澳洲报刊有关桂系报导选(5)

澳洲报刊有关桂系报导选(5)

【1939年日军第一次入侵广西，白崇禧在几乎耗尽了国军第一只机械化部队——杜聿明的第五军才攻占了被日军死守的昆仑关之后，几次想收复南宁未果。虽然此时广西境内大军云集，有桂系自己的嫡系部队31军和46军，也有中央军，兵力远超日军，而且还处于内线作战，占有天时、地利、人和，但在昆仑关战役之后，就是无法再撼日军一步，直至来年日军自动撤出广西。可以说，第一次日军入侵广西期间（亦即我们通常所说的桂南会战期间），是号称小诸葛的白崇禧指挥生涯中最失败的一段时期——敌情判断失误、攻守进退失据、战略战术失常、将士不肯用命。回顾这段历史，每每令人扼腕。下面的这篇报道，间接印证了国军在包围南宁无法攻下而自己遭受惨重损失之役中，白崇禧指挥的无能。】

CHINESE BID FOR TOWN
Vital Centre

CHUNGKING, Friday.

A High Command spokesman announced to-day that the Chinese had almost surrounded Nanning (South China), which the Japanese captured some weeks ago.

Nanning, a treaty port in Kwangsi province, on the Yukiang, is the gateway for petrol and other essential supplies from French Indo-China. Its loss has isolated China from all overseas supplies.

The spokesman declared that the military situation on the Kwangsi front had developed in favour of the Chinese. Four thousand Japanese were completely isolated north- east of Nanning. Japanese planes had tried to drop food to them, but most of it had fallen behind the Chinese lines.

A Japanese report on Wednesday said that the Chinese failed in an attempt to recapture Nanning on Sunday, and left 2,750 dead.

The Argus. Saturday 30 December 1939, p.1.