The Forty-first Chapter: Blood Stains the Han River
It's so late and I'm still writing a chapter, how about you come and show some support for me?
In the 13-day third campaign from October 25 to November 2, 1950, our army annihilated more than 25,000 enemies and captured a large number of enemy weapons and ammunition depots. However, food supplies were insufficient. Although we seized a large amount of grain in Incheon while the US military was not paying attention, it was still far from enough to feed the over 200,000 people on the west line, and could only be maintained for a short period of time. After our army stopped attacking, General Douglas MacArthur became impatient and launched frequent reconnaissance and probing attacks with small units carried by tanks, starting from the enemy's contact points, in order to prove his assumption that the Chinese army had only limited combat capability due to supply shortages. Thus began the "Home-by-Christmas" offensive (also known as magnetic warfare tactics), where small groups of troops constantly attacked our army, trying to exhaust us and keep us in contact, preventing us from retreating, before launching a large-scale attack.
At this time, the main force of the volunteer army had already begun to withdraw northward for reorganization, leaving only the 50th Army and the 112th Division of the 38th Army. These small forces would undergo a test of modern firepower from the US military. Due to Chairman Mao's concerns (historical fact, requiring strengthening defensive forces, Old General Peng believed that troops could not participate in the next battle without reorganization, so he was not adopted by Old General Peng), Gao Gang led his three regiments and one artillery regiment, one tank regiment (44 tanks) under the cover of night to the front line, taking over from the 50th Army at the contact points with the US military in Yeolmaru, Suwon, and Geumgang.
It is known that historically, Matthew Ridgway would use the US military as the main force, with small units equipped with aircraft and tanks to continuously probe the defensive and remaining combat effectiveness of our army. In order not to let Ridgway know the true situation of our army, Gao Quan decided to sacrifice a regiment, equipped with a tank battalion, an artillery battalion, and a mortar battalion, to ambush the enemy in Yebo, Shuiguan, and Jinchangri, while the remaining troops were building strong fortifications on Xiushan, Guangjiao Mountain, and Wenhengshan. Prepare to give the enemy's probing small units a devastating blow, giving Ridgway a profound lesson, while also not letting the enemy know the current situation of the Volunteer Army, will not act rashly, in order to facilitate the rest and next campaign of the main force of the Volunteer Army.
Under the plan of General Ridgway, the US Air Force, which had increased to 1,700 aircraft, began a more intense bombing campaign against our military's rear transportation lines. From Ji'an on the Yalu River, Changbai River mouth, Andong to Danning River, Qingchuan River, Datong River, and Han River, all large bridges that could be crossed by cars were subjected to devastating attacks, with some not even leaving a few bridge piers intact, let alone the bridge deck facilities. The logistics of the Volunteer Army, which was already extremely difficult, suffered a disaster, and logistics supplies almost came to a complete halt. Vehicle and material losses were beyond imagination, with only about one-tenth remaining, and food supplies barely enough to meet the required minimum quantity of about one-quarter.
In the darkness, the fifty officers and men who were withdrawing from their positions looked at the tanks and artillery vehicles coming towards them in surprise. If it weren't for the red flags, the soldiers almost thought they were American and were about to take out their guns to shoot. The guard asked strangely, "Commander, are we going to attack again? Didn't you say we wouldn't attack and would rest instead? Why are there so many tanks and artillery vehicles? Is it going to be a big battle? Why do we have to retreat?" The commander smiled and said, "You little Li, this is the Iron Blood Hero Independent First Division coming to take over our position. There won't be a big battle, we're going to Han City to rest and replenish our supplies and personnel. Look at your empty food bag and bullet pouch." Looking at the smiling commander, the guard said enviously, "If only our unit's weapons were half as good as Independent First Division's!" "We will have them," the commander said with a smile. "Did you hear? In Han City, we captured an enemy arsenal with one hundred million cannonballs and ten billion bullets, as well as a large number of weapons." The commander admired the heavy tank passing by and said, "My god! So many!" The guard's eyes widened in surprise. The commander, who was pleased with himself, said happily, "Our unit might be going to Han City to exchange equipment. Maybe our heavy weapons can't compare to Independent First Division's, but our light weapons are definitely comparable. Next time, you can load up on bullets and hand grenades as much as you want, and I'll give you an American-style submachine gun."
Gao Quan sent out the 2nd company of the assault regiment, Jiang Xuefeng's 3rd company and Zhang Yutian's 4th company, as well as Tian Qin's light tank company. As a result, the US military, which had been numb for several days, suffered heavy casualties. Either they were blown up by shells at night while sleeping, or they were killed or injured by landmines buried on the roads they had to take during patrols, and then shot by snipers. The constant raids and "midnight songs" made the US military unbearable, so they retreated from the front line one after another. Li Qiming was puzzled, thinking "Isn't it because of insufficient ammunition and food? Isn't it because we stopped attacking and contracted our defense? Why did we start attacking again?" Until the air force's reconnaissance report and the intelligence from the puppet army revealed that the Independent 1st Division, which had been resting in Seoul, had arrived at the front line to confront our troops. Only then did Li Qiming suddenly realize that it was Gao Quan (the stinker) who liked to attack just like himself.
Believing the enemy had only one division and insufficient troops, Li Kui-mu began a general advance. The US 25th Division, US 3rd Division, Puppet 1st Division, remnants of the US 1st Cavalry Division, British 27th Brigade, Greek Battalion, over 60,000 men advanced together. Although they could still launch night attacks on the US military, with the compression of activity space and the continuous emergence of US tank-mounted infantry assault teams behind them, under Feng Guozhang's leadership, they began to retreat.
While repairing the mountains, Guangjiao Mountain, Wen Hengshan, and the independent 1st Division's 2nd and 3rd regiments began to build fortifications, following the principle of fewer troops in front and more in the rear, stronger firepower in front and weaker in the rear. A large number of anti-artillery caves were also built, as well as shelters covered with ice, and a large number of logs were cut down. With the support of the Korean people, the positions several kilometers deep were being fortified, becoming more solid day by day, waiting for the US military to come and crash into them. In response to the enemy's tactic of using tanks and armored vehicles to launch surprise attacks, Gao Gang also launched a counter-attack, with tanks covering and fiercely attacking the enemy's temporary positions at night. When several small units were defeated by Gao Gang one after another, Li Qiuwei, who had already lost over 1,000 men, could no longer bear it, because he thought that his tactics, which combined Mao Zedong's guerrilla warfare tactics with the US military's mobility advantage, did not work.
In fact, if it were in other troops with weak firepower and no tanks, it might be useful, but he faced the extraordinary independent first division.
