Chapter 15 Chapter 14 It is the best policy to defend Wuhan and not fight in Wuhan

At least after the fall of Jiujiang, the Chinese Supreme Command realized that if the Japanese army insisted on attacking Wuhan, it would be extremely difficult to stick to it, and it would be difficult to hold it in the end. Wuhan has become the political, economic and resource center of our war of resistance, so its gains and losses are of great importance.However, the three towns of Wuhan are not easy to defend, and the suburbs of Wuhan are known to be safe and secure in the north of the Yangtze River; moreover, separated by a large river and surrounded by lakes and swamps, it is especially not a place where a protracted battle can be fought.Therefore, if we want to secure Wuhan, we should defend Susong and Taihu Lake in the east, guard against the dangers of Shuangmen Pass, Dasheng Pass, and Wusheng Pass in the north, rely on the Dabie Mountains to resist the enemy, and respond to the positive actions in the northern section of Pinghan Road. , If the enemy's troops go deep, they can be defeated one by one at the opportunity, or they can wait for them to go deep in the Dabie Mountains in advance, and send out surprise soldiers to attack them from the waist.Only in this way can we win and secure Wuhan. Otherwise, if we defend the three towns and fight in the suburbs, the importance of Wuhan to our political and economic resources will be lost, and there will only be a piece of scorched earth.And if you are surrounded by the enemy, you will be regarded as a turtle in a urn. The lessons of defending Nanjing are not far away.Therefore, if we want to ensure Wuhan and always keep Wuhan as the center of our political and economic resources, we should fight in the distance of Wuhan. It is the best policy to defend Wuhan and not fight against Wuhan.

That is to say, to defend Wuhan, "it is necessary to guard its peripheral key areas"; if all the peripheral areas are lost, Wuhan will lose its barrier, "it has no danger to defend itself." However, at least in the east of Jiujiang, the "key areas" along the Yangtze River have fallen into the hands of the Japanese army. Therefore, the general strategic conception of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government for the Battle of Wuhan is: persist in a protracted war and a war of attrition, use the lakes and swamps around Wuhan to carry out defensive operations as much as possible, and stick to it for as long as possible.At the same time, control the depletion of Chinese troops within the amount that can be recovered after the war: "The troops along the river in the fifth and ninth theaters must be absolutely steadfast, and the deployment of troops and the blockage of the river must be particularly thoughtful. In exchange for growing up."At that time, China's Fifth Theater was north of the Yangtze River, and the Ninth Theater was south of the Yangtze River. Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek asked the two theaters to take into account future operations while fighting in Wuhan: Relying on the rear, the Ninth War Zone must "take the Jiugong Mountain and Mufu Mountain area" as the rear support, and pay close attention to the communication lines between Xiangyang and Yichang, and Nanchang and Changsha. In the future, the contact line between the two theaters should be centered on Yichang."The Military Commission of the Nationalist Government’s overall understanding of the use of troops in the Battle of Wuhan is: “The consumption of troops in the Battle of Wuhan is based on 60% of the standard, and the remaining 40% will be used as the basis for the fourth phase of the battle. It is expected that it will be used in the attack on Wuhan Afterwards, the enemy will consider it for a longer period of time, and I will have a chance to recover my strength."

The above-mentioned strategic predictions were basically in line with the development trend of the subsequent war. However, in the hot summer of 1938, when the Japanese army approached Wuhan, the Chinese people were still suffering psychologically. As far as politics and military are concerned, Wuhan obviously cannot be easily abandoned. Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek did not hesitate to lose 60% of his troops to defend and defend.But as far as the combat strength of the Chinese army is concerned, how long can the defensive battle of the defensive type be fought, and will the painful past of the Nanjing Defense War be repeated?If it really loses more than half of its troops, does China have the ability to recover quickly?Once Wuhan falls, how will the national government support its regime in the southwest corner and ensure its authority to guide the war?After China's rich eastern and central regions were lost, where did the country's political, economic and resource capabilities to support the war come from?More importantly: How many Chinese people can understand and believe that the loss of Nanjing and Wuhan does not mean the country's doom, but another historical opportunity for the war to achieve a turning point?Since the Japanese army launched the offensive on Wuhan, the Chinese army has been fighting hard for two months. The casualties of officers and soldiers are astonishing, and the supplementary supply is a drop in the bucket.The National Government's limited finances were almost entirely spent on the purchase of arms, so that the front-line combat troops were short of food and clothing, and it was difficult to transport the wounded.The weather along the Yangtze River was extremely hot, and the number of sickness and heatstroke was increasing day by day, especially the officers and soldiers from northern China, who had to evacuate their positions once they fell ill. ——Wars are carried out by soldiers. Those officers and soldiers who are struggling on the battlefield, do they have enough physical strength and endurance to effectively perform their combat duties?Do they still have the spirit of sacrifice enough to support a battle?

On June 7, the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government drew up the "Battle Plan to Defend Wuhan."Its policy is: "For the purpose of gathering and annihilating the enemy forces near Wuhan, we should strive to maintain the current situation and consume the enemy's strength. Finally, we must secure the main positions of Dabie Mountain and Huangmajian, as well as De'an, Ruoxi, Xintanpu, Tongshan, At the key points of the Tingsi Bridge, we should first destroy the enemy's attempt to encircle us, and then use the assembled powerful troops to flank the advancing enemy from the north and the south along the river." The guiding principle is: "The Fifth War Zone should use the current situation to secure the main position of the Dabie Mountains. Actively defeat the enemy invading along the river and south of Henan." "The Ninth War Zone should do its best to maintain the current situation, and must ensure the main lines of De'an, Ruoxi, Xintanpu, Tongshan, and Tingsi Bridge to maintain the rear of the entire army. This makes it easier to fight in the future; it is especially necessary to defeat the enemy advancing westward through Ruiwu Road (Ruichang to Wuxue) and Mushi Port." "Wuhan garrison is going to guard the key points and core positions along the river, and it should use one of the existing troops ( The 13th Division) is ready to advance and be used in the fifth theater, and the third and fifty-fifth divisions are used in the ninth theater to fight the enemy. Finally, the core positions should be held firmly so that the field troops in the two theaters can be redeployed to attack the enemy." "First, The second and third war zones are still actively attacking the enemy with the current deployment, so as to prevent the enemy from diverting troops to Wuhan. The artillery fortresses along the river in the third theater should overcome all difficulties and deploy properly so that they can exert their power and cut off the communication line of the enemy ships on the Yangtze River."

By mid-August 1938, the Japanese army had completed all military preparations for the capture of Wuhan, including formulating a combat plan, expanding the assembly area, building forward airfields, and bombing strategically important locations in China.The Tenth and Thirteenth Divisions of the Second Army of the Japanese Army were assembled in Luzhou (now Hefei), Anhui; the four divisions and one brigade of the Eleventh Army were assembled in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, and the Sixth Division was in Huangmei Nearby, the 106th Division is in the south of Jiujiang, the Hada Detachment is in the west of Jiujiang, the 101st Division is in the southeast of Jiujiang, the vanguard of the Ninth Division, together with Neiji Okamura's 11th Army Command, has entered Jiujiang .The naval aviation has also been stationed at Anqing and Jiujiang airports; naval ships have assembled in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River; three air force regiments have arrived at Luzhou, Anqing and Nanjing airports.

The situation of the Japanese army's capture of Wuhan, China has become irreversible. Japan’s judgment on the situation on the battlefield in China is: “Chiang Kai-shek believes that this battle is related to the survival of the country and the nation, so he devotes his final efforts to secure Wuhan. However, his determination is not solid, and his heart is to preserve his power after this battle. And it took great pains." As for the estimated strength of the Chinese army, the Japanese side believed that it would be 90 divisions, but "most of them were troops that had suffered defeats in several battles in the past and poorly trained new troops."Among them, China's fifth war zone on the north bank of the Yangtze River is not very threatening: "Bai Chongxi deployed a powerful part in the area north of the Dabie Mountains, preparing to take an offensive against me from this area. The main force is concentrated in the area south of the mountain range, advancing along the north bank of the Yangtze River , launched repeated offensives against our Inaba Unit (Sixth Division), but its attack capability is not great, and it is retreating due to the counterattack of this unit." The counterattack of China's Ninth Theater from the south bank of the Yangtze River should be given more attention : "For the enemies who are attacking by the Matsuura and Botian troops from the two banks of the Yangtze River, concentrate their main force on the front line in an attempt to cause setbacks for the two troops. Attempt.” The Japanese side estimated that the number of “damaged aircraft and assembled imported aircraft” that the Chinese Air Force could put into combat in Wuhan was about “two to three hundred.”

The war is imminent, and it seems to be ready, but the generals of the Japanese army still have something to worry about: in the extreme heat, the last stage of the battle was often stubbornly resisted by the Chinese army. All units are downsizing, and recruits are urgently needed.However, recruits who arrived at the battlefield from China had to travel long distances by boat in the scorching heat and humidity, and they would inevitably be physically and mentally exhausted and depressed due to extreme acclimatization. A Japanese frontline soldier wrote: Our squadron was hiding around the mounds of the ditch to confront the enemy. However, because the surrounding mountains were full of enemies, bullets flew from all directions.Most of the comrades were injured, and some comrades fell down and died in the ditch because of hunger and exhaustion. Their faces turned brown and swollen, and white maggots fell from their nostrils and mouths.They didn't eat for several days, and could only drink dirty water from the ditch where the corpses of their companions were floating. The living people almost turned into ghosts.I also feel that my time has come.Facing the moon, I burst into tears.

On August 22, 1938, the headquarters of the Japanese army issued the "Mainland Order No. 188", "Dahai Order No. 135" and "Daluzhi No. 250", ordering Central China to send troops to deal with the Wuhan, China launched an all-out attack. At 5 o'clock in the evening of the same day, the headquarters of the Japanese Central China Expeditionary Army issued a combat order: ... 2. The intention of the army is to cooperate with the navy to capture the important areas in Wuhan, and at the same time to destroy the enemies passing through the various places, so as to dampen the enemy's spirit of continuing to fight.To this end, we should first obtain territory from the northern foot of the Dabie Mountains and the upper Yangtze River and its northern bank, and proceed westward in sequence.On the south bank of the Yangtze River, the troops should be concentrated in the southwestern area of ​​Jiujiang, and then the Beijing-Han and Guangdong-Han railways should be cut off to prepare for the direct capture of the three towns of Wuhan.

3. The Second Army began operations in late August from where it is now concentrated.After defeating the enemy stationed on the way, we should continue to enter the front line of Gwangju and Shangcheng first, and then prepare to advance to Xinyang and the area north of Hankou. 4. The 11th Army successively gained territory in the Yangtze River and the area to the north, and at the same time defeated the enemy in front of it. It generally continued to advance to the lines of Ruichang and De'an, and waited for an opportunity to occupy the vicinity of Yongxiu.It is ready to advance to the three towns of Wuhan and the first line of the Guangdong-Han Railway in the south from mid-September.Operations along the Yangtze River should be coordinated with the Navy.

5. The aviation regiment should use its main force to cooperate with the 11th Army, and use a part to cooperate with the Second Army's operations in order to expand its results. The details can be directly negotiated with the two armies. Also, in coordination with the navy, aircraft should be deployed roughly in the areas affecting ground operations to destroy the enemy's air force and attack the enemy's key points. 6. The Central China Port Supervision Department should still be responsible for the transportation of ships on the Yangtze River. Also, in order to cooperate with the 11th Army in operations, the officials responsible for shipping and transportation west of Pengze should be under the leadership of the commander of the army.At the same time, each of the troops and materials under the command of the army's upstream operation was incorporated into the command of the 11th Army.

... The above-mentioned deployment means that the Japanese army will divide its troops into four groups and move westward at the same time, so as to form a siege of Wuhan.The two roads in the middle will go side by side along the north and south banks of the Yangtze River: the Sixth Division is on the north bank, aiming at the direction of Guangji and Tianjia Town Fortresses;At the same time, in the direction of the Dabie Mountains north of the Yangtze River, the 10th, 13th, and 16th Divisions attacked westward, with the goal of occupying Xinyang, Henan, and then went south along the Ping-Han Railway to encircle Wuhan from the north; In the direction of northern Jiangxi, the 101st and 106th divisions assaulted southwest, broke through De'an and other places, and surrounded Wuhan from the south along the Guangdong-Han Railway to the north. As far as the forts on the Yangtze River waterway are concerned, the Tianjia Town Fortress is the last barrier to defend Wuhan, while Guangji City leans against the Yangtze River to the south and Dabie Mountain to the north, which is the frontal barrier of the Tianjia Town Fortress.After the Japanese Sixth Division occupied Huangmei, they were forced to stop attacking due to casualties and illnesses among officers and soldiers.On August 23, after receiving the order from the 11th Army to capture Guangji, Shiro Inaba, the head of the division, believed that if the supply of the Sixth Division was set on the land route of Anqing, Qianshan, Taihu, and Susong In fact, not only is the transportation line too long, it is vulnerable to being intercepted by the Chinese army, and sending a large number of troops to defend the supply line will affect operations.So it was decided to use the Poyang Lake waterway to supply supplies from Xiaochikou on the Yangtze River, and therefore abandoned Qianshan and Taihu Lake, and moved the main force southward to the Susong and Huangmei areas.This move of the Japanese army attracted Bai Chongxi's attention.After the Chinese army quickly regained Qianshan and Taihu Lake, Bai Chongxi decided to take advantage of the shaky foothold of the Sixth Division and launch an offensive against the Japanese army in this direction. ——The Japanese army did not expect that before the offensive along the north bank of the Yangtze River had officially started, it would encounter an active counterattack by the Chinese army. The Chinese garrison in the direction of Guangji is the Fourth Corps of Li Pinxian in the Fifth Theater. Li Pinxian's counterattack deployment is: the 176th Division of the 84th Army and the 31st Brigade of the 68th Army will attack Huangmei; the 161st and 162nd Divisions of the 29th Army will recover Duyun Mountain and Baiyangling positions, cutting off the Suhuang Highway (Susong to Huangmei); the Sixth Artillery Regiment assisted the Eighty-fourth Army in attacking; the Twenty-sixth Army, the Sixty-eighth Army, and the 138th Division Tuanshanhe, Bijiashan, Dahepu, and Paizishan occupied the front lines; the 86th Army was the reserve team of the Corps. On the 28th, Li Pinxian's ministries launched an attack according to the combat deployment.Caught off guard, the Sixth Division of the Japanese Army suddenly fell into a passive position, and the frontier positions continued to be lost.On the 29th, the Chinese army continued to attack, and the main force of the Sixth Division defended desperately in the Huangmei area.On the 30th, reinforcements from two squadrons of Japanese armored vehicles arrived.As a result, the 36th Brigade of the Sixth Division was on the north side of the Huangguang Highway (Huangmei to Guangji), and the 11th Brigade was on the south side of the road, and launched an attack on Guangji in parallel.At the same time, the Japanese army dispatched a large number of fighter planes to bombard the Chinese army and Guangji County indiscriminately.The straight-line distance from Huangmei to Guangji was only 30 kilometers, and the 68th and 84th armies of the Chinese army fought a cruel battle for positions with the Japanese army in this narrow area. The 68th Army was originally a Shandong army. After the Japanese army released poison gas bombs, the officers and soldiers of the 68th Army still stood firm and did not retreat. More than 400 officers and soldiers in a battalion at the front all died in battle. The Eighty-Fourth Army is a Guangxi army composed of independent regiments originally stationed in Nanning, Hengxian, Guixian and other places. Liu Ren, the commander of the 188th Division, and Liu Jianchang, the deputy commander of the Infantry Division, were the tactical instructors of the infantry department of the military academy, and Ling Yaxi, the commander of the 189th Division, was temporarily transferred back from the front line in Anhui.Since it was the Guangxi Army, Bai Chongxi especially demanded that the 84th Army must fight hard to save face for the Guangxi people in the first battle. The Guangxi Army is known for its ferocity in combat, and the Eighty-Fourth Army fought tenaciously.When the 189th Division was defending the Dayangmiaoshankou position, the Japanese aircraft carried out intensive bombing, and the forward positions and trenches were almost razed to the ground.However, the officers and soldiers of the 189th Division still took advantage of the favorable terrain, gave full play to the role of mortars and machine guns, and shot and killed a large number of Japanese troops on the open ground at the front of the position.Frustrated in their attack, the Japanese army detoured to a small highland on the flank of the Dayangmiao Mountain Pass position in an attempt to pose a firepower threat to the Chinese defenders' positions, so a brutal tug-of-war broke out with the desperately blocking Chinese defenders.At the last moment, the head of the 1106th Regiment of the 189th Division collapsed and led his troops to withdraw from the position overnight and hid in the ravine behind Dayangmiao Pass.However, even though the trenches of the 1106th Regiment were empty, the Japanese army still did not dare to advance, but instead went to attack the positions of the 188th Division. Liu Ren, the commander of the 188th Division, lacked combat experience but was very enthusiastic about fighting. He ordered the two regiments to attack the Japanese army at the same time.Due to the poor coordination and communication, and the unknown situation of the enemy, the two regiments were severely suppressed by the intensive firepower of the Japanese army. Although the reserve team was deployed to relieve the two regiments, a large number of Chinese officers and soldiers had been left dead under the barbed wire erected by the Japanese army.After Ou Shounian's 176th Division came to take over the defense, the 188th Division became the reserve team. However, when the 176th Division was in crisis, Liu Jianchang, the deputy commander of the 188th Division, personally led his troops to rescue As a result, the rescue troops fell into the siege of blocking the Japanese army. ——The two divisions of the 84th Army fought very hard. Although the officers and soldiers were tenacious in fighting, the losses of the troops were so great that when the 188th Division was forced to retreat, they even withdrew all at once To the back of the military headquarters.Army Commander Qin Lianfang was furious, and shot Huang Boming, commander of the 1106th Regiment of the 189th Division who had left the position without permission, and handed Liu Ren, commander of the 188th Division, who was ineffective in commanding the battle, to the Fifth Theater for military law enforcement. Under the continuous and fierce Japanese attack, the Chinese defenders gradually retreated to the second-line positions. Li Pinxian, who commanded the battle on the front line of Guangji, was miserable. On September 3, Li Pinxian said in a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek that his defensive front was too wide, the reserves had been exhausted, the frontline troops had suffered heavy casualties, and the severe heat had caused the epidemic of diseases, and there were hardly many troops left.And what is even more infuriating is that nearby friendly forces do not obey orders, and all reinforcements are slow to move: ... The enemy divided into columns to attack our Eighty-Fourth Army and Liu Juntuan (Liu Ruming's Department) day and night, and bombarded them with superior air and artillery. Bloody battles were fought with the enemy in Zishan and Yingshanzui, and the positions were lost and regained by the attackers several times.At that time, the artillery of our army was unable to suppress the enemy's artillery due to the bombing of the enemy air force and the short range, and the fortifications were poor, resulting in heavy casualties for our army.As of today, the loss of the 84th Army has reached more than one-half, and the casualties of the 176th Division are also close to one-half. The 19th Division and the 31st Brigade of the Liu Army, according to the report of the head of the Liu Army, each regiment There are only two or three hundred left, a total of less than a thousand... The 84th Army's sick soldiers also account for more than a quarter. Although the enemy has not penetrated deep, the combat troops of the two armies are not enough to maintain the frontal front.Xiao Jun (the 26th Army, Commander Xiao Zhichu) had to serve as the side guard of Tianjiazhen, and it was not convenient to transfer, so he only handed over the defense line from the east of Dajinpu to Wu Wengui and Liu Jun to Xiao Jun to take over the defense. Bi Liu Jun was able to gather troops to stick to the current position.However, Xiao Jun's front is too wide and his strength is weak. Once something happens to Longping, it will be easy for the enemy to break in.The 29th Group Army has never had a major enemy on the line of Erlang River and Dutou Bridge. It was originally planned to gather its main force and attack the flanks of Houshanpu and Dahepu from east to west to contain the enemy in front of it. The army's action has been delayed, especially since the order was issued, and it has not acted until now. This is not appropriate for the spirit of cooperation.The 31st Army dispatched two divisions from Yingshan to reinforce them, but only the third regiment arrived yesterday.Our front line was captured by the enemy yesterday, and there is no room left to counterattack at every point. If we forcefully attack again, the loss of troops will be even greater, and it may be difficult to secure the entire front line in the future.Therefore, we had to adjust the front line, and the front line was withdrawn to the second line at twelve o'clock last night... Although the Sixth Division of the Japanese Army paid a high price, it is still pushing forward.After the Chinese defenders retreated to the second-line position, Li Pinxian ordered the troops belonging to the Fourth Corps to take turns to counterattack the Japanese army's front and side.On September 3, the 162nd Division occupied Yangshuling and Poshan Pass and attacked Yingshanzui. The 161st Division attacked Dahepu. The 149th Division attached to the 48th Army advanced towards Duheqiao. The 174th Division was preparing to attack Huangmei.The Japanese Sixth Division used one part to cover the logistics supply line near Huangmei, and the main force rushed forward desperately along the Huangguang Highway.Li Pinxian called Chiang Kai-shek: "From 4:30 this morning, (the enemy) bombarded us from Lanjiawan, Liu Chaoer, Dafozhai, Yangwanchong, Tianjiazhai, Shengjinzhai, and Houhuzhai in four directions. The bombardment was twenty rounds per minute, and the plane bombing has not stopped so far. There are thousands of enemies on each side. The Jinzhai position of Wosheng fell at 8:00, and the position of Houhuzhai at 15:00. The Tianjiazhai position was surrounded by the enemy at 17:00 , and the counterattack is underway." The Japanese army continued to advance towards Zhuomujian.After the 31st Army and 26th Army of the Chinese Army who were ordered to reinforce arrived on the battlefield, Li Pinxian immediately ordered the two Guangxi Army troops to attack the Japanese army's flanks.The first part of the 31st Army launched an attack on the Japanese army near Shengjinzhai in the early hours of the 5th, and captured several high grounds two hours later, causing heavy casualties on both sides.After dawn, the Japanese army launched a counterattack, and the Chinese officers and soldiers were forced to withdraw to their original positions.The 26th Army defended the original position with the 44th Division, and the 12th Division attached a mountain artillery platoon and a tank company to attack the Japanese side of Fenghuang Mountain in the early morning of the 5th, broke through the Japanese position that night, and occupied Shishi Mountain and Phoenix Mountain.But after dawn, under the heavy bombardment and bombardment of Japanese fighter planes and artillery fire, the Phoenix Mountain position was also recaptured by the Japanese. On August 30, the Ushishima Detachment commanded by Major General Ushishima Mitsuru of the Sixth Division of the Japanese Army, with the 36th Infantry Brigade as the backbone, and the Imamura Detachment with the 11th Infantry Brigade as the backbone commanded by Major General Katsuji Imamura , with the help of more than 20 artillery pieces and eight aircraft, they launched a pincer attack on Guangji to the west along the Huangguang Highway and the area south of it, while the rest of the Sixth Division went around to the north of Guangji to carry out the siege. Guangji is in crisis across the board. Li Pinxian, who was extremely anxious, sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek again, saying that the troops suffered heavy casualties and the battle could no longer be fought: "Now the armies have suffered heavy casualties due to continuous battles for a week, about one-half to two-thirds , the reserve team has been exhausted, and only Cao Fulin's army remains in the second-line corps. If we use it to fill the front line, I am afraid that there will be no more troops available in a hurry. How should we deal with it? Beg for instructions." On September 6, the Sixth Division of the Japanese Army broke through the Tianjiazhai and Bijiashan positions. Approved by Bai Chongxi, Li Pinxian's department abandoned Guangji at 22:00. The Sixth Division of the Japanese Army occupied Guangji after eight days of bitter fighting, but the troops suffered heavy casualties and were unable to continue the attack, so they had to build fortifications on the spot and wait for replenishment. The Huangmei and Guangji areas are important front-line positions for the Chinese army to defend Wuhan. For this reason, the Chinese side mobilized five armies from Sichuan, Shandong, and Guangxi provinces to defend desperately, but the result was that Guangji fell.As a result, the Tianjia Town Fortress, the last barrier to Wuhan along the Yangtze River, was exposed to the Japanese attack. Throughout the Guangji operation, the Chinese army can be said to be unwilling to give up their lives, and the will to fight cannot be said to be unsteady. The important problem still lies in the guiding ideology of the operation.Although we have repeatedly said that we must organize defense flexibly and avoid fixed positions, but we still only fight defensive battles that focus on defending positions, fixing the main force on the position and fighting the enemy to consume our strength; at the same time, The various armies belonging to different factions lack the awareness of coordination and cooperation. They are often close to each other but still fight separately.For this reason, Bai Chongxi called Chiang Kai-shek specifically about the Guangji operation, thinking that if the Chinese army did not change this method of warfare and the status quo, the future of the War of Resistance would be worrying. ——In fact, this is also a euphemistic reminder of Chiang Kai-shek’s outdated concept of commanding operations: It took only a week since the battle of Guangji, and the officers and soldiers in front suffered heavy casualties.Moreover, under the threat of enemy artillery and air, despite our best efforts, the position cannot be secured.Therefore, it is not the best policy to use the disparity in equipment between the enemy and ourselves, the lack of power to control the air, and the stalemate in positions.If the army is weak, it will not be able to form an army in three or two days, because the tactics are ineffective and the command is difficult.Facing the front, thinking deeply about the strategy against the enemy, the only way is to take a maneuvering posture and ask the enemy to attack from the side with his back, not limited to defending one place and one city.In this way, useful power can always be maintained and freedom to fight can be obtained.In the past year, the planners have used tactics with equal equipment and used them in response to the attack. The principles are not inconsistent, and the victory has come to naught.In particular, the more troops accumulated, the greater the damage, and the consumption of strength far exceeds that of the enemy.If it is not to change the tactics, not only will victory be hard to come by, but it may not be easy for a long time... Change to a mobile configuration, with a frontal defense, and the main force gathers the enemy's side and back, seeks its weak points, attacks with cameras, and cuts off the communication line in the rear. In this way, a large area is used for mobile warfare over a large area.In this way, it is easy to die and live, the machine changes from passive to active, the soldiers are willing to serve, and the war of resistance can be prolonged and prolonged.According to reports, the enemy intends to concentrate troops from various places and seek a decisive battle in Wuhan.As evidenced by the westward advance of hundreds of enemy motorboats in Shou County and the sailing of troops by river ships, their intentions are too great to be ignored.As for how to deal with it strategically, it is urgently needed to make an early decision so that it can be carried out with funds from the northern and southern battlefields.I would like to pay tribute to what I see, and prepare to adopt it. What Bai Chongxi saw was extremely accurate. During the year of the Anti-Japanese War, the reason why the Chinese army suffered repeated defeats was that apart from the disparity in weapons and equipment and combat capabilities, the most important reason was the backwardness of the strategy and tactics of the war. Just as the Sixth Division of the Japanese Army was attacking westward on the north bank of the Yangtze River, on the south bank of the Yangtze River, after the Japanese army captured Ruichang, starting from August 27, the Botian Detachment and the Ninth Division followed the Yangtze River and Ruichang to Yangxin respectively. The highway attacked westward.The first to meet the enemy was the 30th Army of Sichuan Army Wang Lingji.The 30th Army lost Liyu Mountain, Xintangpu and other important places in a row, and the frontal defense of Nanxun Road between Jiujiang and Nanchang was in crisis.Xue Yue ordered Yu Jishi's 74th Army, Huang Wei's 18th Army, and Guan Linzheng's 52nd Army to counterattack, initially curbing the offensive momentum of the Japanese Ninth Division.On September 7, Okamura Ningji ordered the Ninth Division and the Hada Detachment to capture Matou Town and Fuchikou Fortress to support the Sixth Division on the north bank of the Yangtze River.The 31st Army of the Chinese garrison Tang Enbo launched a fierce battle with the Japanese army on the three roads from Ruichang to Matou, Ruichang to Wuning, and Ruichang to Yangxin.On the twelfth day of the war, both sides suffered heavy casualties, but the Chinese defenders still guarded the front line.The Japanese army concentrated its forces and launched another fierce attack with the cooperation of the Marine Corps. On the 14th, the main force of the Hada detachment broke through the defense line of the Chinese defenders and arrived near Ma'anshan. Occupy Matou Town after the bombing.Then, Bo Tian Detachment and Ninth Division continued to advance, approaching Fuchikou Fortress. Fuchikou, the second fortress on the south bank of the Yangtze River after Madang Fortress.The east, south, and west sides of the fortress are surrounded by layers of barriers, and the north is surrounded by the fast-flowing Yangtze River, which is narrow and curved.Opposite to Fuchikou Fortress, on the north bank of the Yangtze River, is Tianjia Town, a military center.From the topography point of view, in order to stick to Fuchikou, you must stick to the mountains on three sides. As long as the mountain positions are not lost, the fortress will be as stable as a rock. When the Japanese army attacked Fuchikou, the Chinese defenders defending the fortress were substantial: Zhang Zhen's Thirteenth Army, Zhang Gang's Ninety-eighth Army, Wang Zhonglian's Eighty-fifth Army, and Guan Linzheng's retreated from the front line. The 52nd Army of Li Xianzhou, the 92nd Army of Li Xianzhou, and the 54th Army of Huo Kuizhang, the fortress garrison.The Chinese garrison of as many as six armies was under the unified command of Tang Enbo, commander-in-chief of the 31st Army, facing a division and a brigade of the Japanese army.Taking advantage of superior forces and favorable terrain, the Chinese defenders fought bloody battles with the Japanese for many days.Especially in the vicinity of Xiannvchi to the west of Ruichang, the Ninth Division of the Japanese Army was stubbornly resisted by the Chinese defenders, and the offensive was restrained.However, with the cooperation of naval guns, the Botian detachment advancing westward along the river launched attacks again and again on the core position of the Chinese defenders at Fuchikou.The garrison of the core position is the 18th Division of the 54th Army.At the last moment, after the Japanese army launched poison gas bombs on land and on the river, Li Fangchen, the commander of the 18th Division, asked Zhang Fakui, the commander-in-chief of the Corps, to retreat, but was sternly refused.Zhang Fakui ordered Commander Li to stand guard for another three days, and told him that the headquarters of the Second Corps was located on the mountain southwest of Daye County, and that a supervisory team had been sent along the road, and whoever retreated without authorization would be shot on the spot.The 18th Division held on for three days. Except for the position on the southeast hill of Fuchikou, which was still in hand, several layers of defensive positions on high ground in other directions were broken by the Japanese army, and the entire fortress was exposed to Japanese firepower.Commander Li once again asked the corps, saying that if there is no reinforcement, it must retreat, but Zhang Fakui's order is: the 18th Division will stay on guard for another three days.On the night of the 23rd, Li Fangchen, who was the commander of the division, "crossed Wanghu Lake in a small boat and fled towards Yangxincheng. That night, after the remaining officers and soldiers of the 18th Division destroyed the main facilities of the fortress, they dismantled the pontoon bridge from Wanghu to the Yangtze River and withdrew from the fortress. The fall of the Fuchikou Fortress put Tianjia Town, an important military base in the north of the Yangtze River, in crisis.The Sixth Division of the Japanese Army, which was attacking along the north bank of the Yangtze River, rested for seven days after the Guangji battle, recruited 3,200 new recruits, and was strengthened by a part of the Third Division and the eleventh Navy Corps. When the Potian Detachment and the Ninth Division on the south bank approached Fuchikou, on September 15, the Sixth Division began to attack and advance in the direction of Tianjia Town. Backed by hills and facing the river, Tianjia Town is located in a dangerous terrain. It is the strongest and largest military fortress in the Yangtze River Fortress, guarding the Yangtze River waterway to Wuhan in the west.On August 6th, Chiang Kai-shek personally sent a telegram to Li Yannian, the commander of the fortress, asking the defenders to live and die with Tianjiazhen: ...Zhatian and Fu Fortresses are the key to the Dabie Mountains and our main positions in northern Jiangxi, and the pivot of the battle between the fifth and ninth theaters, as well as the last barrier of Wuhan.But Chongshan confronts each other, the river is narrow, and there are considerable fortifications and artillery preparations, making it the strongest fortress in our country.Zhagegai is the elite of the national army. Each of them inspires loyalty and bravery. With the determination to live and die with the fortress, it actively prepares and sticks to it for a long time to benefit the overall situation and promote the country's prestige. The Chinese side deployed a large number of defenders near the fortress of Tianjia Town: in the south, east, and west of Tianjia Town, there were Xiao Zhichu's 26th Army, He Zhizhong's 86th Army, Li Yannian's Second Army, and Zheng Zuomin's The Ninth Division of Zhang Gong and the Sixth Division of Zhang Gong.Those directly defending the core position of Tianjia Town were Shi Zhongcheng's 57th Division, Yang Zongding's 171st Brigade and the Artillery 16th Regiment.Li Yannian, commander of the Second Army, was the commander-in-chief of the fortress. On September 15th, dozens of fighter planes and more than 20 warships of the Japanese army violently bombarded and bombarded the fortress of Tianjia Town. A part of the Japanese Marine Corps attempted to land in the Panjiawan, Zhongmiao, and Glass Temple areas, but was captured by the Chinese defenders. repel.The ground troops of the Japanese Sixth Division attacking Tianjia Town were mainly the reorganized Imamura Detachment with the 13th Infantry Regiment, the main force of the Second Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment, and the Second Squadron of the Sixth Regiment of the Supplies.On the morning of the 15th, the Imamura Detachment, with the cooperation of the Navy, captured the Tieshidun security position of the Ninth Division of the Chinese Defenders.However, the fierce resistance encountered afterwards was beyond expectations. Under the combined resistance of the 26th Army, 86th Army, and the Second Army of the Chinese defenders, the attack of the Imamura detachment did not make any progress.The next day, with the support of aircraft and naval guns, the Japanese Marine Corps tried to land again at Panjiawan and Glass Temple, but was repelled by Shi Zhongcheng's 57th Division.In the afternoon, Li Yannian decided to reduce the front: the main position of the 57th Division was changed to the forward position, and the main force was moved to Zhoujia, Canggunao, Wuguishan, Shazinao, and Old Stork. The 16th Regiment was under the command of Shi Zhongcheng, the commander of the 57th Division, and the 6th Battalion of the Independent Artillery cooperated with the 9th and 57th Divisions to fight.According to Li Yannian's order, the 57th Division transferred a regiment defending the southeast of Tianjia Town back as a reserve team, leaving only a small number of troops to contain the Japanese army.At 2 o'clock in the morning on the 17th, the Japanese marines landed again with the support of naval guns. A small number of Chinese troops left behind started a tug-of-war with the Japanese army, paying the price of more than 100 casualties.Before breaking through, the officers and soldiers dug up the Yangtze River embankment east of Guangji, and the water from the Yangtze River poured into Wushan Lake and Huangni Lake. The Japanese marines were besieged by the flood and their actions were hindered. On the seventeenth, it rained heavily.The Japanese fighter planes in the sky were affected and could not take off, and the flood on the ground prevented the Japanese artillery from moving. The Imamura detachment fell into a situation of shortage of food and ammunition in the face of the tenacious resistance of the Chinese defenders, but they still forcibly launched an offensive.At dawn, the frontal position of the Ninth Division of the Chinese garrison was broken through, and the defenders retreated to the front line of Luotuoshan.On the morning of the 18th, the Imamura detachment continued to attack, and the Luotuoshan position was breached again. The Ninth Division of the Chinese defenders retreated to the Xiangshan, Zhuyingshan and Panjiashan lines.In the afternoon, the Japanese army attacked Xiangshan, and a company of the Chinese defenders was killed, and the position fell. At this time, for the convenience of commanding operations, all the Chinese defenders on the north bank of the Tianjia Town Fortress were assigned to the fifth theater, under the command of Li Pinxian, the deputy commander of the theater. Li Pinxian is well aware of the great responsibility, and also knows that almost all existing troops are incomplete.For this reason, he sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek, which has the meaning of "ugly words first": There are 10 armies who returned to the command of Eastern Hubei. It is found that Xiao Zhichu and He Zhizhong have ordered the two armies to go south to cooperate with Li Jun (Li Yannian) to fight. Cao Fulin's army has the most sick people. After Liu Ruming's army joined the battle, there are now no more than 2,000 people serving in the front line. The 138th Division of the 31st Army has already opened Mabu. , The current strength is no more than 4,000 people. The Eighty-Fourth Army originally had only two divisions, but now each regiment has only five or six hundred people.At present, there are only two divisions of the Seventh Army and two divisions of the Forty-eighth Army who are reluctant to fight.依目下情况，敌以一部死守广济，我军屡欲围歼，尚未奏效；若敌增援改取攻势，则更难应付。为求巩固鄂东防务起见，拟恳迅派精锐赶速调防为祷。 蒋介石无力再抽调出“精锐”部队增援田家镇。接到李品仙电报的第二天，他致电中国第五战区师长以上各级将领并田家镇防区指挥官李延年，严厉警告了那些消极避战、观望不前、贪生怕死的将领： 溯抗战以来，赖我全军将士敌忾同仇，忠勇用命，万众一心，屡予敌以重大打击，粉碎敌人“速战速决，三月亡华”之企图，提高国家民族国际上之荣誉，足证精神一致，克服万难。当兹敌寇深入，攻我武汉，我军第三期会战展开之际，凡我官兵，更应如何破碗，协同歼敌，挽回局势。乃近查有少数部队，或对敌情侦察不明，或对友军支援不力，迹近观望，予敌各个击破之好机，无异坐以待毙，影响全局，殊堪痛恨。须知唇亡齿寒，非团结不足御敌，惟协同乃可致胜。特此令仰各该指挥官咸体斯旨，并严令所属切实遵照，继续努力，共同奋勉，为民族国家之生存，争取最后胜利为要。如再有互相推诿、观望不前，致失机宜，定予严惩。This order. 在蒋介石的严令下，中国守军各部队开始对日军实施反击。 长江北岸的今村支队终陷求告无门的境地：“在支队主力前面的敌主阵地有两道铁丝网，关键部位设有水泥碉堡，而且还有数道坚固阵地。从十八日晚，敌向支队的侧背攻击非常活跃，十九日敌从蕲春方面又增加二千人，第十三联队第三大队继续苦战。支队长用后方部队编成步枪部队，担任防御。二十日，后侧之敌又有增加，不断伤亡，形势危急。支队长从主力部队中抽出步兵中队增援后方，并命令山炮中队支援。由于激烈战斗，支队的弹药、医疗物品极感不足。前方的田家镇要塞也有炮击，支队遭受三面围攻，只东面湖沼地带开放着。” 为救援陷入困境的今村支队，师团长稻叶四郎派出第四十五联队第二大队前往增援，但被中国守军第一〇三师阻击在四望山；又派出第二十三联队第二大队率四个步兵中队、两个山炮中队、一个工兵小队和一个辎重兵小队前往增援，又被中国军队第一二一师阻击在铁石墩。无奈之下，日军航空兵第十二战队冒着恶劣的天气强行起飞，飞到黄泥湖上空给今村支队投放军需物资。——“二十一日午后，劈开云雾空投下来医疗药品及一百发山炮弹，使支队得到补充，愁眉稍展。” 二十二日，今村胜次派出一个大队向铁石墩方向突击以接应增援部队，同时以主力猛攻乌龟山、沙子垴阵地并释放毒气。乌龟山阵地的中国守军两个连苦战后突围，阵地被日军占领。增援的日军第三十六旅团黄昏时分攻占四望山，两个连的中国守军全部阵亡。二十三日，日军独立工兵中队的数艘装满弹药和粮秣的铁船，终于艰难地驶过了中国军队制造的洪水泛滥区，抵达今村支队所在的黄泥湖畔。铁船将补给卸下后，将六百八十名死伤人员运走。得到补给的今村支队全力攻占铁石墩，然后向中国守军的侧背实施攻击，突破了第一二一师的阵地，袭击了第一〇三师的指挥部，占领张家湾。二十四日，田家镇遭到日军飞机和舰炮更为猛烈的轰击。形势危急之时，李延年从第九师抽调出一个团归第一九八师指挥，加强了马口湖北面的防御；李品仙则命令第一七四师火速增援第二十六军，以阻止日军第三十六旅团的突进。 田家镇战局开始恶化。 日军在数十架飞机的助战下，由黄泥湖向中国守军第九、第五十七师阵地发动持续攻击。第九师师长郑作民亲临前沿指挥作战。日军的轰炸给中国守军造成了巨大威胁，中国官兵用机枪对空射击，甚至迫击炮也破例对空开炮，一架日军战机俯冲时，正好撞上一颗飞行中的迫击炮弹，飞机凌空爆炸，中国守军的阵地上欢声雷动。第九师第二十七旅官兵在与日军的白刃肉搏中，营长以下军官伤亡六十多人，士兵伤亡多达近千人。——“五十三团重机枪一连少尉排长袁次荣，在弹药用尽全排士兵严重伤亡的情况下，眼看他的阵地就要被敌人攻占了，他一个人把阵地上的手榴弹收集在一块，接连向进攻的敌人投掷，敌死伤数十人。敌人发觉阵地上只有他一个人，就从四面八方蜂拥而上，袁排长毫无惧色，从容打开重机关枪的机匣盖，把最后一颗手榴弹放进机匣，拉断火索后，用双手将枪身紧抱，轰的一声，阵地上顿时血肉四溅……”二十六日拂晓，日军火炮和舰炮向田家镇要塞核心阵地连续炮击三个多小时，而后日军第三十六旅团和第十一旅团部队向中国守军阵地实施合击。中国守军第五十七师伤亡巨大，李延年一面派兵增援第五十七师，一面命令第二十六军对日军实施侧击以为册应，但是第二十六军因行动缓慢致使战局无法转变。 二十七日，日军两路夹击部队会合了。今村胜次集中起四千多兵力向中国守军的主阵地发起攻势。星家山阵地中国守军团长负重伤，营长伤一人亡一人，官兵突围而出的仅四十余人。日军继而连续突破中国守军第九师的胡家山、鸭掌庙阵地和第五十七师的乌龟山、下郑一线阵地。同时，日军海军第十一战队在盘塘附近成功登陆，开始沿江岸向田家镇要塞的象山炮台进攻。 田家镇要塞已被日军三面包围。 二十八日，日军陆、海、空军协同猛攻田家镇核心阵地。海军陆战队集中了上百门火炮，空军出动战机达八十余架，田家镇核心阵地落下两千多发炮弹，中国守军的所有工事都被摧毁。激战延续到下午，要塞制高点玉屏山被日军攻占。 二十八日晚李延年下达放弃田家镇要塞的命令。 二十九日十一时三十分，田家镇要塞陷落。 田家镇要塞防御作战持续十五天，中国军队为此付出了巨大代价，但同时也给日军极大的打击。日军第六师团九月三十日电报：“截止，战死二百八十四名（内将校七），负伤八百六十名（内将校十五），合计一千一百五十名；预料还要增加。” 关于田家镇要塞失守的原因，要塞守备司令杨宗鼎给军事委员会的报告中写道： 一、本区外围守备军（第九师、第五十七师）因伤亡过重，被敌强力压迫，与核心守军失去联系，敌得任意攻击核心阵地。 二、工事未得全部完成。宗鼎于七月九日兼任田塞司令职，当时接收永久工事计二十个，野战工事全未动工，当即区分工段严饬日夜赶筑野战工事，于八月下旬将对武穴方面主阵地各线完成并同时完成对江面之工事。九月初旬开始构筑对北面及西北面山上之工事，其正面宽约七千公尺，全线均为岩石（永久工事仅有五个），施工困难又兼材料缺乏，迄剧战时，工事仍未得完成。 三、地区的守备兵力不足。查本核心阵地对武穴方面右自上公大堤起，左至后壁山（不含）止，其正面宽约三千公尺；对江方面右自冯家山西端起，经盘塘沿大堤，左至上公附近止，其正面宽约六千公尺；对北及西北方面右自郭家冲东口起，经黄谷脑、立儿脑、阳城山、杨树坪至冯家山西端止，其正面宽约九千公尺；共计四周正面宽约一万八千公尺。如择要配置，以每营担任三千公尺正面计算，亦须六营守兵方敷分配，而当时核心尚不足三菅，曾一再请求增加迄未办到，卒以守备力薄无人，一被突破遂致无法维持。 四、对江面封锁无力。因备炮被敌机炸毁（因七五高射炮调走），轻榴弹炮、野炮调走，南岸失守，以至于敌舰上驶与其扫雷工作无力制止，敌可在其飞机炮火掩护下任意扫雷，随地登陆。 其实，真正的原因杨宗鼎并没有说出来。中国军队在田家镇外围作战打得不错，曾把日军今村支队困在湖沼中长达十天，完全有将其合围歼灭的契机和可能。但是，一方面江对岸富池口的陷落给田家镇防御带来极大的困难；另一方面依旧是令蒋介石十分恼怒却又无力改变的中国军队的痼疾所致，即各部队间从不协同和配合。 作为第五战区副司令长官的李品仙对此也有难言之隐。广济战事吃紧时，他曾急电请求第九战区增援，但第九战区司令长官陈诚始终以无兵可调为由拒绝。当李品仙得知田家镇炮台仅剩下不足五十官兵时，只有直接给军事委员会委员长侍从室发电求援。蒋介石得知后大惊，电令陈诚火速增援，陈诚依旧以无兵可援为由拒绝。战后，李品仙在自请处分的电报中，虽然回避了陈诚的名字，但把那些增援不力的将领顺带告了一状： 查田家镇要塞失守原因颇多。至李军团长（李延年）原任防守专责，要塞陷落，在理亦应负相当责任，至其指挥督率亦欠适当，因部队使用未能集中，指挥位置在王家湾要塞之外，对守兵心理不无影响。及前线部队之溃退，要塞核心守备人员擅自退出，未能严为督饬，不无过失。至萧军长之楚、何军长知重册应要塞作战行动迟缓，未能依照命令及时夹击，亦有相当过失。至其他各官长之失职贻误戎机者，已令李军团长查明详报矣。自职奉命指挥要塞及派遣各军南下作战，供职无状，以至要塞失陷，影响战局，尚乞从严处分为祷。 第二十六军军长萧之楚得知自己被告后，特地致电蒋介石解释他的部队增援迟缓的原因，除了担负的作战任务重之外，还有天黑下大雨导致部队行动困难以及通信器材匮乏导致联络不畅等等：“职跟随钧座十余年，虽未建功立业，以报知遇，对于命令之服从，自信尚能做到，此次对田家镇要塞册应迟缓，实为事实与环境所促。”——为此，萧军长特地报告了他的第二十六军在广济作战中的损失：伤亡和失踪官兵五千七百一十二人，目前他的一个军仅剩下四千九百五十五人。即便如此，萧军长仍向蒋介石表态说，自己当“抱定不成功便成仁之决心，率残疲之卒，向赋予之任务迈进”。 所有的总结、埋怨、解释和表态，于事何补？ 长江上最坚固的沿江堡垒，屏障武汉的最后一道水上要塞，已经落入日军之手。 日军第六师团因攻占田家镇损失惨重，不得不再次进入休整状态，这使得日军沿长江西进的攻势因而暂缓下来。 长江北岸再向北，是大别山脉。 绵亘鄂豫皖边界的大别山，山峰险峻，北麓是一片丘陵，从安徽六安延伸出的一条公路穿越这片丘陵，经河南固始、潢川、罗山，直通河南境内平汉路上的重要城市信阳。一九三八年六月，日军发动攻取武汉的作战时，中国第五战区司令长官李宗仁判断，日军从北面的平汉路进攻武汉的可能性很小，其主攻路线应是溯长江而上，因此第五战区兵力部署的重点是长江北岸。八月二十五日，日军第二军沿着大别山北麓的公路向西进攻，第五战区代理司令长官白崇禧仍旧判断大别山北麓是日军进攻武汉的次要方向。 综合近几日情报：敌军在桃溪镇、舒城等处增兵约万人，并有小部分向六霍（六安至霍山）进迫，抢修六霍公路，召集伪维持会，研究进攻六霍道路。宿黄（宿松与黄梅）敌之步兵、骑兵、战车、汽车不断由南向太湖运动。以此种种，表面上似系对我左翼有所企图，然敌进窥武汉，以沿长江两岸为最捷径，不但南北两岸兵力转用容易，且利用优越之海空军，协同陆军沿江突进易收战果。故职截至今日止，对敌情判断仍然同前。即敌主力侧重南岸，遮断粤汉路，战略上利益较大。至北岸主力仍在黄广（黄梅与广济）方面，南点容易册应，黄广公路可用大兵，六安商城迂回过远，霍山则地险粮缺，六霍方面不过支作战而已。 根据这一判断，中国第五战区在大别山北麓的部署是：霍山方面为冯治安的第七十七军，六安方面为于学忠的第五十一军，固始、商城方面为宋希濂的第七十一军，信阳方面为张自忠的第二十七军团；孙连仲的第二集团军所辖之第三十军和第四十二军，控制在豫鄂交界处的商城与麻城之间。 显然，在这个方向上担任进攻任务的日军第二军，至少从两个方面已判断出中国军队对这一方向的忽视：一是“大别山北麓方面之敌陆续向扬子江方面转移。据观察，北麓方面之敌的兵力有继续显著减少之现象”。二是“六安和霍山以东的各条道路虽被敌破坏，但该地以西的道路至今未被破坏”。因此，日军“第二军根据以上情况，为了不给敌人破坏六安及霍山以西道路的机会，乃变更原计划，急速（八月下旬）开始行动，从现在线上（庐州地区）一举进入光州——商城一线，而后准备向信阳方面及汉口以北地区作战”。 七月下旬，日军第二军所辖部队开始向庐州地区集结：第十师团从河南永城南下，在蚌埠附近渡过淮河，“经过难走的道路”集结庐州；第十六师团从开封经陇海线东移，再由津浦线南下，渡过淮河，集结庐州；第三师团从南京长江对岸的浦口北上，集结庐州。而炮兵、辎重兵则被从青岛水运至安庆，然后“陆地行军开向庐州地区”。八月二十日，第二军下达基干部队组成概要以及指挥官名单：军司令官东久迩宫稔彦王中将，下辖藤田进中将的第三师团、筱塚义男中将的第十师团、荻洲立兵中将的第十三师团、藤江惠辅中将的第十六师团、内山英太郎少将的野战重炮兵第五旅团，以及包括独立山炮、高射炮、探照灯、工兵、通信、运输和野战医院等在内的直属部队。 日军华中派遣军的命令是：第二军主力沿大别山北麓攻占河南信阳，然后沿平汉路南下进攻武汉；另外一部横越大别山南下向长江边靠近，册应于长江北岸作战的第十一军。根据命令，第二军制订的作战方案是：以第十师团和第三师团沿安徽六安至河南信阳的公路向西占领信阳，然后沿平汉路南下攻占武汉北部；第十三和第十六师团从六安出发，向西攻占河南商城一线，然后横越大别山，向南攻取湖北麻城、黄陂，协同第十一军的第六师团攻占汉口。 二十七日，第二军开始了作战行动。 在这一中国方面认为的“支作战”方向，日军攻击强度之烈、推进速度之快，大大出乎了中国方面的预料。 日军兵分两路从庐州地区出动，第十师团向六安、第十三师团向霍山发动了攻势。二十七日晚，第十师团击退中国守军第五十七军的警戒部队，包围六安城。第二天凌晨，日军开始攻城，中国守军第一一四师的两个团奋力抵抗终不支，六安于二十八日晚失守。在霍山方向，日军第十三师团击退中国守军第七军的警戒部队后，陷于与中国守军第三十七师的拉锯战中。二十九日，第十师团继续向西推进。为协助第十三师团尽快攻占霍山，日军第一飞行团出动了五十一架战机对中国守军阵地实施毁灭性轰炸。师团长荻洲立兵把师团所有的山炮集中起来猛烈轰击，中国守军第三十七师的阵地被摧毁，官兵大部伤亡，当晚霍山失守。三十日，日军第十师团攻占了独山镇和杨柳店。 第三兵团总司令孙连仲连夜抵达商城，中国军队作出的反击部署是：第七十七军占领黑石渡至齐头山阵地；第五十一军占领齐头山至开顺街阵地；第七十一军以一个师占领富金山、下板桥一线阵地，主力集结在武庙集、段家集以北地区，并与第五十九军取得联络；第五十九军派一个师守卫固始城，主力集结在固始西面的潢川；第二集团军一部守商城，主力在小界岭和麻城之间为预备队。 九月一日，日军第十师团先头部队攻占乌龙庙。第十三师团由霍山向北与第十师团协同攻占了熊店。二日，第十师团攻占黎家集，第十三师团则攻占了开顺街。至此，节节后退的中国守军，隔着纵贯豫皖边界的史河，与从庐州一路西进的日军形成对峙。 日军攻势放缓的重要原因，是其官兵已被中国的烈日烤得精神恍惚：“八月二十九日至九月一日之间，因连续晴天，昼夜温差达摄氏四十度以上，天气酷热。由于各条道路被彻底破坏，后方补给部队尾随困难，因而加重了战士背带粮食的负担。更因缺水发生大量掉队现象，又发现很多士兵中暑。道路情况比预料的还坏，特别是六安附近的道路完全被破坏，车辆部队追赶第一线极为困难。因此，第十师团特别将必需的部队改编组成驮马，以利作战。” 三日，日军第十、第十三师团先后强渡史河，第十师团占领了中国守军第六十一师的警戒阵地南大桥，第十三师团则在炮兵、装甲兵和航空兵的配合下，向史河西岸中国守军第七十一军防守的富金山主阵地发动强攻。中国陆军第七十一军，军长宋希濂，是中央军序列中的精锐部队；而荻洲立兵的第十三师团，也是日本陆军中的精锐部队，两支部队在富金山撞在一起，随即爆发了激烈的攻防战。第七十一军首当其冲的是陈瑞河的第三十六师。第三十六师的阵地沿山地的几条棱线呈梯形