The Battlefield Sites of the Battles of Yansuyay and Huangtuling

The Battlefield Sites of the Battles of Yansuyay and Huangtuling

The Battlefield Sites of the Battles of Yansuyay and Huangtuling are designated as cultural heritage protection units of Hebei Province.

The Battlefield Sites of the Battles of Yansuyay and Huangtuling are located in Huangtuling Village, Yinfang Town, Laiyuan County, Baoding City, Hebei Province.

In November 1939 (the 28th year of the Republic of China), during the anti-mopping-up campaign in the northern Shanxi region of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the troops of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region of the Eighth Route Army of China ambushed Japanese forces in the Sanchakou and Huangtuling areas of Laiyuan County, Hebei Province.

In late October 1939, over 20,000 troops from parts of the Japanese North China Area Army’s 110th and 26th Divisions, and the 2nd, 3rd, and 8th Independent Mixed Brigades, launched a multi-pronged winter “mopping-up” operation against the northern Shanxi region of the Jin-Cha-Ji Anti-Japanese Base Area, aiming to destroy the base and secure the Quyang (Yang)–Fuping corridor. On November 3, a Japanese Independent Infantry Battalion of about 500 troops from the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade, which had set out from Laiyuan, was lured by the Eighth Route Army’s Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region troops to Yanya Village and annihilated. Noting that after each major defeat, the Japanese would regroup and retaliate, the 1st and 3rd Sub-districts of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region ordered their troops to immediately disengage from the battlefield, conceal themselves in strategic positions, prepare for continuous combat, and await further opportunities to fight.

On the morning of November 4, Lieutenant General Akiyama Isamu, commander-in-chief of the Japanese “Mongolia Garrison Army” and also commander of the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade, personally led about 1,500 troops from the brigade’s 2nd and 4th Independent Infantry Battalions, traveling in over 90 trucks, rushing toward the directions of Yansuyay and Yinfang in an attempt to engage and destroy the main forces of the 1st Sub-district of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region. Akiyama was regarded as a so-called “flower of famous generals” and an “expert in mountain warfare” among Japanese invasion forces. In October 1938, after Major General Chang Gangkuan, former commander of the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade, was killed by the Eighth Route Army in Zhangjiawan, Guangling County, the Japanese military appointed Akiyama Isamu, a newly promoted lieutenant general and renowned commander, to replace him. After the Eighth Route Army wiped out one of his battalions at Yansuyay, he flew into a rage and personally took command, vowing to engage in a “decisive battle” with the main force of the Eighth Route Army. Nie Rongzhen, commander and political commissar of the Military Region, ordered the 1st Sub-district to unify the command of the 1st, 3rd, and 25th Regiments, the 3rd Guerrilla Detachment, the 2nd Regiment of the 3rd Sub-district, the 120th Division’s Special Service Regiment, and the 715th Regiment to deliver a devastating blow to the invading Japanese forces. A portion of the 25th Regiment was ordered to maintain contact with the enemy and monitor their movements, while the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Regiments, the 3rd Guerrilla Detachment, and part of the 25th Regiment prepared for battle. At this time, the 120th Division’s Special Service Regiment of the Eighth Route Army was moving north from Shen’nan Town to join the battle.

On November 5, after failing to find targets in Yinfang, the Japanese advanced toward Sigang and Huangtuling at the border of Laiyuan and Yixian Counties. By the afternoon, they reached the line of Zhangjiafen, Yansuyay, and Sanchakou. Elements of the 3rd Guerrilla Detachment and the 1st Regiment of the 1st Sub-district maintained contact with the Japanese, engaging them in gradual resistance to lure them deeper. On November 6, the Japanese reached Huangtuling and showed signs of continuing eastward. The Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region took advantage of the favorable terrain in the area and ordered the 1st and 25th Regiments to quickly occupy positions near Zhaitemple to block the Japanese advance; the 3rd Regiment was to swiftly take up positions south of Huangtuling to Shangzhuangzi; the 120th Division’s Special Service Regiment replaced the 3rd Regiment and moved to Da’an, ready to join the battle at any time; the 2nd Regiment followed behind the enemy and, once the enemy occupied Sigang, moved around to the north of Huangtuling to occupy advantageous terrain; the 3rd Detachment controlled the key road to Laiyuan. On the morning of November 7, the main Japanese forces set out from Huangtuling and inched eastward along the mountain valley.

At 3 p.m., when the entire Japanese force entered the ambush zone of the Eighth Route Army, the 1st and 25th Regiments charged forward head-on, while the 3rd and 2nd Regiments struck from the southwest and north, encircling the Japanese and compressing them into a gully about 1 kilometer long and only a hundred meters wide near Shangzhuangzi. Over 100 machine guns fired simultaneously from various hilltops, and artillery units continuously launched shells. Despite their numerical superiority and superior weaponry, the Japanese made a fierce charge toward the Zhaitemple position but were repelled by the Eighth Route Army. They then turned westward, attempting to break through Huangtuling and escape back to Laiyuan. The 3rd Regiment held firm on the western and southern fronts, and the 120th Division’s Special Service Regiment also arrived and joined the battle from the left flank of the 3rd Regiment. The Japanese suffered heavy casualties. During the intense fighting, the 1st Regiment spotted a cluster of enemies gathered near a lone house in the distance and ordered the artillery company of the 1st Sub-district to attack them with mortar fire. Lieutenant General Akiyama Isamu, commander of the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade, was hit and killed. That day, the Japanese launched more than ten breakout attempts, all of which were repelled by the Military Region forces. On November 8, under heavy artillery fire and the cover of five aircraft, the Japanese mustered all their strength to break through toward the northwest of Shangzhuangzi. By then, over 1,200 Japanese reinforcements from Yu County, Yixian, Mancheng, Tang County, and Wan County had approached Huatai south of Huangtuling. Reinforcements from Laiyuan had reached the vicinity of Sanchakou and engaged the 3rd Detachment of the Eighth Route Army. The various enemy forces attempted to launch a pincer attack from inside and outside to encircle the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region and the 120th Division forces involved in the battle. After inflicting heavy casualties on the breakout Japanese forces, the Eighth Route Army units quickly relocated and concealed themselves, voluntarily withdrawing from the battle. When the reinforcing enemies arrived, they found nothing again.

On the hillside where the Eighth Route Army set up an ambush to annihilate the Japanese during the Battle of Huangtuling, a “Battle of Huangtuling” monument and exhibition hall were established with private funding and support from county and township governments. Though the conditions are simple, it stands as a testament to a glorious chapter in the history of the War of Resistance.

Huangtuling Village: Huangtuling Village is located at the border between Laiyuan County and Yixian County, 45 kilometers from the county seat and 10 kilometers from the town government. The village has 127 households and a population of 511, including 155 laborers—110 working outside the hometown and 45 working locally. There are 57 Party members. After land acquisition for the Rongwu Expressway, arable land remaining is about 60 mu, less than 2 fen per person, with mountainous land covering 4,000 mu. The main livelihoods of villagers are farming and working outside. In 2017, the per capita income was 2,994 yuan. Currently, there are 33 registered impoverished households with 79 people, and 1 household is enjoying poverty alleviation policies... More detailed information about Huangtuling Village++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Heritage Protection Units of Hebei Province