A daring night raid on a Japanese invader's airfield 80 years ago is commemorated at a historical site in Yangmingbu, a small township in Xinkou City, Shanxi Province, northern China.
Surrounded by vast stretches of farmland now, the site witnessed the crucial operation that opened a window of opportunity, enabling Chinese forces to wipe out tens of thousands of enemy troops at Xinkou.
After the July 7 Incident in 1937, Japanese invaders rapidly advanced into Shanxi Province in northern China, equipped with modern weaponry and emboldened by their early victories.
Without military planes or anti-aircraft weapons, Chinese positions in Taiyuan and Xinkou of Shanxi endured relentless Japanese aerial bombardment, resulting in heavy casualties.
Despite being on the defensive, the 769th Regiment of the Eighth Route Army, an army under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), made a critical discovery by locating a Japanese airfield in Yangmingbu.
The poorly equipped Eighth Route Army then decided to launch a surprise night attack on the airfield.
"Based on reconnaissance at the time, the airfield housed 24 aircraft arranged in three rows and was surrounded by barbed wire along with basic defensive fortifications," said Kong Yuan, docent at the Yangmingbu Airfield Battle Site.
On the night of October 19, 1937, under the cover of darkness, Chinese troops crept close to the airfield.
Armed with few bayonets, many Chinese soldiers fought with rifle butts or bare hands. Some even strapped explosives to themselves and charged into the enemy aircraft. The airfield was soon engulfed in flames.
In just one hour, Chinese forces killed over 100 Japanese soldiers and destroyed all 24 aircraft, suffering only about 30 casualties. This daring raid dealt a heavy blow to the enemy.
"First, it set a precedent for infantry attacks against aircraft. Second, it provided strong support for Kuomintang forces' frontal operations on the Xinkou battlefield. For five to six days, there was no Japanese air power over the Xinkou front," said Xie Shiting, director of the Party History Research Office of the CPC Daixian County Committee.
Yangmingbu witnesses Chinese forces' daring night raid on Japanese invader's airfield 80 years ago
