This was the last battle of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and it was also the most ferocious battle fought by the Volunteer Army.
In 1953, the Rhee clique in South Korea attempted to undermine the implementation of the armistice agreement and forcibly detain prisoners of war, which caused strong dissatisfaction among China and the "United Nations Army".
The Chinese side then decided to postpone the signing ceremony of the armistice agreement and decided to use force against the South Korean army.
The volunteers gathered 5 legions and 120,000 kilograms of explosives to direct the spearhead to the last line of defense of the Korean army, and dealt a strong blow to their northward march.
So why did the South Korean army suddenly change its mind? Why is the "United Nations Army" no longer willing to help the South Korean Army? Why is it said that this battle has completely fought the style of the volunteer army?
In 1950, as contradictions in North Korea escalated, the United States sent troops to support South Korea in order to maintain its international dominance.
The United States overwhelmingly suppressed North Korean forces and crossed the 38th Parallel, posing a huge threat to North Korea and the mainland.
However, with the volunteer army entering the DPRK and participating in the war, the momentum was like a bamboo, and brilliant achievements were quickly achieved.
At the beginning of the fifth campaign, as the enemy changed its strategy, our army was ambushed, causing the first heavy losses.
However, with rapid strategic adjustment, the volunteers regained the upper hand, forcing the American coalition forces to retreat to Seoul and maintain the balance of the war between the north and the south.
The long period of glue has turned the United States from its initial ambition into a cramped uneasiness.
The two sides began to fight and negotiate at the same time.
After the Battle of Shangganling, our army made a major breakthrough on the battlefield, and the morale of the US army was greatly damaged. In mid-May of the following year, the UN forces reached a compromise armistice.
At this moment, the South Korean government suddenly forcibly detained prisoners of war, believing that it had taken three years and the use of United Nations troops to defeat North Korea without any ability to fight back.
If the situation of the 38th parallel is maintained, the South Korean government will not benefit anything.
As a result, Rhee expressed strong dissatisfaction with the impending armistice and threatened to personally lead the South Korean army all the way north to the Yalu River.
Not only did Syngman Rhee offend the Chinese side, but even the United States, which had always defended them, made it clear that it would no longer support South Korea.
Immediately, our army gathered 5 corps, totaling more than 200,000 troops, and prepared to give them a dismount in Jincheng.
The Volunteers also made unprecedented preparations in terms of firepower, with a total of more than 1,100 Type 82 mortars and more than 20 tanks.
The reason for choosing Jincheng as the main battlefield: on the one hand, due to the serious damage to the defense system of the Un Army in the summer counter-offensive, making Jincheng a favorable stronghold;
On the other hand, Jincheng was taken from the 20th Corps by the United Nations Army in the defensive battle in 1951, and now they want to regain their territory, and the entire 20th Corps is eager to try.
On the evening of July 13, the clouds were thick and the sky was dark, and more than 200,000 volunteers were already in place, ready to attack.
At exactly 9:00 p.m., the sound of artillery shots resounded through the sky, more than a thousand artillery pieces opened fire in unison, and shells roared in the night sky in the direction of the South Korean troops.
In just 28 minutes, 1,900 tons of steel and ammunition fell on the South Korean position, and the entire battlefield was filled with smoke.
After shelling stopped, 200,000 volunteers launched a fierce attack on four divisions of the South Korean Army.
In less than an hour, the South Korean defense line was breached by 25 kilometers.
The first to be attacked was their ace division, the Capital Division, the first of which was known as the elite of the "White Tiger Regiment".
The "White Tiger Regiment" deployed three battalions on the front line, the second battalion stationed on the right flank was quickly defeated, while the third battalion on the left flank resisted desperately, but was also scattered by the volunteers.
To make matters worse, the white tiger regiment's communication system had been completely destroyed, and even the commander of the headquarters could not contact them, and the whole team was in chaos.
The Reason why the White Tiger Regiment was so easily breached by the Volunteers was because the 68th Army had captured some prisoners the day before the Battle of Jincheng.
After interrogation, it was learned that the proudest capital division of the South Korean army was stationed nearby.
The 68th Army immediately mobilized its most elite troops to advance towards White Rock Mountain. After that, they changed into South Korean military uniforms for camouflage.
In the course of the attack, a deserter of the White Tiger Regiment was also captured, and it was precisely because of this deserter that the 68th Army was able to learn the secret number of the White Tiger Regiment and grasp the exact location of the regiment.
At this time, the Volunteer Army organized a detachment, which was led by Yang Yucai, deputy platoon commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 607th Regiment of the 203rd Division of the 68th Army of the Volunteer Army, and selected 12 outstanding scouts.
Dressed in South Korean military uniforms, led by a North Korean tour guide, armed with submachine guns and grenades, they headed for the White Tiger Regiment's stronghold in Erqingdong.
Erqingdong is located more than 20 kilometers south of the Jincheng River, and the terrain is very dangerous.
Colonel Cui Xiyin, the commander of the "White Tiger Regiment", in order to protect the regimental headquarters, transferred a tank company and an armored company to surround the troops.
At this time, the squad captured a South Korean officer and forced him to lead the reconnaissance team through the post and rush to the headquarters of the "White Tiger Regiment".
At this time, Choi Hee-in of the "White Tiger Regiment" and Lin Yichun, the deputy commander of the newly arrived Capital Division, were meeting here, and it was full of officers of the South Korean Army.
The scout touched the gate of the regimental headquarters and immediately set up a formation, and Yang Yucai kicked open the gate of the regimental headquarters.
The warriors rushed into the room with submachine guns and fired a strafing.
Choi Hee-in and Lin Yi-soon stood at the end of the line, and they found that the situation was not right and jumped out of the window.
The remaining 70 or so officers were defenseless and killed in an instant.
Yang Yucai saw the "White Tiger Regiment" regimental flag hanging at the door and took it down.
To this day, this flag is still in the collection of the Memorial Hall of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution.
Yang Yucai led the squad and took advantage of the chaos to raid the nearby ammunition depot and oil depot, and for a time, the valley was full of guns and bullets, and the fire was soaring.
The South Korean army was not sure how many volunteers had rushed in, and there was chaos and they fled in all directions. Overnight, 12 members of the reconnaissance squad annihilated more than 200 enemy soldiers, while none of them suffered any casualties themselves.
The battle commanded by Yang Yucai was later adapted into "Surprise Attack on the White Tiger Regiment" and became a famous model drama.
Although Lin Yichun was lucky to escape the disaster, his luck was not good, he had just escaped into the second line of defense of the ROK army, and was captured by the troops of the 204th Division of the Volunteer Army.
The leader of the "White Tiger Regiment", Lu Gen-so, was killed, the entire corps was torn apart, and the capital division collapsed.
After breaking through the forward position of the ROK army, the Eastern Group Volunteer Army was severely damaged by the South Korean Army due to the narrow front and the dense offensive formation.
In the Area of Dragon Tiger Cave, the fish fighting between the two sides broke through the net.
After several unsuccessful attempts, the Volunteers formed two new battalions and marched straight into enemy positions on a horseshoe-shaped plateau northeast of Dundaly, cutting off the line of the 3rd Division of the South Korean Army, and their large forces began to retreat to prevent being besieged.
In the end, the South Korean army was scattered in the Dragon Tiger Cave, and the volunteer army found a breakthrough and immediately killed a bloody road from all directions to crush the Korean army, which was already in disarray.
By the afternoon of July 14, the forces of the Eastern Group had successfully advanced to the north bank of the Jincheng River and captured all the intended targets.
It then joined forces with the Chung Group and eliminated the 23rd regiment and 21st regiment of the 3rd Division of the South Korean Army.
On 15 July, the Volunteers continued their offensive in an effort to extend the gains to some extent and to occupy favorable positions in the south.
The South Korean forces have not yet recovered from yesterday's shock.
It was now the rainy season, with dark clouds and lightning and thunder, which had a great impact on the support of the air power of the United Nations Army.
At dusk on 16 July, the Western Group of the Volunteer Army, after repelling the counterattack of the enemy forces, continued to advance in the direction of Xinmudong, Bac Ting Ling, and north of the Ma hazel Avenue.
The Group occupies the nameless highlands and houdongli south of Highland 602.2.
At the same time, the East Group crossed the Jincheng River and occupied the frontier positions of Heiyun Tuling, Baiyan Mountain and the North Han River.
At this point, the volunteer troops advanced another 8 kilometers, driving the South Korean army back to the south of the Jincheng to Huachuan Highway, and our army occupied the Jincheng area.
On 22 July, high levels of the United Nations military met and decided to assist South Korea in recovering lost territory.
The next day, Syngman Rhee and U.S. Commander Taylor watched the battle on the front line, and the South Korean army, encouraged by the commander, launched a counterattack again.
Under the cover of no artillery fire, the Eastern Group of the Volunteer Army still held its positions. When the United Nations forces found that the counterattack had failed, they turned to attacking the Volunteer bloc.
However, our army has occupied the position for many days and has gained a certain understanding of the local terrain.
Taking advantage of the favorable conditions of the terrain, when the United Nations army approached, the position was stabilized and the military defense was strengthened.
In two days, the South Korean army launched a total of 107 attacks, but our army held its position with the character of preferring to die in battle and never retreat.
In the end, the enemy army no longer had the ability to continue fighting, and the two sides signed an armistice agreement, and the Battle of Jincheng was a complete victory!
The War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, which lasted for two years and nine months, came to an end, and the peace that the Korean people had longed for had finally arrived
In the Battle of Jincheng, the volunteer army advanced 15 kilometers forward and recaptured 148 square kilometers of land.
More than 52,000 South Korean and United Nations troops were destroyed, 35 tanks and self-propelled guns were captured, more than 300 artillery pieces of various types were destroyed, and more than 200 fighters were destroyed.
In the Battle of Jincheng, our army captured a large amount of materials, which not only dealt a heavy blow to the South Korean army, but also caused a great shock to the US government, thus contributing to the smooth progress of the peace talks.
Not only that, but through this battle, our army has also accumulated valuable experience in mountain combat, which provides important ideas for similar battles on the mainland.
This battle has demonstrated our military strength, carried forward our national spirit, and made those countries that underestimate China once again see the strong combat effectiveness and willpower of the Chinese nation.