I said: "In Bei'an I knew that I had sent reinforcements to the tower wood encirclement point and won the battle." Gao Gang said: "The Northeast Bureau and Commander-in-Chief Lin Biao planned to expand the results and seek to annihilate Du Yuming one division to two Division. Due to the cold snap, there was a lot of frostbite, which affected the battle. More than 8,000 people suffered frostbite in two days and nights. General Lin prepared to fight several battles in succession, with each division having about 10,000 troops and more equipment than last year. Improvement. As you saw in Bei'an, the base area has begun to take shape, and the people are very active in joining the army and participating in the war. It was completely different from the situation during the battle on Beining Road at that time. It was correct to avoid a decisive battle with the enemy's 13th Army and 52nd Army. This is a key point. Later in the battle at Siping Street, the enemy assembled 10 divisions and I only had 9 brigades. It was impossible to block the enemy's northward advance. I quickly made up my mind to retreat skillfully and avoid decisive battles in Changchun and Gongzhuling . "It's a key point."
"I was on the front line both times. During the Siping Defense Battle , if our troops were delayed for a few hours, some of the troops might not be able to withdraw." I told him about the battle in Siping Street.
"So Mr. Lin's handling was very decisive. This Songnan battle, the Northeast Bureau, Lin Biao, Peng Zhen and I all think it is the key. If Du Yuming can no longer increase troops from within the pass, our army will win several battles in a row, which will establish our The foundation of the party and our army is in the Northeast. Now we need you to go to the front line." It can be seen that Gao Gang is very confident.
"Understood, I will leave for the front line immediately." I replied.
The strong wind swept up the snow and spread it everywhere.
I took a truck and drove towards the Gong shed where the 6th vertical headquarters was located, with white hair and wind . When I got there, I was in time for lunch. I first met with deputy commander Yang Guofu, deputy political commissar Liu Qiren, chief of staff Yan Jiesan, director of the political department Xu Binzhou and other leading comrades. They introduced me to the column's cadres and troops, and agreed on the next step. A meeting of division commanders and political commissars was held on the second day. The next day I met with the division commanders and political commissars, and I conveyed Lin Biao's requirements for the 6th Column Operation. Everyone was in a high mood and seriously discussed the preparations for the next battle.
On February 13, each column received a telegram from the Northeast Bureau: "We in Northern Manchuria will use all our strength to attack the enemy on a large scale around the 18th. This is the most significant battle of the year. After the ice was opened, our troops in Northern Manchuria were immediately attacked. Yitong River , Yinma River , Songhua River 3 rivers are blocking the way, and the battle is not as good as it is now. If the two enemy divisions can be annihilated in this battle, the main force can stay on the south bank of the Songhua River to continue the attack after the ice is opened. ."
Northeast Bureau decided to fight Chengzi Street first.
Chengzi Street is located in the north of Jiutai County, Jilin Province. It is home to more than 200 families and is at the connection point of Jiutai County to Dehui Highway. The northwest and southwest have undulating mountains, and the east has open plains and is covered with ditches and willow forests. It is the enemy's largest peripheral stronghold in the northeast of Changchun City. In order to control the Zhongchang and Jilin-Changchun railway lines, the Kuomintang sent a company from the 89th Regiment of the 30th Division of the New 1st Army to the Mountain Artillery Battalion to garrison in Chengzi Street in early February. They built fortifications, gun towers, bunkers, and set up obstacles such as deer villages and barbed wire fences. The so-called "plane and depth" fortress was formed, ready to be defended for a long time to prevent me from moving south.
On the 17th, the headquarters ordered each column and independent division : Our army decided to annihilate the enemies in the Chengzi Street and Dajiagou areas first, and seek to annihilate their reinforcements. If the enemies in these two places are annihilated or flee, our army will use one part of our army to besiege Dehui , and use the main force to fight for reinforcements south of Dehui. The artillery regiment attached to the main force of the 6th Column was responsible for encircling and annihilating the enemies in Chengzi Street, and the main force of the 1st Column and the 16th Division of the 6th Column were responsible for reinforcements. On the 22nd, they arrived near, west and southwest of Chengzi Street. The actions of the artillery regiment are regulated by the 6th column.
Lin Biao attached great importance to this battle.
20 On this day, Zhu Rui and I received 6 telegrams from Lin Biao and Liu Yalou. The instructions were very specific: it is hoped that the troops will be deployed to arrive near Chengzi Street before 12 noon on the 22nd, so that the artillery and infantry have sufficient time to reconnoiter the terrain, start the attack before dusk, and complete the siege of Chengzi Street at dusk. He also told us that the enemy on Chengzi Street has been fortified for half a month and the fortifications must be completed. Artillery power should be allocated based on this point. He also pointed out that the enemy will definitely break through tonight, so I hope you will try to start the attack today to prevent the enemy from escaping.
html On the afternoon of the 21st, the divisions of the 6th column marched towards Chengzi Street in three directions through knee-deep snow.Zeng Qi, the leader of the enemy's 89th Regiment, prepared to escape after receiving an urgent message from Sun Liren Army Commander "150,000 communist troops have crossed the south of the Yangtze River and havetily withdrawn to Changchun to avoid annihilation." After the
headquarters informed us that the enemy was preparing to escape, we immediately ordered the troops to switch to a forced march. At a speed of 70 kilometers overnight, at 5 a.m. on the 22nd, we actually appeared in front of the enemy who had just escaped from Chengzi Street and attacked them head-on. The enemy, the enemy retreated to Chengzi Street and held firm, and were surrounded by our troops.
At 6 o'clock on the 23rd, we had two regiments each from the 17th Division and the 18th Division. With the support of artillery fire, we launched a fierce attack on the enemies on Chengzi Street. By 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy was completely annihilated, with more than 1,200 enemy soldiers captured including the commander and below, and more than 300 enemy soldiers killed and wounded.
On the 24th, I took a whole day off.
On the 26th, I received a telegram from Lin Biao and Liu Yalou: "Dehui is guarded by 1 battalion of enemy regular troops, 1 battalion of artillery and several regiment bandits. The headquarters of the 50th Division and another regiment have withdrawn to Changchun. 6th Column and The two artillery regiments should immediately set off to the vicinity of Dehui to annihilate the enemies of Dehui. The specific attack time and deployment will be determined by ourselves."
The next day, Lin Biao and Liu Yalou instructed us: In order to defeat the enemy one by one in the battle situation, You must quickly and strictly organize a resolute attack on Dehui, organize firepower well, make the troops have a strong will to fight, and annihilate Dehui's enemies no matter what, so that you can free up your strength to fight the enemies heading north.
On the same day, Lin and Liu called: They agreed that Wen Yucheng and Zhang Chiming would lead the 2nd Independent Division to participate in the attack on Dehui, and the 6th Column would be under the unified command.
On the same day, we all arrived at the outskirts of Dehui.
Dehui is located 75 kilometers north of Changchun and 35 kilometers south of the Songhua River. It is on the medium-long railway line and is the enemy's advance base in northern Manchuria .
The enemy has built strong fortifications in villages and hills three or four miles around the city. The headquarters ordered us to resolutely remove the outlying strongholds on the 27th and night. The violent shelling began at 16:00 on the 28th, and the infantry launched a general attack at 18:00.
When Dehui was in danger, Du Yuming mobilized the 388th Division from Zhengjiatun , Bamiancheng area, Tongliao and the 87th Division to the north to assemble in Changchun. On the 28th, two regiments of the 30th Division and the 148th Regiment of the 50th Division, which retreated to Changchun together with the New 1st Army, made an emergency dispatch to the north. Reinforce the enemy and advance to the line of Wanbao, Mishasha and Taipingqiao, and continue to advance northeast to reinforce Dehui. The
headquarters ordered the 1st and 2nd Columns to resolutely deal heavy blows, kill and partially annihilate the enemies who were going north to aid Dehui. The 2nd Column is responsible for the resistance west of the railway, and the 1st Column is responsible for the resistance east of the railway.
html At 16:00 on the 28th, the general offensive began, attacking the city in four directions, with the main attack directions being southwest and northwest. Each division goes together, and the 2nd Division attacks the northwest corner, between the 16th Division and the 18th Division. On March 1, our army broke into Dehui City from the northwest corner. Two regiments captured four large bunkers and developed in depth.Before the war, we learned from the headquarters' report that Dehui only defended the enemy with the remnants of the 150th Regiment of the 50th Division of the New 1st Army, and the main force of the division had retreated to Changchun. After the battle started, it was learned from the prisoners' confessions that there were actually more than 5,000 defenders in Dehui, who were guarded by the entire 50th Division of the New 1st Army, an artillery battalion , and a security regiment. The enemy's New 1st Army was all American-style equipment, with many automatic weapons. Each division had artillery units and had very strong firepower. It was one of the five ace armies of the Kuomintang. It was still very arrogant at the time. The enemy paid special attention to the construction of Dehui defense fortifications. There were many fortifications in the city, and there were underground passages and telephone communications between bunkers. In the city, core fortifications were built with the railway station as the center, bunkers were built around the city, and field defense fortifications were built on the outskirts of the city and near the airport in the east of the city, basically forming a multi-layered defense system around the city.
Our siege troops are brave and tenacious. Wang Dongbao commanded the 16th Division and the 2nd Independent Division to first break into the city with 5 battalions. The 18th Division commanded by Wang Zhaoxiang and Huang Ronghai also attacked two battalions. The enemy concentrated artillery fire to stop our siege troops.
Due to the uncertainty of the enemy situation before the war, we thought that it would not be a problem for our army to attack an enemy with less than one regiment with four divisions and artillery. Therefore, we adopted the tactics of surrounding and attacking on all sides to prevent the defenders from escaping.
The attack on Dehui was the first time that our company conducted a formal siege operation against a city held by the main force of the Kuomintang. It was also the first time that the Northeast Field Army conducted a formal siege operation against the main force of the Kuomintang. Prior to this, only some units of our army had fought against the Kuomintang regular army, but they had not fought any major offensive operations, nor had they conducted coordinated operations with infantry, artillery, and tanks. Cadres at all levels lacked the organization and command of such a contract. With the knowledge and experience of fighting, although they once invaded the city, it would still take four or five days to capture a heavily defended city like Dehui.
html On March 2, two divisions each of the New 1st Army and the 71st Army, the enemy of Dehui, were sent to Mishasha.Lin Biao suddenly changed his mind and was determined to make Du Yuming miss and then attack again, so he ordered all his troops to break away from the enemy. I was ordered to withdraw from the battle, move north of the Yangtze River, and enter the Gongpengzi area. In this battle, more than 1,300 enemy soldiers were captured and heavy casualties were caused to the enemy.
In order to use troops, you must first observe the enemy's situation. If you want to attack the enemy, you must first make a plan. Only by grasping the enemy's situation promptly and accurately and flexibly changing tactics in a timely manner can we gain the initiative in combat.
