Why Dengbu Island did not become the "second in Kinmen", the key is that the division commander has a back hand and dares to be responsible. On November 3, 1949, on the mouth of the mountain on the edge of the leech port on Taohua Island on the front line of Zhoushan, a young man was staring at Dengbu Island in the distance. He is Hu Wei, commander of the 61st Division of the People's Liberation Army, and he is only 30 years old. Under the cover of night, ships shuttled back and forth on the sea, carrying officers and men who were about to launch landing operations. Hu Wei's expression was solemn, and his heart was full of thoughts - how will this battle develop? Will you be able to complete the task successfully?
[The bumpy road of the 61st Division]
Back then, the 61st Division had great achievements. Liberate Hangzhou, Shaoxing, and Xikou, and do everything beautifully. But who knows, then he was kicked around like a ball. One moment to this army, and the other to that army, which made everyone dizzy.
With such a toss, how can there be time to prepare for the sea crossing battle? Besides, how have the warriors from the north ever seen such a big sea? Even if you have seen the Yellow River, it can't be compared with this vast ocean. But the superiors just didn't care about this, and they urged them to fight quickly.
【Chiang Kai-shek's Island Chess Game】
Lao Jiang. This old fox is shrewd, and has already thought of a way out. As soon as Shanghai was lost, he slipped away to his hometown in Xikou to hide. When the People's Liberation Army chased him to Zhejiang, he hurried to the Zhoushan Islands.
What was his idea? Isn't it just relying on these islands, plus a few broken ships and planes, that you want to spend time with the PLA. But isn't it, after the Battle of Ningxiang, the People's Liberation Army didn't capture many prisoners, and it turned out that Lao Jiang was transferred in advance.
【Battle of Dengbu Island】
When the 61st Division received the order to hit Dengbu Island, they were dumbfounded. What kind of war is this, it's like chasing ducks to the shelves! There are not enough ships, people are not familiar, and the enemy situation is not clear, how can there be such a war?
Master Hu Wei didn't know the bottom of his heart, but his superiors urged him, and he had no choice but to bite the bullet. Fortunately, this young man's brain turned quickly, and he hurriedly organized a surprise training for everyone. What swimming, rowing, all hurry up and learn. That's it, it's a little bit like that.
【Thrilling landing night】
On the night of November 3, the landing force finally departed. More than 100 small boats, loaded with more than 1,000 soldiers, staggered towards Dengbu Island.
Who knew that as soon as they reached the shore, the enemy found out. The rattling of bullets made the water surface full of splashes, which frightened many soldiers. Even more unfortunate was that the wind suddenly changed direction, and the boats were blown to the side.
It's a good thing, the first batch of landings is only more than 1,000 people, and the reinforcements behind can't come at all. These more than 1,000 people are hanging, fighting alone, how long can they last?
【Bloody Battle Dengbu Island】
The landing force is also hard enough. With such a few people, he was stunned to lay down several hills on the island. But the enemy is not a vegetarian either, and he reacted quickly.
Early the next morning, enemy reinforcements arrived. Not only infantry, but also aircraft artillery. There was a fierce bombardment from the sky and the ground, and the landing force was beaten to hide.
But our fighters are not easy to bully. There was no food, no drink, no fortifications, and just a bunker piled up with stones and enemy corpses, and it was hard to withstand the enemy's attacks again and again.
There is an instructor named Wei Guomin, who is even more remarkable. There were only 47 people left in his battalion, but he was stunned to take these 47 people and hold the position. The corpses of the enemy were piled up in front of the position, but they could not rush through.
【Desperate Retreat】
By 5 November, the situation was critical. The enemy is getting more and more reinforcements, and our side is fighting less and less. If we continue to fight like this, I'm afraid we will be wiped out.
Master Hu Wei is not a person who gives up lightly. But at this time, he also had to make a difficult decision - to retreat.
It was an easy decision. Retreat can easily be called deserters, but if they don't, these warriors will really have to be accounted for here. Hu Wei gritted his teeth and decided to take this responsibility for the soldiers.
Retreat is not so easy. The enemy is right under the nose, and the slightest movement will be discovered. Hu Wei thought of a way to let some brave warriors stay and feint to cover the retreat of the large army.
In this way, under the cover of night, the landing force began to quietly retreat. The enemy thought that the PLA was going to attack again, so he was so frightened that he cowered in the fortifications and did not dare to move. By the time they reacted, the main force of the People's Liberation Army had safely withdrawn to Peach Blossom Island.
The battle of Dengbu Island was, to put it bluntly, a hasty battle. The superiors do not understand the actual situation and blindly urge; Although the front-line commanders had concerns, they had to bite the bullet. The result can be imagined, and I suffered a lot of losses.
However, the battle is not entirely meaningless. It gave the Kuomintang army a big start, making them realize that the PLA already had the ability to cross the sea. This directly affected the later liberation of Hainan Island and the Zhoushan Islands.
The most important thing is that Division Commander Hu Wei made the right decision at the most critical time. He would rather bear the infamy of being a "defeated general" than bring the fighters back safely. This kind of responsibility is the quality that a truly good commander should have.
History always moves forward with ups and downs. Although the Battle of Dengbu Island did not achieve the expected victory, it accumulated experience for later victories. It tells us that we should not rush to achieve results in a war, still less should we act blindly and brutally. Only by making full preparations and judging the situation can we win the final victory.