1. The birth of New China and the turning point of the war.
In October 1949, the founding of the People's Republic of China marked the beginning of the later stage of strategic pursuit in the Liberation War. In the Battle of Hengbao, the Kuomintang army Bai Chongxi's group suffered a heavy blow, and the Gui army lost nearly 50,000 elites and suffered a heavy loss of vitality. As a result, the Bai Chongxi group retreated from Hunan Province to Guangxi Province (present-day Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), and faced pressure to reorganize and raise troops again. With Guilin as the core, they tried to defend along the Hunan-Guizhou Railway (Hengyang-Liuzhou) and its flanks, trying to hold their positions in order to secure the two rivers on the left and right, reinforce Guizhou Province, barrier Kunming, and support Lei and Qiong.
Second, the strategic vision of the first and the planning of the Guangxi campaign.
The Battle of Hengbao had just ended, and ** quickly set its sights on Guangxi. In the early morning of October 12, 1949, he sent a telegram to the Fourth Field Army and the Second Field Army, emphasizing that "the camera occupies Guangzhou" while keenly raising the issue of the Guangxi Campaign. ** On October 19, he sent another telegram: "You are ready to cut off the enemy's retreat from Yunnan with a great detour, and this plan is very good." On October 31, the "Opinions on the Deployment of Troops" was issued.
3. The all-round development and ingenious design of the Guangxi Campaign.
In accordance with the instructions of the Fourth Field Army, the Front Committee of the Fourth Field Army decided to use the 12th Corps, the 13th Corps, the 4th Corps of the Second Field Army, the Yunnan-Guizhou Border Column, and the Guangdong-Guizhou Border Column, a total of more than 400,000 people from 30 divisions of nine armies, to march to Guangxi by three routes: west, north, and south. The Bai Chongxi group retreated to Guangxi, with a total strength of 200,000 troops, including the remnants of the Yu Hanmou group and local forces, trying to make a final resistance.
On the evening of November 6, the Guangxi Campaign officially began, and the Western Route Army and the South Route Army carried out a great detour. The 13th Corps Headquarters of the Western Route Army led the 38th Army and the 39th Army to set out from the Dongkou and Wugang areas in southwest Hunan respectively, and occupied the two county towns of Jingxian and Tongdao on the 10th, cutting off the retreat of the Bai Chongxi group to Yunnan. The 4th Corps of the Southern Route Army led the 13th, 14th, 15th and 43rd armies from western Guangdong to the Yulin (now Yulin) and Bobai lines, preventing the Bai Chongxi group from retreating to Hainan Island through the Leizhou Peninsula, and at the same time forming a pincer encirclement with the Western Route Army. The 12th Corps of the Northern Route Army led the 40th, 41st, and 45th armies to cut off the retreat of the Bai Chongxi group from the western and southern route armies, and then moved south from the Hunan and Guizhou border areas to cooperate with the western and southern route armies to annihilate the Bai Chongxi group in Guangxi. The three-way army marched forward and pursued the remnants of the Kuomintang with victory.
Fourth, the decisive victory of the Guangxi campaign and the overall outlook.
On November 18, the 123rd Division of the 41st Army attacked Guilin, and on the 22nd, it broke through the enemy's last line of defense in the northern Guizhou area, Gantangdu, and then broke into the city of Guilin and declared liberation. On the 19th, the 40th Army successively occupied Bucheon, Zhongshan, and Hexian, and advanced to Wuzhou at a speed of 30 to 50 kilometers per day. At the same time, the Southern Route Army, the Western Route Army, and other units also made smooth progress. In the Battle of Guangxi, our army annihilated the enemy 17More than 30,000 people, 15 captured the enemyMore than 70,000 people have successfully liberated the entire territory of Guangxi and created favorable conditions for the liberation of Yunnan Province and Hainan Island.
On December 14, the Guangxi Campaign, which was characterized by long-distance pursuit, detour, and encirclement, came to a successful end. This battle drew a strong stroke for the War of Liberation and demonstrated the heroic fighting spirit and outstanding command of the People's Liberation Army. The success of the Guangxi campaign not only completely collapsed the resistance plan of Bai Chongxi's group, but also laid a solid foundation for our army's next actions.
In today's era, when we look back on the Guangxi Campaign, we should draw on the wisdom of it, cherish this period of history, and constantly strive to contribute to the development of the Guangxi Campaign. We can also think about how the squadron can carry forward the spirit of the Guangxi Campaign, better fulfill its national defense responsibilities, and contribute to the maintenance of peace and stability under the current complex and changeable international situation