Chapter 44 3. The Japanese army attacked Linyi County three times

The defense of Xuzhou Fifth Theater is a system. The battlefields in the east, west, north, and south are interrelated as a whole. Any problem in one place will be implicated in changes in the battle situation in other places.After the defeat of the Japanese army at Taierzhuang, the Isogu Division broke through from the Taierzhuang-Zaozhuang railway branch line and along the highway, and retreated northward.Due to Tang Enbo's 20th Army's unresolute actions, the pursuit troops were intercepted by the Japanese rear cover troops, causing Isoya Rensuke's defeated troops to retreat to a safe zone.However, Sun Lianzhong's 2nd Army was exhausted and pursued hard, but the results were not great.The Jigu Division retreated to Yi County and Zaozhuang area, reorganized resistance in Zhangshan, Tianzhu Mountain, and the area east of Yi County, and stood firm for help.

Sun Lianzhong's main force pursued to the east-west line of Zhangshan, but was frantically blocked by the Jigu Division, unable to expand the results of the battle.There was no new progress in Tang Enbo's army's siege of the Japanese army in Yi County.He excused that Sun Lianzhong did not fight well, and his army was flanked by enemy artillery from Zhangshan, which affected the attack.Therefore, the offensive deployment was changed, and the tactics of encirclement and attack were carried out from the northeast of Yixian County to the Japanese side. However, it was unsuccessful and was stopped by the enemy's counterattack near Shuiguo. Time to wait for reinforcements.

Just as Sun Lianzhong, Tang Enbo and Jigu were confronting each other, the Itagaki division in Linyi first received strong assistance from reinforcements from Qingdao.The Chinese troops holding Linyi were still General Zhang Zizhong's 59th Army and Pang Bingxun's 3rd Army.The two troops have already suffered more than half of the casualties, and they are extremely tired.In particular, Zhang Zizhong's 59th Army, as the mobile unit of the fifth theater, reinforced Yu Xuezhong's troops on the southern line of Xuzhou. After repelling the Japanese army from Nanjing, they turned around to reinforce Teng County.On the way to Teng County, he was ordered to go to Linyi to reinforce Pang Bingxun's 3rd Army.The 59th Army, together with Pang Bingxun, defeated the Bantan Division for the first time. As soon as the battle situation improved, Zhang Zizhong was ordered to be transferred to Teng County.The 59th Army left Linyi on the front foot, and the Banyuan Division attacked Pang Bingxun on the back foot.

In order to ensure the victory of the Taierzhuang War, the Fifth War Zone transferred Zhang Zizhong to return to Linyi.As soon as the 59th Army arrived in Fei County, before they could sit down and take a breather, they turned around and rushed towards Linyi.The situation in Linyi has long since changed, and the favorable situation no longer exists.Together with Pang Bingxun, Zhang Zizhong fought fiercely against the Itagaki Division for four or five days, and received reinforcements when it was difficult to support.The 59th Army, the 3rd Army, and the reinforcement Wang Zhaozhi's Brigade started a major counterattack, cutting the enemy into two sections.Zhang Zizhong and Pang Bingxun won the second victory in the defense of Linyi.

By mid-April, the Itagaki Division was supplemented by the base camp and reinforced by the Japanese army from Qingdao, and began to attack Linyi for the third time. Zhang Zizhong's 59th Army and Pang Bingxun's 3rd Army consumed a lot in the bloody battle to protect Linyi.Needless to say, General Pang's 3rd Army, even a combat-capable unit like the 59th Army, also paid a heavy price in the field battles outside Linyi.Knowing Zhang Zizhong's difficulties, the Fifth War Zone transferred Li Xianzhou's 92nd Army to Linyi for reinforcements.But before Li Xianzhou's 92nd Army arrived, Linyi fell.

Just as the main force of the Itagaki Division was attacking Linyi, another unit of the Japanese army that had retreated to Zhu Zhen took the opportunity to go south and march towards Xiangcheng, which was flanked by Tang Enbo's 20th Army.Tang Enbo mistook it for the main force of the Banyuan Division, and hurriedly ordered the 52nd Army and the 85th Army to retreat from Yi County and Zaozhuang, until they retreated to Pi County in Jiangsu Province, causing the Japanese army to occupy Tancheng. The Fifth War Zone hastily called Zhang Zizhong's 59th Army, saying that after the Japanese occupied Linyi and Tancheng, they were heading south and wanted to cut off the Longhai Road.

Commander Zhang summoned officers above the group to explain the new situation and new tasks, and immediately ordered the 180th Division to cross the river from Wujiadaokou and advance to Dawangzhuang, and the military headquarters followed up.The leading reconnaissance team learned that the Japanese army had dispatched south from Tancheng, and immediately reported to the military headquarters. The Vanguard Battalion of the 59th Army encountered the Japanese army in Dawangzhuang, and fierce fighting took place in the village.After the enemy's follow-up troops arrived, Brigadier Zhang Zongheng ordered the troops to withdraw from the village and fight the enemy in the wild wheat fields.At this time, the 180th Division and the military headquarters had arrived, and the Japanese army did not dare to enter.

After inspecting the terrain, Division Commander Liu Zhensan made deployments for the defense of the troops: the 26th Brigade took the 676th Regiment as the front line and occupied Zhanzhuang, Daguai Village, etc.; the 39th Brigade guarded Fengzhuang. Support the 26th Brigade at any time.The team directly under the division headquarters is located in the left-wing village.After the adjustment of the various ministries, they built fortifications around the village overnight and dug traffic trenches to meet the requirements of being interconnected and able to fight independently. The 59th Army has already gained experience in fighting the Japanese army.When the Japanese planes and artillery were bombing, they all hid themselves in protective ditches and hiding holes, and tried their best to protect themselves and prevent the enemy's artillery fire and aircraft from killing the vital forces of the troops.When the Japanese army attacked, Zhang Zizhong commanded calmly, prepared all light and heavy weapons, and ordered all officers and soldiers to follow orders and fire in unison.The Japanese infantry came up, and their noses and eyes could see clearly. The commander gave an order, and light and heavy machine guns, rifles, and grenades opened fire at the same time. Almost all of the 200 Japanese soldiers who rushed forward fell on the front line.

The Japanese army suffered a loss and did not sum up their lessons. They organized their forces again, and still bombarded first, and then the infantry charged.This was repeated three times, and they were all defeated. They did not break through until dusk, and four or five hundred people were killed by the defenders.The 59th Army relied on the ring-shaped fortifications, with very few casualties. In the early morning of the next day, after the Japanese army bombarded them violently with cannons, they changed their attack method. From Fengjiajiao to Wangzhuang, they divided into multiple routes to covertly advance, pretending to be afraid of death.It was not until noon that the Chinese army was connected to the fire. The Japanese army's vanguard was connected to the fire, and the large group of troops followed.The Japanese troops from all walks of life rushed towards Zhanzhuang together, and they came fiercely and quickly. The two sides fought fiercely inside and outside Zhanzhuang village, and the sound of killing resounded throughout the village.After fierce fighting until the afternoon, the Japanese army sent reinforcements and occupied the eastern half of Zhanzhuang.The 676th regiment insisted on the western half of Zhanzhuang.

Street fighting and hand-to-hand combat broke out in Zhanzhuang. Army Commander Zhang Zizhong and Division Commander Liu Zhensan knew about Zhanzhuang's situation and sent a regiment from the 39th Brigade to reinforce it.At the same time, he ordered brigade commander Zhang Zongheng not to abandon the original occupied position no matter how heavy the casualties were, and ordered the 26th brigade to recover the eastern half of Zhanzhuang. Brigadier Zhang Zongheng personally went to the front line of Zhanzhuang to redeploy and adjust.He competed with the Japanese army with five battalions in the village, and responded with two battalions outside the village.Commander Liu Zhensan also rushed to the 26th Brigade to supervise the battle.

Zhang Zongheng took advantage of the dark, which was the time when the Japanese army was most paralyzed, and took the spies to the front line to participate in the battle.The battle in the village started. The soldiers first concentrated their grenades and hurled them fiercely at the courtyard occupied by the Japanese army, and then rushed in through the dug wall hole.Each battalion and each company is assigned a courtyard for attacking. Using this unexpected method, the enemy is forced to retreat from the Zhanzhuang.In the battle of Zhanzhuang, the 59th Army suffered six or seven hundred casualties, and the Japanese army suffered thousands of casualties. After the Japanese army retreated, the army and division commanders came to inspect the positions. Zhang Zizhong and Liu Zhensan realized that the Japanese army would retaliate.Therefore, the military department ordered all troops to build solid field fortifications and use a high degree of vigilance to prevent Japanese sneak attacks. Sure enough, the Japanese army adopted the method of sneak attack. They changed the routine of not fighting at night, and quietly divided the troops into dozens of small groups.The Japanese army first lurked in the wheat fields outside the garrison of the 59th Army, cut off the telephone lines connecting the villages, and then attacked the defensive troops of each village and the headquarters of the 180th Division at night.For a while, there were shouts and gunshots all around, and the guards lost contact with the division headquarters, and the villages had to fight on their own. Due to the preparations in advance, the defenders in the villages did not panic because of this. They relied on their solid fortifications to fight against the Japanese sneak attack. When it was midnight, the Japanese army saw that the defenders were not shaken and the defense was orderly, so they gave up automatically. Withdrew back. The Japanese army failed to break through the defense line of the 59th Army and went south, so they retreated to Tancheng.And Zhang Zizhong's 59th Army was also unable to attack the enemy in Tancheng, and the two sides confronted each other on the defensive line.General Zhang Zizhong's troops hurriedly rested and reorganized. In addition to strengthening fortifications, they practiced village warfare every day. Before and after the fall of Linyi, hundreds of villages in the north and west of the city were razed to the ground by Japanese planes and cannons, livestock, poultry, and property were looted by Japanese soldiers, and villagers were brutally massacred by Japanese soldiers.The people of Linyi area are heroic and glorious. They endured great grief and went all out to support the war of resistance, showing great national integrity and lofty patriotic spirit. Many wounded in Zhang Zizhong's and Pang Bingxun's troops were treated and covered by the people in Linyi area. After recovering from their injuries, they returned to the anti-Japanese front line.They will never forget the kindness of the Shandong people's soldiers in the war of resistance.