Narrator: Zhang Guimian (Instructor of the 2nd Battalion, 239th Regiment, 80th Division, 27th Army of the Volunteer Army)
Finishing: An Min Weiyang (descendants of the martyrs of the Battle of ChangjinHu of the 80th Division of the 27th Army of the Volunteer Army)
At 11:00 p.m. on November 27, 1950, it was only an hour before the scheduled attack on Xinxingli.
At this time, The battalion commander Zhang Zonghai and I were still in a cellar in the North Korean hometown, guarding the phone step by step.
In the Chosin Lake battlefield, telephones are still a rare thing, signal tubes are used for communication between regiments and battalions, signal guns are used for communication between battalions and companies, communication between companies and platoons is used to listen to the sound of trumpets, and only whistles can be used between shifts.
Because the 3rd Battalion of our 239th Regiment was tasked with battlefield reconnaissance, the division commander made an exception and installed a wired telephone.
Since the troops crossed the river, the 3rd Battalion has been serving as a guard for the 80th Division. At dusk on this day, the commander of the division ordered the 3rd Battalion to be rebuilt immediately, and at 12 o'clock that night, he took the lead in attacking Xinxingli.
At this time, the 3rd Battalion was still 10 kilometers away from the attack position, and only knew that there was an enemy battalion in Xinxing in the south, but the American and Korean troops were not clear, and the regiment ordered the capture of prisoners before the battle began, and was equipped with a cultural instructor who knew English.
Seeing that the time for the attack was approaching, I climbed out of the cellar and braved the heavy snow to go to the ambush of the main attack company 4.
As he approached the position, a man suddenly appeared from the snow: "Yi Meng! ”
I quickly replied, "KunCheng! ”
"Yimeng" and "Kuncheng" are the passwords of the night, the 3 battalions of Shandong soldiers, the names of these two mountains are not unknown.
At this time, Li Changyan, commander of the 4th Company, and Zhuang Yuandong, the instructor, had already clearly touched the enemy opposite, the defense of the 3rd Battalion of the 31st Regiment of the US 7th Division, and about 1 company of enemies were scattered in 5 tents, with 2 soldiers per shift, changing posts every hour.
At 12 o'clock in the night, there was a faint sound of gunfire in the direction of the Inner Cave, but the order to attack Xinxingli was delayed, and the soldiers had been in ambush for several hours in front of the 1200 heights.
I hurried back into the cellar of the camp finger: "Has the attack order arrived?" ”
The battalion commander was full of displeasure: "The regiment called to say that the 1st Battalion of the 238th Regiment was in the wrong direction and that the division was adjusting the offensive deployment. ”
I thought to myself, when will this icy and snowy place have to wait? Wait any longer, and the warriors will be frostbitten.
Before we went abroad in Linjiang, how many biscuits could be brought, and we also received cotton hats and cotton shoes, so there were not many frostbite on the road, but if we wanted to go on like this, there would definitely be large-scale frostbite.
At 1:00 a.m., the correspondents of each company came to report that the troops, which had been lurking for 3 hours, began to suffer frostbite, and some squads lost their combat effectiveness on the spot.
I couldn't hold my breath any longer: "I can't wait any longer, I have to wait for the target to be exposed!" ”
My opinion is to first take the sentry captive, interrogate the intelligence on the spot, and immediately report it to the head of the division.
Although the battalion commander was a military commander, he did not dare to make his own opinion, so he called the division for instructions, and the division commander replied: "Yes, but we must not expose the target." ”
After the order arrived at the 4th Company, Zhuang Yuandong gave the task to the 1st platoon and 1st squad under his command.
The 1st squad quietly approached the sentry bunker 5 meters away, looking at the 2 sentries holding guns smoking and roasting fire, the squad leader Song Baocang made a gesture, the soldiers Sheng Yubo and Su Liangao got up and covered their mouths and necks, and the other 2 soldiers immediately locked their arms, and within a few minutes, the 2 sentries were brought back to the position.
Song Baocang personally escorted the captives into the camp command post in the cellar, and I quickly began the interrogation.
A former cultural officer in the military, who knew English but could not speak English, could only translate the conversations between me and the captives.
"Which unit are you?"
"7th Infantry Division."
The enemy on the opposite side was not a battalion, how could a 7th Infantry Division have emerged, and I hurriedly asked, "What kind of unit is this?" ”
The captives handed the note to the interpreter, saying that they belonged to the 31st Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division, which was nicknamed the Polar Bear.
polar bear! How did the yankee raise such a nickname, I almost laughed out loud when I heard it.
I pulled my face and asked if it was J Company, and it was only during the day that I changed the 1st Marine Division.
I asked where the 1st Marine Division had gone, and the captives shook their heads and said, "I don't know."
I asked again, "After you change your defenses, why don't you build fortifications?" ”
"It said that within 100 miles, the reconnaissance plane did not find the Chinese troops, so we slept safely."
At this point in the interrogation, the translation has been a bit difficult, and I also realized that the enemy situation has undergone a major change, and it is necessary to launch an attack immediately, otherwise the enemy will change the guard on time every 1 hour, and the troops will be exposed.
At this point, the battalion commander who had gone to check for frostbite returned, and we decided to attack immediately.
As soon as I grabbed the phone, I reported the situation to the division in three words and two words, and the head of the division immediately replied: "Call me!" The captives are returned. ”
At this time, the difference of 5 minutes is 2 a.m., the U.S. army is about to change the sentry, I can't care about the order staff, with the flare gun just climbed out of the cellar, when the air is 2 signal light bullets that mark the attack.
Zhuang Yuandong, who saw the attack signal, immediately commanded the 4 companies and 1 platoon to take the lead in firing the first shot of the xinxingli battle.
The first class of the attack first found 2 wide tents, and Song Baocang made a gesture of "don't make a sound, lean up and fight".
But before he could get closer, Sheng Yubo, who was only staring at the tent, accidentally touched a pile of canned boxes at his feet, which alarmed a platoon of American soldiers in the tent.
Before the tent could shout a second sound, Sheng Yubo and Su, who were flying closer, raised Their Tom submachine guns and swept them violently. At the same time, Song Baocang and several other fighters also opened fire on another tent, and within 10 minutes, 1 platoon of American troops was either killed or wounded.
At this time, company commander Li Changyan led 2 platoons and 3 platoons, and also eliminated the American troops in the other 3 tents. In less than an hour of fighting, the 4th Company destroyed a whole 1 company of the American Army, the 31st Regiment, 3 battalion L Company.
I stood at the exit of the cellar, and as soon as I heard the gunshots, I knew that the 4th Company had succeeded, so I asked the battalion commander to sit and command the whole situation, and took the correspondent to the front to meet the firelight.
4 Company Instructor Zhuang Yuandong before going abroad
At this time, Zhuang Yuandong led the 1st platoon to the small railway side behind the L Company position.
The U.S. troops in the first squad of the railway, thinking that they were their own, shouted loudly toward the first row.
The shouts just pointed out the target, Zhuang Yuandong commanded the heavy machine gun to shoot head-on, covering the fighters to attack with two breads, and the 1 squad of American troops all fell in the rain of bullets.
After eliminating the American troops on the side of the railway, Zhuang Yuandong led a platoon to immediately develop towards the 1554 heights in Xinxingli.
Looking at the dense antennas and flashing lights under the high ground, Zhuang Yuandong immediately judged that this must be the command post of the US army, so he led a platoon to raid along the mountain roots, and when he took the first house to continue the attack, he was blocked very fiercely.
Seeing that the US military fire was extremely fierce, Zhuang Yuandong was even more firm in his judgment, so he continued to attack in an attack formation of three or three systems.
Suddenly, a tall American soldier pounced from the hidden place and threw Song Baocang, who was rushing to the front, to the ground. Song Baocang did not show weakness either, his backhand grabbed his opponent's neck, and the two rolled together.
Watching the two people whose hats fell off a white snow, Xiao Yan, the warrior who caught up, could not distinguish between the enemy and me, and it was difficult to start for a while.
Song Baocang, who was only 20 years old, couldn't resist: "Xiao Yan, look at the leather shoes!" ”
The 18-year-old Yan suddenly understood, and picked up the butt of his rifle to smash the head of the American soldier who had turned over.
Pushing a paralyzed American corpse, Song Baocang grinned and climbed up, looking for a gun while scolding, and finally touched an M-1 rifle with infrared night vision goggles.
When they approached the second house, another American soldier greeted them, and Song Baocang raised his gun and shot it.
But the M-1 Night Vision Rifle was already insured, Song Baocang had not yet opened the bolt, and several bullets had already pierced his belly.
Xiao Yan behind him shot the American soldiers, and he quickly sent Song Baocang on his back.
When he ran to the hidden place where gunfire was rare, Song Baocang, who was clutching the M-1 night vision rifle with both hands, did not know when he had died on Xiao Yan's back.
Song Baocang was originally a correspondent in the battalion, and on the way south to Xinxing Road, he suddenly found me and the battalion commander and said that he would go to the 4th Company of the old unit.
Compared with the soldiers on the front line, the casualty rate of the correspondent was only a lot more, Song Baocang went to the old unit as a squad leader, although there was also danger, but he would definitely make meritorious contributions after fighting well, which was better than staying by our side, so I and the battalion commander agreed to his request.
When the correspondent and I arrived, Xiao Yan, whose back was covered in blood, had already buried Song Baocang with snow, and the M-1 night vision rifle that had not fired a single shot was still tightly held in his hand.
This was the first time I had seen a rifle with night vision goggles, and I liked it but couldn't get it, because it was a martyr's victory.
By the time Li Changyan led his men to platoon 1, instructor Zhuang Yuandong had already died, and most of the soldiers in platoon 1 fell under enemy fire.
Li Changyan fiercely ordered the 4 companies: "Resolutely destroy the enemy and leave no one behind!" ”
The US fire in the front was even more fierce, and Li Changyan also judged that this must be the command post of the US army, so he commanded each platoon to immediately carry out a two-wing feint attack, a breakthrough in the middle, and a split between the left and right.
This move worked, not only taking the position in front of him, but also entering the US command post. Afterwards, it was found that this was the headquarters of the 3rd Battalion of the US 31st Regiment, and except for the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Riley, who was seriously wounded, all the other US troops were killed.
At this time, a platoon leader reported that in addition to the radio, walkie-talkie and map in the command post, there was also a military flag, and Li Changyan ran into the house and ripped off the polar bear regiment flag and said: "What flag is not flagged, continue to fight!" ”
When I arrived, Li Changyan led 4 companies to attack the depth of the enemy again.
The U.S. battalion headquarters was set up in a civil house, and the correspondent and I were stunned by the scene in front of us as we tiptoed over the burning obstacles.
At a distance of less than 20 meters, more than 10 soldiers who died were stacked there like stacked rohans, and the doorway of the house was also full of countless american dead bodies.
At this time, the correspondent found the antenna on the roof, I went in to take a look, there was a map on the wall that could not read the text, there were several officers lying on the ground, I kicked an officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and scolded: "What polar bear, I think it is a dog bear!" ”
I thought this was the regimental headquarters of the Polar Bear Regiment. In fact, I kicked Reilly, the commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 31st Regiment, who was wounded and lay on the ground pretending to be dead, otherwise I would have personally captured the American lieutenant colonel.
Suddenly, fierce gunfire rang out in front of them.
Originally, Li Changyan led the soldiers to take the battalion headquarters and the A Company position of the US 57 Artillery Battalion with a single blow, killed the deputy battalion commander Major Morrie on the spot, and the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Duns, dropped 12 howitzers and led the remnants to retreat to the rear artillery Company B, together with the infantry H Company, which withstood the attack of the 4th Company.
At dawn, the battalion commander's correspondent sent an order from his superiors: stop the attack and withdraw from the battle!
Hearing the order to withdraw from the battle, company commander Li Changyan first developed resistance, saying that the 4th Company had already destroyed two US command posts in succession, and there were casualties but not large.
I know that I can't let go of my anger, but disobedience on the battlefield is to kill my head!
I hurried back to the command post and asked the division staff officer on duty by phone if I could take advantage of the confusion in the U.S. army.
The staff officer on duty replied, "There must be a retreat!" ”
The commander of the division also had his reason, because the dawn was the world of the US army, and continuing to attack was easy to cause greater casualties to the commanders and fighters.
I also asked for instructions that it is okay for the 2nd Battalion not to continue fighting, but it is best not to withdraw, and to build a defensive position wherever it hits at night, focusing on defense during the day and then attacking at night, and if it is out of contact with the enemy, the aircraft artillery reinforced by the US army will have no scruples.
The staff officer on duty was on fire: "Do you Dare to disobey Zhang Guimian?" ”
There was no way, I had to go back and order the 4th Company to evacuate.
In fact, like Li Changyan, I was reluctant to be the 12 105 howitzers. Because the entire 27th Army was equipped with 1 artillery regiment, the caliber was messy, and it was still pulled by mules and horses, and the 105 howitzers were not only powerful, but also could fire a variety of shells.
But the 105 howitzers were too big for us to take away or blow up, and each shell of more than 30 pounds could only be left.
Don't you know that evacuation on the battlefield is sometimes more dangerous than attack, and a very tragic scene occurred at this time.
Upon hearing that they were going to evacuate the battle, the soldiers were hungry and retreated, looking for biscuits, candy, and cans left by the Americans.
As a result, after disengagement with the U.S. army for a short time, the enemy's aircraft arrived, and after a super low-altitude strafing, followed by the bombardment of machine guns and rockets, the fighters hurried to avoid it.
At this time, a large number of American troops who had been killed at night, as well as prisoners that we could not take care of, climbed out from under bunkers, houses and cars, and very sinisterly fired from the back and flanks, knocking the retreating fighters to the ground.
Li Changyan, the commander of the 4th Company, was very experienced in combat, swallowed a few biscuits during the evacuation, and took a squad of people to break off, which avoided more casualties.
I didn't see it well, and hurriedly called out to the soldiers to run toward the nearby 1554 heights, but before I could reach the safe anti-slope, the American 105 howitzers sounded again.
The very accurate shelling almost chased us, even if a soldier ran it, and the 6 companies withdrew slightly slower on the flanks, and paid more casualties.
After running to the anti-slope of The 1554 Heights, many soldiers angrily scolded, saying that the Yankees were unkind and unjust, pretending to be dead and surrendering to fight black guns, and then catching them regardless of casualties, they would all be remade up.
Li Changyan also punched down: "Make up the gun!" ”
After li changyan, the commander of the 4th company, returned to China
The place where Li Changyan smashed looked like thick snow, but in fact there was a large stone underneath, and as soon as he raised his hand, he peeled it, but still said fiercely: "Resolutely mend the gun, and not let go of a single one."
The commander of the 6th Company also ran over, and also angrily scolded the Yankees for being unkind and unjust, pretending to be dead and surrendering to fight the black guns, and in the future, regardless of death or injury, all guns were replenished.
At this time, I was checking my command, not to withdraw, but at that time I should light gasoline and burn the 12 105 howitzers.
Seeing that the two company commanders were looking at my attitude, I thought for a while and said, "Eat a long and wise one!" ”
I'm a political instructor! My identity tells me that I can't give this order to make up the gun. For preferential treatment of prisoners is the discipline of our army, and this is also the case in the Geneva Conventions.
On the night of the 27th, we were a surprise attack, and although the US troops who had not even repaired the fortifications suffered a big loss, the 4th Connection Company destroyed two US command posts and 12 howitzers, which was an enemy battalion.
Coupled with the implementation of the evacuation orders of the superiors, the soldiers were attacked by the black guns and backs of the Us army, and I made a phone call to the division with a fire, and complained to the staff officer on duty: "The enemy is less than 2 battalions, what does the military division reconnaissance team eat?" ”
This time, the staff officer on duty did not discipline me, but wrote down some of my high-level complaints word by word.
At this time, the commander of the military division was still further studying the enemy's situation, and on the night of the 28th, we were ordered to continue to attack Xinxingli.
Before the 3rd Battalion attacked, the battalion commander issued an order, and when encountering the enemy, regardless of casualties, resolutely replenish the gun!
I didn't say anything on my lips, but I agreed with this order very much in my heart. If you don't make up your guns, the soldiers will die, and the enemy will survive.
On the night of the 28th, the direction of attack of our 3rd Battalion was still the H Company of the 3rd Battalion of the US 31st Regiment and the B Company of Artillery.
But the Americans had already repaired the fortifications during the day and had also deployed very powerful firepower, especially their M19 self-propelled guns, where the crisis quickly moved there, delaying the attack of our 3 regiments.
After the 2nd Battalion opened a gap in the US ring position, the main attack 6 companies had lost their combat effectiveness, and the 5th company continued to attack, seeing that the American eastern defense was about to collapse, but at this time, the M19 self-propelled artillery arrived, and in less than a minute, the 5 companies were suppressed in the snow.
The M19 self-propelled gun is tracked, firing as fast as the Katyusha rocket, and the attacking fighters, despite the three-three system, still fell one after another.
One of the warriors was on fire, and he still didn't extinguish the fire on the spot, so he charged while shooting.
At this time, the U.S. machine guns sounded again, and the fallen soldiers burned into a fireball on the spot.
I can't look any further. At this point, the only order was given to the troops to stop the attack, because the soldiers could not really attack.
After I cut and played first, I immediately stopped the attack, and hurried to the battalion commander to call my superiors, and met the battalion commander who rushed over halfway.
The battalion commander said that he could not ask his superiors for everything, the casualties were so large, and continuing to attack was a joke on the lives of the soldiers, and no matter what punishment was given, he confessed.
This time, the battalion commander and I decided not to withdraw much, because we could not attack and the enemy infantry could not counterattack, so we confronted the American troops at a distance of about 100 meters.
After dawn, only 6 companies of 20 people remained, retreating to the reverse slope of the small heights of the front.
At this time, a U.S. military helicopter landed in a flat field to the west. I had never seen a helicopter before, but it was clearly a U.S. military plane, so I ordered 6 Company: "Fight this grass chicken nest!" ”
But before the organization could fire, the "grass chicken nest" had already pulled the wounded away. This is the first time I have seen a U.S. military plane rescue the wounded, and our wounded can only be carried by 4 people, and if they are slow, they will freeze to death.
The commander of the 6th Company was full of remorse and scolded: "Raise it, let the grass chicken nest fly away!" ”
Suddenly, fierce gunfire came from the opposite side, and it turned out that the daytime counterattack of the US army began.
At this time, the regimental chief of staff came to the 6th Front, saw that the American troops occupied the front of the small heights, so he ordered me to send 5 companies to support the 6 companies, repel the counterattacking American troops, and completely occupy the small heights.
However, the 2nd Battalion had only 120 men left, the 4th Company and 6th Company had lost their formation, and the 5th Company had become the lifeblood of the 2nd Battalion.
I calmed down a bit and said, "Chief of Staff, it's daylight!" Yankee planes came and went, and daytime attacks only increased casualties. ”
The chief of staff said: "Send 5 companies up to support 6 companies to repel the US counterattack." ”
I suppressed my temperament and pleaded, "You must fight, then you can play with 4 consecutive fights!" They all went out to shoot out, and the 2nd Battalion didn't even have any seeds. ”
The chief of staff did not eat this set and said: "Zhang Guimian, this is the battlefield, I now order you to send 5 companies to fight." ”
As soon as I listened, I also came to a stubborn temper: "Chief of Staff, it is not me Zhang Guijin who violated the orders of the War Of Resistance, you must seek truth from facts, it is now daylight, in this case you have to fight, not to say ask the head of the division, then you must also ask the regiment commander." ”
I turned my head and entered the command post, bypassed the battalion commander, and a phone shook through Commander Chen Jingyi:
"Commander, it is now daylight, but the chief of staff has issued a death order, and we must send 5 companies to attack the hill in front, because there are more than 20 soldiers of 6 companies on this hill, and the us army is opposite, and the chief of staff wants to take it down during the day."
The regimental commander asked me, "What about your 2 battalions?" ”
I exchanged glances with the battalion commander and said, "First, our 2nd Battalion does not agree to fight during the day; second, if we want to fight, we have to wait until night." The first battle of our 2 battalions abroad has not yet been completed, and all the troops have been used, how to fight the next battle? ”
On the phone, the regimental commander made up his mind: "Agree with your 2 battalions, let the chief of staff listen to the phone." ”
The chief of staff who took the microphone heard the regimental commander's voice, which was half criticism and half reminder: "When we go to the front line, we must listen more to the opinions of other people in the camp, how can we give such a death order!?" ”
Chen Jingyi's regimental commander's later years
The chief of staff listened, and only then did he change the order: "Then fight at night!" But I tell you Zhang Guimian, then you can't beat the small highland, don't blame me for turning my face and not recognizing people. ”
I immediately stood up and promised: "Not only will I take the small heights at night, but I will let him have zero casualties." ”
Seeing the chief of staff walking out of the command post breathlessly, the battalion commander reminded me: "Old man, don't blow the cow big!" It's no problem to take down the small highlands, can you guarantee that there are no casualties? ”
I said to the battalion commander: "Just look at the bear that countered the enemy, you know, it is not alive, the night is our world, the Yankees heard the gunshots, and designated either to run or to surrender the guns." ”
I am an old partner with Camp Commander Zhang Zonghai, especially on the battlefield, my opinion is his opinion, and the things he decides, I am the first to take the lead in executing.
"Good! Just do as the instructor says, beat these yankees at night! "The battalion commander and I are both Jiaodong people, and at this time, it doesn't matter if there are any people around us, we just talk about Jiaodong with pleasure."
On the night of the 29th, the whole Xinxingli was silent, and only 4 companies were quietly moving.
On the night of the 28th, the 4th Company had been a reserve, and the soldiers who had rested for two days and one night heard that they were going to fight the main attack again, and they were all under their feet, and their legs ran fast, and they slipped into the ambush position in less than half an hour.
When Li Changyan saw that the US troops had indeed lost their morale, even the guard posts were hiding in the leeward and roasting the fire.
The 4th Company first blew the charge horn and whistle, and before the grenades could be fired, the American troops drilled out of the tents, and some of them ran into the defensive circle without firing a shot.
At this time, the 4th and 6th companies quickly attacked left and right, and only one grenade and one charge controlled the entire small heights, and miraculously achieved zero casualties.
Seeing that the small heights had been taken, I hurriedly telephoned the chief of staff.
I said that the small highlands had been taken, that there were no casualties, and that the chief of staff had to recognize our 3 battalions.
The chief of staff was pleased, saying that the speech of the 2nd Battalion counted and was worthy of the main attack battalion.
At this time, the superiors came to order, except for some troops to control the small highlands, all the others withdrew to the rear to rectify, because all the attacking troops could no longer be moved, and had to wait for supplies while adjusting their deployment.
I bumped my head with the battalion commander and thought that there was no big problem with the attack tactics, that although the Americans had fierce firepower but the infantry were not good, we could still defeat them by launching a melee at night, and the problem was that we were short of food and bullets.
Fighting a war is fighting logistics, and everyone understands this truth. But the air supremacy is all in the hands of the US military, the logistics troops hold their breath, they can only transport supplies before night, the poor transport capacity often transports ammunition and cannot transport food, while the front-line troops simply only need ammunition and fight with the US army hungry.
In the cellar of the rear command post of our 2nd Battalion, there was a basket of apples from fellow Koreans. At that time, the apple was still a rare thing, needless to say the soldiers, and the battalion commander and I were drooling when we looked at it.
After the battle began, people in front and behind came and went, and the small cellar was chaotic. I don't know who touched the apple basket, the apple field rutted and ran to the ground, but even if it was broken, no one moved, everyone just had to fight.
When I returned to the command post, I said to the battalion commander, whose mouth was already on fire, that if I couldn't do it, I would eat an apple and leave a note for my fellow villagers, and I wouldn't make any mistakes.
The battalion commander said that he could not eat a bite, if it was in the rear, it would be okay, this is the battlefield, the Korean compatriots are already bitter enough, we can only starve after eating the compatriots.
I was both happy and sad to hear that if the logistics could be better, we would have defeated the enemy long ago.
In fact, in a nearby cellar where the seriously injured were placed, there were also two bags of potatoes, and the hygienist wanted to add some energy to the wounded, but just as he was about to take out the potatoes, he was shouted down, saying that they would violate discipline with the hygienist.
On the night of the 29th, there was no fighting, and when he returned to the house to see the potatoes unmoved, he was moved to risk being bombed and went outside to burn a basket of potatoes, which saved the lives of several seriously injured people.
At this time, I suddenly felt that I had no effect, because the organizational discipline of the troops was already world-class, and no country's troops could compare with our volunteers.
The command post of the 2nd Battalion was located in a ravine at the end of a hill, and we gathered more than 300 prisoners in a depression in front of the mountain.
It was only two kilometers from the front-line positions, but it was very safe, so the troops were resting here waiting for supplies.
Because the US plane had just moved, the prisoners who were worried about their own bombing were standing on a high place waving and shouting, and the us plane pilot flew very low, and the guards could see his big nose. At first, the US machine still sniffed its wings to intimidate, but later it simply did not come.
The night before, I had only been directing the battle on the front line, and then I remembered these prisoners.
I took the cultural instructors and correspondents to the captivity unit, first, to check the implementation of the captive policy, and at the same time, to understand what kind of unit the US army really was.
I first saw a few baskets of cooked potatoes, but the full potatoes didn't move.
The captain of the captive officer said that the Yankees would rather go hungry than eat potatoes, but repeatedly sent people to ask for canned food.
The captive captain listened to that angry, and was so angry that he really wanted to kick them a few times and slap them a few times.
When the correspondent heard this, he was also angry, saying that he did not know what to do, and the Yankees would not eat it, and took it back to the soldiers to eat.
The captain of the captive team stopped the correspondent and said that it was a matter of the prisoners not to eat or not to eat, that is, it was frozen into a piece of iron, and we could not move a potato.
Nor did the consciousness of the troops come out of thin air. At that time, the train left Tai'an, Shandong province, and went north, and I had a premonition that this was going to North Korea.
After the car crossed the Mountain Customs, the official order to go abroad to fight arrived, and we marched on the train and mobilized. In addition to "Resisting US Aggression and Aiding Korea and Defending the Homeland," that is, singing "Three Major Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention," it can be said that the soldiers came to Korea shouting slogans and singing songs.
At first, the officers and men of the Kuomintang uprising also had some private arguments, saying that the US military had not helped us fight little Japan, and how could it now become an enemy again.
This question is not easy to answer for a while, but I thought about it for half a day and said: Is it the enemy or aggression when the US military sends troops to occupy Taiwan and the planes cross the border to bomb the northeast?
I did not say big words as instructors, and the mobilization of the instructors was even more solid, so that the troops had steel-like discipline and had faith that was stronger than steel.
Knowing that the captives were to be taken to the military prisoner of war, I asked the cultural instructors to find the two prisoners who had been interrogated on the night of the 27th.
At first, the two captives were a little frightened and thought they were going to be pulled out and shot.
I asked them, "Why are you coming to North Korea?" You are so far away from the United States, why did you come to North Korea? ”
One of the captives said, "The chief said that North Korea has a golden bowl, and there are big golden bowls, and you can get rich when you come to North Korea." ”
Another prisoner said: "The commander said that there are beautiful girls in North Korea, and when they get off the ship in Korea, they will go to the battlefield, and I have been deceived!"
I said very seriously, "These things are all from the Korean people, so why did you come to Korea to start a war and rob people's homes?"
After reading the cultural officer's translation, the two captives were suddenly a little blinded, and one of them quickly unbuttoned and pulled something out.
I was stunned, thinking it was going to pull out a pistol, so I asked him, "What?"
By this time, the correspondent had already raised his shell gun, and the frightened captives waved their hands at the cultural officer and pulled out a few photographs.
The first photo is of a military port dock, with his back to the warship and his girlfriend hugging and kissing. The other was boarding a warship and waving goodbye to his girlfriend.
After looking at these "separate photos" a few times, I asked again, "Since this is the case, what are you still doing in North Korea?" You are invading! ”
The captive was even more frightened, and said that he had parents and a girlfriend, that he wanted to live, that he wanted to return to America.
I asked the cultural officer to translate that the volunteers gave preferential treatment to the prisoners, told them to surrender their guns and not kill them, as long as they were honest and honest, they were guaranteed to return to their home countries.
I asked another captive, "Why don't you eat potatoes?" ”
The captive said solemnly, "Potatoes must be eaten with beef." ”
I slapped the table angrily, "We can't even eat potatoes, you know?" ”
The two captives quickly nodded and said, "Eat! We eat! ”
It turned out that the black soldiers in the captives wanted to eat potatoes, but the white soldiers themselves did not eat them, nor were the black soldiers allowed to eat them.
Not only that, but the wounded of the white soldiers were all supported by the blacks, while the black wounded had to support themselves. What's more, when eating, it is the blacks who give food to the whites.
They are all captives, where is the poverty? The guards were not accustomed to it, so they asked the white man to serve the black man a meal.
The white man reluctantly gave the black man a meal, but the black man did not dare to eat it, or even dare to take it, and the guards and soldiers stomped their feet in anger, but some black people still shrank their necks and hid back.
At that time, the US military scattered leaflets every day, saying that the United States was full of flowers, what was democratic and civilized, rich and free, there were beautiful women when they went, and when they arrived, they lived in buildings, which was actually not the case at all.
I sent him two words: "Shit! ”
Because the army can fully represent the symbol of a country, the ethnic discrimination among the captives in front of him is so severe, he can get better in the United States.
After eating the hot potatoes, the captive team was about to leave, and an even more comical scene appeared.
None of the white wounded, no matter how heavy or heavy, walked on their own, either carried by the blacks or supported by the blacks, and all of them were loaded with uncles.
When I returned to the garrison, the ammunition had just been brought up, but the food had to wait until the afternoon, and the soldiers had to wait for hunger, and the snow ball could no longer be eaten, and even the best body would be disturbed.
At this time, the 4 companies that returned from the change of defense picked up a bag of rice, about forty or fifty pounds. The company commander Li Changyan was sent directly to the battalion, and I consulted with the battalion commander and sent two soldiers to carry them to the regiment. The regimental commander did not say a word and immediately sent it to the health team to feed the wounded.
As soon as I heard that, I went to the company. The warriors were hungry and tired, and sat in places with leaves in order to conserve their strength.
At first, the warriors thought the food had arrived, but I said that there was only spiritual food.
When I talked about the American captives and the rice, the soldiers came to the spirit and said that they could still go up as long as there was a task.
My eyes were hot, and I had come to make the warriors forget about hunger for a while, not to let them charge again. Only those who have experienced it first-hand know how cute the warriors really are.
At this time, Wang Kefu, the commander of the regimental operations unit, arrived and said that the brother battalion would take over from us in the night to continue the attack on Xinxingli. The small heights controlled by the 2nd Battalion, the closest to the U.S. defensive circle, would be the first to be hit if attacked at night.
At this time, the entire 239th Regiment only had the combat effectiveness of two infantry companies left, and the commander wanted to leave some seeds for the 2nd Battalion.
But down to the company platoon commander to the battalion commander, but no one was happy, because the polar bear defeat had been decided, and the opportunity to make a great contribution was in front of him.
At this time, I noticed that Wangkov's eyes had traces of crying. When asked, he told the truth.
Originally, the superiors decided to dispatch the 241st Regiment of the 81st Division to attack the 1250 heights on our flank, and Wang Kefu was ordered to brief the leaders of the 241st Regiment on the situation.
Halfway through, Wangkov met a wounded man who knew him.
The wounded man said, "Chief, I am no longer able to do so, you go back and greet my comrades on my behalf, and greeting the motherland!" ”
Wang Kefu squatted down and said with tears in his eyes, "Your boy is a communist!"
The wounded man asked, "Chief, why did you say that?" ”
Wang Kefu burst into tears: "You are not a Communist Party member, you cannot say these words!" ”
"I'm a Communist! Chief, you're busy with yours! ”
"The brother troops are coming up, and we're going to attack at night."
"Chief, I can't charge anymore, you let everyone strike hard at the enemy."
Wang Kefu wiped away his tears and said, "Good! You stay here first, and I'll be back after watching the terrain! ”
The already weak wounded waved. Wang Kefu stopped speaking, got up and crawled towards the front with the deputy commander of the 241st Regiment and 3 battalion commanders.
When WangKov returned more than an hour later after looking at the terrain, the wounded Communist had closed his eyes.
Looking at the ice-like face of the communist soldier who had already sacrificed, Wang Kefu couldn't help but burst into tears again.
The Polar Bear Regimental Flag in the 27th Army 27th Army Military History Museum
On the night of November 30, the night attack, our 2 battalions only had to watch. At the same time, I was also ordered to report to the division as soon as the battle was over.
At dawn on December 2, the 6 regiments of the Volunteer Army completely defeated the Polar Bear Regiment, and looking at the teams of American prisoners who were taken down, I knew that the battle in Xinxingli had been won.
I was just about to go to the division to report that Bi Shuyang, the commander of the 3rd Battalion, ran to the regiment with a colorful flag and said that it was the military flag of the Polar Bear Regiment.
In the morning, Bi Shuyang saw that the battle was finally won and that there was sorghum noodles that could be made into steamed buns, so he ordered the cooking class to steam steamed
Since going abroad, this is the first time to steam steamed steamed steamed steam
At this time, Zhang Jiqing, the head of the battalion's communications squad, took out a piece of blue silk from his satchel, shook it a little, and said, "Is this thing okay?"
Old Chen looked very thick and took it to steam the steamed buns.
On the side, Bi Shuyang also noticed this piece of blue silk. If you look closely, it is embroidered with yellow spikes and an eagle, the eagle has a U-shaped ribbon in its mouth, the ribbon has foreign letters, the ribbon is recessed with a white bear, the eagle has two claws, one grasping a bundle of arrows, one grasping a branch, and under the claw is a U-shaped ribbon with foreign letters written on it.
Bi Shuyang wondered in his heart. The battle in Xinxingli was so fierce, the American army lost its armor and armor, but the silk cloth was spotless, and it was eagle and white bear, which was definitely not an ordinary cloth, there must be something coming.
Bi Shuyang quickly called for an interpreter, and the translator looked at it in his hand and said, "Ah! This is the flag of the 31st Regiment of the 7th Division of the United States Army. ”
Bi Shuyang didn't believe it: "This is the flag of the American devils?" ”
The translator affirmed: "Yes, the flag of the 31st Regiment of the US 7th Division." ”
The military flag is a symbol of the troops. The loss of a military flag by a unit means not only defeat, but also great shame.
Bi Shuyang was safe, and while letting the translator translate in detail, he asked Zhang Jiqing what had happened.
It turned out that on the night of November 30, after the 3rd Battalion took over from our 2nd Battalion to attack Xinxingli, the 7th Company blew up the American tanks with 8 earth grenades modified from gasoline, and the 9th connected several houses approaching the US command post.
At this time, Zhang Jiqing, who was acting with the 9th Company, found a US officer running out of the house and trying to escape with an object.
Zhang Jiqing thought that it might be an important document, so he greeted it with a carbine and prepared to catch it alive.
Unexpectedly, the US officer fired two shots, one of which hit Zhang Jiqing's left arm. At the same time that Zhang Jiqing hung flowers, he also shot a bullet that resulted in a US officer, and ran over to untie it to see that it was a piece of silk cloth.
At that time, Zhang Jiqing wanted to throw away the silk cloth, but it was bought by his own blood, so he took it into his arms and continued to attack, until the cooker found a steamed cloth.
At this time, the translator had a more detailed translation, saying that the eagle was the American national bird bald eagle, the foreign text on the ribbon in the eagle's beak was "for the motherland", the polar bear above the eagle was the military insignia, and the foreign text below was the unit's number "31st Infantry Regiment".
Zhang Jiqing listened to the music and said, "It turned out to be such a bear thing!" ”
Bi Shuyang said, "This thing is much more powerful than the document!" Worth more than capturing 1 cannon! ”
Everyone listened to Bi Shuyang's analysis, and they all became elated and said, "Polar bear, really bear!" Completely stripped alive by us. ”
Before and after returning to China, this flag has been preserved in the 27th Army Military History Museum, and then it has become a national first-class cultural relic, and has entered the military museum of the Chinese People's Revolution.
After I left, I heard some argument that the Battle of Chosin Lake was a big political victory, but only a draw with the American army in military tactics.
This makes me very angry!
It is true that our 80th Division was finally reduced to 8 infantry companies and 2 machine gun companies, and the number of combatants in each company was only forty or fifty people, but we created the only example of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in which we formed and annihilated a regiment of the US army, and we captured the flag of the Polar Bear Regiment, and the flag of a unit was lost.
Some people who are even more indignant say that the US military came to Korea only to help the ROK army fight the People's Army and had no intention of invading New China, but it was people at home who said these words.
At noon on December 2, when I arrived at the 80th Division, which had moved forward to Xinxingli, Tian Xiao, the divisional and democratic liaison officer, Zhu Yulin, an English translator, and Cui Zhizhu, a Korean translator, found a rucksack in a jeep with a thick stack of battle maps, not only north Korean but also Chinese.
After reading the map, Zhu Yulin was very shocked and said: "In addition to the DPRK, the arrows of the US military's combat attack also indicate the northeast, Shanghai, and Fujian. ”
Tian Xiao trotted to report to the 80th Division, and the division commander did not dare to delay for a moment, and immediately sent Tian Xiao to send the MAP of the US army to the 27th Army.
The head of the army was also very shocked to see it, and sent an intelligence staff officer to the volunteer headquarters by car overnight.
I learned of this information for the first time, thinking that if we did not fight the Battle of Chosin Lake, I was afraid that one day we would have to go to war with the US army somewhere in Gyeongpo Lake.
The U.S. military operational map was not declassified until 2013 and has now been written into the military history of the Battle of Chosin Lake of the 27th Army.
No one likes war, but the peace of a country never falls from the sky, especially China, which has been invaded by the great powers for hundreds of years.
Later, I thought that our real opponent at Chosin Lake was not the US military, nor the cold weather that froze to death, but the war itself imposed on new China.
The battle that New China is forced to fight has been fought by our generation, but vigilance and not fear of war are the eternal mission of soldiers.
┃The text is from my non-fiction manuscript "Ice Blood Chosin Lake", and the media reprint needs to be authorized.
┃ Retrace the little-known moments of life and death, and tell the story of the Battle of Chosin Lake, which is close to the truth.