In the winter of 1950, the temperature in North Korea's Jangjin Lake area plummeted to minus 40°C. Under such extremely cold conditions, the Chinese People's Volunteers and the United Nations Army launched a tragic battle. After the battle, 32,000 volunteers suffered from frostbite, a figure that even exceeded the combat attrition. What was the reason for such a heavy non-combat attrition? Was it because the volunteers lacked cotton clothes to protect against the cold? What is the truth?
The Ninth Corps of the Volunteer Army rushed to the Korean battlefield
In October 1950, the Korean War took a turn for the worse. The Korean People's Army, which had been victorious, suffered heavy losses in the Inchon landing battle and was forced to retreat from the 38th parallel. Taking advantage of the victory, the U.S. forces pursued and marched in the direction of the Yalu River in two directions, in an attempt to occupy the entire territory of Korea in one fell swoop.
In the face of the aggressiveness of the US military, the Chinese government decided to send Chinese volunteers to fight in Korea to assist the Korean people. According to the original plan, the volunteer army would assemble in the northeast, and after two months of adaptation and training, cross the Yalu River and enter the Korean battlefield in the spring of the following year.
However, the war developed much more rapidly than expected. In early November, the 13th Corps of the Chinese People's Volunteers, stationed on the south bank of the Yalu River, was bombed by US planes and forced to enter North Korea ahead of schedule on 5 November. At the same time, the United Nations forces have approached Pyongyang, the provisional capital of North Korea, and the situation in the Korean war is precarious.
In this case, the Volunteer Army had to change the established plans. The 9th Corps, which was originally a reserve, was urgently transferred to the front to participate in the second campaign. The force was originally stationed on China's southeastern coast, and most of its soldiers came from the southern provinces. In August, they were transferred to Shandong to prepare to fight in Korea.
The 9th Corps had three corps: the 20th, 26th, and 27th armies, with a total of 150,000 men. The average strength of each corps is about 50,000. Of these, the 20th and 27th armies were identified as the main forces and would be thrown directly into battle. The 26th Army, on the other hand, served as a reserve, ready to support at any time.
At the beginning of November, various units of the Volunteer Army successively crossed the Yalu River and set foot on Korean soil. For these soldiers from the south, the cold climate of North Korea was undoubtedly a great challenge. Many of them have never seen snow, let alone fought in temperatures of tens of degrees below zero.
In order to adapt to the climate of North Korea as soon as possible, the volunteers began to learn the knowledge of cold protection on the train. Commanders and fighters passed on their experience to each other and taught them how to make simple cold-proof equipment out of newspapers, hay and other materials. Some veterans came forward to tell their stories about their experiences in guerrilla warfare in Northeast China, North China, and other places.
However, after all, it is better to put words on paper than to put them into practice. When the volunteer soldiers actually set foot on Korean soil, they realized that the cold here was far beyond their imagination. The biting cold wind mixed with the ice and snow blew mercilessly on everyone's face. The soldiers' breath condensed into frost in the air, and their eyebrows and beards were covered with ice ballast.
Despite such difficult conditions, the officers and men of the volunteer army did not flinch. They are well aware that they shoulder the heavy responsibility of protecting their families and defending the country. In the most difficult time for the Korean people, it was the motherland that extended a helping hand. Now, it is their turn to defend this friendly neighbor with their blood and lives.
So, with the belief that they would win, the volunteer soldiers strode forward in the direction of Changjin Lake. They knew that what awaited them ahead was a fight to the death. However, they firmly believe that with the support of the party and the people and the power of justice and truth, they will certainly be able to overcome difficulties and win victories.
The brutal environment of the Battle of Changjin Lake
In November 1950, winter had quietly arrived in northern Korea. In this place, known as the "Cold Hell", temperatures often drop below -30°C. The bitter cold wind carried the snowflakes and howled among the desolate mountains.
It was in this environment that the Chinese People's Volunteers and the United Nations Army waged a desperate struggle. This was the Battle of Changjin Lake, which was later called "Ice-Blooded Changjin Lake".
The campaign began on 27 November. At this time, the 1st Marine Division and the 7th Infantry Division of the US Army had penetrated deep into the hinterland of the Changjin Lake area and met the 20th Army and the 27th Army of the Volunteer Army on a narrow road. The two sides engaged in a fierce encounter on the vast snowfield.
However, for the volunteers, the biggest enemy is not the American army, but the extremely harsh natural environment. The terrain of Changjin Lake area is dangerous, with high mountains and steep slopes, and ravines vertical and horizontal. In late November, it is already covered in a thick layer of snow. The volunteer soldiers had to trek through knee-deep snow, and every step was extremely difficult.
What's even more terrifying is the extremely cold weather in the Changjin Lake area. Since the beginning of winter, the temperature here has been hovering around minus 30°C, and even reaching minus 40°C at the lowest. At such temperatures, a person's skin can get frostbite after only a few minutes of exposure to the air.
Although the volunteer soldiers were dressed in cotton clothes, in the face of such cold temperatures, these equipment seemed too thin. What's more, many people's cotton clothes and shoes have been torn out during the long journey and cannot play a role in keeping out the cold at all.
In the ice and snow, the volunteer soldiers fought to the death with the US army. Artillery fire roared through the mountains, bullets whistling in the air. Braving the rain of bullets, the fighters crawled through the snow, approaching the enemy position step by step.
However, fighting in such extremely cold conditions is an ordeal for both sides. Although the U.S. military is well-equipped, it is also unbearable from the bitter cold. According to post-war statistics, in the Battle of Changjin Lake alone, nearly 1,000 U.S. troops were frostbitten.
For the volunteers, the situation was even more dire. In addition to fighting enemies, they also have to fight against the harsh natural environment. Many of the fighters' hands and feet were frozen unconscious, but they still gritted their teeth and persisted in the fight.
Some fighters were hit by stray bullets while charging, and the blood instantly solidified on the wounds. Some soldiers accidentally fell into the icy river, and their clothes instantly froze into ice armor. There are also fighters who faint and even die in extreme cold and hunger.
However, no matter how great the difficulties were, they could not crush the fighting spirit of the volunteer soldiers. In the face of the cruel environment, they carried forward the revolutionary spirit of not being afraid of hardship and death, and built the Great Wall of steel with their flesh and blood.
There is a story about a company that was marching at night, and one of the fighters could not hold it anymore and fell in the snow. His comrades-in-arms hurriedly helped him up and shielded him from the cold wind with their own bodies. In this way, everyone supported each other and moved forward step by step.
There is also a story: during one of the battles, one of the machine gunners had frozen hands and could not pull the trigger. He held the trigger with his mouth and pulled the pistol with his teeth until he died.
It is precisely with this heroic spirit that the officers and men of the Volunteer Army have smashed the enemy's attacks again and again, and have written tragic songs of triumph in the ice and snow.
Heavy losses of the Volunteer Army at Changjin Lake
The Battle of Changjin Lake was the heaviest battle in which the Volunteers suffered the heaviest casualties since they entered the Korean War. In this battle, the volunteers fought bloodily with the enemy and paid an extremely heavy price.
According to post-war statistics, in the Battle of Changjin Lake, the Volunteer Army suffered more than 50,000 casualties. Among them, 19,202 people were reduced in combat, accounting for nearly one-fifth of the number of people who participated in the battle. Among them were both killed soldiers and wounded comrades.
Even more alarming, however, are the figures for non-combat attrition. In this battle, a total of 28,954 volunteers were frostbitten, and more than 4,000 were frozen to death. This figure even exceeds combat attrition.
In the extremely cold environment, the volunteer soldiers had to not only face the enemy's guns, but also fight against ice and snow. Many people's hands and feet were purple and swollen from the cold, and every step was like a knife cut.
Even more tragic were the fighters who froze to death. They were either frozen on the march or succumbed in battle. Some of the fighters collapsed in the snow and never got up again. Some of the fighters leaned against the edge of the trenches, their eyes closed forever.
Among these soldiers who froze to death were the heroes who later became known as the "Ice Sculpture Company". They were a company of the 20th Regiment of the 59th Division of the 177th Army of the Volunteer Army.
It was one night on December 12, and the company was ordered to march rapidly in the freezing cold of minus 40 degrees. The warriors were exhausted from days of fighting and marching. Coupled with extreme cold and hunger, many people are physically exhausted and unable to support themselves.
On the march, the fighters fell one by one. Some people have frozen legs and are unable to walk, while others are confused and delirious. But they still gritted their teeth and used what little strength they had left to move forward.
In the end, most of the fighters of this company fell in the ice and snow. When the follow-up troops arrived the next morning, they saw a heartbreaking scene: rows of soldiers lying quietly on the snow, their faces still frozen with resolute expressions, as if they were still attacking the enemy.
These were the heroes who came to be known as the "Ice Sculpture Company". They used their lives to compose a tragic song of triumph. Their deeds have also become a symbol of the heroic sacrifice of the soldiers of the Volunteer Army and their regard for death as home.
In addition to the "Ice Sculpture Company", there are countless such heroes, who either died on the battlefield or died in the ice and snow. According to statistics, in the Battle of Changjin Lake, 98 cadres of the 20th Army alone were killed and 1,742 cadres were wounded.
Each of these figures condenses the blood and lives of the officers and men of the Volunteer Army. Some of them were under the age of 20 when they died, and some of them are still buried in a foreign land.
In this tragic battle, the soldiers of the Volunteer Army used their flesh and blood to build a great wall of steel. At the heavy cost of more than 30,000 casualties, they forced the enemy to finally withdraw from the Changjin Lake area.
The real reason for the excessive attrition of frostbite
In the Battle of Changjin Lake, the Volunteer Army suffered heavy casualties, especially the number of non-combat attrition was shocking. In the aftermath of the war, many people were reflecting on why there were so many cases of frostbite and what caused this tragedy.
Some people believe that this is because the volunteers lack equipment to protect themselves from the cold, especially cotton clothes and shoes. True, in the conditions of the time, the winter clothes of the volunteer army were not sufficient. Many soldiers could only wear single clothes, cloth shoes, and even straw sandals to fight in Korea.
However, by consulting historical materials and the memories of the officers and men of the Volunteer Army, we found that the equipment was not the main cause of the large number of frostbites. In fact, before entering the DPRK, the volunteers had already done their best to distribute winter clothes to the troops.
According to the statistics of the Logistics Department of the Northeast Military Region, in November 1950 alone, nearly 220,000 cotton coats, more than 180,000 cotton vests, more than 260,000 pairs of cotton shoes and other cold equipment were distributed to the Ninth Corps. Although these equipment are difficult to withstand the cold of minus 40 degrees, under normal circumstances, they can still meet the needs of cold protection.
So, what is the reason for so many cases of frostbite?
First of all, most of the soldiers of the Ninth Corps were southerners and had never experienced the bitter cold of the north. They were originally stationed in the warm south, but suddenly came to the cold north of North Korea, and their bodies could not adapt at all.
The Volunteers' battle plan was originally to allow the troops to adapt to the northeast for two months before entering the DPRK to fight. But due to the urgency of the war, this plan was disrupted. Many troops entered the DPRK in a hurry, and there was no time for adaptation training.
Second, North Korea in 1950 suffered a cold winter that had not been seen in a century. According to meteorological records, the average temperature in North Korea this year was 5-7 degrees Celsius lower than normal. The Changjin Lake area is extremely cold at minus 40 degrees.
In the face of such a harsh natural environment, it is difficult for even a well-equipped modern army to fully adapt. Not to mention the poorly equipped and poorly trained volunteer army?
Again, on the battlefield, the volunteers faced not only severe cold, but also hunger and fatigue. Due to the long supply lines, many troops often did not have enough to eat and were severely overdrawn. In this case, the body's resistance is greatly reduced, and it is more likely to get frostbite.
Finally, the air superiority of the US military is also an important factor. U.S. planes often bombed and strafed the volunteers, and the volunteers had to act covertly. This meant that they could not make a fire to keep warm, but had to endure the bitter cold.
In such extremely harsh conditions, even the best equipment can not fully resist the invasion of the cold. What's more, many of the equipment of the Volunteer Army was seriously damaged in the battle, and the effect of cold protection was greatly reduced.
There is a story about a company camping in the field, and since it was impossible to make a fire, the soldiers had to huddle together to keep warm. One of the warriors was so cold that he secretly lit a cigarette to warm his fingers. As a result, as soon as he took a sip, he was discovered by the company commander. The company commander immediately reprimanded him and warned the whole company not to light fires so as not to expose the target.
Situations like this can be seen everywhere on the battlefields of Korea. Under the noses of the enemy, the volunteer soldiers could only endure the torture of the bitter cold and did not dare to relax a little.
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All these factors together led to a large number of non-combat attrition in the Battle of Changjin Lake. This was a tragic battle that could be sung and cried, and the officers and men of the volunteer army exchanged their blood and lives for the fruits of victory.