Pingdu Campaign - Campaign

Campaign

In, 1945, the communists decided to take Pingdu City by force after the local defenders consisted of former nationalists turned Japanese puppet regime force who rejoined the nationalists after World War II refused to surrender. In early September 1945, communists gathered in the region of Seven Miles River (Qilihezi, 七里河子) to the north of the city, and 13th Regiment of 5th Division of the communist Shandong Military Region, a battalion of the communist 6th Division, and the communist 5th Garrison Brigade were grouped into two attack waves for the upcoming assault on the city. The numerical superior nationalist defending force totaling over six thousands with an additional six hundred Japanese troops were not worried, which consequently cost them the battle.

At 8:30 PM on September 7, 1945, the battle begun when the communists launched a pincer assault from both the east and the west, and soon the eastern and western passes fell into the enemy hands. In the early morning of September 8, 1945, Japanese troops fled the city to Gaomi (高密), and the nationalists fought on until 7:00 AM when the city finally fell. The communists succeeded in capturing over four thousand rifles, nearly a hundred machine guns, six mortars, sixteen infantry artilleries, over a hundred twelve thousand rounds of ammunitions and over a hundred fifty war horses.