Text/Zhang Debin
From April 22 to June 10, 1951, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army and the Korean People's Army jointly launched the Fifth Campaign to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea in the areas north and south of the 38th Parallel. In this battle, the Volunteer Army concentrated a large number of troops and launched the largest counterattack since entering North Korea. It shattered the "United Nations Army"'s side and rear landing plan, forced the enemy to switch from strategic offense to strategic defense, and thus started a combination of negotiation and negotiation. Armistice negotiation process.
"Strive to annihilate several enemy divisions north of the 38th Parallel"
In early April 1951, the "United Nations Army" crossed the 38th Parallel again, and planned to land behind the Chinese and North Korean troops, cooperate with the frontal attack, and push the front north to Pyongyang , Wonsan first line. On April 11, the Commander-in-Chief of the "United Nations Forces" MacArthur was dismissed from all posts because of his arrogant words and deeds during the war, which caused great dissatisfaction with U.S. President Truman. Ridgway took over as the Commander-in-Chief of the "United Nations Forces". In mid-April, Li Qiwei's reconnaissance found that the volunteer army's follow-up regiments were gathering, and judged that the Chinese and North Korean troops might launch a new offensive in late April or early May, so he decided to continue the offensive in the Cheorwon, Jinhua, and Jincheng areas with one force, and the rest The direction temporarily shifts to defense.
At this time, the ground combat forces of the "United Nations Army" totaled 6 corps (legions), 17 divisions, 3 brigades and 1 regiment, totaling more than 340,000 people. The first line strength was 12 divisions and 2 brigades, and the second line and rear strength were 5 divisions, 1 brigade and 1 regiment. Its deployment: The U.S. 1st Army is located on both sides of the Imjin River and in the area west of Yeoncheon. The 9th Army is located in the area east of Yeoncheon and Hwacheon. The 10th Army and the South Korean 3rd and 1st Army are located in Yangkou respectively. , Yuantongli and Gancheng areas. The 1st U.S. Cavalry Division, the 187th Airborne Regiment and the South Korean 2nd Division are reserve groups, respectively deployed in Chuncheon, Suwon and Wonju areas. The 8th Division of the South Korean 2nd Corps is located in Daejeon.
◆ Peng Dehuai
The Volunteer Army’s defensive counterattack in the fourth battle bought time for the second corps to advance, and covered the follow-up troops to gather near the 38th parallel, allowing the Volunteer Army’s first-line combat troops to increase to 3 corps. A total of 11 corps, 33 divisions and 4 artillery divisions, plus 3 corps of the People's Army, totaled more than 600,000 people. Compared with the ground combat strength of the "United Nations Army", China and North Korea already have a clear advantage. However, the volunteers were new to the Korean Corps and were not familiar with the enemy situation and terrain, and were poorly prepared for battle training; there was no significant improvement in logistical support, and they could only maintain the minimum supply.
According to Chairman Mao Zedong’s instructions to “prepare for a long-term war, try to strive for a short-term” and to “carry out a powerful new campaign” after the follow-up corps has arrived, Commander Peng Dehuai negotiated with the North Korean side and determined to prepare for the “United Nations Army” landing before , launched the fifth battle first.
On April 6, Peng Dehuai chaired an enlarged meeting of the Volunteer Army Party Committee in Shangganling Village near Jinhua, focusing on studying issues related to the fifth battle. Peng Dehuai's analysis pointed out: After the enemy crossed the 38th Parallel, he implemented a landing on the flank of our army, and his attempt to cooperate with the frontal attack became increasingly obvious. Therefore, our army must launch an attack before the enemy to destroy its landing plan and avoid fighting on two fronts.
Under the chairmanship of Peng Dehuai, the meeting determined that the Volunteer Army would carry out a counterattack campaign with the goal of "eliminating several enemy divisions, smashing the enemy's landing plan, and regaining the initiative"; the main area for the counterattack was between Wenshan and Chunchuan on the western front. This area concentrates the main forces of 7 divisions and brigades of the United States, Britain, Turkish and South Korean troops. At the same time, based on the fact that the enemy's battle layout is small in depth and reinforcements mainly come from the horizontal direction, it was decided to implement the policy of combining operational division with tactical division, and combining operational encirclement and tactical encirclement and detour in campaign guidance.
html On the 10th, Peng Dehuai called Mao Zedong to report on the policies and deployment of the fifth campaign, pointing out: "Our combat plan is to use this large mountainous area from Jinhua to the Gapying Line to open a gap and kill the enemy. Separate the east and west, and then use the 9th Corps and the 19th Corps to carry out detours on both wings of the enemy on the western front. The 3rd Corps will attack frontally and annihilate the enemy in separate divisions. Try to annihilate several enemy divisions north of the 38th Parallel, and then advance deeper into the enemy after success. ."The Political Department of the Volunteer Army subsequently issued the "Political Work Instructions for the Fifth Campaign", which made it clear: "The fifth campaign is about to begin. The campaign mission is to annihilate a large number of enemy divisions. Specifically, each army is required to annihilate one to two enemy regiments. , the purpose of the battle is to gain the initiative and strive to shorten the time of the war. "
Counterattack on the Western Front: Annihilation of the British "Royal Gloucester Battalion" in Snow Marley.
html On April 21, the "Joint Division" of China and North Korea issued an operational order for the fifth campaign, determined to concentrate the main force of the volunteers on the Western Front to carry out a major assault. Annihilate 3 US divisions (less than 1 regiment), 3 British and Turkish brigades west of the Bukhan River, For the purpose of the two divisions of the South Korean Army, first concentrate on annihilating the South Korean 6th, 1st, and 5th Divisions, the main force of the U.S. 3rd Division, the British 27th and 29th Brigades, and the Turkish Brigade, and then concentrate on annihilating the U.S. 24th and 29th Brigades. 25 division; in addition, the People's Army will annihilate 1 to 3 regiments of the South Korean Army on the eastern front. The head of the Volunteer Army has high hopes for this battle and plans to annihilate 5 enemy divisions (including 3 US military divisions) in the first stage of the offensive. Advance to three Seventh Line.22 At dusk, the Chinese and North Korean armies launched assaults in three directions, dividing and annihilating the 9th Army on the left. Commander Song Shilun commanded five armies and quickly broke through the "United Nations". On the night of the 23rd, the 20th, 27th, and 26th armies marched 15 to 20 kilometers forward and occupied the Longhua Cave, Waiyaosi Cave, and Baiyun Mountain areas to annihilate the U.S. Army The 24th Division and the South Korean 6th Division each had one unit; the 40th Army broke into more than 30 kilometers and advanced to the Mudong-ri area northeast of Gapyeong to complete the task of splitting the campaign; the 39th Army advanced to the Woncheon-ri area south of Hwacheon and moved The 1st Marine Division of the U.S. Army was separated from the east of the North Han River and could not receive reinforcements from the west. The 12th, 15th, and 60th Corps were commanded by the deputy commander of the 3rd Corps Wang Jinshan. After breaking through, they encountered the 3rd U.S. Army in the north of Yeoncheon. The division and Turkish brigade resisted, and progress was slow. On the morning of the 24th, they advanced to the outpost city and Yongpyeong area near the 38th parallel, and formed a confrontation with the "United Nations Army"
◆The volunteers fought bravely in the Pocheon and Gapyeong areas, severely damaging the US military 24. Division and other departments.
The right wing is commanded by the 19th Corps Commander Yang Dezhi. After the 63rd, 64th, and 65th Army broke through the Imjin River, the 63rd Army captured Gunak Mountain, a key point in the south of the Yangtze River, and annihilated the first part of the 29th Brigade of the British Army; the 64th Army was blocked in the area north of Mitaksa Temple on the south bank of the Imjin River, and the 6th of the 2nd Echelon of the Corps Two divisions of the 5th Army also crossed the Imjin River. As a result, most of the five divisions of the Volunteer Army were crowded in a small area of about 20 square kilometers on the south bank of the Imjin River. They were attacked by enemy fire and suffered heavy casualties, which affected the implementation of the war against the Uijeongbu government. The mission of detouring and annihilating the British 29th Brigade was completed on time. The 1st Corps of the People's Army occupied Kaicheng on the evening of the 22nd and Changtan on the 23rd. After two days of fierce fighting, the enemy was defeated in both places. Chronicles of the Western Front The main force of the Volunteer Army made a brave assault, and all of them had reached or crossed the 38th Parallel.
The 63rd Army, which was responsible for the right-wing assault mission, broke through the Imjin River and penetrated Gunak Mountain, cutting off the connection between the British 29th Brigade and the US 3rd Division. In addition to using one unit to block the US 3rd Division's western aid in the direction of Dongduchuan, the main force went straight to the southwest to cooperate with the 65th Army to annihilate the British 29th Brigade.
The British Army's 29th Brigade was located in the Xuemali area northwest of Gangak Mountain. The 29th Brigade "Royal Gloucester Battalion" and the attached 70th Company of the Royal Artillery, C Platoon of the 170th Mortar Company of the Royal Artillery, and some tank units, totaling about 1,000 people, are actually a regiment. The "Royal Gloucester Battalion" is the ace unit of the British Army. It has a history of more than 150 years. It participated in the First and Second World Wars and has strong combat effectiveness. It was awarded a cap badge engraved with the words "Royal Army" by the King of England, so the officers and soldiers of the battalion wore two cap badges, and it was also called the "Royal Army Double Badge Battalion".
After the 187th Division of the 63rd Army captured the Gangyue Mountain, a key point in the south of the Yangtze River, and wiped out one enemy company, the division leader immediately adjusted his deployment, strengthened the penetration force, attacked from the front and back, and surrounded and annihilated the enemy in Snow Mali. The 561st Regiment was ordered to penetrate behind the enemy's rear via Gunak Mountain to cut off the enemy's retreat route and block enemy reinforcements. The 3rd Battalion of the 559th Regiment was ordered to advance deep into the enemy from the west side of Snowmare to cut off the enemy's connection with the enemy in the west. , ordered the 560th Regiment of the second echelon of the division to go into battle to attack and annihilate the enemies in Snow Mali.
Each regiment carried out combat operations according to the deployment.The 1st Battalion of the 561st Regiment broke through the enemy's intensive fire blockade, penetrated the sand barricade, defeated one enemy battalion, and captured the 295.4 Highlands at 18:00 on the 23rd, cutting off the enemy's retreat in Xuemali. The main force of the 561st Regiment also captured the 349 and 424 heights in front of the left front of the Sajimaku, and controlled the road from Sermali to Uijeongbu. The 1st Battalion of the 560th Regiment took advantage of the penetration effect of the 561st Regiment, quickly detoured to the side of the Snow Horse, and met with the 1st Battalion of the 561st Regiment at 295.4 Highlands at 4:00 on the 24th. At this point, the 187th Division completed the encirclement of the enemy in Xuemali.
With the front being breached and the flanks and rear threatened, the British army abandoned their heavy equipment and fled south. When they retreated to Highland 295.4, they were intercepted by the 1st Battalion of the 560th Regiment, and then retreated to Snow Mare and Highland 235. At 10 o'clock, the British brigade reserve force, consisting of two battalions, supported by artillery and aviation firepower, responded to the British army in the Snow Marley area, but was blocked by the 561st Regiment on the left wing of the 187th Division of the Volunteer Army. At 10:00 on the 25th, the 560th Regiment launched an attack on Highland 235 with two companies. After an hour of fighting, they occupied the main peak of the highland. At 12 o'clock, all the Xuemali areas were occupied, and the battle came to an end.
During the Siege and Annihilation Battle in Snow Mary, the 187th Division of the Volunteer Army, with the cooperation of friendly forces, completely annihilated the British 29th Brigade "Royal Gloucester Battalion" and its associated troops, and seized 26 artillery pieces, 18 tanks, 48 cars and The large amount of combat supplies caused great panic within the "United Nations Army".
html From 0 to 24:00 on the 25th, after three days and nights of continuous fighting, the 19th Corps occupied the front line of Wenshan-ri, Guangyu-ri, and Qibongshan, and annihilated the first part of the South Korean 1st Division and the British 29th Brigade "Royal Gloucester Battalion" and Most of the tank regiment, with a total of more than 4,000 people. The 3rd Corps captured the Senocheng and Zhongxuan Mountain areas; the 9th Corps occupied the Yunyue Mountain and Yongyangli areas, each wiping out one enemy unit. Although the Chinese and North Korean troops opened a battle gap in the direction of Gapyeong and posed a serious threat to the flanks of the "United Nations Army" on the Western Front, the battle developed flat and not many enemies were wiped out.26 continued to develop the offensive and occupied the Geumpyeongsan, Xianli, and Gapyeong front lines of the "United Nations Army" second-line positions on the same day. By the 28th, the 19th Corps captured Guosifeng and Baiyundae areas; the 1st Corps of the People's Army annihilated most of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Division of the South Korean Army in Ogeum-ri. The 3rd Corps invaded and occupied the Ziyili and Fupingli areas. The 9th Corps captured Juryeongsan, Cheongpyeongcheon, Gapyeong, and Chuncheon areas.
On the same day, the "United Nations Army" withdrew to Seoul and the areas south of the North Han River and Soyang River to reorganize defenses. The 1st Cavalry Division of the US Army moved westward to Seoul and formed a dense fire zone around Seoul. Seeing that the opportunity to annihilate the enemy north of Seoul had been lost, the Chinese and North Korean armies stopped their offensive on the 29th, ending the first phase of the operation.
Transferred troops to the Eastern Front: Encirclement and annihilation campaign in the county area
Under the attack of the first phase of the offensive by the Chinese and North Korean troops, the "United Nations Army" retreated step by step, formed a new line of defense in Seoul, Yangping, Hongchuan, Xiangyang, and adjusted the battle order and deployment. Among them, the United States on the western front , the main force of the British army gradually gathered north of the Suwon, Yangpyeong, and Hongcheon lines. The 1st, 24th, 25th, and 3rd Cavalry Divisions, the British 28th and 29th Brigades, the Turkish Brigade, and the South Korean 1st Division were heavily deployed around Seoul and on the south bank of the Han River in preparation for the Volunteer Army's attack on Seoul. Six divisions of the South Korean Army were deployed on the eastern front from Herin-ri to the east coast area. The entire front formed a diagonal trend from southwest to northeast.
In accordance with the instructions of the Central Military Commission and Mao Zedong to focus on annihilating the enemy's effective forces, and based on the new situation emerging on the battlefield, Peng Dehuai decided on April 28 that the main force of the Volunteer Army would transfer its troops eastward, with the main goal of annihilating the South Korean Army on the Eastern Front. The second phase of the fifth battle.
html On the 30th, in order to find out the movements of the Chinese and North Korean troops and cover their deployment adjustments, Commander-in-Chief Li Qiwei of the "United Nations Army" transferred a force to the counterattack. By May 8, the front lines of Gaoyang, Yijingye, Yulonli, Linji, and Longpuli were captured. After that, it turned to defense and deployed 6 divisions of the US Army from Belaoli to the west coast, 1 brigade each of the British Army and the Turkish Army, and 3 divisions of the South Korean Army, with Seoul as the focus, and were densely deployed in a line. The South Korean Capital Division, the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th Divisions were deployed from Bulao-ri to the east coast, with 6 divisions arranged in a front line.The head of the volunteer army found that the "United Nations Army" on the eastern front was obviously prominent, and most of them were South Korean troops, which were relatively easy to fight, so he decided to move the 3rd and 9th Corps covertly eastward to implement the second phase of the operation.Specific deployment: Concentrate the 9th Corps and the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Corps of the People's Army on the eastern front. First, annihilate the South Korean 5th, 7th, 9th, and 3rd Divisions in the county area, and then annihilate the South Korean Division depending on the situation. Capital Division, 11th Division. The 3rd Corps was used to actively suppress the U.S. 10th Army, prevent it from aiding the east, and sever the connection between the U.S. Army and the South Korean Army. The 19th Corps stayed on the western front to actively suppress the main force of the US military and cooperate with the operations on the eastern front.
html On the 16th, the Volunteer Army concentrated three armies on the eastern front. In coordination with the Korean People's Army, they launched an attack on the defensive positions of the South Korean 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th Divisions in the county area. The 81st Division was used as a roundabout mission to quickly seize the key points in the Zhimiao and Lihyeon areas, cut off the south escape route of the South Korean 3rd and 9th Divisions, and immediately surround or annihilate the 7th Division in the Sangnam-ri and Bangna-ri areas. The 60th Division penetrated deeply into the South Korean Army's 7th Division from the front, captured the Houping-ri and Meishan-ri areas, blocked the South Korean Army's westward escape from the county, and cooperated with the actions of the 81st Division.
◆One of the officers and soldiers of the Royal Heavy Tank Battalion of the 29th Brigade of the British Army who were captured by the volunteers.
17:30, the 81st Division launched an attack after a short artillery preparation. The division commander personally led the 2nd Battalion of the 242nd Regiment as the vanguard, attacking from the junction of the 5th and 7th Divisions of South Korea, along the lines of Non-ri and Sin-ri. Xiugu and Baizidong take a detour to Anvil Bridge. After 13 large and small battles, they broke through the blockage of the South Korean Army and advanced 28 kilometers overnight. They reached the designated position on the morning of the 17th and occupied the high ground on both sides of the highway. Then the main force of the division arrived and took control of all the key points of Zhanqiao, Shangnanli, and Fangneili.
After breaking through the defense of the 7th Division of South Korea, the 60th Division plunged deep into the enemy, advancing 25 kilometers overnight. On the morning of the 17th, it captured the Houpingli and Meishanli areas, cutting off the county's road to Anchio Bridge. The South Korean Army retreated across the board, the 5th and 7th Divisions were defeated, and the 3rd and 9th Divisions were compressed in the county area. The main force of the Chinese and North Korean armies immediately launched an encirclement and annihilation campaign against the South Korean 3rd and 9th Divisions, annihilating most of them. At the same time, the 81st and 60th Divisions of the Volunteer Army intercepted and annihilated the fleeing South Korean troops near the key points they controlled, and attacked the remaining units of their 5th and 7th Divisions in the Shangnanli area, wiping out 5 battalions, including The 5th and 7th Divisions each have 2 battalions, and the 9th Division has 1 battalion, with a total of more than 3,000 people.
After several days of fierce fighting, the 3rd Corps annihilated part of the US 2nd Division, but due to the enemy's stubborn resistance, its advance was blocked and it failed to complete the split mission. At the same time, in order to support their operations on the eastern front, the enemy on the western front launched a focused attack on us on the 20th, forcing the 19th Corps to switch to defense. As a result, the US 3rd Division came to support from the western front and east, blocking the battle gap and strengthening The South Korean 8th Division also quickly transferred north from Daejeon to Pingchang and other places to establish defense in depth. At this point, the enemy has formed a complete defense system connecting east and west.
After continuous fighting, the Chinese and North Korean armies are running out of food and ammunition, and it is difficult to continue the offensive. In addition, the US military on the western front has begun to provide aid to the east, so we have lost the opportunity to annihilate the enemy. In order to maintain the initiative, on the 21st, the "Joint Division" decided that all ministries would stop attacking and end the second phase of the fifth battle. During this phase of the battle, the Volunteer Army and the People's Army annihilated more than 23,000 enemies. Especially in the eastern counties, they annihilated most of the South Korean 3rd and 9th Divisions, severely damaged the South Korean 5th and 7th Divisions, and annihilated the U.S. Army. The major victory of each unit of the 2nd Division and the 1st U.S. Marine Division achieved the operational objectives of the second phase of the Fifth Battle.
Battle transfer: 180th Division suffered the most serious losses
After two stages of combat, the Chinese and North Korean armies achieved a major victory, which not only consumed a large amount of the effective strength of the "United Nations Army", but also destroyed the "United Nations Army" in Pyongyang and Wonsan. The attempt to establish a new line of defense on the front line also provided training for the new volunteers entering North Korea and gained experience in fighting the U.S. military under modern warfare conditions. However, the Volunteer Army fought two battles in a month, and the troops were very tired, and the supply of food and ammunition to the front-line troops was still extremely difficult.
html On May 21, the "United Division" issued an order for the transfer and rest of the main force: "In order to obtain the rest of the main force, summarize combat experience, and create favorable fighter opportunities in the future, so as to annihilate more enemies, the main force of each corps will be transferred to Weichuanli and Shuoning. , Wenhuili, Shanyangli, Yangkou, Yuantongli line and its north."At the same time, the volunteers were instructed to "keep one division to one corps of troops, and from the current position, adopt mobile defense, kill and consume the enemy, and gain time." At dusk on the 22nd, the 39th and 15th corps began to move north first. Transfer.
◆The Volunteer Army and the Korean People’s Army secretly fought in the Fifth Battle. In the morning of 023, the "United Nations Army" concentrated the forces of 13 divisions of 4 armies and launched a full-scale counterattack. Motorized infantry, artillery, and tanks formed a "task force" as the lead. With the support of a large number of aviation forces, they marched along Seoul to Yeoncheon and Chuncheon to On the Hwacheon, Hongcheon, and Inje roads, the Chinese and North Korean troops were pursued northward. On the west line were three divisions of the U.S. 1st Army, attacking in the direction of Cheorwon; on the middle line were four divisions of the U.S. 9th Army, along the route. Gapyeong and Jipyeong-ri attacked in the direction of Hwacheon and Kimhwa; the US 10th Army on the Eastern Front and the South Korean 1st and 3rd Army Corps attacked in the direction of Yangkou, Inje, and Gamseong.
Due to the rapid attack on the "United Nations Army". The rapid counterattack across the board was insufficiently estimated, and the "United Division", the Corps and the armies did not have thorough organizational plans for campaign transfers. Some of the troops responsible for mobile defense had not yet entered the defensive area, and some had entered but did not control key points and roads well. , failed to organize effective alternating cover, resulting in many gaps across the entire line, allowing the "United Nations Army" "task force" to take advantage of the gap, and a small number of volunteers were separated Behind enemy lines. From the 24th to the 27th, the main force of the 27th Army was deployed in the Inji and Xianli areas, bravely resisting the attacks of the US 2nd Division, the 187th Airborne Regiment, and the South Korean Army's 5th Division, blocking them in the north and south areas of the Soyang River. , effectively covering the transfer of the main force.
The 179th and 180th Divisions of the 60th Army fought against the US 7th Division and the Marine Division on both sides of the North Han River in the direction of Chuncheon. The 1st Division and the South Korean 6th Division took advantage of the enemy's opportunity to break in. The 180th Division was separated by the enemy in the Gideok Mountain area and was almost completely surrounded by the enemy. Although the 60th Army organized troops to respond twice on the 26th and 27th, it failed. It didn't work. Because the main commander of the 180th Division was hesitant and failed to organize a decisive breakout, coupled with command errors and ineffective rescue organization, the division suffered heavy losses htm. At 14:00 on l2
31, Peng Dehuai specifically called the Central Military Commission regarding the losses suffered by the 180th Division and restored the true course of the incident: (1) On the morning of the 25th, the 180th Division of the 60th Army withdrew from the southwest of Chuncheon to Zhiam-ri north of the Bukhan River On the 25th and 28th, the enemy troops successively advanced to Jiguanshan, Zhicunli, and Tanganli. At 0:00, the division was surrounded in the area south of Zhiyanli. That night, the 60th Army ordered the 181st Division to attack Fangxiaqiao and Huayueli to support the 180th Division's breakout, but the 181st Division's order was delayed. It was not until the morning of the 27th that they entered Yuanchuanli, southwest of Hwachuan, and therefore failed to complete the reinforcement mission. By 18:30 on the 27th, the 180th Division reported that the division had reached Yingfeng and had run out of food and ammunition. The military ordered the 179th Division to meet them all the way, but it did not play a positive role. After that, he lost contact with the division and his whereabouts are unknown. (2) The 60th Army and the 3rd Corps did not take active and resolute actions to rescue the 180th Division. After the 28th, there were no more telegrams to deploy the rescue. The army's three telegrams on the 29th did not mention the 180th Division. The Corps only mentioned in a telegram at 9:00 on the 29th, "This division is estimated to be extremely dangerous. I have sent cadre combat heroes and a small number of personnel to search for it behind enemy lines." There was no further report. Shiji sent telegrams five times from the 27th to the 30th to inquire about the situation of the 180th Division, pointing out, "If you hesitate again, you will definitely suffer serious losses, or even the entire division. The 181st Division should be ordered to attack Shicangli immediately, and the 45th Division A team was sent to meet Yingfeng," but so far there has been no response.
html On June 3, the 3rd Corps wrote in a report to "Shisi" on the losses suffered by the 180th Division: The 180th Division suffered serious losses when it moved north at the end of the battle, which made us extremely sad. At present, the division only has nearly 4,000 non-combatants and logistics personnel who were evacuated in advance, as well as the division commander Zheng Qigui, deputy division commander Duan Longzhang, and chief of staff Wang Zhenbang who broke out. More than 7,000 people were lost. The 180th Division of the 60th Army became the division that suffered the most serious losses in the fifth battle and the entire War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea."Knocking out the nuggets", fighting a small war of annihilation, and stabilizing the 38th Line.
Just when the Volunteer Army encountered a full-scale enemy counterattack during the transfer of battle, and the 180th Division was in danger, Mao Zedong sent a telegram to Peng Dehuai on May 26, expressing his views on the United States and the United Kingdom. issued new instructions on the strategic and tactical issues of military operations, and put forward an important military guiding principle, that is, when our army fights with the US and British forces, it should go through the stage of implementing small encirclement tactics and fighting small wars of annihilation, and gradually enter the stage of implementing strategic or The stage of the great encirclement of the battle and the great war of annihilation. Mao Zedong vividly called this principle "piecemeal candy."
The scale of the fifth battle was the largest among all the previous battles to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea, with the combined strength of both the enemy and ourselves exceeding one million. The Chinese and North Korean troops were not able to annihilate a single organized group of the US military, and only eliminated 6 to 7 units of one battalion; they annihilated one division of the South Korean Army, and the rest were all unorganized units. Based on the experience of previous battles, it usually takes two days to surround a US military regiment and completely annihilate it. The reason is that the volunteer army's technical equipment is too backward, and the enemy's air force and ground mechanized troops risk their lives for rescue. An entire regiment of US troops was wiped out without anyone running away. It only happened once in the second battle. The rest were mostly annihilation battalions.
◆A summary of the battle history of the Fifth Battle to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.
"Nothing is done", the proposal of the policy of fighting a small war of annihilation has timely adjusted and changed the policy that the Volunteer Army has insisted on since entering North Korea, whether it is against the South Korean army or the US and British troops, they will adopt a large-scale strategic or operational encirclement, and strive to The unrealistic campaign goal of annihilating several enemy divisions in one battle is unrealistic. Especially in the fifth battle, the attempt was made to wipe out 5 enemy divisions and 3 brigades in one battle, including 3 US divisions, 2 British brigades and 1 Turkish brigade. Facts have proved that this goal is unachievable.
In view of this, Mao Zedong pointed out matter-of-factly in his telegram: "It is difficult to achieve the mission of annihilation by encircling several divisions of the US military at one time, or an entire division, or even an entire regiment." will and self-confidence. In order to destroy his self-confidence, Mao Zedong proposed based on the actual situation of both the enemy and ourselves: "It is advisable not to be too ambitious in each battle. We only require each army of our army to annihilate an entire battalion of the American, British, and Turkish troops in one battle." At most two whole battalions are enough... Fighting against the American and British troops is different from fighting against the puppet troops. You can implement a large-scale strategic or operational encirclement. However, when attacking the American and British armies, they should not implement such a large encirclement within a few months, but only implement a tactical small encirclement. That is, each army only carefully selects one enemy battalion or a little more as the target at a time and encircles and annihilates them all. "
According to the spirit of the instructions in Mao Zedong's telegram, in view of the fact that the attack of the "United Nations Army" has not stopped, and there are The situation continued to develop. In order to quickly stop the enemy's attack and stabilize the war situation, the "Joint Division" quickly made new adjustments and deployments on May 27: halting the rest and reorganization plan of some armies and legions, immediately switching to defense, and quickly moving the 63rd and 63rd Volunteer Army units. The 64th, 15th, 26th, and 20th armies and the 5th, 2nd, and 3rd corps of the People's Army were deployed north and south of the 38th parallel. District, carry out defense, resolutely stop the enemy's attack, and require the heads of each corps to: adopt active defense, use military divisions as units to attack flexibly and flexibly, and seek to eliminate one or two companies to a battalion at a time, or attract the enemy to the position Counterattack forward, or surround and attack a small group of enemies that stand out, make full use of artillery fire to kill the enemy, block roads, anti-tank, etc.
Under the unified command of the Volunteer Army Headquarters, all ministries stopped resting and reorganized, and quickly launched to build fortifications to block the northward advance of the "United Nations Army". From the 28th to the 30th, the 20th, 65th, and 63rd armies continued to implement powerful blockades and counterattacks against the US 9th Army that occupied the Hwacheon area and the US 1st Army that attacked Yeoncheon, annihilating one part of the enemy, and Recovered Huachuan, successfully held the position, and the enemy's counterattack momentum was curbed.
html On June 1, the 47th, 42nd, 26th, and 27th Corps of the Volunteer Army formed a deep defense line in Xinmaku, Yichuan, Jixiongshan, and Heiyuntuling, basically completing the entire defense layout. The Volunteer Army stabilized the entire war situation and reversed the passive situation in the early stages of moving north. By the 10th, the Chinese and North Korean troops took the initiative to withdraw from Cheorwon and Jinhua, and stabilized the front line at Wenshan, Yeoncheon, Cheorwon, Jinhua, Yangkou, and Mingboli near the 38th Parallel.Both warring parties turned to defense, and at this point, the fifth battle came to an end.The fifth battle to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea lasted 50 days. The Chinese and North Korean troops wiped out more than 82,000 enemies, and the volunteer army lost 75,000 people. They regained the initiative on the battlefield and won the final victory of the battle. The top military and political leaders of the United States were forced to re-estimate the strength of the Chinese and North Korean armies, completely gave up the illusion of occupying all of North Korea, switched from strategic offensive to strategic defense on the Korean battlefield, and finally decided to negotiate with China and North Korea to end the war. Since then, the Korean battlefield has entered a two-year strategic stalemate.
This article is original to "Party History Blog"
No reproduction is allowed without permission
Infringement will be investigated
Rights protection support: Hebei Jineng Law Firm
