(Five hundred and four) the squadron in the eyes of different people

"It must be pointed out that some commanders and staff officers, with their outstanding organizational activities and measures, and flexible command, hastened the smashing of the Japanese army and brought glory to the Chinese army."

"It is with gratitude that I recall the many commanders with whom I worked at that time. At the beginning of the combat operation in the area of the Sangye River, Colonel Wang Gaoyuan was the deputy regiment commander in charge of administrative affairs. When the 24th Motorized Regiment needed a commander, the first candidate's name was Wang Gaoyuan. We read that right. In all kinds of difficult circumstances, he was able to make the right determination, and when our army launched a general offensive, the regiment fought beautifully under his command. ”

"Towards the end of the Sangye River combat operation, Wang Gaoyuan was appointed commander of the 82nd Division. This division fought an extremely tenacious defensive battle in the Mukden direction during the first phase of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Wang Gaoyuan, who was promoted to major general, successfully commanded an infantry corps of the Northeast Front and later commanded the 42nd Army near Harbin. ”

"Major General Dongfang Bai is my important assistant, former commander of the armored teaching brigade, and an armored force expert. He shouldered the heavy burden of organizing the coordinated actions of all corps and arms. When we began the general offensive, Dongfang Bai was ordered to command the various armored units on the flanks of the army group. Dongfang Bai was unusually calm, and nothing could make him panic. Even in the most difficult and dangerous situations, he was able to maintain absolute composure, which was very popular with the troops. ”

"The commander of the artillery of the military region is General Xie Xun, who is a first-class expert in artillery technology and combat application. In command of the two armies were General Lin Yuying and General Liu Baicheng, with whom I worked for a long time in the 4th Division of the Northwest Army. The head of the Operations Department of the Military Region Command is Colonel Yang Huaiyuan, whom I met when I was working in the Ministry of National Defense. He was a thoughtful, quiet, diligent officer who was well versed in the business of his business. The supply director of the military district is my old friend, Colonel Shan Siqiang. ”

"The medical staff toiled day and night in difficult field conditions, saving lives and caring for the wounded, and not only to our commanders and soldiers, but also to the wounded and sick of captured Japanese troops with a very high degree of humanitarianism."

"I still remember very well the situation when I worked with Professor Yang Jiutang. On one occasion it was reported to me that Professor Yang Jiutang, who was so tired from several consecutive surgeries that he could barely stand on his feet, ordered a blood transfusion to be drawn from his body and given to a wounded commander. I called him and persuaded him to draw blood from a younger doctor. However, Professor Yeung replied briefly: 'I don't have time to find the right blood type. He begged me not to stop him. He immediately gave his blood to the wounded. ”

"Professor Yang Jiutang is very thoughtful and well-organized about the unification of the rear medical system. He has also been a tremendous help to our medical staff. He works 15 to 18 hours a day and night, but he still pays great attention to the training and improvement of surgeons. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that everyone who has worked with and learned from Professor Yang Jiutang has achieved a high level of success in surgery. ”

"After our troops returned to the winter barracks, they took stock of the battle. We are pleased to see that the military knowledge of fighters and commanders has greatly improved. Combat units sent excellent fighters and commanders to those units that did not directly participate in the battle to impart the experience of fighting the Japanese army. Various safeguards for the military training of the troops have also been greatly improved. ”

"A number of measures have had a remarkable effect in terms of the training and combat readiness of the troops. It is no accident that the Corps, which had spent time in Central Siberia from 1939 to 1940, was transferred to fight the Japanese near the Siberian border, and won a major victory, which won a high rating. ”…,

"Now Central Siberia has become a prosperous place. Various industrial, agricultural, scientific and advanced technologies are developing rapidly. Mongolia and other fraternal provinces have provided significant assistance to the Siberian people in this regard. ”

"At the beginning of December 1942, I received the appointment of President Wu Peifu in Beijing, and I was awarded the rank of general along with several other comrades-in-arms."

"A few days later, I was appointed commander of the Siberian Military District and commander of Army Group North, and Finance Minister Yang Shuoming was entrusted by the President to inspect the front line.

"In addition to Minister Yang Shuoming, there were also Zhou Guansheng, Wang Yongjiang and other senior officials in the room."

"After Yang Shuoming greeted me, he immediately asked me: 'What do you think of the combat capability of the Japanese army?'"

"'The Japanese soldiers who fought with us at the Mulberry River were well trained, especially in close combat,' I replied, 'and they were disciplined, resolute and decisive in the execution of orders, and tenacious in combat, especially in defensive warfare. The subordinate commanders were well trained and fought with exceptional tenacity. Lower-level commanders generally do not surrender and do not hesitate to commit suicide by 'disembowelment'. Officers, especially middle and senior officers, are poorly trained, have poor initiative, and are accustomed to conformism. ’”

"'As for the technical equipment of the Japanese army, I think it is backward. The Japanese tanks were equivalent to the 'Bison' tanks that we had equipped earlier, but they were not at all an opponent of our tanks, with backward performance, insufficient power of weapons, and a small maximum stroke. It should be said that at the beginning of the campaign, the Japanese air force was stronger than ours. Before we had the modified 'Swiftlet' and 'Woolly Rhino' fighters, their aircraft were superior to ours. After the arrival of those pilots who were awarded the title of Chinese heroes, air supremacy was firmly in our hands. It should be noted that it was the elite units of Japan that fought against us. ’”

"Yang Shuoming listened attentively to everything I said, and then he asked, 'How are our troops fighting?'"

"'Our regular troops are fighting well. The 1st Armored Teaching Brigade under the command of Major General Dongfang Bai and the 82nd Mechanized Infantry Division under the command of Wang Gaoyuan from Beihai fought well. The 57th Infantry Division, which was transferred from Mukden, began to fight badly. The training time of the fighters and commanders of the division was very short. The division was expanded shortly before its departure for Siberia to replenish the newly drafted recruits. ’”

"'Our tank units fought very well, especially the 11th Brigade led by the Chinese hero Jiang Dengxuan, and if I did not have these 2 tank brigades and 3 motorized armored brigades, it would certainly not have been possible to encircle and annihilate the Japanese 6th Army so quickly. I believe that we must significantly expand the armored tank forces and the mechanized forces. ’”

"'Our artillery was superior to the Japanese in all respects, especially in firing. Our troops, as a whole, were much stronger than the Japanese army. ’”

"'The cavalry units from the Mongols gained experience from fighting against the Japanese, were trained, and fought well when they were supported, especially their armored battalion fought well at Mount Bayindagang. It should be admitted, however, that the Mongol cavalry was vulnerable to aircraft attacks and artillery fire, and they suffered heavy losses. ’”

"Yang Shuoming asked me again: 'How did Dongfang Bai, Xie Xun and Bao Yunsheng help you?'"

"'General Xie Xun helped us a lot in planning artillery fire and delivering ammunition. As for Dongfang Bai, he did a lot of useful work, and the tankmen of the armored instruction brigade he led told our tankmen about the combat experience they had gained in Spain, which was very helpful in the battle. General Bao Yunsheng has planned our air forces very well, and no matter what kind of blow they receive, our planes will always appear where the fighting is most intense and when the ground forces need them most. ’”…,

I looked at Yang Shuoming intently, and I could see that he was listening to me with great interest. So I continued. ”

"'For all of our troops, the Corps Commander, the Force Commander and myself, the battle at the Mulberry River was a great opportunity to learn from the combat experience. I believe that the Japanese side has now come to a relatively correct conclusion about the strength and combat capability of our army. ’”

"'Tell me what difficulties our troops encountered at the Mulberry River?' Yang Shuoming continued to ask me. ”

"I replied: 'The main difficulty is the problem of material and technical support. We have to bring in the necessities of war and life from 250 to 300 kilometres away. The nearest supply station to us is in the Hung Yen Military District. Some troops who were far away had to bring in even firewood for cooking from 600 kilometers away. The distance of vehicles is 500 to 700 kilometers, which consumes a lot of gasoline, which also has to be transported from the military districts. ’”

"'In overcoming such difficulties, Admiral Yang Yuting and his subordinates have given us great help.' ”

"'What do you think was the main goal that the Japanese government pursued in organizing the invasion?'"

"'The immediate goal is to seize Siberian territory west of the Mulberry River and then establish fortified areas along the Mulberry River to cover the second strategic railway it is planning to build. The railway would stretch from the west of the Eastern Railway to the border of the Japanese-occupied zone. ’”

"Yang Shuoming said: 'Now you have combat experience. You have to use your experience to train your troops. ’”

"When I was in Siberia, I did not have the opportunity to carefully study the course of combat operations between Germany and England and France. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I asked: 'How to understand the situation of the war in the West?' What's next for the war?'"

"Yang Shuoming said: 'Britain and France did not seriously fight against Germany. They always wanted us to be the main force in the fight against the Soviet Union. They now have an alliance with us against the Axis powers, but this does not do us much good, we have to think for ourselves, and they themselves have to pay the price for this short-sighted policy. The alliance between Germany and the Soviet Union made their power unprecedentedly strong, Spain had fallen to Germany, and the Soviet Union had also captured Greece and Turkey, so the next step for the Imperial Army would definitely be to capture Britain proper. ’”

"After this important meeting, I returned to my residence and couldn't sleep for a long time, and the scene of this conversation has been haunting my mind for a long time."

"I was deeply impressed by Yang Shuoming's appearance, his deep voice, his profound and specific analysis of the problem, his profound military knowledge, and his attentiveness when listening to the report."

While Zhong Liwei was concentrating on making battlefield records, there were also people doing the same thing on the Japanese front.

In the dim light, in the headquarters of the Siberian garrison, a German ** officer was writing hard.

“…… Here, I would like to talk about my impression of the squadron in general. ”

"Western civilization, it can be said that no one will understand the character and soul of the Chinese. In fact, only by understanding the character of the Chinese can we truly understand the qualities of the Chinese people and the various advantages and combat methods they show in combat. The strength of the soldiers and their mental state are always the most important factors in battle, and they are often more important than the number of troops and weapons. This has been the case since ancient times, and modern wars are no exception, and I think that this will probably be the case in future wars. ”

"You can never guess in advance what the Chinese are going to do!" They tend to go from one extreme to the other. Based on experience, it is easy to judge what the military of any country will do, but it is an exception for the Chinese **. The nature of the Chinese is unusual and complex, as is their vast, elusive country. It's hard to imagine how much endurance they have, they are extremely brave and tenacious, but sometimes they are very cowardly. There was such a situation, the squadron ** troops were not afraid of bloodshed and sacrifice to repel the impact of the emperor ** team again and again, but when they encountered a small assault group of the opponent, they suddenly fled. Sometimes, the infantry unit of the squadron panicked when it heard the gunshots, but the next day the same unit bravely and tenaciously entered the battle. The Chinese are capricious, today he may not think about the security of the flank at all, and tomorrow he may be afraid that the flank is threatened. They take a careless approach to general tactical principles and abide by their orders. This may be because they are not good at independent thinking, and they do not judge their own behavior, but only act according to their emotions, which is incomprehensible to Westerners. In essence, Chinese people are brave by nature, but they are also constrained by certain feelings and instincts. Their personalities are unstable and easily influenced by the masses, while their hardships and hard work have been honed by years of illness and poverty. Because of these inherent characteristics, the Chinese are superior in many ways to the more conscious Western military personnel. ”…,

"The Chinese are known for enduring the pain of cold, heat and hunger and thirst. Nor do great difficulties affect their spirits, they lack pious religious stability, they are moody, sometimes cruel as wild beasts, sometimes with simple kindness, and when they have companions, they show hatred and great cruelty towards their enemies, but they show friendliness and generosity when they are alone with them. Most of the Chinese with these characteristics are Chinese from the north. ”

"The Chinese have a narrow idea of the motherland, so they can fight for the current democratic constitutional system, but, generally speaking, they are not politically enthusiastic. When I interrogated the captives, I often found that they did not trust the ruling party and its officials, that their bravery bordered on recklessness, that they were wise and decisive. This is the driving force of the squadron and the decisive factor for the great political, economic and military achievements of the Chinese. ”

"Medium ** people are not affected by the season or the surrounding environment, and are good soldiers no matter where and under any conditions. They are the taming tools of the commander, who can put them through pain far from being endured by the Europeans without hesitation. One of the main advantages of the squadron is that they can withstand large-scale destruction and massacres, and the generals can make harsh demands on the local population and combat units. ”

"For the command structure of the squadron, the issue of rations is very secondary, because their soldiers are practically not dependent on the army's food supply. The other ** team almost worshipped the picnic cart as a god, and for the Chinese soldiers, if it happened to see the cooking cart, it was also welcome, but without it, it could also pass by for days and weeks, and they were satisfied with a handful of corn or rice, and even said that they enjoyed whatever nature had to offer them. They are very adaptable to natural conditions. The best people are experts in camouflage, digging pits, digging holes and other earthworks. In a surprisingly short period of time, he can hide in the ground, digging holes or making clever use of terrain features so that you can barely find his position. The Chinese are very good at disguise, adapt to the environment of the earth and carry out careful camouflage, and from this point of view, the squadron is doubly dangerous enemies. Sometimes, even after a long and careful search, their positions could not be found. Therefore, even on the ground, where there are already no enemies, be doubly careful. ”

"As a result of China's vigorous industrialization, the squadron has acquired a large number of new equipment and high-level technical personnel. The Chinese quickly mastered new weapons, and they proved to be adept at fighting with complex technical equipment. They assigned carefully selected technicians to the soldiers, teaching them to use the most sophisticated weapons and equipment. But to some extent, the good military qualities of the Chinese are offset by ideological rigidity and natural laziness. However, during the war, they were constantly improving themselves. They have learned a lot from the Americans and from their own experience, and they have become adaptable, energetic and resolute. China has such high-level group army and front army commanders as Cai Yi, Zhang Xiaozhun, and Zhong Liwei. Junior officers and many mid-level officers are still clumsy and not good at making up their minds, because they are afraid of responsibility because of the strict military discipline. Simple, rigid training forced these junior commanders to obey orders and instructions, depriving them of the initiative and creativity that were essential to the use of tactics. Among soldiers, the nature of living in groups is very strong, and individual soldiers are always inseparable from their accomplices. Squadron soldiers and junior commanders instinctively recognized that if they left the collective, they would be abandoned. According to this social nature, it is possible to find out the source of their panic when they are out of the group, and it is also possible to understand where their extraordinary heroism and self-sacrifice come from. ”