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In the winter of 1950, the ace forces of the United States and China met head-on in the Chosin Lake area of North Korea, and a total of 250,000 people from both sides threw themselves into the fierce battle.
What the arrogant US military did not expect was that under the absolute air superiority and superior firepower of the "United Nations Army," the People's Volunteer Army actually completely annihilated the entire regiment of its ace unit, the "Polar Bear Regiment"! Let the US military experience the "longest retreat" in history. Its regimental commander was killed by our army in battle, and the regimental flag became the trophy of our army, and has been displayed in the Museum of The War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea ever since.
For many years afterward, MacArthur was reluctant to bring it up.
How strong is this "polar bear regiment"? How did the People's Volunteers defeat it? What impact did this victory have on the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea? Three times in a circle, click a concern ~
Background to the war
In 1950, the Korean War suddenly changed due to the landing of American troops at Inchon, and the Korean People's Army retreated all the way. The US military brazenly crossed the 38th parallel in an attempt to occupy all of Korea in a quick and decisive battle. At the same time, US military aircraft have invaded China's airspace more often and bombed the Dandong region of China. The flames of war have reached the Yalu River.
New China has just been founded, and in the face of the invasion of US imperialism, it must no longer be left to be slaughtered like in the old era. Just when the North Korean government asked China for assistance, China immediately gave a response to support, and the People's Volunteer Army responded to the call of "Resisting US Aggression and Aiding Korea" and was ordered to fight in North Korea.
After nearly half a month of bitter fighting, the Chinese Volunteer Army annihilated 15,000 people of the "United Nations" Army and the Rhee Rhee Army of South Korea, and won the first campaign to resist the United States and aid Korea. The "United Nations" army led by the United States adjusted its deployment and rushed in two directions to Jiangjie, the temporary seat of the North Korean government. Chairman Mao Zedong and Peng Dehuai, commander-in-chief of the Volunteer Army, quickly assigned the policy of the second campaign and urgently transferred the 9th Corps of the Song Dynasty to participate in the war. He also pointed out: The 9th Corps will make every effort to deal with the war situation in the Jiangjie side, and carry out the enticing of the enemy to penetrate deep and annihilate each one.
Both sides participated in the war
The 9th Corps of the Song Dynasty on the Chinese Side of the People's Volunteer Army was formed in February 1949.
The 9th Corps participated in the Battle of the Crossing River, and together with the 10th Corps annihilated 5 corps of the Kuomintang Army in Anhui. After the liberation of Shanghai, the 9th Corps took up the task of guarding Shanghai.
After the founding of New China, in order to liberate Taiwan as soon as possible, the 20th, 26th, and 27th Armies of the 9th Corps were all deployed in the southeast coastal areas. However, the situation on the Korean battlefield was tense, and nearly 150,000 men of the 9th Corps were ordered to go north and enter Korea.
Zhan Danan, then deputy commander of the 27th Army, was born in 1915 in Jinzhai County, Anhui Province. In 1931, he joined the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he participated in important battles such as the Hundred Regiments War. During the Liberation War, he participated in the two major battles of Liaoshen and Pingjin. After the founding of New China, he was appointed deputy commander of the Lanzhou Military Region and commander of the Gansu Military Region, and participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
Zhan Danan
The U.S. army took part in the battle, including its Marine Division 1st, the 3rd and 7th Infantry Divisions, and Syngman Rhee's 1st Corps, with a total strength of about 100,000 troops. Among them, the US 31st Regimental Combat Force, with two infantry battalions and three artillery companies of the US Army, totaled 2700 people, plus 600 members of the attached Syngman Rhee force, with a total strength of 3300 people.
The 31st Regiment of the U.S. 7th Division, commanded by Colonel Alan McLean, was an ace corps with high hopes from the U.S. Army, formed in 1916 as one of the most elite units in the U.S. Army. During World War I, this unit was awarded the title of "Polar Bear Regiment" by the then US President Wilson for repeatedly and brilliantly completing its missions.
The Polar Bear Regiment has experienced the first and second world wars, participated in many major battles and battles, and has outstanding performance, and has been called "a strong force that has never lost a battle in 45 years" within the US military.
This "polar bear regiment" on the Korean battlefield can be said to be armed to the teeth. In order to deal with the People's Volunteers, which were characterized by insufficient armored units, the US 7th Division assigned the division's artillery battalion and tank detachment to the regiment. At the same time, the armament was strengthened: equipped with multi-pipe large-caliber machine guns specially mounted on the M3 half-track armored vehicle, the M24 Xiafei tank was also converted into a double-barrel 40 mm cannon, which was extremely powerful for the volunteer soldiers who relied on flesh and blood to fight.
The engagement has passed
On the evening of November 27, 1950, 100,000 volunteer soldiers braved the bitter cold and lurked in the mountains and forests of northern Korea. The 20th Army in Liutanli on the west side of Chosin Lake targeted two regiments of the US 1st Marine Division, while the 27th Army in Xinxingli in the north of Chosin Lake was staring at the opponent "Polar Bear Regiment". The battle plan was to launch a siege, force the enemy army to the deliberately left behind Hagaru-ri to the "Long Pass Road" in Xingnan, and encircle the enemy troops on the retreating road, so that the US army became the Cao army in the Battle of Chibi.
In northern North Korea in November, heavy snow has covered the ground, averaging to the waist of an adult. The cold is close to minus 40 degrees, and no matter how long people and animals can not last long outdoors. The U.S. 1st Marine and 7th Infantry Divisions were lining up in slender lines stretching for more than a dozen kilometers, along mountain paths.
The large cotton snowflakes were wrapped in a sharp knife-like northwest wind, so that the American troops dressed in thick cotton clothes could not withstand the cold. But what is more special is that the US military has an uncomfortable feeling in its heart: although there is no trace of the Chinese army around, it always feels that someone is staring at it.
Suddenly, a familiar military trumpet sounded in the mountains and forests on both sides, followed by an earth-shaking charging shout. Under the combat orders issued by Song Shilun and Tao Yong, the siege and annihilation battle of Xinxingli began! The 20th Army and the 27th Army, which had set up an ambush in advance, suddenly descended from the sky and launched a fierce attack on the US army!
The most feared thing for the U.S. troops on the Korean battlefield was the night raids and hand-to-hand combat of the People's Volunteers, so before the troops passed through the area, the air force had been sent to do detailed reconnaissance, and no trace of the movement of the troops was found. However, just like magic in front of them, the 100,000 troops of the People's Volunteer Army appeared from the mountains and forests and snow, and rushed down the mountain like a tiger towards the advancing American column!
The Americans felt the desperateness of the front: the entire force was unprepared for the surprise attack, the line was too long, there was no time to gather, and an effective counterattack formation was formed on both sides. At this distance, the superior artillery fire of the American army lost its meaning, after all, tanks and armored vehicles could not fire at friendly forces in a melee. The infantrymen could only pray to God while fighting their own battles.
After several hours of fierce fighting, the sky was getting dark, and the 1st Marine and 7th Infantry Divisions were scattered by the Volunteer 9th Corps and divided into five parts. At dawn, the severed parts of the American army had not yet been able to break through the division of the volunteer army, and the advance of the troops had come to a standstill. In the unit of the 7th Marine Division, a reporter asked a tired soldier: "What do you want from God?" The answer he got was, "Let God give me tomorrow first." ”
At dusk that day, Zhan Danan, deputy commander of the 27th Army, commanded the strength of 4 regiments and launched a siege against the 31st Regiment of the American Army in the encirclement, that is, the "Polar Bear Regiment". However, the tanks and armored vehicles of the "Polar Bear Regiment" formed a ring of fire on the periphery, and the volunteer soldiers lacked heavy artillery support and anti-tank weapons, and were never able to pry open the breakthrough.
During the day on the 29th, due to combat casualties and frostbite, the Volunteer Army has been seriously reduced by two-thirds. At the same time, in order to avoid being bombed by US warplanes during the day, Zhan Danan ordered all troops to withdraw from the battle, leaving only some troops to maintain the encirclement. Alan McLean, the leader of the Polar Bear Regiment, considered that if he rushed to break through, he would be surrounded and annihilated by the volunteers, so he maintained the defensive circle and did not move.
If the war dragged on, the volunteers would no longer be able to besiege the well-stocked Americans. Zhan Danan concentrated the strength of the 81st Division and the 80th Division in five regiments, and at the same time, all the artillery of the 27th Army were under his unified command, and it was necessary to destroy this enemy force.
That night, Zhan Danan commanded his troops to attack the enemy's defensive circle. After experiencing two failed charges, Zhan Danan summoned cadres at and above the battalion level of each regiment to a meeting, and mobilized all the artillery of each regiment, planning to violently bombard the enemy's defensive circle a little, and then the troops broke in to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy.
The next night, Zhan Danan personally commanded the battle. He used two regiments of 238 and 240 to pretend to attack in two directions to attract the attention of the enemy, and then, 5 regiments of artillery with a total of 20 artillery pieces fired continuously at the front of the enemy's defensive position, and finally knocked a hole in the enemy's defense line. Before the smoke cleared, the soldiers of the 239th and 241st regiments rushed into the core of the enemy's defensive circle, and it was already the early morning of December 1, and the close-quarters hand-to-hand combat made the American army frightened and demoralized.
In order not to be completely annihilated, Colonel McLean ordered all heavy artillery to be discarded, and under the cover of the Air Force, more than a dozen M24 tanks opened the way and forced a breakthrough. Zhan Danan immediately ordered the 242nd Regiment to blow up the highway bridge and trap the "Polar Bear Regiment" again. The volunteer soldiers threw themselves at the American tanks with explosives packs, and exchanged their lives for these immobile iron lumps.
The rest of the fighters were indignant and fought in close combat with the panicked American troops. In the early morning of December 4, the "Polar Bear Regiment" was completely annihilated under the total collapse, and the regimental flag printed with polar bears was captured by Zhang Jiqing, the leader of the volunteer army. Finally, this so-called "strong force that has never lost a battle in 45 years" was completely destroyed in front of the Chinese Volunteer Army. And this battle was also the only time our army completely annihilated a whole regiment of the US army in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea!
By December 6, U.S. troops began to retreat to the Hamhung area. The volunteer soldiers, dressed in single clothes and without eating for more than half a month in the extreme cold, pursued down from the hills on both sides with their will. However, before fleeing, the U.S. army completely destroyed the supply depot in Hagaru-ri, blowing up and burning up a large amount of weapons, ammunition, food, and clothing.
Eventually, the two divisions of the U.S. Army converged and retreated all the way south to Hamhung on the east coast, and evacuated by boat at Xingnan Port on Christmas Eve. The People's Volunteers occupied Heungnam on Christmas Day, ending nearly a month's Battle of Chosin Lake and ending the second campaign of the Korean War.
The courageous fighting of the People's Volunteers forced the U.S. army to experience "the longest retreat in history." The successful recovery of the eastern region north of the 38th Parallel reversed the tide of the Korean War in one fell swoop and laid the foundation for the final victory.
The "Ice Sculpture Company" that shocks the enemy
At the beginning of the war, why did the US military not find a trace of the 100,000 troops of the People's Volunteer Army, and finally went deep into the pockets buried by the Volunteers? In fact, on the way to escape, they found the answer on their own.
In order not to be discovered by the enemy and at the same time to achieve the operational goal of encircling the enemy, the officers and men of the 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army were ambushed in the Chosin Lake area 6 days before the start of the battle. Unable to resupply the troops in such a massive ambush, the officers and men could only feed on potatoes as hard as stones a few days later, wearing thin clothing and lying motionless in the snow at minus 40 degrees Celsius.
During the days of waiting, the soldiers did not close their eyes no matter how tired they were. In addition to being alert to the enemy that appears at all times, it is good to attack at the sound of an order. The reason, on the other hand, is that the frozen and hungry warriors, if they fall asleep, will never wake up again.
A south-fleeing U.S. force spotted a position ambushed by volunteer soldiers through a telescope on the way, but they found that even if they approached, the other side did not open fire. So, several American soldiers pretended to touch the hillside. When they came to the front, they were stunned by what they saw:
There were 129 volunteer soldiers in the snow, who maintained a posture of gun alert, but they did not move... They have been frozen into ice sculptures. Some U.S. troops tried to take away the weapons in their hands, but they directly broke their frozen fingers.
The U.S. military, which was greatly shocked, continued to advance south. Soon after, he encountered a second "Ice Sculpture Company". But this time the difference was that as soon as they approached, they heard the volunteer charge horn sound, and countless volunteer soldiers rushed out of the snow to charge at the American army. However, many of the warriors' limbs were burned to death by frostbite and necrosis due to prolonged lying in the extremely cold snow. Some people jumped down the hill with only one of their remaining legs, and some people lost their legs and fell on the ground and climbed forward desperately...
Under such conditions, the volunteer soldiers inflicted heavy damage on the enemy with only their tenacious will! This is the heroic sacrifice made by the 6th Company of the 177th Regiment of the 59th Division of the 20th Army of the Chinese Volunteer Army, the 2nd Company of the 180th Regiment of the 60th Division, and the 5th Company of the 242nd Regiment of the 81st Division of the 27th Army!
After the battle, Song Shilun sent a telegram to Chairman Mao Zedong mentioning the incident: "After the battle began, not a single person in the company stood up, and the whole company of the formed company froze to death in the ambush position in a fighting posture. While cleaning up the battlefield, the troops found a suicide note from a martyr named Song Amao of the Ice Sculpture Company, which read: "My loved relatives and motherland!" As a glorious soldier of the People's Volunteer Army, even if I am frozen to death by ice and snow, I will never give in and stand proudly on my position! ”
Chinese soldiers should not be taken lightly
During the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, in addition to the US military ace "Polar Bear Regiment", when facing the 16-country army of the "United Nations Army", which other ace units were severely attacked by the Chinese Volunteer Army?
The British Royal 29th Infantry Brigade, once under Montgomery, was awarded military honors by the British Crown. However, in the Battle of Maliangshan, more than 1,700 people were annihilated by the volunteer army and 63 were captured by Our army soldier Liu Guangzi. Shortly thereafter, the brigade was completely annihilated.
Liu Guangzi
The Flying Leopard Air Force, the ace of the South African Federation's Air Force, sent a total of 25 fighters to the war. However, in the face of the People's Volunteer Army's air force and empty positions, 80% of the elite pilots were killed, and the rest were captured by our army.
The fiercest Turkish infantry brigade in the "United Nations Army" claims to be extremely good at hand-to-hand combat. A total of 5,000 troops were sent. However, they were ambushed and approached by our 38th Army, and in one fell swoop wiped out more than 3,000 Turkish brigades. Since then, the Turkish brigade has never had the courage to enter the war.
The First Cavalry Division, which claimed to have been undefeated for more than a hundred years, was almost completely destroyed by the volunteer army in the Battle of Yunshan. Among them, the third battalion was abolished by the US military.
The world's top ten aces, including the above-mentioned units, were all dealt a head-on blow by the People's Volunteer Army, allowing them to deeply appreciate the strength of the Chinese soldiers.
But the greatest damage was done by the United States, which instigated the Korean War. In total, the U.S. military committed up to 480,000 troops in Korea and lost 172,000 to the Chinese Volunteers. This was also one of the main reasons for forcing the United States to negotiate an armistice.
In 1958, the victory of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea ended. With the support of the people of the whole country and the heroic struggle of the soldiers of the People's Volunteer Army, China repelled the "United Nations Army" headed by the United States, struck a blow at the arrogant aggressors, and refreshed the world's understanding of China, and imperialism no longer dared to harbor the delusion of aggression against China. It has won a peaceful environment for China for decades and used it to vigorously develop the national economy and the construction of various undertakings.
The spirit of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea, which was tempered by thousands of hammers and hammers during the war, has also become a great and precious spiritual wealth of the Chinese people. Facts have proved that a continent on the side of justice is bound to triumph over any aggressor. The western invaders' desire to return to the era of relying on a few cannons to bombard the next country has long been a pipe dream and empty talk.
Generation after generation of Chinese will inherit the spirit of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea and contribute to China's peaceful development and great strength!