What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
On April 11, 1951, an explosive news piece grabbed the headlines of all the News Media in the United States, MacArthur, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Far East, was dismissed by Truman.
MacArthur's successor was Ridgway, who was well known in China and was known as the one who caused the big trouble to the volunteers.
On April 3, 1951, MacArthur and Ridgway met for the last time on the Korean battlefield
But as Ridgway moved to Tokyo, the real rival of the Volunteers, the most talented U.S. general in the Korean War, became the new commander of the Eighth Army, lieutenant general James Olward VanVleet.
The U.S. military is a very good learner, and in the Korean War, the U.S. military extensively studied the tactics and tactics of the volunteer army. The beginning of this learning first came from Van Vliet.
People mistakenly thought that Ridgway had caused great trouble for the volunteers, but in fact, Ridgway's stable tactics, although reversing the passivity of the American army, could not give the volunteers a fatal threat. The U.S. military itself has an absolute superiority in ground-to-air firepower over the volunteers, and being defeated by the volunteers is as shameful as a strong man being knocked to the ground by a small doll. All Ridgway did was return the U.S. army to normalcy, but it was only able to compete with the volunteers, not enough to defeat the volunteers.
In addition to the superiority of ground and air firepower, the US military also has an absolute mobility advantage over the volunteers. If we want to defeat the volunteer army, we must give full play to the advantages of the US army. That's what VanVleet is thinking about.
To do this, there is this kind of tactic is very suitable, that is, the volunteer army's most excellent interspersed division tactics, with the EXCELLENT mobility of the US army, strong armored troops, superior air and ground firepower, interspersed and dividing tactics will become the magic weapon of the US army to counter the volunteer army.
First, the genius of the US military
In the second stage of the Fifth Campaign, Peng Dehuai used the strategy of "attacking the east with sound from the west", and as a result, Ridgway was deceived, and he instructed Van Vleet to concentrate the main force of the American army on the western front, and the volunteer army took the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the eastern front with the 9th Corps and the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Armies of the People's Army to encircle and annihilate the ROK 3rd Army. Under the exquisite command of Peng Dehuai, the 3rd Army of the Rok Army suffered a crushing defeat, and was later revoked by Ridgway. This is the "national shame" in South Korean history — its own army was disbanded by a foreign general.
Although Ridgway was a good plan, there was a world of difference between the modern US army and the two-legged volunteer army. Van Vleet, who was shocked to hear of the rout on the Eastern Front, commanded the US 3rd Division and the ROK 8th Division to motorize and maneuver more than 100 kilometers in more than 10 hours, filling the gap in the campaign.
Under the offensive of the volunteer army, the American generals were also nervously thinking about how to deal with it. On May 18, Ridgway judged that the main force of the volunteer army was east of Chuncheon, the western front was actually empty, and the US army should immediately counterattack on the western front to save the dangerous situation on the eastern front.
But on May 19, after Ridgway met with Van Vliet, the latter persuaded him to change his mind. Van Vliet believes that although the Rok army on the Eastern Front has suffered a crushing defeat, the U.S. military is facing great trouble. However, the volunteer army attacked too far, the supply line was lengthened, the logistics were difficult, the follow-up was weak, and the offensive had reached its peak and was already weak. The volunteer army, which won a great victory on the Eastern Front, was the real weak link. If a sudden counter-offensive can be made, it will not only contain the volunteer offensive, but also have a great opportunity to advance behind the volunteer army and achieve a huge victory in encircling and annihilating the main corps of the volunteer army.
On May 20, under the command of Van Vliet, the troops of the US 9th Army moved eastward, and the US 1st Army on the western front launched a counterattack against the 64th and 65th Corps of the 19th Corps of the Volunteer Army, and the 63rd and 3rd Corps of the 19th Corps of the Volunteer Army in the center line. On 23 May, the U.S. 10th Army on the Eastern Front also launched a counteroffensive against the Ninth Volunteer Corps. Led by powerful armored units, the various units of the US Army formed a series of armored contingents to intersperse the gaps between the various units of the retreating volunteer army in an attempt to cut off the retreat of the volunteer army and divide and encircle the volunteer army on the way to retreat, so as to achieve the goal of annihilating the main force of the volunteer army.
Catching the opponent's instantaneous counterattack that has not been withdrawn after punching is exactly the post-emptive trick used by Peng Dehuai in the second campaign. Van Vliet fully grasped its essence, accurately grasping the favorable moment when the volunteer offensive was exhausted and turned into a retreat. The U.S. military quickly assembled and attacked quickly with its rapid maneuvering capabilities. The volunteer army was caught off guard, the situation was extremely passive for a while, a little careless, and may even collapse in the whole world and lose the war.
Compared with Peng Dehuai's "sound west strikes east", this is also a divine handwriting, very clever.
Under Van Vleet's maneuvering, the US 9th Army, which attacked Chuncheon and Huachuan in the middle of the road, became the focus. After forming a key breakthrough in the middle road, the US army can divide the east-west line of the volunteer army, and then roll to the two wings, enveloping the volunteer troops on the eastern or western front, forming a favorable situation of encirclement and annihilation. The US 9th Army, which was attacking Chuncheon and Huachuan, and the US 10th Army, which was attacking Linhe and Yangkou, were forming an encirclement network.
The U.S. military action caught the Volunteers off guard, and for reasons known as their right and left neighbors, the Volunteer 180th Division was besieged by the U.S. 9th Army and suffered a crushing defeat.
Huachuan Reservoir
The defeat of the 180th Division led to the advance of the 9th Army, and the 17th Regiment, the vanguard of the US 7th Division, occupied Huachuan at 8 o'clock on May 27. The Ninth Corps, which were organizing the retreat, and the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Armies of the KPA were not aware of this situation. At this time, the 27th Army and the 12th Army of the Ninth Corps had been engaged in fierce battles with the pursuing US 10th Army for several days in Linhe, County, and other areas. After a bitter battle, the Ninth Corps had already played the time and space to ensure its own transfer. However, the U.S. 7th Division occupied Huachuan, which was equivalent to cutting off the Ninth Corps' retreat. If the Ninth Corps could not break the U.S. blockade, the U.S. 9th Army would form an encirclement network with the pursuing U.S. 10th Army, encircling the Ninth Corps; if the U.S. army advanced rapidly, it might even hold the KPA 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Armies. The results of the previous blockade will be wiped out, and the two main corps of the Volunteer Army and the People's Army will face the disaster of destruction.
This was the most dangerous situation the Volunteers had faced since they entered the war.
Van Vliet, the most talented general in the U.S. military in the Korean War, his credit, Ridgway can not be robbed.
Just when Peng Dehuai urgently dispatched troops to deal with the crisis, a unit took the initiative to stand up. At this point, they did not receive any orders.
Second, stand up
On the morning of May 27, 1951, following the passage of huachuan by the 59th Division of the 20th Army, the 172nd Regiment and the 173rd Regiment of the 58th Division had also passed through Huachuan. However, Huang Chaotian, commander of the 58th Division in the back, noticed that the explosion of American shells was everywhere around his troops. Huang Chaotian felt very strange, there were other units of the Volunteer Army on the left flank of the Ninth Corps' transfer road, how could the US army come here? But the situation did not allow him to think much, and his rich battlefield experience made Huang Chaotian understand in an instant that something might not be good: "No, it is dense artillery fire, and it is going to be a ghost!" He immediately studied the situation with other division leaders and conceived countermeasures. When the 58th Division led the study, the troops began to talk about it: "What to study?" We were ordered to rest and arrive tomorrow. ”
Huang Chaotian
However, Huang Chaotian and Zhu Qixiang, political commissar of the 58th Division, believed that behind them were other units of the Ninth Corps, and behind the infantry there were slow-moving artillery, military stations, hospitals, wounded, and supplies. If the 58th Division retreated as planned, it would not be a big problem and could be completely eliminated, but the troops behind would be in big trouble. Huang Chaotian, who has experienced hundreds of battles, has made a very accurate judgment, and the US 9th and 10th Armies are joining hands to lay nets. If the 58th Division had been left unchecked, all the troops in the rear would have been wiped out.
So Huang Chaotian resolutely decided not to leave, immediately occupied the position, stopped and fought resolutely! In the face of the incomprehension of some officers and men in the unit, Huang Chaotian threw a loud voice: "The enemy has hit the door, can you not fight?" The Yankees wanted to rush over unless the 58th Division was all dead! ”
There were no orders, no fortifications, no artillery support, no friendly neighbors, and insufficient food and ammunition, but the 58th Division had moral character! Putting oneself to death and covering other troops is a noble virtue that the People's Liberation Army has always had.
At this time, the 172nd Regiment of the 58th Division was relatively complete, the 173rd Regiment was reduced to 5 infantry companies, and although the 174th Regiment had 6 infantry companies (3 battalions had not yet been rebuilt in search of the enemy), each company was reduced to 2 platoons, with a total strength of 9471 troops. The enemy troops in front of them were the US 7th Division on the front line of Dalili, Huachuan, Seongsan, Shinpori, and Woncheon-ri, the 21st Regiment of the US 24th Division on the front line of Tangangari and New Delhi, and the 6th Division of the ROK Army on the front line of Jiuwanli and Yucun, with a total of more than 33,000 people in 2 divisions and 1 regiment, more than 200 tanks, and more than 500 large-caliber artillery pieces. The ratio of enemy and enemy strength is nearly 4 to 1, and the ratio of firepower is more than 40 to 1, which does not count the Aviation Firepower of the US Military.
May 27th, a very crucial day. Huang Chaotian actually did not know that the artillery he heard was not only that the US troops blocked the crossing of the North Han River, but also landed on the 12th Army's blocking position. The 12th Army was the most difficult and dangerous unit in the transition stage of the Fifth Campaign, and in the midst of the encirclement and interception of the US 10th Army, the 12th Army had a hard time jumping out of the encirclement circle of the US 10th Army and jumping to the west of the Hongyang Highway to move toward Huachuan, but unexpectedly encountered the interception of the US 7th Division and the ROK 6th Division in Huachuan, and the US 7th Division occupied Huachuan, cutting the 12th Army in two. At that time, the 12th Army's Zhihe and the 35th Division had moved to the northeast of Huachuan, and the 103rd Regiment of the 35th Division fought desperately in Changjuli, west of Huachuan City, and only the last 4 people were left in the 6 companies on the 348.8 heights (this is the famous "Huachuan Four Warriors" of the 12th Army); while the 34th Division was compressed in a narrow area southeast of Huachuan and west of the Huachuan Reservoir, and the US 7th Division and the ROK 6th Division had divided and encircled the 34th Division.
On the east side of the Huachuan Reservoir, the 180th Regiment of the 60th Division has begun to block here, while the 80th Division of the 27th Army (the 79th and 81st Divisions are on the east side of the 80th Division) and retreated, and also moved to the east side of the reservoir, behind which is the US 10th Army, which is in hot pursuit, and the west side has also exchanged fire with the vanguard of the ROK 6th Division.
If the 58th Division had not remained to block the attack and the U.S. 7th Division and the ROK 6th Division had been able to continue eastward, at least the 34th, 60th, and 80th Divisions could have been in a desperate situation on the 27th, especially the 34th Division.
In addition to the treacherous battlefield posture of the fraternal forces, the 58th Division's own ammunition was seriously insufficient. Because the speed of the logistics force was far behind that of the combat troops, the heavy firepower of the 58th Division was greatly affected. Machine gun shells have only half a base, mortar shells have only one-third base, and 75 mm mountain guns and bazooka shells have only 0.3 bases.
How is this battle fought? Liao Zhengguo, deputy commander of the 20th Army, who rushed to the scene in an emergency, explained to the troops: The troops should be heavily deployed in the front and back, and the main force should be equipped on both sides of the saddle shape of each highland, and it is necessary to constantly carry out counter-attacks, to attack instead of defense, to defend instead of defense, to hold out during the day, and to counterattack at night. In fact, it can be condensed into two words - desperately, desperately trying to stop the US military.
Upon learning that the 58th Division took the initiative to stop and block the attack, Peng Dehuai was overjoyed and praised him one after another: "This unit can fight hard and vicious battles, can make a surprise attack and take into account the overall situation, and is a good unit with a very hard work style!" Song Shilun shouted three times in a row, "Good! Good! Good! ”
On May 27, the 58th Division not only withstood the initial offensive of the US 9th Army, but also counterattacked Huachuan, opening a passage for the troops of the 12th Army, and rescuing more than 300 wounded from fraternal troops and stabilizing the position. The troops of the 12th Army were able to move smoothly.
On the 28th, Liao Zhengguo (military commander Zhang Yixiang had previously returned to China due to illness) and Huang Chaotian adjusted their deployment according to the latest enemy situation. The 58th Division was determined to take the areas of Dagamai, Chengshan, Jijidong, Battlefield Cave, and Upper and Lower Dalili as its forward positions; to take the general mountain, 642, 505, 219.9, 280.7, 341, 313 highlands, and the Serhead Pointing Nanshan area as the basic position; to 688.9, 758, 354.6, 332, 282.9, 421, 483, 420.3 highland area as the regimental reserve position; to 636.6, 772.8, 470 highland, Shanglu Valley, 478.6, Highlands 643.2, 805, 955.4, and 512.3 were divisional reserve positions; they resisted the attack of the US 9th Army.
Among them, the forward position was the most important, because the 58th Division had to hold out until all the troops in the north crossed the river safely.
Third, fight alone
In order to cut off the retreat of the main force of the volunteer army in the north, on the same day, the US 9th Army also concentrated its forces to launch a full-scale onslaught on the Huachuan area. The U.S. 9th Army, which besieged the 58th Division, was dominated by the U.S. 7th Division and the ROK 6th Division. The U.S. 7th Division was the second most effective unit in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, after the 2nd Division. The 6th Division of the Rokmen Army is the real first trump card in the South Korean army, much stronger than the so-called ace of the 1st Division and the Capital Division. In my article on the Pingjinhuai Blockade War, I said that in 1951, the US military captured Shangganling, and the combat effectiveness of the US military in various periods of the Korean War was different; in the same way, the combat effectiveness of various units of the US and ROK troops in each period was also different. The 6th Division of the ROK Army, under the command of South Korea's true first general Jang Do-hyun, is truly the strongest unit of the ROK Army. Under the command of Zhang Duxu, he defeated the volunteer army four times in a row, two of which were in coordination with the US 7th Division, and the cooperation between the two units was also quite tacit. At this time, the 7th Division of the US Army and the 6th Division of the ROK Army, with the threat of victory, came towards Huachuan with great momentum, and it was inevitable.
The brutality of the battle was unprecedented in the history of the 20th Army,perhaps even surpassing the Battle of Chosin Lake. In just one day of fierce fighting, the 173rd and 174th regiments on the front line suffered huge casualties. The 58th Division was forced to join the battle with the 172nd Regiment, a reserve.
However, under the courageous resistance of the 173rd regiment and the 174th regiment, the American army was also unable to move, and the cost was heavy. In order to stop the US army, the 58th Division fully carried forward the spirit of "fighting alone and daring", even if it fought to the point of fighting to a squad, a group, and a person, it still shouted for a fierce battle and did not retreat.
The 5th Company of the 173rd Regiment on the 401st Heights, the bazooka squad that fought against the American tanks, shot out the rockets, fought with the Americans, and almost all of them were killed; the heavy machine gun platoon, the machine guns were broken, and the bayonets were put together; the 60 artillery squad, the mortars were broken, and the shells were thrown as grenades. From the 27th to the 30th, the US 24th Division did not advance in front of the 401st Heights.
On the 280.7 heights of the 6th Company next to the 5th Company, the famous combat hero and platoon commander of the 6th Company of the 173rd Regiment, Bu Guangde, fought with the American army for 3 days. When the Americans rushed to the position, they raised the military flag. Bu Guangde fought back, killing the American army and pushing down the American flag, while the bloody Bu Guangde stood on the top of the mountain. The last row of battles was only 4 people left, still sticking to the main peak and not retreating.
In the direction of the 174th Regiment, the US 7th Division once captured our 313 and 372 heights, The South Mountain of Shetou Da Nan and the North Han River Bridge in Shangdalili, but was counterattacked by the 174 Regiment. Subsequently, the U.S. army once again besieged the 313 heights, and the 1st platoon commander of the 3 company, Yu Pangong, led the troops to repel 13 attacks of the American army, and finally led the tact and courage to break through with only 45 bullets and 10 grenades left.
On the 372 high ground, Liu Shiyou, a soldier of the 2nd Company, fought alone, killing more than 20 enemy people, and finally escaped safely.
On the 29th, after the 172nd Regiment entered the battle, it immediately counterattacked with the 174th Regiment to the US 7th Division and the ROK 6th Division, capturing the 437.5 and 296.4 highlands in a row, going to Dalili, all the way to 90,000 Li Pointe, not only restoring all the forward positions, but also beating the ROK 6th Division back one by one, and successfully receiving a part of the 27th Army to the north. The 173rd Regiment also counterattacked Chengshan successfully, and quickly sent troops into Hongcun and Xincun Ravine to rescue a large number of wounded and materials from the brother troops, and covered the transfer of their troop stations and hospitals.
On May 30, the U.S. 9th Army concentrated the U.S. 7th Division and the ROK 6th Division to attack again. The 172nd Regiment took over the defense of the 174th Regiment and together with the 173rd Regiment once again thwarted the American offensive attempts. On the evening of the same day, all the follow-up troops successfully passed through the US military blockade area. The 58th Division successfully completed the first phase of the mission. By this time, Van Vleet's campaign attempt had been completely crushed, and the US Eighth Army had lost the opportunity to encircle the Volunteer Army and the main KPA corps.
The U.S. Army in the Korean War: The Ebb and Flow describes the roller coaster mood of Americans. On the morning of the 27th, the US military was elated: "A group of confused Chinese looking around for a way out." On the afternoon of the 27th, the U.S. army was stunned: "A division of the 20th Army stopped the (our) attack, and the enemy's door to safety was open." On the 28th, the U.S. army was discouraged: "Although the 9th Army tried to rush to the target, it was too late, and the Chinese who were chased by the 10th Army ran away." The mood of the Americans when they wrote these words was very bitter, and this was the only chance that the US military could win the war in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. However, the obstruction of the 58th Division of the 20th Army ruined all hopes of the Us army to win the war.
Fourth, stick to it for 13 days
However, Van Vliet was not dead hearted, and he quickly changed the operational deployment.
This was another outstanding battle plan, and Van Vleet made adjustments to the battlefield situation in the shortest possible time, once again showing his superb command art. VanVleet planned to make full use of the mobility advantage and sea and air superiority of the US army, with the elite 1st Marine Division interspersed by sea, landing at pole city behind the KPA flank, advancing east and west with the US 9th Army, forming a tight four-sided encirclement with the US 10th Army on the front, and laying traps again in the northeast area of the Huachuan Reservoir to completely destroy the 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army and the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Armies of the KPA. It is foreseeable that with the action of the 1st Marine Division, Van Vliet will inevitably use the airborne 187th Regiment Combat Team to airborne and cooperate with the 1st Marine Division to occupy the main points. This will be the first time that a joint land, sea and air operation has appeared on the Korean battlefield. Once successful, MacArthur's Inchon landings would also be eclipsed. The only deficiency was that the volunteer army had initially shaken off the passive unfavorable situation and was bound to deal with it actively, and the probability of success of this plan was lower than that of blocking the retreat of the Ninth Corps in Huachuan.
Fortunately, it is not known whether Ridgway was jealous or not, he personally rushed to Seoul on the night of the 28th and vetoed VanVleet's plan on the grounds that the risk was too great. Therefore, on June 1, the US 9th Army changed its operational deployment, and the US 7th Division and the ROK 6th Division no longer made a surprise attack east of the Hwacheon Reservoir, but returned to Ridgway's standard way of playing - the US army marched in tandem with all the troops, tailing the volunteers to transfer troops. The U.S. military war history regretfully wrote: "In this case, Van Vliet has no choice. ”
However, although the follow-up units of the Volunteer Army are safely moving north, if the US army can break through the 58th Division's blockade, it can also use its mobility advantage to chase after our troops going north, which will disrupt Peng Dehuai's next defensive deployment. The 58th Division must continue to hold out.
Seeing the completion of the first phase of the mission, the 58th Division abandoned its forward positions, retreated to its basic positions, and prepared to resist step by step, and retreated.
By 2 June, the 58th Division abandoned its basic position and moved to a regimental reserve position. At this point, the 58th Division fought fiercely with the 7th Division, the 21st Regiment of the 24th Division, and the 6th Division of the ROK Army on the 7th, and the enemy only advanced less than 4 kilometers, and could only advance an average of more than 500 meters per day. Among them, the main force of the first four days of combat, the US 17th Regiment, suffered heavy casualties, lost its combat effectiveness, and was forced to withdraw from the battle to replenish. At this time, it was only 6 days before the order issued by song Shilun, commander of the Ninth Corps, to hold out until June 8, and as long as the 58th Division could hold out for another 6 days, the US 9th Army and the 10th Army east of Jinhua would do nothing.
However, after several days of bitter fighting, the 58th Division faced a new problem in addition to its own huge casualties, and the troops ran out of food (2 days).
The U.S. 7th Division is organizing an offensive
Just as the 58th Division was in a desperate situation of food shortages, Lieutenant General Hogg, commander of the US 9th Army, changed his style of play. He ordered the U.S. 7th Division and the ROK 6th Division to detour to the flank of the 58th Division with 1 regiment (company) each, and then to slam into the ribs in an attempt to cut off the 58th Division's troops.
The ROK 7th Wing took advantage of the fact that there were only a small number of guard troops of the 174th Regiment on the left flank of the 172nd Regiment and advanced about 5 kilometers into our position, seriously threatening the safety of our flank and rear. The 172nd Regiment of the Huang Dynasty's Mandate of Heaven deliberately retreated to lure the enemy, while commanding the Reserve Special Task Force regiment and the 178th Regiment of the 60th Division's support force to open their pockets. Unfortunately, when the Special Task Force Regiment and the 178th Regiment first arrived, the enemy terrain was unfamiliar with the terrain and did not act thoroughly enough, and was discovered by the US Aviation Corps. Zhang Duxuan preemptively attacked, first ordering the 7th and 19th Wings to pretend to attack together, and the 7th Wing quickly turned to retreat. The Volunteers failed to encircle the ROK 7th Wing.
On the other side, the 32nd Regiment of the fresh force of the US 7th Division attacked fiercely, and the soldiers of our 173rd Regiment starved and repeatedly fought with the enemy. The 173rd Regiment actually had only 15 platoons of troops, and the fierce battle of the past 10 days had already suffered huge casualties, and it was really unable to withstand the attack of the US 31st regiment and the 32nd regiment. By June 5, the U.S. 32nd Regiment had broken into the 173rd Regiment's position from the flank. Huang Chaotian then resolutely ordered his troops to retreat to the division's reserve position.
In 10 days, the US and ROKs had only advanced 8 kilometers, but the 58th Division had only the last position left, and the troops were exhausted. At the critical moment, Huang Chaotian ordered his troops to launch a fierce counterattack. On June 6, the famous 3rd Company of the 172nd Regiment (i.e., the "Yang Gensi Company") counterattacked the 425th Heights and completely annihilated 1 company of the US army with 1 company, which destroyed the arrogance of the US army and greatly boosted morale.
From June 6 to 8, the United States and South Korea launched a series of tidal attacks, all of which were repelled by the 58th Division. At 12:00 p.m. on the 8th, the 60th Division took over the position of the 58th Division, and the 58th Division successfully completed the task of blocking the attack.
5. Sacrifice one's life for righteousness
In the Huachuan Blockade Battle, the 58th Division of the 20th Army annihilated the enemy at the cost of 2795 casualties, and what is important was to crush the attempt of the US army to surround and annihilate the main corps of the Volunteer Army and the People's Army, and played a key role in the overall situation.
"There is Tieyuan in the west and Huachuan in the east", which is a phrase often recited by the old people of the volunteer army. These two battles are also known as the two major blockade battles of the volunteer army. Unfortunately, compared with the prominent reputation of the Tieyuan Blockade War, there were many fewer people who knew about the Huachuan Resistance War. In fact, the Huachuan Blockade Battle is more critical and important than the Tieyuan Blockade Battle. As mentioned earlier, the U.S. 9th Army's surprise attack on Huachuan was the only chance the U.S. military could win the war. Even if the 63rd Army lost the Tieyuan Blockade Battle, the Volunteer Army would still have troops defending in depth; and if Huang Chaotian, commander of the 58th Division, did not decide to fight in Huachuan on the spot, the consequences would be disastrous. The importance of the two is that there is no comparability.
Volunteer blockade positions
In terms of performance, the 58th Division was also stronger than the 63rd Army. In the Tieyuan Blockade Battle, only 1 member of the 63rd Army was awarded the honorary title of Combat Hero by the Headquarters of the Volunteer Army; while in the Huachuan Blockade Battle, 11 combat heroes (including 178 regiment and 1 person) emerged in one division of the 58th Division, and only the Battle of Shangganling in the history of the Volunteer Army could be compared. Writing this passage is not to belittle the Tieyuan Blockade Battle, but compared with the more famous Tieyuan Blockade War, it is still relative to the "obscure" Huachuan Obstruction War. The 58th Division of the 20th Army is worthy of the "troops of General Su Yu".
VanVleet was indeed a genius in the U.S. army, but his carefully planned counteroffensive in the shift phase of the Fifth Campaign did not achieve the desired results. When the volunteer army encircled and interspersed the US army, it was basically able to complete the combat operation, but it was limited by insufficient firepower and often could not achieve the combat objective. When the U.S. military, with better hardware, used the same tactics against the volunteers, it could not even complete the combat operation. The difference is that the Volunteers will have units like the 58th Division come forward, disregard their own safety, and desperately block the attack of the American army. Sacrifice one's life for righteousness, and kill oneself to become a benevolent, and this volunteer army is also called. Although Van Vliet learned the essence of volunteer combat, his American troops were not capable of carrying out his intentions. Similarly, when the U.S. army was divided and surrounded by volunteers, it was busy fleeing for their lives, and no troops were willing to stand up and sacrifice themselves.
This is the first reason why the volunteer army can defeat the US army, competing in the spirit of sacrifice and the will to fight, and the volunteer army is several orders of magnitude stronger than the US army.
However, only the spirit of sacrifice and the will to fight cannot defeat the US army. In particular, Ridgway's caution and Van Vleet's genius, added by the natural superiority of the U.S. army, offset the stronger command ability of the senior volunteer generals. This allowed the U.S. military to recover the disadvantage and even gain an advantage. In this case, the war returned to the normal state of comparing the comprehensive strength of the army, and the volunteer army would certainly be at a disadvantage. This disadvantage continued until November 1951, when the volunteers balanced the situation as the tunnel fortifications were constructed. The Volunteers then switched to counterattacks in all directions of the front, winning victories, and by the time of the armistice on July 27, 1953, the front had advanced by 332.6 square kilometers, effectively defeating the Americans.