Chapter 17 Section 4 Another "Siege of Ren'an and Qiang"

This group of enemy forces is really not worth the Chinese people's war. The reinforcements of the new 38th Division wiped out the Japanese army with only half a regiment of troops, and the "dangerous situation" was lifted for the US military in 2 hours. The Hukang River Valley is composed of the Daluo Basin and the Xinpingyang Basin. The Hukang River runs through the north and the south. The mountains in the basin are high into the clouds, dense forests cover the sky, and the ditches and rivers are vertical and horizontal. The 18th Division is a backbone unit of the Japanese army stationed in Southeast Asia. It was transferred from mainland China after the Battle of Wuhan. More than 4 years of living and fighting in the jungle have made this army a formidable division in this area. The soldiers are well-trained, calm and tenacious when attacking and defending, and orderly when retreating; It surpasses the firepower of the New First Army.For this reason, the Japanese military department is dubbed the "Tiger of the Jungle". It has a total of more than 28,000 people in the 55th Infantry Regiment, the 114th Regiment and the 18th Artillery Regiment. Of course, its weaknesses have also been studied by the New 1st Army. It is clear that its chiefs often rely on their equipment advantages to bombard them indiscriminately, and they are negligent in guarding the flanks, so they are easily exposed.

On October 10, Stilwell ordered the new 38th Division to occupy the strongholds on the west bank of the Dalong River, clearing the way for the whole army to attack the Hudi River Valley. The Lagasu Highland is the focus of the two sides' contention.Relying on the advantages of high ground and the power of heavy artillery, the Japanese army defeated the new 38th Division time and time again. The new 38th Division relied on tenacity to surround the enemy and fight for reinforcements, and the highland became an isolated island. At the beginning of November, the New 30th Division, which had just been transferred from China, rushed to the front line of the Lagasu Highlands with heavy artillery. A shell from the artillery of the New 30th Division hit the ammunition depot of the Japanese army, causing a shocking explosion. The Japanese army was finally defeated and fled. After sneaking into the Dalong River Valley, he was severely beaten by officers and soldiers of the new 38th Division.In this way, the strongholds on the west bank of the Dalong River were successively breached by the New First Army, and the New First Army played a triumphant song in their first battle.

Then, the New 22nd Division attacked Daluo from the right, and the New 38th Division marched along the left to Taiboka and Ganka in the north of Xinpingyang.The two divisions crossed the Danai River separately, and each quietly advanced towards the current enemy.It was the main force of the 55th Regiment of the 18th Division that defended against Los Angeles. On the night of January 30, 1944, the enemy sentries withdrew from their posts due to the cold night and went back to their rooms to rest. In the dark of the forest, he entered the city of Daluo and opened the gate of Daluo.The soldiers of the 55th Regiment who were sleeping suddenly heard the gunfire, and most of them were wearing shorts and carrying guns to fight. But the new 22nd Division attacked fiercely, and the follow-up troops also poured in. Most of the Japanese troops were killed in battle, and the rest retreated to other places. So it fell into my hands.

Subsequently, the New 22nd Division and the New 38th Division took advantage of the victory and pursued, encircling and annihilating the Japanese troops in Banyaoka, Senbangka and other strongholds one after another.Its forward offensive has reached the periphery of Mengguan, and Varuban was shocked. Mengguan is the center of the Hukang Valley. In late February, the two divisions were still divided into left and right wings, assigned to the first battalion of tanks, and attacked Mengguan. A detachment of the US military (about one regiment of infantry) followed the 38th division along the left side.During this period, the New 22nd Division climbed over a cliff above 3,000 feet, surprised the defense line behind the enemy in Mengguan, and captured Mengke.But there are unpredictable things.Just when the New 22nd Division and the New 38th Division were fighting smoothly, the U.S. military behind them sent an urgent call, saying that they were blocked by the Japanese army in a river valley called Kaimi, and they could not escape. They asked for 300 miles. The new 38th Division outside sent troops to make a rescue.

Could this be another siege of Ren'an and Qiang? Two years ago, on April 17, when the expeditionary force and the British army resisted the Japanese army in Pingmanna in the east and west cities respectively, the 1st Division of the British Army and its 7th Armored Brigade on the West Road had about 7,000 people and more than 100 tanks. He was cut off by a brigade (about 3,000 people) of the Japanese army and was trapped near the bridge north of Ren'anqiang, helpless!After the Sun Jiguang Department of the 113th Regiment of the 38th Division received the call, under the leadership of the division commander Sun Liren, Xingye rushed from Chaokebadang, 200 miles away, to the front line of the besieged British army. Only a few violent charges were about to defeat the enemy. Surrounded, completely frozen!More than 500 British officers, soldiers, missionaries and journalists captured by the Japanese army also broke away from the Japanese army and regained their freedom. This is the famous "Siege of Ren'an and Qiang" in the history of expeditionary forces.

With less than 1,500 troops, the Chinese Expeditionary Force rescued five times as many friendly troops.The British Isles are sensational!The whole world is sensational!Afterwards, Chiang Kai-shek awarded Sun Liren the Fourth-Class Cloud Medal, Sun Jiguang and the Battalion Commander the Blue Sky and White Sun Medal; Roosevelt awarded Sun Liren the "Feng Gong" Medal.King George VI awarded Sun Liren the "Imperial Commander" medal, and Sun Liren became the first foreign general to receive such a medal! This time, after receiving a call for help from the Americans, the new 38th Division certainly did not dare to be careless, because in this land of wild forests everywhere, how many troops did the Japanese army besiege the US troops, a regiment?Or at least a brigade?No one can tell!Sun Liren gritted his teeth, and selected two regiments 112 and 114 from the three regiments around him, and quickly transported the troops to the Kaimi River Valley with a rapid march of one day and two nights.

As soon as he arrived on the battlefield, Uncle Sam's embarrassment made the Chinese angry and ridiculous: the Chinese who came here in a hurry What I saw was only two squadrons of Japanese troops. These 2,000 Japanese troops blocked the north and south of the valley, leaving the U.S. troops trapped and waiting to die! This group of enemy forces is really not worthy of the Chinese's big war. The reinforcements of the new 38th Division wiped out the Japanese army with only half a regiment of troops, and lifted the "dangerous situation" for the US military in two hours. This is a true reprint of "The Siege of Ren'an and Qiang"!

However, after this battle, Stilwell's views on Chinese military officers changed a lot. It turned out that he took all the command of the new 22nd Division and the new 38th Division into his own hands. Division commanders have the right to make their own decisions on the battlefield. The Chinese have once again won the respect of Westerners with their bravery. After rescuing the U.S. troops, the 112th and 114th regiments led the U.S. troops to the south immediately, and arrived at Varuban one day and one night.At that time, our army was fighting fiercely with the enemy's 18th Division in Varuban and Qinnuo. The arrival of the new Chinese and American forces suddenly rewritten the stalemate on the battlefield. Buben Pass retreated nearly 150 kilometers to the south.