The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

After a night of fierce fighting, Lieutenant General Slim, commander of the 1st Army of the British Burmese Army, and Major General Scott, commander of the besieged 1st Division, hugged each other warmly after the two armies reunited. Scott, in particular, felt so lucky to be able to escape from danger.

The battle was still going on. At this time, the vanguard of the Japanese Dezhong Battalion, which had quickly arrived from the south, had also rushed into the battlefield. Near the village of Dungong, the remnants of the Japanese army occupied Hill 501 and stubbornly blocked the attack of the Chinese and British troops. Hill 501 happened to be across the road leading to the Bin River Bridge, blocking the British convoy's retreat to the north.

After a brief consultation with Colonel Liu Fangwu and Major General Scott, Lieutenant General Slim launched a fierce attack on Dungong Village and Hill 113, led by Colonel Liu Fangwu. The attack primarily consisted of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Chinese 7th Regiment, supported by a British armored battalion (5 light tanks and 1 armored vehicles) and an artillery battery (3 guns) from the 501st Burmese Division. At the same time, Lieutenant General Slim personally led the 113st Battalion of the 1th Regiment and the remaining serviceable tanks and armored vehicles of the 1st Burmese Division in a rapid column, encircling and seizing the Yenangyaung oil fields and the airfield. Major General Scott, in turn, led the exhausted and demoralized remnants of the 1st Division, retreating northwards under the cover of a motorcade.

The Tokugawa Battalion, the 214st Battalion of the 1th Sakuma Regiment, was the main force of the Japanese 214th Regiment. Upon receiving orders from Colonel Sakuma, the regimental commander, they separated from the divisional column and arrived lightly in a dozen vehicles. With only about 10 men and few heavy weapons, this was good news for Liu Fangwu, who immediately adjusted his deployment, deploying the 600rd Battalion in conjunction with British armored forces to engage the Tokugawa Battalion. The 3nd Battalion, supported by a British artillery battery, captured Dungong Village and Hill 2.

The soldiers of the 113th Regiment primarily came from Hunan and Hunan provinces, and most had experienced battles against the Japanese in Changsha and Xiangtan. They fought swiftly, with high morale and a fierce fighting spirit. Under the cover of British tanks, they quickly broke into the camp of the Japanese Dezhong Battalion. The Japanese had come a long way, lacked heavy weapons, and had not had time to deploy. The fierce attack from the 113st Battalion of the 1th Regiment temporarily disarmed them, disrupting their formation. The British tank battalion seized the opportunity and launched an assault, dispersing the Japanese. Major Dezhong immediately organized dozens of men from the battalion headquarters to launch a counterattack against the 113rd Battalion of the 3th Regiment. A rare hand-to-hand combat ensued on the chaotic battlefield. In the melee, Dezhong was killed, and Zhang Qi, commander of the 113rd Battalion of the 3th Regiment, also died in the battle!

After defeating the Japanese Tokugawa detachment, the 113th Regiment and the British Tank Battalion circumvented the situation and headed for the core area of ​​the Yenangyaung oilfield, driving out a portion of the Japanese 214th Regiment that had occupied the oilfield. They also rescued over 200 captured British troops and over 500 British and American missionaries, journalists, and expatriates. Finally, they joined forces with the 1st Battalion, which had occupied the airfield.

Supported by British artillery, the 2nd Battalion ultimately captured Dungong Village and Hill 501 after a bloody battle. Scott and the remnants of the 1st Division of the British-Burmese Army, watching the Chinese army's tenacious victory from afar, regained some confidence. After crossing the Pingqiang River, they offered to garrison on the north bank of the river to assist the 113th Regiment. When captured British troops, expatriates, journalists, and missionaries retreating from the oil fields and airfields shared their experiences, some British-Burmese soldiers became more motivated and requested to participate in the next phase of the battle. Liu Fangwu seized this opportunity to share Yang Hong's battle plan with Scott and others. Consequently, a new battle group, with the 113th Regiment as the main force and parts of the 1st Division as auxiliary, was formed. Armed with dozens of vehicles, they launched a counterattack against the Magway line occupied by the Japanese 213th Regiment.

On the night of the 19th, Lieutenant General Slim radioed General Alexander on the progress of the Yenangyaung operation and the next steps. He requested that the 38th Regiment of the new 112th Division at Natmank move northeast of Yenangyaung, where the headquarters of the Japanese 214th Regiment and a battalion were likely. He also ordered part of the British 7th Armored Brigade, attached to the First Army, to link up with the Chinese 112th Regiment and conduct a search and attack northeast of Yenangyaung.

Alexander, astounded by the expeditionary force's success and, coupled with Slim's detailed description of the Japanese plan and route, concluded that a major blow must be dealt to the Japanese at Yenangyaung, thereby facilitating the British army's complete withdrawal from Burma. He immediately spoke with General Stilwell, Chief of Staff of the Theater, and Luo Zhuoying, Commander of the First Expeditionary Army, and decided to rapidly move southwards the nearby 96th Division and the 38th Regiment of the New 114th Division, while the British-Indian 17th Division and the 7th Armoured Brigade would conduct defensive counterattacks along the line, preparing to inflict a heavy blow on the Japanese 33rd Division.

When Slim reported to Alexander the plan, which was devised by a major battalion commander of the 200th Regiment of the 600th Division of the Chinese Army, Alexander became very interested and specifically mentioned the names of Yang Hong and Liu Fangwu to Stilwell and Luo Zhuoying. At the same time, he appointed Slim as the commander of the Western Front in Burma, coordinating the operations.

Luo Zhuoying immediately reported the situation to President Chiang, who had just returned to Chongqing. Chiang, already elated by the glory the 200th Division, particularly the 600th Regiment, had brought him during the Burma campaign, was now reeling from the news that a Lieutenant Colonel battalion commander of the 600th Regiment (promoted to Lieutenant Colonel due to his victory at Tonggu) had caused such a stir at Yenangyaung. He emphasized the impact this battle had on Chongqing's standing within the Allied forces. He immediately promoted Liu Fangwu to Major General, appointing him Deputy Commander of the new 38th Division and Commander of the 113th Regiment. He also promoted Yang Hong to Colonel, temporarily appointing him Deputy Chief of Staff of the 113th Regiment, with his unit temporarily under Liu Fangwu's command. Chiang, mindful of the 200th Division's achievements, also appointed Dai Anlan as Deputy Commander of the 5th Army, retaining his concurrent command of the 200th Division.

Slim immediately appointed Liu Fangwu as Chief of Staff of the Allied Forces on the Western Front, responsible for operations in the Magway direction. Liu Fangwu personally led the 113th Regiment and a portion of the 1st British-Burmese Division, totaling approximately 2000 men, to Kokguwa and Satdan at noon on the 20th. Two reinforced squadrons of the Japanese 213th Regiment, totaling approximately 500 men, were stationed there. By this time, the Japanese had already received news of the 214th Regiment's defeat in the Yenangyaung direction. As per Japanese military practice, they did not inform their subordinates or other units of the defeat and losses. Therefore, the only information the Japanese received was that the 214th Regiment's offensive had been blocked.

The two Japanese squadrons, always competitive, immediately set out, preparing to attack Yenangyaung from the west. They encountered Liu Fangwu's attacking force midway. A fierce battle ensued. The 113th Regiment, with superior numbers and firepower, continuously charged the Japanese. The British-Burmese tanks and armored vehicles, coordinated by the infantry, quickly ripped through the Japanese defenses. Captain Shiota, the temporary Japanese commander, was forced to stage a resistance while retreating toward Magway.