Difficult, difficult, difficult! The Heroic and Tragic 20th Army in the Battle of Changjin Lake (Part Two)

1950165438+1October 25th, the night has just arrived. In the area north of the Qingchuan River in North Korea, the 50th, 39th, 40th, 38th and 42nd armies of the Volunteers launched an all-round attack from west to east. This is the western front. On the afternoon of the 27th, the 20th, 26th and 27th armies of the 9th Corps of Volunteers also started the general attack on the Eastern Front, which was the second battle of the Korean battlefield that shocked the world 70 years ago, and was called the Battle of Changjin Lake in history.

Volunteers invested in 3 armies of 9 Corps 12 division, with a total strength of about15,000 people, including 50,569 people in 58 divisions, 58 divisions, 60 divisions and 89 divisions under the jurisdiction of 20 Army. I want to use a key word to describe the performance of the 20 th Army in the Battle of Changjin Lake to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea: "Heroic and tragic."

The 20th Army is said to be a hero because it, as the "ruthless horn" of the 9th Corps, did not fear the strong enemy and dared to take the lead in this battle called "the worst in the world's military history", repelling the most powerful US Marine Division in the world and reducing the number of its staff by 732 1, which made American officers and men fearful. In order to recover the vast eastern region north of the 38 th parallel, it has made great contributions to reversing the battlefield situation in one fell swoop.

The 20th Army is tragic because it made the greatest sacrifice for the whole campaign. During the whole campaign, the 9th Corps lost more than 40,000 people, including more than 30,000 people suffering from frostbite and 4,000 people freezing to death. Frostbite loss reached 32. 1% of the total number of the Corps, and severe frostbite reached 22%! The 20 th Army has a higher attrition rate, with more than 7,000 casualties and frostbite and freezing to death 1 1000, which almost reached the point of losing combat effectiveness. President Mao Zedong especially expressed his high affirmation and concern for the telegram sent by the 20th Army ... The 20th Army entered the DPRK this time and fought very hard. After the battle, it can have a rest in the five old villages in Xianxing, where it is warmer. "

When the Volunteer Heroes Book was opened, there were 57 superheroes, first-class heroes and first-class models named by the headquarters, while the 20th Army had 1 1, among which superheroes 1 ranked first. The other rankings are: the 26th Army and the Air Force ranked second, with 6 each; Ranked third are 15 Army, 27 Army and 40 Army, with 5 each; Ranked fourth are 12 Army and 47 Army, with 4 each; Ranked fifth is the 68 th Army, with 3; Ranked sixth is the 38 th Army, with 2 people; There are also 23 armies, 39 armies, 42 armies, 63 armies, 67 armies, railway soldiers 1 soldiers. The 20th Army is the most deserving volunteer hero. If you add second-class heroes and second-class models, there will be as many as 52 people.

What does this number mean? I think it means that the contribution of the 20 th Army is the most outstanding, and it is to reward achievements; I think it means that the 20 th Army sacrificed the most, which is a comfort to the heroes.

Difficult, difficult, difficult! Interpolation and segmentation are the most difficult.

-The heroic and tragic 20th Army in the Battle of Changjin Lake (2)

1October 5th1950115+03, the commander of the 9th Corps, Song Xiang, generated electricity for the 20th, 26th and 27th armies, instructed the Ministry to fight in Changjin Lake, and emphasized that all divisions and battalions should contact each other by telephone. Before the battle began, the division suspended radio communication and banned trumpeting.

That is to say, on June 7th, two days before the 9th Corps entered the DPRK, 165438, the whole army was "silent" for 20 days until165438+1October 27th, when it suddenly attacked the "United Nations Army" in Changjin area,150,000 talents. During these 20 days, according to Song's orders, the ministries of the 9th Corps acted in secret, surrounded by the 20th Army and the 27th Army, and the 26th Army, as a reserve, entered the scheduled combat position on June 26th 165438, thus completing the division and encirclement of the US military.

The task of the 20th Army in Song Dynasty is to infiltrate, divide and surround. Zhang Yixiang, the commander and political commissar, judged that with the pride of 1 US Marine Corps Division, after entering Li Fusheng, he would turn to Liutanli, move to the west, and be separated from the 7th US Marine Corps Division, which also fought in Changjin Lake area. Therefore, he decided to give 1 the US Marine Corps Division a "pocket": let the 58th Division ambush in Li Fusheng and Shangpingli, and once the war breaks out, immediately take it and attack it. Make the 59th Division and the 267th Regiment ambush in Li Xinxing and Xixingli, and cut off the connection between Liutanli and Xiajieyu; Make the 60 th Division ambush in the favorable terrain north of the ancient soil, so as to resolutely stop the enemies fleeing south and aiding north, and seize the opportunity to occupy the ancient soil; The 89th Division was forced to squat in the social warehouse. The battle started, and the main force marched up and down the alley, so as to cut off the retreat of the American troops in the Changjin Lake area and stop the reinforcements.

It is difficult to penetrate, and the 20 th Army has never encountered it in domestic operations

In order to arrive at the designated position of the campaign assembly on time and realize the division and encirclement of the "United Nations Army" led by the US military, we must first carry out arduous interspersed! The 20th Army is the famous "1 vertical" of the old troops of the New Fourth Army. He is experienced in combat, but he is best at weaving. During War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, the 20th Army was very good at using interpenetration, both independently and cooperatively, whether it was the main attack or the auxiliary attack in the campaign, and was called the "king of interpenetration".

-1940 10 In the battle of Huangqiao against the passive anti-Japanese die-hards of the Kuomintang in Jiangbei Command of the New Fourth Army led by War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression Chen Yi, 1 vertically divided and annihilated the advancing independent 6th Brigade in Gao Qiao, which made an important contribution to the victory of the whole campaign. Adowa Han Deqin, chairman of Jiangsu Province, led 89 troops 165438+ more than 10,000 people.

-1 946 65438+February, in the northern Jiangsu campaign of the Liberation War, Chen Su concentrated four columns and Huazhong1column in the mountains and besieged the Kuomintang reorganization division 1 1 and the 69th division. 1 plunged into the enemy like a sharp knife, separated the two reorganization divisions, laid the foundation for adowa 69th division, hit 1 1 division hard, and won the battle.

—— 1 In February, 947, during the encirclement and suppression campaign of the 74th Division of ZhangBGF in Laiwu Campaign,1The main force rushed southward from the junction of the 25th Division and the 74th Division, seizing key points such as tianmashan, Toad Hall and boundary pillars, and separating the two enemy divisions. After the war, Su Yu said: "1 column is the most difficult of all columns, and it has played a decisive role in the whole campaign, even if it is a first-class merit."

-1948 1 1. In the first stage of the Huaihai Campaign, the 63rd Army of the Kuomintang, which belongs to the Yellow Corps, failed in its plan to cross the river in Yaowan, and stuck to its aid. 1 Didn't give the enemy a break. On the way to March, they were surrounded by the reorganized 63rd Army in the east, north and southeast respectively, and attacked with great speed and bravery to annihilate the 63rd Army of the Kuomintang, creating a battle example of a column to annihilate an army, which laid the foundation for annihilating the Nianzhuang Yellow Corps.

……

However, it is such an army that is famous for its interspersed, divided and surrounded operations. Interspersed in foreign countries and extremely strange places, under extremely harsh conditions, the 20 th Army also encountered unprecedented difficulties! Fighting in China is a vast territory, so it can be moved on a large scale. The terrain in north Korea is mostly high mountains, with peaks exceeding 1000 meters or even as high as 2000 meters. It's a cliff, a vast expanse of virgin forest with dense trees. Our transport vehicles can't get through, artillery and food equipment can't be brought up, and the movement of troops is limited by the narrow terrain, which greatly affects the maneuvering speed.

The shortest distance from the North Korean border to Changjin Lake is 200-300 kilometers. In order to achieve the effect of surprise attack, we can only choose the most difficult mountain road, stay out at night, March continuously and enter secretly. The first problem the army encountered was that there was no food. Due to the blockade of the powerful air power of the US military, the equipment and materials of the volunteers can hardly be delivered to the front-line officers and soldiers, and the rations brought by the soldiers are also finished; Because of concealment and air defense, I can't make a fire to cook and cook food. I can only eat two frozen potatoes every day. When I am thirsty, I will grab a mass of snow in my mouth and collect the meat of the killed mules and horses. The second question is extremely cold. In the more than 20 days before the start of the campaign, it is common that the temperature is MINUS 20 degrees. Many soldiers in Jiangnan water towns saw snow for the first time in their lives, and they had no experience in keeping warm and warm, so they wrapped themselves in grass to keep out the cold. The number of frostbite reported every day is increasing, and some soldiers freeze to death before the battle.

It's hard to insert, and the new calendar is full of memories.

It's hard to insert. How difficult is it? Let's hear what the new calendar of the war says. The following memories are selected from the writings, interviews and letters of these witnesses-

Wang Xuedong, then the platoon leader of the 58th Division 1 72nd Regiment1Battalion, recalled: During the first week in North Korea, we encountered some unexpected difficulties. First of all, logistics support has not kept up with our combat troops. The soldiers had to carry the necessary ammunition and supplies. At that time, our group had no food, so we had to exchange our blankets, towels and even medicines with the local Koreans for rice and vegetables. Secondly, the cold winter has also brought great difficulties to our army's March. We don't know how cold it will be in winter in North Korea. When the troops entered Korea, we didn't have winter clothes, gloves, hats and cotton shoes. Most of our soldiers come from East China where the annual average temperature is 22 degrees Celsius. In the first week of our division, 700 soldiers fell behind because of the cold. Thirdly, traffic has become another serious problem. In order to hide the whereabouts of more than 65,438+10,000 people, two armies of the 9th Corps crossed the thick snow-covered forest without trucks. Some horses in the division artillery battalion refused to walk on snow-covered narrow paths and cliffs. It's too slippery to walk like this In this case, a comrade-in-arms came up with a way to cover the snow and ice on the edge of the cliff with a wool scarf. In this way, the horses passed the path safely.

Ma Wenkao, the instructor of the 2nd Battalion of the 59th Division176th Regiment at that time, recalled that the troops rushed into the DPRK, which led to various difficulties. In addition to equipment and materials, they also lack guides and translators. The map used by the 9 th Corps was from the Japanese and Puppet period, and the lack of guides added a lot of difficulties to the combatants. Some troops just went the wrong way and delayed precious time. In the early days of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the US military had "three big pieces": aircraft, artillery and tanks. The "three big things" are not available to volunteers. The U.S. Air Force has absolute air superiority, wantonly bombing and strafing. After the American plane found the troops, it immediately strafed at low altitude and then began bombing. Troops can also go into the forest to hide, trains can go into tunnels, and newly unloaded materials can only be fried, and rice and flour can only be fried. Seeing the flour flying everywhere full of resentment, soldiers will starve as soon as they enter North Korea.

Zhang, who was then the instructor of the 60th Division 1 Machine Gun Company, recalled: We came to North Korea in a cotton coat in the south of the Yangtze River, and the sudden cold made it difficult for the troops going south to adapt. In addition, when rushing into the DPRK, the cold protection equipment was limited, and only a few people used quilts and coats. When camping, several people huddled together to keep warm. The mountains and roads in the Korean battlefield are rugged, and everyone has to carry weapons and dry food for several days when marching and fighting. There is only one mule and horse in each shift of the machine gun company. Mules and horses can't get in when the mountain road is rugged. In order to ensure the number of 82 mortars and heavy machine guns in the company, all the equipment must be carried back to the position by people. It takes six people to carry a class with a heavy machine gun, including the gun body, gun rack, gun machine and others to carry a box of 200 rounds of bullets (the heavy machine guns were mainly Mark Core heavy machine guns and Japanese 92 heavy machine guns when entering the DPRK; The gun body, gun frame and gun chassis of mortar need six people to carry in turn; Four gunners, one person can only carry a box of two shells, and the monitor carries a sight and other weapons. Fighting and digging fortifications, foreign shovels and pickaxes are the "second life" of soldiers, and they are weapons that soldiers must carry. When moving forward or backward quickly, we have to lose weight and throw away our personal clothes to ensure the marching speed.

Li Shiyu, then secretary of the War Department of the 89th Division, recalled: China people are not the sick man of East Asia, and they are all famous without cowards. There was a monitor named Rao Yinchang, and his stomach was frozen. He walked all the way, blood dripping on the snow. Obviously, when he was in action, the patrol and instructor at the back found him, so they quickly searched for this man. When he saw that he was bleeding and wanted to cut it off with a knife, it was difficult to deal with it. Once he handles it, the skin won't fall off. Very bitter. The instructor mobilized him to go to the rear instead of the front. No, I'm going to the front to fight this battle. Go to Liuqili Road of the Health Corps, find a rag to wrap your knees, and crawl at night until dawn.

Ma Zhenhua, a war correspondent of the 20th Army at that time, recalled: What impressed me most was that the cruelty of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea was unimaginable. I was at the regiment command post before the very cruel battle began. The team leader asked each class to take out a quilt and cut it into pieces to wrap the head and feet to prevent frostbite. But as soon as the gunfire rang, the soldiers rushed at the enemy and threw away all the tampons. As soon as the fighting stopped, most soldiers lost consciousness. I squatted in the gun hole and was frostbitten, and my feet were swollen, so I couldn't interview. I climbed into the cave in pain and heard a cry. I saw the medical staff dressing the wounded. One of the injured could not take off his shoes. The whole thigh is stiff with cold, and the skin of the whole leg is purple. Finally, even the belt and meat were "taken off", and the injured person had lost consciousness. He is not the only wounded, and almost all the frostbite wounded sent to the dressing room can't take off their shoes and socks. I was moved by this scene and decided to stay for an interview.

Yang Shiyi, then the deputy instructor of the 60th Division 179 Regiment, wrote a letter (abstract) to his younger brother from North Korea: Why can he win the battle completely? Here I want to quote some hard facts. 1. No food to eat: On the fifth day after entering the DPRK, North Korea, ravaged by robbers of the US Air Force, often lived on corn and soybeans without a drop of oil. We are thirsty and want to eat cold water. Malnourished soybeans satisfy our hunger and make us vomit and diarrhea. Eggs (sweet potatoes) saved our lives. In the battle without a rear area, we only got some eggs, which were eaten raw for three days, and we ran out of eggs. We had to eat with an empty stomach or snow, but we didn't eat for two days. I feel unspeakable sadness, but for the task, we always grit our teeth and overcome difficulties to complete the task. 2. Half-life left by freezing to death: I'm afraid you can't imagine the weather in North Korea. It's now more than 20 degrees below zero (it's more than 40 degrees below zero at the coldest time). In the world of ice and snow, we not only held our ground, but also fought for every position with the American imperialists, launching killings again and again. The howling northwest wind, a few feet of snow and thawed ice, we only wore a cotton-padded coat. Where can I go without freezing to death in such cold weather? Several exhausted comrades-in-arms were frozen to death in the cold weather, and two-thirds of the comrades-in-arms in the army were frozen to death, and some of them were even sawed into disabilities. For the first time in my life, the weather is so cold and miserable (big bubbles, ulceration, skin cell necrosis, dry hands and feet). 3. Fighting against the enemy in the sea of fire: It was not easy for us to defeat the mechanized American army with only18th century weapons in the 1950s, which also showed the hardships and cruelty of this battle. During the day and night, hundreds of American planes kept strafing and bombing our heads, artillery of various calibers kept bombing, tanks and cars swooped down on our positions, and automatic weapons swept us as soon as they met the enemy. However, the upright Chinese people's Volunteer Army was not intimidated by these things. On the contrary, he defeated the enemy, seized these weapons and armed himself. The next day, he invited American soldiers to taste the spicy goods of their firearms.

It is difficult to penetrate, and it is difficult and fearless in front of the brave and skillful 20 th Army.

Knowing that there are tigers in the mountains, you are biased towards the tiger mountain! In the case that even the survival is difficult to guarantee, in the cold of the 20 th Army, the officers and men of the Volunteers endured extreme hunger and fatigue. With indomitable spirit and iron will, and with great pride in defeating the American ambition wolf, they crossed the rugged mountains covered with snow and ran to their destinations! These shivering troops are still in high morale. Without a map, they crossed the Yalu River and disappeared into the snowy mountains of North Korea.

Just after crossing the Yalu River to the river boundary, North Koreans came one after another. When they saw the volunteers shaking their heads again and again, they said that the equipment of the People's Army was much better than yours and they didn't play well. Can you play like this? Xu Fang, director of the Political Department of the 60th Division, confidently told them that some of them could speak Chinese: "We are famous for fighting. Why can't you call? It's not the quality of the equipment. According to what you said, it seems a little difficult to beat America. Don't worry, we are determined to defeat the US military! "

The 89th Division was the pioneer, and its 267th Regiment met with the 7th Regiment Transport Brigade of the 1st 1 Division of the US Marine Corps on the way. The first experience of going abroad was very impressive, which led the US military to leave a lot of materials and flee. Because one bed is not enough for one person, Wang Zhi, the political commissar of the division, instructed to cut all the wool felt into small pieces and distribute them to every soldier to wrap his hands and feet to keep out the cold, making it the division with the least reduction of non-combatants in the 9th Corps. Commanders at all levels of the 89th Division tried many ways to deal with the severe cold during the intermission. The battalion commander Qin had a brainwave and ordered the soldiers to cut the quilt two inches shorter and sew gloves and earmuffs themselves. The soldiers in this battalion have neither frozen hands nor swollen ears. Commander Zhang Yixiang said: "Self-reliance and overcoming difficulties should be praised and popularized!"

After the 59th Division entered Korea, it received an operational order to rush to Changjin to cross Yadeling in June165438+1October1day. However, Mr. Dai Kelin reported to the avant-garde group that there was no way to cross Yaling and send the reconnaissance section chief to take people for reconnaissance. Yadlin is 2125m above sea level, with deep snow and steep cliffs. From the double dotted line on the map, there is a road. It turned out to be the old military map. I asked the local grandfather that the original road had been changed into a small rail by the Japanese, and the ore was transported up and down by cable. However, there is no other way to go here, and there is still a big detour. "The task is urgent, so we can't delay the time and affect the combat mission!" Decklin ordered that, except for artillery regiments and logistics vehicles, most of the troops crossed Yadlin here, "Climb over!" At 7 pm, the operation began. At this time, the snow is flying all over the sky, the mountains are frozen, and the slopes are steep and slippery. Against the cold, they stepped on the sleepers and climbed up like ladders. Several people take turns to carry the bags of mules and horses, and the mules and horses are pushed by the people in front and pushed by the people behind to climb up. A machine gunner, carrying a light machine gun, slipped down the hill without stepping on the sleeper, fell into the valley and never came back. In this way, on June165438+1October 12, all the 59th divisions crossed Yadeling, and then marched for five days, completing the campaign assembly on time.

The task of Zhang Chengge, deputy company commander of the Special Service Company of the 58th Division174th Regiment, is to lead scouts to reconnoiter the enemy situation ahead and open the way for the whole regiment. Because the 20th Army is the vanguard of the 9th Corps, the information they get about the enemy should be reported to the divisions, armies and corps to provide first-hand information for the superior leaders to judge the situation and make up their minds. Zhang Chengge took the reconnaissance team over the mountains and made progress while reconnaissance. On the way, there were more and more people suffering from frostbite. Some people crawled and fell down until they froze to death, but the team still persisted.

165438+1October 26th, heavy snow. When the 58th Division entered the customs, the hillsides, gullies, roofs and trees were all turned white by heavy snow, and the Dongbai Mountain in front of them blocked the way. It was also a problem of the Japanese map! There is a road from an imaginary point on the map. The reconnaissance department of the division investigated the villagers and learned that someone went up the mountain to get firewood in his early years. So he sent a company of the 172 regiment to open the way. However, the forest in Dongbai Mountain is dense, the snow is waist deep, and there is no road at all. However, the attack will be launched at 4 pm on the 26th. At the suggestion of Zhu Qixiang, deputy political commissar of the division, Huang Chaotian decided that Liu Dai, chief of staff of the 172 regiment, would take the 2nd battalion around Cangli, Sandaiping, Shuitie and other places for 70 kilometers. This is not 70 kilometers of flat land, nor 70 kilometers of normal temperature, but 70 kilometers of mountain roads covered with heavy snow. Liu set off immediately after receiving the task. Although Battalion 2 attacked 50 kilometers in one breath, it was ordered to postpone the attack for one day. However, Liu and the Second Battalion are indomitable in the face of military orders.

It is under such difficult conditions that the 20th Army, with almost no supplies and tight camouflage, traveled day and night, hungry and exhausted, and raided in waist-deep snow, creating a continuous March 10 for more than days and marching 30 kilometers per day, and finally quietly entered the pre-ambush position.

At this time, the US Marine Corps 1 Division, which belongs to the 10 Army, occupied the ancient Tuli, Xiajieli and Liutanli lines in the Changjin Lake area, forming a long snake array. 1 65438+1On October 23rd, the US Army 10 Army formulated a general attack plan:1The marine division took the main attack, first capturing Wupingli, about 90km west of Liutanli, and then taking the Yalu River after getting through Wupingli, and then continuing to advance to the river boundary; With the assistance of the 7th Infantry Division, it was launched on the east side of Marine Division 1 and pushed along the east side of Changjin Lake to Liutanli to cover the Marine Division 1 right wing; The 3rd Infantry Division of the Korean Army is responsible for covering the left wing of 1 Marine Division and protecting the rear. The attack time is the 27th.

On the 26th, the northern part of North Korea was covered with snow and ice, and the daytime temperature was MINUS 20 degrees. However, Smith, commander of the 1 Marine Division, boarded the helicopter to "feel the situation". In order to see the situation on the ground more clearly, Smith opened the hatch, and the fierce cold wind immediately penetrated his thick leather jacket and pierced the bone marrow like a knife. It's very cold! Smith looked at the thermometer hanging by the door. It was MINUS 40 degrees! A few days ago, Smith suspected that something had happened in Beijin. He has been unwilling to respond to Commander almond's orders, and the troops have stagnated. At this point, I can see that he thought it was his own worry. So on the 27th, the order to continue the attack was issued.

Smart Smith never imagined that there were 7 divisions in the 9th Corps at this time, 1 1 more than 1,000 people. After a long and arduous journey and weaving, it was hidden under their eyes. The participating troops of the 20 th Army have been lurking in the icy wasteland for 6 days and nights. Waiting for the order of the 27th general attack. (Yishan comprehensively collates according to relevant historical materials, writings and documentary works)

1950,89 division commander, took a group photo with Zhang Yixiang (middle), commander of the 20th Army, in Yanzhou, Shandong Province before entering the DPRK in September. Luo Daizhou, director of the Political Department (first from left), deputy division commander (second from left), political commissar (fourth from left) and division commander Yu (fifth from left).

About the author: Yishan, a senior media person, is a retired soldier of the 20th Army.