As the CC were nominally in alliance with the nationalist forces, they were not expecting a major attack from this quarter. Their many informants had failed them.
SOUTH EAST CHINA
The southern army was commanded by General Yue. His military advisor was also an ex-panzer battalion commander, Colonel Rudolf Sieckenius, another Rommel man. In support was a further three hundred German and French ‘advisors’.
They had one hundred and fifty tanks for support, as well as one hundred and fifty aircraft. Reconnaissance had already determined the weakest spot in the perimeter of the Japanese defences in their enclave opposite Hainan Island. All was ready.
SOUTH OF WUHAN
Generalissimo Chiang personally commanded the main army, with Rommel, assisted by Klaus von Altendorf, as his advisor. The remaining eight hundred German advisors, and seven hundred French specialists, together with the bulk of the tanks and aircraft supplied to China by Germany, were attached to this army.
They had a detailed plan of the enemy’s defences and strongpoints in Wuhan. They were straining at the leash to attack. Morale was high among the Chinese troops.
At dawn the next morning, along a front of thirty kilometres, red coloured very lights were fired into the sky and a thunderous artillery barrage opened at the Japanese positions. The defenders knew they were to be attacked but had not expected anything like the intense shelling they were now subjected to. They had an even bigger surprise when the shelling eased and a swarm of bomber aircraft appeared above them. Where the hell had they come from?
Under cover of the artillery barrage and the bombing, the Chinese soldiers swarmed forward. Rommel had allowed a few tanks to support them but resolutely refused to send more into this type of combat. His doctrine was that tanks were for fast moving operations, and not to be bogged down in city fighting.
The Japanese soldiers fought back bravely but were constantly overwhelmed by the dogged attacks by the Chinese. Those who did not fall back where killed to a man. The Japanese asked for no quarter and the Chinese gave none.
Wherever the enemy established a point of resistance, an aircraft or tank would appear and blast it out of existence.
The civilian population of Wuhan was about three quarters of a million. Many of these now rose up to take revenge on the hated Japanese. Any soldier caught in the city was mutilated beyond recognition. The civilians were using captured Japanese rifles and bayonets against their previous owners.
Shortly after midday the Nationalist troops made their first breakthrough into the city. The Japanese continued to fight desperately but were running out of ammunition. In the meantime parts of the city were being demolished by the relentless bombardment.
Chiang sent an emissary under a white flag. He offered surrender terms to the Japanese General. It took another hour to get a reply. The General would not surrender, but he would be willing to evacuate his troops from the city if his troops could retain their weapons and were given a safe conduct to the closest Japanese lines. He would require motor transport for his wounded.
Chiang and Rommel conferred. Most of the Chinese officers were in favour of continuing the battle, though there was no doubt that casualties would be high. The Japanese would fight to the last man. On the other hand, they knew the enemy was already short of food, water and ammunition. The decision was taken to keep fighting, while the bulk of the army would start to advance towards their next objective, Nanking, which was five hundred and fifty kilometres away to the east.
Over the next two days the Japanese in Wuhan were pressed into an ever shrinking area of defence. The Chinese troops had been ordered not to recklessly attack but instead just keep increasing the pressure. On the third day an unkempt Japanese captain appeared with a white flag. Their General had committed suicide rather than surrender, as indeed several other officers had. The remaining soldiers would now prefer to surrender as long as they would be treated fairly.
The first major battle of the campaign to win back China was over!
SOUTH EAST CHINA
The Japanese evacuated all their troops to the island of Hainan twenty four hours after they were attacked in their mainland enclave. Their commanding officer realised immediately that he faced a far superior force that he had no hope of beating. The island itself was more important than the territory on the mainland.
General Yue was delighted to avoid excessive casualties in liberating a large slice of territory which included the city of Zhangzhou. He decided to press on to their next objective without delay. To attack the island itself, would need ships and boats that were simply not available at that time. This would be for another day. He called up reserve troops to garrison the recaptured coastal area. Once these were settled in, he continued his advance along the coast.
NORTH EAST CHINA
The strength of General Cheng’s force took the Chinese Communists by surprise. They had not been expecting an attack, and they possessed no tanks or aircraft. The re-equipped and well trained Nationalist army with their co-ordinated tactics overwhelmed them at every standpoint and forced them into continuous retreat.
Cheng maintained the pressure relentlessly.
BERLIN
The Governing Council received the news of an auspicious start to the Chinese campaign with relief and cautious optimism. Von Brauchitsch had cautioned them not to think that the successful lightning campaigns of the German army in Western Europe the previous year, would be repeated by the Chinese army.
However, even he thought that things had got off to a good start. Soon they would suggest to the British and Americans that they approach the Japanese Government with an offer to mediate an end to hostilities.
On honourable terms of course!
EAST OF WUHAN
Chiang’s tanks spearheaded the advance. Wherever they met pockets of Japanese resistance they crushed them. If the resistance proved stubborn, the bombers and dive bombers were called in.
Japanese bombers appeared from time to time but these were largely ineffectual as they were met by German ME109 and French Dewoitine fighters of the Nationalist forces. In the first two days of their bombing strategy, the Japanese lost fifteen aircraft for the loss of only two of the French fighters. Rommel was under no illusion that this would continue. The Japanese bombers had had no fighter cover. They would not make that mistake again.
Various small towns had been liberated along the way, and the local population was ecstatic at their release from the yoke of the loathed Japanese oppressors. Civilian retribution against their former oppressors was terrible to behold.
After six days, Rommel advised Chiang to call a halt. The trucks and tanks needed some maintenance and repair, and they could use a two day respite to allow the troops left behind in Wuhan, other than those needed for garrison duty, to catch up with the main force.
They were half way to Nanking
SOUTH EAST CHINA
The British colony of Hong Kong and the Portuguese colony of Macau were both surrounded on their landward sides by Japanese occupied territory. The major Chinese city in this territory was Canton. This was General Yue’s next objective, a little over four hundred kilometres away.
Using the tactics tried and tested in France, Colonel Sieckenius released his tanks forward. In what could be seen as a liberal interpretation of his orders, he personally commanded one of the forward tanks.
The Japanese had outposts at towns along the way but these were not heavily defended. All resistance was squashed.
Most days they had been subject to sporadic bombing raids by Japanese Navy aircraft. So far the Nationalist fighters were inflicting losses on enemy aircraft at the rate of three to one. The raids had eased considerably over the last two days.
After eight days the army was ready to do battle for Canton. Chinese intelligence reported an estimated maximum of forty thousand Japanese troops in the area. Some tanks had been seen.
On the advice of Sieckenius, General Yue split his force into three componen
ts. One to encircle the enemy territory and attack from the north, another to attack from south, and the larger force to attack from the west. In each case the tanks would spearhead the advance.
The enemy positions were softened up by artillery bombardment and air attacks from Yue’s dive bombers, the famous Stuka. The Nationalist fighters were on alert for Japanese bombing raids.
Once again the enemy were unprepared for the speed of the Nationalist advance, and their combined operation tactics. They had no effective strategy to counter it. Their troops fought with unmatched bravery, but it was not enough.
All three of the Chinese forces were making inroads into the Japanese, when, at midday, a large force of enemy bombers appeared in the sky. Sieckenius estimated over one hundred. Escorted by fifty fighter aircraft. The Japanese must have called for reinforcements from other areas.
The Nationalists had only sixty fighters operational, twenty ME109s, and forty Dewoitines. These rose up into the sky to do battle. All forty French aircraft were piloted by French pilots from the specialist detachment. The German aircraft had Chinese pilots.
The ensuing air battle was intense. The Japanese bombers pressed home their attacks regardless of the onslaught from the Nationalist fighters. The toll was great on both sides. One hour later Sieckenius received the figures.
The Japanese had lost forty nine bombers. Half of its force. They also lost thirty two fighters. They had been sorely hurt. It was doubtful if they could launch a similar raid in time to save Canton.
But there had been a price to pay. The Nationalists had lost thirty five fighter aircraft. Only ten of the pilots had parachuted to safety. General Yue’s army now had fewer than seventy serviceable aircraft left. These were forty four dive bombers and twenty five fighters.
That night in the temporary officers mess at their temporary airfield, the mixed gathering of German, French and Chinese pilots bade a permanent, and boisterous, goodbye to their fallen comrades.
In the face of the far superior numbers, weapons and tactics of the Chinese Nationalists, the Japanese Commanding Officer in Canton made the decision to withdraw his force towards the north east, through the only part of the perimeter not completely occupied by the Chinese. The Japanese bombing raids had failed. Ammunition, while not yet critical, was running short. Unless a relief force could be despatched soon, his assessment was that he could not retain Canton. Unlike most other senior Japanese officers, this one cared about the men under his command and he saw no sense in sacrificing them needlessly.
Later that day he affected a break out with about thirty thousand of his men, many of whom were wounded, and retreated north towards Nanking.
Yue now deemed it prudent to mount mopping up operations in the general area between Canton and Hong Kong. This took three days, during which time Sieckenius was extremely restless. Speed, speed, and more speed, was his motto. However the time was usefully employed in servicing all the equipment and machines, and re-stocking supplies and ammunition.
During this time a Bentley motor car turned up unexpectedly in their midst, driven by four British army officers from Hong Kong. They had taken it upon themselves to travel there to meet with the Chinese liberators and their international advisors. They stayed the night and were royally entertained for dinner. When they departed the next morning, all of them looked as if they were suffering greatly from hangovers!
They were now a few days behind schedule when they resumed their advance. Their next target was now the port of Shantou, four hundred and forty kilometres due east of canton.
NORTH EAST CHINA
Von Luck was almost feeling sorry for the Communists. Every time they attempted to halt and regroup, the Nationalists pounced on them. The CC soldiers generally fought well but there had been an increasing number of defections. Yesterday one of their officers, a lieutenant he said he was, surrendered with half a dozen of his troops. He told his captors of disharmony among their leaders, and a rumour of a Japanese advance against them from the north.
Two days later there seemed to be some truth to the Japanese advance rumour. Heavy guns were heard to the north, and the CC had slowed down their retreat, even though it meant they were now taking heavier casualties from the Nationalists.
General Cheng had told von Luck that his orders stated there was to be no engagement with Japanese troops. If any were met in the course of the campaign, the Nationalists were to hold back or withdraw. This had mystified von Luck, but he supposed it wasn’t unreasonable as their primary mission was the elimination of the communist forces.
The following day held a surprise for them. The CC started surrendering in droves. They all had the same story. The Japanese were bearing down on them from the north and displaying their usual savagery. The CC soldiers preferred to surrender to the more civilised nationalist Chinese troops. A few even volunteered to join the nationalist force.
Cheng halted his advance while he assessed this information. After conferring with von Luck, it was decided to remain where they were until the position regarding Japanese troops became clear.
Later that afternoon, in the shade of some willow trees by a slow moving stream, von Luck was relaxing in a folding canvas seat enjoying a cup of coffee. He got the shock of his life as a Japanese officer emerged from the bushes alongside the river. As he jumped up and groped for his pistol the officer spoke in English, “Please, Major, I mean you no harm. I bear a message from my superior.”
Von Luck quickly recovered. Coolly he sat down and carried on sipping his coffee as if meeting an enemy officer in the middle of nowhere was an everyday occurrence. He looked at the Japanese. “Can I offer you a cup of coffee?”
With a grin the officer stepped forward and introduced himself, “Captain Sato, Imperial Japanese Army. I am delighted to meet you, Sir. And yes, I would love some coffee. Is it American?”
They shook hands formally as von Luck introduced himself. He found a seat for Sato. He also called one of his fellow Germans and asked him to post guards around the area to make sure the Chinese troops did not find out about their unexpected guest and act precipitously.
“And now, Captain Sato, may I ask what brings you into the camp of your enemies?”
Sato explained that he had been sent by General Yoshijiro Umezu, the Commander in chief of the Imperial Japanese Army in Manchukuo. He brought a message and a gift for Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. The message amazed von Luck. The gift shocked him, and it was something he would never forget for the rest of his life.
“We moved against the communists eight days ago. As usual they tended to melt away rather than confront us. Two days ago they started to hold their ground. I think this was due to the pressure from your forces coming against them from the other direction.
General Umezu committed all our spare troops to this operation. He wanted an end to the communist attacks once and for all. We have succeeded. There are now no more than a handful of communist brigands scattered and in hiding between where we are sitting, and the Japanese troops. They are finished.”
Von Luck thought for a moment before he responded. “Where are the communist leaders?”
Sato looked a little uncomfortable. “That is the gift I bring from General Umezu.” He held his hand up a clicked his fingers twice.
Two Japanese soldiers stepped out from the same bushes Sato had been hidden in. They carried a wicker basket which they set down on the ground between Sato and von Luck. They then disappeared back where they had come from.
Von Luck stared at the basket, almost afraid to discover what it contained. He called his sergeant again. “Hans, please have a look at what is inside that basket.”
Without hesitation the sergeant stepped forward, untied the string holding the basket closed, and threw back the lid. He recoiled from what was inside. “Heads, sir,” was all he said.
Von Luck, a man who felt no fear in battle, had to steel himself to look. There were four heads. Two he recognised, Mao Zedong the head of the Chinese communist party,
and his most able lieutenant, Zhou Enlai. The other two he did not know.
He dismissed the sergeant. “Thank you, Hans. Not a word about this unless I say so. In the meantime can you dig up a bottle of whisky anywhere?” Von Luck suddenly wanted a drink badly.
Over the next fifteen minutes he got the story out of a talkative Sato.
Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, ever the politician, had shrewdly hedged his bets. Through trusted intermediaries he had contacted the Japanese General Umezu and made him an offer he could not refuse. He told him about Cheng’s army attacking the communist forces from the south west. He offered Umezu personally, fifty thousand US dollars in gold, if he would simultaneously attack the communists from the opposite direction with his Japanese forces. Obviously he must discontinue his attack once the CC had been forced onto the guns and bayonets of the Chinese Nationalists and wiped out.
The German Peace Page 15
