The Polar Bear Regiment, as one of the most elite ace regiments in the United States, was very arrogant when it first arrived in North Korea, and once threatened to let the squadron learn the power of the American ** team.However, what is very surprising is that the unit was annihilated by the volunteers with a thunderous force in the battle of Changjin Lake!
As a result, the Polar Bear Regiment became the first U.S. legion-level unit to be annihilated by the formation, which can be described as one of the greatest humiliations in the history of the U.S. military.
Why are polar bears so arrogant?
First of all, because of their glorious history and outstanding combat effectiveness.
The Polar Bear Regiment – the 7th Regiment of the 31st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army was formed in 1917.
Because of his outstanding achievements in Siberia during World War I, he was personally awarded the title of "Polar Bear Regiment" by Wilson of the United States.
In World War II, the Polar Bear Regiment was invincible on the battlefield by virtue of its rich battlefield experience and the regimental flag awarded by the first person.
Thanks to its glorious history, the Polar Bear Regiment has a very luxurious configuration.
The total strength of the troops is 3,191 men, including three infantry battalions and one tank company.
The soldiers are all elite divisions of one in a hundred, with rich tactical literacy and strong physical fitness.
At the same time, the first of the troops is also armed to the teeth, in addition to the rifles, carbines and light and heavy machine guns that are equipped daily, they are also equipped with a large number of 57 mm anti-tank guns, 60 mortars and other equipment.
Not only that, but when the regiment is operating, it can also receive fire support from aviation 2-8 sorties per day.
Such a luxurious treatment is beyond the reach of many joint brigade-level units.
This is a world of difference from the volunteer army units, which have neither tanks nor airplanes and only small-caliber rocket artillery.
Therefore, when it had just entered the Korean War, the regiment was touted by the US military as the "leader in the army" and threatened that if the squadron wanted to defeat him, "unless the sun came out of the west."
But what the officers and soldiers of the Polar Bear Regiment did not expect was that at the end of 1950, the sun in the Changjin Lake area really rose from the west.
After the end of the first campaign to resist US aggression and aid Korea, in order to smash the offensive of uniting the east and west, the 9th Corps lurked in the vast snow in the Changjin Lake area.
It was determined to seize the favorable opportunity when the enemy's forces were scattered and the volunteer army had not yet been discovered, and to divide and encircle the US troops.
At 10 p.m. on November 27, the dormant 9th Corps made a sudden attack as planned, cutting the American troops into five pieces.
The U.S. military was completely divided and surrounded by the volunteers in a half-asleep and half-awake state, and the polar bear regiment that was stationed in the Xinxingli area of Changjin Lake at this time was also among the besieged troops.
And the great name of the Polar Bear Regiment has also been heard of by the Volunteer Army.
Therefore, after careful selection, the 27th and 81st Divisions of the 81st Army became the opponents of the Polar Bear Regiment.
The 27th Army was chosen because it was adapted from the Huaye 9th Column, which was known for its fierce style.
In the War of Liberation, this unit has made many feats in the War of Liberation, such as killing Zhang Lingfu, capturing Wang Yaowu alive, and encircling and annihilating Huang Baitao and Du Yuming's corps.
At midnight on the 27th, the fierce battle between the Tiger and Wolf Division of the Volunteer Army and the Polar Bear Regiment, the ace of the US Army, officially began.
As the ace unit of the US military, although they have made wild remarks, their excellent tactical literacy has made them doubly guard against possible attacks since they entered the Changjin Lake area.
However, the Polar Bear Regiment, which had been fighting during the day, neglected to take precautions at night, which gave the 80th Division the opportunity to sneak attack.
Therefore, the volunteers decided to avoid the enemy's air support and firepower superiority during the day, give full play to the advantages of the troops in close combat and night combat, and launch an attack at night to take the US troops by surprise.
On the night of the 27th, all the officers and men of the 4th Company of the 239th Regiment of the 80th Division, braving the cold wind of minus 35 and under the cover of night, quietly approached the command post of the Polar Bear Regiment in Xinxingli Village.
But at the time of interspersing, a soldier accidentally stepped on the canned food box during the intersperse, and the hearts of all the volunteer soldiers instantly rose to their throats.
Thankfully, the sound did not alert the Polar Bear Regiment soldiers.
They never dreamed that something was wrong at this time, so they just habitually came out to check the situation.
In the face of the lax defense of the US army, the volunteer assault force immediately ordered the troops, and for a time the sound of light and heavy machine guns resounded throughout the region, and the unsuspecting US troops were knocked down.
On the other side, Zhuang Yuandong, the instructor of the 4th Company, also led a platoon and completely annihilated an American platoon that was sleeping.
At this time, the polar bear regiment, which finally reacted, immediately organized a counterattack, and the dense tongues of fire caused the volunteer soldiers to fall one after another.
However, when the volunteers saw that the strong attack was unsuccessful, they immediately changed their tactics, and except for a small number of troops to contain the enemy's main force, the rest of the combat groups took advantage of the darkness to quickly outflank the rear of the American position, and threw grenades into the house through the doors and windows.
The polar bear regiment that was fighting head-on did not expect the backyard**, and it was suddenly in chaos.
Some put down their guns and hugged their heads and ran away, some lay on the ground and pretended to be dead, and even took the initiative to raise their hands to the volunteers, and a few stubborn enemies were all killed.
In this battle, more than 300 people were killed, wounded and captured, and the regimental command post was directly terminated by the volunteers.
The regiment commander McLean was also killed by a grenade from the Volunteer Army, and the ** of the Volunteer Army was less than a quarter of the American Army.
This is undoubtedly the greatest shame for the polar bear regiment that has achieved outstanding results.
So after a brief period of confusion, the troops were temporarily commanded by the commander of the 1st Battalion, Don Feith, and showed the demeanor of an ace team to the volunteers.
Early in the morning of November 28, in the face of the siege of the superior forces of the two divisions of the Volunteer Army, Feith ordered the soldiers to hold on to the houses and form a circular defensive position with tanks on the perimeter.
Not only that, but they also called in fighter jets to constantly bomb the positions of the volunteers and drop food bombs, turning the small Xinxingli area into an impregnable steel fortress.
At the same time, reinforcements from all walks of life in the vicinity were also rushing to the Xinxingli area, and in Feith's opinion, it was only a matter of time before the troops escaped by annihilating the group of volunteers in front of them.
While Faith was complacent about his circular defensive position, he was desperate to discover that the Volunteers were far crazier than he had imagined.
The continuous hard fighting caused heavy losses to the volunteers, but the soldiers did not flinch in the slightest, and used their flesh and blood to move forward step by step, vowing to break through the defense line of the American army.
In this way, the volunteers and the crazy US army launched a brutal battle in the Xinxingli area.
The superior firepower of the Polar Bear Regiment caused the volunteer soldiers to fall in rows.
The cold and rugged ground made it impossible for the Volunteer Army artillery array to be constructed, but just when the American soldiers thought that the Volunteer Army would retreat in the face of difficulties, they saw a scene that they will never forget.
I saw that the volunteer soldiers did not hesitate to use their shoulders against the cannon stationing hoe, providing a stable platform for the artillery, and the artillery position of the volunteer army suddenly let out a vengeful roar.
In front of the stunned American troops, their firing points were destroyed.
However, the desperate behavior of the volunteers also paid a price, and some soldiers, including Kong Qingsan, the squad leader of the 92nd Infantry Artillery Company, died heroically because they were hit by shrapnel.
At the same time, some of the tanks used by the Polar Bear Regiment for the outer defense were also paralyzed on the spot by the volunteers with cotton, explosives and gasoline grenades, and the frontal positions of the US troops were crumbling.
On November 30, the 3rd Company of the 240th Regiment of the 80th Division of the Volunteer Army broke through the defense line and launched a frantic charge against the last three houses defended by the Polar Bear Regiment.
At the end of the battle, the 3rd Company ran out of bullets and engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the enemy with the butts, sticks, fists, and even teeth.
At this moment, the soldiers of the Polar Bear Regiment who walked out of the sea of blood in the mountain of corpses felt a deep fear of the crazy attack of the volunteers.
Under this fear and the round-the-clock attacks of the volunteers, although they still had superior forces in a small area, there was only one man left in the 3rd company.
But they still abandoned their holding houses, and at dawn on December 1, under the cover of planes and tanks, began to desperately break south along the road.
At dusk, a group of polar bears and a remnant of the enemy tried to escape across the frozen Changjin Lake, but all of them froze and drowned due to the collapse of the ice surface.
Another about 400 people fled to the depression in tanks and cars, but were intercepted and eliminated by the volunteers.
Lieutenant Colonel Feith, who succeeded the regimental commander, was hit by a shell on the way to escape, and his life and death were unknown.
It was 60 years before Don Feith's body was found and shipped back to the United States.
So far, all 3,191 members of the Polar Bear Regiment have been annihilated by the volunteers, and none of them have escaped.
In this battle, 7 tanks, 161 cars, 100 artillery pieces, 127 rocket launchers, and 2,445 guns of various types were destroyed.
The destruction of the entire regiment and the death of the regiment commander were a unique event in the history of the US military and an eternal shame for the United States.
And the regimental flag that made them extremely glorious was almost used as a steamer cloth by the volunteers to steam steamed buns.
Later, after it was accidentally discovered to be the flag of the American Army, it was stored in the Military Museum of the Chinese Revolution and became a national first-class protected cultural relic, as a witness to the failure of the American ** team in North Korea that year.
The Chinese volunteers told the world with their practical actions that China is not afraid of any troops, and for the sake of national interests, even if it is an ace unit of the US military, we can let him have no return!
Reference: Chen Hui, "The Annihilation of the U.S. Army's Ace "Polar Bear Regiment".
Zhou Zhilong, "The Bloody Battle of Changjin Lake" by the U.S. Army "Polar Bear Regiment".
Chen Jiaguang, Fang Xudong and others "The Fall of the "Polar Bear" Group".
Jiayin "Bloody Battle of Changjin Lake: Annihilation of the "Polar Bear Regiment" at minus 30 degrees".