On June 26, 1946, the Kuomintang reactionary clique headed by Chiang Kai-shek openly tore up the Kuomintang-Communist armistice agreement, gathered heavy troops, and brazenly launched a large-scale attack on the Liberated Areas of the Central Plains of China, and then launched a fierce attack on other Liberated Areas.
In July 1947, Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping led the Jinji-Hebei Luyu Field Army to cross the Yellow River successfully, and then launched a full-line attack on the Kuomintang reactionaries, the first encounter was the Kuomintang's three elite integrated divisions, namely the 70th Division, the 32nd Division, and the 66th Division, stationed in the southeast of Juye to the northwest of Jinxiang.
Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping ordered the troops to be completely annihilated.
The 2nd Column of the Jinji-Hebei Luyu Field Army was ordered to encircle and annihilate the Kuomintang 66th Division, and commander Chen Zaidao immediately made a pre-war mobilization, conveyed the orders of the field army chiefs Liu and Deng, and demanded that the troops should boost their morale and resolutely fight the first battle after crossing the river.
However, the Kuomintang Reorganized 66th Division was not a soft persimmon, and Chen Cheng, the chief of staff of the Kuomintang, had served as the commander of the division, and had always regarded it as his lifeblood, and had devoted everything to the division. At present, the reorganized 66th Division occupies the Yangshan Set, has a complete source of troops, is well-equipped, and has all American-style firearms; in addition, the current division commander, Song Ruike, is a high-caliber student of the third phase of the Whampoa Military Academy, who is brave and strategic, and the combat effectiveness of the whole division is quite strong, and it is very difficult to bite.
Before the People's Liberation Army crossed the Yellow River, Song Ruike, commander of the reorganized 66th Division, had ordered the troops to build a large number of ring fortifications around Yangshanji, and arranged a crossfire network, which was easy to defend and difficult to attack.
The battle was fought by the 2nd Column as the main attack, and the 3rd Column cooperated in combat. Before the war, Chen Zaidao, commander of the 2nd Column, and Chen Xilian, commander of the 3rd Column, held a meeting and decided that the time of the general offensive would be set for the evening of July 16, with the 2nd Column attacking from the west of Yangshan Ji and the 3rd Column being responsible for feinting the attack on the east side of Yangshan Ji to attract enemy firepower and create favorable conditions for the 2nd Column to launch a general offensive, while the Independent Brigade of the Jinji-Hebei Luyu Field Army was responsible for encircling the points in the southern direction to provide reinforcements.
However, the sky was not beautiful, and early in the morning of the 16th, the sky began to rain heavily, and it lasted all day, and the total attack time had to be postponed.
In the evening of the 17th, Chen Zaidao led the 2nd Column to take the lead in attacking the enemy at Yangshan, and the 3rd Column and the Independent Brigade also attacked in full line.
What Chen Zaidao did not expect was that the resistance of the reorganized 66th Division was very tenacious, and every step of the 2nd Column was difficult, and the troops began to suffer casualties. After fierce fighting until dawn, the 2nd Column occupied only a corner of the western part of The Yangshan Ji, while the 3rd Column only captured a palm-sized area east of the Yangshan Ji.
As soon as the sky was dark, the reorganized 66th Division actually drew a scoop according to the gourd and launched a counter-charge in the form of the People's Liberation Army. 2 The column was caught off guard, there were a large number of casualties, more than a dozen regimental-level officers were wounded one after another, and Chen Zaidao had to order the troops to retreat.
The fighting was temporarily halted.
The Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao also paid close attention to the first battle after crossing the Yellow River, and the temporary defeat of the Battle of Yangshan Ji attracted Chairman Mao's attention. On the 23rd, the Central Military Commission and Chairman Mao sent a telegram to Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping: Time is pressing, the soldiers are fast, and if the Yangshan Ji cannot be taken down in a short period of time, leave him alone for the time being, stop fighting first, and gather troops to go south immediately and hand them over to the follow-up troops.
At this crucial moment, Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, Xu Xiangqian, and other chiefs of the Jinji-Hebei Luyu Field Army, who were well aware of Chen Zaidao's temperament and disposition, decided to consult Chen Zaidao's opinion, so they immediately dialed Chen Zaidao's telephone and said in a concise manner: Chen Zaidao, do you want to continue fighting, or are you ready to withdraw?
When Chen Zaidao, who had traveled south and north, fought countless battles, and had few defeats, heard that the chiefs of the field army were ready to withdraw themselves, they immediately became anxious and said categorically: They cannot withdraw, continue to fight, and the fat meat sent to their mouths cannot be thrown away.
Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping agreed with Chen Zaidao's opinion and prepared to give him some more time to go all out to conquer Yangshanji.
Taking advantage of the gap between battles, Chen Zaidao and Chen Xilian carefully observed the terrain of Yangshanji, summed up the reasons for the temporary defeat, and adjusted the battle deployment in time.
At dusk on 27 July, the battle against Yangshanji began again.
This time, Chen Zaidao and Chen Xilian mobilized all the artillery of the 2nd column and the 3rd column, and the howitzers, mountain artillery, field artillery, and mortars of various calibers fired at the same time, and covered the forward positions of the reorganized 66th Division with a round of artillery fire, destroying most of the fortifications outside the Yangshan group. Immediately afterward, all the commanders and fighters of the 2nd and 3rd Columns extended with the artillery fire and launched a charge towards Yangshanji.
Late that night, the 2nd Column finally conquered the main peak of Yangshan Mountain and occupied the commanding heights. The enemy's 66th Division organized several counterattacks in an attempt to regain the commanding heights, but was repulsed by the 2nd Column.
Subsequently, the 6th Brigade of the 2nd Column successfully conquered the Xiguan of Yangshanji, rushed into the West Avenue, and began to engage in street battles with the enemy, advancing inch by inch. At the same time, Chen Xilian's 3rd Column also successfully broke through the East Pass of YangshanJi, occupied the East Avenue, and also launched a street battle with the enemy. In this regard, the 66th Division of the Yangshan Garrison was surrounded by the division of the 2nd column and the 3rd column.
However, the enemy, with superior equipment and familiarity with the terrain of Yangshan, still insisted on stubborn resistance. The 2nd Column and the 3rd Column advanced very difficultly, and every time they occupied a house, they had to fight with the enemy, the battle was unprecedentedly fierce, the troops began to suffer heavy casualties, the 18th Regiment of the 2nd Column, which rushed to the front, bore the brunt of the most casualties, the battalion-level cadres suffered the same casualties, and the main and deputy battalion commanders of the 1st Battalion were killed one after another.
After fighting until the morning of July 28, the 2nd column and the 3rd column finally completely annihilated the main force of the Nationalist reorganized 66th Division in the Yangshan set, and the victorious division was in the center of the Yangshan concentration. At this time, the sound of gunfire has gradually subsided, but there are still sporadic battles, that is, the PLA soldiers are clearing the remnants of the enemy in individual houses and fortifications, and it has no longer affected the entire war situation.
Seeing that victory was in sight, Chen Zaidao finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the big stone in his heart fell to the ground. In this battle, he withstood the pressure and adjusted the combat deployment in time, and his superb military quality and excellent command ability were fully displayed. Chen Zaidao, who had calmed down, drilled out of the bunker and wanted to take a walk on the street of Yangshan Ji and take a look, after all, this was the place where he fought bloodily, and he wanted to see the comrades who had sacrificed and send them on the last journey.
The combat staff officer promptly pulled Chen Zaidao aside and prevented him from wandering around, because at this time the battle was not completely over, and the enemy's artillery was still bombing aimlessly. At the moment when Chen Zaidao had just been pulled back by the combat staff officer, a howitzer happened to land where Chen Zaidao had just stayed, blowing the ground into a large pit, and the splashing mud fell on him.
By the afternoon of the same day, the Battle of Yangshan Ji ended with the comprehensive victory of the Jinji-Hebei Luyu Field Army. From July 17 to July 28, the Battle of Yangshan Ji was fought for 12 days, and the Jinji Luyu Field Army annihilated all of the Nationalist reorganized 66th Division, totaling more than 23,000 people.
Many years later, Chen Zaidao recalled the Battle of Yangshan Ji and could not help but say with emotion: This battle of Yangshan Ji was the hardest battle I fought in my life, and the soldiers who sacrificed the most!
[Adhere to the original, do not forget the original heart, remember the history, taste life, welcome attention, common progress】