In the thick smoke of war, the soldiers of the 15th Army held their positions on Wusheng Mountain, and they faced the enemy's frantic artillery attack. In order to resist this stormy attack, they fought silently, and the shovels and shovels in their hands became their closest comrades. They dug into the hard rock, advancing inch by inch, building tunnel after tunnel, with a total length of more than 9,000 meters.
These tunnels are like veins in the mountains, intricate, yet orderly. They penetrate deep into the mountains, connecting every corner of the position, providing a safe haven for the warriors. Around the tunnels, they dug more than 50,000 meters of trenches and communication trenches, which were like huge spider webs, closely connecting the positions and forming an impregnable line of defense.
In addition, they carefully set up 4 anti-tank trenches, which were bottomless enough to deter any tank. On the periphery of the position, they set up more than 5,000 meters of deer barricades and barbed wire, which were like a great wall of steel, making the enemy fearful.
This complete "four-energy" tunnel system is where the confidence of the volunteers against the US army in the Shangganling Battle lies. It is not just a means of defense, but a symbol of wisdom and courage. Under the enemy's fire, this system is like a strong shield, guarding the lives and safety of the volunteer soldiers.
However, in the face of such a defense system, why did the U.S. military not spray flamethrowers on the tunnels as they did against the Japanese army?
This has to be said about the tunnels built by the Japanese army on Iwo Jima.
On the edge of the peninsula, which was fraught with tension, the Japanese commander Kuribayashi orchestrated an anti-landing operation. He knew that the outcome of a war often depended on location and people, so he set his sights on two strategically important terrains, the Oriba Mountain and the Wonsan Mountain Range. These two mountains wind and fall like two giant dragons entrenched on the peninsula, and their presence provides a natural defensive barrier for the Japanese side.
Kuribayashi knew that in order to take full advantage of these terrains, it was necessary to build a set of impregnable underground fortifications. He ordered his men to collect local volcanic ash and cement and mix them together in precise proportions. The unique properties of the ash make the mixed material both hard and durable, while the cement enhances its cohesion and makes the entire fortification more stable.
Under the command of Kuribayashi, the sappers dug and built day and night. Soon, a well-ventilated underground fortification was presented in front of people's eyes. These underground fortifications are like labyrinths, intricate and elusive. And the most striking of them are the large bunkers. These bunkers were spacious and bright enough to accommodate three or four hundred people, and were important places for soldiers to rest and store supplies.
Under Kuribayashi's careful planning, he also ordered his troops to dig an underground passage with a total length of 27,000 meters, intending to connect all the scattered underground fortifications tightly together to form an impregnable defensive line. The idea of this passage is like a giant dragon winding its way underneath Iwo Jima, waiting for the moment when it erupts.
However, the harsh realities of the war did not leave much time for the Japanese army. By the time the excavation had just been completed for 18,000 meters, the U.S. military had already set foot on the shore of Iwo Jima.
Kuribayashi knew that it was unrealistic to complete the entire underground passage at this time. Faced with the urgency of the battle, Kuribayashi had to make compromises. He decided to adjust the original defense-in-depth strategy and build a new line of defense based on the natural barriers in the area of Mt. Oriba and Wonsan.
At the same time, he ordered his troops to set up "permanent launch points and strong support points" along the beach as an auxiliary means of beachhead defense, in an attempt to keep the US forces out of Iwo Jima.
When the U.S. landed, Kuribayashi understood that it was not wise to go head-to-head with the U.S. military, so he chose a more cunning and lethal strategy. He ordered the Japanese army to abandon the tactics of desperate struggle and adopt a strategy of avoiding the sharp edge of the US army's beach-grabbing operation.
When the vanguard of the U.S. army rushed to Iwo Jima like a tidal wave, only 500 meters away from the landing, Kuribayashi relied on the strong fortifications such as the bunker and concentrated his firepower to launch a fierce attack on the U.S. troops.
His tactics are nimble and varied, sometimes as fierce as a storm, sometimes as delicate as a spring rain. He called on the Japanese soldiers to fight to the death against the American army with "one for ten".
The Battle of Iwo Jima thus became the most brutal and arduous amphibious landing battle in the entire Pacific War. The U.S. military paid a huge price in this battle, as they had to deal not only with stubborn resistance from the Japanese army, but also with the harsh natural environment of Iwo Jima. However, they did not back down, but with unwavering determination and great strength, they finally landed on Iwo Jima.
When the U.S. troops successfully landed, they moved quickly and besieged the Japanese in the tunnels and bunkers in Mt. Origa and Mt. Wonsan. These tunnels and bunkers were fortifications carefully planned and constructed by the Japanese army in the early stages of the war.
Hidden deep in the mountains, they make clever use of the terrain and rocky structures to form a fortified position like a steel fortress. The tunnels and bunkers were intricately intricate, like a labyrinth, in which the Japanese soldiers hid themselves, making it difficult for the Americans to attack.
Faced with these insurmountable fortifications, the U.S. military was caught in a bitter battle. They constantly charged, trying to break through the Japanese lines, but were repeatedly thwarted. Whenever they approached the entrance to the tunnels and bunkers, they were met with fierce counterattacks from Japanese soldiers. The Japanese firepower was unusually ferocious, making it impossible for the Americans to effectively destroy them.
In the course of the bitter battle, the US military began to think of new tactics. They found that infantry charges and fire suppression alone could not completely wipe out the Japanese troops in the tunnels. So, the U.S. military began to look for other methods. Eventually, they decided to use flamethrowers to attack the Japanese troops in the tunnels.
The flamethrower is an extremely powerful weapon that can shoot high-temperature flames that can burn or burn enemies. After the American army used the flamethrower, the Japanese troops in the tunnel were engulfed in flames. Like rats, they have nowhere to run but to be burned or burned by the flames. Under the onslaught of flames, the resistance of the Japanese army gradually weakened and finally collapsed completely.
Later, on the battlefield of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, during the Shangganling Campaign, when the volunteers were transferred to the tunnel to fight, why did the US troops not use flamethrowers? There are three major reasons for this.
First, it is related to a person, this person is Wang Yaonan, a legendary figure in our army who has the titles of "Engineer King", "Mine King" and "Demolition King". He is not only one of the founders of the engineering corps of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, but also an outstanding military strategist tempered in the war.
From 1951 to 1952, Wang Yaonan served as chief of staff of the Suiyuan Military Region. At that time, the volunteer army on the Korean battlefield was facing a serious problem of air defense and anti-heavy artillery. Wang Yaonan was ordered to go to North Korea resolutely. His arrival, like a spring breeze, brought hope and confidence to the volunteers.
During his days in Korea, Wang Yaonan went deep into the front line, personally surveyed the terrain, and thought about countermeasures. The tunnel warfare tactics he proposed were like a sharp sword that plunged straight into the heart of the enemy. The design of the tunnel not only takes into account the needs of defense, but also takes into account the flexibility of actual combat. The tunnel built under the personal guidance of Wang Yaonan is like a labyrinth, which is dazzling. No matter how much the enemy searched, it was difficult to find the entrance to the tunnel.
And the treatment of the mouth of the tunnel is Wang Yaonan's masterpiece. He skillfully concealed the mouth of the tunnel among the hillsides, woods, and grass, making it difficult for the enemy to determine its true purpose even if they discovered it. What's even more ingenious is that the tunnel openings are designed to face the direction of the enemy. If the enemy strays into it, it will be surrounded by our troops.
It can be said that the tunnel designed by Wang Yaonan became flawless, and the enemy could not find the weak point of the tunnel at all. Even if the entrance to the tunnel was found, the US military did not dare to use flamethrowers. Because it has to do with the second and third reasons.
Second, the tunnel is fierce. In each tunnel, a platoon of troops is deployed, and they are like dormant tigers, ready to attack at any time. The tunnels are equipped with advanced weaponry such as machine guns, sniper rifles and mortars, which act as the soldiers' right-hand men to help them defend themselves against enemy attacks. In the adjacent tunnels, a 75mm mountain cannon is also shared, which is so powerful that it can inflict a fatal blow on the enemy.
These battle tunnels are hexagonal in shape, and they are connected to each other like a giant spider web, which binds the entire battlefield together. This design allows the tunnels to support each other, and when a small enemy force tries to sneak up on a certain tunnel, the fighters in the other tunnels can react quickly, drill out from all sides to support, and use heavy artillery fire to repel the enemy.
In the beginning, the enemy tried to use flamethrowers to attack the tunnels, but they soon discovered that such tactics simply did not work here. Because the warriors in the tunnels were ready for fire, they could quickly extinguish the fire, while also suppressing the enemy with powerful firepower, making it impossible for them to get close. After several attempts, the enemy finally abandoned the idea of a fire attack and looked for other ways to attack.
Third, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Since the mouth of the tunnel is facing the direction of the American army. This meant that if the U.S. military decided to use flamethrowers to clear these tunnels, they could not only burn themselves, but also suffer heavy losses under the heavy fire of the volunteer soldiers.
So, why didn't the US military consider taking a detour and launching an attack from the rear of the tunnel? In fact, this was an ingenious tactical arrangement. The volunteer soldiers had already taken this into account when designing the tunnel. They are carefully arranged so that each pit mouth is like a strong barrier, consistent with the outside world. No matter how much the U.S. military tries to make a detour, they will always find themselves still within the fire range of the volunteer fighters.
Imagine when American soldiers cautiously bypassed the first pit opening, thinking they had found a breakthrough, only to unwittingly put themselves in front of the second one. The volunteer fighters had long been prepared, they aimed at the positions of the American troops, and as soon as the enemy appeared, they would open fire mercilessly.
Under such a tactical layout, the US military has never been able to get rid of the firepower suppression of the volunteer soldiers. They would not be able to safely use the flamethrowers against the volunteers in the tunnels, as that would mean putting themselves in a dangerous situation.
Based on the above three reasons, the idea of using flamethrowers in the Battle of Shangganling can be described as a wise choice after careful consideration. They understand that once this weapon is put into use, the actual combat effect may not be as significant as expected. It can even bring unforeseen risks to itself. On a rapidly changing battlefield, such a risk is something that no commander can easily bear.
As a result, the U.S. military turned to another strategy, they poured a large number of artillery shells on the battlefield of Shangganling, trying to weaken the combat effectiveness of the volunteers with fire suppression. The explosion of the shells was deafening, and shrapnel flew sideways, causing serious casualties and material losses to the positions of the volunteers. However, even under such a fierce artillery attack, the volunteers still held their positions and showed their tenacious will to fight and indomitable fighting spirit.
The defeat in the Battle of Shangganling was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the US military. They were surprised to find that the defense line of the Volunteer Army's tunnel had become an impregnable barrier, like a bottomless abyss of death, which made them daunting. The defeat in this battle gave the US military a new understanding of the combat capability of the volunteers, and also made them begin to rethink their future tactics and strategic deployment.