Former Site of the Battle to Raid Yangmingbao Airfield in the Night at Dai County

Former Site of the Battle of Yangmingbao Airfield in Dai County

The Former Site of the Battle of Yangmingbao Airfield in Dai County is a cultural tourism attraction.

Yangmingbao in Dai County is located at the foot of Yanmen Pass and beside the Fenyang River. Originally, this area was nearly 10,000 mu of saline-alkali wasteland. Before the War of Resistance Against Japan, Yan Xishan built a simple airfield here. After the Japanese army occupied Dai County in 1937, they forcibly conscripted a large number of laborers to expand and reinforce the airfield, turning it into a rear base and aerial supply transfer station for their offensive against Xinkou. At the site of the former Yangmingbao Airfield stands a tall monument inscribed with eight large characters — “Former Site of Yangmingbao Airfield” — personally written by General [<Name>]. It is now a key cultural relic protection unit of Shanxi Province and a provincial-level patriotic education base.

Red Stories

The Night Raid on Yangmingbao Airfield

After dark on October 19, 1937, the battalions of the 769th Regiment of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army set out quietly. The soldiers traveled light, leaving behind their cotton-padded coats and backpacks, and securing anything that might make noise—bayonets, shovels, grenades. The long column moved swiftly through the pitch-black valley. With the help of a guide, the 3rd Battalion quickly forded the Fenyang River and approached the airfield. The soldiers crawled under barbed wire and stealthily entered the Japanese airfield. Battalion Commander Zhao Chongde led the 10th Company toward the northern end of the airfield to attack the enemy guard unit, while the 11th Company headed straight for the parked planes.

The airfield was silent, with the Japanese soldiers fast asleep. Only a few patrolling sentries moved back and forth. As the soldiers crept within 50 meters of the planes without being detected, the 2nd Platoon of the 11th Company were the first to spot them—three rows of aircraft were parked there. After days and nights of longing to fight the Japanese, the soldiers were both surprised and furious to see the planes right before their eyes. Someone whispered angrily, “Ha, you show off in the sky, but now it’s our turn to deal with you!” Just as they were about to approach the planes, suddenly the enemy sentries to the northwest shouted loudly, followed by a series of sharp gunshots. It turned out the 10th Company had encountered the enemy guards. In that instant, the 10th and 11th Companies launched simultaneous attacks from two directions. The soldiers charged forward with loud shouts, pouring machine-gun fire and grenades. The blazing gunfire lit up the night sky. The patrolling sentries around the planes scrambled to respond, engaging in close combat with the Eighth Route Army soldiers around the aircraft. The pilots inside the cabins, startled awake, fired blindly in panic. Bullets from the machine guns of the planes behind hit the ones in front. Soldiers who had dashed into the midst of the planes struggled to stuff grenades under the wheels and fuselages or hurl them onto the plane roofs, causing the Japanese aircraft to shake, catch fire, and explode.

Under the fierce onslaught, more than ten enemy planes quickly began to smoke and burn. Dense smoke and raging flames engulfed the airfield. The burning planes emitted explosions, sending flames dozens of meters high, with fiery debris flying onto nearby planes and igniting them one after another in a series of crackling bursts.

Japanese soldiers at the northern end of the airfield desperately charged southward but were pinned down by the relentless firepower of the 10th Company and unable to provide effective support. Furious, they were practically seeing stars. At that moment, Battalion Commander Zhao Chongde arrived at the southern end of the airfield with a squad to direct the troops to press the attack fiercely. He spotted Squad Leader Li and two soldiers furiously hacking at the wings and fuselages of the planes with shovels. “Hey, do you really want to take a piece of the tail back with you?” Zhao Chongde urged anxiously, shouting over and over, “Stop chopping, hurry up and blow them up—throw grenades into the planes’ bellies!” The soldiers quickly stuffed grenades into the cabins. A few loud “booms!” later, two or three planes burst into flames. The fire fed on the wind, and the wind fanned the flames. In moments, thick smoke and raging fire spread across the entire airfield. ...

The Japanese guards launched several counterattacks but were all repelled. The soldiers continued their assault on the remaining planes. As Battalion Commander Zhao Chongde inspected the situation, he was suddenly shot by a Japanese bullet. Several soldiers rushed to help him up. Waving his hand, he shouted with all his strength, “Don’t worry about me, go on, blow up those planes…” But before he could finish his sentence, the outstanding commander—who had joined the Red Army in 1932, served as commander of the 31st Regiment, and participated in the Long March—closed his eyes forever. The soldiers were even angrier, shouting, “Avenge the battalion commander!” They grabbed grenades and machine guns and charged toward the last few enemy planes. ...

After more than an hour of intense fighting, all the Japanese planes at Yangmingbao Airfield had been destroyed or set ablaze. Most of the Japanese guards were also annihilated. By then, the Japanese forces near Yangmingbao had all mobilized, rushing to reinforce in armored vehicles. The 3rd Battalion promptly withdrew from the battle upon receiving orders from the regiment.

The victory of the night raid on Yangmingbao temporarily deprived the Japanese of their air strike capability, disrupted their plans to attack Taiyuan, and slowed their advance on Xinkou.