Devil's Army

After retaking Shandong, the 1st, 12th, and 15th Independent Brigades of the First Army did not continue southward. Instead, they rested temporarily, replenished their ammunition, and waited for orders from the headquarters to prepare to retake Jiangsu or Anhui Provinces.

Meanwhile, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd Brigades and Jidong Independent Brigade, which were resting in Shanxi Province, left behind troops from the 364th Brigade of the Sichuan Army to assist the Eighth Route Army in governing Shanxi Province. The main force continued southward to retake Henan Province.

The Japanese troops in Anyang, Sanmenxia and Hebi City in Henan Province suffered heavy losses in the last counterattack in Shanxi Province, and their defense line was first broken by the soldiers of the First Army.

After a day of rest, the troops continued to attack the outskirts of Puyang, Xinxiang and Luoyang.

After recaptured Anyang from Changzhi, Shanxi, the Jidong Independent Brigade arrived in Shexian and Licheng counties on the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain.

The Japanese army set up positions around Huangya Cave in Licheng to block the advance of the devil troops.

Huangyadong is strategically located and was once the site of the Eighth Route Army Arsenal.

In early 1943, the Japanese army invaded Huangyadong again and destroyed most of the factory buildings. The Eighth Route Army Arsenal moved to Xi'an Village, Pingshun County. At this point, all the arsenals were moved out of Huangyadong.

When the vanguard of the Jidong Independent Brigade arrived at the "Weng'erlang" canyon trail in front of Huangya Cave, they were subjected to fierce strafing and bombing by the Japanese army from above Huangya Cave.

The Eighth Route Army once resisted several Japanese attacks in Huangya Cave with inferior weapons.

The Japanese army has deployed artillery and light and heavy machine guns there. Even if the Jizhong Independent Brigade breaks through the Huangyadong defense line, it will certainly suffer heavy casualties.

Brigade Commander Gao left a company to tie down the Japanese army on the front line, while the main force bypassed Pingshun County.

There were not many Japanese troops in Pingshun County, and the battle was resolved in less than two hours, and Pingshun County was recovered.

The Jidong Independent Brigade then recaptured Linzhou and other places and reached the outskirts of Puyang City.

At that time, the Japanese defense in Puyang City was generally tight, with the characteristics of "heavy troops in the core area and scattered outposts in the periphery."

Puyang is a transportation hub in northeastern Henan (connecting the three provinces of Hebei, Shandong and Henan). Its urban area and important transportation lines in the surrounding areas (such as the Puyang to Anyang and Puyang to Heze roads) are the focus of Japanese defense.

The Japanese army stationed troops there, along with puppet troops, and built fortifications such as artillery towers, blockhouses, and trenches. They also used patrols to strengthen control over transportation lines, creating a standoff in which the Japanese occupied key points while our army occupied territory.

The main force of the Jidong Independent Brigade arrived at the outskirts of Puyang City and immediately contacted the local Eighth Route Army guerrillas to learn about the Japanese army's deployment in Puyang.

We learned from the Eighth Route Army guerrillas that since Anyang was recaptured, the Japanese army in Puyang has significantly strengthened its defense.

The next morning, the Jidong Independent Brigade launched a targeted attack on the Japanese army's outer strongholds and fortifications in Puyang City, and took down these outer strongholds and fortifications one by one.

During this period, the First Army Air Force also came to support and shot down several Japanese fighters and bombers at Shangqiu Airport.

At that time, the Japanese army in Henan only had Shangqiu Airport and Xinxiang Airport with less than 60 fighters and bombers. They were completely unable to compete with the First Army Air Force stationed in Shanxi.

They hid at Shangqiu Airport and Xinxiang Airport, and under the cover of antiaircraft artillery, they fought twice with the Devil Force's aviation force. However, they could not gain an advantage, and instead had more than ten fighter planes shot down or damaged.

After the outposts outside Puyang were occupied, all the defeated Japanese and puppet troops retreated into Puyang City.

The Jidong Independent Brigade and the Second Division of the Eighth Route Army's Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region quickly surrounded Puyang City.