Analysis: Battle of the Bronze Drum

The Chinese Expeditionary Force began to enter Myanmar at the end of February 1942, and Du, commander of the Fifth Army, temporarily took unified command of the fifth and sixth armies that entered Myanmar to prepare for the battle. However, at this time, the favorable opportunity has been lost, and Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, fell on March 8. /kloc-in March of 0/2, the first commander-in-chief of the Chinese Expeditionary Force was established, with Wei as the commander-in-chief, and Du as the deputy commander-in-chief.

The Chinese Expeditionary Force consists of 9 divisions of the Fifth Army (Du), the Sixth Army (Gan) and the 66th Army (Gan). When the headquarters was established, it issued a statement stating: "The purpose of China's troops entering Myanmar this time is to help friendly countries, wipe out the democratic enemies of the country and Japanese robbers, and strive for human justice and world peace."

China's expeditionary force fought bloody battles in Myanmar, and China's army was "passive from beginning to end" because it missed the opportunity.

Nevertheless, the Second OO Division (Commander Dai Anlan), the vanguard of the Fifth Army of Myanmar, is a mechanized equipment unit that has repeatedly made meritorious deeds in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. It was the first to enter Myanmar and its morale was high. Military trucks are covered with slogans written in Chinese and Burmese: "The China army is here to defend the Burmese people!" "Strengthen Sino-British military cooperation!" "Myanmar is China's best neighbor!" "Drive out the enemy and be awesome!" "Win glory for our country, and finally win it back!"

On March 7, 1942, the second OO division reached the battle front day and night. Tonggu is 250km south of Yangon and 320km north of Mandalay. It is an important city and strategic position of Yang Man Railway. There is also Keyonggang Airport in the northwest, which is a place that the Japanese army must "quickly occupy". On the other hand, we think that it echoes Prometheus in the west and Mao Qi in the east, and constitutes a barrier to stop the Japanese invasion to the north. Especially on March 8, after the fall of Yangon, the dispute with the ancient times became more important.

The British-Burmese First Division stationed in Tonggu is extremely rustic, neither knowing the enemy's situation nor preparing for battle, but only preparing for a safe retreat and preserving its strength. /kloc-in March of 0/8, the Japanese army advanced on the bronze drum, and the British army retreated to Prometheus. From 19, the 55th division of the Japanese army? The first and second United Front launched an attack on Tonggu, and the first and fourth United Front went into battle on the 20th. The two sides fought fiercely 12 days, and the Japanese army encountered fierce resistance that it had never encountered since the Pacific War.

Due to the failure of the British troops on the western front to act actively and the delay of the British side, the follow-up troops of the Chinese Expeditionary Force failed to arrive at the Tonggu front as scheduled. 200 division fought hard 12 days, with more than 2000 casualties. There are no reinforcements outside. The situation is critical.

Du believes that "in this situation, our army can neither concentrate its main force on decisive battle with the enemy to solve the siege of bronze drums, but in a long time, the enemy who landed in Yangon will inevitably participate in the battle with bronze drums, and the 200 th Division will be annihilated by the enemy. In this way, our expeditionary force will be broken by the enemy one by one, and there is a danger of total annihilation. Therefore, I am determined to make the Second OO Division break through on the evening of the 29th, so as to preserve our army's fighting capacity and prepare for another time and place to fight the enemy. " So the second OO division broke through safely under the command of Dai Anlan, and didn't even lose a wounded soldier.

The battle to defend Tonggu is the largest, longest-lasting and largest battle to annihilate the enemy in Myanmar. Moreover, under the unfavorable situation of the fall of Yangon, it fought hard with the enemy with the same strength, equipment and air superiority 12 days, wiped out more than 5,000 enemies, covered the retreat of the British army and won time for the follow-up troops of the expeditionary force. Finally, the 200 th division was safely transferred and won a great victory. The Japanese army also admitted that in the battle with the ancients, the second OO division. Very brave, for the Japanese, this is the hardest battle in the Burmese campaign.

Tonggu is a small town in the southern plain of Myanmar, also translated as Xu Dong or Donggua, with a population of 1 1 10,000. Tonggu is 260 kilometers away from Yangon, and roads, railways and waterways are at the crossroads. There is also a military airport in Yongke Port in the north of the city, which has a very important strategic position. The famous bronze drum war kicked off here.

1On March 20th, 942, the 200th Division of Chinese Expeditionary Force and the 55th Division of Japanese Invaders fought fiercely outside the same ancient city, causing heavy casualties on both sides.

According to the archives released by the Japanese Defense Agency after the war, we were able to compare the weapons and equipment of the two sides at that time:

The 55th Division of the Japanese Army:

Troops: 20,259; Field guns: 150 mm, 36 guns; Mortars: 200; Tank armored vehicles: 40 vehicles; Air support: 3 aviation squadrons

200th Division of Chinese Expeditionary Force:

Troops:11000; Field guns: 75 mm, 20 guns; Mortar: 100 door; Tanks and armored vehicles: 3 (the rest are left in Lashio for transportation); Air Support: None

The battle of bronze drums, which lasted 12 days, ended with the active withdrawal of China's army. The Japanese occupied an empty city, while China's troops retreated to Binvenna, one hundred miles away. The battle is not over yet, and both China and Japan can't wait to issue battle reports in their respective capitals, claiming a major victory. Public opinion on both sides has been heated up for this reason, and national sentiment has been stimulated. In fact, the losses of both sides in the battle were basically the same, and the Japanese army paid a heavy price for capturing the ruins. Although the people of China retreated 100 miles, they stopped the enemy's attack. Therefore, the fair conclusion should be that both sides have won the deserved victory and suffered the undeserved failure.

The battle of bronze drums initially corrected the discrimination and prejudice of westerners against China's army. Its significance in military history is almost zero, but its epistemological value unexpectedly gets high marks.

"The Biography of Dai Anlan" contains: "... enemy leader tojo hideki admitted in the Japanese parliament that the battle of bronze drums has never been a bitter battle since the siege of Lushun."

Indian Express: "Sir Weweiler said,' I thought China people could do nothing ... Now it seems that they can do something'."

Stilwell: "In modern times, people who made meritorious deeds in foreign countries and raised the prestige of great men almost regarded Dai Anlan as the first person." (Biography of Dai Anlan)

Stilwell: "... soldiers should not be blamed for the defeat in China. It is not that soldiers are afraid of death, but that officers are incompetent, not that the army has no morale, but that commanders have no confidence. "(Stilwell to China).