There were many classic battles during the Korean War. Some of the battles were very tragic, such as Chosin Lake, Matsuku-no-no-no-so, and Tohei-ri.
These battles were not well-known, but the volunteers paid for casualties, but not many people really knew about them. Many people's understanding of the tragic battles of the Korean War is mostly associated with the Battle of Shangganling.
In this battle, the U.S. army took the heaviest artillery fire during the Korean War, and ultimately failed to take 597.9 heights and 537.7 heights.
The two positions covered an area of only 3.7 square kilometers, and the U.S. army originally intended to take it with 4 infantry battalions. However, the volunteers did not choose to retreat, the ground artillery fire was too intensive, relying on the tunnel and subsequent force support, and continued to mediate with the American army.
The two sides engaged in a fierce exchange of fire, investing 103,000 troops, turning what was originally a trench battle into a typical battle. There were three main commanders of the volunteer army in this battle, Wang Jinshan, Qin Jiwei, and Li Desheng.
The extent to which they participate in actual combat varies. As the deputy commander of the Three Corps, Wang Jinshan was mainly responsible for the deployment and dispatch of troops.
Wang Near the Mountain
The United Nations army launched a large-scale attack on the 597.9 heights and 537.7 heights, and Wang Jinshan adopted the tactic of "adding oil" and took turns to replace the main combat troops, effectively resisting the multiple rounds of attacks of the United Nations army.
Qin Jiwei, commander of the 15th Army, led his troops to participate directly in the battle. Before the Battle of Shangganling, he ordered his troops to work while fighting, and dug many tunnels in the position. These tunnels came in handy in later operations.
The tunnels had the necessary infrastructure to allow troops to hide in them and avoid artillery fire. The Un army used intensive artillery fire in this campaign, and the surface of the position was blown up.
If it were not for these tunnels as cover, the volunteers would not have been able to withstand the artillery fire of the American army. At the beginning of the Battle of Shangganling, the volunteer army occupied a certain advantage and annihilated more than 7,000 enemy troops in seven days.
Qin Jiwei maintained a high degree of tension, and in the face of the tense battle situation, he hardly slept. With the change of the situation, the position warfare began to turn into tunnel warfare, and the casualties of the volunteer army increased.
In view of the unfavorable situation, Qin Jiwei chose to continue to insist on tunnel warfare. The loss of troop personnel was serious, and he transferred personnel from the military department and organs at all levels to replenish the strength of the troops.
The soldiers in the tunnel were short of daily necessities, so he dispatched 15 military organs and logistics personnel to form a logistics supply delivery team and braved enemy artillery fire to deliver supplies to the troops in the tunnel. After the battle for the tunnels, the Volunteers began to turn the tide of the war.
With the support of the 12th Army, the Volunteer Army retook two high grounds, resisted many American attacks, and finally won the Battle of Shangganling.
Li Desheng, deputy commander of the 12th Army, led the 31st Division and played an important auxiliary role in the Battle of Shangganling. In small-scale operations, the 91st Regiment of the 31st Division won more with less, wounded 59 and killed 36 people, eliminating more than 1,000 enemy troops.
The troops under Li Desheng's command also recaptured and held The 537.7 Heights. If we talk about battle achievements, the 15th Army led by Qin Jiwei was responsible for frontal combat and effectively resisted the attack of the United Nations army.
He played the role of the main battle in the Battle of Shangganling, and his battle achievements were the greatest.
Lee Tak Sang
Li Desheng led the troops to assist the 15th Army, also recaptured the heights, dispersed the attack of the United Nations Army, played an important auxiliary combat effect, and timely replenished the strength to turn the tide of the war, and his credit ranked second.
Wang Jinshan's contribution was the least, he did not directly lead the army to fight, but he played an important command role in dispatching troops in the rear, and played a great support for the victory of the Shangganling Campaign.
The volunteers were on the defensive side of the battle and had some advantages in the battle. The UN forces relied on intensive artillery fire to crush the Volunteers in ground combat.
But in tunnel combat, artillery strikes cannot be of much effect. In addition, the U.S. military underestimated the will of the volunteers, thinking that crushing the other side in terms of equipment would make the other side lose and retreat. As a result, a huge number of troops were invested, but they still failed to capture the two high ground.