Data Data One About the Nationalist Party's German-style Division (Part 2)

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  Siege of Tenri

  After the July 7th Incident, the situation in Shanghai was already precarious. At that time, the original garrison of the German-style 5th Military Division's 87th Division was stationed in Changshu and Suzhou, while the 88th Division was stationed in Wuxi and Jiangyin. The 36th Division had been transferred to Shaanxi due to the Xi'an Incident, leaving only the Jiangsu Provincial Security Brigade in the Shanghai suburbs.

  On July 13th, at a high-level military meeting presided over by He Yingqin, it was decided to reinforce Shanghai by deploying the 2nd Division's supplementary brigade (led by Zhong Song) from Suzhou. Due to the restrictions of the Ceasefire Agreement, which prohibited Central Army troops from entering the city and surrounding areas, the brigade was renamed the 20th Independent Brigade. Its 1st Regiment was redesignated as the 13th Garrison Regiment and dispatched to Songjiang, while the 2nd Regiment was disguised as a security brigade and secretly deployed to Hongqiao Airport.

  The Jiangsu Security 2nd Regiment was also ordered to replace the troops defending the Yangtze River in the Liuhang area. The Security 4th Regiment was assembled in Taicang.

  Zhang Zhicheng, who had participated in the January 28 Incident and had been serving as the military commander of the Shanghai-Nanjing region since 1936, had already conducted preliminary research on the defense deployment and battle plans for the Nanjing-Shanghai area. He had also drafted a "Shanghai Siege Plan" and was appointed as the commander of the Shanghai Defense Forces, with full authority over military actions in the region.

  On the evening of August 9, after the Hongqiao Airport incident, the Japanese army in Shanghai was on high alert. That night, Commander-in-Chief of the Third Fleet, Seiichi Kita, ordered the Eighth Warship Division, First Torpedo Boat Division, First Air Squadron, Sasebo Garrison's First Special Landing Force, and Kure Naval District's Second Special Landing Force to enter a state of readiness, ready to depart at any moment. The next day, these units boarded ships and headed for Shanghai, arriving on the evening of August 11, bringing the total number of Japanese marines in Shanghai to 5,000, with 31 warships on the Huangpu River and another 9 anchored off Wusongkou.

  On August 11th at 21:00, Chiang Kai-shek ordered Zhang Zhizhong to lead the 87th and 88th Divisions to advance to their designated attack positions tonight, preparing to launch a siege against the Japanese army in the Songhu area. According to this order, Zhang Zhizhong immediately issued an order for each unit to march towards Shanghai:

  One: The 87th Division's first unit arrived at Wusong, and its main force entered the city center.

  2. The 88th Division advanced to the area between Beizhan and Jiangwan;

  Third, the 1st Battalion of the 10th Artillery Regiment and the 8th Artillery Regiment arrived at Zhenru and Dachang.

  The 20th Division of the 4th Route Army arrived at Nanxiang from Songjiang.

  Fifth, the 3rd Battalion of Artillery Regiment 2 and the 56th Division marched towards Shanghai from Nanjing and Jiaxing.

  Sixth, the commander of the 56th Division Liu He Ding was in charge of the Jiangnan Defense Command. He led the 56th Division and the 2nd and 4th Battalions of the Jiangsu Security Forces to defend the Yangtze River from Baoshan in the east to Liuhaisha in the west, with the main force concentrated near Taicang.

  After receiving the order, all departments immediately took action. The 87th Division collected more than 300 cars in Jiangyin, Suzhou, Changshu and other places, and drove to Shanghai overnight. As a tactical experiment unit for motorized transportation in the new-style Central Army's military reorganization plan, the 87th Division had conducted training on using motorized vehicles for long-distance mobile operations many times. Therefore, this time when entering Shanghai, the 87th Division was able to quickly utilize the locally collected vehicles for transportation and organize orderly actions swiftly. This was also the first time a division-level unit implemented motorized transportation in Chinese military history. The 88th Division boarded emergency requisitioned trains in Wuxi and Suzhou areas and directly took the train to Shanghai.

  On August 12, the 87th Division entered the Shanghai Wusong and Jiangwan areas, while the 88th Division arrived in Zhenru and Dachang. The 1st Battalion of the 10th Artillery Regiment, equipped with German-made 150mm heavy artillery, set up positions in Dachang. Zhang Zhicheng's command post also moved from Suzhou to Nanxiang. By this time, all units under the Beijing-Shanghai Garrison Command had entered their designated attack positions. (When Shanghai citizens saw this well-equipped force, even ordinary people unfamiliar with military affairs knew that it was not a security force but a regular army, meaning that China had completely abandoned the Shanghai Ceasefire Agreement of old. Many organizations, units, and individuals went to support the troops, greatly boosting the morale of the officers and soldiers.)

  On the same day, the Jianghuai Garrison Command was abolished, and its subordinate troops were renamed the 9th Army Group, under which were the 87th Division, 88th Division, 56th Division, the 20th Independent Brigade, Shanghai Security General Team, Artillery 3rd, 8th, and 10th Regiments, still commanded by Zhang Zhizhong. Zhang Zhizhong reported to Chiang Kai-shek that all troops had deployed and were ready to launch a surprise attack on the enemy the next day. However, due to the request of the Shanghai Consular Corps not to engage in combat within 24 hours, Chiang instructed Zhang to temporarily cancel the attack plan for the 13th. Zhang was deeply disappointed by this and believed it was a missed opportunity to defeat the enemy's main force in Shanghai. ——If Zhang's plan had indeed started at dawn on the 13th, it may not have achieved the effect of catching the enemy off guard. Because at 19:00 on the 12th, the commander of the Japanese landing force, Okinori Kaya, had already ordered his troops to enter their positions and prepare for battle.

  On August 13, at 9:15 am, the two armies facing each other near Tian Tong Temple Station began a small-scale direct conflict. The first shot was fired by the 1st Battalion of the 523rd Regiment of the 262nd Brigade of the 88th Division. The August 13 Shanghai Incident finally broke out! Throughout the day, both sides exchanged fire frequently, but it was only sporadic clashes between small units, at most a skirmish, and the real battle had not yet begun. That night, the Nationalist government ordered the 9th Army Group to launch a comprehensive attack on Hongkou and Yangshupu the next day.

  On August 14, the much-anticipated general offensive finally began. In the morning, the Chinese Air Force launched a large-scale operation to provide support, but [**] still lacked experience in air-ground coordinated operations, and the ground troops were not yet ready to attack, failing to take advantage of the favorable opportunity provided by the air force's bombing. At 15:00, Zhang Zhizhong issued the order for the general offensive. At 18:00, the artillery began their firepower preparation, followed by the 88th Division launching a main assault on the Rikusentai (Japanese Navy Landing Force) headquarters in Hongkou, while the 87th Division attacked the University of Shanghai as a supporting attack. The fierce battle unfolded along the lines of the Eight Character Bridge, Jizhi University, and Aiguo Girls' School, with extremely heavy casualties. The commander of the 264th Brigade of the 88th Division, Huang Meixing, was hit by an enemy shell in the abdomen while leading the charge at Jizhi University and died on the spot, with nearly a thousand casualties in the entire brigade, but with little progress. The Japanese military also suffered heavy casualties, with 106 deaths, including the company commander, Kōshi Kin'u, and 337 injuries, just in the first and third companies facing the 88th Division. That night, Zhang Zhizhong ordered a temporary halt to the attack.

  On the 15th and 16th, our army temporarily stopped its all-out offensive to prepare for the second general attack. Only the 87th Division launched an attack on the Oil Paint Company, Aiguo Girls' School and other places at 1:00 am on the 16th to capture the starting position for the general attack. The Japanese army broke through multiple positions, but was stopped by tanks and reserve troops. However, the 87th Division still occupied Wuzhou Cemetery, Aiguo Girls' School and other places.

  The German advisor believed that the reason for our army's heavy casualties and small gains in the past few days was that we were attacking the enemy's strongest positions head-on, making it difficult to make progress. Therefore, tactics must be changed to break through the weak points of the enemy, cut off the enemy's line of defense, and then destroy them one by one. Following this principle, the 88th Division command staff and German advisors studied and formulated the "Iron Fist Plan", selecting troops with more combat experience to form a shock team, equipped with various close-range weapons, and with strong artillery cover, striving to break through the enemy's defense line at one go, then regardless of everything, continue to advance deeply, its purpose is not to capture enemy positions and kill enemies, but to continuously advance and disrupt the stability of the enemy's position, creating an unfavorable situation for the enemy, and creating conditions for the main force to annihilate the enemy. —— This tactical idea is precisely the essence of Germany's "Blitzkrieg" that was mighty in World War II!

  On August 17, at 5:30 in the morning, the second general offensive was launched. The attack target of the 88th Division was the area along the Suzhou River Road. The 88th Division first conducted a fierce artillery bombardment on the target area, and then the infantry continued to concentrate their firepower with machine guns and light and heavy machine guns on the breakthrough point. The Suzhou River Road instantly became a sea of fire, and almost all buildings were destroyed. Under the cover of firepower, the assault team began to charge. At the same time, the main force of the division launched an attack on the surrounding area of the Hongkou Japanese naval command, in coordination with the assault team's attack. The 87th Division launched a fierce attack on the Japanese naval club and naval airport.

  In the 88th Division's attack on Rihui Mountain, Bazi Bridge, Law School, and Hongkou Park, both sides repeatedly fought back and forth, with heavy casualties. In just one place, the Law School, our army paid a huge price of sacrificing an entire regiment.

  The 87th Division's 259th Brigade captured the Japanese Navy Club and the Japanese Navy Caochang after fierce fighting, but their attacks on Shanghai University, Gongda Textile Factory, and Yingxiong Port Town were unsuccessful despite bitter battles.

  Our artillery fire had a high hit rate, but without incendiary shells, we could not thoroughly destroy solid targets. The Japanese army used solid obstacles to block every passageway and used armored vehicles as mobile pillboxes, with defensive deployments that were almost impenetrable. This led to the final breakdown of our breakthrough attack into strong assaults on individual targets, which failed to achieve their original intention.

  Although we gained significant battle results, we ultimately failed. The battle was extremely brutal, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. The Hongkou area was filled with the sound of gunfire and smoke for a long time.

  On the 18th, China accepted the proposal of the United States, Britain and France to make Shanghai a neutral zone and withdraw troops from both sides. Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek ordered Zhang Zhizhong to suspend the attack. However, Japan refused the proposal, so Chiang Kai-shek ordered the resumption of the attack in the afternoon.

  On the same day, the 36th Division had rushed overnight from Xi'an to arrive in the Wujiadun area of northern Shanghai. The Japanese military also adjusted its troops, urgently transferring 2,400 marines from Lushunkou and other places, increasing its total strength in Shanghai to 7,000 people.

  On the 19th, the 522nd Regiment of the 261st Brigade of the 87th Division was able to withdraw from its original defense position and join the attack on the city area because the 61st Division took over its original defense. The regiment, as the vanguard of the 87th Division, attacked the Japanese army's Yangshupu position from north to south, breaking through the Japanese army's Yangshupu defensive line in one go, and after fierce fighting until around 5 pm, it captured the intersection of Tangshan Road and Gongping Road. The vanguard had already entered Yuezhou Road and continued to advance towards Baolonghui Road. The 36th Division concentrated two regiments from the north side of Yangshupu and advanced southward from the area occupied by the 522nd Regiment, pushing towards Baoding Road. The Japanese army launched multiple counterattacks against the 87th and 36th Divisions with tank support that night, but were all repelled.

  At 1:00 on the 20th, the 106th Division of the 36th Division continued to attack southward and reached the line of Shajing Port, Yueyang Road, and Kunming Road at dawn. Its left wing had made contact with the 87th Division. Zhang Zhizhong personally went to the headquarters of the 87th Division in Jiangwan to command the battle. He decided to take advantage of the favorable situation where the 87th and 36th Divisions had broken into the Yangshupu concession and reached Yueyang Road, and use his main force to launch a surprise attack on the Hui Mountain Wharf, achieve a breakthrough in the central part of the enemy's position, cut off the connection between the enemy's left and right wings, and then attack both wings. To this end, six British-made Vickers 6-ton light tanks from the 1st and 2nd Companies of the Armored Regiment's Tank Battalion, which had just arrived from Nanjing, were assigned to the 36th Division. The instructional regiment equipped with German-made 37mm anti-tank guns was assigned to the 87th Division, further strengthening its striking power.

  In the afternoon, Zhang Zhizhong ordered the 87th Division to cooperate with the 36th Division to launch a fierce attack on the enemy in front of them, striving to break through directly to the Hui Shan Pier. At the same time, he ordered the 88th Division to make a feint attack on Hongkou and the 98th Division to defend against the west of Sha Jing Port.

  At 24:00 on the night of the 36th Division, led by Commander Song Xiwen, launched a main attack from the new port. The 211st Regiment attacked the enemy on the west bank of the Sha Jing Port, while the 215th and 216th Regiments advanced south along the Deng Tuo Road and Zhao Feng Road with the support of the 1st Tank Company. The 212nd Regiment attacked along the Zhou Shan Road to cover the main attack direction.

  The tank company broke through several layers of enemy defenses, but the infantry was blocked by the enemy's dense firepower and failed to follow up in time. As a result, the tanks were destroyed by the enemy after losing the support of the infantry! The subsequent infantry continued to attack without hesitation despite losing the support of the tanks.

  The enemy occupied the high-rise buildings on both sides of the road, forming a dense crossfire network, and used tanks and armored vehicles to cover the infantry units in counterattacks. The 212nd Regiment was intercepted by intense firepower at the intersection of Zhou Shan Road and Hua De Road, suffering heavy casualties, and the commander of the 106th Brigade, Chen Ruihe, was seriously injured.

  The attack by the 215th Regiment also failed to make progress, and the battalion commander Li Zeng was killed. The troops then turned around and attacked from the side lanes, preparing to climb up from behind the high-rise buildings. However, the enemy tanks suddenly appeared, sealing off the alleys with cannon fire and then bombarding them with incendiary bombs, killing over 300 soldiers!

  The 216th Regiment advanced to the front of the Hui Shan Wharf, but failed to destroy the solid iron gate with accompanying artillery fire. The enemy firepower was like rain, causing heavy casualties. Commander Hu Jiaji led his men in climbing over the gate, but the troops who entered the wharf were immediately suppressed by the enemy's fierce crossfire, suffering heavy casualties. Hu Jiaji himself was hit by five bullets!

  As it became clear that they could not consolidate their gains and had suffered heavy casualties (the 216th Regiment alone lost 570 men), the 216th Regiment retreated back to Ying Xiang Gang. The enemy took advantage of the situation to counterattack, but Commander Song Xiwen quickly deployed the division's reserve engineer battalion to stabilize the front line.

  On the 21st, after the 36th Division launched a fierce attack, the 87th Division also started to attack. After noon, they successively captured the Jingban Printing Factory and the Kangtai Flour Factory, but repeatedly failed to take down the Gongda Cotton Mill, which was the most important stronghold of the Japanese army in East Shanghai.

  At the same time, another German-style division, the Zhongyang Military Academy's Instructional Corps, also arrived in Shanghai's Jiangwan area from Nanjing.

  On the 22nd, both sides continued to fight fiercely, but the front line was stuck.

  At 23:30, the 36th Division launched another attack on the Hui Shan Wharf with 3 tanks and 3 infantry regiments. This time, the coordination between tanks and infantry was greatly improved, with tanks continuously destroying enemy positions, while infantry used their bodies to attract deep enemy machine gun fire, covering the tanks as they broke into the enemy's position and destroyed it. By 5:00, they had once again charged into the Hui Shan Wharf and cleared out the enemy troops. However, the enemy warships anchored in the Huangpu River immediately opened fire with their cannons, and then enemy forces on both ends of Broadway Road launched a counterattack from two sides under air support. All tanks were destroyed, and the soldiers who had charged into the wharf were killed or wounded, with only a few dozen men surviving! They were forced to retreat back to Tangshan Road, and this attack ended in failure.

  However, in the past few days, [**] various departments launched a fierce attack, cutting off the two wings of the rì army and forcing its main force to shrink to several isolated strongholds such as the Lushun War Zone Command and the Gongda Cotton Mill. The Yangshupu rì army faced [**]'s brave charge, and in a state of terror, they set fire to block the way, with large fires burning for three days and three nights on Baoshan Road, Gongping Road, and other places! Moreover, three batches of about 400-500 people fled to the WaiBaidu Bridge, surrendering to the British army guarding the concession. After disarming, they were detained in the Waitan Park.

  On August 23, the 3rd Division of the Japanese army landed in Chuansha, directly threatening the security of the Chinese army's flank and rear. Therefore, the battle to attack the concession ended at this point, and from then on, the Japanese army shifted from defense to offense, and the situation of the campaign also reversed.

  The Chinese army invested its main force, represented by the German-style division, in the battle to attack the concession, fighting for ten days, known as the "Ten-Day Siege". At a great cost, it ultimately ended in failure. Apart from the Japanese army's absolute advantage in naval and air firepower support, another important factor was that the Chinese army failed to concentrate its superior forces at the beginning of the war (only two divisions, the 87th and 88th Divisions, were actually deployed in the first five days).

  It can be imagined that if four divisions had been invested on August 14, the outcome would have been very different. Moreover, the German-style division's tactics of rapid attack were more suitable for a wide-open battlefield with great depth, rather than a narrow urban area with tall and solid buildings. Furthermore, when attacking cities with strong fortifications, the German-style division's weakness in firepower was exposed (although they had 150mm heavy howitzers, but due to the lack of favorable terrain in the city, they could only be deployed on the outskirts, and the distance was too far, and the accuracy was too poor, and there were no incendiary bombs, the effect can be imagined!).

  What is even more puzzling is that the German-style division did not think of using explosive tactics (during the Chinese Civil War, the People's Liberation Army mainly relied on explosive tactics to capture strongly fortified cities!). It is really hard to believe!

  The Battle of Shanghai was the first three-dimensional coordinated operation conducted by the German-style elite troops with the highest degree of modernization in the process of catching up with the world trend through modernization and construction. The style displayed by the German-style division in the battle made even the Japanese army on the battlefield praise it, and in the history of the Japanese army, the Battle of Shanghai was even called "a German-style war".

  The siege of Xizang City is also the most magnificent and intense chapter in the history of German-style warfare, but its final failure is really frustrating!

  Battle of Shanghai-Wusong

  In the second phase of the Songhu Battle after August 23, the 36th Division, 87th Division and 88th Division, despite suffering heavy casualties in repeated battles, still held their ground on the front line. In addition to continuing to attack the city with their main force, they also frequently dispatched troops to counterattack the surrounding Japanese army, solidifying their defensive lines.

  On the nights of August 24 and 25, Zhang Zhizhong formed a strike force with two regiments each from the 36th and 87th Divisions, under the unified command of Song Xilian, commander of the 36th Division. The force launched an attack on the Japanese army along the Sitang River line. The four regiments of the two divisions in the city retreated to the concession boundary area to defend their positions. The attacking troops used continuous night attacks, suffering heavy casualties from the intense bombardment by Japanese warships and aircraft, but were unable to annihilate the enemy forces in front of them, resulting in a stalemate along the Sitang River line.

  On August 27, in the urban area, [**] troops adjusted their deployment. The 88th Division and a part of the 20th Independent Brigade retreated to the right wing to defend Zhabei, the 36th Division and another part of the 20th Independent Brigade were in the middle, retreating to defend Yingxiong Port and north of Shanghai University, and the 87th Division and the newly arrived 61st Division defended Wusong on the left wing.

  On September 6, the Japanese army launched a fierce attack on the 36th Division's position north of Gongda Fabric Factory with a small tank team, an artillery battalion, and an infantry battalion to ensure the safety of the temporary airport established in the factory. The 36th Division fought back tenaciously and killed the Japanese battalion commander, Inada Shirō.

  On September 11, Wolmido and Yanghang fell one after another. The German-style division held the Jiangwan, Miaohang line became a prominent part of the entire front line, and the situation was extremely unfavorable. Therefore, the main force of the 9th Army Corps was ordered to withdraw to the Yunmao Gang, Miaohang, Jiangwan, Beizhan line.

  On September 21, Zhang Zhizhong was transferred to the Minister of the General Logistics Department, and the commander of the 9th Army Group was taken over by Zhu Shaoliang. Wang Jingjiu, commander of the 87th Division, was promoted to commander of the 71st Army, Sun Yuanliang, commander of the 88th Division, was promoted to commander of the 72nd Army, and Song Xilian, commander of the 36th Division, was promoted to commander of the 78th Army. However, all three armies had no increase in troops and only had one division under their command.

  On September 26, another German-style division, the Tax Jīng General Team, entered the battlefield of Songhu. As soon as the team arrived at the battlefield, it took over the defense of the Chenjiaxing area south of Yunmao Gang from the 87th Division. On October 2, the Japanese army's ninth and third divisions began to force their way across Yunmao Gang, and after two days of fierce fighting, the Japanese army broke through Yunmao Gang from the side, and the Tax Jīng General Team's position was in a precarious situation with three sides under attack. However, they still fought bravely with a determined spirit. After the defenders at Yanjiaqiao and Caojiazhuang were almost wiped out, the Japanese army occupied the positions, but the Tax Jīng General Team immediately launched a powerful counterattack with the support of friendly forces and recaptured the two locations. The Japanese army then bombarded the area with artillery fire and sent in infantry troops, and the Tax Jīng General Team fought bitterly against the enemy, engaging in several fierce hand-to-hand combat battles. After the defenders at Yanjiaqiao were wiped out for the second time, the position was finally lost. On October 15, the Tax Jīng General Team was withdrawn to the rear for rest and reorganization due to heavy casualties.

  On October 24-25, the 87th Division held its ground at Fengzhai, Miaoxing and Lijialou, which was exactly where the Japanese army's main attack was focused. The officers and soldiers of the 87th Division fought a bloody battle, withstanding the Japanese army's continuous fierce attacks. On the evening of October 26, the important supporting point of Dachang fell, causing the 87th Division at Miaoxing, the 88th Division at Zhanbei and the 36th Division at Jiangwan to be exposed on their flanks and rear, and they were forced to retreat south of the Suzhou River.

  When the German-style division retreated to the south of Suzhou River, due to the huge losses caused by the continuous fierce battles, its combat effectiveness had dropped to the lowest point. Zou Zhehua, who was then the commander-in-chief of artillery, recalled: "The troops in Jiangwan and Zhabei areas had been fighting for three months, suffering heavy casualties, and the 36th, 87th, and 88th divisions were all exhausted, with almost no combat effectiveness left." However, the morale of the German-style division remained high. When the news of the loss of Dachang came, the officers and soldiers of the 88th Division in Zhabei were filled with grief and indignation. Upon receiving the order to defend Zhabei to the death, the entire division was overjoyed at the opportunity to fight against the enemy on the battlefield!

  Along Suzhou River to the south, a hasty defense line was established, including German-style troops such as the 36th Division, 87th Division, 88th Division and Tax jing General Corps.

  To cover the entire army's retreat, the 88th Division still held its ground in the Zhabei District, refusing to yield, inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese military, earning them the nickname "The Most Hated Division"! Witnessing the Battle of Zhabei, British Shanghai Garrison Commander Major General Stuart said: "I have never seen anything more heroic than the last defense of Zhabei by the Chinese troops!" — The 88th Division had been fighting in Zhabei since August 13th, initially under siege for ten days. After the Japanese landed in Baoshan and the focus of the battle shifted northward, the 88th Division took a defensive stance against the enemy forces to its front, resulting in a stalemate that lasted until October 27th when they withdrew, having held their ground for two and a half months without losing an inch of territory.

  When the entire line retreated, Chiang Kai-shek had planned to leave the 88th Division to guard the north bank of the Suzhou River. When seeking the opinion of Sun Yuanliang, the division commander of the 88th Division, Sun believed that solitary defense was worthless and finally decided to send only one regiment to defend. In fact, Sun ordered the deputy commander of the 524th Regiment, Xie Jinyuan, to lead the first battalion of more than 450 people, known as the "800 Heroes", to make a last stand at the Sihang Warehouse on the north bank of the Suzhou River. From October 27 to 31, they fought a bloody battle for four days and nights, repelling dozens of Japanese attacks, killing over 200 enemy soldiers. Finally, they were ordered to break out of the encirclement and retreat into the International Settlement, which greatly boosted military morale and national prestige, writing the most thrilling chapter in the Battle of Shanghai!

  On October 30, the Japanese army launched an attack south of the Suzhou River, with the most intense fighting occurring in the Zhoujiabang area where the Taxation General Team was stationed. The Taxation General Team repelled seven consecutive attempts by the Japanese army to cross the river. However, under the cover of intense artillery fire, the Japanese army finally crossed the Suzhou River. The commander of the Taxation General Team, Huang Jie, personally went to the front line to direct the battle. Both sides repeatedly fought for control of Liujiaying, with the position changing hands several times and every building being fiercely contested. The Zhoujiabang area also became one of the bloodiest battlefields in the entire Songhu Battle, with Liujiaying and Zhoujiabang villages eventually falling due to heavy casualties among the defending Taxation General Team troops. Sun Liping, then commander of the 4th Regiment, was seriously injured, with a total of 13 bullet fragments lodged in his body! The next day, the 36th Division arrived as reinforcements and joined forces with the Taxation General Team for a counterattack, but after fierce fighting, they were unable to retake Liujiaying.

  On November 3, the Japanese army continued to launch a fierce attack on the Taxing General's position, and the commander of the 5th Regiment, Qiu Zhi Ji, was killed in action. More than half of the officers and soldiers of the entire regiment were killed or wounded. The 4th Regiment immediately joined the battle, launching a fierce counterattack against Liu Jia Zhuang, but only recaptured half of the civilian houses on the south side. The Japanese army stubbornly resisted from the north side of the village, with both sides fighting house by house and room by room, resulting in extremely brutal combat. By 18:00, the Taxing General's regiment was finally replaced by the 36th Division to take over the defense of the Zhou Jia Qiao area due to heavy casualties.

  On November 5, the 10th Army (under which were the 6th, 18th and 114th Divisions as well as the Guosai Detachment formed from the 9th Brigade of the 5th Division) landed at Hangzhou Bay. The troops in the Songhu area faced the danger of being surrounded, and the Third War Zone immediately ordered a general retreat according to Chiang Kai-shek's instructions. Due to the delay in transmitting the order, when it reached the troops, they had already missed the best opportunity for withdrawal. It was difficult for commanders at all levels to control their units, and the sequential cover-up stipulated in the withdrawal order could not be implemented, resulting in a chaotic retreat.

  The main force of the German-style division, relying on its usual strict training and strict military discipline, although the troops had been replenished four or five times, and nearly half of the originally well-trained junior officers and soldiers were lost. However, the remaining less than two-thirds of the army's morale remained intact, and in this chaotic situation, they did not disperse. The 36th Division and 88th Division withdrew to Nanjing with their formations basically intact on November 15, while the 87th Division retreated back to Nanjing from Zhenjiang in early December.

  Defend Nanjing

  Due to the chaotic retreat from the Shanghai battlefield, the original plan to defend in stages using pre-established defensive fortifications such as the Wu-Fu Line and the Cheng-Si Line was completely abandoned. Furthermore, various units suffered heavy losses during the Battle of Shanghai, and their organization disintegrated during the retreat, greatly reducing their combat effectiveness. As a result, Chiang Kai-shek initially planned to use no more than 13 brigades in the Nanjing area for symbolic resistance, while the main force continued to withdraw to preserve its strength. However, Training General Tang Shengzhi strongly advocated for a last stand, and ultimately, the Nationalist Command decided to defend Nanjing for one to two months, with Tang as the commander-in-chief of the Capital Garrison, directing the defense of Nanjing.

  On November 20, Tang Shengzhi issued a martial law order, and the Battle of Nanjing began. At this time, the backbone troops defending Nanjing were only the 36th Division, the 88th Division, and the Instructional Corps, and each department had just withdrawn from the Songhu battle line without replenishment and reorganization, with severe shortages in military strength.

  In early December, the Nationalist government concentrated eleven divisions from the 3rd and 7th War Zones to strengthen Nanjing's defenses. At this time, the total strength of the Nanjing Garrison only barely reached fifteen divisions, approximately one hundred thousand men. Among them were elite German-trained divisions - the 36th, 87th, and 88th Divisions, as well as the Training Brigade - but these troops had suffered losses in the Battle of Shanghai and some had undergone four or five rounds of personnel replenishment. The number of German-trained soldiers remaining was negligible, averaging only 20% to 30% of the troop's authorized strength. Overall combat effectiveness was far inferior to that at the start of the war, with most units only at 40% to 50% of their original strength. Chiang Kai-shek hoped for German mediation and specially altered plans to withdraw his sole armored unit - the Armored Brigade - to Hunan, leaving behind in Nanjing the 3rd Company, equipped with seventeen German-made PzKpfw I Ausf A light tanks.

  December 3, the Japanese army began to advance southward towards Nanjing, and the Battle of Nanjing officially started. By the 6th, they had successively broken through the defensive positions of various units and approached the outskirts of Nanjing.

  At 4 pm, the vanguard of the 16th Division of the Japanese Army had broken into Tangshan Town in the suburbs of Nanjing. The Garrison Command ordered the 36th Division to dispatch a regiment to intercept them.

  Japanese army, under the cover of fierce artillery fire, began to attack the main position of the first line of defense on the outskirts of Nanjing. The 88th Division, which had just withdrawn from Zhenjiang to Nanjing, was immediately dispatched to the junction of the 74th and 66th Armies in the Gaqiao area. The 36th Division, with its reserve 2nd Regiment attached to an armored regiment, coordinated with the 66th Army and the 41st Division to counterattack against the Japanese army that had broken into Tangshan Town. However, the Japanese army's follow-up troops had already arrived and launched a fierce attack on the positions of the 66th and 41st Divisions, making it impossible for the counterattack plan to succeed. The reserve 2nd Regiment could only occupy favorable terrain west of Dongliu and switch to defense.

  On the 8th, the situation became even more tense. The enemy army successively captured Tangshan Town, Chunhua Town, Jingjiang, Zhenjiang, and Xuancheng, among other outer strongholds. Our forces had no choice but to withdraw and retreat to the Fuhe defensive positions. Due to the hasty withdrawal, the enemy army pursued closely on our heels, and some of the Fuhe defensive positions were breached before they could be consolidated. By dawn on the 9th, the enemy army had already reached Qilin Gate, Cangbo Gate, Guanghua Gate, and Yuhua Platform, and began making preparations for a general assault on the city walls.

  At 9:00 am, the Japanese 9th Division's troops broke into Guanghua Gate and began attacking the 87th Division's 260th Brigade at the Engineering School. With fierce firepower support, they captured the Engineering School by 10:00 am. Then, the Japanese tank forces started to directly bombard the city walls with tank fire, and even a small number of Japanese vanguard troops had already broken into the city walls.

  The Garrison Command dispatched the 2nd Battalion of the Constabulary as reinforcements while ordering the 87th Division to organize a counterattack. Deputy Commander Chen Yiding led one battalion each from the 261st and 269th Brigades in a counterattack against the Japanese flank and rear from Tongji Gate and Tianqiao Village. After repeated fierce battles, they finally repelled the Japanese forces at Guanghua Gate and recaptured the Engineering School. However, a small number of Japanese troops remained hidden inside the city gate tunnel at Guanghua Gate.

  The battle on the 10th was even more intense, especially in the southeast of Nanjing City. The Japanese army had cleared the area and approached the city walls. The Garrison Command hastily dispatched the 156th Division to reinforce, and the 87th Division finally withstood the Japanese army's fierce attack after receiving reinforcements. After nightfall, the 156th Division sent a team of soldiers to climb down the city wall and clear out the remaining Japanese troops hiding in the Guanghua Gate tunnel.

  The 88th Division in the Yu Hua Tai area was at the forefront of the Japanese army's offensive, and suffered a concerted attack by two main forces of the Japanese army, tanks and aircraft. The first line of fortifications was completely destroyed by artillery fire, with heavy casualties among the defending troops, who were forced to retreat to their second line of defense.

  On the 11th, the 16th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army launched a fierce attack on the Zijinshan area, and the Instruction Corps fought to the death to defend it. The Japanese army saw that the frontal assault was not successful, so they adjusted the 13th Division's Yamada Detachment from its right wing to join the battle, attacking Zijinshan in a roundabout way.

  The battle in the Yu Hua Tai area was still intense, and the second line of fortifications was also destroyed by the Japanese artillery fire. The defending troops were fighting while retreating, holding on to the core defensive positions. The Japanese 114th Division approached the Zhonghua Gate, and the city walls and towers were all destroyed by the Japanese artillery fire. A small number of Japanese soldiers took advantage of the situation and rushed into the city, but the 88th Division immediately dispatched troops to counterattack, and after a fierce battle, they finally drove them out.

  The 10th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, directly under the command of Guo Qizhen, crossed the Yangtze River on the 11th and advanced westward along the river to attack Pukou. The General Headquarters saw that the enemy had broken through the Yangtze River, and the situation in Nanjing was becoming increasingly critical. To avoid the annihilation of the defending army and preserve the remaining forces, Chiang Kai-shek ordered Gu Zhutong to inform Tang Shengzhi to retreat that night. However, Tang Shengzhi considered that he had previously advocated for a strong defense and now suddenly wanted to retreat, fearing that he would be criticized, and requested that the highest commander directly convey the order before retreating. That night, Chiang Kai-shek ordered Tang Shengzhi to retreat at his discretion, and only then did Tang begin to formulate a plan for withdrawal.

  On the 12th, the Japanese army's offensive grew stronger. The core position of Yuhuatai fell at around 10:00. The remaining troops of the 264th brigade of the 88th division were unable to enter the city because the Chinese gate had been blocked by the enemy. They could only move north along the moat under enemy fire, resulting in heavy casualties. The remnants arrived at the south bank of the Yangtze River at 17:00 and crossed the river to Pukou using wooden boats controlled by the 88th division.

  After the Japanese army occupied Yuhuatai, it occupied the commanding heights outside the Zhonghua Gate, posing a great threat to the city wall near the Zhonghua Gate. The 262nd Brigade of the 88th Division fought hard against the rain of bullets and refused to retreat. However, the commander of the 88th Division, Sun Yuanliang, led his direct subordinates to withdraw to Xiaguan at this critical moment, attempting to follow the remnants of the 264th Brigade across the river. They were blocked by Song Xilian, the commander of the 36th Division, at Yajiangmen and returned to Zhonghua Gate. At noon, the Japanese army concentrated its firepower and heavily bombarded the city wall of Zhonghua Gate. The west side of the city wall collapsed, and the Japanese army swarmed in. The 88th Division could not withstand the enemy's attack and began to retreat into the city. Residents near Zhonghua Gate also fled into the city to avoid the war, and refugees and defeated soldiers crowded the roads, causing great chaos in the city!

  At 14:00 on the 36th, the Garrison Command received an order to impose martial law in the area from Yijiangmen to Xiaguan, strictly prohibiting various departments from crossing the river. At this time, the Japanese army's 6th Division had already entered Zhonghuamen, and other divisions such as the 3rd Division were approaching Zhongshanmen. The defending troops retreated to the Wulongshan and Zijinshan lines under pressure from the Japanese army. The 74th Army had also prepared to set up a pontoon bridge at Sanjiahe River to cross the river, but was blocked by the 36th Division. At this time, the morale of the Nanjing garrison troops had already begun to waver.

  Chiang Kai-shek, although he had ordered Tang Shengzhi to retreat at his discretion, still hoped to hold out for a while longer due to political considerations. Therefore, on the 12th, he again wired Tang "If Nanjing can be held for one more day, then the people will gain an additional share of glory; if it can be held for over half a month, then the internal and external situation will certainly undergo a great change." However, by the time this order was issued, Tang's retreat orders had already been given, and the constant changes in orders only added to the confusion within the command system.

  At 5:00 pm, Tang Shengzhi convened a meeting of regimental and above commanders to deploy the retreat action, issuing retreat orders and plans. The basic plan was for each unit to break through from the front, except for a few units that would follow the Garrison Command across the river at Xiaguan. However, after issuing written orders, Tang Shengzhi verbally ordered the 87th Division, 88th Division, 74th Army and Training General Headquarters that if they could not all break through, they could use ferries to cross the river and assemble in Chuzhou.

  Tang Shengzhi's verbal order was intended to preserve as much of the fighting strength of the Central Army's crack troops as possible, and also to give Chiang Kai-shek an explanation. However, this made the already chaotic retreat even more chaotic. The units mentioned above naturally chose not to break through from the front but instead crossed the river at Xiaguan, which was relatively safer. Their neighboring units were unaware of the situation and followed suit.

  Some units did not start retreating according to schedule. Some began retreating as soon as the meeting ended, while others started retreating even before receiving orders. Among them, some high-ranking commanders simply notified their units by phone and then crossed the river themselves, without returning to their command posts. This included the commander of the German-style 87th Division, Wang Jingxian, who was now the commander of the 71st Army, and Shen Fazhen, the current commander of the 87th Division.

  After the meeting, they rushed directly to Xiaguan without returning to their command posts. The commander of the Training General Headquarters, Gui Yongqing, returned to his command post and informed his chief of staff, Qiu Qingquan, about the retreat before leaving his unit behind and rushing to Xiaguan. The commander of the 2nd Brigade of the Training General Headquarters, Hu Qiru, did not wait for the meeting to end and notified the commander of the 3rd Regiment by phone that he would go to Xiaguan to contact the 36th Division before leaving his unit behind and going to Xiaguan himself.

  Before the retreat order was issued, many defeated soldiers had already rushed to the Yangtze River Gate. The 36th Division stationed there had not received the retreat order and continued to execute the original curfew order, even opening fire to stop the fleeing soldiers, which further increased the chaos of the retreat.

  As soon as the retreat order was given, the troops that had lost command rushed to retreat along Zhongshan Road, which was still safe. The two city gates on either side of the Yangtze River Gate were blocked, and only the middle gate could be passed through. A large crowd of people swarmed through, and many were trampled to death.

  Among them was even Xie Chengrui, the commander of the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Division of the Teaching Brigade, who had bravely led his troops in resisting the enemy at Guanghua Gate!

  The situation at the Lower Port dock was even more chaotic. Various units competed to seize boats, and many boats sank due to overloading. Some people, seeing no boats available for crossing, used wooden boards and other floating materials to improvise simple rafts to cross the river, resulting in many being buried in the river.

  Commander-in-Chief Tang Shengzhi led the personnel of the command department to take a small steamer from Xiaguan on the evening of the 12th and cross the Yangtze River. The 36th Division took advantage of its control over the Jiangmen Gate to conveniently take a small steamer across the river after the command department had crossed, resulting in minimal losses.

  The 87th Division, the 88th Division and the Training Brigade were not as lucky as the 36th Division. Most of them failed to cross the Yangtze River (many who stayed in the city became victims of the Nanjing Massacre), only a small number of officers and soldiers managed to cross the river after many detours.

  The 3rd Company of armored cars equipped with German-made light tanks lost all but three in combat, the rest were abandoned during retreat.

  Finally over?

  After the withdrawal of the Training Brigade from Nanjing, it was reorganized in Wuhan to accommodate scattered officers and soldiers, supplemented with new recruits, and re-armed with weapons stored in warehouses in the rear. In January 1938, the Military Affairs Commission reorganized the 46th Division of the Hunan Army system, which had suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Shanghai, by merging some of its officers and men into the 11th and 61st Divisions, and combining the division headquarters and remaining personnel with the remnants of the Training Brigade to form a new 46th Division. From then on, the designation of the Central Military Academy's Training Brigade ceased to exist.

  After the reorganization, the new commander of the 46th Division was Gui Yongqing, the original commander of the Training General Headquarters, and the deputy commanders were Li Liangrong (the original commander of the Aviation School Special Operations Brigade) and Zhou Zhenqiang (the original deputy commander of the Training General Headquarters). The 46th Division had jurisdiction over the 136th, 137th, and 138th Brigades. Among them, the remnants of the Training General Headquarters were reorganized into the 138th Brigade, with Ma Weilong (the original commander of the 3rd Brigade of the Training General Headquarters) as the brigade commander. In February, Gui Yongqing was promoted to ***, and Li Liangrong took over as division commander.

  In late May 1938, the 46th Division participated in the Battle of Xuchang under the command of the 27th Corps. The Japanese army's 14th Division concentrated its forces and launched a fierce attack on the defensive line of the 27th Corps near Yangguji and Shuangtaoji. At that time, the 27th Corps had neither morale nor combat effectiveness, and its positions were quickly breached by the Japanese army. Gu Yongqing did not even think about counterattacking and instead led his troops to retreat to Kaifeng, ordering the 88th Division to take over the defense of Lanfeng from the 106th Division. However, the commander of the 88th Division, Long Muhuan, followed in Gu's footsteps and abandoned Lanfeng on May 23rd without authorization, allowing the Japanese army to occupy this strategic location without a fight.

  The German-style model division had performed so poorly that it was heartbreaking! Chiang Kai-shek ordered the recapture of Lanfeng within four hours after receiving the news. The 71st, 74th, 64th, and 27th Divisions launched a full-scale counterattack, and after two days of bloody fighting, they recaptured Lanfeng on May 27th. In this battle, the 46th Division had lost its former prestige, with three regimental commanders killed or wounded (the commander of the 138th Regiment, Ma Weilong, was killed in action), two battalion commanders wounded, and nine company commanders killed. The division suffered over 5,000 casualties but achieved no notable successes. The credit for recapturing Lanfeng and surrounding key locations went to the 71st and 74th Divisions.

  As a result of this battle, the commander of the 88th Division, Long Muhuan, was executed, becoming the first high-ranking officer in the Nationalist army to be put to death during the war. Gu Yongqing and Li Liangrong were both relieved of their duties, and the 27th Corps was disbanded. The 46th Division was left with only over 3,000 men and had lost its former glory. The remnants of the division followed Hu Zongnan's 17th Corps in a westward retreat and were later reorganized under Hu's command.

  In November 1938, Huang Zuoxun from Hu Zongnan's system took over as division commander, with the 136th and 138th Regiments under his command. In January 1944, the division was transferred to the 57th Corps, but in February 1945, it was disbanded due to a reorganization of the army in southern China. The officers and men were incorporated into the 8th Division of the 54th Corps.

  The 36th Division was the only intact German-style division that participated in the Battle of Nanjing, but it also suffered heavy casualties and was transferred to Jiangxi Province for more than three months of rest and replenishment. After the start of the Henan East Campaign in May 1938, it was ordered to participate in the battle, killing over a thousand enemy troops in the Kaifeng area. In August 1938, during the Battle of Wuhan, the 36th Division finally lived up to expectations, achieving the most brilliant military achievement throughout the entire war of resistance.

  On September 1, the 36th Division deployed in Fugeshan and 800 Heights, together with other units of the 3rd Army Corps to form a defensive line against the Japanese Second Army's detour from Hefei to Wuhan.

  On September 3, the 13th Division of the Japanese army broke through the 71st Army's defensive positions at Xinjiazui and Shimenkou under the cover of aircraft, tanks, and artillery, and rushed straight to Fugeshan, which was defended by the 36th Division. The commander of the 71st Army, Song Xilian, was a teacher of the 36th Division, and he knew that the Fugeshan line was the key to the entire front line. If it fell, the Japanese army would be able to enter Wuhan city directly! Therefore, every day or even hour that the 36th Division held out at Fugeshan was precious! From 10 am that morning, the Japanese army launched a fierce attack on Fugeshan with its main force of the 26th Brigade, supported by 24 aircraft and artillery fire from the entire division. However, they were all repelled by the 36th Division's tenacious defense.

  The enemy's attacking force on Fugeshan increased from an initial regiment to a whole division and four battalions, under the cover of air-to-ground firepower, launched continuous fierce attacks. The 36th Division took advantage of the favorable terrain of Fugeshan and fought to the death, repeatedly fighting back and forth with the enemy, inflicting heavy casualties on them, without losing an inch of land!

  On September 7, the 10th Division of the Japanese army captured Gushi and with a regimental force attacked Wumiao Village west of Fugou Mountain, seriously threatening the flank and rear of the Fugou Mountain position. Song Xilian immediately dispatched the 88th Division's 523rd Regiment to set up an ambush at Tangkougang, which was the only way for the Japanese army to advance southward, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy and forcing them to retreat back to Gushi.

  On the main front of Fugou Mountain, the Japanese army's follow-up troops, the 16th Division, had already advanced west of Lu'an, while the 13th Division was freed from its rear worries and launched a full-scale attack. From September 9 to 10, they attacked day and night without stopping, but were repelled by the 36th Division after a bloody battle.

  On September 11, the Japanese army's 13th Division launched an all-out attack at dawn. By around 9:00, they broke through the defensive line between Fugou Mountain and Shimenkou, and the 36th Division, under the command of Chen Ruihe, fought back with a desperate determination, but were unable to hold their ground.

  Although the 88th Division sent reinforcements, the 36th Division had already suffered heavy casualties and was unable to withstand the Japanese army's attack. By around 16:00 on September 11, the 36th Division had lost all its positions except for the main peak of Fugou Mountain.

  At this critical moment, Chen Ruihe organized a final counterattack with his remaining troops, inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese army, but the 36th Division was left with less than 1,000 soldiers and could no longer fight. Therefore, Song Xilian ordered the 61st Division to launch a counterattack from the right flank of Fugou Mountain, capturing the high ground at Miao Gaotemple and covering the retreat of the 36th Division.

  The 36th Division had defended Fugou Mountain for nine days and nights, using its tenacious defense to delay the Japanese army's attack and inflict over 10,000 casualties on the enemy (including the seriously wounded commander of the 26th Brigade, Numata Tokushige). This won precious time for [**] to adjust their deployment and completely shattered the Japanese army's plan to outflank Wuhan by crossing the Dabie Mountains.

  On September 14, Chiang Kai-shek telegraphed the whole nation and army to commend: "...the heroic achievements of Song's army have obtained a price beyond expectations, especially the spirit of resistance has made the enemy confirm that we are getting stronger and stronger in battle, and our morale is increasing day by day, making them short of breath." He also called on the whole army to learn from the 36th Division's spirit, "each striving for bravery", killing enemies and reporting to the country. Song Xilian and Chen Ruihe both received the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun. The German-style 36th Division, which had only a few hundred men left, was reduced from over 10,000 men to 800 men in this battle, almost completely lost, writing down the last glory and honor for the German-style division! Most of the veteran soldiers who survived the Battle of Shanghai and the Defense of Nanjing in the 36th Division were exhausted on Mount Fugui, with good equipment and rigorous training, known as the closest to modernization in Chinese history. The final curtain call of the German-style division was so tragic and glorious, truly worthy of the country's cultivation and heavy responsibility!

  The 36th, 87th and 88th Divisions still appeared in the sequence, but that sharp division equipped with full advanced German weapons, cultivated by German military advisers, accepted advanced military ideas, and was consumed only a year after the full-scale anti-war began. One of the regrets is that it failed to clear the city area during the Battle of Shanghai; another regret is that it lost its value in the retreat due to poor decision-making during the defense of Nanjing! If this sharp division could be preserved, it would have inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and boosted morale in future battles, especially in field battles against the Japanese army.

  Although the German-style division's equipment, training, tactics and overall combat effectiveness were among the best in China at that time, there was still a significant gap compared to other countries around the world. At most, it was equivalent to Germany's light infantry division. However, at least on the backward land of China, there was once such an astonishing and admirable force, which has already made us feel a surge of passion in our hearts, only they could have achieved even more brilliant and glorious achievements!

  We cannot forget that the German-style teacher, at the beginning of the War of Resistance, heard the justice and rushed to the difficulty, arrived in the evening, fought with no retreat, had death but no life, reported the country's loyalty, trapped array bravery, sacrifice, not at all ashamed of China's most elite troops' prestige!

  Appendix 1: Total Tax Burden

  In the [**] German-style troops, there was a relatively unknown and special unit that did not belong to the military system but belonged to the Ministry of Finance, which is the Taxation General Corps. Established in 1932, it had a total of 6 regiments with a total strength of about 25,000 people, also equipped with German-style equipment (like the German-style division, the main rifle was the standard Mauser series rifle made in Germany in 1924, light machine guns were mostly imported from Czech ZB26, heavy machine guns were mostly Mark IV water-cooled heavy machine guns, and pistols were naturally the famous 7.63mm Mauser M1932, even equipped with "Carden Loyd" ultra-light tanks, all funds required were paid by the Ministry of Finance). In the Battle of Shanghai, the Taxation General Corps participated in battles such as Yangshupu and Suzhou River south defense, almost wiped out and was disbanded, the remaining troops were reorganized into the 40th Division, under the jurisdiction of the Third War Zone.

  The original 4th Regiment Commander Sun Liren returned to China after being injured in Hong Kong and established the Financial Department's Smuggling Suppression General Team based on the 5,000 wounded soldiers from the Songhu Battle. Sun Liren served as the team leader, and Qi Xueqi served as the chief of staff. In 1939, the Smuggling Suppression General Team restored its original designation as the Taxation General Team and underwent retraining in Guiyang Duyu and Sichuan Wutongqiao. This taxation general team's reputation far surpassed that of the old taxation general team, and people's impression of the taxation general team referred to this unit. The team leader was Sun Liren, deputy team leader Qi Xuexian, chief of staff He Junheng, with five regiments, five independent battalions, a special operations battalion, a training battalion, and other units under its jurisdiction.

  In 1941, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th regiments of the Tax Police Corps were reorganized into the New 38th Division of the Army (the 1st and 5th Regiments were merged with the Military Police to form a guard unit for key organs and departments), with Sun Li-ren as division commander, Qi Xueqi as deputy commander and director of the Political Department, under the jurisdiction of the 66th Corps. After its establishment, the New 38th Division participated in the Ministry of War's review and was ranked first in comprehensive combat effectiveness, immediately upgraded from a third-class division to an enhanced division, and incorporated into the Burma Expeditionary Force. The rescue of the besieged British army by the Ren'anqiang troops, who were most renowned for their bravery in the Indo-Burmese campaign, was carried out by the New 38th Division. After the expeditionary force's defeat, the New 38th Division withdrew to India, where it received American equipment and training, and was merged with the New 22nd Division to form the New 1st Army, one of the five most famous main forces.

  Appendix II: The final outcome of the 36th Division, 87th Division and 88th Division?

  After the Battle of Mount Fuji in 1936, the 36th Division first went through Xiangyang and Suixian to regroup in the Dabie Mountains. Later, it followed the 71st Army northward to retreat to southern Shaanxi, and then moved to Lingbao, Henan Province for rest and reorganization, which lasted for eight months, gradually recovering its strength.

  In March 1940, Li Zhipeng replaced Chen Ruihe as division commander and led his troops to the southeastern part of Shanxi Province to engage with the Japanese army for several months. The first battle was a victory in Changzhi, effectively covering up the adjustment of troop deployments. Later, they went to southern Shaanxi and western Henan Province for rest and reorganization, then moved southward into Sichuan Province, arriving at Xichang in July 1941.

  In March 1942, the 36th Division was ordered to enter Yunnan Province as a rear guard for the Expeditionary Force. In May, the Japanese army defeated the Chinese Expeditionary Force that had entered Burma and pursued them back into China. Since the 66th Army retreated without fighting, the Japanese army directly entered western Yunnan, threatening Kunming.

  At this time, the 36th Division had just arrived at Xiangyun in western Yunnan and immediately mobilized vehicles to rush to Baoshan urgently. After arriving at the Huitong Bridge area on the east bank of the Nujiang River, they quickly launched an attack on the enemy, rapidly clearing out a small Japanese force that was crossing the river by rubber boats, and constructed fortifications for defense.

  The Japanese army, due to the destruction of the Huitong Bridge, could not cross the river with its main forces and heavy equipment. Seeing that the 36th Division was waiting in full strength, they gave up their plan to cross the river and advance eastward, turning instead to defensive positions at Songshan. The two sides formed a standoff.

  In 1944, the 36th Division was reassigned to the 20th Army Group's 54th Corps and participated in battles such as the Western Yunnan Counterattack, the Forced Crossing of the Nujiang River, and the Capture of Tengchong. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the 36th Division first clashed with the East Jiang Column of the People's Liberation Army in Guangdong Province, achieving several victories. In 1946, it was reorganized into the 36th Reorganized Brigade, with Li Zhipeng as its commander, under the jurisdiction of the 54th Reorganized Division, and was deployed to the Huadong battlefield, serving as the main force attacking Jiaodong, capturing Pingdu in September 1947. In early December 1947, the brigade's 106th Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the 108th Regiment were annihilated in Laiyang. During this battle, the commander of the 106th Regiment, Hu Yihuang, led his troops to defend their position for over a dozen days before breaking through with only 17 men remaining. Although they lost the battle and their territory, the regiment's bravery in resisting the siege by three columns of the People's Liberation Army was rarely seen. As a result, after the war, Hu Yihuang was promoted to Major General and Brigade Commander. The 36th Brigade then rebuilt its 106th Regiment. Later that month, the main force of the 54th Reorganized Division was transferred north to Northeast China, while the 36th Brigade remained in Shandong Province, reassigned to the 45th Reorganized Division, defending Qingdao.

  In November 1948, the 36th Brigade restored its original designation as the 36th Division, with Hu Yihuang as division commander, under the 50th Army (formerly the 45th Brigade). In June 1949, it sailed from Qingdao to Guangdong. In October 1949, the 36th Division was heavily attacked by the People's Liberation Army's 43rd Corps in the Yangjiang area of Guangdong, and division commander Li Chengzhong was captured. Zhang Guoying took over as division commander and led the remaining troops to Hainan Island, where they were soon disbanded. The glorious history of the 36th Division came to an end.

  The 87th and 88th Divisions had always been under the jurisdiction of the 71st Army, but in May 1942, due to the emergency in western Yunnan, they were urgently transferred to Yunnan as a backup for the 36th Division. They quickly arrived on the east bank of the Nujiang River and cleared out small groups of Japanese troops who had crossed the river before deploying defensive positions.

  In May 1944, he participated in the Western Yunnan Counterattack, and after fierce battles, he captured the key town of Longling, then marched southward, successively capturing Mengshi, Zhefang, and Diantown, before linking up with the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Mongyu, Burma in January 1945.

  The 87th and 88th Divisions suffered heavy casualties in the counterattack in western Yunnan, so as soon as the battle was over, they were ordered to return to Baoshan for reorganization. At this time, the Japanese army launched the Henan-Hunan-Guangxi campaign, successively capturing Guilin, Liuzhou, and Du'an in Guangxi Province, and Guiyang was in danger. Therefore, the 88th Division immediately flew to Guiyang and quickly stabilized the situation. In the subsequent partial counterattack in Guangxi, the 71st Army again participated as one of the main forces. After Japan's surrender, the 71st Army flew to Shanghai to accept the surrender.

  In March 1946, the 87th and 88th Divisions entered Northeast China under the 71st Corps, participating in battles at Benxi and Siping before garrisoning Siping.

  In May 1947, the 71st Army was annihilated by the PLA in the Dahelingzi area while on its way to reinforce Haicheng. The 88th Division was almost completely destroyed, and the 87th Division suffered heavy casualties. However, just one month later in June, the 87th and 88th Divisions again demonstrated their elite status as they held off a fierce attack by seven PLA infantry divisions and two artillery divisions during the defense of Siping (the garrison at Siping consisted of the entire 87th Division, remnants of the 88th Division, two regiments from the 54th Division of the 13th Army, and six security regiments). They held out for 15 days until reinforcements arrived.

  In December 1947, the 71st Army was ordered to leave the 88th Division to defend Siping, and the army headquarters led the main force of the 87th and 91st Divisions to rush to Shenyang. In February 1948, the PLA launched a fierce attack on Siping, at which time the 88th Division had been rebuilt twice after being annihilated twice, and its combat effectiveness was no longer comparable. Except for Division Commander Peng Jiaxiang leading a small number of people to escape, it was almost completely annihilated. In July 1948, Peng Jiaxiang rebuilt the 88th Division in the Jinzhou area, under the new 8th Army establishment.

  In September 1948, the newly rebuilt 88th Division was annihilated in Jinzhou, and division commander Huang Zhen was captured.

  In October 1948, the 87th Division was incorporated into Liao Yaoxiang's Western Advance Army under the 71st Corps and rushed to Jinzhou from Shenyang. As a result, it was defeated in western Liaoning Province, and division commander Huang Yan was captured.

  In December 1948, the original commander of the 71st Army, Chen Mingren (then deputy commander-in-chief of the Huazhong Bandit Suppression Headquarters and commander of the Wuhan Garrison Command and the First Army Corps), rebuilt the 71st Army in Changsha (under which were the 87th and 88th Divisions). The army commander was Xiong Xinmin (formerly deputy commander of the 71st Army). In August 1949, Chen Mingren and Cheng Qian announced the Changsha Uprising. The headquarters of the 71st Army led the 87th and 88th Divisions to leave the uprising troops and go south to surrender to Bai Chongxi.

  In December 1949, the 39th Army of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) marched into Guangxi and intercepted the Nationalist 87th Division in the Datang Township area on December 6, annihilating it and capturing around 4,000 people including the division commander and deputy commander. On December 8, the PLA 39th Army took advantage of their victory to pursue and attack Shangsi, annihilating the direct units of the Nationalist 71st Division and part of the 88th Division, capturing 3,000 people. On December 9, the PLA 39th Army continued to march south and pursued and annihilated the remaining units of the Nationalist 71st Division and the 88th Division in the Nalang area, with division commander Xiong Xinmin being captured. By then, the re-established 71st Division was completely destroyed, and the 87th and 88th Divisions were finally defeated at the Guangxi border area.

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