The Battle of Changjin Lake, as a more tragic and outstanding battle than the Battle of Shangganling, attracted the attention of countless people. In this battle, in the face of the wind and snow, the bitter cold and bitter bad weather, as well as the huge disadvantages of equipment, battlefield supplies, communication and other aspects, the volunteer soldiers were still full of enthusiasm and fearless spirit of life and death, and launched an epic duel with the enemy near Changjin Lake that lasted for 17 days.
Although in the end, the Ninth Corps won by a narrow margin, but there was also a unit that failed to complete the task, that is, the 26th Army of the Ninth Corps. Due to the failure to complete the combat mission, the commander Song Shilun was furious and canceled the number of the 26th Army, but unexpectedly, the commander of the 26th Army actually took the case and insisted: "The number of the 26th Army is set by *** personally, you can't cancel it!" ”
So, what exactly caused the 26th Army to fail to complete its mission? In the end, was the number of the 26th Army really revoked? Let's unveil this history together.
The Ninth Corps of the Volunteer Army ended its first campaign on November 5, 1950, when the enemy learned of our involvement in the Korean War, but mistakenly believed that our goal was limited to the protection of the Phuong Hydropower Station, and that the number of troops did not exceed 30,000 or 40,000.
So, the U.S. military decided to launch"Total offensive", advancing to the entire Yalu River. Faced with this situation, the 9th Corps of the Third Field Army of the People's Liberation Army quickly entered the DPRK to fight. The 9th Corps is under the jurisdiction of the 27th Army, with a total of 150,000 men, and is the main force of the East China Field Army.
Among them, the 77th Division of the 26th Army is the backbone of the Luzhong Army, except for a part of the special service battalion of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, the others are all troops and county brigades that participated in the uprising of Culai Mountain and Heitie Mountain.
The 77th Division has a pungent style, is good at fighting tough battles, has the strongest combat effectiveness, and is the main division of the 26th Army. The 229th Regiment led by Liu Xueshan and the 230th Regiment led by Zhang Duansheng were the heroic regiments of the 77th Division.
Under the leadership of Song Shilun, the 9th Corps of the Chinese People's Volunteers adopted the tactics of day and night, successfully avoiding the attention of US aviation scouts and quietly approaching the Korean Jiangjie area.
The deployment of the US 10th Army was to move north from the east and west, with the 1st US 7th Infantry Division and ROK troops attacking Sinxing-ri on the east, and the 1st Marine Division and the 1st US 7th Infantry Division attacking Yootam-ri on the west.
According to the enemy's situation, the 9th Corps arranged for the 26th Army to block the enemy's East Route Army, and the 20th Army and the 27th Army interspersed with cutting and annihilating the enemy's West Route Army, thus beginning the famous Battle of Changjin Lake.
After the operational order for the Battle of Changjin Lake was issued, the 20th and 27th armies were at the forefront, while the 26th army served as the general reserve. The plan of the 9th Corps was to hold off the 1st Marine Division through a flanking attack by the 20th and 27th Armies, and then wait for the 26th Army to join the battle and finally annihilate the enemy.
However, this plan encountered many difficulties in its implementation. Due to the hasty entry of the 9th Corps into Korea and the tight blockade of the US Air Force, logistical supplies were very difficult, especially the lack of winter clothing to protect against the cold.
As a result, the fighters not only starved and froze, but also greatly reduced their combat effectiveness and personnel.
In northern Korea, on November 14, the influence of the Siberian cold snap caused the temperature to plummet to minus 20-30 degrees Celsius, which also brought great difficulties to the 9th Corps' campaign deployment.
Song was forced to postpone the offensive and did not begin until November 27. Soldiers of the 9th and 27th Corps of the Volunteer Army launched an attack on the 1st Marine Division and the 31st Regimental Combat Team of the 7th Infantry Division in the bitter cold.
At that time, the U.S. military was still in a state of scattered offensive forces, and their supreme commander even considered their opponent to be just a ** force. The covert advance of the 9th Corps also put the U.S. Army's 31st Regimental Combat Team in a difficult position.
After five days of perseverance, the volunteer soldiers successfully annihilated the 31st regimental combat team of the US army. In this battle, the volunteers annihilated a total of 3,191 enemy troops, killed the regiment's commander, Colonel McLean, and his successor, Colonel Zaan, and captured the "Polar Bear" regimental flag, creating a record of completely annihilating an entire regiment of the US army in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
The 1st Marine Division of the U.S. Marine Corps participated in the battles of Guadalcanal, Peleliu, and Okinawa in World War II and never lost. Moreover, this team had carried out the occupation mission in North China, and it was not until September 1, 1947 that the last team officially withdrew from China.
Many high-ranking officers have been in China longer than their own countries, and they are very familiar with the strategy, tactics, and fighting will of the squadron. They tried to save the 31st regiment, but they could not rescue it because the regiment was already surrounded by our troops.
Later, when they learned of the annihilation of the 31st Regiment, they immediately broke through and retreated by sea.
In the face of the frenzied southward escape of the enemy army on the Eastern Front, Song Shilun and General Tao Yong actively responded to the instructions of the Military Commission and the First Military Commission, and decided to adopt the tactics of encirclement, pursuit, and interception to completely annihilate the enemy army in the Changjin Lake area.
On December 3, with the support of more than 50 aircraft, the US army launched a fierce breakthrough attack, with the tank group as the vanguard, and launched an attack on the first-line position of the Volunteer Army's Eagle Ridge.
At the same time, the U.S. troops in Xiajieyu also began to attack westward, intending to meet the U.S. troops in Liutanli. The soldiers of the 59th Division of the Volunteer Army faced a two-sided attack, and finally due to continuous fighting, a shortage of **, and a sharp reduction in personnel due to cold weather, the position was broken through by the US army.
After the U.S. troops in Liutanli fled to Xiajieyuli, the 1st Marine Division began to destroy its equipment, reorganize its formation, and prepare to retreat south. Faced with this situation, Song Shilun immediately ordered the 26th Army to urgently pursue to the south, and planned to carry out an encirclement and annihilation operation against the enemy forces in Xiajieyuli on the night of December 5.
After receiving the order, Zhang Renchu, commander of the 26th Army, quickly deployed all divisions to march to the theater. However, the soldiers marching in the high mountains, ice and snow faced various difficulties, such as severe cold of more than minus 30 degrees Celsius, frequent air raids by the US military, wind and snow, and unfamiliar roads, and failed to launch an offensive within the allotted time.
When Zhang Renchu decided to launch an attack on the 1st Marine Division of the US Army at Xiajieyuli on the night of 6 December, he found that the enemy had broken through from Xiajieyuli to the south under the cover of a large number of planes and tanks.
The main force of the 20th Army and the 89th Division in the north-south area of the Huangcao Mountains successfully eliminated a battalion of the 7th Regiment of the 3rd Division of the US Army in Shecangli, and then came to the area north of Xiatongli.
When Song Shilun learned of this, he decided to adjust his strategy and let the troops of the 20th Army rely on the occupied positions to stop the enemy troops fleeing south, the 26th Army attacked south, and the 27th Army launched an attack from the right flank to the west of Hamxing.
Despite the difficulties faced by the cold, lack of food, and lack of ammunition, the volunteer soldiers still marched forward bravely and launched a siege and interception of the enemy troops fleeing south. On 8 December, the 1st Marine Division, with the support of a large number of air forces, continued to break through to the south, but was successfully blocked by two companies of the 172nd Regiment of the 58th Division of the Volunteer Army in a narrow section south of Gutuli.
In the weather of more than minus 30 degrees Celsius, the volunteer soldiers held their positions, and although only more than 20 people could fight, they still annihilated more than 800 American troops and completely blocked the American troops fleeing south.
In the cold winter of North Korea, the volunteer soldiers held their positions, but unexpectedly, due to the sudden drop in weather, they all froze to death ......Despite the difficulties, the 9th Corps of the Volunteers resolutely completed the task, and with their heroic and tenacious spirit, they fought bloody battles with the US army, and finally annihilated tens of thousands of enemy troops, successfully opened the situation on the Eastern Front, ensured the security of the flanks and rear units of the Western Front of the Volunteers, and brilliantly completed the strategic task.
In a harsh battle, the 9th Corps fought hard in the snow and ice, and despite running out of ammunition and food, they held their ground, and finally defeated the enemy forces, recaptured important towns, and won a great victory.
This kind of strong will to fight and fearless spirit are worthy of learning from the whole army. In this regard, the Volunteer Army Headquarters and the Political Department sent a congratulatory telegram to all the commanders and fighters of the 9th Corps, and at the same time, they also sent a telegram, speaking highly of their heroic performance.
After receiving the telegram, Song Shilun was very excited, and held a meeting that night to convey ***'s praise to everyone. At the following meeting of cadres at and above the division level, Song Shilun highly praised the performance of the 20th Army and the 27th Army, but he criticized the 26th Army's failure to arrive at the designated position on time and block the enemy: "In the Battle of Changjin Lake, most of the troops performed well, but the 26th Army did not complete the combat mission and let the enemy escape. ”
After the battle, the 9th Corps held a meeting, and Song Shilun once again emphasized the shortcomings of the 26th Army and expressed his disappointment that they had not arrived at their designated position on time.
However, he also stressed that the performance of most of the troops was commendable, and their courage and perseverance were fully demonstrated in the war.
Zhang Renchu, the commander of the 26th Army, knew that he had failed to complete the task, and in the face of Song Shilun's accusations, he chose to remain silent and bowed his head and remained silent. However, Song Shilun's anger intensified because of this, and he even said that the 26th Army number was canceled.
After hearing this, Zhang Renchu took the case and retorted loudly: "Although we have not completed the task, this does not mean that we will not fight. We've won every time we've done before, and that's a testament to what we're capable of.
The number of the 26th Army was named by *** himself, and you can't cancel it. In fact, Song Shilun's remarks about canceling the number were also out of momentary anger. He knew that in the battle of Changjin Lake, the soldiers suffered countless casualties, and he was very sad and angry about this.
Therefore, he vented these anger on the 26th Army, which did not complete its mission. At this moment, the commander of the Volunteer Army*** appeared, and after listening to the cause and effect, he said to both sides: "Okay, don't quarrel."
Song Shilun, you don't need to say it, there is no truth in the face of mistakes. "Indeed, in this campaign, both the commander Song Shilun and the various units that carried out the mission, there were some mistakes.
Now, instead of accusations and criticisms, we need to sum up experience and straighten out the troops. At the summing up meeting, Zhang Renchu made it clear that the whole army must "fight a battle and go further."
Zhang Renchu was a brave and fearless volunteer soldier, and on January 25, 1951, when the "United **" launched a comprehensive **, he led the 26th Army to conduct a blocking battle on the front line.
He personally visited the frontline positions, solved many problems, and stressed that there must be no sloppiness in pre-war preparations. He commanded the troops to build four defensive positions at a distance of 40 kilometers in front and 55 kilometers in depth, and held on for half a month, successfully preventing the enemy from crossing the "38th parallel."
On the following April 15, Zhang Renchu decided to lead the 26th Army to deal a heavy blow to the enemy. In order to lure the enemy deeper, they withdrew to the first line of reserve positions from Gaotai Mountain to Ge Mo on the night of April 16.
**Personally gave the commander of the 26th Division of the 78th Army, Qi An, who was located in an important defensive direction**, emphasizing the need to hold the position, prevent the enemy from attacking, and create favorable conditions for the fifth campaign.
After receiving the instructions, Zhang Renchu asked the soldiers to resolutely implement the instructions of the first class, grit their teeth, reduce the number of people, and persevere to the end. The soldiers of the 26th Army fought bloodily, bravely killed the enemy, and successfully repelled dozens of attacks of the "United **".
By April 21, the 26th Army successfully completed the operational mission of the movement defense and annihilated the enemy 1More than 580,000 men, 76 tanks were destroyed, and the offensive of the "United **" was successfully delayed, so that the enemy could only advance an average of 15 kilometers, paid a very painful price.
In general, Zhang Renchu was a brave warrior, and his wisdom, courage and firm belief made an important contribution to the victory of the Volunteer Army. His heroic deeds will forever be recorded in history and will forever inspire future generations.
In March 1952, Zhang Renchu led the 26th Army to transfer defense to the 15th Army. During his visit to Korea, Zhang Renchu commanded the 26th Army in numerous battles, annihilating a total of 3 enemy troopsMore than 80,000 people, a large number of people were captured, and they completed the tasks assigned by their superiors brilliantly.
After returning to China, ** held Zhang Renchu's hands tightly and expressed his gratitude. In 1955, before the PLA implemented the large-scale awarding of military ranks, the staff began the work of evaluating military ranks according to the instructions of the Central Military Commission.
Soon after, a staff member named Han Yuqin came to Zhang Renchu's home, took the military party committee's evaluation of Zhang Renchu's military rank, asked him to look at it sentence by sentence, and brought his opinions back to the military party committee for study and then reported to the ** military commission.
Although Zhang Renchu said with a smile: "As long as the military party committee agrees to the study, I will agree, no need to read it!" But Han Yuqin insisted that this was not in accordance with the regulations and that it was his task.
Zhang Renchu was helpless, so he had to nod and agree. Han Yuqin talked about the period of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea from the period of the First Domestic Revolutionary War, and when he talked about the battle of Lazikou, Zhang Renchu said excitedly: "This is a beautiful ......battle I fought under the command of Commander-in-Chief Zhu and Regiment Commander Wang Jinxiang and Political Commissar Yang Chengwu”
On October 10, 1934, Zhang Renchu's Red Army began the Great Long March with *** and ***. In late August 1935, it was decided that the Red Army would go north across the grassland, and the 4th Regiment of the Red Army would serve as the advance regiment of the Right Route Army, with Zhang Renchu as the commander of the 2nd Battalion.
The danger of the meadow is unpredictable, is it a flat land or a swamp ahead? In order to better guide the follow-up troops, ** personally assigned tasks to the advance group: "In the process of advancing, make more 'advance from here' signposts, attach arrows to them, and insert one whenever there is a fork in the road." ”
When we first entered the meadow, everyone had no bottom in their hearts, and there was black stagnant water and a swamp that emitted a stench, and there was hardly a place to put your feet. But Zhang Renchu cared about the soldiers very much, asked for warmth along the way, and used humorous words to ease everyone's nervousness.
When some of the wounded had finished eating, Zhang Renchu would ask the guards to take out his own food for them, but the guards refused, so Zhang Renchu pointed to the vast grass in front of him and said, "I won't starve to death, you see so many wild vegetables in front." ”
However, the meadows were cold and damp, and there was no firewood to burn, let alone make a fire to cook wild vegetables. On September 12, 1935, the Red Army arrived at the border of northern Sichuan and Russia, held a meeting there, and then continued to advance towards Lazikou.
Lazikou was the throat leading to Gannan, and the task of crossing Lazikou once again fell on the shoulders of the 2nd Regiment of the 4th Division of the Red Army.
The 6th Company led by Zhang Renchu was the vanguard of the attack on Lazikou, and their task was to break through the wooden bridge and storm the pass. Zhang Renchu and his teammates launched an attack on the night of September 16, armed with large knives, grenades at their waists, and long and short guns on their backs.
The enemy held the bridgehead, and the enemy troops on the stone wall on the right bank threw a large number of grenades. In the face of a strong enemy, Zhang Renchu held a meeting on the front line and decisively decided to divide his troops into two ways to seize the wooden bridge.
Later, under the leadership of Zhang Renchu, the soldiers climbed the back slope of the cliff on the right bank of the enemy, and the enemy fled in a hurry. In the early morning of September 17, the soldiers finally occupied the dangerous Lazikou.
Zhang Renchu's wit, decisiveness, and courageous spirit set an example for the fighters and was highly praised by *** and others. On September 27, 1955, Zhang Renchu was awarded the rank of lieutenant general.
When he saw Zhang Renchu, he held each other's hands affectionately and said: "You are the battalion commander of Zhang Renchu who attacked the Tianwei Lazikou back then, right?"
This battle is well fought, thank you! ”
In October 1967, Zhang Renchu was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent surgery**. In June 1969, during a physical examination, he was found to have colon cancer that had metastasized to the liver and was readmitted to the hospital**.
Although he hoped to recover his health, unfortunately, on November 4 of the same year, Zhang Renchu died of illness at the age of 60.