In October 1949, the Chinese People's Liberation Army crossed the Taiwan Strait and liberated Kinmen Island at a critical moment. As the last reinforcements set foot on the island, a bloody battle begins. In the rain of bullets, the shouts of the soldiers were constantly heard from the intercom, and they defended the reunification of the motherland with their lives. The battle was extremely fierce, and the commanders and fighters stomped their feet and wept, but they could not cross the sea to reinforce them. In the end, under the heavy encirclement of the enemy troops, our officers and soldiers died heroically. Before parting, the last "Farewell, chief" came from the intercom, which brought tears to people's eyes. Although this battle was lost, how much blood of revolutionaries was condensed? How many moving scenes remain in unveiling this period of history?
1. The People's Liberation Army set foot on Kinmen and swore to recapture the homeland
On October 25, 1949, only three weeks after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the smoke of war had not yet dissipated. On the shore of Xiamen, 9,000 officers and men of the 28th Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army unsheathed their guns and knives, and with the determination to recapture their homeland in Kinmen, boarded a warship and sailed to Kinmen Island.
After more than two years of arduous liberation war, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has conquered Xiamen, an important city on the southeast coast, and Kinmen Island is only 7 kilometers away from the mainland, becoming the last stubborn disease of reunification. The 28th Army was originally a veteran unit of the Eighth Route Army, which had repeatedly performed miraculous feats in the East China Battlefield, and was especially known for its tenacity and good defense. The teams that participated in the three major battles had already been strong and regarded the Battle of Kinmen as the final decisive battle.
In the middle of the night, a wave has already hugged the boat, looking at the beacon fire of Kinmen on the other side, the veterans in the team have fought countless battles, and the future generations are also high-spirited. The commanders and fighters were full of confidence and only hoped that they would be able to go to the island as soon as possible and build the cornerstone of the motherland's reunification after the bloody storm.
The fleet sailed through the turbulent seas, accompanied by strong winds along the way. The drivers surveyed the position and moved forward steadily, and the fierce wind and waves could not stop the iron and bloody spirit of the People's Liberation Army. In the hazy night, waves swelled in the Taiwan Strait, and the hull of the ship was slightly bumpy, but it could not wipe out the pride in the hearts of the officers and men.
Darkness shrouded the sailing fleet, and the enemy's sea posts under cover did not detect it for a while. For a moment, it was as if dark clouds had obscured the smoke of gunpowder with the smell of fuel, leaving only the dull rumble of heavy artillery. However, such tranquility was quickly disrupted by the enemy.
A mine detonated on Kinmen Island, and the patrolling enemy forces finally discovered the whereabouts of the PLA. The commander immediately ordered the change to a strong attack, and the vanguard troops quickly landed on the shore. The sound of guns and cannons exploded in the silent night sky, and the situation was extremely critical, and the battle to conquer Kinmen began!
The enemy spotted a sneak attack and heavy artillery fire swept across the sea
Just as the vanguard approached the north bank of Kinmen, the attempt to sneak attack was detected by Chiang's army. A soldier of the 201st Division of the Youth Army stationed on Kinmen Island accidentally triggered a mine, alarming the sentries on the island. They immediately turned on their searchlights and fired at the sea, revealing the boats in the light.
After the sneak attack plan was discovered, the PLA command immediately ordered it to be changed to a forcible attack. Under the cover of fire, the forward flotilla quickly moved towards the shore, and the hull of the ship was constantly hit in the rain of bullets, but the officers and men were not moved at all and still moved forward bravely.
When Chiang's army discovered the attacking troops, they immediately launched a fierce fire counterattack. The island's heavy artillery and machine guns bombarded indiscriminately, and countless tongues of fire fired in the direction of the fleet. The ships that followed continued to advance bravely under artillery fire and gunfire.
Despite the extremely fierce firepower of Chiang's army, the vanguard units of the first echelon still carried forward the heroic style tempered during the revolutionary war years, and bravely rushed to the beach and landed on the beach regardless of casualties. The wounded fighters struggled through the windbreak grass on the shore.
Liu Tianxiang, the commander of the main attack regiment, ordered "cover the boatmen!" Many warriors used their bodies to shield the boatmen from enemy bullets, and many gave their precious lives in this way. Others jumped into the sea in the midst of a hail of bullets using floating objects such as tripods prepared in advance, and some were swept back by the waves just after landing, but they still tried their best to move forward again.
For a time, the sound of guns and artillery was deafening, and the shouts, fights, and screams of the commanders and fighters came and went, and the sound of the gongs commanding the landing of our army played a miserable song of death.
The landing force was suppressed by the fire of Chiang's strong pillboxes at the beachhead, and the main attack regiment was firmly pinned to the beachhead and could not advance. There are also warriors wrapped in grenades and explosives bags, and they charge the bunker one after another, and groups of strong men explode their bodies next to the bunker first, and die together with the bunker.
At this extremely critical moment, the voice of crying for help was constantly heard on the intercom between Kinmen and Taiwan: "The other side has attacked, and the artillery fire is very fierce!" The fortifications were crushed and the casualties were heavy!" It's already broken! Hurry up for reinforcements!" Hold your breath and resist resolutely!"" As soon as the morning dawns, the Air Force will be dispatched!"
In the face of the monstrous smoke of gunpowder and the iron-blooded contest, the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army were unswerving and regarded death as home. And at this time, the critical moment that decided the Battle of Kinmen and the liberation of Taiwan arrived.
3. Bitter fighting on a hellish island
Although the main force had landed on Kinmen Island, the ensuing battle was even more brutal and tragic. The two sides are locked in a protracted hellish bitter battle.
The terrain on the island is complex, with steep mountain roads and dense forests, and villages scattered all over the place. PLA officers and soldiers had to fight hard in such an environment. Relying on the advantage of being familiar with the terrain, Chiang's army set up strong positions in various villages and ambushed our army.
The two sides started a life-and-death white-knuckle fight, and gunsmoke and bullet marks could be seen everywhere. Chiang's heavy artillery fire and rifle bullets swept in all directions, turning the small island of Kinmen into a murderous and bloody battlefield.
Our army ran out of ammunition and food, and the soldiers suffered a lot. Some can only eat the bark fruit, but everyone still grits their teeth and swears not to retreat. Chiang's army began to set fire to the villages, and all the brutal methods were used. There were many revolutionary martyrs in the ranks who did not bow to the enemy until their deaths when their villages were ruthlessly attacked and harassed.
As time went on, our army gradually fell into a desperate situation. Chiang's army was much more numerous than ours, and they began to attack from the sea. Mudslides scattered on the island and trees were blown off. Innocent wounded were attacked, and blood stained the waters of Kinmen.
In a nearby village, a young warrior strapped to a grenade strapped to his body lunged towards the enemy's position, and finally died with the enemy. This is the end of many young warriors, and the courage to see death as if it were home is touching.
Soon, a loud bang was heard, and it was Chiang's heavy artillery firing on the hill in the distance. A few seconds later, a grenade hit a hillside not far from the stronghold of our troops, blowing up an old tree. Branches and dirt were splattered everywhere, a mess. An old soldier next to him was immediately shot in the head and died.
Seeing that the situation was deteriorating, our army sent two additional regiments from the sea to reinforce it. These experienced warriors quickly slaughtered to the island and entered the battle circle with a devastating spirit. At the same time, Chiang's artillery fire began to attack our ships indiscriminately. The ships that came to reinforce the troops capsized in the artillery fire, and regrettably, many of the wounded were swept away by the waves while escaping, unable to recover.
The desperate struggle between the two sides intensified, and round after round of bloody wind raged on this small island. The fighting has intensified, both sides have paid a heavy price, and the Battle of Kinmen has entered its most brutal stage.
Fourth, the regimental commander was not afraid of danger, and prepared the corpse to kill the enemy
The Battle of Kinmen reached this stage, with heavy casualties on both sides. Although our army has received reinforcements, the situation is still very critical, and it may be completely surrounded and annihilated by the enemy at any time.
At this critical juncture, Wang Shitai, the commander of the main regiment, was not afraid of danger and fought to the death to enter the enemy formation. Commander Wang was originally from the New Fourth Army, experienced difficult war experience, and bravely killed the enemy in the Southern Anhui Incident and made great achievements. Although he is over half a hundred years old this year, he is still brave and good at fighting.
Commander Wang personally led a group of soldiers from the jungle to the enemy's flank, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Although they were frantically strafed by the enemy on the way, and many people were killed, they still swore to move forward and never gave up halfway.
At this moment, the commander of the second battalion of the enemy army received the report, and was taken aback and hurriedly mobilized all his forces to concentrate on the defense in the camp. Our army's onslaught is imminent, and it looks like our army is about to break through the camp! At this time, the enemy's remaining heavy artillery also continued to fire at Commander Wang's troops, and the situation was extremely critical.
Looking from the enemy camp, there was smoke of gunfire, guns and cannons, and a few wild wolves howling not far away, quite a terrible atmosphere. At this critical moment, Regiment Commander Wang faced the call from his heart and said sharply to the guards beside him: "Even if I die in the army, I will never bow to the enemy!" You all step down, and I'll go and fight with them alone!"
Commander Wang immediately picked up the bayonet in his hand, raised his head to the sky, and raised the knife high, as if the hand holding the knife was about to crush the handle. Then he turned his back to the barracks and rushed towards the enemy like a kite with a broken string.
Seeing this, the guard hurriedly grabbed him, and he struggled and shouted: "Retreat!" Evacuate to a safe place! Let me die alone!" Commander Wang broke free of his hand with all his might, and with the determination to die, he broke into the rain of bullets.
At this moment, an enemy heavy sniper shell came and hit Commander Wang's left leg, and his leg bone was instantly shattered. But this blow failed to knock him down, and Commander Wang only stumbled a few steps, and then immediately got up and continued to rush towards the enemy formation. This scene was seen by the soldiers of our army from afar, and they all stood in awe and sighed.
Soon, Commander Wang passed through the rain of bullets and rushed into the enemy barracks. When he saw that he was about to be surrounded by the enemy, he jerked out his spare grenade from his waist and smashed them in all directions with the last of his strength......
In this battle, although Regiment Commander Wang was killed, his heroic sacrifice feats burst out of life for our army, gave our army a chance to breathe, and saved the crisis of being completely annihilated. Under the inspiration of Commander Wang, a group of fierce generals also entered the battlefield and launched a Jedi counterattack on the island......
5. Defeat and evacuation, mourning and farewell to the chief
Inspired by the heroic feat of Commander Wang, other soldiers of our army also bravely entered the battlefield and launched a Jedi counterattack on the island. The two sides fought to the death, and blood congealed in every inch of the land.
However, at this moment, a heavy news came - the logistical supply lines of our army were cut off by the enemy, ammunition and food could not be delivered, and we had to evacuate Kinmen. When the commanders and fighters heard this order, they all sighed and stomped their feet and wept. The gains they had won with their blood and lives were thus burned. But in the face of the helpless reality, I can only reluctantly give up.
Soon, the command gave the final order to evacuate Kinmen. Our troops began to retreat in an orderly manner, covering the landing of the fleet in advance and allowing reinforcements to board the ships. Groups of warriors moved to the sea to receive fire cover.
This process was extremely difficult, and our troops had to withstand the heavy fire of the enemy. Countless soldiers were thus killed during the evacuation, and blood stained the sands of Kinmen red. One of the commanders and fighters was suddenly attacked while moving towards the sea, and he quickly collapsed on the shallows and crawled forward. Seeing that there was a chance to survive, who knew that at this moment, a grenade exploded next to him, and he died instantly.
The evacuated troops were attacked by enemy snipers on the sea, and the ships were shot one after another, not even the shooters. Our officers and men can only make their way forward under limited cover, using their lives to make way for others. Once again, logistical supply lines were cut off, and the entire evacuation operation was paralyzed.
The entire Kinmen battlefield was plunged into chaos, supplies were not continued, and order was lost. A large number of fighters broke through and evacuated, but there were also some lone soldiers trapped on the island. An isolated commander and fighter scrambled to the bottom of a cliff and dodged a burst of enemy fire. He shivered and lit a cigarette, and as soon as he took two puffs, he was hit by a bullet and rolled off the edge of a cliff and fell into a deep stream.
At this extremely critical moment, the walkie-talkie between Kinmen and Taiwan rang again, and the last call was heard: "All reinforcements have been withdrawn, farewell to the chief!" These were the last words spoken by one of the commanders, and then the current was cut off.
Faced with the cruel reality, our army can only watch the loss of Kinmen. Although this battle ended in defeat, who would have thought that in order to liberate Taiwan, we would pay such a heavy price? Soon, the Battle of Kinmen became a tragic piece of history that will always be remembered.