During last year's National Day, the movie "Changjin Lake" caused heated discussions on social software, which tells the story of the battle of Changjin Lake in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. This battle not only defeated the 1st Army Division, the ace army of the United States, but also successfully recovered most of the area north of the 38th parallel, which was of great significance to the entire campaign to resist US aggression and aid Korea, and laid the foundation for the subsequent armistice negotiations. And "Shuimen Bridge of Changjin Lake", which was released during the Spring Festival this year, describes the last duel between the volunteers and the combined army in the Battle of Changjin Lake.
However, the duel ended in failure, with some accusing commander Song Shilun of making a mistake in his strategic arrangement. In the Battle of Changjin Lake, the Ninth Army of the Volunteer Army defeated the combined army led by the United States, causing it to retreat in disgrace. At that time, the United League was fully prepared, and Commander MacArthur even boasted that he would defeat the Chinese Volunteers before Christmas. However, he miscalculated, and did not expect that the Chinese volunteers would win under the condition of backward armaments, forcing the United ** to abandon Changjin Lake and retreat to the base camp of Xinnangang.
Although the U.S. team had a lead in combat readiness, their retreat had to pass through the crucial Watergate Bridge, only 65 kilometers from base camp. As long as they successfully retreated to this point, the Chinese volunteers would not be able to annihilate their ace division. The Battle of Watergate Bridge was a battle that ended in failure. When the U.S. troops retreated to the Watergate Bridge, they had to cross the rugged mountain roads on foot, carrying a large amount of heavy equipment that made the retreat slow. However, once the Watergate Bridge was crossed, the road became wider and clearer, and it was closer to Xinnangang, and the U.S. military only needed to change its mode of travel to get rid of the pursuit.
Therefore, we must prevent them from crossing the Watergate Bridge. Song Shilun sent two companies to blow up the bridge, but unfortunately, the American troops managed to escape in the end. After learning of the retreat intention of the United **, we immediately arranged for Song Shilun to go to the Watergate Bridge to intercept it, because the 1st Army Division was the ace unit of the United States, which had emerged in the Pacific theater and was one of the most powerful troops in the world at that time. If we can intercept their retreat, we have a chance to annihilate them and bring a greater advantage to the subsequent battle.
However, what is surprising is that Song Shilun only arranged for two companies to go to the Watergate Bridge to fight. Although the Volunteers bombed the Watergate Bridge three times in a row, they could not prevent the Coalition Army from escaping. The failure at the Battle of Watergate raised questions about whether the decision was wrong. For such an important site, why only two companies were sent to blow up the bridge?Had more men been sent at that time, would the combined forces have been able to leave without any problems?In fact, Song Shilun, who was in charge of commanding the operation, made a mistake in decision-making, misjudged the situation at that time, and gave the combined army a chance to escape.
Song Shilun was initially temporarily transferred to the Korean battlefield to participate in the operation, and his mission was to completely annihilate the 1st Marine Division of the United States. However, after winning the battle of Changjin Lake, the United ** decided to retreat, and the volunteer army also realized that this was an opportunity to strike at the United Army and gain more initiative for future operations, so they sent Song Shilun to carry out a pursuit operation, hoping to block the enemy's retreat and achieve the goal of total annihilation. After receiving the task, Song Shilun immediately analyzed the retreat route of the American army.
He noted that the U.S. military, which carries a large number of tanks, heavy armored vehicles and infantry trucks, is most likely to choose a wide road as a retreat route for the smooth transportation of heavy equipment. He carried out strict control in Xinxingli, Liutanli, Gutuli and other places, preparing elite troops to guard the locations that might pass, but ignored the Watergate Bridge and only sent a small number of troops to ambush. The U.S. Air Force reconnoitred and found that the main road was difficult to pass, and the Watergate Bridge was less controlled and close to the new southern port, so it risked this retreat route.
Song Shilun underestimated the superiority of the US military's equipment and fortifications, mistakenly believed that the Watergate Bridge was easy to defend, and mistakenly believed that blowing up the bridge deck would stop the combined forces. However, the U.S. military fortifications were strong enough to quickly repair the bridge deck, and the volunteers carried out three bridge bombing operations, but failed to intercept the combined forces. Recalling the battle, Song Shilun felt deep regret and remorse, realizing that he had made a mistake in judgment and was not prepared enough to destroy the American ace troops. However, the lessons of defeat in this battle made him more decisive and heroic, and he made great contributions in later battles.
Although the Battle of Watergate Bridge was full of regrets, Song Shilun learned from the defeat and showed more decisiveness and courage in the later battles with the combined forces, making great contributions to the victory of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. This battle has taught us that it's not important to make mistakes, it's important to learn from them and improve. As long as everyone can reflect on their own shortcomings and strive to improve like Song Shilun, life will have a chance to get on the right track.