On the one-in-five millionth of the world map published by China in 1986, it is impossible to find the Five Holy Mountains at an altitude of 1061.7 meters, but it can find the Shangganling Mountains, which are only half the altitude, a striking black triangle, making this small mountain like a peak that rises into the clouds. The reason for this is that the Battle of Shangganling, which took place 34 years ago, created many of the best in the history of our army and the US army, and left a mark that can never be erased for the soldiers of the two countries.
In the military museum, the Shangganling sand table is high in the distance is the Five Holy Mountains, and the front is low in the Upper Ganling
The "Military Volume of the Encyclopedia of China" records that the Battle of Shangganling developed from the battle to the scale of the battle, and its duration and intensity of the battle were unprecedented after World War II. The battle history of the US military records that the Battle of Triangle Hill (Battle of Shangganling) was the most out-of-control operation in the history of the US army.
Before the war, Van Vleet's plan was to send out two battalions, at the cost of 200 casualties, and to end the battle in 5 days. The final result was that 15 times the troops invested were planned, 8.6 times the time consumed was planned, the actual casualties were 125 times that of the plan, the aircraft were dispatched 12.1 times the plan, and the harvest was a complete defeat.
Only three days after the Battle of Shangganling, the shell casings fired by the US army were piled up
Shangganling covers an area of only 3.7 square kilometers, the US military dispatched more than 60,000 people, if you add volunteer troops, the total strength of the two sides reached 110,000 people, an average of 33.6 square meters can stand one person, its personnel density is rare in the history of world war.
According to the U.S. Air Force's war history: ... During this period, the Fifth Air Force and its subordinate units dispatched 4488 aircraft to support the ongoing "Showdown Operation" on Triangle Hill. The "3,000 enemy aircraft sorties" recorded in the war history of the 15th Army are still too conservative. In the campaign, when the enemy's firepower was at its highest, an average of 6 rounds per second were dropped, and an average of 76 shells fell per square meter, creating the highest density of ARTILLERY and air raids in the US army.
Our army records that the US military fighters have dispatched more than 3,000 sorties, but in fact, there are 4,488 sorties
In the Battle of Shangganling, our army also created a number of the most, one is the highest density of firepower. Although the volunteer firepower was far from catching up with the US army, 114 large-caliber artillery pieces were dispatched and 400,000 shells were fired, creating the largest scale of artillery warfare carried out by the field army in the history of our army.
During the 43-day battle, the volunteer army creatively applied tactics such as holding back and counterattacking, counterattacking within the position, moving defense within the position, tunnel warfare, and refueling warfare, and repelled more than 900 attacks at the company and platoon level and more than 60 attacks at the battalion level and above, creating the highest frequency of attack and defense in a single campaign in the history of our army.
Volunteer soldiers in Shangganling were fighting the enemy
During the 43-day battle, the volunteer army consumed a total of 11,100 tons of materials, including 5,530 tons of ammunition, 2,163 dispatches of automobiles, and more than 16,700 logistics transport personnel, creating the largest number of materials consumed in a single campaign in the history of our army and the number of logistics personnel.
In the 43 days of fighting, the 45th Division of the 15th Army lost 2,849 men, more than the number of casualties in the previous five years since its formation in 1947 combined. In the Battle of Huaihai, the casualty ratio of the 45th Division was 4.4:1, while in Shangganling it reached 0.9:1. The entire 15th Army lost a total of 5,319 people, accounting for 35.5% of the total number of casualties in the 7 years since the formation of the army, which was the heaviest casualty of the 15th Army.
Wounded volunteer soldiers
In the 43-day battle, the volunteer army annihilated a total of 25,498 enemies, creating the largest number of enemies in a single campaign of the volunteer army.
During the 43-day battle, the 15th Army had more than 200 heroes with a collective merit of the third class or above, and as many as 12,347 heroes, models, and heroes of the third class or above represented by Huang Jiguang and others. Among the 12 officers and men of the Volunteer Army who received the Order of The Golden Star after the war, 4 participated in the Battle of Shangganling (Peng Dehuai, Yang Gensi, Yang Liandi, Wu Xianhua, Huang Jiguang, Qiu Shaoyun, Sun Zhanyuan, Hu Xiudao, Yang Yucai, Li Jiafa, Yang Chunzeng, Xu Jiapeng).
The volunteers were celebrating victory
In the "Military Volume of the Encyclopedia of China", 19 soldiers were listed as "Heroic Model Personnel of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea", and 6 participated in the Battle of Shangganling. In times of crisis, grenades, explosive canisters, explosive packs and enemies are everywhere, and it is common to lay down bunkers and block gun holes. Due to the large number of heroes, soldiers who made outstanding contributions such as Zhang Guangsheng and Zhao Maochen only received special merits, but did not receive the title of hero.
The victory in the Shangganling Campaign has created a model for our army's large-scale defensive operations in positions, marked that our army's defensive warfare in positions has fully adapted to modern warfare, and enriched the valuable content of our army's strategic campaignology. At the same time, it also eliminated the worries of all walks of life about whether the position could be defended, successfully thwarted the enemy's vigor, and forced the US military back to the negotiating table.
In 1958, before returning to China, the volunteer army returned to Shangganling and bid farewell to his comrades-in-arms
Since then, the US army has not dared to launch an attack of battalion level or above, but the volunteer army's attack has become more and more fierce. The value of Shangganling is not only expressed in the military, it is a spiritual monument that cannot be raised, and it is a hall of honor full of grandeur.