On November 27, 1950, the Battle of Chosin Lake broke out, which completely defeated MacArthur's wild words of "ending the war before Christmas", so that the world saw the faith and strength of the Chinese Volunteer Army, and at the same time, in this battle, the Volunteer Army also successfully annihilated an elite regiment of the US Army, the Polar Bear Regiment.
After the Polar Bear Regiment was completely annihilated, an American lieutenant colonel infiltrated the battlefield to count the corpses and was collectively watched by our army.
Korean War, Battle of Chosin
If the Korean War was a war that shocked the rest of the world and an inflection point in the international status of New China, then the Battle of Chosin Lake was the inflection point in the Korean War.
In the icy and snowy North Korea, volunteer soldiers crawled in the mud and snow, waiting for the enemy, there was no shortage of soldiers with frostbite, frostbite, the charge horn sounded, countless heroic soldiers rushed to the US army, with rudimentary equipment to meet the US army with mechanized troops... This was the Battle of Chosin Lake, which took place in the Second Campaign to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
In 1950, the volunteer soldiers crossed the Yalu River and the Korean War broke out. Unlike the advanced logistics supplies and corps equipment of the US army, the volunteer army only had rudimentary guns and a small amount of ammunition, and a very small number of well-equipped troops still used the American equipment of the captured Kuomintang troops, which had huge hidden dangers in ammunition, repair and logistics.
On the other hand, the US military, well-equipped, logistical superior, fully mechanized troops, sufficient firepower, strong funds, but also has the ability of tactical support, it seems to be completely invincible. In the international community at that time, no country believed that New China could win and that fighting the United States was only humiliating itself.
But miracles often happen in this case. On November 27, 1950, the Battle of Chosin Lake broke out, and the volunteer army divided and surrounded the American troops, killing the American army. Although the equipment and ammunition of the volunteer army lagged behind that of the US army, the volunteer army still won a difficult victory in the face of perseverance and the belief in defending the country.
The operation set a record for the total annihilation of an entire regiment of the US army in the Korean War, and forced the Ace troops of the US army to retreat with difficulty, a short distance of one month, until December 24 to retreat to The port of Hingnam.
But what is less known is that in fact, during the retreat of the US army, a lieutenant colonel sneaked into the battlefield to count the corpses of the combatants of the Polar Bear Regiment, and was also watched by our army.
The search for and rescue of the wounded was a horrific situation
The U.S. Army that was completely annihilated in the Battle of Chosin Lake was the U.S. 31st Regimental Combat Team, the Polar Bear Regiment. The Polar Bear Regiment is not a third-rate unit or a miscellaneous regiment, but a solid and strong division, which once fought hard with the Soviet Red Army and fought with the Japanese army in the Philippines for four months and was still undiscused.
It should be known that the most difficult battle in war is the lone wolf operation, and the lone wolf operation is not only a test of the commander's wisdom, command ability, logistical arrangements and regulation, but also a test of the mentality of all combatants, especially the lone wolf in a foreign country.
The Polar Bear Regiment was able to maneuver with the Japanese army in the Philippines for four months, which was enough to see their strength. But it was such a fine regiment of the US army that was completely annihilated by the volunteer army in the Battle of Chosin Lake!
Following the surprise attack on 30 November, the Polar Bear Regiment began to attempt a breakout on 1 December, and at 4:00 a.m. on 2 December, the Polar Bear Regiment was completely annihilated. At about the same time, the middle and lower-ranking officers of the US Army's First Marine Division began to spontaneously search for survivors and launch rescue activities.
But many people will wonder - since it is a total annihilation, where are the survivors? In modern warfare, because of the comprehensive progress and development of science and technology and the knowledge system, it is very difficult to make a unit completely destroyed, so as long as 90% of the enemy is destroyed at one time and the enemy's command system is destroyed, it can be said that it is complete annihilation.
There is no doubt that the polar bear regiment of more than 3,100 people is only about 200 people left after the war, and the survival rate is less than 10%, so it is no problem to say that total annihilation is no problem.
At 8 o'clock on December 2, U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Bill launched a rescue operation, riding a jeep north on the ice to search for possible survivors. Fortunately, he found many creeping and wounded survivors and rescued them back to the temporary U.S. military garrison.
That evening, Lieutenant Colonel Bill reported to his superiors what he had seen today. Most people can only walk on the ice because of injuries, supporting each other, and even some people do not even have shoes, can only crawl continuously, and some people because of injuries and mental problems in the same place, if not found, the situation is worrying. Bill was so miserable that he made a surprising decision.
Sneak back to the battlefield, the Army please
After two consecutive searches and rescues, Lieutenant Colonel Bill's inner flames grew stronger and stronger, and the volunteers' humanitarian indulgence made him firmly determined.
On December 4, Lieutenant Colonel Bill drove up the east coast of Lake Chosin in a jeep to the battlefield where the Polar Bear Regiment collapsed. Lieutenant Colonel Bill sneaked into the battlefield, but his every move was under the watchful eye of our army, and it can be said that he was collectively watched by our army.
Lieutenant Colonel Bill recalled, as he walked closer to the truck, he saw volunteers at the foot of the hill, and more volunteers at the top of the hill, and was not hit and shot as expected, so he grew bolder and began to continue walking along the truck to determine whether there were any survivors.
Unfortunately, he did not find any surviving soldiers, so he could only count the corpses, looking for the slim chances.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Bill, he counted 300 bodies, but his actions were disputed and questioned by the United States. What they questioned was how the "evil" volunteers could allow Lieutenant Colonel Bill to infiltrate the battlefield without killing him! This is completely contrary to what they advertise!
But for us, this is very easy to understand, adhering to the humanitarian spirit, even if the enemy, we will not kill each other on the battlefield, which is unimaginable to US government officials, because they do not understand the belief and persistence of the People's Volunteers, and will only blindly question the goodness of human nature.
Rats growing in ditches are hard to imagine blue skies. The Navy did not award Bill, but the Army applied for Bill's medal in recognition of the soldier who risked his life to search for his comrades.
brief summary:
Although they belong to two sides, Lieutenant Colonel Bill's bravery and kindness are worthy of our recognition. In order to search for possible comrades-in-arms, he sneaked into the battlefield alone and risked his life to find survivors, and this spirit and belief deserve our praise.
But his fears were futile—the Chinese soldiers on the battlefield were staunch warriors, but the Chinese soldiers on the battlefield were ordinary people with compassion and empathy, so the volunteers turned a blind eye to Lieutenant Colonel Bill's search and rescue — because life is precious after all.