◎“April 29 Massacre” in Gucheng County

Okamura Yasuji,the commander of the Japanese Army stationed in North China,personally visited Dezhou Prefecture on April 29,1942,commanding more than 30,000 puppet soldiers to carry out the mopping-up campaigns with an unprecedented scale against the Anti-Japanese base in Southern Hebei Province,to compress the organs,troops and schools of Southern Hebei Province into the belt of Shierlizhuang Village,Wangwa Village and Guozhuang Village,and form several beleaguered encirclements.The situation was getting more and more serious.The leaders led the troop of the Military Area Organization to shield the leaders of the regional Party committee and administrative departments and also the beleaguered comrades,for the purpose of a broad,frontal and multi-level breakthrough.The battle continued until 2:00 p.m.,when the weather suddenly changed,a gale suddenly sprang up,the sand and dust flew,and the sky became dark.In this case,the Japanese planes lost their effect,and the artillery fire was not as fierce as before.The cavalry regiment took the opportunity to attack the enemy fiercely,so as to break through the enemy’s two beleaguered encirclements continuously and cover most of the leaders and soldiers for rushing out.When the weather got better at 5:00 p.m.,the enemy gathered at Huozhuang Village and massacred the cadres,soldiers and masses who had not broken through the beleaguered encirclements.A total of 510 people died in a heroic way,resulting in the “April 29 Massacre” at Huozhuang Village.(https://www.daowen.com)

There is a martyr cemetery for victims of the “April 29 Massacre” at Huozhuang Village,Gucheng County,Hengshui.