In September 1948, the Party Central Committee convened a meeting of the Politburo and set forth the general task of fundamentally overthrowing the rule of the Kuomintang reactionaries. It is believed that our army has won great victories militarily and politically, and has developed to the point where it can concentrate its forces to fight big battles, concentrate powerful enemies, and seize large and medium-sized cities.
On November 14, Chairman Mao pointed out in his article "Major Changes in China's Military Situation": "China's military situation has entered a turning point, that is, the forces of the two sides have undergone fundamental changes. "In this way, the course of the war that we had anticipated was greatly shortened. "From now, in another year and a half or so, the reactionary government of the Kuomintang may be fundamentally overthrown. "In view of the ripe time for a decisive battle on the southern front, the Party Central Committee instructed the Central Plains Field Army to move east to Xu Beng as soon as possible, and composed of Deng Xiaoping, Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, Su Yu, and Tan Zhenlin, to form a general front committee to unify the command of the two field armies in East China and the Central Plains, organize the Huaihai Campaign with Xuzhou as the center, and conduct a decisive battle with Chiang Kai-shek's largest strategic group.
After Huang Botao's corps was completely annihilated by the East China Field Army, the three corps of Qiu Qingquan, Li Mi, and Sun Yuanliang of Du Yuming's group gathered in Xuzhou and its suburbs. Huang Wei's 12th Corps, which reinforced Xuzhou, attempted to advance eastward, but was blocked by our army into the area south of Nanpingji. Huang Wei's corps is Chiang Kai-shek's elite troops, with a total of 120,000 people under the jurisdiction of the 10th, 14th, 18th, 85th armies and the 4th fast column, among which the 18th Army (that is, the original integrated 11th Division) is one of the five main forces of the Kuomintang army. In addition to its strong offensive capability, the enemy is also good at relying on villages, quickly building fortifications, organizing a circular and multi-layered positional defense, stubbornly holding on, and having artillery and air fire support. The total strength of our Central Plains Field Army was only about 130,000 at the beginning, and the strength of the enemy and ours was roughly equal, and our equipment was at a disadvantage, and it was quite difficult to annihilate Chiang Kai-shek, the trump card unit.
On November 23, after the Huang Wei Corps was blocked by our army and advanced to the area south of Nanpingji, on the evening of the 24th, the Yesi Corps ordered all columns to attack and encircle the enemy's 12 Corps, that is, the Huang Wei Corps. After nine days of encirclement and compression battles, by December 2, the enemy was compressed in an area of about 10 miles in length and width, and a large number of the enemy's living forces were annihilated. The General Front Committee was determined to launch a general offensive against the enemy and completely annihilate the Huang Wei Corps. According to the defensive posture of the Huang Wei Corps, the operational arrangements of the General Front Committee were: The main artillery force of the 4th, 9th, and 11th Columns attached to the East China Field Army Special Forces and the Independent Brigade of the Henan-Anhui Soviet Military Region were the eastern group, responsible for annihilating the enemy east of Shuangduiji; the 6th Column, the 7th Column of the East China Field Army, and the 12th Brigade of the South Shaanxi Military Region were the southern group, responsible for annihilating the enemy south of Shuangduiji; with the 1st and 3rd Columns, the 13th Huaye Column, and the 1st Artillery Column as the western group, responsible for the enemy in the Zhouzhuang, Xiaomazhuang, and Maweizi areas west and north of Shuangduiji. According to the operational arrangements of the General Front Committee, the task of the 1st Column was to avoid the Pinggudui position defended by the 11th Division of the 18th Army in front of the enemy, concentrate its forces and weapons on the left flank, first annihilate the enemy at Xiaomazhuang, and then attack in the direction of Dawangzhuang and Gezhuang, directly smash the core position of the enemy's 10th Army, and flank Shuangduiji, where the headquarters of the Huangwei Corps was located. The column ordered our 20th Brigade and commanded the 1st Brigade and 7th Regiment to attack Ponyville. The 1st Brigade (missing 7th Regiment) advanced to the Zhongyangji and Zhuozhuang areas as the second echelon, and the 2nd Brigade was the column reserve.
Xiaomazhuang is located 3 kilometers north of Shuangduiji, is an important stronghold of the enemy, defended by the 3rd Battalion (reinforced battalion) of the 342nd Regiment of the 18th Division of the 10th Army of the Huangwei Corps of the enemy, the troops are concentrated, the fortifications are solid, with the Zimu Fort as the backbone, there are deep field positions, vertical and horizontal, dogs and teeth are staggered, and there are obstacles such as deer barrages, mines, barbed wire, outer trenches, etc., which are easy to defend and difficult to attack. Our brigade organized our regiment, the 58th Regiment and the 7th Regiment of the 1st Brigade to officially attack Ponyzhuang four times in a row from December 6 to 12, and the result was two losses and two wins before Xiaomazhuang was eaten. I've suffered a lot of casualties, it's really hard bones!
In order to ensure the success of the attack on Ponyzhuang, we reinforced 3 mountain guns, 30 launchers and 17 mortars of our 20th Brigade. The brigade decided to use our 59th Regiment to undertake the task of attacking Ponyville, the 58th Regiment as the second echelon, ready to join the battle at any time, and the 62nd Regiment to ensure the safety of our attack on the flank of Ponyville. In order to accomplish this arduous and glorious task, our regiment is determined to use the special company of the 3rd Battalion attached to the 1st Brigade as the commando, the 1st Battalion as the second echelon, and the 2nd Battalion as the reserve.
At dawn on December 6, our regiment entered Luozhuang to carry out pre-war mobilization and battle formation and earthwork work, and build a charging starting position. At 4:30 p.m. on the 6th, our army launched a full-front attack on Huang Wei's corps. A few minutes after the artillery fired, my left neighbor 3 launched an attack on the horse fence north of the 3rd Longitudinal Pony. At this time, our 3rd Battalion was in motion and had not yet entered the starting position for the assault. When our artillery fire was firing for the first time, the enemy in Xiaomazhuang evacuated and evaded, and the commander of our regiment mistakenly thought that the enemy had escaped, so he ordered the special service company of the 3rd Battalion and the 1st Brigade to run through the Yellow Ditch in pursuit. For this reason, the commandos of the 8th Company of the 3rd Battalion launched the attack more than 20 minutes ahead of schedule, and in addition the artillery preparation was not sufficient, the troops had no fire cover in the enemy's engagement, so that when the 3rd Battalion passed through the 200-meter open area under enemy fire, it was suppressed by the enemy's fire, suffered heavy casualties, and the attack was not successful. Later, the second echelon was organized to attack continuously, but due to excessive casualties, it was again frustrated. Our first attack on Ponyville was unsuccessful. The regiment commander, Liang Tingzuo, was wounded.
After our regiment's first failed attack on Ponyville, the brigade ordered our regiment to continue attacking Ponyville for the second time. The regiment commander was wounded, and naturally it was I who commanded it. Although the time is tight, it is still good to prepare. Sharpen the knife and do not mistake the woodcutter. On the one hand, we carefully analyzed and studied the reasons for the setback of the first attack on Xiaomazhuang yesterday (that is, on the 6th), and on the other hand, we carefully studied the experience of Luoyang's victory in the battle. Then readjust the deployment of troops, take advantage of the darkness of the night to carry out earthwork under enemy fire, and extend the position forward to shorten the impact time and reduce the lethality of enemy fire. At the same time, the brigade organized a fireteam of 4 mountain guns, 18 mortars, 7 heavy machine guns, and 12 launchers to support our regiment in the battle. At 22 o'clock on the 7th (the day after the failure of the first attack on Ponyville), our heavy machine guns advanced to 30 meters of the enemy's front line, and our forces were deployed along the circular trench. The regiment had the 1st Battalion as the assault team, the 3rd Battalion and the 1st Battalion to attack the forts in the southwest corner to contain the enemy, and the 2nd Battalion and the 1st Brigade Special Service Company as the second echelon. The 1st Battalion had 3 companies and 2 companies as assault companies. At 22:30, the artillery fire was prepared, and I destroyed most of the bunker group of the enemy's forward positions with intensive artillery fire and projectiles of 100 kilograms of explosives. Liu Chuanping, a soldier of the 3rd Company and 6th squad, first successfully blasted the deer, and then each blasting group continuously blasted to open up the passage, and the whole company advanced in echelons. The 2nd Company immediately launched an attack and captured the enemy position west of the village. At this time, I immediately led Chen Yuankao, an operational staff officer, and other capable command posts, into the enemy's barracks in the northwest corner of the village to take command. After the 1st Company of the second echelon of the battalion broke into the village, it spread out along the north and hit the northeast corner of the village. At the same time, the 3rd Battalion also captured the enemy's fort group in the southwest corner. Then the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Echelon also entered the village with the 1st Battalion of the Commando Team, and advanced with small groups and multiple attacks, all the way to the southeast corner of the village. After 3 hours of fierce fighting, the battalions completely annihilated the 3rd Battalion (reinforced battalion) of the 342nd Regiment of the 18th Division of the enemy, and our regiment occupied Xiaomazhuang.
I was going to various places in Xiaomazhuang to inspect the positions so that I could switch from attack to defense, and suddenly received a call from Brigade Commander Wu Zhong, asking our regiment to withdraw from the established positions in Xiaomazhuang before dawn on the 8th, and also to explain how to withdraw and where to withdraw. As soon as I looked at the weather, the east was already slightly white, and it would soon be bright. Immediately called back to the brigade commander, and I said, "It's too late for me to go and set up, you can directly inform the comrades in the back!" Brigade Commander Wu asked, "Where are you?" and I said, "I'm in Ponyville." And he said no more. Perhaps due to our lack of timely reporting, the brigade commander did not know the specifics of our occupation of Ponyville, let alone that I was with the attacking force in Ponyville. After listening to my report, he directly gave the order to withdraw to the troops behind. I also quickly gave orders and deployed in Ponyville on how to withdraw the troops from Ponyville and how to get to the designated location. Thankfully, I managed to get out of Ponyville before dawn. Why I laid down the pony and then withdrew from the pony, I and everyone didn't understand at the time. Later, it was learned that the friendly troops had failed to attack the independent house and the horse fence, and the enemy fire in the two places posed a great threat to our troops, and it was inconvenient for our regiment to hold on to the pony. After we withdrew from Ponyville, another battalion of the enemy, the 1st Battalion of the 342nd Regiment, occupied Ponyville. On the third occasion, the 7th Regiment and the 58th Regiment of the 1st Brigade attached to us attacked Xiaomazhuang and the Independent House again at 16:30 on the 8th, and fought for a night, but still without success.
After our regiment successfully conquered Ponyville for the second time, the column held an operational meeting, and Commander Yang Yong asked me to participate in the presentation of the experience of conquering Ponyville. There were two episodes in the middle: First, Commander Yang asked me, "Do you know how to draw a picture?" This time I was in charge of my army, and I didn't know how to draw a regular picture at that time, so I said weakly, "I can only draw a scoop than a gourd," and then intentionally drew a picture. The leading comrades may not necessarily understand it, and I am embarrassed. Another episode was that when I introduced the small group action, I don't know if it was undescribed or for what reason, but while I was introducing it, a brigade leader of another brigade of the 1st Column who was attending the meeting immediately interjected, "What kind of tactical problem is this? It's a completely one-man action!" When Brigadier Wu Zhong heard the brigade commander say this, he couldn't stand it anymore, so he interjected and said, "What is this not called a tactic? Can we still do a single soldier action!"
From December 6th to 8th, our brigade attacked the enemy's stronghold of Pony, fought for three nights in a row, attacked three times in a row, and ended up being defeated twice and succeeded once, and Ponyzhuang was still in the enemy's hands. With the approval of the General Front Committee, our brigade asked the column to rest for three days, sum up lessons and lessons, and make preparations before another attack. At the brigade operations meeting, I spoke: "Our main problems are the poor use of tactical maneuvers, the ineffective coordination of infantry artillery, and the coordination of fire teams and assault units. Judging from the experience of the second attack on Ponyzhuang, to deal with the enemy's strong position defense, a large number of troops is not necessarily an advantage, but also to pay attention to tactics, and small groups and multi-way attacks are more effective. The brigade operational meeting pooled wisdom and reached several consensuses: First, it was necessary to carry out close pressuring operations, and then dig four communication trenches forward, so as to push the starting position of the attack to a distance of 50 meters from the enemy; second, to build several layers of firearms positions and push heavy firearms to the forefront of the positions; third, to pay attention to tactics in small groups and multiple routes, and to closely coordinate with infantry and artillery, and between fireteams and assault units; and fourth, to attack independent houses first and then to attack small pony.
In the fourth attack on the independent house and the battle of Xiaomazhuang, the 3rd Column captured Maweizi in one fell swoop on the 11th according to the suggestions conveyed by the commander of the 58th Regiment, Xuan Jinwu, to Commander Yang Yong. On the evening of the 12th, the 58th Regiment of our brigade attacked the independent house, and the 7th Regiment of the 1st Brigade with our brigade succeeded in attacking Xiaomazhuang in one fell swoop.
After this victory, the column and brigade decided to consolidate their positions and defend against the enemy's counterattack, and the commander of the Wu Zhong brigade readjusted the deployment, with the 2nd battalion of the 58th regiment to guard Xiaomazhuang, and the 2nd battalion of our regiment to guard the independent house, under the unified command of the commander of the 58th regiment, Xuan Jinwu, to prepare to deal with the enemy's counterattack. In the early morning of the 13th, the 10th Army of the Kuomintang Army in the core position of Dawangzhuang dispatched two battalions, guided by six tanks and supported by aircraft and artillery, to launch an uninterrupted counterattack on our Xiaomazhuang and the independent house. After the enemy failed in several counterattacks, he made a desperate bet and used poisonous gas and napalm, and the positions of the 2nd Battalion of our regiment and the 2nd battalion of the 58th regiment were filled with a sea of fire, poisonous smoke filled the air, all the fortifications were destroyed, and many officers and men were poisoned and fell. The 2nd Battalion of our regiment did not have a single machine gun intact, and the soldiers fought fiercely with the enemy with grenades and bayonets, and carried out battlefield downsizing many times, and the whole battalion fought to 140 men and still held their positions. On the evening of the 13th, the enemy's counterattack was completely repulsed by us. On the 14th, our 2nd Battalion and the 2nd Battalion of the 58th Regiment held their positions at the Independent House and Pony Village for another day, crushing the enemy three counterattacks in a row. In the evening, the intact position was handed over to the troops of the 1st Brigade who came to take over the defense, and the brigade reported to the column for the approval of this excellent counteroffensive counterattack and the battle to consolidate the position, and the 2nd Battalion of our regiment and the 2nd battalion of the 58th Regiment each made a great contribution. Our regiment and the 58th regiment were later withdrawn to the second-line positions west of the set to rest and wait.
At this moment, Huang Wei's corps was dispersed and broke through, and the General Front Committee of the Huaihai Front ordered all columns: "Attack on all fronts and destroy Huang Wei's corps!" After receiving the order, our regiment immediately returned by the same route and attacked between Huzhuang and Wabali to intercept the enemy who broke through. At dawn on December 16, Huang Wei's corps was completely annihilated by our army, and our regiment captured more than 1,000 enemies. After the battle, our regiment was transferred with the column to the Lotus pond area west of Shuangduiji within the brigade formation, and a group of liberation fighters was replenished, and weapons and ammunition were also replenished.
On January 10, 1949, the Huaihai Battle ended successfully, and our regiment marched with the main force of the brigade to the Shenqiu area of Henan Province through Taihe and Jieshou to rest.
In this Huaihai Campaign, which was of great strategic significance, our regiment and brigade were organized in columns, from defense (blocking) to offensive (encirclement and annihilation), and from movement warfare to positional warfare. From blocking, encirclement, and total annihilation, he went through the entire process of the campaign, made positive and effective contributions to the victory of the Huaihai Campaign, and wrote a glorious page in the history of the regiment. I, like the troops, have been tested, tempered, strengthened and improved in combat capability.
[Yin Fatang, a native of Feicheng, Shandong Province, was born in July 1922. He joined the Communist Party of China in June 1938. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he successively served as the political instructor of the Eighth Route Army Company, the secretary of the battalion general branch, the brigade organization officer, the secretary of the general branch of the logistics department, the deputy political commissar and political commissar of the county brigade, the member of the county party committee, and the deputy director of the regimental political department. During the War of Liberation, he successively served as director of the political department of the regiment, political commissar of the regiment, head of the regiment and political commissar. Since February 1950, he has successively served as deputy political commissar of the division, member of the Qamdo Working Committee of the Communist Party of China, deputy director of the People's Liberation Committee of the Qamdo Prefecture, secretary of the Tibet Gyantse Sub-working Committee (later renamed the Prefectural Committee) and political commissar of the Gyantse Military Sub-district, and member of the Tibet Working Committee of the Communist Party of China. In 1962, he served as the political commissar of the "Tibet Military Region Advance Command" of the Sino-Indian border self-defense counterattack. In 1963, he was appointed director of the Political Department of the Tibet Military Region. Since 1971, he has successively served as deputy director and director of the Political Department of the Fuzhou Military Region, and director and deputy political commissar of the Political Department of the Jinan Military Region. Since 1980, he has served as the first secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China, deputy political commissar of the Chengdu Military Region and first political commissar of the Tibet Military Region, first secretary of the Party Committee of the Tibet Military Region, and chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In 1985, he was appointed deputy political commissar of the Second Artillery Corps. In 1988, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general. He is a member of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th National People's Congress and the 7th and 8th National People's Congress Standing Committee. He is a representative of the 12th and 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and a member of the 12th Central Committee. He was awarded the Order of Independence and Freedom of the Second Class and the Order of Liberation of the Second Class. 】