The truth and falsehood of the movie "Eight Hundred" (including some spoilers)

The film "Eight Hundred" directed by mainland director Guan Hu was officially released on August 21, and it received 112 million box office on the first day, which has the potential to sweep the entire Chinese film market. Such films that highlight heroic and patriotic feelings generally have some artistic processing of the prototype deeds, exaggeration or even fiction, Chinese and foreign countries are all like this, and should not be criticized. However, the chairman felt that while enjoying the emotional shock brought by the movie, it is advisable to learn more about some real historical situations and to get closer to the martyrs emotionally. Therefore, I wrote this article on the basis of the movie "Eight Hundred".

Background introduction

What is a German mechanic?

De-armor is a popular name among the people. Generally, it refers to the troops that imitated the establishment and training of the German army at the suggestion of Seekert, the father of the Wehrmacht. The national government planned to reorganize 60 such divisions, but when the Anti-Japanese War broke out, only the teaching corps completed the reorganization, and the reorganization rate of the 87th, 88th, and 36th divisions was relatively high. These four divisions are equipped with German Mauser and imitation Mauser neutralization rifles, Chinese imitation Czech ZB26 light machine guns, Maxim heavy machine guns, 75 Kruber field guns, German 37 anti-war artillery, imitation French 82 mortars and The highly recognizable German M35 helmet. (A total of 315,000 pieces were purchased, which resulted in many Germans only using the old helmets from World War I)

The 1st Battalion of the 524th Regiment, which is mainly depicted in this film, belongs to the 88th Division. However, the 88th Division at this time had already changed beyond recognition. The 88th Division suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Songhu, and it was replenished six times and filled with a large number of recruits. The 524 regiment suffered particularly severe losses. According to the recollection of soldier Wan Lianqing, there were only 7-8 people in each company of the entire regiment. After the Hubei Security Regiment was supplemented, the 1st Battalion's Hubei officers and soldiers accounted for 80% of the total. It can be said that the 1st Battalion of the 524th Regiment is a local security regiment wearing the clothes of the 88th Division.

content analysis

title

This expository intro with white text on a black background is unnecessary in my opinion. In the title, the three myths fabricated by illegal armed groups in mainland China, such as the five heroes of Langya Mountain, are juxtaposed with the eight hundred heroes, and the use of words such as "cooperative negotiation and common resistance" in the fake documentary is enough to make us feel that the director is suffering a huge political pressure. It is also under this pressure that some of the feelings of patriotism (the Republic of China), the party (the Kuomintang) and the prime minister that should have been expressed were deliberately hidden, and replaced by "the Chinese nation's battle", which made the film's emotions. expression was affected. But those who know the film has been banned and have an understanding of the political climate on the other side should appreciate the compromise.

scene one

Movie: The first battalion machine gun company Leixiong went to the Sixing warehouse to report. An officer announced in the warehouse, "Brothers, it is now 10:07 p.m. on October 26 in the 26th of the Republic of China. All the troops who can stay in Shanghai are here."

History: A very big mistake. On the evening of the 26th, the main field was lost, and the first battalion commander Yang Ruifu received the order from the regiment leader Han Xianyuan to go to the regiment headquarters at ten o'clock to prepare for the transfer. It was not until after eleven o'clock that Yang Ruifu was called to the regimental headquarters again, and Xie Jinyuan, who was attached to the regiment, received the order to stay at the Sixing Warehouse. So at 10:07 in the evening, there is absolutely no possibility that an officer would shout that sentence in the warehouse. I can understand the director's eclectic approach due to political pressure, but such a historic mistake is inappropriate for a film that claims to have taken 8 years of hard work. As for the troops left behind, that is, the 1st Battalion of the 524th Regiment, they had to wait until about 3:00 a.m. on the 27th when they were all assembled. The machine gun company also arrived at this time.

scene two

Movie: A group of Japanese soldiers thought that there were only some deserters in the warehouse, so they rushed in without any scruples, but they were ambushed by the national army and all were killed. The Japanese then attacked with poison gas bombs.

History: This passage is purely fictional. The corresponding historical battle situation is: at one o'clock in the afternoon, the defenders of Shanghai Bank and the Japanese army exchanged fire on the west side of the Sihang Warehouse. After four or five people were killed, the Japanese retreated. On the north bank of the Suzhou River, some bullet holes were aimed at the fortifications of the Sihang Warehouse. The national army planted grenades and mortar shells in the fortifications, which detonated after the Japanese army entered, causing four or five Japanese casualties. (Maybe the inspiration for the ambush of the Japanese army came from this?) At 2:30 p.m., fighting with forty or fifty Japanese troops, the guard troops abandoned their peripheral positions and retreated to the warehouse, suffering some casualties. The fierce battle lasted until three o'clock in the afternoon, and the enemy army retreated.

The Japanese army did have a record of using poison gas bombs in China. For example, when fighting in Shanxi in 1939, he fired 231 red bullets that stimulated the respiratory organs and 43 yellow bullets that could fester the skin. But so far, there is no evidence that the Japanese army used poison gas bombs in Shanghai. The Japanese military regarded the use of gas bombs as a top secret. From this point of view, there is a high probability that the Japanese army did not use poison gas in front of the eyes of the foreigners.

scene three

Movie: Several recruits escape from the waterway, only to encounter Japanese yakuza soldiers with tattoos, diving to attack. The recruits saved the troops because of the sound reminder, and were praised by the citizens on the south bank of the Suzhou River.

History: Pure fiction. The closest historical data I can find is that at 3:30 pm on the 29th, the Japanese army dispatched two armed speedboats full of soldiers to enter the Suzhou River Laozha Bridge in an attempt to block the communication line of the national army. After that, they retreated under the negotiation of the British garrison.

scene four

Movie: The Japanese threatened to capture the warehouse in three hours. Because there are no windows in the western wall, the national army worked hard to cut the wall, trying to cut out shooting holes. At this time, the national army found that the Japanese army used excavators to knock on the wall to try to make a breach. And the national army threw grenades at him and could not hurt him in the slightest. As a result, several recruits had an idea, used a pole to send out a gas tank, and then used a grenade to blast it.

History: This battle was actually made up of exaggerated details of the entire battle of the National Army. The Japanese did not threaten to take three hours. This arrangement may come from the "three months to destroy China" remarks? The plot of the national army digging the wall should come from the chapter of the battle diary of battalion commander Yang Ruifu, "The enemy army chiseled holes for me". The walls of the Sixing Warehouse were so thick that the National Army did not have the proper tools to open the holes. At this time, the Japanese used flat-fire guns to shoot indiscriminately and punched several holes in the wall. The national army took advantage of the machine guns on the racks and used firepower to disperse the attacking Japanese troops.

The Japanese army did dispatch excavators when they attacked the Sixing warehouse. However, this excavator is not used to dig walls (it should be immobile) but to dig tunnels for attack. Battalion Commander Yang and Tuanfu Xie formulated three countermeasures. One of them was to use a bamboo pole tied with a large flashlight to stick out the window to illuminate it.

scene five

Movie: The Japanese army rushed under the wall with anti-riot steel plates in an attempt to blast the wall. Seeing that the grenade didn't work, the soldiers of the national army bundled explosives on their bodies to form a queue, and jumped out of the hole one by one to die with the enemy.

History: Taiwan's 1975 version of the Eight Hundred Heroes had a similar scene. First of all, it is absolutely fake that the Japanese army is wearing anti-riot steel plates. At that time, the level of technology was not enough to create anti-riot steel plates. However, there are some records of the soldiers of the national army perishing with the enemy. For example, Zhang Qiuming, a veteran of the Eight Hundred Heroes, recalled

"There is a comrade, very old, surrounded by seven or eight grenades, and holding one in his hand, he climbed to the highest building, and when he saw a group of enemies approaching, he jumped down and threw the grenade out at the same time. The enemy is dead, but he himself is also sacrificed."

A veteran named Zhang Weiyuan recalled 54 years later that the sacrificed comrade was named Chen Shusheng. He tied a bomb to his body and jumped from the sixth-floor window, but it was not only the enemy but a car that was killed. enemy tanks.

A veteran named Jiao Yousan recalled in his memories 50 years later that not only Chen Shusheng had jumped off with a bomb, but at least Zhang Qiumin and Yang Shunguang had also killed more than 200 enemy troops and jumped off. The floor also changed from the sixth floor to the seventh floor

The testimony of three veterans seems to have happened. However, the problem is that the four-line warehouse only has the fifth floor and not the sixth and seventh floors. The memories of the latter two veterans may not stand the test. More importantly, there is nothing similar in the memories of the supreme commander Xie Jinyuan and the actual commander Yang Ruifu. In Yang Ruifu's detailed combat record "Four Diaries of Lonely Struggle", the closest is the following record

He suddenly remembered that he could throw grenades upstairs, and ordered Platoon Leader Yin to lead ten soldiers to the top of the building and throw bombs down. At this time, there were as many as 70 or 80 enemy soldiers gathered under the southwest wall. They immediately threw two mortar shells and several grenades. Seven enemy soldiers were killed and 20 or 30 were injured. The rest completely escaped. relieve the trouble

Maybe this is the prototype of jumping downstairs with explosives and perishing with the enemy?

scene six

Movie: Citizens of the South Bank line up to try to cross the new garbage bridge blocked by Japanese fire, and successfully deliver the telephone line to the warehouse guards after more than ten casualties

History: Pure fiction and historical errors. In the Yaobai movie, the southern end of the New Junk Bridge is the concession area, so the Japanese army can shoot on the bridge unscrupulously to block the traffic line. However, in fact, the new garbage bridge is in the concession area rather than outside the concession area. When the war was tense, the British army once went to the north bridge head of the new garbage bridge to set up a horse resistance and defense point. (See the picture made by jack hwang) In other words, the Japanese did not dare to shoot on the bridge. In all kinds of historical data, there are only records of the Japanese army blocking the road intersection in Tibet with firepower, but there is no record of blocking the Junk Bridge with firepower.

Regarding the telephone, it is very simple in the records of the first battalion commander Yang Ruifu

Someone said that there is a telephone somewhere in the warehouse, and I hope you can use it to communicate with outsiders. I ordered the messenger to investigate, and sure enough, I found it, and I connected it immediately, and I can communicate with the outside world from now on.

After reading this record, I was quite puzzled. The defenders have been defending in the warehouse and have been building fortifications for almost two days. How could they not know the situation in the warehouse? And who is this "someone"? How could he know the warehouse better than the defenders?

These doubts were answered after reading the memories of Mao Zedong's cousin and Shanghai Navy Tong Wenqiang.

I rushed to the Sixing Warehouse to meet Xie Jinyuan. He was in high spirits, gave me a military salute, hugged me, and asked me what advice I came for. Holding the phone, I said, this is what I was ordered to fetch from Minister Song Ziwen's mansion. There is a heavenly art in it. Mr. Yunong is waiting to talk to you, and the principal is also waiting to learn about the situation. Please put it up as soon as possible. Xie was very happy when he heard my humorous words, which were as usual when meeting each other. He immediately took the phone and handed it over to a young officer who knew the technology to install it at the designated location.

It turned out that the telephone was sent in by the military. This may be the reason why Camp Commander Yang's record is quite confusing.

scene seven

Film: Reporter Fang Xingwen brought equipment to shoot a documentary

History: Reporters did have contact with the defenders. At about 11:00 p.m. on the 28th, a reporter wanted to meet Commander Yang and Tuanfu Xie. The battalion commander and the regiment were unable to see each other due to the busy schedule, so they were assigned the company commander of the machine gun company to receive them. The reporter could not see the commander and asked the commander to write a few words for him. Xie Jinyuan wrote "One shot and one bullet will fight the Japanese pirates to the end". Commander Yang wrote the words "one soldier and one soldier swears to fight for the personality of the Chinese nation".

By the way, at the time, CNA reporters were the only reporters who could go deep into the front lines and carry communications equipment. Most of the war news of the newspapers reprinted the reports of the Central News Agency. If you want to make up a military reporter, it is more appropriate to give him the identity of a reporter for the Central News Agency.

scene eight

Movie: A woman (Yang Huimin) swims across the Suzhou River at night and brings a national flag to the warehouse guards

History: This bridge should be inherited from the Eight Hundred Heroes in 1975. But this passage is not original from the 1975 edition, but borrowed from the 1938 edition of the Eight Hundred Heroes. Yang Huimin's presentation of the flag is true, and all parties have recorded and reported it. But the more common view is that Yang Huimin sent a small flag for the first time. Then Yang Huimin contacted the chamber of commerce, and the chamber of commerce organized and donated a big national flag. Shanghai Li Bao reported on this

Last night, the city chamber of commerce sent the Girl Scouts to give a blue sky and a white sun flag. They had already hung it on the window. In the middle of the night, someone sent two huge national flags.

According to Ye Chunnian's memory

At noon one day, Yang Huimin came to the city chamber of commerce. She said that she had sent a national flag to the warehouse guards, but the size was too small. So, the Chamber of Commerce chose the largest flag and wrapped it in kraft paper. Ye Chunnian went home specially and brought the largest and thickest bamboo pole in the family to the wartime service regiment.

That night, Ye Chunnian, Hu Huixiang and other six members, Zhao Bangyong, Zheng Jiongzhang of the Boy Scouts Council, and Bai Guangrong, a reporter from the Li Bao, took a truck to the intersection east of the New Junk Bridge. At that time, there was silence all around, and Ye Chunnian was the first to crawl across the bridge deck to the cigarette shop next to the warehouse. At that time, a row of doors was removed from the cigarette shop, and several soldiers stood on the counter, accepting a large flag and a long bamboo pole sent by him. The next morning, this flag was flying on the roof of the Sixing warehouse.

The Shaping of Female Heroes in Sino-Japanese War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression - Taking Yang Huimin in the Battle of Songhu as an example , the article mentions

The Wartime Boy Scouts Weekly, published on December 18, 1937, published a wartime newsletter "Help the Lonely Soldier", which was a letter written by Zheng Haozhang to a friend on October 30, 1937, in which he mentioned participating in Twelve people were supplied at night, and Zheng Haozhang, Ye Chunnian, Zhao Bangyong, and Yang Huimin were named. Shen Shoushan mentioned in "Giving Flags to the "Four Lines of Lone Army" that the participants included Li Bao reporters Fan Fang and Bai Guangrong, and six members of the 50th Regiment Front Ambulance Team Zhang Wenbin, Hu Huixiang, He Mingjiu, Ye Dexin, Wang Guoxiang, and Du Boqing, plus There are a total of 12 people named in "Relief for the Lonely Soldier", which exactly match.

Based on the above information, it seems that Yang Minhui's first flag presentation is unquestionable, and she also participated in the second flag presentation. Only the use of Suzhou River is not credible, it should belong to artistic processing.

scene nine

Movie: After receiving the national flag, the national army held a flag-raising ceremony in the morning, but the Japanese army retaliated. Under the strafing of Japanese planes, the casualties were heavy. But the national army would rather die than yield, and they gathered at the flagpole and were shot to death. Just as the flag was about to fall, a wounded soldier held up the flag.

History: I have to say that this scene is so similar to the 1975 version of the Eight Hundred Heroes . This scene is tragic and tragic, and tragic is tragic, but it is neither in line with history nor with military common sense. The Japanese army did feel provoked, and sent additional planes to hover in the air for bombing. However, the air defense units on the roof of the National Army took strict precautions, and when they flew low, they aimed and shot with anti-aircraft machine guns. The enemy planes were repelled four or five times by the national army, and the bombing and strafing attempts failed.

scene ten

Movie: Foreign reporters asked how many soldiers were in the national army. A recruit answered truthfully that there were four hundred and twenty-two, while the Xie Tuan attached an answer of eight hundred.

History: This paragraph is still from the diary of the battalion commander Yang Ruifu. After the phone call, negotiate with the British side or allow the wounded soldiers to be transported out. Commander Yang then told the wounded soldiers, "You go out, and someone asks how many people there are in the Sixing Warehouse, and you say there are 800 people. You must not say that there are only one battalion, lest the enemy know that our number is small and become more vicious." But this sentence It happened on the 28th, and the declaration stated when reporting the situation on the 27th.

More than 800 loyal and brave soldiers from the 1st battalion of the 88th Division were instructed to guard the key points and cover the retreat of the army. It is the determination to sacrifice, rather to shed the last drop of blood, to strive for the great personality of our country, to carry forward the heroic spirit of the nation, and not to survive. . . . "Tragic and heroic, I swear to my death to fight against Japan"

The report used the report of the Central News Agency, which shows that the title of the Eight Hundred Heroes may have spread before the account of Yang Battalion. But not all media cite the figure of 800. For example, Shanghai Libao believed that there were 500 defenders. And some foreign newspapers also gave different estimates.

scene eleven

Movie: Troops are ordered to retreat. But the Japanese army was unwilling to fail and blocked the new garbage bridge with firepower, causing great casualties to the retreating national army.

History: See scene 6, it is impossible for the Japanese army to block the Junk Bridge with firepower. According to "Four Diaries of a Soldier's Struggle", on the evening of the 30th, the Japanese army used searchlights to search for the intersection of Tibet Road and blocked it with firepower. At ten o'clock, the firepower was even stronger. At eleven o'clock, the Japanese army bombarded the warehouse with flat-fire guns and heavy mortars. At twelve o'clock the order to withdraw was received. During the entire retreat, more than a dozen people of the national army, including Battalion Commander Yang, were wounded and sent to the hospital for treatment.

scene twelve

Movie: White characters on a black background "Under the banner of the Anti-Japanese United National Front initiated by the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people..."

History: Again, I felt the pressure on the director. But this is pure nonsense. It is not difficult to see from the "Declaration on Coming Together to the National Disaster" that the cooperation of Gangdao, an illegal armed group in the mainland, is actually a form of surrender in disguise.

Therefore, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China solemnly declares to the whole country:

1. Mr. Sun Yat-sen's Three People's Principles are necessary for China today, and the Party is willing to strive for its complete realization.

2. Cancel all the insurgent policies and redification movements that overthrow the Kuomintang regime, and stop the policy of violently confiscating the land of the landlords.

3. Abolish the current Soviet government and implement civil rights politics in order to unify the national power.

4. Cancel the name and designation of the Red Army, and reorganize it into the National Revolutionary Army, which is under the jurisdiction of the Military Commission of the National Government, and is dispatched on standby to assume the duties of the Anti-Japanese Front.

Of course, as I said earlier, I can understand the director's compromise.