On the Korean battlefield, the life of the volunteer soldiers was not very easy. Relying on the superiority of firepower, the United Nations troops recklessly spread joy on the position, which made the soldiers' teeth itch. However, the higher authorities ordered that they should not shoot at will, so as not to attract artillery fire and lead to unnecessary casualties. At this moment, a deputy company commander named Xu Shizhen saw that the British soldiers on the opposite side were actually peeing and towards our army's position, he couldn't help it anymore, and picked up his rifle to shoot.
Unexpectedly, this shot ignited the anger of the whole line. The soldiers of the Volunteer Army were dispatched one after another, and any moving target on the enemy's position became a target for their shooting. For a time, cold gunfire came and went, and the United Nations forces suffered heavy casualties.
So, how did the soldiers of the Chinese Volunteers shoot accurately? How did they overcome the disadvantage of their equipment and defeat the United Nations Army? What are the little-known stories behind this battle in which the weak defeated the strong?
1. The rise of the sharpshooters of the Volunteer Army
At the beginning of 1952, the Korean battlefield entered the stage of positional warfare. At this time, the Sino-Korean coalition forces and the United Nations forces formed a confrontation posture near the 38th parallel. Both sides are strengthening fortifications and fighting for favorable terrain, and the fighting is becoming more and more intense.
The biggest difficulty faced by the soldiers of the Volunteer Army was the superiority of the firepower of the United Nations Army. The enemy has a large number of heavy artillery, tanks, and aircraft, and it is easy to bomb indiscriminately. In contrast, the weapons and equipment of the volunteer army are very rudimentary. In addition to light and heavy machine guns, mortars and other light weapons, it is the rifle of the infantry company.
In the face of the enemy's fire suppression, the volunteer soldiers could only hide in the tunnel, not daring to show their heads easily. However, the enemy's soldiers, supported by artillery, recklessly moved on the position, and often flaunted their might towards our position. This made the soldiers squatting in the pit look at it in their eyes and hate it in their hearts, and they wanted to rush up and fight the enemy to the death.
At this moment, Xu Shizhen, the deputy company commander of the 40th Army, saw that the British soldiers on the opposite side were even more presumptuous, and actually peed and shit in front of our army, which was a naked provocation. Xu Shizhen is a short-tempered man, and he usually kicks three times when he walks with a stone that stands in his way. This time, he couldn't bear it any longer, ignoring the orders of his superiors, he picked up a Soviet-made "water plus beads" rifle, crackled and strafed, and killed seven British soldiers on the spot.
This shot didn't matter, it directly ignited the anger of the whole line. It turned out that the soldiers of the Volunteer Army had long seen that the British and American troops were rampant and domineering, and they had endured it and did not fight back, just for fear of attracting enemy fire. But Xu Shizhen's actions inadvertently hit everyone's pain points, and everyone couldn't hold back any longer, so they picked up their guns one after another, aiming at the active target on the enemy's position was a fierce shot.
After the superiors learned about it, they also acquiesced to Xu Shizhen's approach. First, everyone has been holding grievances for a long time, and it is impossible not to vent them; second, after all, it is impossible for the enemy to cover every position with artillery fire, and our troops should fight back. As a result, the Volunteer Army began to organize excellent shooters on the whole front to specifically hit targets exposed by the enemy, which is known as "cold shooting" in history.
Although the volunteers do not have advanced sights, they have a pair of good eyes and hard work. The soldiers usually practice their marksmanship hard, and hitting beer bottles from a distance of 100 meters is the basic skill. Many veterans are even more experienced in battles, and their marksmanship is superb. When the army selects sharpshooters, it mainly looks at the head and eyesight, and recruits can quickly become sharpshooters as long as they are willing to practice.
For a time, sharpshooters appeared in large numbers on the positions of the volunteers, and the record of cold guns skyrocketed. The 12th Army alone destroyed more than 2,500 enemies in 3 months, and only 11 of its own casualties. The most famous sharpshooter was Zhang Taofang, who killed and wounded 211 enemies in just one month, setting a record for the army's record.
In addition to the infantry company, the logistics staff were also eager to try. Pang Zilong, a cook of the 68th Army, once delivered food to the forward position, and when he saw the soldiers firing cold guns, he couldn't hold back, so he put down his flat shoulder and picked up his rifle. With his excellent marksmanship, he took out two enemies at once. Since then, Pang Zilong has also become a sharpshooter, destroying 54 enemies in 3 months, and has made great achievements.
In this way, under the accurate shooting of the volunteer soldiers, hundreds of United Nations soldiers were beaten to the ground, and they no longer dared to show their heads at will. The British and American troops, who were originally arrogant, suddenly became like turtles with shrunken heads, and they could only shrink into the fortifications, and they did not dare to come out to spread the wilderness.
2. The record of the sharpshooters of the Volunteer Army
On the Korean battlefield, the volunteer sharpshooters created one jaw-dropping record after another. With ordinary rifles, they were able to accurately hit the enemy from a distance of several hundred meters, inflicting heavy casualties on the United Nations forces.
Among them, the most famous sharpshooter is Zhang Taofang. This young man from a poor peasant background became famous on the Korean battlefield. In just one month, he killed and wounded 211 enemies, setting a record for the number of enemies killed by individual volunteers.
Zhang Taofang's class has an even more amazing record. They eliminated 760 enemies in three months, which was equivalent to the annihilation of a reinforced battalion. Moreover, this squad sacrificed only one soldier, which can be said to have achieved the greatest results at the lowest cost.
Zhang Taofang's marksmanship was so accurate that even his army commander Pi Dingjun couldn't believe it. Once, Pi Dingjun made a special trip to the front line to witness Zhang Taofang's magical marksmanship. At this time, two American soldiers quarreled on the position, and they forgot to dodge and ran outside the fortifications.
Zhang Taofang saw the opportunity and said to Pi Dingjun: "I'll persuade them." After speaking, he picked up his rifle and only heard two "bangs", and the two American soldiers fell to the ground and never got up again. Pi Dingjun was dumbfounded, and then he believed that Zhang Taofang's marksmanship really lived up to his reputation.
In addition to Zhang Taofang, a large number of sharpshooters also emerged in the Volunteer Army. The 12th Army alone destroyed more than 2,500 enemies in three months, while only 11 of its own were killed. This means that on average, a volunteer killed in battle eliminated more than 200 enemies, which can be described as one hundred.
The reason why the marksmanship of the volunteer sharpshooters is so accurate is not only the hard kung fu they practiced, but also their excellent eyesight. Most of the warriors were peasants, who grew up in the mountains and fields, and had particularly good eyes. Coupled with long-term training, it is not difficult to hit the enemy from a distance of 100 meters.
Moreover, the Volunteer Army was extremely strict in counting the results of the battle. To kill an enemy, two witnesses must be witnessed, and the killed enemy must lie on the ground for at least 15 minutes without moving. Therefore, the record of the sharpshooters of the Volunteer Army is real and has no water.
The most famous record of the Volunteer Army's sharpshooters is the performance on the 537.7 highland position in Shangganling. This position was particularly conducive to sniping because it was too close to the enemy. The Volunteer sharpshooters almost turned this place into a "sniper's paradise", and the slightest movement of the enemy would kill them.
The United Nations forces gave Shangganling a name called "Sniper Ridge", hated it to the core, and vowed to capture it. But even in the famous Battle of Shangganling, the United Nations forces were dispatched, and after paying a heavy price, they failed to take this position, and finally had to retreat gloomily.
The Shangganling position has become a witness to the prestige of the sharpshooters of the Volunteer Army, and has also become a legend in the history of sniper warfare. According to statistics, in the battle of Shangganling alone, the sharpshooters of the Volunteer Army annihilated more than 3,000 enemies, creating a miracle in the history of sniper warfare in the world.
And although the U.S. military also has snipers, its performance on the Korean battlefield is very mediocre. Most of them are carefully selected, specially trained, and there are not many of them. And the sharpshooters of the Volunteer Army are almost all over the army, and their quantity and quality far exceed those of the US army.
Therefore, on the Korean battlefield, whenever there is a sniper battle, the US military is often at a disadvantage. They could only learn from the volunteers, huddled in the trenches, and did not dare to show their heads easily, for fear of becoming a living target of the volunteers.
3. Cold artillery tactics of the artillery of the Volunteer Army
While the infantry of the Volunteer Army was in full swing with cold guns, the artillerymen could not hold back and were eager to try. They decided to learn from the experience of the infantry and also come to fight a dozen "cold cannons".
The so-called "cold artillery" means that the enemy does not wait for the enemy to fire first, but takes the initiative to attack, giving the enemy a lightning momentum. This tactic requires a high level of skill and courage on the part of artillerymen, as well as resourcefulness.
After some exploration, the artillery of the Volunteer Army summed up a set of effective cold artillery tactics. First, they will send several mortars and covertly lay ambushes in forward positions. As soon as it is discovered that the enemy has more than three people gathered together, they immediately open fire and strive for a single shot.
The key to this style of play is to be quick and settle the fight before the enemy reacts. Because once the artillery is fired, it is equivalent to revealing one's position, and the enemy's heavy artillery will soon return fire. Therefore, fighting cold artillery is the same as fighting guerrillas, and you will run away when you fight, and you will never love war.
With this tactic, the artillery of the Volunteer Army received very good results. They often killed and wounded several enemies with a single shot, causing considerable casualties to the United Nations forces. Moreover, due to the accuracy of the firepower, which came and went like the wind, the enemy's return artillery fire often failed, and all the "empty artillery positions" of the volunteers were hit.
In addition to mortars, the recoilless guns of the Volunteer Army also took an active part in cold artillery battles. They found that the enemy, in order to avoid the cold guns, often cowered in the fortifications and did not come out. This gave the recoilless gun an opportunity.
Recoilless guns are especially suitable for attacking stationary targets due to their large caliber and strong destructive power. The recoilless gunners of the Volunteer Army looked for the fire points of the enemy's fortifications and fired back at every opportunity. Often, when a single shot was fired, the enemy's fortifications were torn off, and the people inside were blown upside down.
This can provoke the United Nations troops, they find that it is not safe to hide in the fortifications, and if they are not careful, they will be taken away by the recoilless guns of the volunteers. In desperation, they also learned from the volunteer army and began to dig tunnels and burrows in the ground.
But after all, the volunteers are veterans of digging tunnels, often dozens of meters deep, criss-crossed, like a maze. The U.S. military, on the other hand, often cut corners, did not have enough depth, and showed their feet from time to time. As a result, they became the target of the artillery of the Volunteer Army, and as soon as the cannon passed, they were blown up.
The US troops were frightened, and gradually did not dare to act rashly, like a turtle with a shrunken head, they could only shrink their heads in their shells. One by one, the soldiers huddled in the narrow tunnels, unable to eat and taste, as if they were in prison, and they had long lost the mind of fighting, and just wanted to rotate back to the rear as soon as possible.
The cold artillery tactics of the Volunteer Army achieved great success. In two months alone, the 37th Army destroyed 134 enemy pillboxes and 96 firing points, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. However, the casualties of the volunteers themselves were minimal, which fully demonstrated the power of artillery.
The United Nations Army originally thought that in this positional war, as long as they occupied favorable terrain, held their positions, and relied on their strong firepower superiority, they could consume the volunteers. Unexpectedly, the volunteers not only repeatedly gained the upper hand in infantry battles, but also played new tricks in artillery battles, which caught them off guard.
Originally, the artillery of the Volunteer Army was far inferior to the United Nations Army in terms of quantity and quality. However, with their flexible tactics and brave fighting spirit, they managed to win back a city and emerge on the battlefield. Cold artillery tactics have also become a major magic weapon of the artillery of the Volunteer Army, and have made great contributions to the final victory of the war.
Fourth, the significance of the cold gun and cold gun movement
Although the Cold Gun and Cold Artillery Campaign launched by the Volunteers on the Korean battlefield lasted only a few months, it achieved amazing results. According to statistics, from January to April 1952 alone, the whole army destroyed more than 13,600 enemies, which is equivalent to the elimination of the strength of one division. The casualties of the volunteers themselves were only 1 500 percent of the enemy's.
Such a disparity in results fully demonstrated the tremendous power of the cold gun and cold cannon movement. It not only dealt a great blow to the arrogance of the United Nations forces, but also reversed the situation of confrontation on the battlefield at that time, laying the foundation for the final victory in the war.
You must know that before the start of the Cold Gun and Cold Gun Movement, the Volunteer Army could be said to be at a disadvantage. Due to the gap in armament, especially in artillery, the Volunteer Army was at an absolute disadvantage. The enemy can mobilize a large number of heavy artillery at will to cover the positions of the volunteers, while the volunteers can only hide in the tunnels and be beaten passively.
In this case, it will be difficult to regain the initiative from the enemy without unconventional tactics. The development of the cold-gun and cold-gun campaign precisely grasped the enemy's weakness and took advantage of their characteristics of arrogance and complacency to give them a head-on blow.
Sharpshooters and artillerymen, like ghosts, haunt the vicinity of enemy positions, and if the enemy has the slightest flaw, they will be immediately sniped and shelled. Over time, the United Nations troops became like frightened birds, and they no longer dared to show their heads at will, so they could only stay in the fortifications honestly, and never had the idea of taking the initiative to attack.
More importantly, the Cold Gun and Cold Artillery Movement greatly boosted the morale of the officers and men of the Chinese People's Volunteers. They saw that by using their ingenuity, they could defeat the strong with the weak and defeat the powerful enemy. No matter how rudimentary the weapon in your hand is, you can still create an impressive record.
This morale boost was crucial for the volunteers to win the war in the end. After all, when the equipment and technology were at a disadvantage, the volunteers were able to win the war by indomitable courage and the belief that the revolution would win. The Cold Gun and Cold Gun Movement is a concentrated embodiment of this spirit.
In addition, the Cold Gun Cold Gun Movement also left a valuable military legacy for future generations. It has created a new way of warfare, giving full play to people's subjective initiative and greatly unleashing the creativity of soldiers. This mode of warfare has also been widely used in some other local wars and has produced very good results.
For example, in the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese People's Army used a lot of sniper tactics, causing heavy casualties to the US military. Although the U.S. military has the advantage in weapons and equipment, under the restrictions of jungle terrain, these advantages are difficult to play, and instead become a live target for snipers. According to statistics, of the 58,000 U.S. troops killed in the Vietnam War, at least 40,000 died from snipers.
It can be seen from this that the Cold Gun and Cold Gun Movement was by no means a flash in the pan, but a revolutionary initiative with far-reaching influence. It not only made great contributions to the victory of the Korean War, but also provided valuable experience and inspiration for later generations of military strategists. This campaign is destined to go down in history as a monument in the history of modern warfare.