Surrender Is Death!
投降就是死亡！
Tóuxiáng jiùshì sǐwáng! An Alternate WW2 Sino Japanese War TL
Flag of the Republic of China
Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek
Author's Note: Surrender is Death is an alternate history scenario that primarily takes place in an alternate version of the Second Sino Japanese War during World War II. The Point of Divergence here is the Japanese victory at the Second Expedition of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Burma , where the Chinese lost. This follows the accounts and stories of a retired Chinese Kuomintang/ Guomindang soldier named Zhang Feng (not to be confused with the Fengtian warlord leader Zhang Zuolin), telling his story to a journalist in his late 80s.
The story begins with a prelude, about Feng's own experience during the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the incident that would be the spark of the Second Sino Japanese War. It then jumps into the introduction during the Battle of Shanghai to give a bit of knowledge on Feng's experience during the first major battle of the War. I hope you all enjoy!
We were stationed in the town of Wanping, a small little settlement 16.4 Kilometers or 10.2 miles southwest of Beijing. We were an entire group of soldiers. My group were outside the walled city when we encountered the Japanese from their garrison in Fengtai. They were there because they wanted to do some military exercises. We didn't accept them fruitfully and peacefully. We still think of the Japanese, even during the reign of peace before the war, as a major threat to the sovereignty of China as a nation in the world. Their ambitions for their so called "Asia for the Asians" and their plans to "drive out the cruel Western colonizers and establish a free Asia" under their wing disgusted us at whole. We knew they only wanted domination over the continent. We opened fire on them at about 23:00 military time or 11 PM that evening. To this day, I cannot remember the reason why we opened up our guns. It was all too complicated to process in the modern mind.
Now, one of their men, a private name Shimura Kikiguro, failed to return to his post. When their officer found out that he was missing, the Japanese sent a letter to Ji Xingwen (219th Regiment), our leader, demanding that they be granted entry into the town to find their missing man. Ji and the rest of us flatly refused their request. Private Kikiguro eventually returned to his post, but it was too late for that. Our side and the Japanese were already mobilizing our forces when he returned. The Japanese also called in reinforcements. They deployed out and encircled the town of Wanping. We prepared to defend our ground once fired upon. Little did we know, it was the beginning of the most deadliest war China would have ever known throughout its history. Later that evening, a Japanese infantry unit attempted to breach the walls of Wanping but failed. The Japanese sent in their ultimatum 2 hours later. Qin Dechun, the executive officer and the acting commander of the Chinese 29th Route Army, contacted the commander of the 37th Division, Feng Zhiang, to put his troops onto heightened alert. I was a proud member of the 37th and we were mobilized and put into maximum (not really total but heightened) readiness conditions.
The next part here I only knew from our officer when I woke up an hour after it happened. At 2:00 AM, Dechun sent the mayor of Wanping, Wang Lengzhai, alone to the Japanese camp at Fengtai to convince them to begin negotiations. This diplomatic attempt was hopeless, as the Japanese bluntly refused to negotiate. They still however requested permission to head into the town to investigate the cause of the incident. At 4:00, reinforcements for both sides had arrived, and the Command has pushed an extra division of soldiers into the field. I was a part of this group. An hour later, we opened fire on the Japanese and attacked them at the Bridge. Simultaneously, another attack happened at a modern rail yard bridge. By 4:45, Wang Lengzhai had returned to his town. However, on the way he claimed he saw the Japanese gathering amd amassing their forces around the town. Within 5 minutes after his return, we have fired shots.
Those shots marked the beginning of the Battle of Beiping Tianjin, and the Second Sino Japanese War.
That was the moment I thought it was the beginning of the Rapture.
I remember a good quote from the Tao Te Ching, the legendary book of Taoism written by Lao Tzu. It was:
"A man with outward courage dares to die. A man with inner courage dares to live."
Book One Part 1:
Stalingrad on the Yangtze August 13 - 22 1937
NRA Machine Gun Position during the Battle
I remember the Journalist who was interviewing me for their newspaper say:
"You were in Shanghai in 1937? And you served under General Sun Yuanliang?"
Trust me. It was more complicated than that.
After the incident at the Marco Polo Bridge, I requested a transfer from the 37th to the 88th Division. The 88th was one of the few National Revolutionary Army divisions that was trained, organized and supervised by the Germans. There was this program where Germany agreed to retrain the entire NRA, starting out with 80 professional divisions, which uses German weapons and equipment. In the blink of an eye, a Chinese soldier suddenly became German. There was a Kar 98 for the trooper and a Luger or Mauser for the officer. They also proudly called themselves the "Tiger Division" and was under the prestigious command of General Sun Yuanliang, a no nonsense and down to buisness kind of guy. I was discharged from the 37th by my disgruntled officer, who just shrugged off and said that the Division was crowded and too many to command anyway. I reported to the 88th 2 days later. I would later serve the Battle of Shanghai in this division.
My only notable action during the Battle was on the first phase of the engagement, from August 13 to 22. The Battle officially began on 9AM when the Chinese Peace Preservation Corps had engaged the Japanese forces at the Zhabei, Wusong and Jiangwan districts of Shanghai. By 3 PM, the Japanese began their ground push by crossing the Bazi Bridge in Zhabei and started to attack the different centers of the city. The 88th retaliated with mortar fire. The usual sporadic firing would last until 4 PM, when the Japanese decided to use their ships of the Third Fleet stationed on the Yangtze and Huangpu Rivers to bombard the Chinese positions from afar and out of range of any artillery batteries set up by the NRA. Later that evening, the Generalissimo himself ordered General Zhang Zhizhong to commence Chinese offensives preparations for the next day. By morning, elements of the glorious and great Republic of China Air Force started to attack various Japanese positions to soften the defences. The ground forces attacked by 3PM. On that day, the Chinese Government officially issued the "Proclamation of Self Defence and War Resistance", explaining their resolution and strategy of war against Japanese aggression. The Battle had begun.
Zhang Zhizhong had forged a somewhat good plan, but failed to actually materialize due to miscalculated coordination and the quick countermeasures enforced by the Japanese forces. His plan involved the numerically superior Chinese forces to attack the Japanese by surprise and push them into the Huangpu River. They will then blockade the coast to deny the Japanese of reinforcing their soldiers through the wharves of the coast. The most vital wharves was between Yangshupu and Hongkou, because these were places where they would be protected by the Battleships on the river. The 88th, aka my home division, would attack the Japanese army headquarters near Zhabei. The 87th, our somewhat sister division, was to attack the reinforced Kung-ta Textile Mill, where the naval headquarters for the Battleships was located. Zhang himself estimated that it will take a week to execute his plan, quite ambitious for an operation this large.
Unfortunately for him, he was way off the mark.
When the plan was officially put into action on the battlefield, the operation ran into a standstill as the troops were slowed down by the Japanese forces just outside the limits of the Shanghai International Settlement. There was also the fact that Japanese fortifications were made of very thick layers of concrete, which were un-penetrable and resistant to the 150 mm heavy howitzers, which was the only heavy guns the NRA had at their disposal. The only way to actually get close enough was under the cover of machine gun fire, where we would go close enough to silent the positions with grenades. Chinese advance was severely hampered and the element of surprise was lost.
Maybe it's worth telling a story of me doing this Operation myself.
I was with my platoon, designated as "Platoon No. 5", on a mission to destroy a Japanese bunker that was holding an area near the Japanese Army Headquarters at Zhabei district. Destroying this place was crucial, as it will open the way for us to fully enter the HQ. We were over 40 men up against a stronghold manned by at least 20 enemies. But they were armed to the teeth. They had over 5 machine guns placed in a strange "U" formation, along with the bunker in front of us with an additional MG on it. The rest of the troops were shooters and snipers.
I motioned to our spotter, Xi Xishan, to look through his binoculars and tell us of the defence composition. Xi was a childhood friend of mine and we enlisted in the National Revolutionary Army together. I ended up in the 37th while he enlisted directly for the 88th Division. I was relieved to see him when I transferred over after the Bridge incident. He was a normal sized man, a former employee of a consumer goods factory in Beijing before moving down to Wuhan with his family. His family was reported to be in Chongqing, and he was always there to protect them.
"Alright." He said "we have 5 Machine guns behind sandbag covers, plus one more in the bunker. I recommend caution if we want to capture it." Xi explained.
Our NCO, Zhang Huangpu, took this information in carefully. He was a big man, probably the biggest officer I have ever seen and served under. He was from Hong Kong, and moved to Hefei before the war broke out. He was another masculine figure, with large muscles and arms that can pretty much crush a person's face when punched. Due to him being named after the Huangpu River, we sometimes call him "NCO Water".
"Alright, here is the plan. Everyone, gather round here." He commanded us.
Zhang's plan was simple: we are to be divided into 2 groups, bearing 20 men each. He would lead the first group while the second was led by a man named Lao Chuanfang, a no nonsense kind of guy. I never see him eye to eye, but he fights like a lion on the battlefield. Xi's group would flank beside the bunker, and when the signal is given, they open fire. When all enemies are focused on them, our group attacks head on, catching the enemies in a deadly crossfire firefight. We all nodded in agreement, and we formed up into our assigned groups.
We watched as Lao's group slowly sneaked beside the bunker and it's defences. They stopped inside a ruined building located to the right of the stronghold. Suddenly, Zhang suddenly shouted the signal:
"Fire!" He exclaimed.
Lao's group suddenly emerged out of the ruined building, guns blazing. Some shooters were even on the second floor, raining fire down into the enemies. The Japanese were caught by surprise, and moved to intercept the attack. In a nod, our group emerged from our hiding place and charged towards the defences. I could here the Type 92 heavy machine gun starting to open up on our position, and bullet holes riddled the ground. I ducked behind a destroyed cart as the Battle ensued.
Xi then came beside me and ducked as a flurry of bullets struck the wall behind us. NCO Water also came after him.
"Quite a storm out there!" Zhang said. "See if you can shoot their machine Gunner!"
I placed a clip into my Type 24 Chiang Kai Shek bolt action rifle and aimed towards the Type 92's Position. I waited for him to get off and grab the ammo for reloading. When he got into the position I wanted, I opened fire.
The bullet struck the Japanese soldier in the head, climaxing in an agonizing cry as he dropped dead.
Our boys charged over the sandbags, bayonets first, stabbing the Japanese soldiers to death. While normally the enemy had the better strategy when it comes to charging suicidally, we also were ruthless enough for them to be capable fighters.
Suddenly, after the last of the enemy soldiers were killed in the bunker, 2 Japanese Type 92 "Jyu Sokosha" armored cars appeared in the street in front of the bunker. It unleased its machine gun fire, shooting and cutting down our soldiers as we struggled to get to cover. A few brave men manned the Type 92 machine guns and returned fire, to now avail.
Our numbers dwindled, until we were only 12 men strong. NCO Water decided for a last ditch escape: we would run for it into the next street and make our way back to the lines. It was a fight or flight process. It's a do or die mission decision.
5 of us chose to remain in the bunker to distract the cars while the rest of us run for it. We executed our plan carefully. The 5 brave souls opened fire on the armored cars while we ran to the next street. As we reached the corner of the street where we were unable to be spotted by the cars, all 5 men in the bunker were now dead, face splattered in blood as their uniforms riddled with bullet holes.
"Such brave men." NCO Water said. "May the heavens welcome then for their bravery."
Out of the 40 men of Platoon No. 5, only 7 would make it out alive.
Out of this predicament, this comes to show that the National Revolutionary Army was ineffective against the Japanese forces. We do outnumber them, but we are inexperienced, untrained and outgunned. War in China was hell.I envied the Chinese Red Army, for they are better motivated and led. Our leadership was irrelevant for most of the time.
Book One Part 2: The Capital November 26 - December 9 1937
Officer Corps members planning their attack
What remained of Platoon No. 5 fled southwards in a local guerilla and partisan sort of style. Our 7 man group would be joined by more scattered units and platoons that were seperated from their main command during the retreat from Shanghai. According to NCO Water, the appointed leader of the group, our objective was to keep heading south until we reach Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China. Since the retreat, Command was mostly shattered and nobody had a leader to take orders from, apart from their officers. Our group would later be christened as the Blue Tigers, quite sick of a name coined by Xi and myself. We were a sort of resistance group that was meant to slow the Japanese from advancing onto the capital, which was soon to be bombarded and assaulted upon. We just arrived at Nanjing after 5 days of intense travelling, and we are more than happy it was now over. For that journey, we got to experience the exclusive life of being a guerilla fighter, located behind enemy lines (or should I say, fleeing enemy lines) and have no way of communicating with the 88th Division. We had an intense time to know certain stuff. We would have to know on how to use enemy weapons and equipment because Chinese arms and ammo would be scarce in these parts. We sometimes took part in raids against camps and convoys for food and water. We would also sometimes pass small settlements and receive quite the staggering amount of supplies for our trips. Some men from those settlements even joined us in our journey to Nanjing. We also occasionally ran into communist partisans and worked with them for a few missions, usually sabotage and raids for supplies. But now we are in Nanjing, life has just gotten easier.
We were merged with elements of the Nanjing Garrison Force, a hastily assembled group of conscripts, militia and whatever forces that remained after the Battle of Shanghai. As expected, Zhang Huangpu/NCO Water was appointed the NCO of the new platoon created that was now designated as "Platoon No. 24". We were 44 men, supplemented by new recruits, usually militiamen and conscripts. We also had elite people join us, elements from our alma mater, the 88th, and guys of our sister division, the 87th. We had to give additional training to the conscripts and militia so they at least can pack a punch in the incoming battle with the Japanese. As for operational standards, we were capable and had operational senses: Zhang was our leader; Xi was our lead spotter: Sun Liang was our radio operator; and the rest were decent shooters and snipers who at least know how to load, shoot and reload a rifle. They knew how to kill.
Sun Liang was also a childhood friend of mine along with Xi. Unlike me and our spotter, Sun wouldn't enlist in the NRA until much later when the war broke out. He was known that he volunteered to replace his sick father who was unable to enlist properly due to his sickness at the age of 24. He joined the 87th and was present at Shanghai along with us, although we couldn't really get in touch due to operations and missions. When the retreat began, he got lost but eventually linked up with a group of division mates. They arrived 3 days before we did, so they got to know what's going on and who's who in the capital. Sun was a standard man, too standard for a radio operator. Even though his role in the platoon kept him on the radio or phone for most of the time, he was known to come with us in engagements and action. He was a beast of a man in the battlefield.
While I was cleaning my rifle one time, Xi shouted at me from the top of a barricade and said; "NCO Water wants to see you!"
I waltzed down to the NCO Office and reported to Zhang. It looked like he had something important up in mind.
"Alright." Zhang said "I'm gonna be placing Squads 4, 5 and 6 under you. I'll try you out as a "platoon element commander." Tell your guys."
I wasn't really expecting this promotion all too much. Zhang already knew that I can lead already, but I still went and told the guys of the reorganization of command. Coincidence or not, I was paired with the remnants of Platoon No 5 and the elite guys, which was the group that I was hoping to lead to victory. Guess I was correct this time with my guessing. I suddenly noticed a swift changed in the command: our element had more German than Chinese; more Kar 98s than Type 24s; more Stahlhelms than Chinese helmets; and especially, more German looking than Chinese. The German Crew were born. I lead this element for over 9 years, from 1937 to 1946, under 3 different NCOs, and served with the Germans until the day I retired from the service.
Although I had settled down immediately with the Germans, it took a while before I felt I was actually a part of the team. Even though I was the element commander, I still felt that I was still different from everyone else in the group.
The incoming Battle would later prove I was some mantle to the team, a leader of the group.
The task of occupying Nanjing was assigned by the Japanese to General Iwane Matsui, the commander of Japan's Central China Area Army. High Command believed that with capturing Nanjing would force a surrender and thus ending the war quickly. To prevent a forced surrender, the Generalissimo decided that they must defend the city at all costs. Command of the Nanjing Garrison Force was given to General Tang Shengzi. As stated above, the NGF was just a hastily assembled group of conscripts, militias and the remnants of the Chinese forces that fought in Shanghai, with the majority of which is untrained and inexperienced in combat. From Shanghai, the Japanese army marched in a breakneck pace, in a piercer move (reminiscent of the German Blitzkrieg tactics) southwest towards the capital, destroying and crushing any sort of resistance, usually in pockets or partisan groups. By December 9, they had reached the last line of defence, the Fukou Line, just outside Nanjing. Behind the Line was the city's fortified walls, including the Zhongshan Gate and other major entryways into the city. On December 10, Matsui ordered a full on attack on the city and capture it.
Thus began the Battle of Nanjing, or should I say, the Fall of the Capital.
Book One Part 3 Failure and Capture December 12 - 13 1937
Japanese troops stand victorious over the ruins of the Zhongshan Gate in Nanjing
Some sad music.....
"No one retreats! Not a one step backwards!!"
This was the strict order of the Chinese command. Anyone caught out of place, deserting or fleeing their post will be shot dead. I estimate that about 1,000 of us were shot by our own comrades and officers for deserting. We had to keep fighting, and since this was the capital that we were defending, we had to give our 100% courage and strength. But personally, to this day, I still don't think it was worth it in the end, since we still lost the Battle to the Japanese. Some Japanese soldiers also reported that they saw Chinese pillboxes chained up from the outside, so the occupants can't flee them. Tang Shengzi even reported that the casualties were so heavy that he began to weep, but still had the fuel and silver of hope left. No one steps backwards, no one retreats, everyone stays and fights for China and Nanjing. I would even experience this myself. We would be stuck in our pillbox for hours. The only time we are allowed out was when Command themselves gives the order to retreat.
By December 12, the Japanese had capture Peak #2 on Mt. Zijinshan. From this vantage point, the enemy unleased a withering artillery barrage on the Zhongshan Gate. Due to the torrential fire of the artillery, a huge part of the wall suddenly collapsed on itself. That evening, the fires on Zijinshan were visible from the gate, which was fully captured by the Japanese 10th Army on the night of December 12 to 13. But, unknown to the Japanese and even his own troops, Chiang Kai Shek had ordered General Tang Shengzi, the leader of the Nanjing Garrison Force, to abandon his position. Tang had tried pleading to Chiang against this, stating he wants to stay and protect the capital, but was denied. In a last minute attempt, Tang organized a plan to call a ceasefire through 2 German citizens: John Rabe and Eduard Sperling. However, realizing that the negotiations won't finish in time, he forged a new plan that will involve all of his units in an attempt to break out of the encirclement in the cover of night. We were to commence the breakout at 2300 (11 PM) hours under the shadows of the night, where the Japanese would be resting their troops. Our objective was to break out and muster our forces at Anhui. Tang made it out; he crossed the Yangtze and escaped through the town of Pukou on the other side. Tang also made sure that the message to retreat was to be transmitted to all the remaining fighting units still deployed, and be made to retreat intact and at least operational capable.
The message however wasn't relayed to everyone, as several units already lost contact with the main structure of command, and thus didn't receive the message. They continued to hold as ordered. The entire Nanjing Garrison Force was dwindling in numbers as the moments passed. Those who did receive the word to retreat found it difficult to break through the Japanese lines. 2 Chinese Army Corps, the 66th and 83rd Corps, made a bold attempt to flee the city through a gap in the Japanese forces to the east of Nanjing, but they ran into their own minefield that was undisturbed since the beginning of the battle. Then, the Japanese units attacked them on flight, inflicting the loss of 2 divisional chiefs of staff in the process. Both corps started with 11,000 men, but only 600 would manage to flee Nanjing safely. By dawn of the 13th, a portion of the 74th Corps was also completely annihilated in an attempt to flee the city across the Yangtze River.
However, the no retreat order was still firm, even if it involved the deaths of civilians.
On the same night, a mob of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were stopped by Chinese barrier troops in an attempt to reach the harbor at Xiaguan to escape the advance of the Japanese 10th Army. Due to them having no "permission" to retreat, they were fired upon by the guards. A fleeing tank unit rammed through the barrier guards and managed to enter the harbor, but the civilians and soldiers found that hardly any boats remained available to them. They started to pile on whatever boats were available, but due to overweighting of the crafts, some sank midway or even failed to launch. The fleeing soldiers and civilians then found themselves being fired upon from both sides of the river; by their own soldiers who were responding to the no retreat order, and the Japanese trailing behind them. The rest either braved the waves of the Yangtze by swimming or by grabbing to pieces of scrap on the river. It was a bloodbath.
Unfortunately for me and the rest of the Platoon, we weren't one of the lucky units to escape.
NCO Water did receive the order to retreat from a courier. We started our organized escape in a not so much great way. Then, we found ourselves to be encircled by Japanese troops on the road to the harbor on the river. Since we had no ammo remaining and we were too exhausted, we had no choice but to surrender to the Japanese. I was then knocked out by one of them and felt being loaded onto a wagon and be brought back to the captured city.
Thus began our short career as captives. It was short, but painful.
I awoke in a stank prison cell about 7 hours later.
I say "stank" because the cell was, well.. stank. It was uncomfortable as hell. Dirt and bugs everywhere. Xi Xishan was on one of the bunks, probably waiting for hours for me to wake up. Your patience have paid off, my friend.
"Geez, Feng. You were trashing about. Bad dream?" He said as I stood up from the floor.
I felt a stinging sensation in my back as I touched it. It was not as painful, but strong enough to make a a child cry in place. Sure enough, it was a wound from what looks to be a blowgun. Maybe they wanted to knock me out for a while.
"Where's NCO?" I asked.
"I don't know man. Last time I saw him, he was being forced to his knees by the Japanese soldiers. He was then hit by the butt of a gun. He went clean dead to the ground. I was next after him, and I never saw him since. Lao Chuanfang however is in the Cell Block B, along with a few of his mates." Xi explained. My mouth was open. NCO Water was nowhere to be found? My God.
"It will only be a matter of time." Xi said.
"What do you mean 'it will only be a matter of time'?" I asked, frustrated.
"Our cell block is next in the "Death Row", aka the group chosen to be slaughtered for fun." He said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"When is our turn?" I asked. I wanted to organize an escape before it's our time in the Death Row.
"Around 9 PM. The Guards and the Executioners took 2 hours to sleep."
"What time is it now?" I asked.
He looked at the wall clock that was hung limply in front of our cell. It stood next to a Japanese army flag hung limply and tattered with bullet holes. He then looked back at me.
"8:30" He said. "It's almost time. It's almost over."
When I was just about to lose hope, a Japanese guard suddenly sprinted in front of us.
"Keihō! Keihō!" He shouted. It meant "Alarm! Alarm!". Something was wrong.
The Japanese guard suddenly cried an agonizing pain after a bullet shot through his nape. He dropped dead with eyes open. I suddenly had blood on my boot.
A man in a prisoner's uniform ran up to our cell. It was NCO Water. He was carrying a Nambu pistol that he apparently had stolen from a dead guard. He smiled as he stared at us.
"Hey! The Uprising is starting! What ya doing in there?" He said. He pulled out a makeshift picklock and unlocked the door.
"NCO!" I said. We hugged each other. "Ahh.. trooper." He said, laughing.
"What's this Uprising?" Xi asked "We have never been informed about it."
"The entire prison is rising up. A genius guy in Block C planned this out for a whole 2 months since he came here. We're now armed. I suggest you grab weapons." He explained.
"Guess we're back in buisness!" I exclaimed.
"Yes we are. Arm yourself now." NCO said. He ran back down the hall. While running, I heard him faintly say "follow me!".
We ran down the hall and got to the Block's armory. There was a dead officer on the chair with a pipe on his chest, bleeding fresh. We grabbed some rifles and we were ready to go.
We arrived in what looks like the cafeteria. It was chaos. Hell.
Tables were turned over. Chinese prisoners with guns were shooting at the counter. A light machine gun was set up on one of the tables out front. We ducked out of the way once we busted in the room.
Lao was there too. He was wearing an officer's hat and was armed with an Arisaka. He simply nodded once he saw me.
"Sup." He said. "time to make yourself useful. Go talk to the boss over there by the storage unit."
The leader of this whole Uprising was a tank commander named Chiang Johnson. He was a tall man, but not as tall as NCO. Surprisingly, he was a half American, so he was a fluent guy in English and wields the voice of authority over the other people. He turned around towards us after raining an entire rifle clip on the Japanese soldiers.
"Good." He said. "we got more people. Listen up. See if you can sneak up on that LMG position by the counter. There's that line of tables over there. Sneak through while we rain cover fire." He explained.
We got into position. What he meant was that we can use a set of tables turned over on the side of the cafeteria to get through. We had to be fast, as that LMG can focus on us immediately.
We ran for dear life. We barely managed to get to the counter in front of us, as the LMG was now against me, NCO and Xi. We shot every God damn soldier in front of us, and they all dropped dead. The LMG guy dropped dead last, shot in the head by NCO.
The rest of the prisoners came forward. Chiang just smiled at us. No compliments. That's all.
We came all the way to liberating the entire prison. The Japanese were making their last stand at their radio station. Taking that was crucial, as we can contact the Command, telling them that there were us present.
A HMG was positioned in the window of the station. It was a 2 floor building draped with Japanese flags and posters. A bulletin board was on the entrance way. On signal, we were to run again (yes, again.) to the nearest window, jump in and neutralize the post. After that, we are the proud occupiers of a prison.
"What is Step 7?!" Chiang shouted.
"Breach the Station!" The other prisoners shouted.
They had developed a neat plan of action for this Uprising.
Step 1: Get the Keys
Step 2: Liberate the Block
Step 3: Liberate the Others
Step 4: Breach the Armory
Step 5: Secure Food
Step 6: Liberate the Cafeteria
Step 7: Breach the Station
Step 8: Freedom!!
That last one had a cool name.
Once again, we prepared our charge. I was to go first, and I was to shatter the window when I jump in. NCO and Xi came behind. Lao provided covering fire.
Chiang shouted "Go!", And we began our mad rush to the window. I jumped in. As I landed on the floor, the Japanese soldiers just looked at me as I land. I capped their faces off of them.
I looked to the staircase. At the top of the staircase was a sandbag barricade, covering upstairs from down here.
I saw a stash of grenades. I knew what to do.
I grabbed one grenade. Just one. Then I began to slowly climb up the stairs, my 2 buddies moving behind me. When at the barricade, I chucked the grenade over.
"Shuryūdan!" I heard a Japanese soldiers say. It meant "Grenade!".
The grenade blew. By then everyone was already downstairs, and I remained on the third to last step on the staircase. The grenade blew so strong that I tumbled down the staircase. The guys began to climb up the stairs.
Chiang came by my side.
"You did well." He said, laughing while he helped me get up. "This is only the beginning! We shall defeat the Japanese!"
He then shouted one last time.
"Step 8?!" He shouted, in waiting for a response.
"Freedom!!" The prisoners shouted. I shouted along.
We happily raised the only Chinese NRA flag we could find over this prison. It was now ours.
Members of the Chinese Expeditionary Force reuniting with the Chinese Army in India
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor dragged the United States into the war. The Second World War had started back in September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland. German support have stopped completely, and we were left to our own faiths. After the American entry into the war, they started to supply us through their Lend Lease scheme and policy. The Japanese Empire had expanded rapidly and at an alarming rate, invading Hong Kong, Malaya, various Pacific Islands, Singapore, the Philippines, the East Indies and most of New Guinea. They are now threatening Northern Australia, and had just begun invading Burma, fighting the British Burma Corps stationed there. Because of this, the Chinese Expeditionary Force was assembled from the 5th Army and the New Sixth Army, under the command of American general and import, Joseph Stilwell. The Fall of Rangoon, the encirclement of the British First Burma Division and the Fall of Lashio had their blows to morale to the unified Allied Forces in Burma and India. The first expedition to Burma was a total disaster for the CEF, and were withdrawn by Command. The failure led to the Burma Road, the chain between the Allies and China, being completely sealed off and closed. Our Army now had to rely on "The Hump" and the construction of the Ledo Road for supplies and equipment.
I want to share now my own experience during the First Expedition to Burma before it was shut close after the failure at Lashio. My time during the Battle of Yenangyaung.
The newly formed Burma Corps under British General William Slim made of Brits, Indians and locally raised Burmese troops, were stationed to defend the Irrawaddy River Valley, while our forces, the Chinese Expeditionary Force defended the Sittaung River Valley to the east of them. After the Japanese victories in Singapore and the East Indies, the freed up troops, along with newly acquired captured trucks from these campaigns, managed to launch a full assault into Central Burma and reinforce their troops while their at it. One of their objectives was the very important Yenangyaung Oil Fields. If the Japanese secures this very strategic position, they can exploit the oil and use it as a giant refinery for all of their vehicles, like tanks and trucks. The hitch is, the Chinese Expeditionary Force, aka our forces, is defending this position. We are known to be less organized and less trained than the British. Little did we all know that after this battle, over 7,000 British soldiers would be totally encircled by a similarly sized Japanese army, while we merely lost a thousand people. Such a shock and blow to our morale, as we never expected the better trained people be the ones to suffer the most. It was just so shocking to know when we were first informed after the Battle.
While we still technically called the German Crew, we had been issued American and British weapons and equipment through the Lend Lease scheme. I got myself a trusty and brand new Lee Enfield No 4 rifle as my main and primary weapon; a very expensive, but very reliable Thompson Submachine Gun, nicknamed the "Tommy Gun" by the Americans. I got a new uniform during my platoon's brief stay in India; a sort of new brown We decided to keep our name because we pretty much act like Germans anyway: drinking booze all night but always prepared for battle. We also reunited with Sun Liang, who was left behind to serve the 88th Division back in China itself. He was notified by an officer friend of ours in the 88th that we were sent down to Burma as part of the CEF. So, he actually stole a motorbike of a peasant (who was away at the moment) from Chongqing and rode down the then open Burma Road and arrived at our location a day ago. We were shocked to see him travel that distance. He even had to "liberate" a couple of food packs too from families who don't use them much, by pretending to be a refugee from Nanjing. We laughed when he said it. We had just heard from a master in action.
Now, my platoon was assigned by the higher ups to patrol the nearby swamp around 4 miles south of the camp. NCO Water feared all of us getting gunned down at once, so I was chosen to lead a group of 8 people. Surely, an 8 man squad wouldn't pack much, especially if its from China. But we were decent people operationally. Xi was our spotter and recon master; Lao Chuanfang was our main action and fire support boss; Sun was our radio operator; and Doc Lin was our number one wise corpsman. Lin was our medic and was also from my alma mater division, the 88th. He was a beast in battle, but is kind hearted in headquarters and camp. He was also very religious, too religious for a medical operator/corpseman. He was a devoted Christian man, and carried a Bible in his pocket, and would so say things like "Well I'll be Damned." Lin was one of the largest men in our team, about 6'1, second only to myself at 6'3. He was also one of the most muscled too.
We set off on our patrolling mission. The swamp was 4 miles south, and to us, that was far away already. We walked for nearly 2 hours until we reached the swamp south of the camp. The environment smelled like stink from a toilet, and I almost puked 3 times when we waded through the very unpleasant smell of water. There was grass and trees everywhere. Lily Pads and frogs constantly jumping by here and there, getting some flies via their long tongues and leaving the area to go home. It was just a very normal day in the Great Dismal Swamp, as we coined it.
Just then, we ran into our enemies.
There was a small wooden bridge that spans the swamp. It was old, evidently built back in 1908 by some locals to transport goods and head to places faster. It was rickety too, making creaking sounds as you step over it.
An entire company of Japanese soldiers crossed the bridge into our territory. We ducked behind a fallen log as they passed. They weren't messing around. They had 4 LMGs and over a dozen rifles. Lao counted them. They were 3 platoons in all. They must have come from the Japanese camp far south from here, maybe on a patrol too. We can't be spotted, or else we'll be massacred. They were about 80 men up against me and my squadmates, 8 people in all. I don't know what a company this sized is doing out here patrolling. Maybe their heading for the camp up north.
Lin, a fluent Japanese speaker, heard one of them said "Chūgoku no kyanpu wa kōdesu." which means "The Chinese camp is this way." They were heading for our camp.
"They're heading for our camp." Lin said. "We have to inform them at the camp."
"Sun, can you contact the Command? And also NCO?" I asked.
"The radio is too loud. The Japanese will hear it." Sun replied.
"Well, one of us has to go back there on foot." Lao suggested.
"I'll do it." I volunteered. "Just keep your heads low. I'll be back as soon as I can." I began to pick up my gear and weapons.
"And hey." Lao said "be careful out there, okay?"
"I will." I said.
I waded back to the right bank of the swamp that leads back to the Chinese camp 4 miles north. The Japanese were walking in a column with rifles shouldered. I couldn't find the captain within the ranks. Maybe he was out front. I climbed out of the water dripping wet from my knees down. The Great Dismal Swamp was maybe a couple of feet deep, not that deep though. I brushed off a bunch of tadpole eggs that stuck to my boot. It was disgusting and very unpleasant.
I slowly made my trip back to the camp, all the while dodging any sort of patrols wandering around the area leading to the camp. I caught up with the main Japanese force just about 2 miles out from the camp, probably getting ready. They might launch a skirmish attack any minute now. I hurried passed the main group of Japanese soldiers gathered around in a circle, with their captain in the middle, telling them their plans. I stealthily made it passed them, though barely.
I was now about a mile out when I stumbled upon a Japanese squad of 10 soldiers. Maybe they were a recon force meant to spy on the camp and make a few notes on the defences.
I was hiding in a bush that was just in front of them. As I steadily crawled out of their range, I accidentally stepped on a twig. I just managed to get out barely when they went to check it out.
I got back to camp, and reported to Chiang Johnson, who was promoted by NCO as the new Lieutenant/main leader in the Platoon, although under strict supervision from NCO. I reported my findings to them all.
NCO finally allowed me to access the Radio Department that's located a few meters from our tent. I never got to actually get in here due to myself being "a guinea pig" or a line member. I got the excuse because I wanted to contact the others back at the Great Dismal Swamp.
"Ey, what's up man?" I said to Sun Liang as he picked up from the other side.
"We're fine for now. Orders from Lieutenant?" Sun asked.
"Come on home, man. They now know that the Japanese are coming. We need you guys to defend." I instructed.
"Alright, alright. Just give us a moment to look around for the enemy." Sun said. I could hear chatter between the remaining 7 man squad left at the GDS. I heard water dripping and their boots stepping onto the bank.
"Going home as requested. Expect us within a few hours, depending on the enemy's position from us and the camp. Going dark." Sun said, about to drop.
"Over." I said as I deactivated the radio.
Just then, I heard a spotter shout "Rising Sun! Rising Sun present in the vicinity!"
"Rising Sun" was our term for Japanese soldiers. I grabbed my Thompson and proceeded to NCO.
"They are about 80 men, like you said. 3 platoons. Maybe they are a scouting force." Zhang said.
"They are armed to the teeth. 4 LMGs, 1 HMG and a few snipers." Chiang said.
Just then, a bullet struck the sandbag behind us. We ducked for cover as the Heavy Machine Gun opened fire onto our defences. Shots from our position started ringing out as the firing opened up. I looked through my binoculars. Sure enough, there were an entire column of Japanese soldiers in prone positions hidden within the bushes. Shots continue to fire from the forest line as the Chinese soldiers in our camp began to muster up into their posts and MGs.
Dear Family,
I had been away for almost an unprecedented 4 to 5 years. Service in the National Revolutionary Army is very hard and rough to endure. Depression is a common thing here in the camp, and most of my own mates are missing their families. That includes me. I hope you all are doing well and safe from the wrath of the Japanese tyrants and their attitude of no mercy against our population. But, I promise you: we will endure. I hope this letter finds its way into your hands there at Chongqing.
To my daughter, Esther, I miss you my little girl. You are the reason why I fight and keep fighting despite the consequences and the horrors of the battlefield. Daddy promises to remain safe in this war, and I will return alive. I will bring home a special gift! Just wait for my next letter.
And to my loving wife, Chen. Thank you for taking care of our daughter and my mother. You are the inspiration I have, and the fuel for my continued struggle here in Burma. Thank you for loving me. I love you.
I hope God Blesses You, always. You both are my Sunshine.
Dear Ms. Yu,
As Mr. Wang Xiu Yu's friend, I approach you today to inform you that your loyal husband and my comrade has gone on to live with our Lord. He volunteered to go on scouting outside of our camp a few days ago, but didn't come back to camp by afternoon. We found his body in a swamp, shot directly into the head. The Command and our Platoon are now making arrangements for the eventual return of Wang's body to your home in Chongqing for his burial. We are deeply sorry for your loss.
As sorry, our Command has decided to donate 5,000 Yuan as financial assistance and for his burial. As his friend, I was completely devastated with this tragedy, and it has affected my other comrades as well. We all want to reach out condolences to your family. May God Bless You and your family!
Yenangyaung Oil Fields, Burma
April 13 1942
1500 Hours
To General Shojiro Iida:
Greetings, dear Lieutenant General! I hope you are doing well on your front of the so far successful Burma Campaign and against the British forces. I'm writing this letter today to officially request an additional 4,000 or less men from the 55th Division, who is helping on the drive towards Madalay. We had already been supplemented by volunteer elements from the Burmese Independence Army (to be specific, the Sixth Unit of the BIA), around 200+ that arrived yesterday. But, I don't think this is enough. I wanted professional forces as well to support the drive and capturing of Yenangyaung. I await your reply.
Yours Truly,
Lieutenant General Shozo Sakurai
>Signed<
A picture I took of Lao Chuanfang in Burma 5 days before the Skirmish, showing off his gear and weapons. He was the only "pure" soldier in the platoon, as he was the only one that actually wore a complete NRA Army uniform.
The skirmish grew to a battle.
Within minutes and hours, elements of the 400 man Japanese garrison that camped far south across the Great Dismal Swamp had also arrived at the scene to assist. The entire Chinese camp was manned by barely 150 people. The pros were the fact we had the High Ground, so we can get more cover and we can rack up more kills than them. The cons was that we were outnumbered, and had a limited amount of ammunition and supplies. We needed all the things we can get. If we run out of ammo, threw in the towel or be reduced to small numbers, it will be over for us. Especially the fact that our platoon was known for leading that Uprising back at that prison north of Nanjing. We were officially on the wanted list, the so called Black List of the Japanese. The members of the BL are specific individuals who did several things. Most of these included saboteurs, defectors and people who killed high ranking officials. We were no exception, as we did that thing back at the prison. We were Blacklisted by Tokyo's cronies and men. But that's okay, as long as we are still alive and fighting.
I decided to look through my binoculars one more time at the happenings back down the slope of the hill of our camp. Gunfire was still pouring out from the forest below, but I couldn't see the Japanese soldiers. There were constant shadows and figures moving around, usually in a low profile. They were all well hidden and well organized. Those moving were real stealthy to not be shot. As I learned from Chiang, that small force was a deterrent for us. They expected us to not mount our defences fully since we are fighting a smaller group. But, these new reinforcements suddenly popped up from behind trees, bushes and grass and started to support the skirmish group. It seemed like they wanted us to engage that small force. They didn't expect it to do much anyways. They just bought more time for the main force to mobilize, prepare their guns and head for their hidden positions. I could see flashes popping out from the treeline, although I couldn't see the shooters themselves. I still had to keep my head down to avoid a luckily positioned sniper to shoot at me in the head. A bullet struck the sandbag behind me as I went back into prone position. Xi was next to me, firing his Lee Enfield No 4 rifle. He turned to face me as he finished the last bullet of a clip. He just smiled at me as he loaded up his clip, and fired upon the Japanese again. I turned away from him onto my right side. Lao was there too, mounting a Bren Gun. He was too focused to actually talk to me. I understood this immediately, and I looked away. They were all focused on taking out those invaders. I looked back to the main tent on top of the hill. That's where Chiang and NCO Zhang are. It was riddled by holes. I don't know about them inside. I also looked to see my own tent full of bullet holes. One of the poles holding it up was knocked off by a rifle shot, causing the entire canvas to collapse entirely. Good thing I moved my things to the main bulk of the camp before this battle began.
I then saw 2 Chinese soldiers come down from the ammunition tent towards a machine gun post. They were going to supply it with additional ammo. Suddenly, they were both shot down by a luckily positioned sniper. They both dropped to the ground dead. It was 2 clear headshots. One was hit in the eye, and the other on the forehead. It was the most disgusting death I had ever seen and witness before my very eyes.
Why do I mention this? Because, as the 2 soldiers succumbed to the headshots and blood loss, a sniper, one that I will call "Operative #1", got up to his feet and attempted to flee the Battle in horror of what he had just witnessed. I took off after him, not caring about the various snipers and rifles that are probably aimed at me. The man ran ridiculously slow, was slightly fat, and was a bit cowardice to say the least. I caught up to him eventually, but he was already forced to the ground by NCO and Chiang, who by now were aiming their pistols at him.
"Where the hell you going, huh?!" NCO shouted at him. The man stood silent, but looked to be pleading at him sadly.
"Don't tell me your gonna flee! Tell me!" NCO shouted again. Chiang had a disappointed look on his face. It was the first time he had saw a coward flee before his very eyes.
"There are no cowards in the 77th!" NCO shouted.
"You are supposed to serve the President of the Republic of China!" Chiang shouted at him.
"So I tell you, get up and fight! Go on and fight!"
"I'm... I'm sorry sirs." Operative #1 said, getting up nervously and getting his rifle.
That would be the only time I ever hear NCO raise his voice. He his known throughout the Platoon as a calm leader. He spoke with authority and respect. He wasn't the type to shout at anyone when they do something wrong. But not this time.
Operative #1 stood up. As he did, a shot exploded in his head as I jumped down for cover. He dropped to the ground, dead on the spot. I ran back to my post. I also saw Chiang shooting back with his pistol in anger, managing to take out a few Japanese soldiers.
The Japanese were now crouching in a straight line a few yards down the hill. We had the High Ground advantage, which is good. They were shooting back in synchronized fashion. I counted about 19 dead enemies and dozens more wounded. But things are about to spiral out of control here.
An explosion tore the entire right side of the camp, destroying a few tents and sending people flying and screaming. As I looked through my binoculars, I saw the Japanese amidst the treeline. They had brought a Type 91 10cm 105mm light howitzer. Maybe they wanted a bigger gun, but this was a swamp area, and logistics can be a problem, as the Great Dismal Swamp was too muddy to actually carry anything over, unless the wooden bridge would hold it or a pontoon can do the job. This was already enough to destroy maybe 4 tents or more per shell, at least by the shrapnel and not the direct hit. We responded with our captured Type 92 70 mm Battalion Gun, with whatever shell we had in our hands. It was small, but was effective in giving covering artillery fire for our boys, at least until the shells run out. An artillery exchange began.
Our position is getting overwhelmed as newer reinforcements arrive from the Japanese camp and fresh recruits from the Burmese Independence Army from the Japanese 55th Division. If we don't hold, the hill is going to get overunned by the enemy, and we'll be history. I imagine they won't be placing us back in prison, but in front of a log while a katana decapitates our head. The good thing is that Sun Liang managed to contact a company of British Soldiers a few miles north of the camp, and according to their last transmission a few hours ago, they were on their way to save us. They also called in some air forces, in the form of 3 Russian made Polikarkov I-16s (to be specific, the Type 17 variant) that were serving with the Republic of China Air Force. The I-16 was the main fighter of the ROCAF, and the backbone of China's air forces.
We needed the air support and reinforcements fast, because the Japanese were starting to overwhelm us. The shells for the battalion gun was low. We were halfway from expending all our rifle ammo. It's all in the British's hands now. We just have to hold.
I was hearing an aircraft approaching the hill. It wasn't the sound of a Peashooter.. it was a bomber. An enemy bomber.
A Kawasaki Ki 48 "Lilly" light bomber suddenly flew over and deployed 4 bombs against our position. Soldiers were sent flying. All soldiers were now ordered to defend the main tent/headquarters as the Japanese swarmed and took over the first line. However, due to confusion because of the bombing run, they ended up accidentally shooting each other, killing a few of their own men. The Japanese took a short break to reorganize their lines as teh Officer was still not present.
I was out of rifle ammo. Lao was on his last magazine on the Bren, and Xi had only 2 clips of rounds left. Our officers barely had any pistol ammo. Everyone else began passing around ammo, as it was already low. We used carts and sandbags as cover.
In a one deafening roar, the Japanese soldiers charged towards our defences. The officer was out front, waving his katana and shooting with his pistol. We opened fire with what we have left.
"Well! It looks like this is it!" Xi shouted as he expenses his second to last clip.
"Nonsense!" Lao shouted back.
Another sound rang from the sky. It was the Ki 48. It was coming back for another run.
Just then, a shouting came behind the Japanese.
A Sherman tank rolled up from the left side of the hill and rained fire down on the Japanese. In a panic, the enemy fled, suffering huge casualties. Then, the British arrived guns blazing. They engaged the Japanese on flight.
The Ki 48 flew over us. But this time, it was burning. It crashed down a few miles away, around the area of the Great Dismal Swamp.
The British approached our position, smiling casually as they normally do. A wild cheer erupted, as we celebrated our underdog victory.
The 3 I-16s flew over us. Their flight leader radioed in. Sun managed to receive it too.
"Chinese ground forces, this is Group Red, flying over you now. Our company will take it from here. Get yourself across the border." The leader said.
"Affirmative, flight leader. Thanks for that support." Chiang radioed in.
Out of 150 men that held Camp Fengtian, only 64 would make it alive. The British company, who were 150 - 200 soldiers, would take over Operations of the camp as we prepared to retreat to India.
I just smiled at their NCO, who was friendly and sported a Fu Manchu.
We made it out. Barely.
I was also amazed by the aircraft and their pilots. So I decided to do something that I have never done before.
I decided that I wanted to conquer my Acrophobia. The air was my new friend.
Portrait of a Gloster Gladiator. I would fly in one of these things for 2 years until I returned to the ground in 1944.
The wind was blowing by my face as I sped up the Gloster Gladiator. My hands were on the yoke of the plane as I gradually adjust according to the terrain that was ahead of me. My mission was to spy on a section of the now captured Yenangyaung Oil Fields that was being used the Japanese as a giant refinery and gas station for their vehicles and tanks. I flew off from Bengal Air Force Station in Bengal, made a stop at a forward base near the Burmese border, then made it up here above the oil fields. My ground comrades have also made it into India from the action in Burma, and is currently on "vacation" in New Delhi. They even sent me a letter with a groupie in front of the Taj Mahal. It was real drool.
Then, the Flight Leader radioed in to the rest of the squadron.
"Alright boys. We have Zeros coming in fast!" He shouted.
"12:00! High!" The Co Leader radioed in as well.
We watched as a gigantic group of A6M Zeros and Ki 48 Lilly light bombers close in on our squadron. It was another battle in the air. I prepared my weapons and sanity, and I prayed that I might survive this onslaught.
I gripped the yoke with my hands, adjusted my goggles, and prepared for the worst to come.
I wouldn't start air training until June 1942. By then, our platoon and regiment have withdrawn from Burma and are now resting and replenishing in India. The British company took over operation of Camp Fengtian. I really hope they don't mess up until we can get back, somehow. The lads sent me a letter that includes a picture yesterday. They were in New Delhi at the moment and have taken a groupie in front of the Taj Mahal. A writing on the back of the picture read:
Come on, man! Your missing the fun!
I just laughed when I read that. It was funny enough.
At about 9 AM in the morning, I rode to Bengal Air Force Station in Bengal, miles away from the Burmese border. I used Sun's motorcycle, which he had given away to me because he "didn't saw it necessary to further use it", as said by himself. It was convenient, as I can get to work faster. He also gave 4 gallons of gas along with the package. I thanked him once he gave me the keys.
To get a request for air training, you have to submit a special letter telling your will throughout the chain of command and must be signed by the leader or the highest ranking guy in the area. Chiang happily signed my request after he knew that I was going to conquer my Acrophobia. He merely shrugged and said "Good Luck."
You got it, skipper.
I waltzed in the hangar to find 29 other people. These would be my new classmates and friends during this very short, but rigorous and brutal training. I was reunited with a few of my old friends. Li Wei was my old friend and comrade from the time I first enlisted in the National Revolutionary Army. He also was curious on how the air war was fought. He was braver than myself, and was considered our sky ace (eventually). There was also Wang Zhizhong, a tall and quite humble man, more humble than Zhang or Chiang probably. He was a former leader of an artillery company. And there was my British friend and former associate, Sarah Mason. Sarah was a pure English gal and was a veteran of the Battle of Britain. Sarah decided to transfer to the Pacific since "she had nothing better to do". Sarah was also a great speaker. She had amazingly sky blue eyes and a really "expressive" personality. You'll get what I mean by that in a moment.
I sat down next to the guys and we talked softly, not wanting to disturb the "silence" (or in other words, noisy nature) in the room.
"Hey! How are you doing? I missed you!" Sarah said as I sat down. See what I mean by "expressive"?
"Hello, Sarah. Been a while since we last operated, huh?" I said in remarks.
"How's life in the infantry?" Wang asked.
"Quite good. Made loads of friends." I replied.
"Being a Ground Hog is fun, or so." Li said I'm agreement. A unique thing about him was that he had a sort of verbal tic. Every verb, noun or adjective is constantly followed by "or so", like "Get over here before I kill you, or so." We got used to it, and even used it in our own conversations.
"You didn't change one bit, Li?" Sarah said, laughing softly "As expected."
"And your expressiveness haven't changed ever." Li said, laughing too.
Then, our instructors came in. They were fierce and tall looking men who looked like can carry a car. We came into attention as the lead man cleared his throat.
The lead man and Training Department Supervisor is an American born citizen named John McKenzie. He was the most scariest man you'd ever seen and train under. While this scary stance and characteristic was a prime feature of his, he was very calm and respectful. He didn't commanded like all the other leaders. He wasn't the type to raise his voice, a kind of reincarnation of NCO, but with more patience. He was at Pearl Harbor during the the attack on December 7 a year earlier. He was a former pilot aboard the USS Yorktown and took part in the Battle of Midway. Since he got "bored" in the Navy, he requested a transfer to Burma. He was assigned to train the Chinese and imported assets by Joseph Stilwell himself, which he accepted with courage.
Along with him were his 2 assistant instructors that I will call "Mike" and "Charlie". Mike was a British man, sporting a drooping Fu Manchu mustache. He was athletic, and was evidently the youngest of the 3 instructors. Charlie meanwhile was a Canadian American born man who trained with the United States Navy, and also took part in Midway. I also forgot to mention that by this time, Midway was still a fresh topic in the minds of all, happening weeks earlier on June 4-7. The date was June 21. It was already becoming a legend within the naval and aviation parts of the Armed Forces, and we wished to be like them.
Our "batch leader", or senior student, was Lim Xiu Ying, an average sized man that may look like your average street friend from your earlier adulthood days. He was senior from me by 3 years, and had already served in the NRA by, of course 3 years, before myself. He was an ex NCO of a platoon of the highly elite Training Brigade, a unit of veterans and elite fighters that fought with us at Nanjing, and was known for their valiant effort to defend Zijinshan, the mountain north east of the city. He would become one of my closest friends in the group, and would go on to serve with me in the air until I returned to the ground 2 years later.
He called everyone to attention by standing up and speaking, to the surprise of the others.
"All members of Batch 27 already here and accounted for." He said to John.
"Thank you, Leader. You may sit." John replied. He had a thick Southern accent, most likely due to the fact that he was from Alabama. It was rumored that his great great grandfather was an associate of General Robert Lee during the American Civil War, and was present when the peace was signed at Appomattox Court House.
John then cleared his throat one more time.
"Alright. Does anyone understand me? Or do I have to translate in Chinese as well?" He asked seriously.
In a sort of synchronized fashion, we all nodded in agreement.
To be eligible for training, at least at this Air Station, you need to at least have basic knowledge and basic ability to speak English. If the entire or most of the batch doesn't understand/are not fluent in the universal language, then a Chinese instructor is hired for our convenience. But, since we're all English speakers, we had no need of one.
"It is my pleasure and gratitude to welcome you all to Basic Air Combat/ Air Training (BAC/AT). Keep in mind that no one invited you over, no one forced you to join this course, you volunteered. And you have to make sure that your voluntary action is worth it. If you're here because you want to impress your girlfriend, or if you're here because you love Democracy and want to be a "error-pores-man", then do me a favor. Do us a favor. Drop off."
He coughed before continuing.
"Before we begin, I would like to let you know that, if you want to quit or give up, then you can ring that bell over there." He pointed to a medium sized brass bell hung in front of the Operations Room.
"Just ring that baby 3 times, and your out. Just like that. No negative remarks will be placed in your records, no imprisonment nor fines. It's that easy. With 3 rings, you can go back to doing whatever fucked up shit you'd been trying to complete as a ground hog." He said while narrowing his eyes on us. I winced in my seat as he glanced in my direction.
"So, if there is anyone who wishes to back out now, please stand up and ring that bell." He said.
No one answered the call, which made him laugh a little.
"Good, good." He said while he giggled. "You motherf*ckers are tough lads and gals. Well then..prove it to us." he said excitedly.
"Everyone, please stand up." Mike instructed.
We all stood up from our seats as instructed. I knew what was coming next.
"Alright! In exactly 5 minutes, we want you to go to the Uniform Area and get dressed. All your equipment and needs as a pilot is prepared and has been labelled for you. Now go! Go! Move it!" Charlie shouted.
We all ran out of the hangar and into the Uniform Area, which was located opposite to the Dining Room. We hurriedly dressed up in our equipment, gear and uniforms needed as a pilot and air cadet. The Uniform Area was a gigantic room full of lockers with numbers on them (which denotes who is the owner.). There were 15 lockers each side. All the uniforms were stored in there. The twist here was this: the instructors switched out the uniforms and gear. So, if for example your number is 001, the locker you have will probably have gear belonging to 002 etc. We rushed about, getting all the equipment, uniforms and jumpsuits needed. My operative number was 013, and my locker had Sarah's (014) jumpsuit, Wang's (015) boots, Li's gloves (016) and a helmet belonging to number 026. I found my gear at Locker 018. This first exercise was simple, but was made hard by the panicking and eventual chaos.
We would go on to do PT the entire afternoon; running miles, lifting logs, dragging wheels via ropes and doing calisthenics. All of them were tiring and very hard to get through, but we have to persist. It's only Day 1.
Basic Air Combat/ Air Training is the nickname given to the training program made by the Allies for Chinese and Allied forces in Burma and India. It was a 10 week affair. The first 2 weeks are dedicated to body conditioning and phasing out the weak from the strong. The next 3 were basic knowledge of air combat and basic maneuvering techniques, and the last 5 are advanced training parts. The last 5 weeks was called the "5 Weeks of Hell", because it was the most brutal of the training program. There were even reports of people who died in training, especially in the last 5 weeks.
We got through First Day. But there was more to come, a grueling regime of training and attrition awaits us.
The barracks is divided into 6 rooms, each bearing 5 people each. Luckily for myself, Sarah, Li and Wang became my roommates. Coincidentally or not, we had Lim, our batch leader, as the 5th guy. We welcomed him to the club anyway. As already mentioned, he would become one of my closest friends.
There was 2 double beds and 1 single bed. Lim chose to sleep alone. Wang and Li chose to sleep together. That leaves me and Sarah in the 3rd one.
Sarah stared at me as I prepared to sleep.
"Hey." She asked. "You tired?"
"Yeah. Day 1 is hell already." I replied, still breathing heavily.
"It was fairly easy. I think I got stronger." She said, smiling.
"Yeah right." I said.
"You! You know I'm strong." Sarah said, hitting my shoulder.
"Whatever." I said. I went fast asleep.
It was a cold night. I was literally shivering because of it. But, I felt Sarah's warm arms hug me as I slept. I just smiled.
That was the beginning of our eventual relationship.
To my bud Zhang,
Wassup man! It's NCO. I'm writing this to you to share a shocking thing. Your brother contacted me the other day and say that I write this letter. Your wife man.....She is dead. Ms. Chen apparently had heart attack issues in her family tree, and it landed upon the women. Ms. Chen went out to the Chongqing Market to buy food for their morning breakfast, but didn't come back. Your brother and little daughter looked for her all over, and found her dead by the side of the road outside the village they were living in near Chongqing. She had a heart attack during her walk back home and was killed instantly. Your brother requests you to come home, but only at the permission of your instructor. I know how sad and devastating it is for you, but life must go on.
Condolences, man. Also, me and the platoon misses you until now.
I was preparing to begin another day of air training when Instructor called me into his office. This was the first time he ever summoned a pilot in this class, and I was curious on what was he up to. I was also excited to see his office and place of work for the first time personally.
His office looked like the most organized place you would ever see in the World. Papers properly shelved into drawers and cabinets, and whatever paperwork was stacked properly on the table or on the nearby shelves nailed to the wall. There was not a piece of dust in sight, and a vacuum cleaner was in the corner. He also kept perfume (weird for a man) and chemical sprays on a utility cabinet hung over a counter. Instructor must have never liked dirty places. I heard rumors from both Charlie and Mike that he once wore a facemask and a thick jacket when he went to the wet market. He also had a weird phobia when it comes to bacteria and diseases. I hope he realizes there are many already on his body.
I saluted, and sat down and paid attention. He pulled out his hankerchief and coughed really loud, which made me wince in my seat. As he put his hankerchief away, he began.
"Before I begin" he said "do you have an idea on why you were called in here?" He had a small smile from on the corner of his mouth.
"I have no clue or idea sir. So it's better that you tell me." I replied nervously. I was prepared to be dug and bore into in case if I did something wrong during training. No one was punching each other the last few days, and I strived and worked to do everything correctly. Or maybe they found out about me and Sarah's relationship. God please no.
"You have a visitor." John said. The "visitor" part made me marvel in my mind.
"He says it's urgent. He is at the canteen." He said. "Maybe go and see for yourself?"
"How urgent?" I asked.
"Very urgent. Now go." He pointed at the door and I walked out as ordered.
Who was this "visitor"? It can't be one of my comrades nor NCO since they're all in New Delhi retraining and remobilizing their numbers. It can't be my own family member as well. Or wouldn't it be? I guess I must quit babbling and go see for myself. The others have already geared up and are now waiting for me. Exercise is postponed until I finished talking with this stranger, or whoever this is.
I would like to retract that "stranger" term for the next part here. It's quite devastating.
The cafeteria was empty and was eerily quiet like a horror scene. The clerk's were still at work, preparing our afternoon meal. It looked like they cooked fried chicken, curry chicken and dumplings. It was chicken week, I noted. There was a lone man sitting in the far end of the room, face lowered and hidden as a black fedora covered his entire face. I couldn't even make out who the hell was this from my point of view at firsthand. However, since there was no other people in the dining room except the clerks, I had to guess that this was my "visitor". I approached the table cautiously.
Since he was in a very formal suit; a tuxedo and a black fedora, I assume this guy was an agent of some sort. I sat down carefully, not wanting to provoke this mysterious person. I came into attention.
"Uhh sir?" I asked nervously "I'm Zhang Feng, and it looks like your looking for me. What do you need?"
The person looked up at me at a menacingly scary look. He was wearing shades, shades so opaque that I couldn't see his eyes. He was buffed, but not that much. He coughed a little and cleared his throat before beginning.
"Hello." The man said creepily. I was literally shifting and sweating in my seat. He had a weird "Chinese English" hybrid voice.
"Hi..?" I responded. I didn't wanna trigger him, as those fists are large enough to crush my entire face.
"Do you know who I am?" He asked. He was dead serious. His voice's tone and demeanor really is powerful.
"I don't know who you are." I responded. However, deep in my mind, his identity was already familiarizing to me. I just couldn't make out who it is.
The man took off his glasses, and I was shocked when he revealed himself.
"Its me, brother!" He exclaimed. The clerk on the counter looked at us in confusion.
It was my brother, Lin Feng. When he revealed himself, I just remembered I had a brother in the family. Lin was 2 years younger than me, and was born by the time we had moved to Wuhan. He served as a platoon leader of a British group, and that's where he learned his English. He was also very muscled and buffed, making him very attractive to girls all around him. He was like the nicer and Chinese version of Al Capone, but much different.
"Hey." I said is astonishment after I hugged him. The hell you doing here?"
"I came... To give you some news about the fam." Lin replied. He had also started to incorporate a few Western words in his speech. Next thing you know, he might be saying "crikey".
"What about the family?" I asked.
Lin looked down onto the table, and back at me. His face suddenly changed from a lively to a bit of a sad tone. I lifted an eyebrow as he started to shake and sweat. It looked like this news was urgent enough that he was feeling nervous and scared to say it. He then spoke again.
"Your wife.... Chen is dead." He said.
I felt the world stopped spinning and I was thrown overboard.
"What?!" I replied. I was shocked that they didn't inform me about it.
"Yes.. Chen is gone. She went to the market to buy breakfast, but never came back. We saw her on the side of the road unconscious, still in her hand the basket that she carried to the market. We carried her to a nearby army clinic, but she was declared dead of heatstroke." Lin explained. Tears were now beginning to run down from the side of his cheek.
I didn't reveal it yet, but I was too crying from the inside. But the question is: if my wife Chen had fallen and joined the Lord Above All, why didn't they even got around to informing me? Anything that involves family is always know by everyone in the fam.
"But... Why didn't you inform me about this?" I asked in pure disappointment, but not in anger. "Why didn't you write a letter or something?!"
"I told your NCO to write a letter about this. Didn't you receive it?" Lin asked.
I was puzzled and didn't know what he was talking about. A letter? From NCO? The last letter from NCO was 2 weeks ago when I started training. Did I miss one? Or did the mail service fuck things up again?
"What letter?" I asked, confused now. "I never received anything these past few days."
Lin's eyes went wide, totally shocked. He went on to tell me he wrote it 5 days ago, and it was expected to arrive here yesterday. Nothing came through. Maybe the mail service totally messed up pronto this time, maybe mistaking the letter to be another trash advertisement.
"When is her burial?" I asked.
"Sunday. Esther wants you to come." Lin replied.
I also totally forgot about Esther, my only daughter. She was born 2 years after me and Chen were married, and she was a sweet little angel. She made me laugh and smile when things were not going smoothly, and was always my inspiration when I'm deployed on the battlefield, risking my life everyday just to get this war over with. Esther was your human being that made you happy like a dog would do. She was my best friend in the family.
"I might not be able to." I asked. I was tearing up now. "I have training.. but it depends on our schedule."
"God damnit. Maybe make an exception?" Lin asked, desperate. I and he wanted to come to Chen and see her for the last time before she departs for Heaven's Gates. I decided a final question: location.
"Where is she being buried?" I asked.
"Calcutta, her home town and birthplace." Lin responded. She was half Indian and Chinese, a father from New Delhi and a mother from Wuhan. They had lived in Calcutta for 5 years before moving to China.
"I might go and ask Instructor about this." I said "but if I don't get permission, then I'm sorry. I might write a letter instead." I wanted to come, but there is training. And I wanted to be a pilot so badly. So, I had to choose between my wife and my dream.
"I think I should go." Lin said. "But come to the funeral if you are given permission." He requested. He then stood up, we shook hands, and he left. I was paralyzed in my place for a few minutes, before I suddenly regained control of everything.
I waltzed back into Instructor's office. He was still there, smoking a cigarette while reading a novel.
I was about to speak for permission, when he suddenly spouted:
"Before you ask me you want to go to that funeral, yes. Go to that funeral and pay respect to your wife and family. You leave tomorrow. I will give you 5 days." He said suddenly. I rejoiced in my mind.
"But does that mean...." I asked.
"Yes. You get more time in training than anyone else." Instructor said.
"Aye aye, sir." I replied. I was ready to be pushed harder, even if it requires more time in the sun. I just wanted to come to some event.
"And also" John said "Sarah is coming with you."
"What?" I said in shock.
"She wants to meet your family. And also, that relationship of yours and her can go on, just no love making publicly and as long as it doesn't interfere with training." John said firmly. He knew about our relationship too.
"Well... Alright." I concluded. I saluted, and walked back to barracks.
When I got back to the barracks, Sarah already had her things packed. I didn't made eye contact with her as I packed my things.
"Lucky you man!" Said Wang. "You get 5 days off." I didn't answer him.
Me and Sarah didn't attend today's training, at the request of Instructor John. Even Mike and Charlie came over and gave their condolences. I appreciated the support everyone gave as they stopped by during the break in our room.
I slept happily that night, with Sarah once again hugging me. I smiled as I quitely slept.
First thing tomorrow morning, me and Sarah leaves for Calcutta. Note to self.
Patch of the Fourteenth Army, under command of General William Slim
Lin Feng's POV
I arrived back at the house on my motorcycle with a sort of mixed emotion. What if Feng wasn't given permission? What if he didn't actually want to come? What will I say to Esther? I know to the deepest in my heart and soul that he wanted to attend Chen's funeral. He was her loving and loyal husband. I remember the day he first left our family over 5 years ago to enlist in the National Revolutionary Army, and I remember my own stance a few months back, when I joined the forces under General Stilwell, and later on, the Fourteenth Army. We both wanted to be Patriots and protect our families and friends from these evil Japanese Empire that encroached closer as the moments passes by. But in general terms, what will I say to Esther, Feng's only daughter, the only one in his life and in mine as well? I can't lie to a kid, cause that will be devastating especially if Feng doesn't come. But if I tell her the truth, she will cry. It's a hard choice, but I have to be brave. I'm his uncle, a brave one at best. How come I fear telling truths to children while I bravely face gunfire everyday in the battlefield, risking my life as always? Quite ironic, is it not?
It was then my angel side spoke to me:
Come on. Tell her the truth. Just put faith that your brother will come home and meet his wife for the last time. Just calm down and face the challenge with faith.
But then in my head, the devil countered the angel:
No! Lie to her! Do not tell the truth. Telling the truth will make her cry and feel abandoned! It is better to hide that reality in you. Do you understand?
I sweeped these 2 quarreling voices from the presence of my mind as I entered our humble home. The house was medium size, 2 stories, and was sufficient in sheltering our family from the natural elements and the enemy. We had enough food to last a day and a night, and I would go out in the next morning to buy breakfast, lunch and dinner for myself, Esther and her cousin, Mei, who was dropped off here for protection by our relatives due to the war being too dangerous. Mei's dad and mom are both infantrymen respectively. I stood on both roles as father and mother to these 2 sweet little girls. At least I have motivation to keep me going forward.
Esther was on the couch, playing with her girl doll as always. She stood up from the couch as I came into the living room.
"Hey, Uncle Lin!" She exclaimed. I just smiled back. It would always soften your heart when you hear that cheerful voice of hers, and it always makes my day more positive and lively.
"Where's Mei?" I asked as I hung my hat and black jacket onto the clothes rack.
"She is in the bathroom, pooping." Esther replied.
As she finished talking, Mei ran out from the bathroom door. She just smiled at me as soon as she saw me. I sat down onto the table.
"Hello, Uncle." Mei said cheerfully as she picked up her doll again. Both sat down on the floor and began to play again.
I went over to the thermos and began to heat some water. I was craving for another sip of my glorious coffee.
As I wait for the water to heat up, I just stared at the 2 kids playing. I imagined this exact emotion filling into us adults as well, when this war with the Japanese is over. No more blood to be spilled, and no more lives to be lost. I imagined people smiling and hugging their returning loved ones as the peace is declared all over the world. I wanted, no, we ALL wanted this war to be done, and we will do it, with patriotism and courage and strength. I believe that day will come, and all of China and the World shall rejoice as we proclaim victory over the evil poison fruits of poisoned trees. We shall be made fishers of men, as said by Jesus.
I finally rounded up all the courage I needed. I'm now ready to tell the girls.
"Uhh.. girls?" I asked as I poured the coffee powder into my cup.
Mei and Esther looked at me while I was making my coffee. "Yes, uncle?" Mei asked.
"Can you both sit on the table? I have to talk to you both." I replied.
"Ok." Said Esther. I heard them get up from the floor and sit on their chairs on the table. They had brought their dolls over as well, and played a little while waiting.
When my coffee was ready, I sat down with them on the table. I took a sip of my coffee as I began to tell the truth.
"Remember when I said that Feng, your uncle and father respectively, will come to the funeral of Ms. Chen?" I began nervously.
"I do." Replied Mei. "Uncle Feng is still at his air force training I think."
"I remember too. I hope he wants to come to Mom's funeral." Esther said.
"Well, I visited him this morning at his air station." I said.
"Then?" Both of them replied at the same time.
"He might be tentative as of now. He has training to get done, and he may or may not come to the event on Sunday."
"What? Dad will not come?!" Esther suddenly exclaimed.
"No, no. Uncle Zhang may or may not make it. He is tentative." Mei explained to her.
"But I WANT Dad to come!" Esther replied to her. She was starting to cry, and Mei patted her in the back to calm her down.
"He may or may not come. It all depends on his Instructor's decision." I remarked.
"Please!! I want Dad to *sob* come to Mom's funeral!" Esther insisted.
"Now now. Let's just pray that his Instructor may allow him to leave for at least a day." I said.
"No! I want him to come now!!" Esther cried out. She then ran upstairs, crying and sobbing.
"Esther! Wait!" Mei said as she ran after her upstairs. I just stayed behind.
It will take a while for Esther to realize that her Dad may or may not come home. She already had this trauma once, during Dad's funeral. Zhang failed to show up due to the Frontlines getting heavy back in 1938. I barely showed up at the time after managing to secure a 48 hour leave from duty as excuse. She is a 11 year old girl, and Mei was 12. You would expect 11 year olds to already be used to crying and traumas, but Esther was one of those kids that are joyful but also tearful, lively but emotional. She right now has lost trust within her Dad, and doesn't even write letters to Zhang anymore, like she did when he first departed for the Frontlines. She has changed much.
As I observed the 2 go upstairs, the 2 quarreling voices in my head came back to prominence, with my demon side speaking first.
Look what you have done! You have made a child realize that she is now abandoned and forsaken by her father! Continue this, and she will realize TRUE infamy!
My angel side countered this statement, saying;
It is ok. She is just a child. She will get used to it. At least you have revealed the truth instead of hiding it from her. That truth would have developed into sin if you lied.
Once again, I brushed these 2 aside. I didn't need advice from God nor the Devil. I was on my own for now. This was my operation and battleground. My job as a human being.
Zhang, I'll continue to take care of the kids as much as I can, without Chen nor yourself. But I have limited time. I go back to duty 2 months from now, and I hope you get your break before I leave. I don't want to leave these 2 girls alone. Please, man. We are waiting for you.
