The United States has been puzzled for many years, there are no planes and tanks in the Battle of Sh

Anyone who has learned about the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea does not know the Battle of Shangganling.

After the end of this battle, the Battle of Shangganling was written into the textbook of the West Point Military Academy by the U.S. military.

FigA recent photo of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

When all military academies and academies in the United States choose the subject of the squadron, they will certainly study two issues: the Shangganling Battle and the Lei Feng phenomenon.

And to this day there are still many people who are confused:Why was the well-equipped "United" at that time unable to defeat our volunteers?

In terms of strength comparison, we certainly do not have an advantage.

In terms of troops, the United States and South Korea have invested a total of 40,000 troops in 43 days, and the Chinese side has invested about 430,000, which is basically the same.

But in terms of military materials, China, which has just been founded, is far behind the old capitalist countries, especially since the United States has proven its military strength and military manufacturing capabilities during World War II.

FigOil painting of the Battle of Shangganling.

In the battle of Shangganling, the Chinese side consumed 5,500 tons of ammunition, while the US side consumed more than 20,000 tons, which is less than a quarter of the other side's.

When it comes to high-end ** configurations, we are far behind.

In this war, the United States invested more than 3,000 planes alone, and tanks and artillery can be said to be endless; And these ** equipment of the Chinese side cannot even be compared with how much less than the American side, but simply do not:There were no planes, no tanks, only a limited supply of shells.

Under such circumstances, China's ability to win against the United States is the reason why Americans are most confused.

The Americans, who had never tasted defeat before, would not easily admit that they had lost in the Battle of Shangganling, even for the sake of saving face, but the fact was that the Americans could not deny their defeat.

FigDuring the outbreak of the Korean War, a color photograph taken by a U.S. military correspondent.

In terms of numbers, the Volunteer Army is about 1150,000 people, about 1 U.S. and South Korean troops50,000 people; From the point of view of strategic objectives, both sides felt that there was no benefit in continuing to fight, so they only wanted to win the Battle of Shangganling in order to gain more initiative at the negotiating table, and obviously the strategic objectives of the United States and South Korea were not achieved, and finally they were forced to agree to a ceasefire with the Line of Actual Control, that is, the 38th parallel.

The overall grand strategic goal has not been achieved, and other goals, such as the number of troops and the number of troops invested, have far exceeded the original expectations of the US military.

General MacArthur had been suspended from his post at the time, and his successor, Van Vliet, was a staunch supporter of the doctrine of victory by firepower, and the amount of ammunition used in the war was many times set by the American record.

Since Shangganling was so small that only about two companies could be deployed, Van Vliet's original plan was to use 7 infantry battalions and 18 artillery battalions to form an air suppression with 200 aircraft, and take Shangganling within the loss of 200 men.

But on the first day of the battle, the number of losses was much more than 200.

FigOld photos of Van Vliet.

Van Vliet's sand table deduction was very good, and the U.S. military's calculations were also good, but they both ignored the element of manpower.

Chinese often say that man will conquer heaven, and through human efforts, even the so-called "providence" can be changed, not to mention that it was not one or two people who worked hard in Shangganling at that time, but all the soldiers on the front line, and their bodies condensed the will of all Chinese.

This is something that even the United States has been fighting with the Chinese on the Korean battlefield for two years has not recognized.

Specifically, there are several reasons for the defeat of the US military:

First, the correct command of Chinese commanders at all levels.

Fig**Old**.

The squadron has a lot of experience in combat, and has accumulated a lot of experience in the perennial War of Resistance and the War of Liberation, the only thing it lacks is that it has not experienced the experience of modern warfare.

But the courage of the Chinese is first-class.

Before the troops, ** had been emphasized:"We should deal a blow to US imperialism, the head of the imperialist aggressive camp in the world, and suppress its arrogance. ”

Under the guidance of this courage, although we lack experience in modern warfare, the momentum of "strategically defying the enemy" is sufficient. In addition, the excellent combat experience of the Chinese commanders brings an extraordinary view of the big picture and tactical intuition.

In the previous war, the Volunteers had captured and killed more than 230,000 local troops in five campaigns, and successfully stabilized the front near the "38th Parallel".

FigIllustration of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.

At this time, the US military's hardline attitude had wavered and turned to hope for a solution through negotiations. But negotiations also need to have bargaining chips, so the United States is also secretly preparing to play a "big victory".

The commander of our army predicted this and judged that the other side might launch a large-scale offensive on the central front, so he strengthened the defensive offensive in the two directions of Xishan and Wusheng Mountain.

Later, the U.S. and South Korean troops really launched an assault on Wusheng Mountain from Shangganling in October. Our army was relatively well prepared and laid the foundation for winning the Shangganling Campaign.

In the command of our army, how to deal with Van Vliet's firepower winning tactics is also the focus of the front-line command.

At that time, the top commander of the volunteer army battlefield was Wang Jinshan, and he had a nickname called "Wang Maniac", because he had an overwhelming domineering spirit when commanding operations, and they all called him "a generation of generals".

FigWang Jinshan Lao**.

During the Battle of Shangganling, Wang Jinshan insisted on not giving up an inch of land, and used tunnel operations and guided fire operations to break the US army's tactics of sea of fire, which became one of the keys to defeating the enemy.

And General Qin Jiwei, who was in command of Daode Cave, did not sleep for a second for seven days and seven nights.

On October 30, he commanded the first-line infantry to feint and lure the enemy into depth, and after the enemy broke out of the fortifications, he greatly reduced the artillery fire that had been extended to one point, killed and wounded a large number of enemy infantry, and after an hour of fierce fighting, completely annihilated the strength of four companies of the enemy, and recovered the high ground taken by the enemy during the day.

This battle was called "smooth" by Qin Jiwei, but it undoubtedly reflected the commander's exquisite command.

Second, the heroic and fearless spirit of the volunteers.

FigQin Jiwei is old**.

When it comes to how heroic the People's Liberation Army is, regardless of personal sacrifices, I believe that every Chinese can talk about it for a long time.

However, starting from our current situation, it is difficult to empathize with the volunteer soldiers of 60 years ago, and it is even more difficult for the US military at that time to understand why the volunteer soldiers would always have the spirit of preferring death to surrender, and the ** rate exceeds %, and even the whole platoon and the whole company are killed and do not retreat.

Part of the bravery and fearlessness of the volunteer soldiers comes from the power of hatred.

Although both countries were on the side of justice in World War II, the U.S. support for the Kuomintang army during the War of Liberation was already very unhappy for our army.

After launching the Korean War, the United States flagrantly violated international treaties and scattered a large number of viral missiles in the northeastern region.

FigChinese Volunteer Army units participating in the Korean War.

Plague, cholera, typhoid fever ......A large number of virus missiles with extremely high pathogenicity and mortality rates hit the land of Northeast China, which is an extremely despicable act, and has also aroused bitter hatred in the hearts of the volunteer soldiers.

So how heroic and fearless are the volunteer troops on the front line?

Let's not say high-sounding words, let's take a look at what the heroes of that battle did.

Among them, the most representative is Huang Jiguang, who we have heard about since childhood.

On October 19, the night of the fifth day of the Shangganling Campaign, Huang Jiguang's Sixth Company received the task of capturing the high ground after a fierce battle with the US army.

Fig** Huang Jiguang in it.

However, at dawn on the 20th, the 6th Company was still blocked by the US Army's position Zero, which was already very serious at that time, and several groups of demomen were killed on the way to the impact.

At this moment, Huang Jiguang stepped forward and led two fighters to carry out the blasting mission. Before he rushed to the established position, the two comrades-in-arms had already died and been seriously injured, and Huang Jiguang himself was injured in many places.

But he didn't give up, and then the smoke cover of the shell** continued to rush forward, and when he was close to the central firepower point of the US army, he threw out the last grenade, blowing up half of the firepower point, and he was also shocked by ** and fainted.

After a while, the troops launched a charge, and the remaining machine guns of the US troops rang out again, and Huang Jiguang woke up from the sound of gunfire and saw that his troops' attacks were blocked by machine guns.

At that time, he was the closest man to the US military firepower point, but he did not have ammunition in his hands.

FigHuang Jiguang Lao**.

For the sake of the victory of the troops, he endured the severe pain of his injuries and got up and found the bunker to shootPlugging the muzzle of the gun with his own chest, buying time for the troops to charge.

After the comrades-in-arms rushed to position zero and annihilated more than 1,200 American troops guarding it, they saw that Huang Jiguang's body was still pressed against the enemy's shooting hole, his leg had been broken, and there was not even blood in front of the castle - because the blood had already flowed on his way to the bunker.

In the Battle of Shangganling, Huang Jiguang was not the only hero who sacrificed himself in exchange for the victory of the large army, but also Niu Baocai, who used his body to connect the lines and ensure smooth command and communication; One person insisted on fighting in the position, repelling more than 40 enemy charges.

There is also correspondent Wang Cheng, when the whole company was sacrificed and he was besieged by the enemy, he used the telephone machine on his back to notify his troops to open fire on him, and exchanged his own life for dozens of enemy people.

According to statistics, in these 14 days,At least 38 of them died with the enemy by firing grenades and sacrificing themselves to blow up bunkers.

FigIn the movie "Heroes' Children", Liu Shilong played the image of Wang Cheng.

On the battlefield, the degree of hardship endured by the volunteer soldiers is unimaginable to ordinary people.

Some time ago, a veteran of the Volunteer Army burst into tears after tasting the compressed military rations of the current army, lamenting that the motherland has become far stronger than before.

This is precisely because the veterans at that time could not even be fed and clothed. 10 fighters in a certain tunnel stood at the entrance of the cave with submachine guns, and finally starved to death.

The tunnel system can be said to be a pioneering achievement of our army in dealing with US artillery attacks.

It is somewhat similar to the tunnel, that is, digging a passage in the mountain, blocking the artillery fire through the mountain, although people hiding in the tunnel will be subjected to **, but will not be directly attacked by artillery fire.

FigThe soldiers of the People's Volunteers swore an oath in the underground tunnels of the battlefield: they swore to live and die with the position.

When the U.S. troops stopped dropping artillery shells and switched to infantry to prepare to occupy the high ground, the soldiers rushed out of the tunnels to fight the other side.

Although the tunnel station ensures the safety and vitality of our army to the greatest extent, there are also problems such as inconvenient ventilation in the tunnelIf the mouth of the tunnel is blown up and cannot be cleaned up in time, the people inside will not even be able to deal with the urine and urine in time, and there is even a risk of suffocation.

In many tunnels, each person can only ** half a biscuit per day, and the soldiers can only drink urine to quench their thirst.

The U.S. military is actually an army known for its will to fight.

During the conscription period, the U.S. military also had heroes and heroes who sacrificed their lives to bomb bunkers; During the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the U.S. military completely convinced Japan with its superiority in equipment and will to fight.

FigBattle of Leyte Gulf.

In 1942, before the Japanese used the tactics of aircraft hitting **, American torpedo planes dared to hit Japan**.

However, the U.S. military had been fighting on the Korean battlefield for too long, and it had been greatly delayed compared to their original plan; In addition, this was not a just war in the first place, and the so-called unrighteous division was bound to lose, and it is reasonable that the US military does not have such a strong will to fight.

At that time, the tactics adopted by the volunteer troops were unheard of and unseen by the US military, and the US army was often unable to organize an effective battle or counterattack under the battle of the volunteers.

And most importantly,In this battle, the U.S. military did not have the spirit of the volunteers who had their backs to their home and country, could not retreat a single step, and fought to the death.

In terms of will to fight, this time the US military lost completely.

FigOld photos of Truman.

Specifically, during the Battle of Shangganling, it was the time of the United States, and on November 5, the commanders of Japan, the United States and South Korea also personally went to the front line to encourage the US troops.

However, in the rear, Truman, who was advocating support for South Korea and fighting a Korean War, was defeated, and Eisenhower became the new United States.

There is one in his campaign manifesto:Bring the volunteer soldiers back safely from the Korean battlefield.

Third, the troops participating in the war should make full use of tactics.

The reason why this war was included in the textbooks of the United States Military Academy at West Point is that the war laws adopted by the volunteer troops in this battle were eye-opening for the US military.

Fig**Old**.

Before the start of the Volunteer Army, the overall operational policy was given:"Our strategy and tactics should be that you fight yours, I fight mine, seize your weaknesses, and finally defeat you"., and one more is to:"Start from the safest starting point and don't do what can't be done. ”

Under the guidance of this thinking, the leaders of the Chinese People's Volunteers put forward the general intention of "sticking to the defense and fighting for every inch of land," and they did a good job of making use of their strong points and avoiding their weaknesses to guide our army to victory.

Although the artillery units of our army are not as numerous as the other side and far less powerful than the enemy's firepower, they are very precise in the use of limited ammunition, and their artillery tactics are extremely flexible.

In terms of combat grouping, artillery with different firing ranges is organized into different artillery groups, and the combat missions are also different; In terms of deployment, the artillery range was increased by pushing forward and moving into mountain artillery holes.

Under constant tactical exercises, infantry and artillery were able to form a fairly good coordination.

FigAnti-aircraft artillery unit of the Volunteer Army during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.

Even the opposing commanders admitted after the battle that our artillery played an amazing role.

Among them, the second artillery group has the largest artillery caliber and the longest-range battalion of the volunteers, and is the artillery group with the greatest artillery power.

Since they joined the campaign only after the battle began, their own artillery was exposed to the field offensive, but the gunners were not afraid of bloodshed and sacrifice, and second, they resolutely carried out the combat mission of "artillery fighting a war of annihilation" and used antiaircraft guns to shoot down one plane and wound several planes, so that the US planes no longer dared to fly at low altitudes in our positions.

Among them, the Fifth Artillery Company was awarded the title of "Shangganling Meritorious Hero Company".

In battle, our army gave full play to the true meaning of making use of its strong points and avoiding its weak points, and amplified our army's traditional superiority in close combat and night combat.

FigFootage of our army's night battle.

During the day, the power of aircraft, artillery and tanks is amazing, and it is difficult for our side to compete without the ** of the same level, which also leads to the partial or complete loss of ground positions during the day; At night, our army's tunnels are often only a few dozen meters away from the enemy, and the planes and artillery have lost their power.

This is why the small hill bag that is not high during the Shangganling period has experienced more than 40 repeated positional battles, and each time the US army has suffered a very heavy position.

Later, the commander of the 7th Division of the US Army joked with black humor:"The moon is Chinese. ”

After the war, the Americans came to the conclusion that mechanized units were not suitable for close combat and night combat, and began to pay attention to night vision technology and bulletproof technology.

The strategy of "measuring the enemy and using troops" is also one of the important ways to win by surprise.

FigDuring the Korean War, the U.S. artillery unit was bombarded.

At that time, the number of volunteers could not form an overwhelming advantage over the other side, especially when the other side increased its troops rapidly, and there would be a situation where the number of troops could not be compared with the other side.

Therefore, in the Battle of Shangganling, our army created a unique group combat method - to carry out small-scale sneak attacks and harassment in groups to contain the occupied ground area, which effectively consumed the effective force of the "joint **".

Among them, the "refueling tactic" can be called a stroke of genius.

The "refueling" tactic is to leave most of the living forces in the tunnel, keep a moderate number of people on the ground to defend, and once the ground troops appear, send the corresponding number of people to replenish.

This tactic avoids a lot of unnecessary ** while ensuring effective defense forces.

FigThe People's Volunteers carried out training activities in the tunnels.

A certain company of the 91st Regiment adopted this tactic to repel more than 80 enemy attacks and annihilate more than 800 enemies in one day, which is equivalent to destroying eight times the number of enemies itself.

Fourth, close coordination among all parties.

The various aspects referred to here include not only the troops participating in the war, but also the rear of our army and the local Korean people.

Before the start of the battle, the ** commander had said to Hong Xuezhi, the deputy commander in charge of logistics:"If you don't have food for a day or two, no matter how good the battle plan is, it's over. ”

The performance of our army's logistics units in the Shangganling Battle was also outstanding, under the suppression of the enemy's heavy firepower, from October 14 to November 5 in 23 days, the logistics units transported more than 2,550 tons of ammunition and materials to the front line; During the counterattack phase, the volunteers organized more than 8,000 people, 126 vehicles, and even more than 500 livestock to participate in the transportation.

FigVolunteer transporters on the line of fire.

In this battle, more than 1,700 people were transported, accounting for 14% of the total number (quoted from Han Weiguo's Great Battle, Eternal Monument - Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Victory in the Battle of Shangganling).

Our people and the people of the DPRK have also provided strong support to the troops fighting ahead.

When New China had just been founded, and at least half of the people in the country were still underfed, the people still cut back on food and clothing to provide enough food, equipment, etc. for the front line; The motherland has also organized condolence groups to the front line on many occasions to cheer up the soldiers.

The local North Koreans also organized a team of more than 8,000 people to carry 1,760 wounded on more than 1,800 stretchers.

A large number of North Korean people's resources served in field hospitals, transfusing blood and delivering condolences to the wounded.

FigIn 1950, the Chinese Volunteers joined forces with the Korean guerrillas during the Korean War.

For our army, the victory in the Battle of Shangganling was a battle for the soul of the nation.

In the previous 100 years, the Qing Dynasty army and the Kuomintang army had faced Britain, the Eight-Nation Alliance, Japan, Tsarist Russia and other countries with several times the strength of the enemy, all of which ended in defeat and land reparations.

Even the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was won at the cost of losing most of China, and with the strong support of the Soviet Union and the United States.

Therefore, during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, no country in the world was optimistic about China, and even the Soviet Union was waiting for China to ask for help.

However, after the Battle of Shangganling, the whole world was shocked by the combat effectiveness of the squadron. Even in the face of the actual number of participating countries of more than 20 "united**" squadrons, they can win the battle.

FigVictory to resist US aggression and aid Korea.

Western countries have finally realized that this new China is not the same as before.

After the end of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, a large number of countries in the world established diplomatic relations with New China.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew once said: "The Chinese move towards national rejuvenation from the moment they cross the Yalu River." ”

Chiang Kai-shek also said to his military generals: "In this world, no one is an opponent of ***." ”

FigU.S. Army General Mark Clark, Joint Commander-in-Chief, signed the armistice.

Although the US military will not be looked down upon by other countries because of its strong national strength, nor will it lose its qualification to compete for hegemony with the Soviet Union, it is a shame that its undefeated golden body will be broken after all.

The New York Times once commented:"The United States won North Korea on the Korean battlefield, but lost to Red China. ”Li Qiwei, the second commander-in-chief of the joint **, called Shangganling "sad ridge".

Now when we mention the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and then mention the Battle of Shangganling, we will be full of pride and will say to Western countriesLook, that's our ancestors!

However, please do not forget what a terrible thing war is, and the Battle of Shangganling was also a bloody battle, in which we lost more than 10,000 volunteer soldiers in 43 days.

FigOil painting of the Battle of Shangganling.

After the war, Western countries called it the "Verdun of Korea", and the Battle of Verdun was a battle known as the "meat grinder" in World War I, which shows its tragedy.

We may never be able to imagine such a dense artillery fire: in total, more than 1.9 million shells were fired, with an average of 6 shells falling per second and 76 shells per square meter.

Although our troops hid in the tunnel, they were also violently attacked, and a 17-year-old soldier was even shocked to death on the spot.

After the war, Shangganling, a small hill that was not high, was flattened by as much as two meters.

Many of the tunnels dug by our army have been broken by five or six meters, which are the traces left by the mouth of the tunnel after it has been blown up many times.

FigA shovel of soil full of shrapnel remained on the Shangganling position.

After the war, someone grabbed a handful of soil in Shangganling, and there were twenty or thirty pieces of ammunition in it.

Our victory was the result of our forefathers' desperate efforts without planes, tanks, and less than a quarter of the artillery fire.

The reason why we can enjoy today's peace is because after this war, the US military no longer dares to confront our army on the frontal battlefield, and even when it is urgent to divert domestic contradictions, it will use ** war and other methods to restrict, rather than threatening to send troops.

Living in such a China, we are forever happy and grateful!