What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
September 12, 1948 was the most crucial battle to determine the victory of the War of Liberation, and the Liaoshen Campaign broke out on this day. Friends who may know history know that the Liaoshen Campaign was the most important of the three major battles during the Liberation War, and it was also the first major armageddon to break out. The victory or defeat of this battle had a great impact on the later Battle of Pingjin and the Battle of Huaihai. Therefore, the Liaoshen Campaign also became the most concerned battle of the top military commanders of the two sides at that time.
And the Liaoshen Campaign that determined the fate of the War of Liberation, which battle was the most crucial battle in the Liaoshen Campaign! When it comes to the most crucial battle, I am afraid it is the Battle of Jinzhou. Why? Jinzhou's strategic location is very important, it is the throat of the northeast to Guannei, if Jinzhou is occupied by the Northeast Field Army, then it is a complete cut off of the retreat of the nationalist army on the northeast battlefield. You know, the terrain of the northeast is different from other places, it is north and west of the Soviet Union at that time, east of the sea, and southeast of Korea. Therefore, Jinzhou is the only passage of the nationalist army to Guannei, if Jinzhou is occupied by the Northeast Field Army, then it will form a closed door to the Nationalist army on the northeast battlefield. In this way, the Battle of Liaoshen would end in the victory of our army.
Battle of Jinzhou
Therefore, Grandpa Mao gave the Northeast Field Army combat orders that jinzhou must be occupied within a week. To this end, the Most Crucial Battle of Jinzhou in the Liaoshen Campaign was officially launched on October 7, 1948. Of course, Chiang Kai-shek also saw the strategically important position of Jinzhou, and personally called Fan Hanjie, the general who guarded the city of Jinzhou, and told him the importance of Jinzhou's strategic position, so that he must insist on defending Jinzhou. At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek also sent a telegram to Wei Lihuang, commander-in-chief of the Northeast Bandits, to send him troops to reinforce Jinzhou.
Under the deployment of Lin Zong, the Northeast Field Army first cleared the obstacles around Jinzhou and made Jinzhou an isolated city. Then concentrate forces to capture Jinzhou and fight reinforcements against the enemy. It was decided that the 2nd and 3rd Columns and the 6th Columns of the Northeast Field Army would form the Northern Assault Group, commanded by Commander Han Xianchu, and the 7th and 9th Columns should form the Southern Assault Group, commanded by Deng Hua, and the 8th Column and Artillery Regiment would form the Eastern Assault Group, commanded by Duan Suquan, and attack from the east of the city to the west, and the above six columns were all responsible for the operational task of capturing Jinzhou. The remaining columns were tasked with reinforcements.
It should be known that Chiang Kai-shek, in order to understand the siege of Jinzhou, formed an eastward and westward marching corps to reinforce. Under the command of Hou Jingru, commander of the 7th Corps, the Dongjin Corps under the command of 3 corps and 9 divisions advanced to the direction of Tashan to reinforce Jinzhou under the cover of the air force and navy, but they were stubbornly blocked by the 4th Column of the Northeast Field Army here. The two sides fought fiercely at Tashan, and when Lin Zong gave the Second Corps Cheng Zihua a combat mission, it was clear; I only want Tashan and no casualty figures", which shows how important the strategic position of Tashan is. You must know that our army has always advocated not caring about the gains and losses of one city and one pool, and it is most important to maintain a living force. This shows the cruciality of the Jinzhou Campaign.
The Westward Advance Corps reinforcing Jinzhou was also very strong, and it was composed of Liao Yaoxiang's Ninth Corps. This corps is considered to be the strongest fighting force of the Nationalist army on the northeast battlefield. Although both the Eastward and Westward Advance Corps were aimed at reinforcing Jinzhou, both corps were blocked by the Dongye Column in the Tashan and Montenegro areas and could not advance to reinforce Jinzhou, so angry that Chiang Kai-shek directly slapped the table.
Liu Yalou
On October 14, 1948, Liu Yalou, chief of staff of the Northeast Field Army, issued a general offensive order and served as the main attack on jinzhou's six columns of Dongye to launch a general offensive. Concentrated 500 cannons bombarded the predetermined target in Jinzhou City, and then the column commandos launched an attack. The officers and men of the Northeast Field Army braved enemy artillery fire to advance and attack jinzhou city, and the soldiers attacked side by side in many ways, bravely interspersed, dividing the defenders inside the city, and each of them was annihilated, and one of them fled to the northwest corner of the city, and was blocked by the troops outside the city of the seventh column and the ninth column. After 31 hours of fierce fighting, the Northeast Field Army successfully occupied Jinzhou. The most crucial battle of Jinzhou in this Liaoshen Campaign ended in the victory of our army, and once Jinzhou was liberated, the gate of the Nationalist army to Guannei was completely closed. And the victory in the Liaoshen Campaign is also firmly in the hands of our army.
Therefore, after liberation, Liu Zhen, commander of the second column, Han Xianchu, commander of the third column, Huang Yongsheng, commander of the sixth column, Deng Hua, commander of the seventh column, and four column commanders were awarded the rank of general. The commander of the Ninth Column, Lieutenant General Zhan Caifang, and the commander of the Eighth Column, Major General Duan Suquan, held the rank of Major General.