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!
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.
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.
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!
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
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 components. 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.