At the thrilling time of the Battle of Changjin Lake, Death Eagle Ridge, Xiajieyuli and Watergate Bridge became the life-and-death places for the retreat of the 1st Marine Division. However, the failure of the Volunteers to capture these three key locations left the 1st Marine Division in a desperate situation. This article will delve into the twists and turns.
The first to bear the brunt was Death Eagle Ridge, which was the place where the 5th and 7th Regiments of the 1st Marine Division had to retreat to Xiajieyuli. The defender of Death Eagle Ridge was the 59th Division of the 20th Army, and due to the loss of troops from the battle and freezing and starvation, the 59th Division only had more than one regiment left at this time. Despite the valiant fights of the fighters, they were ultimately unable to hold their positions in the face of the onslaught of two regiments of the American army.
Xiajiayuli was the next stop in the retreat of the 1st Marine Division, which was initially captured by the 58th Division of the 20th Army. Before the war, our army estimated that there was only one battalion of American troops here, but in fact the American army had more than 3,900 troops. The 58th Division failed to capture Xiajieyuli in the fierce battle, and the superhero Yang Gensi died heroically in this battle. The two regiments of the 1st Marine Division came to Xiajieyu after rushing through the resistance of the 59th Division of the Volunteer Army.
Due to the layers of resistance of the volunteers, the 1st Marine Division paid the price of 59 hours and more than 1,500 people in a short 22 kilometers from Liutanli to Xiajieyuli. U.S. military reporters described the scene at that time, the officers and soldiers were in tatters and suffered from the bitter cold, but they were indomitable and unbelievably persevering.
The 1st Marine Division finally came to the Watergate Bridge, and only by crossing this bridge could it successfully withdraw to Hamhung to join the friendly forces. The Volunteers were well aware of the criticality of the Watergate Bridge and tried to blow it up twice, but failed to do so. The Third Volunteer Army decided to blow up the bridge foundation with the intention of blocking the escape route of the 1st Marine Division. However, the U.S. military demonstrated excellent logistical capabilities, bringing in rutted bridge components to repair the bridge through airdrops, allowing the 1st Marine Division to evacuate smoothly. The colonel of the Operations Division of the 1st Marine Division believed that the US troops were able to escape from the Changjin Reservoir only by "fluke."
Statistics show that the total number of personnel attrition of the 1st Marine Division in the Battle of Changjin Lake was 11,731, accounting for 40% of the total strength of the division. The number of combat** and attrition of the 9th Corps was 48,156 respectively, accounting for 32% of the total strength. At first glance, the 9th Corps seems to have an absolute superiority in forces, but the reality is more complicated.
Although the 9th Corps still had 100,000 troops on its books, the 20th and 27th armies suffered heavy losses in the early battles, and the troops were seriously reduced. The lack of timely logistical supply led to a shortage of food and ammunition, which caused some of the troops participating in the war to fall into a state of starvation. In contrast, the U.S. military achieves continuous replenishment through airdrops and has abundant logistics.
Even if the Volunteers completely blew up the Watergate Bridge, it would still be extremely difficult for the 9th Corps to completely annihilate the 1st Marine Division under the circumstances at that time. The attrition of the 20th and 27th armies, the problem of logistical supply, and the air support of the US army all constituted a situation in which the 9th Corps could not easily achieve total annihilation.
The battle of Changjin Lake is a heroic epic, full of the perseverance and struggle of the volunteers. To gain an in-depth understanding of the before and after of the Battle of Changjin Lake, you might as well read the "Bloody Battle of Changjin Lake" by military writers He Chuwu and Feng Ming. This book truly records the bloody battle of the volunteers in Changjin Lake, and restores the battle scenes and heroic deeds at that time for readers. Click here to learn more about this heroic history.
Ice and Snow Changjin Lake: Revealing the Critical Moment of the Watergate Bridge, the Clever Escape Bureau of the Volunteer Army" profoundly restores the strategic considerations, emergency retreat and dangerous situations at the critical moment in the Battle of Changjin Lake. In this battle, Death Eagle Ridge, Xiajieyuli, and Watergate Bridge became life-and-death locations, and the article details the reasons why the Volunteers failed to capture these three key locations, as well as the dangers of the 1st Marine Division when it finally came to the Watergate Bridge.
The defense of Death Eagle Ridge showed the perseverance of the 59th Division of the 20th Army, however, due to the battle and the attrition of cold and starvation, they were ultimately unable to block the onslaught of the two regiments of the American army. This defeat posed a serious threat to the retreat of the 1st Marine Division. The unexpected estimation in Xiajieyu also became a major setback in the retreat of the 1st Division, and the sacrifice of the superhero Yang Gensi made the battle even more brutal.
The criticality of the Watergate Bridge is self-evident, and the Volunteer Army has tried to blow up the bridge many times, but due to the excellent logistics capabilities of the U.S. military, they repaired the bridge by airdrop, and finally successfully evacuated the 1st Marine Division. This ingenious counterattack was impressive, and it also highlighted the relative strategic and logistical superiority of the US military at the time.
In the article, an in-depth analysis was made on whether the Watergate Bridge was completely blown up and whether the 9th Corps could completely annihilate the 1st Marine Division. Although the 9th Corps had an advantage in troops, due to the attrition of the early battles and the problem of logistical supply, coupled with the air support of the US army, it became extremely difficult to completely annihilate the 1st Marine Division. This analysis demonstrates the combined impact of multiple factors in military campaigns, giving readers a deeper understanding of the complexity of the war situation at the time.
The whole article vividly depicts the thrilling scene in the Battle of Changjin Lake, making the reader feel as if he is there. At the same time, the detailed description of each key point in the battle and the in-depth analysis of the battle situation make people deeply admire the courage and perseverance of the fighters at that time. In addition, the recommendation of the book "Bloody Battle of Changjin Lake" mentioned at the end of the article provides a useful reference for readers who want to have a deeper understanding of this period of history.
Overall, this review carefully summarizes the highlights of the article, giving deep thought about the complexity of the campaign and the consideration of the situation at the time. Through the detailed description of the article and the powerful analysis of the commentary, the reader can better understand the twists and turns of the war situation and the pressure of decision-making, making this article a wonderful work that is food for thought.
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