On the Korean battlefield, I reflected that the 50th Army needed a turnaround battle
In early September 1950, in response to the increasingly complicated situation in the Korean theater, the 50th Army was ordered to go north and was incorporated into the sequence of the Northeast Border Defense Army to strengthen the border defense force.
At this time, the 50th Army had just undergone a downsizing and reorganization, and the troops had been reduced from 58,000 to 33,000 troops, and they were scattered in Hubei and other places to carry out the tasks of suppressing bandits and production. After receiving the order, the whole army immediately assembled and took the train north. However, when the 50th Army arrived in the northeast, it was instructed that the unit did not have any combat tasks that year, handed over existing weapons, and prepared to be reorganized into artillery.
In late October, in order to prepare for the upcoming first campaign to resist the United States and aid Korea, the 50th Army, which had not originally been incorporated into the volunteer army, also received orders: immediately restore its original equipment and go to the Sino-North Korean border to stand by. On October 25, the 50th Army crossed the Yalu River and officially entered the Korean War.
However, because of the hasty expedition, the 50th Army's state of battle did not reach the passing line. There was no pre-war mobilization, no preparation for supplies, and there was a serious shortage of commanders and fighters at the company level, and most of the artillery was also supported by Sanye to liberate the Zhoushan Islands in the south. It was precisely in this situation that the 50th Army repeatedly missed fighters in the first month of entering the DPRK, not only did not catch the battle, but also let the enemy go 4 times in a row.
The predecessor of the 50th Army was the unit that revolted in the Liaoshen Campaign and belonged to the Dian Army. This time, when they were ordered to enter the Korean War, the officers and men of the 50th Army actually held their hearts and wanted to fight several big victories and add a few military merit badges to the almost blank honor book. However, contrary to expectations, under the overwhelming offensive of the volunteer army at the beginning of the battle, the 50th Army, which repeatedly pounced on the air, became the worst performing unit.
"Take the road of confusion, eat confused food, fight confused wars, and be confused in North Korea." All kinds of complaints in the troops were constantly heard. The commander of the 50th Army also realized that what really shackled the troops was not the level of combat effectiveness, but the lack of will to fight. The warriors themselves did not believe in themselves, and the battle could only get worse and worse. After the second campaign, the army command officially decided that the whole army would rest for a week and conduct self-criticism.
A troop with knots in its heart, after experiencing a thorough reflection, can have a new judgment and understanding of itself. Only by emancipating the mind can we truly be reborn. After rectification, the officers and men of the 50th Army were more enthusiastic about fighting than ever, and they were determined to prove themselves by using a turnaround battle.
Take the Royal Heavy Tank Battalion as an appetizer
On January 3, 1951, the Volunteer Intelligence Department handed over an intercepted cable to Peng Dehuai, which was very straightforward: the U.S. army was ready to abandon Seoul and retreat across the board. Without any hesitation, Peng Dehuai immediately issued an offensive order, and the right column of the 39th Army, the 50th Army, and the 1st Army of the Korean People's Army pressed on the whole line, and the target was directly aimed at Seoul.
This time, the 50th Army carried out the order without dragging mud and water halfway, and marched rapidly to Biheli, and in only 20 minutes it destroyed a battalion of the 34th Regiment of the US 25th Division that was tasked with blocking. The American troops in front of them were defeated, and the British troops in the Xianyouli Heights became the next unlucky egg, and after being severely beaten by the 50th Army for 30 minutes, they left their positions and fled.
The Senyouli Heights were a barrier to the retreat of the Royal Heavy Tank Battalion of the British 29th Brigade, and the strategic location was very important. The British urgently drew more than 1,000 men from the direction of the Government of Parliament and launched a counterattack on the heights under the cover of more than 200 cannons. The entire offensive lasted for a day, and the hills of the Xianyouli Highlands were almost flattened, but the positions of the 50th Army remained unchanged.
The British soldiers scolded the American army for slipping away, but they could only choose to abandon the attack and retreat as soon as possible. As for the heavy tank battalion, the British volunteers, believing that they had only light weapons in their hands, did not dare to fight their ideas at all, and did not have to worry about it at all. But it was also this self-confidence of the British army that gave the 50th Army the best chance.
The British tank battalion was ambushed by the 2nd Battalion of the 446th Regiment of the 50th Army at Foshudi. At first, the warriors used explosive canisters and explosive packs against these Iron King Eight, but it was difficult to work at all. Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Li Guanglu, a soldier from Sichuan, rushed out of the bunker, climbed on a spitfire tank, lifted the top cover of the turret, threw the explosive package in his hand, and then jumped down.
Li Guanglu's heroic feats also greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers of the whole battalion, who followed Li Guanglu's method and squeezed the time to stuff explosive packages into enemy tanks. The explosion lasted for a full 3 hours, and the road was full of tank wreckage. Overnight, all 31 tanks of the Royal Heavy Tank Battalion, which the British were most proud of, were destroyed by the volunteer soldiers with the most primitive means of demolition, and the entire army was destroyed.
The 50th Army was the first to invade Seoul, but the reward was given to the 39th Army
On the morning of January 4, the 1st Battalion of the 442nd Regiment of the 50th Army, which was at the forefront of the entire attack group, was the first to attack Seoul and engaged in the fiercest street battles with the Americans. From a reserve that could not fight with the main force in a battle, to the first to attack the enemy capital, the 50th army won the battle of proof with two legs and a gun.
However, after the Battle of Seoul, there was also a small episode. The 50th Army was the first to invade Seoul, but the Volunteer Command awarded the "First Army of Seoul" to the 39th Army. At this time, the soldiers of the 50th Army did not do anything, and they ran to the commander Zeng Zesheng to complain unevenly, and it was difficult to win the battle, how could the merit be returned to the friendly army? In this regard, Zeng Zesheng explained to the soldiers, "This situation is very normal on the battlefield, no one can distinguish the First Army from the chaos, and our 50th Army is fighting for the motherland and the people, and it is even more atmospheric." ”
The 442nd Regiment of the 50th Army was delayed because there was no radio, and the news of the invasion of Seoul was reported step by step after the battle. The second to enter Seoul was a reconnaissance detachment of the 39th Army, when the US army was engaged in a solid wall clearance in Seoul, and there were ruins everywhere, and they did not know that the 50th Army had entered the city first, so they directly reported the results of the battle with the radio and the army, and the military headquarters immediately reported to the volunteer army headquarters. It is precisely for this reason that there are two episodes of the "Seoul First Army".
But for the 50th Army, Seoul was just the beginning of their show of strength. A month later, on the south bank of the Han River, they will use their stronger fighting power to make the US military realize what a terrible force this is.