An inventory of the troops participating in the Battle of Chosin Lake
With the screening of the film "Chosin Lake" during the National Day, the troops and equipment of the Volunteer Army to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea have also become a hot topic. While many viewers were touched by the tenacious spirit and patriotic feelings of the volunteer army fighting in blood and seeing death as a homecoming, they also wanted to understand: What kind of unit was the 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army that participated in the Battle of Chosin Lake? What are the units on both sides?
The Battle of Chosin Lake was a battle in the Chosin Lake area on the eastern front of the Second War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. During the campaign, the three corps of the 9th Corps of the Chinese Volunteer Army, under difficult and difficult conditions, and the US 10th Army, which was world-class in weapons and equipment, engaged in a direct contest in the Chosin Lake area of North Korea from November 27 to December 24, 1950, creating a record of completely annihilating a whole regiment of the US army in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, forcing the US ace troops to experience the "longest retreat" in history. This campaign recaptured a vast area of eastern Korea north of the 38th Parallel. The volunteer army won a great victory on both the eastern and western fronts, reversing the situation on the battlefield in one fell swoop, becoming an inflection point in the Korean War and laying the foundation for victory in the final armistice negotiations.
In the second campaign, a certain unit of the Volunteer Army launched a charge
The Second Campaign on the Eastern Front Chinese volunteers
The 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army: the former 9th Corps of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. In February 1949, in accordance with the order of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China on unifying the organization and number of the whole army, the 9th Corps of the People's Liberation Army was formed with one part of Chinese the Subei Corps of the East China Field Army and one of the Organs of the Shandong Corps, with Song Shi as the rotating commander and Guo Huaruo as the political commissar, with more than 138,000 people under the jurisdiction of the 20th, 27th, 30th, and 33rd Armies, totaling more than 138,000 people, and was subordinate to the Third Field Army structure. In the spring of 1949, the 9th Corps participated in the Battle of The Crossing River and the Battle of Shanghai. From the end of 1949 to the beginning of 1950, the 33rd Army and the 30th Army were abolished. During this period, the 23rd Army of the 7th Corps and the 26th Army of the 8th Corps were assigned to the 9th Corps.
Before entering the DPRK, the 9th Corps was a mobile corps of the Third Field Army, which was responsible for the task of attacking Taiwan. After the outbreak of the Korean War, the 9th Corps was ordered to assemble quickly and wait for the opportunity to move. In November 1950, the 9th Corps of the Chinese People's Liberation Army was renamed the 9th Corps of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, with Song Shi as the commander and political commissar in turn, and Tao Yong as the deputy commander, under the jurisdiction of the 20th Army, the 26th Army, and the 27th Army, these three corps are four divisions, each army is about 50,000 people, the total strength of the whole corps is 12 divisions, about 150,000 people. From early to mid-November, the 9th Corps crossed the river into Korea. From late November to late December, the 9th Corps participated in the Second Campaign on the Eastern Front.
The 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army rushed into the cold zone of Korea from southern China
After nearly a month of bitter fighting, the officers and men of the 9th Corps, with their iron will and heroic and fearless fighting spirit, conquered the extremely harsh environment, repelled the most elite ace troops of the US army, recovered the vast area of eastern Korea north of the "38th Line", completely smashed MacArthur's dream of occupying the entire Korea before Christmas, and reversed the battlefield situation.
After the second campaign, Chairman Mao made a special telegram to the headquarters of the Volunteer Army and the 9th Corps: "The Ninth Corps completed a huge strategic task under extremely difficult conditions in this operation on the Eastern Front, and due to the cold climate, lack of supplies and fierce fighting, the number of personnel was reduced by as many as 40,000 people, and the Central Committee greatly missed this. ”
Due to the heavy casualties and non-combat casualties in the second campaign, after the Battle of Chosin Lake, the three corps of the 9th Corps withdrew to the Wonsan and Hamheung areas of Korea to rest and replenish. Beginning in February 1952, the three corps returned to the battlefield, participating in the Fourth and Fifth Campaigns, the Summer and Autumn Defensive Campaign of 1951, the Consolidation of Positions in the Spring of 1952, the Preparation for the Anti-Landing Operation in the Spring of 1953, and the Counterattack campaign in the Summer of 1953. From June 1952, the 26th, 20th and 27th Armies returned to China one after another, and the 16th Army, 23rd, 24th and 47th Armies were successively transferred to the command of the 9th Corps. In August 1952, Wang Jian'an was appointed commander and political commissar of the 9th Corps. In April 1955, the 9th Corps was abolished.
20th Army of the Volunteer Army: In February 1949, the 1st Column of the East China Field Army was renamed the 20th Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and belonged to the 9th Corps of the Third Field Army. Liu Fei served as the commander of the army, and Chen Shifu served as the political commissar, and had jurisdiction over the 58th, 59th, and 60th divisions, with a total of 32,000 people. In February 1950, the 89th Division of the 30th Army was incorporated into the 20th Army.
On October 7, 1950, the 20th Army was ordered to assemble and reorganize from the yanzhou area of Shandong province on the outskirts of Shanghai. On November 4, the car was transported to the Meihekou area in the northeast to make up for standby, changed its name to the 20th Army of the Chinese Volunteer Army, and was incorporated into the sequence of the 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army. Zhang Yixiang served as military commander and political commissar, Liao Zhengguo as deputy commander, and Tan Youming as deputy political commissar. It has jurisdiction over the 58th, 59th, 60th and 89th Divisions, with a total of 50,569 troops. He entered Korea on November 7, 1950, and participated in the Second and Fifth Campaigns and the Defense of the East Coast of Korea. He returned to China on October 11, 1952. In the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the 20th Army lost more than 6,000 casualties, suffered more than 8,000 casualties and more than 11,000 frostbite wounds in the Battle of Chosin Lake alone, annihilated more than 33,500 enemy personnel, shot down and wounded more than 160 enemy planes, captured and destroyed more than 780 enemy tanks and cars, and more than 500 artillery pieces of various kinds. Heroic models such as Yang Gensi, Bu Guangde, Yu Pangong, Che Shuqin (female), Sun Zhenlu, ren Yuxiang, and other heroic models of the Volunteer Army's special combat heroes, as well as heroic model units such as "Yang Gensilian", emerged.
Yang Gensilian accepted the pennant
26th Army of the Volunteer Army: In February 1949, the 8th Column of the East China Field Army was renamed the 26th Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and was subordinate to the 8th Corps of the Third Field Army. Zhang Renchu served as the commander of the army, and Wang Yiping served as the political commissar, and had jurisdiction over the 76th Division, the 77th Division, and the 78th Division, with a total of more than 32,000 people in the whole army. At the end of 1949, the 26th Army was placed under the command of the 9th Corps. In January 1950, the 88th Division of the 30th Army was reorganized into the 26th Army.
On October 8, 1950, the 26th Army was ordered to move from Shanghai to TengXian County, Shandong Province, and was ready to fight in Korea. On 17 October, the 26th Army rode north. In mid-November, all of them arrived in the Fushun area and assembled on standby, renamed the 26th Army of the Chinese Volunteer Army, and incorporated into the 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army. Commander Zhang Renchu, political commissar Li Yaowen, and deputy commander Zhang Haoxiu had jurisdiction over the 76th, 77th, 78th and 88th Divisions, with a total of 48,894 troops. On November 19, 1950, the 26th Army entered Korea and participated in the Second, Fourth, and Fifth Campaigns and the Summer and Autumn Defense Campaign of 1951. He returned to China on June 5, 1952. In the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the 26th Army of the Volunteer Army achieved the result of annihilating more than 38,000 enemy troops, and many combat heroes and heroic collectives such as Wang Zhaocai, Wang Deming, Liu Qingliang, Ye Jun, Lin Fanhong (female), and Chen Dezhong emerged.
Volunteer soldiers crossed the snow-capped mountains at an altitude of more than 1,700 meters to Lake Chosin
27th Army of the Volunteer Army: The 27th Army of the Volunteer Army was formerly known as the 1st Column of the East China Field Army, and the first commander of the column was general Xu Shiyou. In February 1949, the 1st Column of the East China Field Army was renamed the 27th Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and was subordinate to the 9th Corps of the Third Field Army. Nie Fengzhi served as the commander of the army, and Liu Haotian served as the political commissar, and had jurisdiction over the 79th Division, the 80th Division, and the 81st Division, with a total of more than 35,000 people. In January 1950, the 90th Division of the 30th Army was transferred to the 27th Army.
In early November 1950, the 27th Army was ordered to move from Zhejiang to Tai'an, Shandong Province, for reorganization before entering the Korean War. In early November, the north reached the and northeast Andong area to assemble and stand by, changed its name to the 27th Army of the Chinese Volunteer Army, and was incorporated into the 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army. Military Commander Peng Deqing, Political Commissar Liu Haotian, Deputy Commander Zhan Danan, and Deputy Political Commissar Zeng Ruqing. It has jurisdiction over the 79th Division, the 80th Division, the 81st Division and the 94th Division of the former 32nd Army, with a total of 50,501 troops. On November 12, the 27th Army entered Korea and participated in the Second and Fifth Campaigns and the Summer and Autumn Defense Campaigns of 1951. He returned to China on October 14, 1952. During the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the 27th Army of the Volunteer Army lost 5,046 casualties, suffered more than 8,000 casualties and more than 10,800 frostbite in the Battle of Chosin Lake alone, annihilated 21,029 enemy personnel, including 11,825 US troops, and destroyed 29 captured aircraft, 40 tanks, and 431 cars. Many combat heroes and 13 heroic model units emerged, such as Springfield, Sun Qingyun, Wang Yuanyi, Liu Fuhai, Yu Xianzhen (female), and Li Yuntian.
The second campaign of the Eastern Front was fought by the "United Nations Army" troops
U.S. Army 10th Army: The U.S. 10th Army was a command structure formed specifically for the Inchon landings, and in August 1950, MacArthur separated parts of the U.S. 8th Army to form the 10th Army, and Major General Edward Almond, chief of staff at the headquarters of the U.S. Far ASEAN Army, was appointed commander. The 10th Army was not part of the 8th Army and was a strategic reserve of the Far East Command, directly under MacArthur. After the Inchon landings, during the first and second battles, the US 10th Army under the command of the US Marine Corps 1st Division (referred to as the 1st Marine Division) and the 3rd and 7th Infantry Divisions, and commanded the Capital Division and the 3rd Division of the South Korean 1st Army, a total of about 100,000 people. After MacArthur was dismissed, the U.S. 10th Army was incorporated into the 8th Army.
U.S. Marine Corps 1st Marine Division: The 1st Marine Division was formed on February 1, 1941, but its regiments date back to the early 20th century. He has participated in most of the wars since the founding of the United States, has never suffered defeat, and enjoys the titles of "Pioneer Division" and "Constant Victory Division". After the outbreak of the Korean War, it was incorporated into the US 10th Army and participated in the Inchon landings. The 1st Marine Division has a total strength of about 25,000 men, including the 1st, 5th and 7th Marine Regiments, the 11th Marine Artillery Regiment, and the Tank Battalion, engineer battalion, and amphibious vehicle transport battalion. The division's heavy weapons consisted mainly of 85 tanks, 18 155 mm howitzers, 54 105 mm howitzers, 36 107 mm mortars, 36 81 mm mortars, 36 75 mm anti-aircraft guns and 81 60 mm mortars.
Some of the personnel of the 1st Marine Division before entering the Korean War were equipped
The 1st Marine Division was severely damaged in the Chosin Lake area. According to U.S. military statistics, from November 27 to December 11 alone, the division suffered a total of 11,200 casualties (including more than 700 killed, more than 3,500 wounded, and more than 7,000 non-combat casualties). By the time the Korean Armistice Was signed on July 27, 1953, the division had suffered more than 30,000 casualties on the Korean battlefield, the heaviest casualty of the U.S. army invading Korea.
A unit of the 1st Marine Division, which was divided and surrounded by the 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army
U.S. 3rd Infantry Division: Nicknamed "The Man Rock", it was formed in November 1917. He fought in world wars I and II. In November 1950, the 3rd Infantry Division invaded Korea. Division Commander Major General Robert Sole, consists of the 15th and 65th Infantry Regiments, the 10th, 39th and 96th Field Artillery Battalions, the 58th Armored Artillery (Self-Propelled Artillery) Battalion, the 64th Heavy Tank Battalion, the 52nd Transport Battalion, etc. The division had about 20,000 men, 333 tanks, 411 armored vehicles and 583 artillery pieces.
U.S. 7th Infantry Division: Nicknamed the "Drip Drip" Division, it was formed in December 1917. He fought in world wars I and II. After World War II, the 7th Division was stationed in Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan. In mid-to-late September 1950, the 7th Division landed at Inchon and invaded Korea. The division commander, Major General David Barr, has 3 infantry regiments, namely the 17th, 31st and 32nd Infantry Regiments, as well as 4 field artillery battalions, 1 anti-aircraft artillery battalion, 1 tank battalion, 1 engineer battalion, etc., with more than 20,000 people.
In the second battle, the U.S. 7th Infantry Division suffered heavy losses, in which The commander of the 31st Regiment, Colonel McLaughn, was killed, the regimental flag was captured by the volunteers, and the entire regimental structure was destroyed.
The regimental flag of the 31st Regiment (the "Polar Bear Regiment") of the US 7th Infantry Division captured by the Volunteers during the Battle of Chosin Lake is now in the collection of the Chinese Military Museum
The "Capital Division" of the South Korean Army: The "Capital Division" is one of the four main divisions in South Korea and is known as the number one "Ace" division. In June 1949, the South Korean Unified Guard Department changed the Capital Garrison Command into a regular infantry division, and half a year later, it was named "Capital Division", and its division emblem was a white tiger head with bloody fangs, known as the "Invincible Tiger". The "Capital Division" consisted of 1 regiment, 2 regiment, 17 regiment and 18 regiment. Founded in January 1946, the 1st Regiment was one of the first 8 regiments to be formed in South Korea, with sufficient soldiers and well-equipped equipment, and was awarded a "Tiger Head Banner" nicknamed the "White Tiger Regiment". After the "White Tiger Regiment" was incorporated into the "Capital Division," it became the "Ace" regiment of the "Capital Division," the number one "ace" division.
However, this "White Tiger Regiment" was not as prestigious for several years, and in the Battle of Jincheng in 1953, Yang Yucai, deputy platoon commander of a reconnaissance platoon of the 68th Army of the Volunteer Army, led a surprise attack detachment to destroy the regimental headquarters of the "White Tiger Regiment," killed the leader of the "White Tiger Regiment," and captured the "Tiger Head Banner." Today, this "Tiger Head Flag" is placed in the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, which has become a symbol of the collapse of the "White Tiger Regiment".
The flag of the "White Tiger Regiment" captured by the Volunteers
Judging from the strength of the troops, the combat divisions of the US army (infantry divisions, marine divisions) belong to the same large organization as the german and Japanese divisions in World War II, with more than 20,000 people. The 9 corps of the Volunteer Army had 150,000 men in 12 divisions, and the corps directly under the regiment of several thousand people had an average of 12,000 men per division. One division of the U.S. Army is roughly equivalent to two divisions of the Volunteer Army. Infantry divisions and marine regiments belonging to the U.S. Infantry Division and Marine Division can usually be equipped with 1 howitzer battalion, 1 tank company and 1 combat engineer company to form regimental combat groups as the basic tactical units for independent combat tasks, such as the 1st Marine Regiment Battle Group, the 31st Infantry Regiment Battle Group, etc.
The 80th Division of the 27th Volunteer Army surrounded and annihilated the 31st Regiment Battle Group of the 7th Infantry Division of the US Army
In terms of weapons and equipment, the volunteer army is even less dominant. According to the above data comparison, from the artillery point of view, the vast majority of the volunteer army is a mortar (curved artillery), while large-caliber artillery is at an absolute disadvantage. Tanks and armored vehicles are 0, and there is no aircraft support. Even if the Air Force is not counted, the firepower density of one army of the Volunteer Army is even far less than that of a division of the US Army. In fact, the 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army was worthy of heavy weapons, that is, 160 flat-firing guns and hundreds of large-caliber mortars, which were incomparable with a single division of the US army! At that time, the volunteer army was not equipped with Soviet-style weapons, and the light weapons of the volunteer army were mainly American, Japanese, Czech, Canadian and other countries captured during the Liberation War, as well as imitations of some domestic arsenals, known as the "Universal Brand".
The equipment of the volunteer army, the Americans simply did not look at. In the eyes of Taylor, commander of the U.S. 8th Army, the Chinese Volunteers were "superior in numbers and courage, well trained in tactics to match the terrain, but their equipment was extremely primitive, most of which were antiques that we had already sent to the military museum."
However, the heroic 9th Corps of volunteers, holding these antiquated "antique-grade" weapons, broke the myth of the invincibility of the US army when it was difficult to even guarantee survival! As Chairman Mao said: "The volunteer army defeated the Yankees by relying on a breath of gas, the US army cannot do it, and the steel is more gas and less gas." ”
Smith, commander of the U.S. 1st Marine Division who had luckily escaped in the Battle of Chosin Lake, lamented: "The Battle of Chosin Lake was fought by steel troops against steel men. ”
Volunteer 27th Corps soldiers take an oath before launching an attack on U.S. troops
(Author: Xu Ping, an expert in military history)
Produced by WeChat (zgjw_81) of China Military Network
Author: Xu Ping
Editor: Chai Xiao