On November 29, 1950, the Sixtieth Division of the 20th Army of the Volunteer Army was attacked by the "United Nations Army" in Hagaru-ri, North Korea, and was in a very critical position.
Prior to this, the Sixty Division had repelled four consecutive enemy attacks, encircling a force of American troops that had been assembled in the lower corner, intending to annihilate it in one fell swoop.
When Smith, commander of the U.S. First Marine Division, learned of this incident, he hurriedly dispatched troops from the ancient soil dozens of miles away, asking them to do whatever it took to rescue the American troops in the corner.
The "United Nations Army" that came to reinforce was a mixture of American and British troops, which can be said to concentrate the elite of the two armies at that time, with a total of more than 1,000 people, and more than 140 vehicles and 29 medium tanks.
Since the mixed unit was commanded by a British lieutenant colonel named Dresdale, the unit was given the nickname "Task Force Dresdale".
Under the cover of American aircraft, the reinforcements rushed north in an attempt to break through the volunteer lines and rescue the American troops in the lower corners.
The enemy and us fought fiercely near The 1236.5 Heights and 1182.1 Heights. The officers and men of our army, led by the first battalion of the 179th Regiment of the Volunteer Army, fought extremely bravely and tenaciously in the face of reinforcements from this contingent.
At that time, the British and American armies had absolute superiority in weapons and equipment, and the most important offensive weapon they relied on was undoubtedly the rampage and unscrupulous tanks.
Volunteers could only rely on rifles, grenades, and even "unconventional weapons" such as gasoline barrels and firewood to fight against Dresdale's tanks.
Under the leadership of Changshou Zhigao, deputy company of the first battalion and second company, Hua Yonglin, commander of the third platoon, and others, the volunteer army made full use of the terrain advantage and flexible guerrilla tactics to blast and block the enemy's "steel monsters" with their flesh and blood.
At first, the officers and men of the Dresdale Task Force did not pay attention to the volunteers at all, but as the battle progressed, they found that the volunteers' way of playing seemed simple, but in fact they were deadly.
What made them even more frightened was that the cadres and fighters of the volunteer army fought bravely and scrambled one by one, completely putting life and death aside, and everyone's flesh and blood seemed to hide a heart as powerful as steel!
Carrying grenades, they bravely and fearlessly rushed to the front tanks and cars, paralyzing them on the road and completely blocking the enemy's reinforcement road.
In this fierce battle, 29 volunteer warriors such as Shou Zhigao and Hua Yonglin sacrificed heroically and defused the enemy's offensive with blood and life.
The commander of the 179th Regiment, Zhang Jilun (founding colonel), resolutely ordered the follow-up troops to launch a brave charge against the enemy, so that the Dresdale contingent not only failed to reinforce, but also suffered heavy casualties.
When our army had fully grasped the initiative, Zhang Baokun, commander of the first battalion of the 179th Regiment, and Shen Can, instructor, adjusted their tactics at the right time and launched a psychological war against the enemy.
After many negotiations between our personnel, we finally forced the remaining enemy to surrender, including 1 lieutenant colonel and 2 majors of the US army. In addition, a large number of advanced weapons, which were rarely lacking in the volunteer army, were also captured.
This victory was of great significance, because it was the first battle after the Sixty Division entered the DPRK, the first battle was won, the natural army was greatly enhanced, and the victory was won in the form of "both civil and military" (political offensive and military strike).
Among the captives was an American major named Steve McConnell who, until he was captured, wondered why the well-equipped Dresdale task force had been defeated by the poorly armed volunteers.
McConnell couldn't find an answer to his thoughts, and fell into a deep confusion until he witnessed something with his own eyes.
After the surrender of the Dresdale contingent, the Volunteers distributed four or five potatoes to each captive. This made the British and American officers and soldiers, who were accustomed to eating canned beef and bread and biscuits, very dissatisfied.
This morning, Zhang Jilun, the commander of the 179th Regiment, with the help of an interpreter, personally spoke with several officers of the Dresdale Task Force.
When it was McConnell's turn to talk to Zhang Jilun, it was already past lunchtime.
At this time, a guard hurriedly came over, put a worn-out enamel jar in front of Zhang Jilun, and said: "Commander, let's eat something, you haven't eaten all day!" ”
McConnell took a curious look at the enamel jar and saw that it contained four or five small potatoes, not yet the large ones that the volunteers had given him.
Zhang Jilun said to the guards, "Have you all eaten?" ”
"I've eaten them all." The guard nodded.
Zhang Jilun pointed his hand at McConnell again: "Has this Major eaten lunch?" ”
"I've eaten it too, but..." The guard stopped talking.
"Just what?" Zhang Jilun looked up and asked.
"They all complain that the food we provide is so poor that they are abusing them..." The guard turned his head and said indignantly to McNecon, "You see, this is all that our regimental commander eats, exactly the same as the soldiers!" ”
McConnell understood the meaning of the guard's words from the translator, and watched Zhang Jilun chew the potatoes without even peeling the skin, as if enjoying a rare delicacy, plus he had learned that the volunteer soldiers did eat the same potatoes, and could not help but sigh: "I understand, I understand..."
"Major McConnell, what do you understand?" The translator asked.
Major McConnell sighed and said, "I couldn't figure it out before.
Why were the mighty Anglo-American coalitions defeated by poorly armed volunteers? Now I finally understand that you are truly equal to officers and soldiers, and officers respect every soldier from the bottom of their hearts, and every soldier obeys the officers from the bottom of their hearts. Of course, such an army can fight a war with one heart and one mind, and the three armies can use their lives. I didn't expect such an army to exist in the world, which is really terrible!
”