Mine warfare that shocks the enemy

"The iron watermelon bloomed, the giant horses flew in the sky, the Japanese soldiers' heads moved, and the wounded Japanese soldiers crawled all over the ground..." This anti-Japanese song was widely circulated among the soldiers and civilians in the base area. It is a household name, known to all women and children. This is indeed the case. During the Anti-Japanese War, the most frightening thing for the enemy was the famous mine warfare.

Landmine warfare is quite common in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei anti-Japanese base areas. In the spring of 1940, Anguo County militiamen accidentally buried two grenades underground, killing two Japanese soldiers. The unexpected result made the crowd cheer. Overjoyed, they all followed suit. They loaded porcelain bottles, earthen jars, small jars, etc. with explosives and buried them on the edges of fields, on wells and on roads, in firewood piles, in front of and behind doors, to attack enemies who came to "mopping up".

After that, one spread to ten, and ten spread to hundreds, spreading rapidly in the base area. Militiamen from all over the country used local materials and used local methods to create various types of landmines, such as iron mines, stone mines, trip mines, water mines, clip mines, chain mines, parent-child mines, rolling mines, etc. At the same time, many methods of using mines were also invented, such as: "head-on attack method", "depth explosion", "skill explosion", "true and false mine laying method", "road sign stimulation method" and so on. The real and fake mine warfare made the enemy terrified and unable to move even an inch.

Because earth-made landmines have a simple structure and are easy to use, they can be used not only by militiamen but also by men, women, old and young. Therefore, mass explosive movements quickly formed in various base areas. At that time, each district held training classes and exhibitions to teach how to make and use landmines. Beiyue District has trained 400 blasters. In the vast anti-Japanese base areas, there were really spectacular scenes of villages making fire and salt, villages grinding explosives, making landmines everywhere, and conducting mine warfare everywhere. For example, during the counter-"mopping up" in the three districts of Li County, in one night, the entire district More than 400 landmines were planted. These various landmines and mine arrays play a great role in attacking enemies and protecting people's lives and property. According to incomplete statistics from the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region in the second half of September 1943, more than 400 landmines planted by the militia and troops exploded, killing and wounding more than 1,400 enemy and puppet troops, destroying two tanks and 23 cars, and overturning three trains. columns, destroying 12 bridges.

Li Yong, the militia hero of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region, is known as the King of Explosions.

In the vigorous mine war, many minelaying experts and explosion heroes emerged from various base areas, and wrote countless heroic chapters. The most famous ones are Li Yong and Xin Le from Wuzhangwan, Fuping County. Li Hunzi from Lijiazhuang in the north of the county.

Li Yong, a native of Wuzhangwan Village, Wanglinkou Township, Fuping County, joined the party in October 1938. He once served as the leader of the Children's League, the captain of the Anti-Japanese Pioneers, and the captain of the Militia and Self-Defense Forces. He invented the "landmine accelerator" method and quickly became famous in the border area. He led a guerrilla group and developed a variety of landmines, killing and wounding countless enemies. In June 1943, Li Yong's guerrilla group used landmines to kill 36 Japanese and puppet soldiers within a few minutes. On June 9, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Daily published an editorial titled "Extensively Carry Out Li Yong's Explosive Campaign," calling on the military and civilians in the entire border region to learn from Li Yong and conduct extensive landmine warfare. Li Yong also received awards and praise from the Beiyue District Party Committee and the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region. At the first meeting of heroes of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region, Li Yong was awarded the honorable title of "Explosion Hero of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region" and was awarded a first-class combat hero. A medal.

Li Hunzi is from Lijiazhuang, Xinlebei, Hebei Province. Joined the Communist Party of China in 1939. Soon after, he participated in a blasting training class held by the county. After returning to the village, he served as the leader of the blast team. He led the militiamen along the Pinghan-Hankou Railway, using the mines he developed to blow up electric poles, destroy roadbeds, and destroy enemy transportation facilities. In 1943, he accepted the task of blowing up enemy trains and actively studied explosion methods. He blew up three trains successively, killing and injuring 73 enemies, causing many disruptions to the Ping-Han Railway. Li Hunzi was awarded the title of "Explosion Hero", and the explosion team he led once won the banner that read "When the enemy meets the enemy, the bones will be broken, and when the train meets, it will turn over."

The launch of the border militia bombing campaign effectively coordinated the Eighth Route Army's main outer attack, and the Japanese army was frightened by it. Kikuchi Shigeo, the acting commander of the 6th Battalion of the 3rd Independent Brigade of the Japanese Army, once said in his diary: "Landmine warfare has mentally threatened my generals and made soldiers disabled. Especially the wounded have to be transported. If 5 people are injured, then 60 soldiers would lose their combat effectiveness. "He also wrote: "Landmines are very effective. When they explode, most of them will suffer fractures and bleeding, and most of them will be killed."