Chapter 32 Chapter 31 Doolittle Bombing

On April 18, 1942, an unexpected incident made the situation in both China’s Anti-Japanese War and the Pacific War’s Asian battlefield even more confusing: U.S. bombers flew over the Japanese mainland and dropped bombs on the Japanese capital Tokyo. This piece of news that hit the headlines of the world's major newspapers in an instant may seem a little unbelievable.From the perspective of military common sense, the U.S. military does not have an air base in the Pacific that can be used to attack the Japanese mainland.Even if the US military's largest long-range bomber is used, its endurance cannot reach the Japanese mainland directly from Hawaii.If carrier-based aircraft are used to carry out bombing missions, because the combat radius is too small, the US aircraft carrier must sail close to the coast of Japan, otherwise the bombers will not be able to fly back after carrying out the mission.Well, let’s not say that it is impossible for the Japanese to let the U.S. troops approach their homeland. Even if the U.S. forces break in, because they are within the combat radius of the Japanese land fighters, the U.S. aircraft carrier will soon be blown into pieces by the swarming Japanese attack planes. Pile of rotten iron—the United States has lost many ships in the Pacific Ocean, and the remaining aircraft carriers can be regarded as the combat pillar of the US Navy. The Americans will never risk losing the entire Pacific battlefield by dropping a few bombs to vent their anger.However, the air strikes did happen and the bombs did fall on the Japanese.

So, where did the US bombers come from, and where did they fly back to? A reporter asked President Roosevelt about this matter, and Roosevelt said mysteriously that it was an air strike from "Shangri-La". "Shangri-La" originated from the novel "Lost Horizon" by the British writer Hilton, and is a fictional paradise. The air strikes on the Japanese mainland originated from the extraordinary imagination of the Americans. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States has always wanted to retaliate against Japan.President Roosevelt repeatedly urged the military to formulate a plan to bomb the Japanese mainland as soon as possible to combat the arrogance of the Japanese on the Pacific battlefield.Just when the generals of the U.S. military fell into the technical dilemma of air strikes, a naval colonel named Francis Law proposed a plan that could not only attack the Japanese mainland by air, but also keep the aircraft carrier as far as possible outside the combat radius of Japanese land fighters. Plan: The Navy's aircraft carrier carries the Army's medium- and long-range bombers and moves as close to the coast of Japan as possible. After the bombers take off from the ship, the aircraft carrier returns quickly.After the Army's bombers complete their missions, they can land at an airport on the southeast coast of China that is still in the hands of the Chinese army.At first, the senior generals of the U.S. military felt that this hodgepodge plan that mixed the navy and the army was a bit whimsical, but after a few days of hesitation, they decided to take a risk when there was no other better way.

The first thing to do is to choose a leader. Since this matter is a bit beyond military conventions, it is required that this person must have superhuman psychological quality and rich flying experience, and more importantly, he must have a fighting spirit that puts life and death aside.Soon, a lieutenant colonel staff officer next to General Arnold, commander of the US Army Air Forces, was selected. The name of the staff officer was James Doolittle. Forty-six-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle was the son of a carpenter in Alameda, California.Being less than 1.7 meters tall, it was difficult for him to look out from the side of the cabin when he was learning to fly in the US Army, but he quickly became an excellent pilot.At the age of 26, he flew a DH-4B aircraft for 21 hours and 19 minutes, flying non-stop from the east coast of the United States to the west coast, setting a record for flying over the continental United States in one day. Record.He systematically studied aviation theory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and obtained a master's and a doctorate.After the outbreak of World War II, he gave up the perks of being a Shell company to re-enlist in the Army and is currently commanding a unit of B-26 medium bombers.

After Doolittle accepted the mission, he immediately started training the team and modifying the aircraft.Faced with the stringent requirements of having to take off within a short distance of 500 feet, the width of the takeoff runway no more than 75 feet, carry 2,000 pounds of bombs, and fly 2,000 miles continuously, the model he chose was the B-25.This is a medium-sized bomber with a total length of 16.48 meters, a wingspan of 2.06 meters, a total weight of 13 tons, a speed of 507 kilometers per hour, and an endurance of about 2,170 kilometers— —If the amount of fuel is accurately calculated, it will take off from the aircraft carrier and arrive at the Japanese mainland, and after dropping the bomb, it will barely fly back to the Chinese airport.

Doolittle selected sixteen pilots who had not only flown the B-25, but also had excellent flying skills and psychological quality.However, when the pilots arrived at the training base, they were still very surprised by the B-25 modified by Doolittle: not only the cabin was filled with bombs, but also the auxiliary fuel tank was filled with bombs, and the turret on the belly of the aircraft was converted into In addition to the auxiliary fuel tank, there are also many deicers on the fuselage to prevent freezing in cold weather.The defensive weapons on the plane were only two machine guns, one of which was still single-barreled, and the rest were all unloaded.Doolittle told the sixteen pilots that this would be a very dangerous operation, and it was very likely that they would never return.Participation in the action is completely voluntary, those who dare not go can quit now, no one will laugh at you.None of the sixteen people proposed to withdraw.The pilots started training similar to "stunt" performances: draw the width and length of the aircraft carrier's takeoff runway on a flat ground, and then drive the bomber loaded with bombs to take off and land again and again.Soon, sixteen people will be able to take off and land freely at a speed of one hundred kilometers per hour.

On April 2, 1942, the aircraft carrier "Hornet", escorted by the heavy cruiser "Viceens" and the light cruiser "Nashville", left the port of San Francisco in the United States for the Pacific Ocean.During the voyage, the captain, General Mitchell, opened the envelope marked "Top Secret" and announced that the fleet was sailing to the Japanese mainland, and the bombers would drop bombs over Tokyo.Immediately, the whole ship burst into cheers: The opportunity for Americans to revenge has finally come. The aircraft carrier "Enterprise" in Hawaii was ordered to escort. The sailors on the "Enterprise" didn't know what mission the "Hornet" was going to perform, and they were puzzled to see on its deck those bloated land-based bombers that only the Army had: this bomber could neither You can't take off from an aircraft carrier, and you can't land on an aircraft carrier.So, what are the Army's bombers doing out to sea?The only possibility is to send planes to land bases, but where is the US Army base in the Pacific Ocean?

The supreme commander in charge of this operation is Lieutenant General Halsey, commander of the US Navy aircraft carrier task force.Halsey's plan was to quietly arrive at the predetermined sea area before his aircraft carrier formation was discovered by the Japanese, and then release the Army's bombers, and the aircraft carrier formation turned around and ran away.However, he soon got a bad news: the intelligence department intercepted a telegram from the Japanese Navy, and it turned out that the commander of the Japanese Navy Combined Fleet Commander Yamamoto Fifty-Six ordered the navy and air force to face Halsey immediately—on April 18, The Fifth Fleet of the Japanese Navy, which was on guard duty in the sea east of Tokyo, spotted the American fleet approaching the Japanese mainland.Being spotted so early by the Japanese was a frustrating dilemma for Halsey.If the fleet continues to advance toward the predetermined sea area, it is bound to be besieged by the Japanese navy and land-based attack aircraft flying from the Japanese mainland.His fleet now represents 50% of the U.S. Navy's combat power, and he has no right to use half of the U.S. Navy's home as a bet.And if Doolittle's bombing group takes off one hundred and fifty nautical miles away from the predetermined sea area, although the aircraft carrier formation can return immediately to escape from danger, this means a very harsh reality: because of the extended voyage, the pilots survived. The possibility of bombing is further reduced; because of the loss of suddenness, the bombing needs to be carried out during the daytime, and the possibility of pilots being shot down by anti-aircraft fire on the way to the Japanese mainland or over Tokyo has increased sharply; what is more dangerous is , because of limited fuel, their chances of flying back to China's southeast coastal airports will be very slim.

After consulting Doolittle, Halsey gave the order to take off. Halsey said "good luck" to Doolittle. The pilots lined up on the deck.Doolittle said: We're going to take off early.Now there are replacements who are willing to pay a hundred dollars to replace the guys who are afraid to go. The pilots were silent for a while, and then shouted in disorder: "Lieutenant Colonel, let's beat those scoundrels together!" At 8:15, the "Bumblebee" was heaving in the turbulent waves of the Pacific Ocean. The first B-25 driven by Doolittle, carrying two tons of bombs, wobbled at the moment when the bow was lifted up by the waves. took off.At 9:20, all sixteen bombers took off, and the formation flew towards the Japanese mainland.It was clear to everyone, including Doolittle, that the chances of them surviving were slim, and that they might die from this world when the bomb was dropped.

These American soldiers knew that MacArthur in the Pacific had renamed his plane "Bataan" in order to remember the sufferings of the brothers in the US Army.Ten days ago, more than 12,000 U.S. troops and more than 65,000 Filipinos on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines surrendered under the fierce attack of the Japanese army, and were all escorted by the Japanese to a place 110 kilometers away. Odnell concentration camp.During the march, the prisoners of war were subjected to inhuman abuse.The sun is scorching, the roads are muddy, mosquitoes are flying around, and diseases are prevalent.Those who walked slowly, lagged behind, fell down, and even responded slowly because they could not understand Japanese, were all stabbed to death by Japanese soldiers with bayonets or beheaded with war knives.For a week, the dense forest trails were strewn with the bodies of tens of thousands of Americans and Filipinos.

As long as those brothers who survived the "Bataan Death March" can hear the news of the US bomb falling on Tokyo as soon as possible, this operation is worth doing! It is unbelievable that Yamamoto Fifty-Six's attention was focused on the US task force at this time. He could not imagine that there were US Army bombers not only taking off from the aircraft carrier but also flying towards the Japanese mainland.Japanese fishermen at sea even waved to Doolittle's fleet as they flew low off the coast of Japan—the fishermen mistook the red ball on the old-fashioned insignia of the U.S. Army for the logo of Japanese aircraft.Just when Doolittle's fleet was about to arrive in the sky over Tokyo, a Japanese plane flew head-on—it was later found out that it was actually the plane of Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who was on his way to inspect the aviation school— —The two sides passed by without firing a single shot.However, Nishiura, the secretary of Prime Minister Tojo, felt that the oncoming fleet looked strange, so he subconsciously took another look.At this moment, he clearly saw the pilot's face: This is a U.S. military plane!

However, it was too late. Doolittle's fleet flew over Tokyo, and 500-pound bombs roared down. Those bombs said: "We don't want to burn the world, we just want to burn Tokyo." Targets such as power stations, shipyards, and steel plants in Tokyo are ablaze with smoke and flames. Based on common sense, the Japanese side believed that the enemy could not have other ways to threaten the Japanese mainland other than using carrier-based aircraft with low endurance to carry out air strikes, so they were unprepared. ——"The enemy's B-25 bombers started flying towards Boso within 50 minutes from around 1:00 p.m. on the 18th. After bombing Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Nagoya, and Kobe, they flew like passing demons. Let's go. The siren didn't sound the alarm until the bombs started to fall, and while the interceptor fighters that took off were gaining altitude, the ultra-low-altitude enemy planes bombed the target calmly." It was the first time in Japanese history that mainland Japan was attacked by air. The Japanese people who were repeatedly told that their country was "a beautiful and peaceful land full of flowers" were terrified, and the Japanese military was also very embarrassed, thinking that this was a huge humiliation of the United States to the Great Japanese Empire.Although the damage caused by the bombing is not large, the blow to the hearts of the Japanese military and people is immeasurable, because it is tantamount to declaring to the world that the United States is the most powerful country in the world, can do anything it wants, and dare to challenge the dignity of the United States The Japanese would not only be bombed, but would end up losing the entire war. In order to appease the people, the Japanese base camp immediately issued an announcement, claiming that the U.S. air strikes on Japan had "little effect". do little) are pronounced exactly the same. It never occurred to Colonel Doolittle that his name was so out of place. The sixteen B-25 bomber crews led by Doolittle, plus navigators, mechanics, and bombardiers, totaled eighty people.After carrying out the bombing mission, a plane made an emergency landing in Vladivostok, the Soviet Union. The five crew members on board were detained by the Soviet government and released a year later; on the other plane, one died while parachuting, two were missing, and the eight crew members were forced to land randomly. He was captured by the Japanese army, three of them were shot by the Japanese army, one died in prison, and four survived after the war.The remaining 64 crew members barely managed to fly over the Quzhou Airport in Zhejiang, China, but unfortunately none of them landed safely. For the sake of confidentiality, the Americans scheduled to notify China around midnight on the 19th On the one hand, let Quzhou Airport turn on the communication system and runway lights.However, Doolittle's fleet arrived in the sky over Zhejiang Province, China at ten o'clock. At this time, the staff at the Quzhou Airport controlled by the Chinese army did not know that there would be an American plane landing here-the exhausted American pilots were flying in the unfamiliar airspace. Back and forth, until the fuel was completely exhausted and fell down one after another, the pilots parachuted over the mountains in western Zhejiang to escape. After Doolittle parachuted, he found only four companions who were still alive. He told them with a sad mood that all sixteen planes were destroyed and most of the pilots were missing. Leavenworth Barracks, known for its harsh military laws, went to serve hard labor. However, after Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle returned to China, he received a Congressional Medal and the appointment of an exceptionally promoted Brigadier General.Soon, he served as the commander of the Eighth Air Force stationed in the UK, and his rank was promoted to lieutenant general. "Doolittle" is by no means "little success". To some extent, Doolittle's action became a symbol of a turning point in the history of World War II, intentionally or unintentionally. In May 1942, the world anti-fascist battlefield was in a difficult see-saw stage. Shortly after the U.S. bombed Tokyo, U.S. and Japanese carrier formations engaged in a naval and air battle in the South Pacific.This is the first aircraft carrier battle in the history of human warfare. The surface ships of both sides have not fired a single shot, and only their respective carrier-based aircraft are fighting.A sea area located in the northeast of Australia is called the "Coral Sea" because of its well-developed coral structure. This is the only way for the Japanese army to capture Australia.Although the Japanese navy and army had great differences on whether to capture Australia, they agreed on cutting off the US military's communication with Australia.The U.S. air raid on Tokyo put the planned Coral Sea operation on the agenda, especially after the Japanese captured Rabaul on the New Britain island in the South Pacific, captured the U.S. military base in Port Moresby on the island of New Guinea and Isolating Australia became a top priority.The Japanese side dispatched the Fourth Fleet commanded by Lieutenant Admiral Inoue Narumi as the main battle fleet, and Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi led the Fifth Aircraft Carrier Squadron and the Fifth Cruiser Squadron to assist in the battle. The participating troops had three aircraft carriers, light and heavy. Thirteen cruisers and 146 carrier-based aircraft ^ The United States dispatched a task force commanded by Admiral Nimitz, including two aircraft carriers, eight cruisers, and 13 destroyers. One hundred and forty-three, to intercept and attack the Japanese navy.On May 4, the carrier-based aircraft on the USS "Yorktown" launched an attack on the Japanese naval fleet and sank a destroyer.On the 7th, the carrier-based aircraft on the Japanese aircraft carriers "Xianghe" and "Zuihe" sank an American oil tanker and a destroyer, and the Japanese light aircraft carrier "Shoho" was sunk.On the morning of the 8th, the two sides fought again. The US aircraft carrier "Lexington" was sunk, the "Yorktown" was damaged, and the Japanese aircraft carrier "Shokaku" was damaged.In this battle, the loss of US ships was greater than that of the Japanese. In particular, the "Lexington" cherished by the US sailors sank into the sea, and the deck of the "Yorktown" was also pierced by heavy bombs, causing a fire.However, the U.S. military had the upper hand in carrier-based aircraft combat and shot down more than 80 Japanese fighter planes at the cost of losing about 70 fighter planes.This was the first setback since the Japanese army launched the Pacific War, and its plan to seize Port Moresby was forced to be postponed. At the same time as the US-Japan sea and air war, a war broke out between the Soviet army and the German army near Kharkov between the Don River and the North Donets River.The Soviet Southwest Front Army was ordered to attack the German army. The Soviet army broke through the German defense line and advanced 18 to 25 kilometers north of Kharkov and 25 to 50 kilometers south.However, the Soviet army failed to invest in the rapid corps in time to expand the results of the battle, and the participating corps were exhausted and unable to continue to advance.The German army established a powerful assault group when the Soviet army hesitated. The total force was half that of the Soviet Ninth Army, the artillery was twice as large, and the tanks were nearly six times more.In the ensuing counterattack launched by the German army, the Soviet army was surrounded by the superior force of the German army, and the rear route was cut off. Only 20,000 Soviet troops broke out in the end.In the Battle of Kharkov, the Soviet army suffered heavy losses in terms of vital forces and weapons and equipment, and lost an important landing site on the North Donets River. The stalemate on the Soviet-German battlefield continued. On the frontal battlefield of the Chinese Anti-Japanese War, after the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain in the north and the two Battles of Changsha in the Yangtze River Basin, there was no major battle between China and Japan, and the battlefield was in a dull confrontation.This stalemate comes from two reasons: first, the Japanese army launched the Pacific War. Due to the limitation of manpower and material resources, it could only maintain the status quo of the frontal battlefield in China as much as possible; Except for the siege of Yichang launched in conjunction with the Changsha operation, no active offensive was launched. All major operations were passive responses after the Japanese army launched an offensive. Sincerely. But while the U.S. planes bombing Tokyo shattered across mainland China, it certainly brought a dose of excitement to the dreary Chinese battlefield.Both the Americans and the Chinese realized from this operation that the U.S. military's war against Japan in the Pacific Ocean must never be separated from the support of mainland China due to geographical relations.The fact that U.S. combat aircraft must rely on Chinese airports strongly proves that the Chinese battlefield has become an important part of the Allied forces in the Asian battlefield.As a result, the military alliance formed between China and the United States became closer after the American bomb fell on Tokyo. With the aid of the United States, the Chinese Air Force gradually regained its combat power.At the beginning of 1942, the combat force of the Chinese Air Force had seven brigades, two more brigades and one squadron were in training, with a total of 364 aircraft of various types.Beginning in March, Chinese Air Force fighters received training in the United States or India, received new fighter jets purchased by the National Government from the United States, and flew to the domestic battlefield one after another.In 1942, China received a total of nineteen U.S.-made B-29 bombers, twenty-seven P-40 destroyers, forty-one P-43 destroyers, and eighty-two P-66 destroyers. shelf.The average number of combat aircraft on the Chinese battlefield was 270, and at one time it reached 370.The volunteer air force formed by the American Chennault was also included in the active duty of the U.S. military and renamed the "U.S. Air Force Task Force in China", which enabled the Chinese and U.S. air forces to fight side by side.Although the number of Chinese fighters is still far less than that of the Japanese army, it has been able to conduct air battles with the Japanese army on a considerable scale.In particular, the Chinese and U.S. air forces flew to Vietnam twice to bomb Japanese airfields, setting a precedent for direct participation in Pacific operations from mainland China. With the continuous depletion of the Japanese army on the Pacific battlefield, Japan’s air power was continuously weakened, and the Sino-Indian air route jointly opened by the Chinese and American air forces over the “hump” not only provided China with an air combat channel to obtain strategic materials from the West, It has also further improved the equipment and combat effectiveness of the Chinese Air Force. However, there are huge difficulties in the cooperation between Chinese and foreigners, both at the cultural level and at the technical level. The Chinese, who have been bullied by Western powers since modern times, have historical hostility towards the United States, Britain and other countries in their national blood.The Chinese are full of deep-seated distrust of Western powers.The British used to sell opium to China, making modern China impoverished and weak, but when China was fighting Japan, they even stood with the Japanese to close the Burma Road, which made the Chinese very angry.For a long time after Japan invaded China, the Americans were still selling weapons to Japan. The bombs dropped by the Japanese army in Shanghai, Wuhan, Chongqing and other places, the "USA" logo on the shrapnel seemed to the Chinese people a nightmare .Therefore, after the outbreak of the Pearl Harbor incident, when the Japanese army beat the American and British troops into a panic in the South Pacific, ordinary Chinese were either indifferent or gathered together to discuss excitedly, which made foreigners in China It is obvious that the fact that such a bad thing for Chinese people has finally fallen on the foreigners who used to run rampant in China is a bit gloating.An American reporter met two Air Force officers of the Kuomintang Army on a long-distance bus-"These two Air Force officers seem to be running a business, because they are carrying a few boxes of clothes for ladies. These clothes are all made in Shanghai. There are Japanese stamps." The American reporter heard the Chinese Air Force officer talk about the Americans in the chat, saying that the Americans can't fight at all, and the only people in the world who can fight are the Chinese, Japanese, Germans and Russians.Americans have money but no guts. They dance, drink, and make money. The only thing they are interested in is having fun.The Chinese Air Force officers also talked about the defeat of the Americans in the Philippines. The reasons they analyzed were: the Japanese blew up the local cows, and the American soldiers refused to fight as long as they could not eat ice cream for one day.As for why the United States did not send troops to China to participate in the war of resistance, the Chinese Air Force officer believed: "They hope to keep their soldiers at home, and hire us—brave Chinese—to fight and suffer for them." In Chongqing, the hardships of life, the bombing by the Japanese army, and the influx of refugees—recently refugees from Nanyang, Hong Kong, and Burma—had troubled the citizens of the city.The citizens of Chongqing were very rude to the Americans. The houses rented out to them were not only high in rent but also had to be prepaid.This situation suddenly changed one day in 1942. ——On that day, the citizens of Chongqing witnessed the battle between the U.S. Air Force and the Japanese army over Chongqing.After shooting down and driving away the Japanese fighter planes, the U.S. plane with a picture of a big shark with teeth bared on its nose flew up and down over the city for several minutes in order to accept the praise of Chongqing citizens who stood on the rooftops watching the battle. Wild cheers.As a result, Chongqing citizens began to respect Americans.In Chongqing in 1942, American cars, which were sought after by wealthy Chinese, became part of the chaotic cityscape: On those broken walls that are not blocked by new houses, there are colorful advertisements painted on them, including cigarettes, movies, dramas, divination, pawnshops, cosmetics, and special medicines for venereal diseases.Under the cover of these advertisements, the slogans of the early days of the Anti-Japanese War can be vaguely seen: "One drop of gasoline, one drop of blood";New entertainment venues are constantly opening up, such as cinemas, Drum Academy, tea gardens, cafes, cold drink shops, roller skating rinks and so on.There are also more beggars in the urban area, because officials have built many private air-raid shelters on the outskirts of the city, and the beggars who used to live there have nowhere to go, so they have to wander into the urban area.But overall, the crowded streets give an impression of being wealthy and carefree.Nouveau riche and bureaucratic monopolists drive around in brand new American sedans—some of which are the latest American models just imported from Rangoon—in suits and Shanghai-style cheongsams. The relationship between the national government and the Americans was another matter. Including Chiang Kai-shek, members of the Nationalist government believed that after China was invaded by Japan, the foreign powers had been standing by and even aided in the abuse.Although the Chinese government has repeatedly appealed to the international community, the big powers have always looked on coldly.So far, China's war of resistance has been lonely. This kind of loneliness has caused the poor and weak China to pay a heavy price for resisting Japanese aggression.Given the ideological differences, Chiang Kai-shek was very wary of the Soviet Union's support in the early days of China's war of resistance.He is counting on the United States, but the American appeasement policy makes him angry but helpless.After the Pearl Harbor incident broke out, the United States should immediately change its attitude towards China and fully support China's war of resistance.Although the U.S. Congress passed the "Lend-Lease Act" to China, in the eyes of the national government, the U.S. aid to China was far from enough.Take the number of aircraft exported by the United States to the Anti-Fascist Allies as an example: from September 1941 to June 1942, China received a total of 392 aircraft from the United States, of which 260 Six are fighter jets, and the rest are trainer planes, and some of these planes were detained in India and failed to be shipped to China.In contrast, the number of American aircraft accepted by other allies is: 2,203 for the United Kingdom, 1,202 for the Soviet Union, and 1,027 for Canada. Even Egypt, which is located on the African continent, received Eight hundred fifty-seven were ordered.This allowed the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union to maintain more than 10,000 aircraft on the front line in June 1942, and they could even dispatch 1,000 fighter planes to attack any city in Germany at a time.So, isn't China, which has been bombed by Japanese fighter planes, a battlefield for the Allied forces?Isn't China an important member of the Allies? One day in June of this year, Stilwell notified Chiang Kai-shek that the U.S. government had decided to transfer all the heavy bombers and other transport aircraft that were originally allocated to China but were now parked in India to Egypt.In other words, not only will the planes be stopped, but other materials shipped from India to China will also be reduced accordingly.Chiang Kai-shek was in an extremely bad mood: Rommel rushed to Alexandria, the British were in danger in Egypt, but why didn't they deploy some of their thousands of planes to deal with the war in the Mediterranean, but insisted on reducing China's few What about the aircraft quota? ... Chiang Kai-shek demanded that the United States immediately send three divisions to the front line in Burma and provide him with 500 aircraft and spare parts. Since August, the United States has continued to provide him with 5,000 tons of supplies via the Hump route every month.This ultimatum was sent to the United States along with China's threat to withdraw from the Allies.In the sad summer of 1942, the United States sent whatever it could draw from the U.S. military's combat supplies to the British defending Cairo and the Soviets fighting at Stalingrad.Airlifting three American divisions was out of the question.Aircraft production was not yet on track, transport planes had not yet been designed to fly at the hump's dreadful heights, and dilapidated C-47s barely managed to deliver a hundred tons of supplies to China every month.The U.S. government had no choice but to reject Chiang Kai-shek's request... A capable special envoy flew from Washington to China to appease Chiang Kai-shek, but the U.S. government failed to provide the Chinese theater with the materials needed for the war. The priority of the China-India-Myanmar theater is in the Caribbean after the region. The same goes for supplies other than aircraft.The military aid provided by the United States to the Soviet Union reached 10.25 million tons in March, with a total value of 1.8 billion U.S. dollars.The U.S. military aid to China is only a few thousand tons per month, and more than half of it will be taken away by the U.S. Air Force Task Force in China.Foreign Minister Song Ziwen reported to Chiang Kai-shek that the U.S. Arms Distribution Committee is considering reducing the monthly aid supplies to China from 3,500 tons to less than 400 tons from July. The reason for the arms aid was that a lot of materials allocated to the Chinese war zone were piled up in Indian warehouses and could not be shipped out-the Americans believed that Chiang Kai-shek did not really use the US military aid for the war against Japan. Chiang Kai-shek sent signals of dissatisfaction to the U.S. government through various channels: Do the allies want to maintain the Chinese theater?Do the Americans want to make a separate peace with Japan and betray China?Or, are the Americans trying to force China to compromise with Japan? The United States once again sent Curry, Assistant to the President for Far Eastern Affairs, to China to clear up misunderstandings.Chiang Kai-shek complained strongly that the Allies were excluding China from the Pacific Military Conference and the Anglo-American Joint Chiefs of Staff, and that China received far less from Lend-Lease than the other Allies.Currie finally explained the reasons for the Americans: the United States was disappointed by the effectiveness of the aid materials shipped to China. They believed that Chiang Kai-shek's government "only wanted to obtain enough war supplies from the United States to keep itself in power" or to deal with the Communist Party's armed forces.Regarding the last point, it is indeed an unavoidable fact on the battlefield of the Chinese Anti-Japanese War: Chiang Kai-shek’s astonishingly large number of central troops were deployed in China’s northwest region to besiege the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border region where the Communist Party’s center is located. Faced with American accusations, Chiang Kai-shek said that the reason why his troops were stationed in the northwest was to prevent the Japanese from attacking Xi'an and then threatening Chongqing; he said that such rumors should have been spread by the Communist Party, because only the Communist Party wanted the Central Army to leave the Northwest.He vowed to Curry: "The rumors spread by the United States about Chinese generals hoarding armaments and preserving strength, etc., I sincerely hope that you can personally investigate and prove the truth. I dare to assert that these are all false rumors, which are deliberately fabricated by conspirators to destroy Chinese." Curry did not go to China's Northwest to investigate, because everyone knows the facts - as a direct descendant of Chiang Kai-shek's Central Army, Hu Zongnan's troops equipped with American sophisticated weapons have been stationed around Yan'an, the center of the Communist Party, for a long time. Except for the battle with the Japanese army on the Songhu battlefield and later on the Tongguan battlefield, Hu Zongnan's elite troops have never been mobilized no matter what scale or level of war occurred in other parts of China. Curry stayed in Chongqing for twelve days, and wrote a 43-page investigative report to the U.S. government after returning home.He believes that the root cause of the deterioration of Sino-US relations is that "the two countries had an illusion about the other side": China imagined that the United States realized the importance of the Chinese battlefield to the entire Asian resistance to Japanese aggression, and thus did its best to support China and even directly sent troops to participate in the war; The United States imagined that after providing the necessary weapons, equipment and strategic materials, Chiang Kai-shek's government and army could support the important task of holding back the main force of the Japanese army and even continuously consuming and annihilating them.As for Chiang Kai-shek himself, Currie's advice to the U.S. government is: "When dealing with the Generalissimo, you should be very careful not to hurt his pride... The old-fashioned style of China is really important to him. If we want to suggest in the Far East For any action, it will be of great help to consult with him first." In addition, Currie specifically mentioned the relationship between Chiang Kai-shek and Stilwell, thinking that it was "the most difficult problem that he had to deal with" during his stay in Chongqing. ——"If there are two people in the world who are most unsuitable to work together, I am afraid that they are Chiang Kai-shek and Stilwell. In fact, the two people have a lot of similarities. In terms of physique, they are both thin and smart. Both pay attention to maintaining good health. In terms of temper, both are irritable and narrow-minded. Both believe in noble but tiring codes of conduct, cannot tolerate deviations, and do not make concessions to reality. In other words, it is a requirement Two big diehards with incompatible ideologies working together." Currie's final suggestion was that the U.S. government should replace Stilwell as soon as possible. Chiang Kai-shek believed that China's situation among the Allies was like that of a gang of bullies: Talking with Curry recently, I feel that Westerners despise our Chinese nation, and they are all bullying.If it can be further oppressed, it must be oppressed.The so-called morality and equality of the United States are in the name, but its psychology and methods are no different from those of the United Kingdom.However, the spirit of the people and free thought may be more progressive than that of the United Kingdom. In any case, on June 2, 1942, China and the United States signed the "Sino-US Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Resistance to Aggression."In this agreement, with regard to U.S. aid to China, there is only the vague statement that "the U.S. should supply China with a large amount of military supplies", and the annex stipulates that the U.S. will provide China's air and naval refits and train combatants, and gradually Increase the air tonnage of supplies shipped from India to China.而协订正文的八条条款，都是美国人开列的各种条件和限制。 不过，当重庆街头出现了美军之后，中美关系似乎发生了微妙的改善——或许这是美国陆军介入中国抗战的一个先兆。美军军官和士兵对中国的一切都很好奇，特别是中国的食物。军医曾警告他们在中国的饭馆里吃东西很可能致命，但是在重庆，美军军官和士兵吃了饭馆里的食物，不但没有死，反而认为这些煮熟的落着苍蝇的中国食物还不错。他们对中国的观感是： 在我们到这里之前，我们听到的全都是被封锁的中国人如何可怜，如何穷得一无所有。可是，我们到了这里以后发现是怎么一回事呢？噢，这里的商店里首饰、打字机、剃刀、冰箱、丝袜等等应有尽有，这些东西现在你在美国都买不到。你只要有现钱，想要什么就有什么。 中国人为什么还要求得到那么多枪？为什么他们不把已经有的那些用起来？为什么他们不自己造枪？看看这城里到处都是逛来逛去的便衣，他们佩戴着最好的德国造和捷克造的左轮手枪……你再看看商店里出售的黄铜水烟筒，这些水烟筒真是手艺高超的金属制品，任何能做出这样精巧活计的家伙都能制造步枪，他们为什么不制造枪呢？ 美援虽然依旧不多但确实加强了。正如罗斯福总统所说，美国需要中国大陆为美军提供作战基地，没有这块基地，美军要彻底把东京炸烂或者将来攻占日本本土，就连出发的地方都没有了。 “杜利特尔轰炸”使得日本人彻底看清了美国利用中国对日本施加压力的企图。于是，日军很快就在中国的浙江省发动了一场攻势作战，作战目标直接是可以为美军提供飞机起降的机场。 这场作战史称“浙赣会战”。 侵华日军原本策划的作战目标，是对南京以南地区实施“清剿”，作战开始时间定在四月二十五日。当一切准备完毕的时候——东京受到轰炸的第三天——大本营突然命令中止原定作战计划。中国派遣军总司令畑俊六向参谋本部提出请求：作战准备完毕，令其中止困难，希望能按照计划实施。但是，此请求遭到参谋总长杉山元断然拒绝：“根据全面形势，必须立即摧毁浙江机场群。为此，立即中止第十三军的十九号作战，迅速转入摧毁机场群的作战。” 二十四日，东京被轰炸后的第六天，东京大本营派出参谋本部第二课对华作战负责人高山信武，携带着大本营拟订的浙江作战计划抵达中国派遣军总司令部所在地南京。这份作战计划的基本内容是：以驻扎在上海的第十三军主力和从华北方面军以及第十一军抽调的部分部队，组成大约四十个步兵大队的骨干作战集团，击溃绍兴、诸暨、金华、兰溪方面以及杭州、富阳方面的中国军队，占领金华、玉山和丽水，彻底破坏衢州、丽水和玉山的飞行基地。如有必要，进一步向西攻克中国第三战区司令长官部所在地上饶。——“攻克上述地区后，在必要的期间内（约定约一个月），予以固守。如形势允许，可将机场和其他军事设施及主要交通线彻底破坏，然后再恢复原有态势。” 派遣军的将领们对大本营如此匆忙且没有回旋余地的指定作战感到十分突兀，而派来传达作战计划的参谋不仅是个中佐，且还咄咄逼人——畑俊六认为，这是东京大本营对他的侮辱： 参谋本部高山中佐为研究浙江省敌飞行基地歼灭作战来宁，并带来颇为详细的方案，诚属对我等之轻侮。此次中央对此项作战之所以卖劲，是由于总长平时一向向天皇夸耀国土防卫万无一失，而如今却陷入走投无路的境地，不得不设法采取措施的缘故，实在是件麻烦事情。 尽管认为“是件麻烦事情”，畑俊六还是迅速根据大本营的意图制订了作战计划，但他的计划与大本营的不太一样。大本营的意图很简单，就是把位于中国浙江省内的几个机场完全摧毁，以杜绝美军利用这些机场威胁日本本土的行为。而畑俊六认为，兴师动众地出击，仅为了这一简单的目的，实在没有什么意思，要打就打个大仗——畑俊六和第十三军司令官泽田茂都认为，大本营的作战计划实在有些低级：击溃了中国军队，破坏了机场，“然后再恢复原有态势”，难道中国人和美国人就不会修复那些机场吗？畑俊六最后决定：增加兵力以扩大作战规模，破坏机场是次要的或者是附带的，主要目的是歼灭中国第三战区的有生力量。第十三军从杭州方向动用五十八个步兵大队，向中国第三战区发起攻击；南昌方向的第十一军出动二十七个步兵大队，同时对中国第三战区实施东西对攻。日军准备投入多达八十多个步兵大队，共约十四万兵力，这比大本营规定的要多出一倍。而且，作战区域不仅限于浙江省，还要包括江西省，因此作战名称不能叫作大本营所称的“浙江作战”，必须改名为“浙赣作战”。 日军发动太平洋战争之初，曾从侵华日军中调走了大量部队，使得日军在中国战场上的作战能力明显下降，这让包括畑俊六在内的侵华日军将领耿耿于怀。但是，由于诱逼蒋介石妥协的一系列谋略相继失败，特别是在第三次长沙会战中日军遭受很大的损失，东京大本营终于意识到必须在中国战场上保持相当的兵力才行。因此，日军在完成了南进第一阶段任务后，从南方军抽调了第三飞行集团加强给侵华日军，并为中国战场组建了七个新的师团，即第五十八、第五十九、第六十、第六十八、第七十和第七十一师团。尽管这些新组建的师团，是以原来在中国战场上的独立混成旅团为基础再加上从国内征来的三个新兵大队组成，每个师团为两个旅团编制，旅团下属部队仅有四个独立步兵大队，没有联队一级的作战单位，其战斗力与老牌师团不能同日而语，但终究是兵力得到了加强。 四月三十日，日军大本营下达“大陆命第六二一号”，作战指示还是强调了对机场的破坏，但同时也默许了畑俊六的主张： 一、预定以地面兵力攻占的敌主要航空基地，主要有丽水、衢州、玉山附近的敌机场群及其各种设施，对于其他机场群，则根据我空军部队等情况，及时进行控制或破坏。 二、攻占上述丽水、衙州、玉山附近的敌机场群后，在一定时期予以确保。在形势不允许继续确保时，可将机场及其他各种军事设施和主要交通线等予以彻底破坏后，返回原驻地。 畑俊六决定动用第十三军和第十一军联合出击，其作战部队庞大到令大本营十分吃惊：第十三军指挥的第十五、第二十二、第三十二、第七十和第一一六师团，再加上河野毅、小薗江邦雄和原田次郎指挥的三个混成旅团，还有奈良正彦指挥的由第四十一师团的两个步兵大队组成的支队以及独立混成第十七旅团、铁道部队、第一飞行团等部队，集结于奉化、绍兴、萧山、余杭一线，进攻方向是浙赣铁路的东段；第十一军指挥的第三、第三十四师团，再加上由竹原三郎、今井龟次郎、平野仪一、井手笃太郎指挥的四个支队，还有独立工兵、独立飞行等部队，集结于南昌附近赣江的右岸，进攻方向是浙赣铁路的西段。 五月十一日，日军第十三军发布“第六十二号”作战命令： 一、我军决定于五月×日对正面之敌开始发起进攻，首先为了捕捉并歼灭安华街、义乌和长乐附近之敌，约在×+三日傍晚向诸暨、嵊县西南方地区前进。 二、第一一六师团、第十五师团和河野混成旅团必须在五月×+一日拂晓突破正面之敌阵地，向建德、诸暨南方地区和陈蔡市北方地区前进。 三、第二十二师团必须于五月×日拂晓突破正面之敌阵地，主要通过沿曹娥江地区向长乐北方地区前进。 四、第七十师团必须于五月×日日落后开始行动，从奉化方面向新昌南方地区前进。 五、第三十二师团必须于五月×日以后，以部分兵力通过富春江右岸地区，主力则通过左岸地区，基本上沿第一一六师团的后方前进。 第二天，日军第十三军明确，“×”日，为五月十五日。 日军第十三军各师团遵照命令，截至十三日，第七十师团在宁波、奉化，第二十二师团在上虞、绍兴，河野旅团在绍兴，第十五师团在萧山，第十六师团在余杭，从华北方面军调来的第三十二师团在杭州——攻击部队在余杭至奉化间约一百五十公里的正面全部展开，准备发起攻势作战。 在沉寂已久的抗战正面战场上，中国第三战区部队不得不面对即将到来的一场大战。 顾祝同指挥的中国的第三战区，辖苏南、皖南、浙东和浙闽，处于长江南岸、浙闽沿海的重要战略区域。但是，自一九三七年冬京沪失守后，中日两军的交战重点转向华中，第三战区实际上已处于日军的后方，几年之内与日军没有大的交锋，顾祝同部的战斗力已显疲软。特别是一些政府官员和军队将领，利用东南沿海口岸大肆走私中饱私囊，导致军心涣散，戒备松懈。一九四一年四、五月间，第十三军司令官泽田茂指挥两个师团和一个旅团，在第三战区辖区内曾发动过一次浙东战役，结果除了个别部队稍事抵抗外，其他守军无不望风而逃，使日军兵不血刃地占领了宁波、台州、温州、福州等口岸。虽然后来日军从温州等地撤退，只继续占据着宁波和福州，但中国东南海岸基本被日军封锁，大量的战略物资遭到野蛮掠夺。为此，国民政府军事委员会扣押了第一〇〇军军长陈琪，枪决了贪污腐化、玩忽职守的宁绍行政专员邢震南，令东南沿海的走私之风稍有收敛。 太平洋战争爆发后，中国的东南沿海无论对于中国军队还是美军，其战略位置凸现重要。国民政府着眼于长远，也为防止日军夺取浙赣铁路和沿海口岸，除了严厉整饬第三战区的军纪外，还特地增调部队加强了第三战区的军力。 在日军发动浙赣作战前，第三战区的部署概要如下： 第二十五集团军总司令李觉，指挥配属的何绍周的第八十八军，担任钱塘江南岸诸暨、萧山、绍兴等地的警备，重点面向杭州的日军；冯圣法的暂编第九军驻防浙东武义、永康、丽水一带，针对浙东和浙南的日军。 浙江保安处处长兼金兰警备司令宣铁吾，指挥浙江保安团队，负责曹娥江南岸、宁波、温州等处的江防和海防。 第十集团军总司令王敬久，指挥王铁汉的第四十九军和莫与硕的第八十六军之第七十九师、刘广济的第一〇〇军之第六十三师，控制在金华、兰溪和富春江南岸一带。 第三十二集团军总司令上官云相，指挥张文清的第二十五军和陶广的第二十八军，警备苏南宁芜铁路和浙西地区。 第二十三集团军总司令唐式遵，指挥刘雨卿的第二十一军和范子英的第五十军，担任皖南和赣东长江南岸防务。 莫与硕的第八十六军之第十六、第六十七师，驻守在衢州和龙游地区。 王耀武的第七十四军控制在龙游以南至遂昌一带。 丁治磐的第二十六军控制在浙赣交界处的江山、玉山一带。 刘广济的第一〇〇军的两个师和预备第五师，担任抚河东岸和临川的防务，面向驻扎在南昌的日军。 第三战区司令长官部设在江西上饶。 国民政府军事委员会赋予第三战区的总任务是：加紧袭击日军，力保浙赣间的诸机场，诱使日军在该战区投入主力，以减轻确保四川安全的湖南、陕西等省的军事压力。 总的来说，蒋介石并没有让第三战区积极进攻的意图。全面抗战爆发以来，蒋介石的战略是层层抵抗，节节退守。他已经成功地挫伤了日军的锐气，至少从目前来讲，他并没有让中国军队求胜的计划。蒋介石对胜利的定义，就是在不妥协不屈服的前提下生存下去。这一策略建立在美国必定要被卷入战争的判断上。美国一旦被卷入战争，牵制着百万日军的中国军队只要在持久力上与日军消耗时间，这就是中国对世界反法西斯战争的贡献。珍珠港事件爆发后，美国卷入战争骤然成真，蒋介石更愿坐观事态的发展，之前正面战场上的中国军队极少主动向日军发起攻势作战，现在就更没有必要了。 在这样的大背景下，中国第三战区的作战能力令人担忧。 一九四二年四月十八日深夜，第三战区司令长官顾祝同获悉轰炸东京的美军轰炸机将在浙江降落，他立即命令各部队全力搜寻跳伞的美军飞行员。紧接着，第三战区发现当面日军开始了频繁调动。顾祝同在命令各部队做好作战准备的同时，迅速制订出一个与日军决战的作战方案，方案拟采取诱敌深入的战法，先把日军引进来，然后在金华地区实施侧击与合围。 蒋介石致电顾祝同，认为他的部署存在“颇多缺点”： ……对于阵地内守备兵力太多，而据点工事以外册应活用之兵力太少，殊为不安，总须阵地工事之内兵力节省至最少限度，尽量抽出兵力控制于阵地附近之相当距离处，设法隐蔽，以备相机册应阵地战之出击敌军侧背之用，若不能抽出每守备部队三分二之兵力，亦必须抽二分一之兵力，控制于其外翼，以备册应。如此万一阵地守兵薄弱，被敌攻陷几处已无甚紧要，惟衢州阵地守备队，须特别强固，预定八十六军之两师不必再抽应，衢州预备决战之总预备队甚多，不必再由其各部抽调册应部队也。务希将第四十九第二十六第七十四之三个军，皆调集于衢州附近以备决战，总须敌军到衢州兵力有三个师团以上之预计，故我军非有精强之三个军，不足以应战也。 军事委员会不同意第三战区将中央军主力王铁汉的第四十九军、王耀武的第七十四军、丁治磐的第二十六军置于金华地区与日军决战，认为在衢州以东的所有部队须逐次抵抗，消耗、迟滞日军，将日军引入位于千里岗与仙霞岭之间的衢州地区后，才能动用精锐部队与之决战。 急，顾长官：务将王铁汉、王耀武、丁治磐军三个军皆集结于衢县附近，切勿控置于金兰一带，被敌逐次消粍，我军方针决在衢县决战，不得变更此作战方针。希即照此部署。勿延。Zhongzheng raised his hand. 第三战区重新制订了保卫衢州的作战方案。方案具体分配了各集团军的作战地域和任务，将整个会战分为四个阶段：一是逐次消耗日军，诱敌深入阶段；二是在金华、兰溪附近严重打击日军阶段；三是在衢州的决战阶段；四是追击作战阶段。方案制订的会战方针是： 战区为击灭进犯敌人，确保衢州，以利尔后总反攻之目的，先以有力部队，逐次在长乐、安华、桐庐及东阳、义乌、浦江、建德各线既设阵地，极力迟滞、消粍敌人，坚守金、兰及切断敌后，猛烈围击敌寇，严重打击敌人。尔后再诱致敌人于衢州要点前，配合伏击、截击、尾击部队，以主力分由衢州南北山地合力围击而歼灭之。敌如逃窜时，应勇猛追击，压迫敌于金华江南岸而聚歼之，一举恢复钱（钱塘江）南失地。 顾祝同所制订的具体战法，完全照搬了薛岳指挥的长沙会战的整个流程。中国军队的统帅部也理所当然地认为，长沙会战的战法是被实战成功检验过的，日本人面对这种战法毫无办法，因此只要把衢州城复制成长沙城就可以了。 但是，衢州不是长沙，顾祝同也不是薛岳。 五月十四日，日军第十三军三路并行向西推进，目标直指金华。 左翼部队由内田孝行指挥的第七十师团和大城户三治指挥的第二十二师团组成。第七十师团十四日夜从奉化出发，沿着大堰河谷推进，突破当面中国守军的抵抗，十六日下午在大堰镇附近接受了加强给该师团的一个步兵大队，然后翻越天台山，于十七日抵达大市聚；第二十二师团十五日清晨出发，沿着曹娥江与第七十师团并行推进。两个师团的日军企图在嵊县和新昌地区围歼中国军队冯圣法的暂编第九军。暂编第九军稍作抵抗后快速撤退，使得日军的围歼态势没能形成。日军第二十二师团继续西进，在长乐附近突破暂编第九军的阵地后，十九日推进到金华以东的东阳附近。日军第七十师团则在第二十二师团的外侧，力图寻找冯圣法的暂编第九军并切断其退路。但是，因为进入了险峻的山区，下雨路滑，道路崎岖，驮马和步兵行动迟缓，虽然中国军队的阻击并不猛烈，第二十二师团仍然没能捕捉到暂编第九军，反而被陌生的大山折磨得痛苦不堪——“在这一段时间里，与其说是和敌人战斗，还莫如说是同地形战斗。” 中路部队由酒井直次指挥的第十五师团、小薗江邦雄指挥的第二十六旅团以及河野毅指挥的第十七旅团组成，十五日夜分别从萧山和绍兴出发，沿途没有遭遇大的阻击，于十七日晚进入诸暨附近。接着，第十五师团突破安华街附近中国守军第八十八军的阻击，十九日推进到义乌附近。河野旅团也突破了当面中国守军暂编第二十二师的阻击，进入到东阳西南地区。 右翼部队由武内俊二郎指挥的第一一六师团、井出铁藏指挥的第十二师团以及原田次郎指挥的第四十旅团组成，五月十六日起从富阳地区出动，沿着富春江右岸推进。两个师团在天目山崇山峻岭中的狭窄河谷内挤成一团，仅有的一条小路上车马只能单线行进，导致首尾衔接长达数公里。由于受到中国军队第二十八军的不断侧击，直到十八日晚才推进到桐庐附近。 在中国南方的梅雨季节中被淋得浑身湿透的日军官兵突然得知了个令他们十分吃惊的消息：第十三军司令部先遣队乘坐的大型舟艇，在距离义桥不远的浦阳江下游触雷沉没了。——中国海军虽然没有水面舰艇能与日军对阵，但在江南水网河道中大量布设水雷的工作从未停止过。日军第十三军司令部成员被当场炸死十一人，其余的人不同程度地负伤——大战尚未开始，泽田茂的司令部就残缺了。 泽田茂本人之所以幸免于难，是因为他没有跟随先遣队的参谋们起出发，而是滞留在杭州接待大本营派来的参谋次长田边盛武中将。泽田茂对田边盛武的话感到有些意外：“在此次作战中，中央最为期待的物资是萤石和铁路器材。” 萤石，一种可提炼冶金助熔剂的矿石。 此次作战地区内有远东储量最丰富、品质最优良的萤石矿。 至于铁路器材，只有全面控制了浙赣铁路全线才能获取。 更令泽田茂感到意外的是，大本营的作战初衷是破坏机场，而田边盛武次长对此却一个字也没提。 泽田茂很难把一次大规模的作战与一种矿石联系在一起，但既然作战已经发动他还是必须赶往前线。二十一日，他从杭州赶到了诸暨，在那里看到了因触雷死亡的军司令部人员名单，心情顿时黯然——“这是由于我急于前进而带来的后果。”令泽田茂心情不佳的另一个原因是从沿海方向传来的消息：为配合金华方向的攻势，日本海军出动了二十多艘舰船和百余名陆战队队员，在汪精卫的伪军部队协助下，于闽江口的川石岛和平潭海面实施登陆作战，可非但没有成功，还死伤了不少陆战队队员，看来别指望海军能帮上什么忙了。 抵达诸暨前线的泽田茂对于各师团的进展很不满意，认为河野旅团的推进“缺乏生气”，第一一六师团的前进“仍然迟缓”。十八日黄昏时分，泽田茂调整部署，旨在尽快对金华形成包围： 一、第十五、第七十师团及河野旅团迅速进入金华东方地区。 二、第二十二师团进至武义东北方，切断从南方逃往金华附近的敌军退路。 三、第一一六师团尽可能多的兵力迅速进至建德西方。 对于第一一六师团的缓慢，泽田茂的幕僚们也不满意。军参谋长唐川安夫一再建议，让第一一六师团靠边，把拥挤不堪的富春江公路让给第三十二师团，以便迅速突破建德附近中国军队的防御阵地。对于这个建议，泽田茂有点犹豫。他认为这样一来，不但第一一六师团无路可走，等于把他们丢给了中国军队于不顾，而且会严重损害师团长武内俊二郎的个人名誉及师团全体官兵的士气。况且，即使让第三十二师团上去，快速推进也非易事。最后决定，还是让第三十二师团继续跟在第一一六师团的后面，同时督促第一一六师团加紧进攻。 在富春江边阻击日军第一一六师团的中国军队是预备第五师，师长曾戛初。 浙赣会战开始前，预备第五师奉命在富春江北岸构筑工事，阵地的边与陶广的第二十八军阵地衔接，另一边就是富春江江面。日军开始进攻后，这一线的其他中国军队逐渐后撤，预备第五师被留下来单独作战，任务是阻击日军并掩护附近各县人力物力、仓库粮弹、伤病官兵撤离。第三战区给曾戛初师长的命令是：死守阵地三天。 预备第五师的兵力部署是：师工兵营配属给十四团，防守建德城和外围防线；十团阵地在乌龙山和通城大道上；十五团阵地在大坞，十团为预备队。阵地刚刚部署完毕，前沿的地雷就被进攻的日军踏响了。日军在战机和火炮的支援下，向中国守军阵地猛攻不止。这时顾祝同发来电报，重申预备第五师必须死守三天，并说现在战区司令长官部在转移中，三天之内无法联络，预备第五师须在没有监督的情况下自觉作战。曾戛初师长颁布了擅自撤退杀无赦的军令后，日军的攻击又开始了。日军采取的战法是坦克开路、飞机掩护、步兵跟进，一波被击退第二波接着冲上来，轮番往复，整日未停，预备第五师各团阵地都发生了惨烈战斗。十四团团长吴幼元对这场江边阻击战记忆犹新： 敌机和大炮疯狂地向我阵地倾泻炸弹、炮弹，阵地成为一片焦土，被炸倒的树木枝丫到处都是，官兵伤亡增多。九时许，一个中队的敌人冲到山腰边阵地，情况十分紧急，我命团附指挥战斗，自己亲率特务排和预备一营的一个连从侧面出击，与二营配合，形成钳形攻势，将山腰之敌击退。三营正面之敌，企图夺取通山道口，猛烈进攻，我团当即将全团十二门迫击炮集中，向该敌射击，计击毁敌战车两辆，打死打伤敌人一百多，进入我阵地前沿之敌被全部歼