This article introduces an excellent work of self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, "The Soul of the Iron-Blooded Army--Memories of the Commanders and Fighters of the Army's 372nd Regiment fighting back against the Vietnamese Self-Defense" (first and second volumes, hereinafter referred to as "Iron Blood"), compiled by Zhou Veteran, who served in the 372nd Regiment of the 124th Division of the 42nd Army of the former Guangzhou Military Region of the People's Liberation Army. On the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the Vietnam War in 2019, Zhou veterans were encouraged by their comrades-in-arms to begin to reminisce about the past of the war. He will recall the article according to the day, and once serialized it on the public account under the name of "The Life and Death Course of Interspersed in Northern Yue". Later, at the request of netizens, he also ended up with a book, which was named "28 Days of Blood Bath - War Memories of a Soldier of the 42nd Army", which was very well received. On this basis, Zhou veterans were ambitious, and extensively interviewed comrades-in-arms, gathered the memories and relevant materials of the combatants, lasted one year and ten months, wrote two volumes of 370,000 words, and compiled and completed the book "Iron Blood", which not only fulfilled the wishes of the commanders and fighters of the troops, but also filled a gap in the relevant research field.
Speaking of the war in 1979, our army dispatched 9 field armies and 29 army divisions with subordinate units, and more than 300,000 soldiers participated in the war, plus other navy, air force, and subordinate arms, and a total of more than 550,000 people fixed the southern Xinjiang years. As far as the course of the war is concerned, the battlefield is divided into two fronts, east and west, of which the direction of guangxi on the eastern front is the main direction of attack, and the highlight of the eastern front is the Battle of Gaoping. Eleven army divisions joined the battlefield, of which the 124th Division of the 42nd Army was the 124th Division of the Army's 42nd Army, which won the honor of capturing the first provincial capital city in northern Vietnam, and the first to enter Gaoping was the 372nd Infantry Regiment.
The north and south flanks of the Gaoping Battlefield were respectively responsible for the 41st Army and the 42nd Army, and four divisions of the 121st Division, the 123rd Division, the 124th Division, and the 126th Division were gathered as the main assault groups. However, due to the complicated situation of foreign operations, unfamiliarity with the enemy's situation and unfamiliar terrain, coupled with the fact that the top brass of our army has the heart to lighten the enemy's heart, it is relatively ill-prepared, resulting in encountering many difficulties in the course of the operation. Although all units carried forward the fine traditions and braved sacrifices to forge ahead, they basically inserted themselves into the designated positions, but they still greatly delayed the planning time of the campaign, gave the enemy of Gaoping a chance to transfer, and failed to fully realize the intention of fighting a war of annihilation.
Nevertheless, after taking stock of the battle results, the 121st Division annihilated 2,898 enemy personnel, and the exchange ratio between our enemy was 1:1.71; the 123rd Division annihilated 1,496 enemies, and our enemy exchange ratio was 1:1.08; the 124th Division annihilated 2,991 enemy, and our enemy exchange ratio was 1:3.32; the 126th Division annihilated 2,054 enemy, and our enemy exchange ratio was 1:1.99. In the case of roughly the same equipment of soldiers, the indicators of the 124th Division, which measure the total number of annihilated enemies and the exchange ratio of our enemies, are the most prominent of the 4 main offensive divisions, and the hard-core requirements of annihilating the enemy and causing few casualties are relatively realized. Carefully examining the 3 infantry regiments of the 124th Division participating in the battle, the 372nd Regiment was the vanguard of the interspersed, always rushing to the front after the breakthrough from the layout pass, attacking difficulties and crossing dangers, nine battles and nine victories, the first to attack Gaoping, turning to nearly 300 kilometers, the largest record among the regiments, the number of sacrifices also accounted for 47% of the total number of sacrifices in the division.
The 372nd Infantry Regiment is a heroic unit with a glorious tradition, its predecessor was first pedigree to the 691st Regiment of the 53rd Army of the former Northeast Army that followed the Lü Zhengcao Uprising, and later became the main force of the 16th Regiment of the Eighth Route Army and the Hebei Central Military Region. Participating in the first to fourth battles in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, a number of heroic models and heroes emerged, such as the heroic company of the "38th Line Sharp Knife", the "Pursuing Hero" Leng Shuguo, and the "Lonely Hero" Yu Shicai. After returning to China, the regiment took on the task of combat readiness with the division, kept the armor full, and became one of the troops welcoming the outside world of the whole army. It was on the basis of the above that the 372nd Infantry Regiment carried forward the revolutionary tradition, strived for greater glory, and made new contributions in 1979, playing a role in the national prestige and military might.
"Iron Blood" contains the memories of many commanders and fighters of the 124th Division and the 372nd Regiment, reflecting the picture of this war from many sides and angles, with vivid details, simple language, and full of affection, which not only has a high historical research value, but also is a very good war history work. In this regard, the editor Zhou Veteran disclosed his own voice:
"Dear comrades-in-arms and friends, please go into the book, understand this war, understand the iron-blooded soldiers who can sing and cry in the war, and awaken people's respect for soldiers. Singing the praises of heroes, carrying forward the brave fighting spirit, and displaying the image of the combatants so that our children and grandchildren can remember these tragic and cruel and heroic stories of the past are one of my original intentions and purposes in writing my memoirs of war. ”
In addition to "Iron Blood", Zhou Veteran also edited "Blood Memory" (110,000 words, 220 pages) and "Blood-soaked Bandage" (160,000 words, 320 pages), which reflect the memories of the health workers who participated in the battle in the Gaoping Battlefield and the Western Front in Yunnan, as well as the revised "28 Days of Blood Bathing - War Memories of a Soldier of the 42nd Army", which is precious and further enriches the observation of the war. Here, I salute all the commanders and fighters who participated in this war to defend the motherland!
Author WeChat public account: Shen Tingxue's historical anthology
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