On October 29, 1953, xinhua news agency sent a special telegram from Pyongyang, announcing to the world a list of heroic models and special meritorious heroes of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, and the first in line were huang Jiguang and Yang Gensi, the first-class heroes and special meritorious heroes; followed by the first-class heroes and special meritorious heroes Qiu Shaoyun, Cao Yuhai, Hu Xiudao, Wang Hai, Yang Liandi, and Guo Zhongtian, a total of fifty people.
Today we are telling the story of Cao Yuhai, a first-class hero and a special meritorious hero. This paragraph is also described in the recent hit TV series "Crossing the Yalu River".
Martyr cao Yuhai
On February 7, 1951, the 50th Army and the First Army of the People's Army began to cross the Han River, on the south bank of the Han River, leaving only the 38th Army to fight alone.
Countless enemy planes in the air dropped thousands of tons of high-explosive bombs, incendiary bombs, and flares over their positions.
Shelling, tanks, countless enemy troops began to charge, and the repetitive procedure was the "sea of fire tactic" invented by Ridgway, which caused great damage to the 38th Army.
The Kuomintang rejoiced on the island of Taiwan: "This is called the sea of fire washing people from the sea." ”
The war situation continued to deteriorate, the 38th Army suffered heavy casualties, there was no one left on many positions, the remains of soldiers covered the valleys and hills in that area, two American battalions were basically annihilated, and Air Force helicopters transported the bodies of the morning back and forth.
There were no reinforcements in the rear, and the 38th Army was in danger.
The U.S. army has hundreds of times the firepower of the 38th Army and several times the strength of the 38th Army. The officers and men of the 38th Army understood their duty, and all the troops fought a counterattack on the Eastern Front, relying on the 38th Army to resist without limits in this weak defensive line.
Liang Xingchu, the commander of the army, gave a firm order: "No matter how difficult it is, we must also hold the position." Division commanders must preserve a portion of the backbone. Company commanders, instructors, battalion commanders, and instructors must draw one down, otherwise no one will command how to fight after the new recruits are replenished. ”
Peng Dehuai, who was in Shiji, was also very anxious, the cost of the 38th Army to block the main force of the US army on the Western Front was too heavy, and if it continued to fight like this, even the "Long Live Army" could not withstand the attrition!
Cao Yuhai, the 38th Army's recognized as the best "steel battalion commander," and Fang Xin, the instructor, insisted on the 350.3 heights, which were small heights where the assault was at the forefront of the three enemy's forces, and were the key points of the 38th Army's defensive positions, which were particularly important and particularly difficult to defend.
In order to defend this position, Jiang Yonghui, deputy of the 38th Army, specially called Cao Yuhai to talk.
Cao Yuhai, who participated in the previous battles and made many meritorious achievements, assured without fear: "Our battalion has never lost a battle, please rest assured that the chief will complete the task." ”
Jiang Yonghui's heart was also very sad, he really couldn't bear to take such a "steel battalion commander" and such a heroic battalion to fight with the US army, it was not worth it!
In the face of the attack of the elite American ace cavalry division, Cao Yuhai and instructor Fang Xin stayed up for 7 days and nights, repelling hundreds of enemy attacks.
Every day, Cao Yuhai's battalion had to eat tens of thousands of shells and hundreds of bombs from the Americans, and the Americans did not know how many dead bodies were thrown in front of the position, but the hero battalion was also exhausted.
The blockade battle was so fierce that all the officers and men were red-eyed, and many positions ended up rushing into the enemy group with a Pack of Explosives by a Chinese soldier and ending up with them all.
On February 10, a company had been exhausted.
On 11 February, only 4 soldiers remained in the 2nd Company.
On February 12, the three companies repelled seven enemy attacks in the morning, leaving only more than 30 men in the battalion, and the final moment came.
At 3 p.m., regimental commander Sun Hongdao called to inquire about the battle situation, and Cao Yuhai calmly said: "There are fewer and fewer people, but please rest assured that if there is Cao Yuhai, there is a position." ”
He didn't ask for reinforcements at all, because he knew that there were only more than 100 people left in the regiment.
"Cao Yuhai, if you really can't do it, come down, fight back when it's dark, don't do it recklessly."
The regimental commander would rather lose his position than lose such a battalion commander who is one of the best in a hundred miles.
"Commander, the enemy is coming, goodbye, my regimental commander."
Cao Yuhai threw down the telephone to fight with the enemy blood, two bullets hit his head and chest head-on, he forced his eyes to open his eyes and said the last words to the squad leader Xu Jin: "We must hold the position, have the opportunity to tell my sister-in-law, I did not embarrass her!" "Heroic martyrdom, only 28 years old.
The news of the death of the steel battalion commander reached the regimental headquarters, and the regimental commander Sun Hongdao, while crying, desperately wanted to run to the position to avenge his subordinates and comrades-in-arms, and the political commissar Wang Pili held him to death.
According to the rules of the army, the battalion commander sacrificed the instructor to go down.
If both officers are sacrificed, who will bring the hero battalion after that? This will hurt the morale of the troops, as long as one main cadre is preserved, the tradition of the battalion can be maintained.
Instructor Fang Xin, this excellent political work cadre did not heed the urging of the regimental commander and others, the battalion commander was sacrificed, and he must lead the remaining soldiers to hold their positions.
He encouraged everyone to avenge the battalion commander and hold on to the high ground, he pressed one bullet after another, thinking of desperately killing the enemy...
The enemy rushed to the front again, and Zhao Lianshan, the commander of the third company, carried two grenades and shouted "Goodbye Instructor" and rushed into the smoke...
Fang Xin finished firing the bullets in his gun on the position, picked up a shell that had pulled out the lead and rushed into the enemy group to smash it down, and died honorably, only 27 years old.
The position was finally held.
When the other two companies came to take over the position that night, there were only 2 wounded left on the position.
They held out for seven days and nights to eliminate more than 680 American soldiers, which was also the largest number of enemy annihilations at the volunteer battalion level.
After the war, Cao Yuhai's battalion was awarded the glorious title of "Heroic Battalion for Resisting US Aggression and Aiding Korea" by the Chinese Army Headquarters, and was honored with a collective first-class meritorious service once, and awarded a "both offensive and defensive" award flag, naming an infantry battalion after the name of this war, which is the supreme honor in the Chinese army.
The third company in which Cao Yuhai fought in the last battle was recorded for special merit and was awarded the honorary title of "Second Class Combat Hero Company".
Cao Yuhai (1923–1951) was a bitter child of a poor family whose parents died and suffered for a living by herding cattle for landlords. He was raised by his sister-in-law and joined the Eighth Route Army. In the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, he made many meritorious achievements and was a famous combat hero of the whole army.
Seriously injured in the war to cross the river in the south, after recovering from his injuries, the organization decided that he would transfer to the local area, became the prison director in Wuhan Prison, and fell in love with a female nurse who had nursed her in the hospital, and when she was preparing to get married, she heard that the old army was going to the northeast to fight, and insisted on returning to the army.
Later, Liang Biye, the former political commissar of the 38th Army and the current head of the organization department of the Central and Southern Military Region, agreed and was approved to return to the army.
He also attended the National Congress of Combat Heroes as a combat hero of the whole army. He had just returned to the unit and continued to serve as a battalion commander of the 32nd Regiment.
When he left Hankou, the woman sincerely made a request for marriage, but he did not agree and advised her not to wait for him.
He knew the Korean War would be more brutal than any war he had ever fought in. He could not guarantee that he would be able to return smoothly, and if he delayed the girl's youth, he would feel ashamed under the Nine Springs.
He once said something to the girl: "I don't need happiness, I am not born willing to fight, but the enemy wants to deprive us of happiness, and I have no other choice." ”
When the comrade-in-arms cleaned up his belongings, he found that he still kept a letter from his fiancée and a pillowcase given to him, on which were embroidered with 5 bright red words "Eternal Heart".
Soon, according to the address provided on the envelope, the regiment sent a letter to Cao Yuhai's fiancée, telling her: "Comrade Cao Yuhai is an excellent son of the motherland, a first-class hero and a special meritorious hero in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. ”
The girl replied:
“...... What an irreparable loss to me! However, I am proud to have such a lover, and I will always be worthy of his lover. Tell you, his close comrade-in-arms, that I insist on going to the Korean front.... ”
The comrades-in-arms of the 38th Army have never forgotten that after 10 years of perseverance and painstaking searching, they finally found Cao Yuhai's sister-in-law Wang Yuehua in Junan County, Shandong Province, in April 2000, after a gap of 50 years.
At this time, Wang Yuehua was already 80 years old, and this old man knew for the first time that his little uncle, who had been worried about for decades, was a special meritorious hero and a combat hero, and a hero with the same name as Huang Jiguang, Yang Gensi, and Qiu Shaoyun.
We don't know, what was the situation of Cao Yuhai's fiancée at that time? I think I will definitely live a happy life.
Cao Yuhai's fearless revolutionary sacrifice spirit is always worth remembering, encouraging us at all times, and they are the most lovely people!