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.
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.