The victory in the Battle of Menglianggu was the result of the boldness and meticulousness of the commanders of our army and breaking with the norm
The "Battle of Menglianggu" refers to the offensive operation conducted by the East China Field Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army from May 13 to 16, 1947 under the direction of Mao Zedong and commanded by Chen Yi and Su Yu, in the Menglianggu area southeast of Mengyin County, Linyi City, Shandong Province, during the Liberation War.
Sculpture of the commander of the Battle of Menglianggu
The Battle of Menglianggu ended in the reorganization of the 74th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, the "head of the five main forces" of the Kuomintang, and the reversal of the situation in East China in one fell swoop. The victory in this campaign was entirely the result of the boldness and meticulousness of the commanders of our army and the breaking of conventional tactics. Let's break it down in detail.
First, according to the enemy's new tactics, take the initiative to retreat and look for fighters
From March 1947 onwards, the Kuomintang army changed its offensive strategy by abandoning the all-out offensive against the Liberated Areas, shortening the front line, and concentrating its forces on carrying out key offensives against northern Shaanxi and Shandong, in an attempt to occupy these two areas first. In the Shandong battlefield, they concentrated 24 integrated divisions into 3 mobile corps, adopted the tactics of strengthening depth, intensive approach, steady and steady fighting, and gradual advancement, advancing from south to north to the Luzhong Mountains.
As the Kuomintang army learned the lessons of repeated annihilations in the past, they changed their tactics, concentrated their forces, and acted cautiously. As a result, except for the annihilation of the main force of its reorganized 72nd Division at Tai'an in late April, the East China Field Army's several preparations for a decisive battle with the Nationalist army were not realized.
During the Battle of Menglianggu, Su Yu and other comrades inspected the positions
In view of the above-mentioned new situation of the enemy army, the Central Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee instructed on May 6: "First, do not be in a hurry, and second, do not divide the troops, as long as the main force is in hand, there is always a chance to annihilate the enemy." Accordingly, Chen Yi, commander and political commissar of the East China Field Army, and Su Yu, deputy commander of the East China Field Army, adjusted their deployment in early May and retreated to laiwu and xintai to covert standby; and the 2nd and 7th columns of the East China Field Army were secretly assembled in the Juxian area to enter Lunan's 6th Column and hide in the area near Pingyi, waiting for the opportunity to cooperate with the main force.
This initiative retreat of our army made Chiang Kai-shek and Gu Zhutong, chairman of the Kuomintang government, mistakenly believe that the retreat of the East China Field Army was exhausting from the offensive and unable to fight a decisive battle, so on May 10, they ordered three corps to boldly advance to the boshan and Yishui lines. They changed their original method of fighting steadily and steadily, with the reorganized 74th Division as the backbone, and with the cooperation of the reorganized 25th and 83rd Divisions, they attacked Tanbu from the duozhuang and Taoxu areas on May 11, in an attempt to seize the Yishui-Mengyin highway by taking advantage of the gap.
The adjustment of the enemy's tactics has left our army with a rare fighter plane.
Second, commanders are bold and careful in formulating unconventional methods of warfare
In the face of fleeting fighter planes, the commanders of our army were bold and meticulous, and formulated unconventional methods of warfare; Chen Yi, Su Yu, and others resolutely decided to adopt the "fierce tiger digging out their hearts" tactics, and on the morning of 12 December made a plan to cut and annihilate the reorganized 74th Division from the center of the front under the situation of the enemy's heavy army group being densely close together:
The Battle of Menglianggu was planned
It was decided that our army should take the 1st, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 9th columns and special forces columns as the main offensive; the 2nd, 3rd, 7th, and 10th columns as the blockers; and the local armed forces to contain all the ways to aid the enemy and attack and sabotage behind the enemy along the Linyi and Lintai Highways.
At 13:00 on the 15th, the East China Field Army launched a general offensive, and the troops attacked from all directions and multiple roads, and the reorganized 74th Division tried its best to resist. In each position, it was repeatedly fought for, and some positions were gained and lost, and changed hands several times. After fierce fighting, our army finally completely annihilated the remnants of the 74th Reorganized Division and 1 regiment of the reorganized 83rd Division, and killed Zhang Lingfu.
At the same time, the various reinforcements of the Nationalist army also encountered stubborn resistance, which not only failed to save the integrated 74th Division, but also suffered heavy casualties themselves. In addition, when the Kuomintang army attacked, the masses of the people in the Luzhong area carried out empty houses and cleared the wilderness, so that they could not get grain, grass and intelligence; on the contrary, when the East China Field Army attacked, the people returned to their hometowns one after another, cooked and boiled water, supported our army in battle, and organized 200,000 civilian workers to support the front, making contributions to the victory of the battle.
Military and civilian sculptures of the Battle of Menglianggu
Third, the reasons for the victory of our army and the significance of the campaign
In the Battle of Menglianggu, the commanders of our army boldly adopted a very conventional method of operation; they not only violated the basic principle of our army in fighting the weak enemy first and then the strong enemy, but also violated the principle that our army first fought the isolated enemy.
The Kuomintang reorganized 74th Division had jurisdiction over the 51st, 57th, and 58th Brigades, all of which were us armaments and equipment, and had also been trained by the US military, and were known as one of the "five main forces." At that time, the division was in a more prominent position, and the gap between the left and right neighbors was large, which was convenient for dividing and encircling and annihilating; division commander Zhang Lingfu was proud of his meritorious combat, arrogant and arrogant, and had deep contradictions with other units, such as encircling and annihilating the unit, other units would not actively assist.
It was this strongest 74th Division, at the peak of the Nationalist army's offensive against the communist army, but was eaten dry and wiped clean by the fierce tigers of our army, and this kind of shock was of great significance to the people of the two armies of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the two parties of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and the liberated areas of the Kuomintang.
Battlefield of the Battle of Menglianggu
The victory in the Battle of Menglianggu smashed the Kuomintang army's "Decisive Battle of Luzhong" plan, which was of decisive significance in thwarting the Kuomintang army's key offensive against the Liberated Areas of Shandong, and effectively coordinated with the operations in northern Shaanxi and other battlefields. The significance of the victory in this campaign was to strike at Chiang Kai-shek's most powerful offensive direction; to strike at Chiang Kai-shek's most elite troops (as commented by Xinhua News Agency at the time). This blow, which again occurred on the eve of an all-out offensive in the Liberated Areas, had a particularly significant impact.
In short, the Battle of Menglianggu ended with the reorganization of the Seventy-fourth Division of the National Revolutionary Army, the "head of the five main forces" of the Kuomintang, and the reversal of the situation in East China in one fell swoop. The victory in this campaign was entirely the result of the boldness and meticulousness of the commanders of our army and the breaking of conventional tactics.
While praising the officers and men of our army for their bravery and good fighting and their spirit of not being afraid of sacrifice for building a new China, we have even more appreciated the commanders who commanded the Menglianggu Campaign, who were bold and meticulous, good at catching fighter planes, and dared to defeat a strong enemy. We should study the revolutionary spirit of our predecessors, carry forward their fine traditions, and strive all our lives to build a modern new China.
Menglianggu Battle Sculpture
This article is original by "Such As Day Zhongtian 54", welcome to pay attention, learn together, and make progress together!