In the Third Campaign to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the weakness of the Chinese Volunteer Army's lack of logistics was gradually exposed, and at that time there was a smooth and very vivid description:
"After playing three or eight lines, snow water mixed with fried noodles."
The lack of effective means of transport, coupled with the repeated bombardment of the US military with a powerful air force, made it difficult to Chinese the logistics of the Civilian Volunteer Army. The most basic food supplies were almost cut off, not to mention guns, ammunition and warm clothing, and even wounded soldiers on the front line were difficult to transport to the rear for treatment.
Peng Dehuai was keenly aware of the seriousness of the problem, and he saw at a glance Ridgway's conspiracy, the volunteer army fought so smoothly, how to fight and how to win, that is, it could not move the main force of the US army, and brought more than 10,000 enemy troops to annihilate. The U.S. military is retreating every day, and only 30 kilometers a day, there is absolutely a conspiracy!
In early January 1951, Peng Dehuai decisively ordered:
The Chinese and DPRK troops stopped advancing on the 37th Line!
The controversy arose, the Soviet Union and North Korea expressed their opposition, and everyone quarreled into a pot of porridge...
First, the Soviet ambassador to the DPRK threw a tantrum at Peng Dehuai and was dismissed by Stalin
The first to jump out was the Soviet ambassador to North Korea, Stikov, who was the general adviser of the Korean People's Army, and it was his strategic mistake that made the Korean People's Army recklessly and aggressive, and finally returned with a big defeat.
It was such a "military expert" of average ability who ran to the headquarters of the Volunteer Army and threw a tantrum at Peng Dehuai:
"If you win a battle but don't take advantage of the victory to pursue, there is no commander like you!" You should immediately change your mind and immediately pursue the enemy south, all the way to Busan, and drive the Americans out completely! ”
Peng Dehuai, who rarely lost his temper, said to Stekov:
"The enemy has air supremacy, we don't; the enemy is motorized, we have only two legs. Logistics can't keep up, legs can't catch up with motorcycles, not to mention the US military is planning a big conspiracy, we must be cautious. ”
Steven said:
"Even if you can't annihilate the enemy, occupying more places is a victory!"
Peng Dehuai felt speechless, how could there be such a "military expert" who did not understand military principles? How did he become a senior Soviet general at this level? If you occupy more places but can't keep them, the occupied places will only become a burden! These truths are understood by the most grass-roots soldiers of our army, but he does not understand them?!
Out of courtesy, Peng Dehuai patiently explained to Steven:
"If we cannot annihilate the enemy's living forces, we will be retaken by the enemy when we occupy the places we occupy; in addition, our army is a fatigue division, logistics and supplies will not be able to keep up, and reinforcements will not be able to come up."
Stykov remained unforgiving, insisting that Pendhuai continue to attack.
Mr. Peng, who had been putting up with it, finally broke out:
"I am responsible to the people! If I'm wrong, I'm fully responsible! ”
Stykov was embarrassed and angrily called Stalin to complain.
Peng Dehuai also immediately reported to Mao Zedong. Mao Zedong immediately expressed support for Peng Dehuai's opinion and sent a report to Stalin to communicate.
Stalin patted his forehead and turned around and relieved Stykov of his post—the fiasco of the Korean People's Army had long since made Stalin dissatisfied with Stykov.
Besides, the battle was fought Chinese, peng Dehuai led the volunteer army to fight so beautifully, the Soviets did not help much, and Stalin was not embarrassed to interfere at will.
Kim Il Sung wanted reunification and strongly opposed the order to stop the offensive
Kim Il Sung was even more uncomfortable than Stikov, he dreamed so much of unifying the Korean Peninsula that it would become a reality, but the volunteers stopped attacking!
He immediately went to Peng Dehuai to express his point of view, and Peng Dehuai, out of the reality of the war situation and the situation, resolutely did not agree to continue to advance south. He said:
"I am responsible to the army and the people."
After learning of the argument between Peng Dehuai and Kim Il Sung, Mao Zedong called Peng Dehuai:
"If the dprk comrades believe that they can march south without resting, they also propose that the Korean People's Army advance to attack the enemy, and that it be under the direct command of the Korean government itself, and that the volunteer army serve as the garrison north of Inchon, Seoul, and the 38th Parallel."
It can be seen that Mao Zedong firmly supported Peng Dehuai, and if the DPRK felt that it could continue to fight southward, it would let the Korean People's Army rush to the front to fight, and the volunteer army would take up garrison tasks in the rear.
That's what the hero sees.
On January 11, Kim Il Sung came to Peng Dehuai again with his deputy, Park Hyun Yong, in an attempt to persuade Peng Dehuai again to continue commanding the volunteer army to march south.
Park Hyun Yong insisted that as long as the volunteer army continued to attack southward, the US military would definitely withdraw from Korea.
Peng Dehuai smiled angrily, and he asked Park Xianyong, if we go after it, will the US troops definitely retreat? Don't pin your hopes on chance. In two months, the strength of the Volunteers and KPA will be much greater than it is now, and it will be better for us to move south according to the situation.
Kim Il Sung spoke:
"In half a month, it is best for three corps of the volunteer army to continue to attack south, and the rest of the rest for a month and then march south."
Peng Dehuai was angry:
"You always say that the United States will withdraw from North Korea, but what if we attack them and don't retreat?" You want a quick decision, but you are not prepared, and this is a fluke! The result must be a failure! Tell you what, the volunteers need to rest for two months! Until the rest is completed, no division can go south! If you do not approve of my approach, you can remove me, the commander-in-chief of the Sino-DPRK coalition forces! ”
After speaking, Peng Dehuai was still angry and continued:
"If you insist that it is necessary to continue the offensive to the south, then I propose that the Volunteer Army take on the task of maintaining all coastal guards and lines of communication north of the Inchon-Yongyang line. The Korean People's Army has had 120,000 men of five corps resting for two full months, and you should command them to attack south! If the Americans are driven out of Korea by you, I certainly celebrate the liberation of Korea. If the U.S. military does not withdraw from Korea, the volunteer army will then march south according to the predetermined plan! ”
Kim Il Sung said:
"The Korean People's Army has not recovered its vitality and cannot march south alone."
Peng Dehuai said:
"Then go to the front line and experiment to see if the Americans will retreat."
"An experiment will cost tens of thousands of casualties, and the cost is too great to do."
Peng Dehuai was angry, the Korean People's Army is afraid of casualties, Chinese people's volunteers are not afraid? He said to Kim Il Sung:
"I can't accept that you say that!"
Kim Il Sung returned home sadly.
Peng Dehuai's acumen and resoluteness avoided the heavy losses of the volunteer army
Resisting pressure from the Soviet Union and the DPRK, Peng Dehuai resolutely implemented the decision to stop the southward advance. This avoided the heavy losses of the volunteers, because at this time, Ridgway had already studied the secret of the volunteers' "prayer offensive", and he found that the Chinese army's attack was very fierce, but it always ended in about eight days, because China's logistical supply could only last for eight days! After eight days, the soldiers had exhausted all their food and ammunition and had to retreat!
"As long as you resist the attack of the Chinese army for seven days, you can launch a counterattack when it runs out of ammunition and food!" Ridgway looked up at the sky and laughed, he found the fate of the Chinese army!
Then Ridgway invented the "magnetic tactic", the infantry followed behind the tank, carried out fire reconnaissance, as soon as it encountered the Chinese army, immediately retreated, and bombarded the Chinese positions with artillery and aircraft. After retreating thirty miles, it stopped immediately, because thirty miles was the distance that Chinese soldiers ran on their legs all night. This lasted for seven days, until the volunteers ran out of ammunition, and the Americans immediately began a counteroffensive.
In this way, Ridgway used "magnetic tactics" to inflict huge losses on the Chinese Volunteer Army.
However, due to Peng Dehuai's keen sense of smell and firm attitude, the Chinese Volunteer Army changed its tactics in time and slowed down the pace of the southward advance according to the actual situation, minimizing losses to the greatest extent.
Later, Peng Dehuai recalled that after a lifetime of fighting, only this time he was scared, and even "slept badly for a few days and nights."
Why be afraid? Because they smelled the crisis, the volunteer army hit the 37th line, the front line advanced hundreds of kilometers to the south, the material supply chain was already fragile, the enemy's planes were bombed indiscriminately in the sky, the transportation line was completely broken, the supply of food, ammunition, and materials was insufficient, the soldiers did not have enough to eat and wear, and the non-combat attrition was increasing. If the southward advance continues regardless of reality, the damage caused will be immeasurable.