This war, which lasted for three years, witnessed the yellow flowers and siads of countless young lives. As soon as New China was born, the officers and men of the Chinese Volunteers had no choice but to pick up steel guns and gallop to the aid of the Korean brothers in resisting US aggression. In the smoke of the war, the number of casualties on both sides continued to rise, but the real situation of the year was shrouded in mystery. It was not until after the reform and opening up that a corner of this tragic history was finally opened. But why is the number of casualties increasing as they are announced? What's the story behind the numbers? Let's go back to the roots and get a glimpse of this precious history.
1. The two armies suffered in the smoke of war
On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began. The Korean Peninsula was plunged into a tragic state of artillery fire, and blood stained the blue waters of the Han River.
The North Korean People's Army launched an offensive against South Korea with the aim of overthrowing the Syngman Rhee regime and achieving Korean reunification. This move aroused strong dissatisfaction in the United States, which quickly formed a "United Nations Force" and ordered the air force and navy to launch a fierce attack on the DPRK. In just 3 days, Pyongyang was bombed beyond recognition.
In the face of the armed intervention of the United States, the Chinese government decided to send troops to help North Korea. In October 1950, the Chinese People's Volunteers marched to the Korean battlefield, and the first batch of troops had 120,000 troops overwhelming.
The armies of both sides are caught in a back-and-forth street fight. Cities on the Korean Peninsula were shattered by artillery fire, and the fields were littered with stumps and broken arms. The U.S. military relied on aviation and artillery superiority, while the volunteers relied on death squads and ambush tactics to stubbornly counterattack.
According to incomplete statistics, the number of troops on both sides of this war is as high as 3.5 million. A military conflict of this magnitude is bound to cause heavy casualties. However, due to the chaos of the fighting, neither side was able to accurately grasp the exact number of losses of the other side.
The tragic situation on the battlefield can be glimpsed from the personal experience of a veteran. Mr. Zhang, who was 87 years old at the time and was a member of the Volunteer Army, recalled: "When our company entered North Korea, there were 216 people, and two months later there were only 73 people left. Many comrades-in-arms were shot and killed in front of their eyes, and often woke up to find that their sleeping companions had passed away forever. ＂
In the face of a brutal and merciless war, troops on both sides suffered unimaginable heavy losses. It doesn't matter who wins or loses, but unfortunately, why did those young lives fall? The Chinese and North Korean armies fought bloodily in the flames of war and wrote an immortal epic with blood.
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was inconvenient to disclose the casualties
After the end of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, neither side could accurately grasp the casualties of the other side. The United States released an exaggerated figure, but the Chinese government remained silent.
At that time, New China had just passed through the era of civil war and was in a critical period of consolidating its political power and rebuilding its homeland. Against this backdrop, the disclosure of war casualty figures will undoubtedly trigger a storm that will shake public opinion.
In order to prevent the enemy from taking the opportunity to show off its combat strength and propagate ideological turmoil, the Chinese government decided not to publish the casualties of the volunteers for the time being. But the military has a detailed statistical record of this.
In 1950, when the Chinese People's Volunteers went to the Korean battlefield, the basic information of each officer and soldier was recorded in detail. On the battlefield, each division and regiment would report the attrition figures in a timely manner, thus forming a complete list of war casualties.
Therefore, although the outside world has different opinions about the number of losses of the volunteers, the military knows this. It's just that due to political considerations at the time, it is not appropriate to make it public for the time being.
The U.S. military, by contrast, concocted a horrific casualty figure, publicly claiming that 920,000 Chinese soldiers had been killed or wounded on North Korean positions, including 300,000 dead.
These figures are undoubtedly exaggerated, and the purpose is to boast about the great combat power of the US military and to present itself as the winner of the Korean War. But in fact, both sides were unable to achieve a complete victory on the North Korean positions from beginning to end.
Therefore, the Chinese government has aroused strong dissatisfaction with the casualty data released by the US military, and has decided not to disclose the truth for the time being, so as not to cause unnecessary public opinion confusion and internal turmoil.
This is also the main reason why the casualty figures of the Volunteer Army were kept highly secret. It was not until 30 years later, during the period of reform and opening up, that the truth was finally revealed to the world.
III. Testimonies of two veterans
Time flies, and 70 years have passed since the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. Today, most of the veterans of that war are old and old, but their memories of those tragic years are still vivid.
The old man Zhang Guofu is one of them. In 1950, at the age of 24, he bid farewell to his wife and children and went to the Korean battlefield as a volunteer soldier. Three years later, when he returned to the garden, he was as thin as wood and his dark skin was covered with scars.
"One of our companies entered North Korea with 216 men, and two months later there were only 73 left. Zhang Lao recalled, "Many comrades-in-arms were shot and killed in front of their eyes, and they often woke up to find that their sleeping companions had passed away forever." ＂
The most sad thing for Zhang Lao was that his wife died of illness shortly after his return, and he was unable to reunite with him. "When she heard the news of my death, she was overwhelmed with grief and depleted herself. Mr. Zhang said that although he eventually missed out on his wife, the image of his wife has always inspired him to forge ahead in the midst of war.
Another veteran, Li Genrong, experienced the experience of being captured. In a fierce battle in 1952, he was captured by the American army and subjected to all kinds of abuse and humiliation.
"They trapped us in barbed wire and let the hot sun shine in the sun. 83-year-old Li Lao said tremblingly, "Drinking water and eating are restricted, and if you resist a little, you will be beaten." ＂
The most difficult thing for Li Lao to let go of was that once they were prevented by the US military from blocking the sun. A prisoner of war who was thirsting for shade tried to cover himself with a military cap, but was spotted by the US military guarding and smashed him on the head with the butt of a rifle, and he is still unconscious.
"We were treated like beasts, they didn't treat us like human beings at all. Li Lao said angrily that those days were like nightmares reappearing, reminding them of the tragic situation all the time.
Through the narration of the two veterans, we may only get a glimpse of the cruelty of war. But that is enough for us to realize how much blood and sweat the soldiers on both sides have exhausted and how much heavy price they have paid on the battlefield filled with gunpowder. This epic war condenses the blood and tears of too many young lives, making people sigh.
Fourth, the truth is revealed, and the tragedy is beyond imagination
Decades passed, and it was not until the tide of reform and opening up came that the truth of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea finally surfaced.
In the early 80s of the last century, with the reopening of the country, the Chinese government began to disclose the casualties of the volunteers on the Korean battlefield that year. This move is undoubtedly to restore justice to the truth.
The first to be released were the statistics provided by the headquarters of the Volunteer Army for Aid to Korea that year. According to this statistic, called "pure attrition," our army suffered a total of 360,000 casualties in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
Still, the military does not fully endorse this figure. The reason for this was that the battlefield environment was harsh in those years, and there were indeed omissions in the statistical work. In order to calculate the number of casualties more accurately, the health department decided to conduct a secondary statistical verification through hospital admission data and death reports.
After a difficult investigation, a more credible list of casualties was finally obtained: a total of 114,000 people were killed in battles and accidents on the Korean battlefield, 383,000 were wounded, and another 25,621 people were missing. Together with the number of deaths in the later treatment, the total number of casualties of the volunteers on the Korean positions was as high as 149,000.
This figure is much higher than the initial estimate of 360,000. It can be seen from this that the bloody and tragic extent on the Korean battlefield has exceeded everyone's imagination.
The 920,000 casualty figures released by the US side that year were even more suspected of exaggeration and aimed at boasting about the combat effectiveness of the US military.
The Chinese people are deeply saddened by the tremendous sacrifices made by the volunteers. In order to keep the glorious history forever, in 1993, the Memorial Hall to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Dandong, Liaoning Province came into being.
In the memorial hall, a large number of physical materials and the names of many sacrificed soldiers are displayed. In order to engrave the names of all the fallen heroes into the heroic spirit for eternity, the memorial hall organized personnel to conduct a comprehensive verification of casualties across the country for half a year, and finally counted the names of more than 180,000 sacrificed soldiers.
Such a huge number of sacrifices is staggering. This was not only the bloodiest battle in the early period of the founding of New China, but also the most singable and weeping feat of all mankind in resisting aggression and defending peace.
5. Never forget, the alarm bell rings
In the decades since the end of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the Chinese people have never forgotten those heroes who sacrificed their lives for peace.
In order to forever remember their exploits, a memorial hall was built in Dandong City, Liaoning Province. This memorial hall, which covers an area of more than 10,000 square meters, has witnessed the history of that cruel war.
The memorial hall displays a large number of precious objects, including the last letter from the pen, the blood-stained steel helmet dug up in the trenches, and the few remaining bullets that were found. Each exhibit condenses the hardships of the beacon years.
The most touching thing is the relief of the towering façade. It is engraved with the names of more than 180,000 fallen soldiers, and their names will be engraved on this memorial hall forever.
In order to outline the story behind each name, the staff of the memorial traveled across the country to visit the relatives of these heroes. They amassed a wealth of valuable manuscripts, photographs, and biographical information.
There is a young soldier named Zhang Zhenhai, who once told the story of his tenacious killing of the enemy on the Korean battlefield in a letter to his family. Unexpectedly, the day after the family letter was completed, Zhang Zhenhai was killed in the artillery fire.
There was also a veteran named Wang Gentian, who was unfortunately captured in North Korea and severely tortured by the US military. Despite his physical and mental exhaustion, he escaped alive and continued to report the safety of his country.
These vivid historical materials make people's blood boil, and they are extremely admired for those heroes who sacrificed their lives. They forged peace with their lives and defended their homeland with their blood.
In addition to the physical exhibition, a large number of visitors come to the memorial hall every day. Among them are many veterans and descendants who experienced the war in those years. With great reverence, everyone listened to the narrator's vivid story of the war.
Walking through the Memorial Hall to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, people have a deeper understanding of the preciousness of peace and the cruelty of war. This memorial hall is not only a monument to the heroes forever, but also an eternal bell to warn future generations to cherish peace and oppose war.
It reminds the world how hard-won peace is, and adhering to the path of peaceful development is the eternal and persistent pursuit of the Chinese nation. Only by bearing in mind the lessons of history and easing the contradictions between countries can we avoid the recurrence of tragedies and promote the cause of peace and progress for mankind.