Judging from the combat plan, although the Japanese army's two armies are in charge of each other, they have shown a tendency to encircle the Chinese army from the north to the south. On the northern front of the Xuzhou battlefield, the Fifth Division of the Japanese Army located in southern Lunan was impatient. The commander of the division, Seishiro Itagaki, pushed his headquarters to the vicinity of Yitangji in the northwest of Linyi.日军华北方面军又从独立混成第五旅团以及第一一四师团抽出部队，归板垣征四郎指挥，以厚第五师团兵力。板垣征四郎随即派出了他最强悍的国崎支队，于四月十六日向鲁南重地临沂发动了攻击。 四月十九日，李宗仁致电武昌参谋总长何应钦、军令部部长徐永昌： ……当面之敌自应晨以来猛烈犯我，着着进逼迄未停止，啸（十八）日晚继续彻夜激战，炮火猛烈。我阵地全毁，房屋均着火，炮弹已渐达城垣，我官兵于火光烟焰中流血抵抗，前赴后继，伤亡累累，而干部伤亡尤重，陷于苦战状态。现援军仅到一部，二十一师尚无消息，现时情况二十一师如今晨不能到达，危险堪虞…… 十九日中午，日军突入临沂，负责守城的庞炳勋部激战后“官兵伤亡甚重”，残部于二十日凌晨突围而出。 原定负责增援临沂的还是张自忠部。 之前，张自忠部两次奉命增援临沂，部队“伤亡奇重，兵员锐减”，“尤其是第三十八师，作战前约有一万五千人，临沂战役后仅剩不足三千人”，部队因此南撤卞庄（苍山）一带补充休整。自中国军队津浦路作战开始以来，张自忠部于南北战场不断奔波，哪里危急就赶赴哪里苦战。这一次，他又奉命从卞庄北进增援临沂，但因沿途受到日军猛烈阻击而未能及时赶到。及至临沂失守的消息传来，张自忠自责内疚得几近绝望，在给军令部次长熊斌的电报中说：“职部此次转战临沂，为时月余，激战四次，逐次伤亡，力量减削，而敌陆续增加，志在报复。职部以兵员疲惫、器械残缺之余，当生力增援机械化之敌，预料必危。今日徒以国势至此，分属军人，义无反顾，是以激励部属，奋斗到底，而在援军未赶到前，守城庞军退出临沂城垣，战局顿挫，是所痛心。兹查职部黄师（第三十八师师长黄维纲）伤亡殆尽，刘师（第一八〇师师长刘振）伤亡达三分之二，两师现以战斗员并编一旅，尚觉不敷。职忝绾军符，以身许国，救国有心，杀敌无力，殊觉俯仰疚心。” 临沂失守，中国军队失去了鲁南的战略支撑点。 日军国崎支队占领临沂后，沿沂郯（临沂至郯城）公路迅速南下，目的是调动中国军队主力东援，以掩护日军第十四、第十六以及第一一四师团在鲁西南展开，切断运河以北所有中国军队的后路，进而实现围歼汤恩伯和孙连仲两军的目的。为避免被围在日军的包围圈里，李宗仁命令汤恩伯的军团放弃对濑谷、坂本两支队的围攻，将关麟征的第五十二军、王仲廉的第八十五军以及周晷的第七十五军等部，后撤至兰陵镇、洪山镇东南地区占领阵地。 四月十日，在临沂战场的西面，与第五师团并驾齐驱的日军第十师团主力由兖州向南推进到枣庄。枣庄位于兰陵镇的西北方向，距兰陵镇仅六十多公里，这意味着第十师团将向汤恩伯部发起攻击。按照日军徐州会战的计划，第十师团的任务是将中国军队滞留在台儿庄附近。第十师团投入的部队是：以濑谷启的第三十三旅团为基干的濑谷支队、以长濑武平的第八旅团为基干的长濑支队，还有由第五师团转隶而来、以坂本顺的第二十一旅团为基干的坂本支队。十八日，日军的攻击开始，其部署是：濑谷支队在左，沿枣台铁路线向台儿庄进攻，负责牵制滞留孙连仲部；长濑支队在中，先向兰陵镇，再向禹王山发起进攻；坂本支队在右，先向向城、再向四户镇发起进攻。长濑、坂本两支队的作战目标只有一个，牵制中国军队的主力汤恩伯部。 十九日，坂本支队突入向城，长濑支队推进到兰陵镇，只有濑谷支队在攻击台儿庄时受到周晷的第七十五军的顽强阻击。汤恩伯部逐次放弃阵地向南后退，坂本和长濑两支队紧追不舍，两军激战于兰陵镇、洪山镇以南的四户镇一线，日军决绝强悍的攻击令汤恩伯部死伤严重：郑洞国的第二师剩下不足两千人，而新组建的梁恺的第一九五师只剩下不足千人。——蒋介石要求中国军队固守的大运河北岸阵地已经变得支离破碎。 这时，滇军第六十军增援而至。 卢沟桥事变爆发后，在蒋介石的请求下，云南省府主席龙云将直属的步兵、炮兵、工兵、交通兵、护卫骑兵等部队合编为中国陆军第六十军。任命卢汉为军长，下辖第一八二师，师长安恩溥；第一八三师，师长高荫槐；第一八四师，师长张冲。一九三七年十月，第六十军出云南经贵州，徒步行军四十多天，抵达湖南常德待命。一九三八年初，又转至武昌整训，四月奉命开赴鲁南战场。 中国陆军第六十军军歌，是著名作曲家冼星海创作的： 军长卢汉先期赶到第五战区长官部，李宗仁告诉他：“台儿庄东北前线吃紧”，第六十军归第二集团孙总司令指挥，“速到台儿庄东南面运河以北集结”。而一旁的白崇禧说：“台儿庄情况，前几天很紧，目前已趋缓和”，希望第六十军于二十四日前集结完毕。卢汉又去见了孙连仲，孙总司令说：“敌军攻势虽猛，但我们打得很好，局势已趋稳定。”——卢汉后来说：“李宗仁说话比较直率，白崇禧、孙连仲均未将台儿庄的真实情况相告。在我军赶赴集结地的途中，于学忠、汤恩伯两部已经转移，遂使我军未曾展开即与突入之敌不期而遇。” 按照命令，第六十军需集结在台儿庄的东南面，作为于学忠的第五十一军的二线部队。可是，当第六十军向集结地运动时，汤恩伯的第二十军团已经南撤，于学忠的第五十一军获悉汤恩伯部撤走后，赶紧向西收缩了自己的右翼，以至于在台儿庄战场的东南面，中国军队的防线上出现了一个巨大的缺口。日军以两个联队的兵力，在三十多门火炮和二十多辆坦克的支援下大举南下，与向北开来的第六十军第一八三师先头部队尹国华营迎头相撞。尹营长的先头部队消灭了日军的尖兵，占领了台儿庄以东的陈瓦房，但随即便陷入日军主力的包围。为给后续部队赢得时间，被包围的中国官兵顽强抵抗。危急时刻，一〇八一团团长潘朔端率部增援，在小庄附近遭遇日军的猛烈阻击，团附黄云龙阵亡，团长潘朔端身负重伤。日军从四面冲进陈瓦房，被包围的中国官兵开始了白刃战。最终，除一名叫陈明亮的士兵冲出包围圈生还外，尹国华营的其余五百余名官兵全部殉国。 先头营的拼死作战，为第六十军赢得了展开布防的时间。 二十三日，日军向蒲汪、辛庄、戴庄一线发起猛攻。防御蒲汪的第一八二师一〇七九团，在团长杨炳麟的指挥下与日军反复冲杀，当重机枪阵地上只剩下机枪手杨正发一人时，身负重伤的杨正发依旧在猛烈射击，竟然使得日军“不能靠近”。为增援蒲汪阵地，迫击炮排排长靳家祥和步兵排排长吕建国率队向日军发起突然反击，两个排的中国官兵冲入日军的坦克群，用集束手榴弹炸毁了数辆坦克，毙敌十余名，但随后身陷重围，两名排长和二十余名士兵无一生还。二十四日，蒲汪阵地上的中国守军已伤亡三百余人。日军增援部队抵达后，二十多辆坦克冲进蒲汪横冲直撞，滇军官兵与村庄里的断墙一起被碾为平地，双方惨烈的肉搏战一直持续到深夜，日军不支退却。而这时候的一〇七九团，连同负伤的代理团长钟光汉在内，全团仅剩下不足五百人。 第六十军军长卢汉记述： 敌我双方投入的兵力约达七万人，敌军三万余人，伪军五千人，我军三万余人，在不到四十平方公里的土地上反复厮杀，逐村争夺。这时，我军原在台儿庄东南面运河北面的集结地，由于陈瓦房、小庄、凤凰桥在遭遇战中为敌攻占，形成了东起台儿庄东北之陶沟桥、马家窑、李庄、五圣堂、邢家楼、五窑路，右至辛庄、蒲汪、西黄山之线的第一阵地，与敌在犬牙交错的状态中对峙。 二十五日夜，孙连仲转达第五战区命令：二十六日台儿庄全线发动反击，于学忠部向东，汤恩伯部向西，第六十军向北，合力歼灭突入台儿庄东面我军袋形阵地中的日军。 二十六日晨，中国军队的反击作战刚一开始，就被日军前所未有的强大火力所阻，无论是汤恩伯部、于学忠部，还是卢汉的第六十军，都不得不退回原阵地。日军在中国军队后撤后，以炮兵、坦克、步兵联合发动了全线攻击。在第六十军正面的东庄阵地，日军一个小时发射了五千发炮弹，东庄上空烟尘蔽日，整个村庄被夷为平地，那些在炮击中活下来的中国官兵，接着就与冲过来的日军步兵展开了激战。在右翼，第六十军一〇七八团团长董文英决心收复蒲汪，他带领一个机枪连和一个迫击炮排出击，于中午时分悄悄接近了日军据守的阵地。中国官兵的袭击是突然发动的，日军以一部在正面顶着，步兵与骑兵则绕到了董文英部的侧后，董团长率部一面试图冲出夹击一面奋力后撤，在得到一〇七七团的增援后才退至戴庄阵地。傍晚，伪军刘桂堂部换上滇军的军服，潜入第六十军胡山阵地，董文英团长奉命向胡山发动反击，战斗中董团长阵亡，三营营长陈浩如奉命代理团长，不久也在战斗中阵亡。这一天，一〇七八团出击部队伤亡官兵达三分之二。入夜，第六十军的胡山、窝山、戴庄等阵地相继弃守。 二十八日，日军越过戴庄，攻击台儿庄北面的禹王山阵地。第一八四师第五四四旅旅长王秉璋率部阻击，中国守军击中了日军的前锋坦克，王旅长在指挥战斗中胸部中弹。日军攻占禹王山山顶后，第五四二旅一〇八六团团长杨洪元要求三营三连组织敢死队，“趁暗夜发起进攻”，将山顶的敌人歼灭，然后向前推进，“构筑起坚固的防御阵地”。三连共计二百八十六名官兵，连长李佐认为：“到各排去挑敢死队员，不但贻误战机，且临时组成的敢死队，官兵之间互不熟悉，难以发挥夜战的威力。不如就用建制排，一个排接一个排连续冲锋，一定要把山顶夺回来。”首先冲上去的是三排，两个班的士兵趁日军不备将其赶下山顶。日军开炮了，已越过山顶的两个班的士兵全部阵亡。三排的其他官兵接着往上冲，同样，也在日军的炮火打击下全部阵亡。——“两个排一百三十多人，经几次冲击，伤亡近百人，只剩下三十多人守着禹王山的山顶。”三营长王朝卿向杨团长建议：“不能再向前冲了，只要守住山顶就行了，不然部队会被打光的。”——自四月三十日起，中国守军在禹王山顶棱线上与日军形成对峙。 在台儿庄东南战场的作战中，第六十军表现出惊人的勇敢和顽强，但也为此付出了巨大代价。李宗仁在致蒋介石的密电中称：“每一阵地失去，官兵均少生还。”近十天的血战中，第六十军十二个步兵团，伤亡兵力达七个团，约一万四千余人，其中阵亡者达五千余人。 中国守军的苦战，令濑谷、长濑和坂本三个支队不但出现严重伤亡，且作战进展困难。 日军战史记述： 到四月底，各支队的战线形成胶着状态，受到多数之敌（当时估计在三十个师以上）的抵抗和反击，陷于苦战状态。在我第一线部队通过的后方地区，敌人再次侵入，因此战线成混战状态，后防联络线的保持也极困难。第十师团长四月二十二日从枣庄进入兰陵镇指挥作战，但除指导第一线外，还要对侵入后方之敌采取对策，很忙碌。 鉴于师团长矶谷廉介的“忙碌”，华北方面军第二军派出了以草场辰已的步兵第十九旅团为基干组成的草场支队，命其配属第十师团增援台儿庄东南战场。但是，草场支队刚进至金陵寺、白山西附近，就遭到中国军队第一一〇师和第三十师的顽强阻击，被迫停滞不前。 此时，沿沂郯公路南下的日军国崎支队，二十三日占领郯城，二十四日晚占领码头镇。二十八日，国崎支队从码头镇出发，拟向西北面的北劳沟发起攻击。但是，在北劳沟村的东、北两面，受到关麟征的第五十二军和樊崧甫的第四十六军的猛烈阻击。激战一天一夜后，国崎支队后方联络中断，弹药给养匮乏，官兵伤亡惨重。师团长板垣征四郎追加了千余兵力前往增援，依旧没能使国崎支队摆脱困境。——“从二十九日起，国崎支队受到东、北两面之敌的反击，陷于苦战之中。因支队的后方联络线被切断，弹药、粮秣缺乏，而呈现补给完全没有希望的状况。由于不断伤亡，战斗力急剧下降。国崎支队的步兵第四十一、第四十二联队，自攻击沂州以来，没有补充过兵员，各中队伤亡累计百分之六十至七十，联队实力还达不到一个大队。” 为了抵抗住日军在鲁南发起的攻势，李宗仁将樊崧甫的第四十六军、李延年的第二军、谭道源的第二十二军以及安恩溥的第一八二师、吴良琛的第十三师，都加强给了汤恩伯的第二十军团。这其中，樊崧甫的第四十六军、李延年的第二军、吴良琛的第十三师，都是当时中国陆军中的主力部队。由此，一九三八年五月初，第五战区内的中国军队，于台儿庄东南方向的邳县附近，北依禹王山、方头山、艾山、南北劳沟，重新建立起一条横向防御线，以期利用有利地形与日军进行顽强的阵地战。日军逐步增援后，始终未能突破中国军队的这条防线，鲁南地区战事由此呈现出胶着状态。——就鲁南战局来讲，尽管日军难以推进，但无论是第五师团还是第十师团，其执行的任务就是“滞留台儿庄一带的中国军队”，并“吸引中国军队主力东援”，而这正是日军徐州会战第一阶段的作战目标。只是，两个师团在“滞留”作战中所付出的代价，竟然比之前攻占任何一处要地时还大，日军官兵由此认为，环绕着台儿庄的那片地域，无疑是令他们“噩梦丛生的地方”。 与此同时，在徐州战场的南线，日军华中派遣军的两支先遣队推进顺利：第六师团以坂井德太郎的第十一旅团为基干组成的坂井支队，四月二十三日从安徽芜湖出发，二十四日占领和县，二十六日占领含山，三十日占领巢县，五月十一日占领庐州；第一〇一师团以佐藤正三郎的第一〇一旅团为基干组成的佐藤支队，四月二十四日从江苏东台出发，二十六日占领盐城，二十八日占领新兴，五月七日占领阜宁。以上两个日军支队向北推进时，没有受到中国军队的有力阻击。由此，在徐州主战场的东南方向，日军已对中国军队的侧背形成了威胁。 中国军队的将领们——包括蒋介石本人——仍旧认为南线的日军华中派遣军仅仅是在册应北线作战，对徐州有所图谋的是日军华北方面军。中国方面尚未弄清楚这样一个现实：尽管日军的徐州会战计划显示，主攻的是北线的华北方面军，南线的华中派遣军为助攻，但是，战争全面爆发已十个月，中国方面应该了解，对于日军陆军来讲作战没有谁主谁次的概念。此刻，在徐州战场上，南北两线的日军都认为自己是在主攻。 中国第五战区将要为偏重北线而忽视南线付出巨大代价。 五月初，日军终于看到了他们希图出现的战场态势：由于鲁南方向第五、第十师团的牵制滞留作战，中国军队的数十万大军已云集徐州附近。于是，日军从南北两线开始对徐州实施战略合围。 正值淮北大旱时节，许多河流都已断流，日军的机械化部队可以疾速推进。五月四日，集结在凤阳、蚌埠、怀远一带的日军第三、第九、第十三师团以及配属的机械化突击部队，在大量飞机的掩护下，一部沿着津浦铁路线西侧、主力则沿着涡河西岸开始向北挺进。在涡河一线，中国守军韦云淞的第三十一军因为防线正面过于宽大，被日军突破后不得不向西退却。周祖晃的第七军五月一日才由合肥调至涡河负责防守；同时，还接替了第三十一军在淝河北岸的部分防务。桂军官兵工事尚未修好，就遭到日军炮火的猛烈轰击。随后，第七军在日军步兵锋刃一般的强劲冲锋下弃守溃散。五日，日军突破了涡河两岸中国守军的阵地。第二十一集团军总司令廖磊急令第四十八军，在津浦路西侧以及涡河西岸，向疾速北进的日军发动侧击，以减缓日军强悍的攻击势头。但是，中国军队的瞬间侧击，在日军强大的火力压制下，根本无法收到任何成效。况且，日军也没有与中国军队纠缠作战的意图，日军的目标很明确，即完成对徐州的战略大包围。廖磊又急令刘汝明的第六十八军南下增援。刘汝明部五月三日才集结徐州，刚刚归属第二十一集团军指挥，西北军部队对增援桂军作战并不坚决，部队才走出徐州以南约五十公里，刘汝明见战场态势已不可能令他孤军南下，为避免被日军包围，第六十八军向西面的涡阳地区紧急收缩了。——至此，津浦路南段门户洞开，北进的日军华中派遣军有了直扑徐州的态势。 廖磊不得不下死令，命贺维珍的第一七三师在蒙城构筑起防御线，以迟滞日军北进的速度。 干旱的淮北突然下雨了，道路泥泞，夜晚伸手不见五指。第一七师副师长周元率部向蒙城开进的速度极其缓慢。蒙城是个小县城，城墙是单薄的土墙，周围开阔的麦田也不利于守城。中国守军五月六日晚赶到，仓促修筑起简易工事后，日军已经迫近。一〇三三团团长凌云上的部署是：蓝权的三营