Li Qiwei: General of the U.S. Army during World War II, later served as commander of the U.S. 8th Army, succeeded MacArthur in 1951, and became the commander-in-chief of the "United **", the supreme commander of the Allied forces in Japan, and the commander-in-chief of the US forces in the Far East, successfully commanding the "United **" against the Sino-Korean coalition forces.
In 1967, at the age of 72, General Matthew Bunker Ridgway published the book "The Korean War" based on his own experience. In the book, he confessed the bravery of the Chinese volunteers, and was especially impressed by the fierce Battle of Yunshan, because it was his first battle after entering the dynasty.
We all know the end result. In order to give you a deeper understanding, the following is a part of the book's content about the Battle of Yunshan, witnessing how the nascent people's power and the People's Volunteers defeated the invincible senior generals of the US army.
In his memoir, The Korean War, Ridgway described a devastating loss on October 29, 1950. The U.S. 7th Division landed at Iwon, about 240 kilometers north of Wonsan, and planned to advance to Hyesan on the Yalu River.
The South Korean 1st Army planned to move north along the coastal road and advance to the Soviet border. The Marines planned to follow the only road across the Central Plateau to the Jiangjie and then advance to Manpo on the Yalu River.
The 3rd Division remained behind to guard the Wonsan-Hungnam-Hamhung area. However, before the operation began, a shocking message spread from the ridge to the northeast.
The 6th Regiment of the 7th Division of South Korea was attacked by a Chinese force with absolute superiority. The Chinese unit showed great bravery in close combat, almost completely annihilating the regiment.
Judging by what happened later, the regiment may have unwittingly broken into the area where the squadron was gathering and preparing to launch an attack there. The Chinese, not ready for a large-scale attack at that time, decided not to expose the target, and therefore almost wiped out this vanguard force.
This heavy loss has given the United States and other allies a deeper appreciation of China's strength.
The squadron was extremely covert in its operations, moving on foot at night, avoiding roads during the day, and sometimes burning fires in the forest to create smoke screens to deal with aerial reconnaissance.
In addition to this, they also use tunnels, mines, or villages for concealment. Each Chinese soldier on a mission was able to be self-sufficient, carrying dry rations made from rice, beans and corn, as well as enough light ** ammunition to hold out for four or five days.
They left no trace of their actions and showed a high degree of discipline and professionalism.
The threat of the squadron made the United States very confused. The troops stationed at Yunshan suffered one blow after another, and they were crushed by the rapid and sudden attacks of the Chinese, so that many troops were defeated before they could react.
Among them, the South Korean 6th Infantry Division, which was stationed in the Onjeong-Zhaocheon area, about 25-50 kilometers east of Unsan, was the first to bear the brunt of the victims. The squadron eliminated them, leaving the South Korean 2nd Army an unorganized force, which exposed the right flank of the US 1st Army to the enemy.
At 5 p.m., the squadron launched a tentative attack, using the cover of mortar and rocket artillery fire, gradually launching an offensive from east to west. * The battle lasted all night and was more intense than previous wars, even in close combat.
By midnight, many U.S. troops had almost run out of ammunition, so the U.S. 1st Army moved to the defensive. * That night, the 8th Cavalry Regiment of Unsan was attacked on three sides, the 15th Infantry Regiment of South Korea held its position in the east, and the American forces faced Chinese forces in the other three directions.
After receiving the order to retreat, the American troops found that the retreat had been cut off, and a strong Chinese force blocked the main road before noon. * In order to reinforce Unsan, the 8th Cavalry Regiment launched several attacks, but was unsuccessful due to the resolute resistance of the Chinese troops.
In the early hours of 2 November, troops retreating from Unsan were ambushed on the main road, as a result of which vehicles were destroyed and tank crews and infantry fled in panic.
The wisdom and courage of the squadron were vividly displayed in the attack of the 3rd Battalion of the 8th Cavalry Regiment on the west side of Yunshan. The 3rd Battalion had thought that there was no enemy to the west, but the Chinese forces achieved a shocking surprise attack.
Later in the afternoon of 1 November, some units spotted our planes strafing enemy positions to the south, but did not pay attention. Having received the order to retreat, the unit commander first withdrew the artillery and ordered the 3rd Battalion to cover the retreat of the cavalry regiment.
The 3rd Battalion was deployed north of a bridge over the Nam Yong River and guarded by two squads. At about 3 o'clock in the morning, a small group approached the bridge from the south, and it was not clear whether it was a platoon or a company.
The bridge guards allowed the men to pass without inspection, and because they came from the south, they were considered South Koreans and did not go unnoticed. When these strangers stopped opposite the command post, one of the cadres blew a military horn fiercely, and they immediately attacked the command post from all directions with light ** and grenades.
Many of our men were awakened by the sound of bugles or the sound of the enemy's almost close fire. They fell asleep while waiting for the signal to retreat, so they climbed out of their respective foxholes and engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
In the heat of battle, sometimes you need to throw the enemy to the ground one-on-one, and sometimes you need to shoot back at close range. The wisdom and courage of the squadron were fully demonstrated in this battle.
In the heat of battle, each tank was attacked at least two or three times. The soldiers fought to the death on the battlefield, some hiding behind jeeps, some helping to rescue fallen comrades, and some looking for a place to resist the enemy.
However, when the mortar shells began to fall in their midst**, they hurried south, crossing the Nam Yong River and deep into the dark mountains in search of their troops. They marched in groups, some even wounded, to the south and east.
As the night wore on, they encountered more and more separated people. That night, 15 people trapped in the fortifications of the command post and 20 people were killed by Chinese grenades.
By the next day, only 66 officers and 200 soldiers were able to continue the fight. Finally, the division's liaison aircraft dropped a notice ordering the battalion to retreat under cover of night.
The rescue force was forced to terminate the rescue operation, and the 3rd Battalion had to rely on its own strength to break through. The infantry and tank units decided to hold out in the ring of defense for the night, but heavy mortar fire forced the tankers to drive their tanks out of the defense circle to attract enemy fire.
Eventually, they decided to go to the southwest alone in search of a safe place. It is clear that since each tank has been hit two or three times, they are no longer useful against the infantry.
The infantry wished the tankers good luck and then retreated to defensive positions, ready for the next round of attacks.
7) Late at night on the breakout route, the Chinese broke through the defensive line of the besieged troops with heavy mortar fire and infantry attacks. The besieged troops first took advantage of the burning of nearby vehicles to illuminate the surrounding area.
The squadron dispatched about 400 men and made 6 assaults, but all of them were successfully repulsed. The soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, hidden in the mountains, were attracted by the sound of fire from friendly units and also joined the defensive battle.
At dawn, air support still did not arrive, and all remaining rations were distributed to the wounded. The number of wounded is currently 250, and only 200 are able to fight.
In the early hours of November 4, the survivors decided to break through the siege, leaving the wounded to surrender to the Chinese. A reconnaissance team found a route that began at a roadside trench and passed through a village to the north before ending at a ferry crossing.
So, the survivors set off to the east and embarked on the road to break out.
8) Although the Chinese were the strongest fighters, during the battle, they were surrounded by Chinese troops and were forced to disperse and flee. In the end, only a few managed to return to their own fronts, and the exact number of killed, wounded and captured is difficult to count.
Some of the captured personnel fled back to the team a few days later. There were also some wounded, including the battalion commander, Major Ormond, who died during capture and were properly buried by the Chinese.
On November 2, the Chinese released 27 people, most of whom were captured near Yunshan. At one point, the Chinese put the seriously wounded on the road and withdrew.
When our paramedics went to pick them up in their car, they didn't shoot at us. We later realized that the Chinese are strong warriors and enemies of civilization.
On many occasions, they shared what little food they had with the captives, and took a friendly attitude towards the captives. When we recaptured Seoul, it was found that the Chinese did not arbitrarily destroy the building materials we had brought to Seoul to repair the bombed city.
The 8th Cavalry Regiment suffered heavy losses at Unsan, with more than half of its formed strength and a large amount of equipment destroyed, including 12 105-mm howitzers, 9 tanks, more than 125 trucks and 12 recoilless guns.
Ridgway died on July 26, 1993, at the age of 98. Ridgway was a great military strategist who, through his outstanding leadership, succeeded in saving the 8th Army from the brink of defeat and collapse and stopped the offensive of the Chinese People's Volunteers, and his contribution will always be remembered.