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1974, snow-like intelligence fell on the desk of Chairman Mao, Zhongnanhai , which detailed the invasion of the Saigon government of South Vietnam on our country's Xisha Islands.
At that time, Chairman Mao was 81 years old and suffered from various diseases, but he still made up his mind to fight for the last war in his life and decided to resolutely fight back against the aggressive behavior of South Vietnam .
Under the command of Chairman Mao, this battle exerted the military authority of our country's navy and also shattered the arrogant attempt of the South Vietnamese government to invade the Paracel Islands.
So how did this battle start? How brave did the Chinese Navy perform in this battle? What signals does our army’s victory send to the world?
Eve of the War
Xisha Islands are located in the southeast of Hainan Island in my country. They are composed of Yongle Islands , Xuande Islands and some islands and reefs of large and small. They are the largest archipelago among the South China Sea islands.
As early as in the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese government had jurisdiction over these islands. During the Ming Dynasty period, the great navigator Zheng He used the reign names of the Ming Dynasty emperors, such as Yongle and Xuande , to name the larger islands in the Xisha Islands.
Around World War II, some islands in the Xisha Islands were successively occupied by France and Japan. But after the founding of New China in , these islands were re-accepted by the New China government.
951, Premier Zhou pointed out that the Xisha Islands, like the South China Sea islands such as Nansha Islands , are Chinese territory, and this position has also been supported by most countries in the world.
Therefore, whether from the perspective of historical jurisdiction or international legal principles, the Xisha Islands are our inherent territory.
However, there are always countries who want to challenge this international consensus, such as the Saigon regime in South Vietnam.
In 1955, France failed in French-Vietnam War and had to withdraw troops from Vietnam. Vietnam is artificially divided into two, in the north it is the Democratic Republic of Vietnam led by Chairman Ho Chi Minh , and in the south it is the Republic of Vietnam supported by Americans, that is, the Saigon regime in South Vietnam.
With the support of the Americans, the South Vietnamese regime has become increasingly arrogant in its attitude towards neighboring countries, trying to continuously expand its territory with hegemony.
The Xisha Islands region, which has an important strategic position and rich resources, has naturally become one of the goals of the expansion of the South Vietnamese regime.
Since 1958, the South Vietnamese authorities have continuously sent armed forces to operate near the Yongle Islands, hijacking Chinese fishermen and eroding our Xisha Islands.
For the overall consideration of the international situation at that time, the Chinese government did not use military measures to fight back against this provocative behavior in South Vietnam except for a solemn warning.
However, the South Vietnamese authorities regard such tolerance as the weakness of the Chinese government, believing that with the support of Americans, China dare not do anything to itself. The aggressive behavior in the Xisha area of is becoming more and more blatant and arrogant.
In September 1973, it was openly declared that it would include the Xisha Islands under the jurisdiction of its Fusui Province. In November, South Vietnamese warships deliberately hit the fishing boats that were operating in our country and illegally seized Chinese fishermen.
In the attitude of provocative behavior of South Vietnam, the Chinese government has issued solemn warnings, saying that the Xisha region is our inherent territory, its islands, and resources belong to our country.
0 The Chinese government will never allow any violation of our territorial sovereignty by South Vietnam. I don’t know if it was the confidence given by the Americans, but South Vietnam ignored it and continued to challenge China’s bottom line.
1974 On January 15, 1974, the warship Li Changjie in South Vietnam invaded near the Yongle Islands, harassed our fishing boats, and even blatantly shelled our Jinquan Island.
htmlOn November 17, under the cover of the warship Chen Qingyu, the largest tonnage warship in South Vietnam, several South Vietnamese soldiers landed on Ganquan Island and Treasure Island , and openly pulled off our national flag. Such actions mean that the South Vietnamese regime's illegal behavior towards the Paracel Islands has changed from provocation to naked armed invasion.
On the night when the provocation in South Vietnam escalated, Mao Zedong held a Politburo meeting in Beijing to discuss the issue of the Xisha Islands.
After careful analysis of the forces of the enemy and us and the attitudes of the United States and the Soviet Union, the central government's senior officials unanimously agreed that it is necessary to give the arrogant South Vietnam a certain limit to military strike to defend our territorial sovereignty.
Guangzhou Military Region received the order from the Central Military Commission and immediately made arrangements, dispatched a fleet of ships to patrol the waters of the Yongle Islands, and at the same time stationed militias to Jinqing, Chenhang and Guangjin Islands, and arranged two submarines to be hunted by near Yongxing Island .
At the same time, the combat command also issued instructions to the front-line deployment forces: "We must resolutely strike against all enemies who dare to invade!"
A naval battle that has been recorded in history is already on the verge of outbreak.
battle began
From the end of 1973 to the beginning of 1974, the South Vietnamese government's provocative behavior in the waters of our Xisha Islands gradually escalated, colliding with our fishing boats, hijacking our fishermen, and even brazenly shelling our Ganquan Island.
In order to defend our country's territorial sovereignty, Chairman Mao Zedong, who was 81 years old, issued an order to launch the Xisha self-defense counterattack and finally won.
In that era when our country's naval power was weak, how did the brave PLA win this battle with wisdom and command art?
1974, after many provocations succeeded, the Saigon regime in South Vietnam decided to tear off the last veil and mobilized three destroyers, Li Changjie, Chen Qingyu, and Chen Pingzhong, the frigate of the Mitao, to invade our Xisha waters, and openly infringed on our territorial sovereignty.
At around 5 o'clock that day, the enemy Li Changjie and the Nutao approached our naval fleet, while Chen Qingyu and Chen Pingzhong sailed towards us Chenhang Island and Guangjin Island , and fired fire at the people on the island in an attempt to seize the island by force.
The enemy Li Changjie relied on his large tonnage and thick steel plates, and took the lead in launching an attack on our ship fleet. Our two minesweepers, No. 396 and No. 389, were not afraid of it and blocked them before the enemy ship.
Relying on its huge tonnage advantage, Li Changjie rushed away after injuring my ship No. 396 and headed towards the Guangjin and Chenhang Islands.
Then, the enemy ship attempted to transport more than 40 South Vietnamese soldiers to Guangjin Island and shoot at the military and civilians who were guarding the island. The military and civilians who were guarding the island were forced to fight back, killing one enemy and injuring three. The South Vietnamese soldiers had to flee back to the warship in a panic. After the attempt to land on the island was broken, the South Vietnamese side did not give up. Relying on its warship "high people and large horses", it kept squeezing and colliding at our ship .
Our naval soldiers were not afraid and drove the warship towards the enemy ship without turning or slowing down, but instead forced the enemy ship back.
The angry South Vietnamese side saw this and immediately ordered four warships to open fire on us at the same time. One of the shells hit the command room of our 274 boat, and the captain and political commissar of the 274 boat died heroically.
Under the suppression of fierce enemy artillery fire, our 274 boat was severely damaged, and the rest of the ships were also damaged, and the situation on the battlefield was in a stalemate.
At this time, General Wei Mingsen, who served as the commander-in-chief of the naval operations, carefully analyzed the current battlefield situation and made the following judgment.
The total tonnage of the enemy ship is about 6,000 tons, the largest warship weighs 1,800 tons, and the equipment is only 127mm naval gun is no less than 50 doors.
The total weight of our warship is only 1,600 tons, which is not as large as the tonnage of an enemy warship. The weapons and equipment are mainly rapid-fire machine guns, and the number of cannons is pitifully few.
In view of the enemy ship suppressing our ship in terms of tonnage and firepower, Wei Mingsen decided to change the tactics, give full play to the high-speed and flexible maneuverability of our ship, move close to the enemy ship, and carry out close combat, so that the enemy cannot use its main gun to suppress us, waiting for an opportunity to cause killing and damage to the enemy. Once the command
was conveyed, our warship immediately approached the enemy ship at high speed. The South Vietnamese command ship Chen Qingyu was forced to flee to the outer sea under the close attack of our army.
At the same time, our side also shot at the enemy ship, and the officers and soldiers of the enemy ship were in chaos in an instant. Seeing that the Li Changjie was trapped in a heavy siege, the enemy's Futao Ship immediately turned around with an intention to attack us.
At a critical moment, our ship 389 approached the enemy at high speed despite the rain of bullets. Only ten meters away from the enemy ship, our soldiers used machine guns and grenades to attack the enemy ship frantically, causing the ammunition compartment of the Utao to explode and catch fire, losing their combat effectiveness.
The South Vietnamese warship was frightened by our army's strong combat power and began to flee to the outer seas frantically. The heavy-hitted Lu Tao was left behind.
At this time, our army's ship No. 281 quickly caught up with the Nutao and bombarded the enemy with ten detonators, causing the enemy ship to explode and catch fire again, and eventually sank in the waters near Lingyang Reef .
The news of the initial victory of the Xisha Naval Battle came. Marshal Ye Jianying clenched his fists excitedly and shouted: "Fight well, fight well!" After the naval battle was successful, the Central Military Commission quickly analyzed the situation and ordered the navy to quickly expand the results of the battle, launch a landing operation, regain the three islands of coral, Ganquan, and gold and silver that were illegally occupied by South Vietnam, and eliminated the remnants of the South Vietnamese invaders in the Xisha. After the order
was issued, our army immediately launched an operation, and 500 officers and soldiers marched towards the Three Islands on warships and first launched a landing battle on Ganquan Island.
Because the South Vietnamese army had lost the will to resist after the defeat in the naval battle, our army completed the recovery of Ganquan Island in just ten minutes. Then, it even regained Coral Island and Treasure Island.
At this point, the Xisha self-defense counterattack ended with our country's great victory. In this battle, our army defeated the strong with the weak, fully utilized its own advantages, and used flexible tactics to sink an enemy frigate and injured three enemy destroyers.
more than 100 enemy officers and soldiers were killed and 48 enemy soldiers were captured.
However, the significance of the victory of the Xisha self-defense counterattack war is not just as simple as how many military forces are caused to South Vietnam.
Historical significance
In January 1974, in order to defend our country's territorial sovereignty, Chairman Mao ordered a resolute counterattack against the South Vietnamese army that frequently invaded our country's Xisha waters. In this battle, our army fully utilized its own advantages, and eventually defeated the strong with the weak, recovered the lost land in one fell swoop, and smashed the arrogant attempts of the South Vietnamese invaders.
However, history has proved that my country's successful victory in the self-defense counterattack in the Xisha Islands will bring immeasurable historical value and have even affected today.
So, as the first foreign victory of our country's navy, what is the historical significance of this victory? What superb military philosophy does Chairman Mao reflect in the war process?
First of all, the victory of the Xisha Navy Battle shattered the South Vietnamese regime's invasion attempt in one fell swoop, and also supported the North Vietnamese government, forcing the US forces to accelerate the withdrawal of South Vietnam, objectively accelerating the process of Vietnam's north-south unification.
Secondly, with the Battle of the Xisha Sea, our country recovered all islands in one fell swoop and sent troops to garrison. In this way, our country has a solid foothold in the Western sand sea area, laying a solid foundation for our country to carry out a more grand maritime strategy in the future.
Until today, my country's ocean-going strategy is still based on the stability of the South China Sea. It has to be said that Chairman Mao's strategic vision is indeed far-sighted.
Again, the Battle of Xisha is the first direct foreign struggle of our navy since the founding of the People's Republic of China. During the battle, our navy relied on flexible tactics and eventually defeated the strong with the weak.
This greatly trains our navy's long-sea combat capabilities and enhances our navy's confidence in defeating strong enemies.
At the same time, the fierce battle of the Xisha Sea also brought the situation in the South China Sea into the public's vision. Since then, the strategic weight of the South China Sea Fleet has become increasingly prominent, and the construction of our army's maritime power has become more balanced.
Finally, our army was in a relatively difficult period at that time. The victory of the Xisha Navy Battle not only greatly enhanced the confidence of the Chinese people in the national strength, but also showed the whole world that
At any time, our country has the belief to dare to fight fearlessly against all invading enemies, and also has the determination to eliminate all invaders.
So what superb military philosophy does Chairman Mao reflect in this thrilling war?
First, this war reflects Chairman Mao’s long-term strategic vision.
exchanges short-term wars for long-term peace. This is Chairman Mao’s consistent strategic thinking. This is the case for the self-defense counterattack against India, the Battle of Zhenbao Island, and the Battle of Xisha.
Just imagine, if this war is not fought, some of the islands in the Xisha will fall into the hands of South Vietnam. Then no one knows whether there will be wars around these islands in the next 40 years.
Chairman Mao, despite his illness, also had to worry about this battle himself, in order to resolve the Xisha issue in the short term and exchange for long-term peace in the South China Sea region in the future.
Second, this battle embodies Chairman Mao’s military philosophy of exchanging victory on the battlefield for political victory.
War is a continuation of politics. There are far-reaching political considerations behind it when a war will be fought, to what extent, and when to stop.
For example, in this Xisha Battle, Chairman Mao chose to start the war to politically intimidate other countries that covet my country's South China Sea. South Vietnam is just a target to kill the chicken and warn the monkey.
0 Recovering the Three Islands did not continue to expand military operations. Chairman Mao was to avoid an unnecessary long-term war with South Vietnam, so as not to put our country in an unfavorable situation internationally.
From beginning to end, our country occupied the supreme heights of public opinion and politics in the Battle of the Xisha Sea. Our army was forced to fight back out of self-defense. After repelling the enemy, no revenge was launched, which gave our country a high reputation in the international political ecology.
Third, this battle reflects Chairman Mao’s superb struggle strategy of combining military and civilians.
Looking at Chairman Mao’s revolutionary career, mobilizing the people’s strength and fighting people’s war have always been one of the core of his military thought.
Whether it is the War of Resistance Against Japan or the War of Liberation, Chairman Mao has proved that the people cannot defeat, and the strategy of combining military and civilians is always advanced.
In the early stage of the Xisha Navy, our country did not send many regular troops, but used a large number of militias, which not only weakened the color of the war, but also made South Vietnam misjudged our country's determination to fight back against the military. In the late stage of the war, Chairman Mao mobilized a large number of fishermen who were familiar with the local water conditions and climate as the guide, so that the land forces could successfully land on the island.
These actions are the manifestation of Chairman Mao’s military and civilian thinking in this war. Finally, this war also embodies Chairman Mao’s flexible and changeable command art.
Flexible and changeable, unconventional, has always been Chairman Mao’s military command style. Four Crossings of Chishui is a masterpiece under this style of command.
Under Chairman Mao’s long-term teaching, Mao Zedong’s military thoughts were also thoroughly learned by our senior commanders and fighters, and applied them in practice.
The Battle of Xisha is another reflection of Chairman Mao’s military command art.
At that time, both in tonnage and weapons and equipment, our warships were far inferior to those in South Vietnam, and also caused our ships to fall into disadvantage in the early stages of the war.
However, our army did not stick to the rules, but changed its tactics in a timely manner, played to its strengths and avoided its weaknesses, played to its own advantages and fought against the enemy in close combat, and finally won the war.
1st century today, the Xisha Islands are rippling with blue waves and pleasant scenery.Peace and development have become the theme song of this sea area.
40 years ago, it was the wise decision-making of a generation of great men and the bravery and fearlessness of naval soldiers that brought peace and tranquility in the Paracel Islands today. Today, more than 140 years later, although the smoke of gunpowder in the Xisha Islands has dissipated, we cannot forget the drums and horns that were striking back then.
Being war will lead to death, but forgetting to fight will lead to danger. We love peace, but we never lack the determination to fight back against all invaders, as the lyrics sang:
"A friend comes with good wine. If the jackal comes, we will welcome it with hunting rifle ."
Only by daring to fight the invaders can we better protect this hard-won peace.
