Some time ago, I said that during this period, I focused on writing about the 39th Army and the 26th Army of the Volunteer Army, and there were too many volunteer children among the readers, and some readers proposed to write about the 47th Army.
The battle situation of the 47th Army has actually been written a lot (see: the old man kept saying " 101346 " before he died , but the son found that this is not a bank card password ) , since the reader has proposed, it is not enough to write a volunteer record today, and now there is a lack of propaganda for a battle. This battle is enough to make every Chinese proud, but why is there a lack of publicity? It was because there were many battles at the same location, and later the August 1951 battle was chosen in the propaganda, in fact, the battle in September 1951 was even more glorious. This was the third 487 Heights Battle. 487 Highland also has a mountain name, because every article I write has been copied by the current self-media, so in the future, I will use the altitude and change it again in the book. Why altitude? Because this group of plagiarists don't know the geography of the Korean Peninsula at all, they only copy, using altitude, they have no idea where the mountain is. Dare to copy the manuscript, when I complained, I asked: Trouble to mark this mountain on the map.
Commander of the 140th Division of the Volunteer Army, Li Yuan
The first battle of the 487 Heights was an offensive battle by the Volunteer Army, and the 47th Army of the Volunteer Army won easily and captured the area.
The second battle of the 487 Heights was a counterattack by the American army, and a company of the 47th Army of the Volunteer Army defeated a company of the 1st Cavalry Division of the American Army and successfully defended. A certain class of the company was awarded the honorary title of "First Class Hero Class", and later the propaganda of the battle on the 487 Heights was concentrated in this class, which was also one of the hundred honorary flags in the military parade on the 70th anniversary of the National Day.
The third battle of the 487 Heights was a counterattack by the U.S. army, which was a reinforced regiment and was defeated by another company of the Volunteer 47Th Army. Because the focus of propaganda was on the second 487 heights battle, such a brilliant 3rd 487 highland battle, very few people now know about it, which cannot but be said to be a pity.
In the summer of 1951, the U.S. military launched a summer offensive, focusing on the Korean People's Army on the eastern front, in order to support the People's Army, the volunteer army launched an offensive on the central and western fronts, capturing a number of key points of the U.S. army, and The 487 Heights was also one of them, becoming the forefront of the position.
Therefore, the US 1st Army on the Western Front was determined to counterattack and retake The 487 Heights, a task that was given to the US 1st Cavalry Division, but the 1st Cavalry Division was defeated. Therefore, after meeting with the commander of the US 8th Army, Van Vliet, the commander of the 9th Army, Hogg, and the commander of the 1st Army, O'Daniel, decided to hand over the northern defense area of the 1st Cavalry Division to the US 3rd Division, which was under the command of the 1st Army, and the 3rd Division was responsible for capturing the 487 heights group (with the 487 highlands as the core, including 292 highlands, 300 highlands, and 365.2 highlands).
Major General Saul, commander of the U.S. 3rd Division
In September 1951, Major General Saul, commander of the 3rd Division of the UNITED States Army, decided to use all his strength to form a super powerful task force with the 65th Regiment, the 64th Tank Battalion, the 9th, 10th, and 58th Field Artillery Battalions, the 10th Combat Engineer Battalion, and the 15th Regiment E Company, code-named "Killer", and the name of the operation was "Operation Clearance", in a vain attempt to capture Hill 487 in one fell swoop with absolute superiority in manpower and firepower. Code-named "Killer", the operation "cleans up", a super reinforcement regiment, the US military is bound to win.
At this time, the volunteer army on the 487th heights was the 9th Company of the 419th Regiment of the 140th Division of the 47th Army. In the early morning of September 17, they reached the time of garrison and were changing defenses with 6 companies of the 423rd Regiment of the 141st Division. At dawn on September 17, the fog was thick and visibility was extremely low. The U.S. military is choosing to launch an attack on The 487 Heights on this day, and the timing of the U.S. attack is just right.
The Americans were very cunning, and the commander of the 3rd Division, Saul, ordered the 7th Regiment and the Division's reconnaissance company to launch a ferocious feint attack on the 125th Division of the 42nd Army, the eastern neighbor of the 47th Army, in an attempt to divert the attention of the Volunteers. On the 487th Hill side, the 64th Tank Battalion advanced along the main road, the 15th Regiment E Company cooperated and the 64th Tank Battalion launched another feint attack from the southwest side of the 487 Heights to attract the attention of the 487 Highland Volunteers; while the 1st Battalion of the 65th Regiment attacked on the southeast side, which was the direction of the assist; the 3rd Battalion, under the cover of thick fog, detoured back to the north side of the 487 Heights, and the real main attack direction was here.
The Volunteers had no idea that the U.S. army would launch such a large-scale attack on such a small height and was changing defenses. Just as the US troops were quietly approaching under the cover of thick fog, Wen Qiyou, a soldier of the 2nd squad who served as a guard post, suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Yesterday, the US military had reconnaissance of our positions, and now that there is such a big fog, will the US military sneak attack?" He immediately approached the deputy platoon leader Pan Guangzai and reported his thoughts. Although the 6th squad of the 6th Company of the 423rd Regiment of the 141st Division had already entered the position, he still ordered the 1st and 2nd squads to immediately occupy the position to prevent the US army from sneaking in. The 6th company and 6th squad of the 423rd Regiment of the 141st Division took the initiative to join the battle and fought side by side with the comrades of the 140th Division.
When the 1st and 2nd squads of the 9th Company of the 419th Regiment of the 140th Division and the 6th Squad of the 6th Company of the 423rd Regiment of the 141st Division had just entered the position, they heard the sound of climbing up the mountain, and there were still quite a few people, which were the K Company and L Company of the 3rd Battalion of the 65th Regiment of the US Army, and the distance was only about 20 meters.
The situation was drastic, and the sneak attack of the American troops was discovered by the volunteers at the last moment. If it were not for Wen Qiyou's flash of inspiration, the 487 heights would have been lost on the spot, and the volunteers of the two companies that were changing defenses would have completely destroyed the army.
The soldiers of the three squads immediately took up their weapons and opened fire, and the K Company and L Company of the US Army, who thought they had a plan, were caught off guard, and after being hit by a rain of grenades and bullets, they actually did not sneak attack and attack, but directly fled down the mountain.
U.S. Army Sappers
Before the battle on the northern side, the 9th Company of the Volunteer Army had noticed the roar of American tanks on the south side of Hill 487 and the sound of minesweeping explosions, and the U.S. 64th Tank Battalion, spearheaded by a modified minesweeper tank, followed by the task force of the 10th Combat Engineer Battalion, followed by the M46 Patton tanks of the 64th Tank Battalion, and was advancing from the main road to The 487 Heights. The company commander immediately ordered that the change of defenses should be stopped, and the 2nd and 3rd platoons immediately entered the position. Just as the volunteers were waiting, an anti-tank team that came forward made a miraculous contribution.
The approaching road of American tanks, there will certainly be volunteer anti-tank positions, the 9th Company has an anti-tank group on the south side of the 487 hill on the side of the road, in the face of such a strong American force, this group has no fear, because the visibility is too low, they instead approach the road, into a ditch on the side of the road. This group was very calm, they let go of the U.S. army to take the lead in minesweeping tanks and engineers, in the case of extremely poor visibility, close to the road, in one fell swoop destroyed a head of an M46 tank, which was the tank of the 3rd platoon of the A Company of the 64th Tank Battalion of the US army. The tanks in the back pushed the destroyed tanks to the side of the road, and the machine guns fired wildly in the surrounding areas, but the anti-tank group had shifted its position. With a few loud noises, they destroyed the modified minesweeper tank again, and then they disappeared into the thick fog. The U.S. military wanted to use the thick fog to sneak up on the volunteers, but the volunteer anti-tank team used the thick fog to shoot down two U.S. tanks in a row.
The U.S. M46 tank that was accurately hit by the volunteers in the engine compartment was not counted as destroyed because the U.S. army dragged it back to repair it
By this time, the north side of 487 Hill had begun, and the U.S. sneak attack had failed. Therefore, the US army simply temporarily retreated, and waited for the fog to clear after dawn before launching a strong attack. However, because The commander of the US 65th Regiment, Colonel Gibson, did not personally command the front line, the US army did not adjust the plan, and when the fog cleared, it still acted according to the original plan.
After the fog cleared, American tanks and engineers moved again, acting as a magnet for the volunteers' attention. The sappers of the U.S. 10th Combat Engineer Battalion were unlucky. The volunteer artillery fired heavily at them, and in an instant the engineers suffered heavy casualties, and the E Company of the 15th Regiment was forced to abandon the task of pretending to attack from the southwest flank and return to occupy positions on both sides of the road to protect the sappers. The A Company of the 64th Tank Battalion of the US Army sent two other M46 tanks to clear mines, and suddenly, the volunteer anti-tank team that had mysteriously disappeared before magically appeared again and destroyed the two tanks again with accurate firepower.
The loss of four tanks in a row made Lieutenant Colonel Hawkins, commander of the U.S. 64th Tank Battalion, itch his teeth. So, the American aircraft that rushed to support were given a mission to find Chinese anti-tank fire. Just as the anti-tank group was aiming at the fifth U.S. tank, a U.S. air observer spotted them, and the U.S. aircraft roared in and threw a bunch of high-explosive bombs at the group, all the fighters were killed, and before they died, they again accurately destroyed the fifth U.S. tank. This is a god-like record, you must know that in the previous Iron Plains Blockade Battle, the US 64th Tank Battalion only lost four tanks. Because this anti-tank group has been at the forefront of the battle, and all of them have died heroically, the volunteer history does not know their achievements, but the records of the American army tell us about this missing history. A god-like anti-tank team, the unsung heroes are immortal.
Colonel Gibson, Commander of the 65th Regiment of the U.S. Army
While the U.S. 10th Combat Engineer Battalion was being beaten, the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the U.S. 65th Regiment launched a strong attack in both the southeast and north sides, under the cover of three howitzer battalions. The firing of 54 howitzers shrouded the 487 highlands in a sea of fire. The 9th Company of the Volunteer Army was caught in a bitter battle, because the E Company of the US 15th Regiment, which was acting as a feint, went to protect the engineers, and the 3rd Platoon in the southwest was the least stressed. The 2nd Platoon in the southeast and the 1st Battalion of the US 65th Regiment fought hard for a long time, and the US 1st Battalion looked like it was not enough power, and the volunteers also withstood the offensive. But on the 1st platoon on the north side, the American offensive was particularly fierce, and by noon, the 3rd Battalion of the 65th Regiment of the US Army finally made a breakthrough on the north side, and they reported to the regimental commander Gibson: "487 heights have been occupied." Gibson did not check the situation at all, and reported directly to the division commander Thor that he had won. Thor ignored 3721 and reported the "victory" to the commander, Major General O'Daniel, and then personally went to the 65th Regimental Command Post to celebrate Gibson.
First from left: O'Daniel, then commander of the U.S. 1st Army
As Thor and Gibson were exchanging compliments at the command post, a helicopter descended from the sky, and out of the plane came the blue-faced O'Daniel. Without saying a word, he pulled Thor into a helicopter and flew to the front, then pointed to the ground and said: Why are your troops running away? Now Thor understood that he had been deceived. It turned out that after receiving the good news, O'Daniel, who was overjoyed, immediately flew to the front line in a helicopter, and what he saw in the air was that the 3rd Battalion of the 65th Regiment was driven down to the high ground under the counterattack of the Volunteers; the 1st Battalion of the 65th Regiment was in place; the 64th Tank Battalion did not fight, ran the fastest, threw away the 15th Regiment E Company and engineers, and ran first; the 15th Regiment E Company and the 10th Combat Engineer Battalion were run by the volunteer artillery.
First from right: Newman, pictured as Brigadier General Deputy Division Commander
Gibson, the commander of the 65th Regiment, did not go to the front line at all, and sat in the command post listening to his subordinates lie about military information, just talking nonsense. After being reprimanded, Gibson rushed to the front line and took a tank to charge himself, trying to boost morale. But when Gibson himself rushed forward in a tank, there were constantly deserted American soldiers running back to their positions, and the big soldiers did not want to fight at all. Gibson completely lost control of the troops. Gibson, who himself found this, was forced to report to division commander Thor that the mission had failed and requested a retreat.
Before dark, the U.S. military retreated across the board.
In this way, the U.S. army devised an elaborate battle plan (a feint attack of two powerful troops, a battalion main attack, a battalion assist), a super reinforced infantry regiment, and a cool code name (killer), but was defeated by a company of the volunteer army, ending in a farce of shame. American casualties amounted to more than 200, and the division commander, Major General Thor, wrote in his diary that it was the darkest day the 3rd Infantry Division had ever seen.
After the war, Gibson, in the face of accusations, put the blame on the division, saying that the division did not give him enough support, and the division commander Thor was stunned, and had already given you three artillery battalions, a tank battalion, an infantry company, air support, and engineers, and how to support. Colonel Newman, chief of staff of the U.S. 3rd Division, pointed out directly and sharply: "Your regimental commander has no idea where your battalion is, and your battalion commander has no idea where his company is."
Wounded U.S. troops
On the evening of September 17, the 9th Company of the 419th Regiment of the 140th Division of the 47th Army of the Volunteer Army handed over its position to the 6th Company of the 423rd Regiment of the 141st Division. Due to the extremely nestful performance of the American army, our army did not know that the 9th Company defeated a regiment of the American army reinforced by three artillery battalions, a tank battalion, and an engineer detachment with the strength of one company, so the third battle of 487 Heights was not widely publicized. In fact, this is a miracle in the volunteer defense battle, and I hereby record it, record the style of the predecessors, and pay tribute to them (by the way, this is actually not the most awesome in the volunteer company-level defense battle, the most awesome is a company to fight a division, later). The U.S. military is also learning the lessons of failure, they found that the volunteer fortifications have been greatly strengthened, 105 mm howitzer can not cause damage to the volunteer fortifications, unless the 155 mm or more howitzer shells or heavy bombs directly hit the volunteer fortifications. This means that the next U.S. offensive on Hill 487 will use more powerful firepower. The 6th Company of the 423rd Regiment of the 141st Division, which took over the defensive position, will also usher in the most glorious page in their battle history - the 4th Battle of the 487 Heights.
(To be continued)
About the author: Wang Zhengxing, a former officer of a field unit of the People's Liberation Army, has served in infantry detachments, headquarters, logistics departments and other units, devoted himself to the study of war history and tactics, and has a unique understanding of army tactics and non-war operations. His book "This is War" was recommended in two issues in May and June 2014 by Phoenix TV's "Eight Minutes of Open Volume" column. His public account name is also "This is war", welcome to pay attention