"As the start of the offensive approached, the campaign plan was communicated to commanders at all levels, from four days before the start of the combat operation to the day before. Combat missions were issued to fighters and sergeants three hours before the attack. ”

"The ensuing events and the whole process of our offensive campaign have shown that the various special counterintelligence and camouflage measures we have taken, as well as other measures that have caused the sudden name of the campaign, have played an extremely important role, and the enemy has indeed been caught off guard by us."

"In the course of preparation for the August campaign, we paid special attention to careful reconnaissance of the enemy. Many commanders, commands and reconnaissance agencies showed inexperience at the beginning of combat operations. Reconnaissance is tasked with a plethora of tasks, some of which cannot be accomplished, and some of which are meaningless. As a result, the forces of the reconnaissance organs were dispersed, which was detrimental to the fulfillment of important reconnaissance tasks. Scouts often lead commanders astray themselves by drawing assumptions based solely on certain signs and inferences. ”

"Of course, similar inferences have been proven correct in past battles, engagements, and campaigns, but we should not base serious operations on dubious intelligence. In the current campaign, which aims to encircle and annihilate enemy forces, our main concern is the exact disposition and numbers of enemy forces. ”

"The absence of inhabitants in the area of operations makes it even more difficult to obtain information about the enemy (some information can be learned from the population). There were no deserters on the part of the army, and the locals were generally ignorant of the composition and number of troops and corps. The intelligence obtained by fire reconnaissance is the best information, but it can only provide information about artillery and mortar positions at the front and in shallow proximity. ”

"Our reconnaissance planes can give us good pictures of the depth of the enemy's defenses, but since the enemy usually lays out models extensively and uses other deceptive measures, we must be very cautious in drawing conclusions and have to double-check them to distinguish the real from the fake."

"Because the Japanese army closely observes the area where its troops are deployed, it is difficult for our side to adopt the method of infiltrating the enemy's defense depth with a small reconnaissance group."

"However, despite all these adverse circumstances, we managed to organize reconnaissance and obtain a series of valuable intelligence."

"The 149th Motorized Rifle Regiment did a good job of reconnaissance. The regiment commander, Major Mei Qing, was very familiar with the reconnaissance business, and he personally organized the reconnaissance of the regiment. I've seen Major Mei Qing in class. He showed the scouts how to be flexible and clever in setting up ambushes to capture prisoners, and how to use the night to surreptitiously pass through the enemy's combat alert. Mei Qing has an outstanding talent in reconnaissance. The Scouts were very happy that their beloved Regiment Commander was able to train with them. Mei Qing was awarded the title of Hero of the Battle of China for his heroism in the battle of the Mulberry River. ”

"We believe that the weakest point of the deployment of the Japanese army is its defensive flank, and at the same time they lack rapid reserves. As for the terrain, it was difficult for the attacking troops to pass everywhere. ”

"We have also drawn up a party and government support plan for the campaign in accordance with specific tasks. The plan is divided into two phases, the preparation phase and the implementation phase. In the preparatory stage, the main provisions are: to ensure the implementation of the measures taken by the army group command to carry out the current campaign to concentrate forces and weapons, to carry out work on the troops transferred from within the country, and to teach them combat experience. In order to accomplish this extremely important task, I ask all commanders to work actively directly in squads, platoons, and companies. It is necessary to pay special attention to the work of logistical organs, because whether or not materials and technical equipment can be supplied in a timely manner depends to a great extent on these organs. ”

"The Battlefield has done a lot of propaganda work. Each issue advertises the exploits of the soldiers and commanders of the army group and the combat traditions of our army. At the beginning of the campaign, all the staff of the editorial department were mainly engaged in printing and quickly distributing leaflets for the soldiers and commanders to read. Many well-known writers have actively contributed to the newspaper. I would like to mention Mr. Huang Qizhou in particular. He was an outstanding writer and war correspondent who lived with fighters all his life. I think he's an outstanding war correspondent. I've been in constant contact with him. At the beginning of October 1942, he came to the 24th Army of the Reserve Front, where I was preparing a counter-assault to annihilate the enemy's newly arrived divisions and eliminate the enemy's bridgehead there. ”

"When we met, we hugged each other and reminisced about the heroic days we had spent in the past. He did not linger at the headquarters and immediately went to the front, where fierce battles were taking place in the troops. Early the next morning, he sent a newsletter to the Field Bulletin, leaving me a note telling me about the difficulties that the troops had overcome. It is a pity that this multi-talented writer and war painter died, and he died like a warrior in the battle near the Tenryu Temple. ”

"The editor-in-chief of the "Battlefield" is Mr. Song Wensen, who is a very capable and talented person. He was adept at uniting editors and copywriters, and was able to attract a large number of soldiers, commanders, and field workers to actively participate in the work of the newspaper. I saw him more than once in combat units......"

"Now let's go back to the battle in the Mulberry River."

"On November 20, 1942, our army launched a general offensive campaign to encircle and annihilate the Japanese army."

"It's been a week, and the weather has been cold and calm. Convinced that the Soviet army did not want to attack and was not ready to attack, the command allowed its generals and colonels to take a week off. Many of them stayed away from their troops on this day, and some went to Hailar and other places. We considered this to be a very important situation and decided to start the offensive on Sunday. ”

"At 5:45, our artillery began to fire suddenly and violently at the enemy's anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns. Some of the artillery fired smoke bombs at targets that our air force was going to bomb. ”

"In the area of the Sangye River, the planes are coming from far and near, and the rumbling of the motors is getting louder and louder. In the air appeared 150 bombers and almost 100 fighters. The assault of the aircraft was very violent, and the mood of the fighters and commanders was extremely high. ”

"At 8:15 a.m., artillery and mortars of various calibers began to fire at enemy targets, giving full play to their might. At 8:30 a.m., our air force once again flew into the skies. Predetermined cipher commands were issued through various telephone lines and radio stations - after 15 minutes, the general offensive began. ”

"At 8:45 a.m., when our air force was making a surprise attack on the enemy and bombing its artillery, a red flare rose in the air, indicating that the troops were beginning to storm. The shock troops, under the cover of artillery fire, rushed forward with all their might. ”

"The assault of our aviation and artillery was very fierce and very successful, the enemy was suppressed mentally and physically, and the enemy's artillery fire was powerless to return fire in an hour and a half. Enemy observation posts, communications links and artillery positions were destroyed. ”

"The assault of our troops was carried out precisely in accordance with the battle plan of the campaign, only the 6th Tank Brigade did not fully cross the Mulberry River, and only part of its forces took part in the battle of November 20. The brigade's crossing and concentration of the brigade was not completed until the end of the 20th. ”

"On the 21st and 22nd, fierce battles were fought, especially in the Dasha area, where the enemy put up much more stubborn resistance than we estimated. In order to compensate for the error in the calculation, the 9th motorized armored brigade had to be withdrawn from the reserves and put into battle, reinforced with artillery. ”

"After smashing the enemy's flank group, our armored tank units and mechanized units completed the encirclement of the entire 6th Army of the Chinese army before the end of November 26. After the 26th, they began to divide and annihilate the besieged enemy group. ”

"Combat operations are extremely difficult due to quicksand, bunkers and dunes. The army was extremely stubborn and fought to the last man. However, the soldiers gradually saw through the official lie that the [***] team of the Emperor was invincible, because the army suffered great losses in four months of fighting, but did not win a single battle. ”

"The notes written by some of the soldiers and officers of the Chinese army reflect their mood at the time and are interesting to read. This is Fukuda's saying: "

"November 20, 1939.

The weather has been nice since the morning. There were more than 50 enemy fighters and bombers, appearing in the sky in groups. At 6:30, the enemy's artillery opened fire in full force. Cannonballs whistling over our heads.

The shells covered us and hit us closely. It's scary. The observation team used all means to find the enemy's artillery, but there was no way, because the bombers were bombing and the fighters were strafing. The enemy won on all fronts.

7:45 a.m.

Terrible. People complained, shells rumbled and exploded, it was like hell. The situation is very difficult, the situation is very bad, we are surrounded. If darkness is coming, the entire crew should stay in the traffic trench and line up...... The soldier's heart was filled with sad emotions...... We're in a bad situation, it's bad, it's messy.

8:30 a.m.

The enemy's artillery fired non-stop at our troops. Wherever you hide, there is no way out, there are cannonballs everywhere, and you can only be saved at the feet of the Bodhisattva.

2:40 p.m.

The brutal battle continues. We don't know how many people died and how many were injured...... The shooting was non-stop.

November 21.

A large number of Chinese Air Force aircraft bombed our positions, and artillery fired non-stop. After the bombardment and shelling, the enemy infantry threw themselves into the assault. The death toll continues to rise. At night enemy planes bombed our rear.

November 22 at 9:30 a.m.

The enemy infantry began to charge, and the enemy machine guns opened heavy fire. We are in extreme danger, and we are terrified. The soldier was in a terrible mood. All the officers died, and I was appointed company commander. It made me so disturbed that I couldn't sleep all night......"

"At this time, Fukuda's record was interrupted."

"At that time, the army vigorously instilled among the soldiers the idea of opposing our army. Our army is said to be technologically backward, and in terms of combat it is equivalent to the level of the old Chinese Emperor [***] during the war of 1915-1920. Therefore, when the soldiers of the army saw that they were attacked by our tanks, aircraft, artillery and well-organized infantry units in the battle of the Sangye River, they were completely surprised. ”

"The military authorities told the soldiers that they would have to be shot as prisoners, and that they would have to be tortured to death before they were shot. Admittedly, this kind of propaganda worked against the soldiers at that time. However, the facts shatter these lies. ”

"I remember one day in November, just after dawn, I brought with me a prisoner of the Zoben who had been bitten by mosquitoes and had been indecently bitten. He was caught in the reeds by the scouts of the Meiqing Reconnaissance Regiment. ”

"I asked him who and where he was made to be like this. He replied that he and another soldier had been ordered to hide in the reeds yesterday evening and secretly monitor the movements of our troops, but had not given them anti-mosquito equipment. The company commander ordered them not to move in the reeds so as not to be discovered. When mosquitoes hit at night, they gritted their teeth and endured the mosquito bites, staying motionless until the next morning, for fear of being discovered. The captive said: 'But as soon as the man shouted and raised his gun, I raised my hands and surrendered, for I could no longer bear the torment. ’”

"We very much need to know about the situation of the army in the area where he was captured. In order to make him speak, I ordered him to be given half a glass of mare's milk wine. To my surprise, he looked at the glass of wine and said, 'Please take a sip, I'm afraid of poisoning.' My father only had one son, and my father owned a department store, and of course I was his only heir. ’”

"Our interpreter said that according to the 'manual' issued to the soldier by the military authorities, the soldier should shout 'Hurrah' and die heroically. The captive smiled and said, 'My father told me to go back alive, not dead.' ’”

"On November 30, 1942, the 6th Army, which had invaded the Siberian border, was completely annihilated. Marshal Zhang Zuolin came to our unit to express his heartfelt gratitude, and he thanked the Chinese soldiers for proving their loyalty to the obligations they undertook with their own blood. The destruction of our army's counterattack caused the elite units of one of the group armies of the Yue army to be annihilated as never before, forcing the Yue himself to give up the idea of aggression. ”

"In his order of November 7, 1942, Marshal Cai wrote that 'the participants in the battle of the Mulberry River, ordinary soldiers and commanders, received real honors. The troops who took part in the operation on the Mulberry River, showed valor and self-sacrifice, and brilliantly carried out the battle order, and should be commended. ’”

"Our valiant pilots set an example of fearlessness. Once, while chasing a group of military planes, fighter pilot Liu Hangying, a hero of Huaxia, found that his commander Wang Kai's plane had fallen behind. After firing a few shots at the fleeing enemy plane, Liu Hangying suspended the pursuit and began to look for the missing plane. He circled over the area where the last attack had been carried out, and he noticed that the plane had crashed into the grasslands within the range of the army. Liu Hangying flew downwards and flew at an ultra-low altitude, and he saw Wang Kai lying next to the plane. Obviously, it was the plane that had an accident. What to do? Ignoring the great danger of landing in the enemy's rear, Liu Hangying resolutely decided: no matter what, he must rescue his commander. Just as we have established a creed in the Republic of China era: it is better to sacrifice oneself than to rescue one's comrades. ”

"This brave and always composed pilot expertly landed the plane on a field full of craters. He quickly taxied to Wang Kai's side, and he shoehorned Wang Kai into the cabin of a single-seater. Then, in front of the panicked enemy soldiers, Liu Hangying flew the plane with a double load into the sky with a double load into the wind and flew back to the airport smoothly. ”

"There are many such heroic deeds in the army, and in a reconnaissance battle against the Japanese army, a truck in Major Ma Yong's detachment was damaged. The driver, Liu Dan, did not abandon the car, but stayed on the battlefield, in the middle ground, and worked hard to repair the car. The army noticed the bold actions of our warrior and decided to capture him alive. Liu Dan resisted like a true Chinese warrior. Although he was seriously wounded, he continued to resist. At this time, the detachment leader, Major Ma Yong, regardless of the serious situation at that time, made a risky determination to rescue his own soldiers. He ordered the artillery to be aimed directly at the enemy's firing point and concentrate fire, he spread out the whole company and attacked the enemy, while the armored car he was riding in was at full speed towards Liu Dan's truck and approached, hanging the damaged truck behind the armored car and dragging it back; After dragging Liu Dan back to the station, Liu Dan thanked the commander and comrades-in-arms who risked their lives to save him from death. Before he was admitted to the hospital, he said: 'I have no doubt that you will not forget me and will not leave me alone to suffer misfortune.' My dear friend, as soon as I have a little treatment, I will come back to be with you. ’”

"Captain Wang Yingxin, a Chinese hero, rescued his comrade-in-arms, Captain Wu Zongyang, in a battle of great disparity between the enemy and us. When the pilots of the two planes saw what kind of people they were fighting, they turned to their airfields and fled. Despite the heavy damage to the plane, Wang Yingxin still flew back to the airport without any problems. After landing, debris dropped by a military fighter was found on the wing of his plane. ”

"Particularly outstanding in air combat was the Chinese hero Captain Huang Maoen. On 29 November, he met a very experienced Air Force pilot, Hideenaga Yano. After a few spins, Huang forced the enemy into the fight. In the course of the battle, the pilot Yano used his full copy, but his plane was still destroyed by Huang Maoen. This one said that he parachuted, and when he found out that he had landed on our territory, he attempted suicide, but was captured. When the pilot had recovered from his panic and had been treated well by our officers, he asked to see the pilot who had fought so skillfully and destroyed his plane. When Huang Maoen approached him, he bowed deeply to him and saluted the victor. ”

"Correspondence plays a role in determining surnames in battles and campaigns, like Colonel Wang Xiaolai. In all cases, he is able to guarantee uninterrupted communication with the command of the troops. ”

(To be continued)