七七事变前,日本在平津一带的兵力近万人; 七七事变后的第5天,也就是1937年7月12日,15列满载日本关东军第一、第十一旅团和驻朝鲜第十二旅团的日本兵车,开进天津火车站。天津东局子飞机场,日军飞机增加到100余架。同日,日军35000人在塘沽登陆,开始攻占天津的行动。

        

·《益世报》报道二十九军三十八师抗敌消息

        1937年7月27日,国民党第二十九军军长宋哲元,通电全国提出:“决心尽力自卫,守土有责。”
        7月27日晚,驻津二十九军三十八师副师长李文田,召集二十六旅旅长李志远、手枪团长祁光远、保安队长宁殿武等,成立临时指挥部,确定29日凌晨,向日军发动进攻。并向国民党军政首脑发出抗日通电: “喋血抗日,义无反顾,誓与天津共存亡! ”当时,驻津各部队共5000多人,官兵们抗日情绪高涨,纷纷请缨杀敌。
        7月29日凌晨1时,二十九军爱国官兵在二十六旅与保安队的配合下,占领了天津东站、北站,向日租界、海光寺、东局子飞机场等处的日军发起进攻。打响了中国军队主动抗战的第一枪。
        同日,进攻飞机场的中国部队,首先用大刀砍死敌人哨兵,然后冲进机场,直扑停在机场上的日军飞机。睡在飞机下的驾驶员,听到枪声后,有的急忙爬上驾驶舱,匆匆起飞。中国士兵轮起大刀,边追边砍,看到不管用,就用双手抓住飞机不放。飞机起飞后,许多战士被带到空中摔下来; 对来不及起飞的飞机,就用手榴弹炸,用枪打,用火烧,共摧毁日本飞机20余架。
        同日,攻击海光寺日军兵营的中国官兵,前仆后继,几经冲锋,打到日军兵营外围,并占领了东停车场。由于这里是日军盘踞多年的据点,工事坚固,火力很强,双方形成对峙局面。
        同日,袭击日租界的战斗,尤为残酷激烈。从29日凌晨至4时55分,双方反复厮杀,中国军队从大和街(今兴安路)、旭街(今和平路)、福岛街(今多伦道),三面包围了日军守备部队。日军惊恐万状,日驻天津总领事电报称: “由于中国方面的攻击,我方处于甚为危惧的状态。”
        天津驻军的英勇抗战,使日军惊惶失措,连忙从北平调关东军和大批空军到津增援。对天津市政府、各火车站、电话局、警察总部、南开大学等处狂轰乱炸,抗日部队遭到惨重伤亡,却孤立无援,与日军实力相差悬殊。经过15个小时激战,又伤亡惨重,于7月29日下午三四点钟,只好向静海、马厂一带撤退。驻大沽沿海地区的军队,也被迫转移到静海、马厂一带。
        战斗在公大七厂的保安队员,听到撤退号令后,却高呼: “至死不退却,为战友报仇。”他们一直坚守在水楼上,到了30日中午,弹尽援绝,4名战士端起刺刀,与敌人进行了最后的白刃搏斗。半个多世纪过去了,他们的姓名已难以查询,但是水楼上留下的数百个弹痕,仿佛使我们看到了那壮烈的场面,听到了激烈的枪声和英雄们的怒吼。1937年7月30日,天津沦陷。
        Before July 7 Event,nearly 10,000 Japanese soldierswere stationed in Beijing and Tianjin. Five days afterJuly 7 Event (July 12,1937),15 trains carried the 1stand 11th brigades of Kwantung Army and the 12thbrigade stationed in Korea to Tianjin Railway Station.There were also 100 Japanese planes at DongjuziAirport in Tianjin. At the same day,35,000 Japanesesoldiers landed on Tanggu and began to invade Tianjin.
        On July 27,1937,Song Zheyuan,the commanderof the 29th army of Kuomintang,issued a nationalcircular telegram "Try our best to defend our nation".Zhang Zizhong,Tianjin Mayor and the commander of38th division of 29th army,issued a national circulartelegram of "We promise to defend Tianjin till death".
        At night of July 27,Li Wentian,the deputycommander of 38th division of 29th army in Tianjin,set up the temporary headquarter with Li Zhiyuan (thebrigadier of the 26th brigade),Qi Guangyuan (thecolonel of Pistol Regiment),and Ning Dianwu (the headof Peace Preservation Corp). They decided to attack theJapanese army at dawn of 29. They issued a telegraphto fight for and defend Tianjin until death. The 5,000soldiers in Tianjin were at high morale and requested tokill enemies.
        At 1:00 of July 29,the 29th army,cooperated by the26th brigade and the peace preservation corp,occupiedthe east and north stations of Tianjin and attackedthe Japanese army stationed at Japanese concession,Haiguang Temple and Dongjuzi Airport. This was thefirst shot by the Chinese army of the Anti-Japanese War.
        The Chinese army attacked the airport at the same day.They killed the sentinels by broad swords and went straightto the planes in the airport. The airmen sleeping under theplanes hurried to climb into the plane to fly. The Chinesesoldiers caught up with them and clutched at the planes byhands. After the departure,many soldiers fell down fromthe planes. Those 20 planes which could not fly quicklywere destroyed by shooting,bombing and firing.
        On the same day,the Chinese army attacked Japanesebarracks at Haiguang Temple. They reached the peripheryof the enemy and occupied its east parking lot. Becausethe temple was occupied by Japanese army for long yearsit was difficult for the Chinese army to break through thedefense line of the enemy.
        The fight at Japanese concession was also fierce.From 1:00 to 4:55 of 29,the Chinese army besiegedthe Japanese guard army from three sides of DaheStreet (Xing`an Road),Xu Street (Heping Road) andFudao Street (Duolun Street) although the Japanesecounterattacked many times. The Japanese armyworried a lot. The Japanese consulate-general inTianjin wrote in his telegraph that "we are in dangerbecause of China`s attack".
        The Japanese army was in panic because of Tianjinarmy`s courageous attack. They moved Kwantung Armyand air force from Beijing to support and bombed Tianjinmunicipal buildings,railway stations,telephone bureaus,police headquarters and Nankai University. The numberof Chinese army lagged far behind the Japanese butdid not have support. After 15-hour fierce attack,manyChinese soldiers were dead or wounded. At about 15:00of July 29,they had to retreat to Jinghai and Machang,including the army stationed at coastal areas of Dagu.
        The members of peace preservation corps at the7th factory of Gongda kept fighting at Water Buildingeven after knowing the order of retreat. They shouted"Never retreat. Revenge our comrades-in-arms."At the noon of 30,they fired all their bullets. Foursoldiers held the bayonets and fought the enemies bytheir blades. Half a century has passed; it is difficultto know their names. The hundreds of bullet traces onthe water building remind us of the sound of shootingand the shout of heroes. On July 30,1937,Tianjinwas occupied by the enemies.

        

·天津保安队抵抗日本侵略者