The Twenty-Sixth Strategy: Let the Turtles Go into the Pot
On the 27th at 11:00, Qi Mu and his assault company arrived at the Datongjiang Highway Bridge in Tian Zhen's tanks and cars. Looking at the bridge under the sunlight, Tian Zhen, who was observing from the top of the tank, had a surge of passion in his heart. As long as they blew up the bridge after the US Cavalry Regiment crossed it, the US Cavalry Regiment would be finished. Then their hundreds of tanks would be captured by our Independent Division, wouldn't that be great? Tian Zhen suddenly shook himself awake, getting rid of that unrealistic idea.
US soldier Smith, who had been guarding the bridge for many years, naturally recognized the M24 tank parked far away. The familiar M24 with two engines was part of a convoy consisting of nine tanks and three cars that stopped at the US military's roadblock on the bridge. Smith ran out of the bunker and looked at the outer skin of the M24 that had been scratched by machine guns, the tattered canvas on the car, and the many bullet holes exposed, wondering if these fake soldiers had been attacked. After a fierce battle, Qi Mu got out of the driver's cab and gave Smith a military salute, then handed over his ID and pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, offering one to Smith and helping him light it up.
Smith nodded and said, "Thank you, have you been attacked by the enemy?" The pseudo-military personnel fighting alongside the US military heard Smith's words and impatiently told him in English about their own troops' "tragic experience". Our 10,000-strong ROK Army's Seventh Division was surrounded by 200,000 CCP troops in Tokchon, and after annihilating over 100,000 enemies, we ran out of ammunition and retreated to Samsori. However, we were again surrounded by tens of thousands of communist troops, and after eliminating many enemies, only our unit managed to escape. The pseudo-military personnel next to him nodded excitedly, even shedding crocodile tears, feeling proud of their military's bravery. Only Smith furrowed his brow, looking at the vehicle convoy that showed no signs of battle smoke or damage, with every soldier intact. He immediately ordered the removal of roadblocks to let this "brave national army" retreat. Only in Smith's heart was he still pondering whether it was worth saving such a country and helping such an army.
From the 28th morning to evening, the first-line position of the Second Regiment of the Independent Division was completely destroyed. The hard frozen soil was burned into a combination of hard shell and soft mud by the US military's napalm bombs. Most of the ice on the front line was blown up or melted by the hundreds of tons of bombs dropped by the US military, which turned the giant rocks on the mountain into rubble.
Thanks to the good concealment and solid underground fortifications, as well as various killing tools prepared in advance, our army paid a price of more than 200 casualties, including over 50 deaths, and left behind over 1,000 corpses and over 2,000 wounded soldiers for the US Second Division. The combat strength of the US Second Division was reduced by half, leaving only over 2,500 men.
Facing defeat, Keizer regretted not being cautious enough in attacking the enemy's strong position, underestimating the opponent, and not knowing that they were facing the Independent First Division... Although Keizer was very regretful, he did not forget to ask for support from the Group Army Commander Walker, nor did he forget the profound lesson left by the night raid of the Independent First Division.
Therefore, the US Second Division built a series of defensive fortifications with over 40 tanks as firepower points, preparing to wait for the arrival of reinforcements at dawn.
However, Gaoquan did not intend to give him peace, even if there was a seal of nobility, he would not agree. So the second company, Jiang Xuefeng, led the team and carried 3 thunder cannons to set off. Under the cover of night, Jiang Xuefeng fired one cannon and changed places, but the powerful thunder cannon shells often destroyed American tanks or sent dozens of American soldiers flying into the sky. Even solid shelters were blown down by a single cannon, and the 30-kilogram explosive would kill all enemies. The terrified American military seemed to see doomsday, as if they saw hell in front of them. When the sun rose on the second day, the US Second Division camp with over 9,000 people had more than 6,000 wounded, burning cars and tents, and smoke rising from shell craters. And another thousand American lives were taken away by the black night.
Upon receiving a joint telegram from UN Commander-in-Chief MacArthur and US Eighth Army Commander General Walker, the commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, Major General Gay, requested to rush to rescue the besieged US 2nd Division and open up the withdrawal route for the US military. The 1st Cavalry Division, which had been planning to take a break and replenish its heavily damaged troops, was forced to set out to rescue the beleaguered 2nd Division on the brink of destruction. The newly replenished 8th Regiment with over 1,500 men was left behind in Sunchon to maintain local security and eliminate the increasingly frequent guerrilla activities. With the 7th Regiment, divisional tank battalion, divisional artillery regiment, and other units totaling over 10,000 men, they marched northward in a grand manner. Among them were more than 2,000 pseudo-troops attached to the US military, which was intended to better adapt to the battlefield environment. The effect is well-known to everyone.
As Guy passed by the Datong Jiang highway bridge, his jeep stopped at the north bridgehead fort. Guy got out of the car and looked at the important bridge behind him. As a result, 4 M4A3E8 Shermans and an American company were left behind to support the 7th Cavalry Regiment's 2nd Battalion E Company's Lieutenant George, who wanted to leave a good impression on the superiors who would return soon. The four tanks were built as firepower support points at the north bridgehead fort, and he personally sat in town, while Smith sent dozens of people to guard the bridge tail.
On the 27th, in the middle of the night, they rushed to Longyuanli and annihilated two companies of sleeping enemy troops. As a result, another iron lock was added to the "United Nations Army"'s retreat route. Under Zhang Dabiao's command, the 2nd and 1st battalions began constructing fortifications, with the 2nd battalion defending the north and the 1st battalion defending the south. The 3rd battalion, under Gao Quan's command, quickly headed to Anzhou, where they destroyed bridges in the Anzhou area and prevented the enemy from repairing them.
Battalion commander Liu Changying and his fourth company commander Li Dash were studying a map: "The first company is on the south mountain of Gedouling, the second company is on the north mountain, and our fourth company is sandwiched between them. Our position is on a small hill over 50 meters high at the turning point. The enemy must pass through here, and tanks, planes, and artillery will definitely be concentrated on us. Commander, you should reinforce our firepower; otherwise, with just one 57 recoilless gun and several 60mm mortars, we can't withstand the enemy's tanks."
Li Dash said this, looking worried. Liu Changying smiled and punched him in the chest: "You little scoundrel, don't pretend to be so poor! I'll add a 75 recoilless gun, three 57s, and some newly arrived 89.9 rocket launchers. If you can't hold your position, watch me deal with you!" Wang Haishan, who had become the fourth company's instructor, emerged from the bunker he was digging and leaned against the wall, smiling foolishly.
At this time, the US 1st Division, 25th Division, and British 27th Brigade were passing through Junwuri towards Longyuanli.
Liu Changyuan and Li Dashuai joined the ranks of passionate warriors who took off their cotton-padded jackets, busily building fortifications. All this was particularly striking on a cold and icy night when sweat turned to ice in the biting wind.
The Final Battle of Korea: Chapter 26 - Releasing the Turtle into the Urn
