In October 1950, our volunteer army successfully crossed the Yalu River. In order to win the battle, he began to cooperate with the Korean people to resist the military aggression of the United States. Before that, we had only heard of the combat strength of the U.S. military, and had never witnessed it with our own eyes.
First, in the first battle, our volunteer army changed its plan three times
In order to fight the first battle into the DPRK, every soldier from Mao Zedong to the volunteer army was trying to think hard. North Korea is an unfamiliar territory for us, and in this unfamiliar environment, it is even more difficult to fight a strange enemy. And the U.S. military is very highly mechanized, and they have the most advanced weapons.
A journey of up to 100 miles, our volunteers may take a day, while the U.S. army can only take a few hours to complete. Therefore, the tactic of making great strides in combat with the US military has been eliminated. If we compare speed with the US military, there is no doubt that we will lose.
In light of this situation, the Central Committee decided that all personnel of the Volunteer Army should adopt a method of operation that combines defensive warfare with trench warfare.
But no one expected that the situation would change so quickly. On October 18, the U.S. military successfully captured Pyongyang in just one day. MacArthur, their officer, also threatened to end the battle on November 23. In order to be able to quickly lift the battle, he ordered his army to advance in the direction of the volunteer army in divisions, regiments, and even battalions.
Due to the extremely strong combat strength of the US military, our volunteers can no longer carry out the original plan. So the central leaders immediately adjusted their strategy, and the US military dispersed its forces to advance in pursuit of speed. Then these scattered divisions, regiments or battalions will be the target of our attack. Among them is the South Korean army, which is becoming more and more bold with the support of the US military. Even if it was a single division, they dared to act alone. This situation is very similar to the time of the chinese civil war.
Therefore, the central government ordered that the original battle plan be abandoned and that the targets for the first preparation for annihilation be two divisions in South Korea. Destroying part of their strength first, and then concentrating forces to unify the attack, this is more conservative and the chances of victory are greater.
At the end of October 1950, our volunteers had gained a certain advantage in the course of fighting the South Korean army. But at the critical moment, the U.S. Cavalry 1st Army joined the battle and replaced the South Korean 1st Division. Therefore, our strategic objectives have once again failed, and we have not been able to continue the operation according to the pre-planned strategy. In order to retain most of the troops, Peng Dehuai had to change his plan again. He ordered our volunteers to abandon the main force attacking the main force of the American 1st Cavalry Division and instead attack their small units separately. Even if it is a small victory, we must hold our breath, do not act rashly, and quietly wait for the opportunity to come.
Second, in the Battle of Yunshan, the US 1st Cavalry Division was actually sent to the door
What is the reason that the war has not yet begun to be fought, and our volunteer army has already changed three sets of combat plans?
The main reason for this is that the US military has adopted mechanized equipment and the speed of attack is very fast. Later, after the victory in the battle, Peng Dehuai also repeatedly mentioned the advantages of the US military's advanced weapons, fierce firepower, and fast offensive speed. These advantages of the US military have also invisibly changed the combat plan of our volunteer army.
In the second plan, we had planned to annihilate two South Korean divisions. But in the later battles, the volunteers actually engaged the US 1st Cavalry Division.
Our volunteers are divided into east and west roads, mainly on the western front. The three main forces responsible for annihilating the South Korean 2nd Division were 38, 39 and 40 respectively. If the South Korean 1st Army comes to the rescue, our 39th Army is responsible for the main attack. In this plan, no consideration was given to the US 1st Army.
So Wu Xinquan, the head of the 39th Army, led his regiment into the unsan area, where he waited for the arrival of the South Korean 1st Army.
On October 25, our 40th Army launched a war with the South Korean 6th Army. On 27 October, sure enough, the South Korean 1st Division marched north from Unsan to support the South Korean 6th Division. Our 39th Army has been waiting in Yunshan for a long time. Since the South Korean 1st Army had won several battles before, all the soldiers were full of confidence and did not have any fear.
Our 39th Army did not show weakness either, the 39th Army had rich combat experience, and had already experienced hundreds of battles when it fought all the way from the northeast to Hainan. Therefore, the combat strength of the 39th Army is by no means what the South Korean 1st Division can resist. At the beginning, our 39th Army was in the defensive stage, facing the ferocious attack of the South Korean 1st Division, and always held its position. In the next two or three days, our side began to change the mode of operation, changing from the original defense to the offensive side. The South Korean 1st Division was completely unaware of this situation, and at this moment, our volunteer army had quietly surrounded the South Korean 1st Division from the east, west, and north. Eliminating the South Korean 1st Division was already an easy task.
However, everything came so suddenly, when the South Korean 1st Division was about to be annihilated, the US 1st Cavalry Division came to the rescue.
It turned out that the South Korean 1st Division saw that the rescue of the 6th Division was unsuccessful, so it went to the US army for help. This is not the first time that the South Korean military has used this tactic, and whenever it encounters difficulties, it will seek support from the United States.
When Walker, the commander-in-chief of the U.S. 8th Group, received a request for support, he immediately ordered the main U.S. army, the 1st Army, to be sent to support the South Korean 1st Division and the South Korean 6th Division. At that time, Walker looked down on our army, and when we had surrounded the South Korean 1st Division on three sides, he also ordered an offensive advance. It can also be seen how confident and proud Americans are.
On October 31, the 8th Regiment of the U.S. 1st Cavalry took the lead and took the lead in entering Unsan. The regiment behind was also gradually rushing in the direction of Yunshan Mountain.
The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division has a long history, dating back to 1885. The 1st Cavalry Corps was later changed to an infantry division, but retained the title of Cavalry corps in order to honor itself. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Army is the main force of the United States and is known for its toughness. The entire army is mechanized and armed with the most advanced military weapons. Whenever there is a more difficult war to break, you can always see the figure of the 1st Cavalry Army.
But at that time, our volunteers did not know that the US 1st Cavalry Division had arrived. On 1 November, our volunteers launched a final attack on Unsan as originally planned. Before the great battle was imminent, the subordinates of our 39th Division found that the South Korean 1st Division was constantly retreating to the rear, so they requested that they be able to launch an attack in advance. Wu Xinquan immediately launched the order to attack, two and a half hours earlier than originally planned.
As soon as the Volunteers launched their attack, they found that the situation was not right. At this time, the war was very dense, and the firing rate was very accurate, and there was even the assistance of the air force, which far exceeded the military strength of the South Korean 1st Division. After we captured a high ground, we found several blonde foreign soldiers in the South Korean 1st Division. So through the interrogation of the newly arrested soldiers, it was only then that they understood what was going on. It turned out that the 1st Cavalry Army of the US Army had joined the war, and it was no wonder that the ammunition had suddenly become so fierce.
After Wu Xinquan knew about it, he immediately informed all the troops participating in the battle. Our 39th Army volunteers are also very powerful, and after nightfall, they use concealment techniques to slowly approach the US 1st Army.
By the early morning of November 2, the 116th Division of the 39th Army had successfully captured part of the city of Yunshan. In this night raid, a howitzer battalion of the Us army was successfully annihilated, and 4 American aircraft were captured. This was also the only time that our side successfully captured fighter jets in the Campaign to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. However, it is very unfortunate that after dawn, the US military blew up all the weapons and aircraft captured by the US military.
3. One company of the Volunteer Army annihilated one company of the Us army
The Attack of the 8th Regiment of the American Cavalry Army failed, so the 5th Regiment was sent to Unsan for reinforcements. However, the road to support was very difficult, and along the way it was strongly blocked by the 115th and 343rd Regiments of the 39th Army.
When the avant-garde company of the 5th Cavalry Corps reached the Dragon Head Cave, it increased its firepower in an attempt to kill a road. Our 343rd Regiment sent 4 companies into the defense. The victory in this battle was also the first time in the Korean War that our side annihilated the enemy with the same strength.
At that time, the avant-garde company was besieged by four companies of our side in Longtou Cave and lost contact with the outside world. So when we saw that the time had come, we sent 1 company as the main attacker, holding explosives and medicine packs close to the avant-garde company, and the US troops were frightened by this style of fighting and could not speak.
The war lasted until the evening, and the avant-garde company did not dare to make any counterattack against us. It lasted until 24:00 p.m. that the war was won. This battle also showed that the fighting spirit of the US army was far inferior to that of our volunteer army in the case of little difference in strength and firepower.
Later, the 5th Cavalry Army launched several attacks, and even their regimental commanders rushed to the front line. However, during the war, their regimental commander was seriously injured by our artillery. With the assistance of aircraft and tanks, the 5th Cavalry Army still did not capture the 343rd Regiment. Finally the commander of the 1st Cavalry Division had to order them to retreat.
Naturally, the volunteers would not let them go so easily, so they immediately launched a pursuit. However, due to their advanced machinery and equipment, coupled with the intensive firepower, we were unable to catch up. In the end, they can only watch them flee.
On November 2, the Battle of Yunshan was also over. In this battle, our side captured a total of 2,046 people, including 1,840 American troops; in addition, we captured four aircraft and successfully destroyed 3; a number of guns; and captured and destroyed 9 tanks. More than 3,000 people were wounded.
Although our personnel losses were also relatively heavy, they finally successfully repelled the US 1st Cavalry Army and blocked their subsequent plans. The significance in terms of military strategy is very far-reaching.
The Battle of Unsan also boosted the morale of the army and enhanced the self-confidence of the volunteer army. In order to commemorate this battle, the standing stone cave south of Unsan was later changed to "Victory Li", and Nanshan Li was changed to "Fierce Battle Li". In this way, I hope that you will always be able to remember this period of history.