In May 1935, the Red Army came to the banks of the Dadu River in order to shake off the pursuit of the Kuomintang army. Faced with the turbulent Dadu River, the officers and men of the Red Army were faced with a life-and-death choice. At this moment, 22 Red Army soldiers stepped forward, braved the enemy's bullets and bullets, bravely climbed the iron cable on the Luding Bridge, and finally opened the way for the Red Army to advance. However, in this thrilling battle, 4 Red Army soldiers died heroically. So, where did the remaining 18 warriors go, and what happened to them?
1. Why did the Red Army fly to capture the Luding Bridge?
In the early summer of 1935, the Central Red Army finally broke out of the fourth blockade line and crossed the Jinsha River after many hardships. However, the crisis has not been resolved. With the cooperation of the Central Army, the Kuomintang troops pursued closely along both sides of the Jinsha River, in a vain attempt to wipe out the Red Army.
The officers and men of the Red Army knew very well that in order to get rid of the enemy's encirclement, pursuit, and interception, they must cross the Dadu River as soon as possible and enter the northwest part of Sichuan. The Dadu River, also known as the "First River of Sichuan and Tibet", is a tributary of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. It originates in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, flows into Sichuan, traverses the western Sichuan Basin, and finally empties into the Yangtze River. The Dadu River is turbulent, the river surface is wide, the mountains on both sides of the river are high and the valleys are deep, and it is known as "a hundred miles of uninhabited".
For the Red Army, if you want to cross the Dadu River, the Luding Bridge is undoubtedly the best choice. Luding Bridge is located in the upper reaches of the Dadu River and is an ancient chain bridge. Straddling between two high mountains, it is about 103 meters long and only 2.8 meters wide. The deck is made up of 13 iron chains and hundreds of planks, allowing only one person to pass through.
However, the strategic position of the Luding Bridge is equally important. It is the only passage connecting the northwest and southwest of Sichuan. Once the Red Army seized the Luding Bridge, it was equivalent to opening the door to advance to the northwest of Sichuan. On the contrary, if the Luding Bridge was held by the enemy, the Red Army might be encircled.
Time is of the essence, and the officers and men of the Red Army, who have no way to retreat, have no choice. On 28 May, the General Headquarters of the Red Fourth Front Army decided that an advance force would be formed by the First Division of the Red First Army Corps and the 42nd Division of the Red Fourth Army Corps, and under the leadership of Yang Chengwu and other commanders, the Luding Bridge would be captured within three days at all costs.
A thrilling battle began. The capture of the Luding Bridge has become a crucial battle for the survival of the Red Army. In this battle, the officers and men of the advance unit displayed fearless revolutionary heroism and composed a revolutionary hymn that can be sung and wept.
Second, the thrilling flight of the Luding Bridge
In the early morning of May 29, 1935, the advance troops were assembled on the east bank of Luding Bridge. At this time, the fog over the Luding Bridge was filled, the Dadu River was rushing and roaring, and the enemy on the other side of the bridge was eyeing the enemy. The officers and men of the Red Army looked at the Luding Bridge in front of them, and they were inevitably a little apprehensive.
Luding Bridge is an ancient chain bridge, which was built in the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. Straddling between two high mountains, it is about 103 meters long and only 2.8 meters wide. The deck is made up of 13 iron chains and hundreds of planks, allowing only one person to pass through. There was a stone bunker at each end of the bridge, and the Kuomintang troops were stationed in the bunker.
For the Red Army, if it wants to seize the Luding Bridge, the difficulty can be imagined. The enemy not only occupied favorable terrain, but also had fierce fire, which could kill the Red Army fighters on the bridge at any time. What's more, the bridge deck of the Luding Bridge is already narrow, and once a fierce battle breaks out, it will be difficult for the Red Army officers and men to gain a foothold.
However, the Red Army officers and soldiers were well aware of the importance of the Luding Bridge, and they would rather sacrifice themselves to take the bridge. Yang Chengwu immediately decided to form a death squad and take the lead in attacking the Luding Bridge to open the way for the follow-up troops.
The death squad consisted of 22 Red Army soldiers, all of whom were the elite of the unit. Before the battle began, Yang Chengwu said to the daredevils: "Comrades, the capture of the Luding Bridge is a matter of the overall situation. We must do whatever it takes to take this bridge. If we sacrifice, we can only say that we are sacrificing for the revolution. ＂
The 22 daredevils were all high-spirited and said: "We are born for the revolution and die for the revolution, and we will not give up!"
At 4 a.m. on the 29th, the battle began. The daredevils braved the enemy's bullets and bullets, bravely climbed the iron cable, and charged towards the Luding Bridge. Armed with short knives and grenades, they are invincible like iron warriors.
However, the enemy's fire was simply too fierce. From time to time, Red Army soldiers fell on the bridge deck, and blood stained the planks red. At this moment, the daredevils Liu Jinshan took the lead and rushed to the bridge. Just as he was about to ascend the bunker, a bullet struck him in the chest. Liu Jinshan fell to the bridge, still holding a grenade in his hand.
Liu Jinshan's sacrifice further aroused the fighting spirit of the Red Army officers and men. Squad by squad, platoon, company by company, the Red Army soldiers went forward one after another, charging forward. After more than an hour of bloody fighting, Luding Bridge was finally captured by the Red Army.
In this battle, the Red Army paid a heavy price. Of the 22 daredevils, 4 died heroically. In the ensuing battles, dozens of Red Army officers and men sacrificed their precious lives.
The capture of the Luding Bridge was an important turning point in the Red Army's Long March. It not only opened up a passage for the Red Army to advance into northwest Sichuan, but more importantly, greatly boosted the morale of the Red Army officers and men. This battle also fully demonstrated the revolutionary heroism of the officers and men of the Red Army who were not afraid of sacrifice and went forward one after another.
III. The fate of the 18 surviving soldiers
In the battle to capture the Luding Bridge, 22 daredevils bravely took the lead, and they exchanged their lives and blood for the victory of the Red Army. However, behind the victory, there is also a poignant sacrifice. Four daredevils died heroically, their names are: Li Furen, Liu Dagui, Wei Xiaosan, and Wang Hongshan.
Li Furen was an ordinary Red Army soldier, and at the moment of attacking the Luding Bridge, he was unfortunately shot and died. Liu Dagui was the captain of the death squad, and he led the daredevils to charge forward, and finally fell on the bridge. Wei Xiaosan and Wang Hongshan are also daredevils, and they bravely sacrificed themselves in order to cover the advance of their comrades.
The names of the four martyrs who died are forever engraved in the annals of Luding Bridge. However, for the 18 surviving daredevils, after the battle, they faced a new fate.
Due to the urgency of the war, the main force of the Red Army immediately advanced to the northwest of Sichuan after capturing the Luding Bridge. The 18 surviving daredevils were integrated into other units of the Red Front Army and continued to devote themselves to the revolutionary struggle.
In the days that followed, the 18 surviving fighters went their separate ways, some continued to fight bloody battles in the Red Army units, while others moved on to other fronts. In the war-torn era, their fate has also become uncertain.
It was not until after the founding of the People's Republic of China that these warriors of that year reunited together. In 1955, Luding County, Sichuan Province, held a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Luding Bridge. After the news spread, many surviving fighters of that year rushed to participate.
Among them, there is Wang Yongmo, a veteran soldier of the death squad. Wang Yongmo was one of the 22 daredevils, and after capturing the Luding Bridge, he continued to fight with the Red Fourth Front Army, moving to the Sichuan-Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo border region. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea and made great achievements.
At the 20th anniversary of the battle of Luding Bridge, Wang Yongmo and other surviving soldiers met, and everyone hugged their heads and cried, recalling the eventful years of that year. Only then did they learn that 18 of the 22 death squad members survived.
Wang Yongmo felt very uncomfortable, he felt that as a survivor, he had the responsibility to find his comrades-in-arms back then. So, from the 50s of the 20th century, Wang Yongmo began a decades-long search journey.
With Wang Yongmo's unremitting efforts, several surviving soldiers of that year were found, including Yun Guichuan, Li Youlin, Liao Dazhu, Liu Jinshan, etc. Everyone gathered together to reminisce about the past, and their eyes were full of tears.
However, to Wang Yongmo's regret, despite his efforts to find, the whereabouts of some of his comrades-in-arms are still unknown. Among them, there were comrades-in-arms Zhao Changfa and Yang Tianming who charged with him back then.
Wang Yongmo said: "I am very pleased with the comrades-in-arms who have been found. But for those comrades-in-arms whose whereabouts are still unknown, there is always a knot in my heart. In my life, my greatest wish is to find all 22 comrades-in-arms of that year!"
Fourth, the historical significance of flying to seize the Luding Bridge
On May 29, 1935, the feat of 22 Red Army warriors flying over the Luding Bridge has become a legend in the history of the Red Army's Long March. This battle not only opened up a passage for the Red Army to advance to the northwest of Sichuan, but more importantly, greatly boosted the morale of the Red Army officers and men and laid a solid foundation for the subsequent battles.
The capture of the Luding Bridge fully demonstrated the fearless revolutionary heroism of the officers and men of the Red Army. In this battle, the officers and men of the Red Army were confronted by an old and narrow chain bridge, on the opposite bank of which were fierce enemies and heavy fire. However, the Red Army soldiers were undaunted, and they would rather sacrifice their lives than take the bridge.
It is precisely because of this revolutionary heroism, which regards death as home, that the officers and men of the Red Army were able to create one miracle after another. From flying over the Luding Bridge to climbing snow-capped mountains and crossing grasslands, the officers and men of the Red Army have overcome difficulties and challenges again and again, and have composed one revolutionary hymn after another that can be sung and wept.
The capture of Luding Bridge was also an important turning point in the course of the Red Army's Long March. Prior to this, the Red Army had already won the fourth victory against "encirclement and suppression" and had successfully achieved a major strategic shift. However, in order to completely get rid of the enemy's encirclement, pursuit, and interception, the Red Army also needed to cross the Dadu River as soon as possible and enter the northwest Sichuan region.
Luding Bridge is the only way to the northwest of Sichuan. The capture of the Luding Bridge is equivalent to opening up the passage to the northwest of Sichuan. The victory of the Luding Bridge greatly boosted the morale of the officers and men of the Red Army. They saw that as long as they dared to fight and win, no difficulty was invincible.
After flying to capture the Luding Bridge, the Red Army continued to advance to the northwest of Sichuan. In June 1935, the Red First Army and the Red Fourth Front Army met victoriously at Maogong (now Xiaojin County), marking the great victory of the Red Army's Long March. At this point, the Red Army had completely shaken off the enemy's encirclement and interception and moved to the Sichuan-Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region, laying a solid foundation for the later War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation.
To this day, when we look back on the history of the Luding Bridge, we can still feel the shocking power. This strength comes from the firm conviction and determination of the officers and men of the Red Army, and from their revolutionary pride in "sacrificing so much and daring to teach the sun and the moon to change the sky."
Today, we are striding forward on the new journey of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way. In this process, we must vigorously carry forward the revolutionary spirit of the officers and men of the Red Army and carry forward their fine work style of fighting bravely without fear of sacrifice. Only in this way will we be able to overcome all difficulties and challenges on the way forward and make unremitting efforts to realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The story of flying to capture the Luding Bridge will forever be engraved in the annals of the Chinese nation. It not only witnessed the eventful years of a great era, but also erected an eternal monument for future generations. Let us remember this period of history, inherit the revolutionary spirit of the officers and men of the Red Army, and contribute our strength to building a great modern socialist country.