On April 26, 1953, after the "baptism" of five battles, the Korean armistice negotiations resumed again, and on June 8, the two sides also reached an agreement on the issue of prisoners of war, but they did not expect that the Syngman Rhee clique was "unconvinced", which led to the last battle of the Korean War- the Battle of Kimseong.
Battle of Jincheng
With the entry of the Chinese volunteers into the Korean War in October 1950, the arrogance of the US army was hit, and after five fierce "confrontations" between the two battles, the two sides could only carry out a "tug-of-war" near the 38th Line. As a result, long-stalled negotiations began to be put on the agenda. During the June 8, 1953 negotiations, the U.S. military had agreed and signed an agreement on the prisoner of war issue, but Rhee was adamantly opposed. After seeing that the U.S. military did not heed his protests, Rhee made a move that shocked the world.
Although Rhee released more than 25,000 prisoners of war held in prisoner-of-war camps under pressure from the United States, he forcibly integrated them into South Korea's army on the spot, claiming that they were "voluntary." After this move was exposed, public opinion around the world was in an uproar.
As the head of the country, Syngman Rhee's "rebellion" made the United States, as an ally, look down on it. The Chinese and Dprk sides were even more indignant, so President Peng asked Chairman Mao for advice and proposed to suspend negotiations with the other side; to launch another large-scale campaign to strike hard at Rhee's arrogance and ensure the smooth implementation of the armistice plan. After obtaining Chairman Mao's consent, Mr. Peng contacted Kim Il Sung, the leader of the Korean People's Army, and jointly agreed on the plan.
Because the US military has suffered successive defeats on the battlefield and the anti-war sentiment in the country is high, the US military is already in an extremely passive situation on the Korean battlefield. After many military efforts, the U.S. military side has realized that it is time to end the war, so at this time the United States wants to withdraw from the quagmire of the Korean War with relative dignity.
MacArthur, commander-in-chief of the "United Nations Army", and Syngman Rhee, the first president of the Republic of Korea
For his own political interests, Rhee was not willing to accept such a defeat. Once the armistice was signed, his political ambitions were in vain. Therefore, in the later stage of the negotiations, it was basically his one-man show, a plan agreed to by China and the DPRK and the United States, and he was reluctant to sign it. Not only that, Rhee also shouted that the main force of the ROK army was still there, and there was still a force to counterattack, and even put forward slogans such as "fight back the Yalu River."
At this time, Rhee could not listen to the opinions of the Americans and deliberately created friction between China and North Korea. In his view, as long as the U.S. military continues to drag the battlefield, he and his government will have a future. As long as the WAR between the ROK and the Chinese and DPRK armies resumes, as long as the United States has not withdrawn from the Korean Peninsula, it will not be able to stand idly by and watch, and it will be able to continue to hold the us by the lap of the United States to realize the beautiful dream of reunifying the Korean Peninsula.
For Rhee's attitude, Americans also began to feel dissatisfied. Eisenhower did not believe that South Korea was qualified to express its thoughts and emotions at this time, and strictly ordered the ROK military to follow the instructions of the US military and not to act without authorization. However, for Syngman Rhee's yang and yin violations, the US military actually did not have a very good method.
At this time, the main force of the US army has basically all retreated to the rear, and the confrontation with the Chinese and North Korean troops on the temporary ceasefire line is basically the ROK army. In the Kimseong area, the most powerful capital division and the 6th, 8th, and 3rd divisions of South Korea were concentrated, and there were a large number of tunnel fortifications and bunker groups, which was also Syngman Rhee's greatest reliance on and persistence in fighting.
Chinese Volunteers captured North Korean soldiers
After identifying the main target of attack centered on Jincheng, the Volunteer Army quickly assembled the 20th Corps and the 24th Division of the 9th Corps for final preparations before the war. Unlike the period when it first entered the Korean War, the volunteer army at this time was greatly improved in weapons and equipment. In order to finalize the situation, the volunteer army was equipped with more than 1,100 artillery pieces of various types, 20 tanks, and nearly 2,000 vehicles were used to transport supplies.
On 13 July, the 20th Corps and the 24th Army officially began their offensive. On the frontal frontal front of less than 20 kilometers, more than 1,100 artillery pieces fired in unison, saturating the positions of the South Korean army. 1,900 tons of artillery shells were poured out in half an hour, and the South Korean ground fortifications were almost swept away. With the support of strong artillery fire, the volunteer ground troops broke through the forward position in 1 hour.
After 15 days of fighting, the 20th Corps of the Volunteer Army and the 24th Army of the 9th Corps fully broke through the strong positions defended by the four divisions of South Korea and extended the front to the south by 7 kilometers. In this battle, four divisions in South Korea, including the most elite capital division, suffered heavy losses, and our army destroyed and captured 53,000 enemies, dealing a heavy blow to Rhee's arrogance and hastening the end of the Korean War.
The First Regiment of the South Korean Capital Division, known as the most elite ace of South Korea, the White Tiger Regiment. I wanted to show my skills on the battlefield of Jincheng, but at the beginning of the war, I was blown up by the fierce artillery fire of our army. Not only did it lose a lot of troops, but the high-level command was also in disarray. The 203rd Division of the 68th Army of the Volunteer Army dispatched a 500-man special combat team led by Deputy Regiment Commander Zhao Renhu to quickly penetrate the depths of the enemy, aiming directly at the headquarters of the White Tiger Regiment. The 12-member special operations squad led by deputy platoon commander Yang Yucai, disguised as a South Korean army, crossed the guard line all the way and directly killed the headquarters of the White Tiger Regiment.
Korean War
The commander of the White Tiger Regiment and the deputy commander of the Capital Division were urgently discussing military information when they suddenly saw several smoking grenades thrown on the table, and they were frightened and scattered. In the chaos, the two men jumped out of the window and fled in a hurry, and the entire command headquarters was full of gunfire, and no one could think that the squad that burst into the headquarters was only 12 people. In the end, the 12 men not only destroyed the regimental headquarters of the White Tiger Regiment, but also detonated the nearby ammunition depot. The enemy completely lost the confidence to resist and desperately fled. With the collapse of the White Tiger Regiment, the Capital Division, which had lost its main force, also collapsed and was quickly annihilated by the Volunteer Army. This is the "Surprise Attack White Tiger Regiment" that is well known in China, which is not a story but a real thing that happened on the battlefield.
In total, the volunteer army killed more than 200 enemy soldiers, most of whom were members of the White Tiger Regiment, and captured the battle flag that symbolized the glorious achievements of the White Tiger Regiment. Today, the banner with the white tiger printed on it is still preserved as a trophy in the Chinese Military Museum, and it turns out that the flag given by Syngman Rhee himself did not bring courage and luck to the White Tiger Regiment, but rather resembled the best annotation that "all reactionaries are paper tigers".
In the Battle of Jincheng, the volunteer casualties totaled 25,000, and the ratio of battle losses to the enemy was 2.3:1. This battle was the largest since the Volunteers switched to position warfare, and it was also the largest offensive battle carried out by the Volunteers against the enemy with strong defensive positions. At the same time, in this battle, the volunteer army used a large number of artillery, including tanks, which is also a major reason for the success of the attack in a short period of time, leaving an extremely valuable reference experience for future generations.
This battle completely hurt Rhee, and not willing to lose, he organized a counter-offensive on the one hand, and on the other hand, he repeated the same trick to ask the US army for help. Although the United States was very dissatisfied with Rhee, it could not watch the collapse of the Allied forces.
Korean War Armistice Agreement signed
On 18 July, the U.S.-Rok combined forces assembled a total of seven divisions to counterattack the lost positions. The volunteers stubbornly defended against wave after wave of enemy attacks until the 27th, when the U.S.-Rok coalition army only took the White Rock Mountain area in 10 days. This is also due to the fact that the geographical situation in the region is not conducive to defense, and our army voluntarily abandons it in order to avoid unnecessary casualties.
At this time, the US military finally made up its mind to completely abandon South Korea and withdraw its entire army from the Korean Peninsula. In spite of Rhee's bitter pleas, the US representative took the initiative to invite all parties to return to the negotiating table and once again agree on the signing of the armistice agreement. Concessions from the United States made Syngman Rhee no longer have the courage and courage, and finally on July 27, representatives of the Four Sides of the United States and South Korea signed the armistice agreement between China and North Korea. It was only at this time that the two sides who fought hard in the Battle of Jincheng laid down their weapons, the Battle of Jincheng was over, the armistice agreement was signed, and the Korean War was completely over.
Weak countries have no diplomacy, and victory on the battlefield is the most important chip at the negotiating table. Without the Battle of Jincheng, the smoke of the Korean battlefield would not know how long it would be; without the Battle of Jincheng, the United States and Syngman Rhee would not know how long the armistice agreement would be delayed; without the Battle of Jincheng, it is not known how many lives would continue to be swallowed up by this huge battlefield; and it was the Battle of Jincheng that ended this protracted and tragic war.