On November 26, 1950, a company of the 353rd Regiment of the 118th Division of the 40th Army, where Zhou Degao belonged, was transferred to the Hingsangdong Railway Station north of the Cheongcheon River in North Korea, secretly hiding on the opposite bank in the area of Yulongpo in the Junyu-ri area from Ancheon to Manpo in North Korea.
The 2nd U.S. Division on the other side of the river was stationed in Yulongpu, an important passage from Xinxingdong to Junyuli, surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing the river on the other. Yulongpu is located on the banks of the Cheongcheon River, across the river from the hidden river of Zhou Degao's volunteer army. There was originally a railway bridge on the river, from which the railway could pass. Due to the indiscriminate bombardment of the US military, the railway bridge on the river has been blown up, leaving only a steel rail suspended in the air. The Hsingheungdong railway station and the village where it is located were occupied by a battalion of the Ninth Regiment of the 2nd Division of the Us Army.
Relying on the convenient transportation of the railway station here, the air command on the nearby 320 heights and the dangerous terrain of the front facing the big river and the high mountains in the back, the US military mobilized more than 30 tanks, together with a large number of long-range artillery and light and heavy machine guns to form a dense firepower network, and tightly sealed the Yulongpu area, forming a so-called "can not attack, can not cross" steel defense line.
In order to achieve victory in the first battle, Zhou Degao's unit reconnoitred the terrain and enemy situation, made a thorough battle plan and made full combat preparations. Then, officers and men who were strong and strong and had rich combat experience were selected and formed into a sharp knife company, a sharp knife platoon, a sharp knife squad, and a sharp knife group to carry out the battle against Yulongpu. Zhou Degaogang joined the party in the line of fire and was a veteran who had experienced hundreds of battles and was strong, and was selected and appointed as the leader of the sharp knife group, leading 3 soldiers to form the sharp knife group.
The specific combat tasks are: climb the Qingchuan River from the rails at night, occupy the enemy headquarters of Yulongpu 320 Heights, and destroy the enemy's command and control of the Yulongpu area.
At dusk on November 26, 1950, the north wind whistled and the surface of the Cheongcheon River was frozen. Zhou Degao's company formed a sharp knife company, and the Qingchuan River Bridge raided the enemy division headquarters. Zhou Degao came to the riverside with the sharp knife squad in the dark, he was fully armed, leading the 3 soldiers of the sharp knife group into the position together with the officers and men of the whole company of the sharp knife company, lurking on the bank of the Qingchuan River opposite Yulongpu. I saw that the bridge was blown up, but the rails of the iron bridge were not completely broken, and they were pulled crookedly in mid-air like ropes.
At two o'clock in the night, the noisy And noisy American camp was silent. The volunteer sharp knife company lurking on the other side of the Cheongcheon River issued an order to "cross the river and sneak up on the enemy". On the north bank of the river, on the mountains, deep valleys and small hills, countless volunteer troops suddenly appeared, and they endured the severe cold of -20 ° C and forcibly crossed the river.
Zhou Degao, who served as the leader of the sharp knife group, led the 3 soldiers of the sharp knife group to climb out of the lurking ground first, put on gloves, and climbed the only remaining hanging rail on the railway bridge that was destroyed by the US military. The Surface of the Cheongcheon River is more than 40 meters wide, and they jumped up, clamped the rails with their legs, and silently climbed on the cold rails with their hands and feet, and quietly crawled to the opposite shore. Immediately after that, the sharp knife class, the sharp knife platoon, and the entire sharp knife company all quietly and silently climbed across the Qingchuan River.
The sharp knife company commanders who climbed across the Qingchuan River quickly and skillfully bypassed the enemy's guard posts, passed through the railway tunnels, and then divided the soldiers into three ways: one to capture the 320 heights, one to attack the Yulongpu railway station, and the other to forcibly occupy the village of Yulongpu.
The mission of the sharp knife group led by Zhou Degao was to capture the 320 heights. Although The 320 Heights are only more than 30 meters high, its geographical location is important, and it is the headquarters of the entire Yulongpu area of the US Military. Therefore, the US military took special precautions here, and the entire highland fortifications were lined with trenches and bunkers, and ambushes were set up everywhere. Riding on the lights of the night, Zhou Degao carefully observed the terrain and fortifications, and made a decisive decision: 4 people were reduced to pieces, each looking for a way up the mountain and occupying the enemy headquarters.
The sharp knife class unknowingly entered the enemy's forward position. Just as Zhou Degao and the four of them were groping forward, suddenly, there was a roar of "'Wow, whoa, whoa...' from the silent camp, followed by a gunshot of ''Bang''. Peng Changyi, a soldier of Zhou Degao's sharp knife group, fell into the enemy's trench and stepped on the head of a sleeping American soldier in the process of groping forward.
The American soldiers were awakened from the dream, first making a cry of "Wow, Wow, Wow", and then shooting Peng Changyi. Zhou Degao saw it, and immediately rushed forward with an arrow step, and a shot of "bang" killed the roaring American soldiers.
The sound of gunfire woke up the sleeping American troops. For a time, the 320 highlands shouted and the gunshots were in chaos. Taking advantage of the confusion of the US military, Zhou Degao shouted in English while shooting at the enemy and shouting, 'Surrender your gun and don't kill!' He sprinted up to the top of Hill 320 and rushed into the command post of the American army.
In the US command post on The 320th Highland, after the US troops who did not know the details heard the gunshots and roars, they panicked one by one, hugged their heads and ran away.
Source: Memoirs of a Volunteer Veteran