On November 28, 1950, the commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, Walker, ordered a retreat, and since then has begun an unforgettable retreat journey for the U.S. military. In the second battle to resist US aggression and aid Korea, the commander used his unique tactics of luring the enemy deep and taking him by surprise to defeat the arrogant coalition.
The defense line of the South Korean 2nd Army was the first to be breached, the American infantry division could only take the road and escape, and the Turkish brigade also suffered heavy losses, no matter how optimistic MacArthur was, he could not deny that this joint ** suffered a heavy defeat.
In this battle, the American troops, drunk in the dream of prosperity, were almost unable to resist, they threw away their cars, tanks, and even their own rifles, and desperately fled south.
The British 29th Brigade undertook cover and tail breaking during the retreat of the US 2nd Infantry Division, and their fighting qualities far exceeded those of the US troops. Pursued by the volunteers, the US 2nd Infantry Division was trapped in a narrow canyon, where they desperately fled and threw away everything they could.
Even in a panic, they killed two British soldiers who were guarding them. On 30 November, the British Gloucester Regiment and the Rifle Regiment occupied several commanding heights north of Pyongyang under the cover of tanks, and their mission was to cover the retreat of American troops.
The British soldiers, who witnessed the largest retreat in history, were puzzled by their mission: "If we were faced with an equal number of Chinese, would we be able to resist?" ”
The winter of 1950 on the Korean Peninsula was the coldest winter in the history of the British Army, surpassing any war they had participated in before. One of the most common things that American soldiers said when they saw the British was, "It's hell out there!" ”
The U.S. military pursued a scorched earth policy, and tens of thousands of tons of "Christmas supplies" were burned, and the flames in Pyongyang were incessant. The British soldiers were given the task of covering the retreat of the Americans, and although they were dissatisfied, they could only obey.
It took only 20 days for the Chinese volunteers to equip their mortars and drive the enemy out of North Korea. In addition to facing the pursuit of the volunteers, the British and American troops also had to face another most terrible enemy, that is, the bitter cold.
minus 38The low temperature of 9 degrees Celsius made Perlins, the intelligence officer of the British flintlock regiment, unbearable.
The weather in North Korea is unpredictable, with rain and snow constantly switching between sunny days, but the temperature remains extremely low. In such extreme conditions, everything becomes different.
When the British soldier was awake, he even blinked to make a sound, the sound of frozen eyelashes colliding against each other. Tapson, a soldier of the Fusiliers, found that at this temperature, if he had just woken up, he could not speak for 20 minutes, because his mouth was almost frozen.
If a British soldier has just received a hot drink, if he doesn't drink it quickly, the hot drink will turn into ice when he returns to the trenches. Everyone must be aware that their lips must not touch a metal lunch box or kettle, and if they do, a layer of flesh will be torn off.
In this cold world, experience is life, and when they get up in the morning, soldiers must learn how to thaw their boots, but also learn to make a fire, because this is crucial at all times.
In the freezing cold, it is unavoidable. Two soldiers in a squad armed with flintlock pistols, resting in a truck at night, and the next morning one lost both of his feet, and the other lost all his toes.
In order to keep warm, the British soldiers had to replace their equipment with clothes on the corpses, in other words, they would look for everything they could wear and put it on.
The cold threatens not only the lives of soldiers, but also the mechanical equipment, the car has to be started every 20 minutes, otherwise it will not be able to drive, and the compass and artillery mirror cannot accurately return data because they are frozen.
To maintain combat effectiveness, soldiers hold their rifles to their chests and use their body heat to keep their guns running. A British sentry with a Bren LMG invented a defrosting method by pouring urine on the barrel when the grease of the LMG was frozen, but this did not give the desired effect.
On the march, there is always a need for a break, and in a cold environment, keeping warm is crucial. Foxholes are a common way to keep warm during the march, but care should also be taken to avoid leaning in the same position for long periods of time, otherwise it will affect physical activity.
Some soldiers also used shell casings as chimneys, butter as fuel, and gun cloths to light small flames that not only provided light, but also provided some warmth.
In addition, some soldiers dig deeper foxholes to keep warm. However, this method can also run into problems, as in the case of a mortar platoon of the Gloucester Regiment digging up a nest of venomous snakes.
Although venomous snakes will bite at first, they will eventually die from the cold. And in the environment of minus 30 degrees Celsius, excretion also becomes very difficult and needs to be solved as soon as possible, otherwise it will be very embarrassing.
The British were relieved that their American allies were very generous, providing not only large quantities of cold-protected military blankets and sleeping bags, but also ample food and supplies.
The U.S. Army's C rations are generous enough to feed a soldier, and include 8 boxes of canned pork, canned beef, small portions of coffee and candy, and sometimes even extra prizes, such as a zippo lighter.
Although the British were well supplied and fed, they had a strong need for fresh meat. A few soldiers of the Fusilier Regiment drove to the Korean countryside in search of food, where they managed to snatch a pig and feast on it.
However, a misunderstanding derailed their mood. A British officer named Belize saw that the American military trucks were loaded with fresh pork, and some were even bleeding.
However, when he inquired, he found out that the so-called pork was actually the corpse of the American army.
In the dark, the volunteer soldiers were like cheetahs, skillfully infiltrating the enemy's tents and mercilessly slashing the enemy with bayonets, just to protect the intact remains of their comrades.
Even the well-armed British army was vulnerable in such a harsh environment. And our Ninth Corps, in the bitter cold of dozens of degrees below zero, only wore a single coat and cloth shoes, and held a simple light **, but it won a decisive victory.
This is the best tribute to the perseverance and fearlessness of the volunteer soldiers!