Chapter 52 Capture Lanzhou City

On August 20, 1949, our Corps joined forces with the Second Corps led by Comrade Xu Guangda on the outskirts of Lanzhou, and surrounded Lanzhou from east, west, and south. As soon as the troops had reached their mustering position, we immediately went up the hill to survey the terrain.The north of Lanzhou City is bordered by the Yellow River, and three sides are surrounded by mountains. The terrain is indeed very dangerous.The towering peaks of Gaolan Mountain, which surrounds Lanyuan, become the natural barrier of the city.On the mountain, there are permanent defense fortifications built by the Kuomintang army during the War of Resistance Against Japan, which were continuously strengthened during the War of Liberation.The main positions are built with reinforced concrete blockhouses, and the ring road leading to the city is connected with each main position.There are one or two cut walls to the outside, with a height of about six to ten meters. There are hidden side machine gun shelters at the waist of the cut walls. There are several outer trenches dug outside the cut walls, with a width and depth of three to five meters. There are bunkers and Field fortifications are connected with traffic ditches and secret passages.Barbed wire fences were also laid in front of the positions, and landmines were densely covered.For this reason, the enemy boasted Lanzhou as an "impregnable iron city".

The enemy relies on strong fortifications, which is not only conducive to the display of firepower, but also convenient to organize counterattacks; while our army is attacking from the bottom up, not only is it difficult to cross the trenches and cut walls, but it is also inconvenient to move and deploy our troops.Looking to the north at the huge current of the Yellow River, the city is surrounded by mountains and rolling to the east. During the rainy season, the water flows quickly and the waves are turbid.The enemy fought across the river, and it was difficult for our army to cross the river and besiege the enemy on all sides.The key for our army to wipe out and defend the enemy is to capture the main barrier of Lanzhou - Nanshan, and control the enemy's only retreat - the Yellow River Iron Bridge.

According to Mr. Peng's deployment, the Second Corps' task was to attack Yingpanling, Shenjialing and Qili River, and then attack Xiguan and Nanguan in Lanzhou City. One part would go eastward along the south bank of the Yellow River to capture the Iron Bridge of the Yellow River, and the other part would attack from the Qili River. The regional camera crossed the Yellow River north and wiped out the enemies on the north bank.The mission of our 19th Corps is to first capture Majia Mountain, Gucheng Ridge, Doujia Mountain in the south of the road along the Xilan Highway, and Shili Mountain in the north of the road, and then develop an attack on the East Gate of Lanzhou City.After looking at the terrain, we chose Zhuzui Ridge as the command post of the Corps, from which we can clearly see the enemy's position.

In order to pass the decisive battle in Lanzhou and realize its plan to keep a counter-revolutionary base in the mainland, the reactionary Kuomintang government spared no effort to repair the sores and sent planes to deliver military supplies to Lanzhou for days.Hu Zongnan took out his last blood and mobilized four armies in Huixian, Chengxian, Liangdang and Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway, preparing to cooperate with Qingma to attack our rear.Ningma also knew that the success or failure of the Lanzhou Battle would determine his own fate, so he gathered the main force and assumed the posture of supporting Qingma, waiting for the opportunity to send troops to attack our rear.Qingma even regarded the decisive battle in Lanzhou as the key to his own survival. After Ma Bufang participated in the Northwest Joint Defense Conference convened by the central government of the Kuomintang, he hurried back to Lanzhou by plane from Guangzhou on August 19 and deployed everything in person.The enemy defended Lanzhou with a total of 50,000 troops, the 82nd Army and the 129th Army, the two main forces with the strongest combat effectiveness; the 91st Army, 120th Army, and 81st Army A total of more than 20,000 people served as the left wing, defending the Jingyuan and Jingtai along the Yellow River and the Dalacchi area; the newly formed cavalry army totaled 20,000 people as the right wing, controlling the Lintao and Taosha areas.After Qingma vainly tried to rely on the strong fortifications on the outskirts of Lanzhou to discourage me, he used Ningma and Hu Zongnan to attack me on the back, and used the tactics of frontal combat and outflanking to annihilate our army in the outskirts of Lanzhou.At the same time, Qingma also urgently dispatched troops stationed in Xinjiang to reinforce Lanzhou, and repeatedly called the central government of the Kuomintang: "Request the Air Force to send a powerful fleet to participate in the battle every day during the battle."

Of course, the above was not fully understood until later.At that time, our army went deep into the enemy's hinterland, the party's work foundation in the new area was weak, and it lacked inside lines, and Ma Bufang was cunning and changeable. It was not easy to accurately grasp the enemy's dynamics and make correct judgments.When our army approached Lanzhou, they received two kinds of contradictory information: one was that the enemy's 91st Army and 120th Army had withdrawn from Lanzhou to the north, and planned to retreat to Jiuquan with the pseudo-Gansu Provincial Government, and a large amount of supplies were being transported from Lanzhou Shipped to Xining, the enemy of Lanzhou was preparing to blow up the factory, dismantle the wires, and destroy the iron bridge of the Yellow River; first, the Chiang Kai-shek reactionary group sent several planes to deliver ammunition to Lanzhou every day, Qingma was rushing to transport grain and millstones into the city, and its 82nd Army The main force is repairing fortifications in Lanzhou, and Ningma is going to attack with six divisions to support the enemy in Lanzhou.Two diametrically opposed judgments can be made on the basis of this contradictory information.After careful analysis, Mr. Peng believes that the enemy's situation in Lanzhou is different from that in Pingliang. The enemy's plan for a decisive battle in Lanzhou will not be withdrawn without a decision like Pingliang. Moreover, our army must do everything possible to force the enemy to fight in Lanzhou. Estimate the situation more seriously, consider more difficulties, and use this as a standpoint to make full preparations from all aspects.

As soon as our army encircled Lanzhou, President Peng sent a telegram on August 21 to Comrade Wang Zhen, who led a corps from the left to detour to Qinghai, pointing out: Qingma is now determined to stick to Lanzhou. After our left corps enters Linxia, ​​it may be shaken It sticks to its determination, but it may also prompt it to be determined to stick to it regardless of everything, or even abandon Xining, withdraw to the east bank of the Datong River, Xiangtang, Xincheng, and the north bank of the Huangshui River to protect the retreat to the west of Hexi.When our army fails to attack the Sixth and Seventh National Congress of Lanzhou, the main force of Ningma may take the opportunity to reinforce Lanzhou.The Qing and Ning horses have more than 2,000 cars, and it is necessary to fully estimate the possibility of transporting the main force of Ning Ma to Lanzhou.If this happens, the Second Corps can detour to the north of Lanzhou, and our army will concentrate three corps to fight in Lanzhou.On the same day, President Peng also issued a tactical instruction to attack Lanzhou in the name of the First Field Army Command, emphasizing: "Qingma is the most effective force among the enemy forces today, and it is also a stubborn enemy that is numerous throughout the country. We must have enough for him. Estimate, and make full mental preparations, and refrain from underestimating the enemy's arrogance and acuteness."The instructions require all ministries: "Careful reconnaissance, precise planning, and full preparations are required when attacking," and "must concentrate superior forces, firepower, and technology on one point, and wipe out the enemy one by one on hilltops, houses, and positions. If you don't attack, you will be done. The attack must pay off." "During the attack, it is necessary to make full preparations to destroy the enemy's counterattack forces, organize and destroy the firepower of the enemy's countercharge, and build fortifications to resist the countercharge." "Close infantry coordination. Artillery must carefully reconnaissance the enemy's strength and specific firepower equipment, well-organized battlefield observation, and avoid blind shooting. It must be known that superior artillery fire is not omnipotent in the face of a stubborn enemy." "Yes To overcome the enemy's outer trenches and steep walls, it is necessary to approach by digging trenches and transforming the terrain, and to destroy them with explosives. Due to the difficulty of transporting ammunition, shelling is auxiliary."

At the same time, in view of the fact that our army only encircled the enemy forces in Lanzhou on three sides, and the Yellow River Iron Bridge on the north retreat route is still under the enemy's control, the possibility of the enemy's sudden escape under the pressure of our army cannot be ruled out.Therefore, Mr. Peng decided to conduct a trial attack on the enemy's position on August 21 with nine regiments.Among them, the 65th Army and the 63rd Army of our Corps used five regiments to attack Doujiashan, Guchengling and Shilishan.The preparations for this attack were very insufficient, so we rushed into the battle. At the same time, during the pursuit of thousands of miles, the enemy fled without fighting, and the thinking of underestimating the enemy has grown among the commanders and fighters; The deployment of troops and firepower did not bring blasting equipment and explosives, and did not organize infantry coordination. As soon as they entered the position, they led the troops to rush towards the enemy; one company rushed up before even knowing the target of the attack; When the enemy's situation was unknown, the head of the regiment said: "Give me two hours, and I promise to complete the task!"

After two days of attacks on the 21st and 22nd, the troops fought very bravely and tenaciously, and fought the enemy many times. Although they inflicted a lot of damage on the enemy, they did not win a single position of the enemy, and their own casualties were also high. very big.The Second Corps tried to attack the enemy with four regiments, but it didn't work.According to this situation, Mr. Peng decisively ordered to stop the attack, and quickly summarized the position: according to the tactical instructions on the 21st, make preparations before launching a general attack.Although this trial attack was thwarted, it found out the enemy's deployment and determination, and learned that the three main divisions of the enemy's 82nd Army with the strongest combat effectiveness were sticking to the three main divisions of Majiashan, Yingpanling, and Shenjialing in the enemy's defense system. The main position, the enemy's 129th Army and other troops defended the positions on the east and west wings and the north bank of the Yellow River, backed by the natural danger of the Yellow River, focusing on controlling Nanshan, dividing troops to guard, and there was no reserve team in the city.More importantly, the lessons of blood have enabled the troops to recognize the dangers of underestimating the enemy's thinking, soberly and fully grasp the preparations for launching a general offensive against the enemy.

On August 23, Mr. Peng came to the command post of the Corps.Because Yang Dezhi and I did not fight well in the previous two days, our hearts were very heavy, and we were ready to be criticized, so we took the initiative to review President Peng and said: "The Nineteenth Corps has never encountered such a situation in history: attacking the enemy In two days, they failed to win a single position. The cadres of the army, division, and regiment were very breathless and eager to continue fighting, so they had to let it out. Chairman Mao repeatedly instructed us: Do not underestimate the two horses, otherwise we will die Suffering. Now we really suffer from the disadvantage of underestimating the enemy. Although we often sound the alarm for ourselves and educate the troops again and again to overcome the thought of underestimating the enemy, recently the education of the troops has been relaxed, and the thought of underestimating the enemy has risen again. This time the battle was not fought well. The main responsibility lies with the leaders of our corps." Unexpectedly, Mr. Peng did not get angry, and he calmly said to us: "The main reason for the failure of the troops' trial attack is that they underestimate the enemy. The secondary reason is that the enemy's fortifications are strong and the enemy Be tenacious. This trial attack was decided by me. The time was short and the troops were not prepared enough. However, through the trial attack, the goal of understanding the enemy was also achieved. You must tell the troops to calm down, sum up experience and lessons, study the enemy carefully, and do a solid job. Make preparations and stand by to launch a general attack on the enemy."

Mr. Peng told us: The First Corps on the left wing of our army under the leadership of Comrade Wang Zhen is advancing very fast. It has occupied Linxia on the 22nd. Cut off the connection between Lanzhou and Xining, ready to block and intercept the enemy at any time.Mr. Peng analyzed several possible changes in the situation after our army occupied Linxia and the countermeasures our army should have: The first situation is that Lanzhou's defense of the enemy has increased concerns about its Xining home, so the defense is divided up, and the focus is still on Lanzhou.In this way, it will be beneficial for me to capture Lanzhou, and after taking Lanzhou, I will draw some troops to assist a corps in capturing Xining.

The second situation is that the enemy abandons Xining and sticks to Lanzhou with all their strength. This possibility is very small; or the Sixth New Cavalry Army and Xining Guard Force (one division) defends Xining. This possibility is very high.Under such circumstances, it is not suitable for our corps to go deep and occupy Xining alone for the time being.If our army attacks Lanzhou and Xining at the same time and both are blocked, the main force of Ningma may attack our side when our army is far away from fatigue. ; Even if our army occupies Xining, but Lanzhou is not captured, it still has such concerns due to the dispersion of troops. In the third case, if Qingma abandons Lanzhou and retreats to Xining, the Second Corps will follow and pursue, and the First Corps will seize the opportunity to block and intercept the enemy, wipe out the main force of Qingma in the area of ​​Xiangtang, and then take Xining.In the fourth situation, if our army's attack on Lanzhou is ineffective, and the main force of Ningma and the horses are reinforced to Lanzhou, and the enemy's strength is strengthened, and it is difficult for us to attack Lanzhou again, our army can not rush to attack Lanzhou and take Xining for the time being, but take a month or two. In the given time, focus on doing a good job in the local work in the newly liberated areas, establish a local work foundation, buy time to rest and reorganize the main force, solve food difficulties, collect sufficient ammunition, and launch political offensives against the enemy, actively create conditions, and then attack Lanzhou.Of course, this situation should be avoided as much as possible, so it was decided to transfer five regiments of the three local armies to strengthen the 64th Army.After listening to Mr. Peng's analysis, we were deeply inspired and educated by Mr. Peng's comprehensive and thoughtful consideration of the problem, fully estimating the difficulties and the spirit of Chairman Mao's call, and immediately expressed to Mr. Peng: the whole army of the 64th Army With high fighting spirit, they seized more than 400,000 rounds of bullets from the enemy in Guyuan and Haiyuan, and had two months of grain storage. The grain and ammunition were sufficient, and the fortifications were continuously strengthened. They were confident in completing the task of blocking Ningma. With the support of a regiment, it will be more sure.As for the attack on Lanzhou, we have already figured out the enemy's position and deployment of troops. As long as we prepare for a day or two, we are sure to take down the enemy's position. In the ten days before and after the Lanzhou Battle, Mr. Peng reported the frontline situation to the Military Commission and Chairman Mao almost every day, and received instructions from Chairman Mao many times. On August 23, Chairman Mao instructed: Ma Bufang is determined to defend Lanzhou, which will help our army wipe out the enemy.In order to annihilate this enemy, it is necessary to concentrate all three corps to attack Lanzhou.After Wang Zhen's corps crossed the river from the upper reaches, it seemed appropriate to detour behind Lanzhou, that is, to cut off the roads leading to Qinghai and Xinjiang from Lanzhou and participate in the attack.Before the attack, it seems that a week or more is required to restore the fatigue of the troops, to reconnaissance the enemy's situation, terrain and morale in detail, and to make full preparations for battle.And we must be prepared to use two or three attacks to wipe out the horse enemies and capture Lanzhou if we can't open it once.Following Chairman Mao's instructions, President Peng immediately adjusted his deployment, and imagined the most difficult situation that might arise, and reported to Chairman Mao on the 24th: three corps were determined to attack Lanzhou, and Wang Zhen's corps detoured from the upper reaches of Lanzhou to Lanbei.It is very likely that Ningma dispatched three armies to reinforce Lanzhou via the left bank of the Yellow River.For example, if the two horses gathered in Lanzhou, together with Zhou Jiabin and Huang Zuxun, a total of 130,000 soldiers guarded Jiancheng. None of them could receive adequate relief, and it was even more impossible to transport food.Therefore, it was decided to besiege Lanzhou before Ma Hongkui arrived, in order to solve the main force of Qingma first.Now that the Second Corps and the Nineteenth Corps are ready to attack the city, fatigue has not yet recovered, food is insufficient, oil and vegetables are more difficult to solve, and Qingma continues to attack, so it is difficult to get a rest.Judging from the current preparations, the siege of the city is 70% to 80% sure, so it is decided to start the attack on the morning of the 25th.If Qingma is not resolved, and Ningma reinforcements are approaching, Lanzhou will be besieged with four armies, and five armies will be assembled to attack Ningma.After Chairman Mao received Mr. Peng's report, he sent a telegram to Mr. Peng on the 26th, pointing out: If you succeed in attacking Lanzhou on the 25th, the situation will change.If it fails, it will be a reconnaissance operation. The whole army will learn useful lessons from this bloody reconnaissance battle, and determine the victory of the next battle.If you fail on the 25th and Ningma comes to help, please follow your determination in the 24th telegram and make sure to attack the city first and then attack the city. After two days of preparations on the 23rd and 24th, the troops carried out in-depth political mobilization, carefully reviewed experience and lessons, carefully reconnaissance of the terrain, repeatedly figured out the road, carried out sand table operations, carried out military democracy, and mobilized The masses studied the tactics of attacking the enemy, organized forces to dig traffic ditches to transform the terrain, and mobilized all manpower, animal power and vehicles to transport materials and equipment.These preparations were completed after overcoming numerous difficulties, racing against time, and working hard day and night.On the 24th, it rained all day, and the whole land was shrouded in clouds and mist and drizzle, which was convenient for our army to carry out preparations, but everyone hoped that this rainy weather would not continue, so as not to affect our army total attack.At night, as expected, the rain stopped and the clouds cleared, and the sky was extremely clear and transparent. It was really a beautiful day that gave us such a good weather.Everyone joked: "Ma Bufang has done a lot of evil, which has aroused the anger of heaven and people, and God has come to help us eliminate him." At dawn on the 25th, our army launched a general attack on Lanzhou.Under the cover of heavy artillery fire, the infantry rushed bravely towards the enemy's position.After fierce fighting, the Fourth Army of the Second Corps first captured the Zhong and Xia Gouwa Mountains on the main position of Shenjialing.At 17:00 in the afternoon, the Sixth Army conquered the third battalion, the main position of Panling, the highest peak camp in Nanshan.Within the scope of our Corps, the 89th Division of the 63rd Army captured Doujiashan, the main enemy position at 16:00, and the 93rd Division of the 65th Army captured Guchengling and Majiashan that night.During the battle, the enemy commander supervised the battle with machine guns and broadswords, and continuously launched counterattacks against me.Our army captured every trench, every cliff and every position of the enemy, and went through arduous battles and repeated struggles, and fought with the enemy many times with bayonets and hand-to-hand combat. After Ma Bufang, who was in Lanzhou, heard the news that our corps had occupied Linxia, ​​he was completely unexpected and panicked. He felt that the rear was empty and Xining's old nest was in danger, so he hurriedly ordered the Eighth Cavalry Brigade and several cavalry regiments to rush back. Qinghai, strengthen the defense of Xining.At the same time, he was extremely dissatisfied with Ma Hongkui and Hu Zongnan who kept their troops inactive, making him trapped in Lanzhou alone.On August 23, Ma Ji was sent to Ningxia to ask for help.On August 24, another 100,000 emergency telegrams were sent to the KMT central government: "The First Army and Second Army of the Communist Army near Linxia on the west bank of the Tao River are about to attack Yongjing and Xunhua. The situation is urgent! If the Shaanxi Administration, Ningxia Allied Forces, and the Air Force do not move quickly to assist in the annihilation, I am afraid that Lanzhou and Xining will be shaken. It is a close call, and we can’t wait! Please hurry up and send reminders without delay.” On the same day, Ma Bufang fled back to Xining by plane from Lanzhou in a panic, and fled from Xining to Chongqing on the 25th.When fleeing Lanzhou, Ma Bufang told his son Ma Jiyuan: If Ma Hongkui, Hu Zongnan and the Air Force don't come to help, they will save their strength and withdraw to Qinghai.After our army launched a general attack on Lanzhou on the 25th, Ma Jishou, the commander-in-chief of the enemy army in Lanzhou, still dreamed of defeating our army's attack by holding on desperately, buying time, and waiting for Ningma, Hu Zongnan and the air force to dispatch.In the afternoon of the same day, the main enemy army defending the outskirts of Lanzhou suffered heavy casualties, and their positions were lost one after another. There was no reserve force in the city, and it was hopeless to wait for Ningma, Hu Zongnan and the air force to come to rescue them. , Suppressed its lair, cut off its retreat, so he decided to withdraw from Lanzhou in a panic, retreat to the north bank of the Yellow River, and redeploy the troops.At 16:00, the Northwest Military and Political Office of the enemy and various troops began to retreat to the north bank of the Yellow River.Most of Qingma's main force was on the ground. Fearing that our army would find out, they had to take advantage of the darkness to withdraw secretly.There was confusion at the outset, as the enemy was forced to make a hasty decision to retreat only in critical circumstances. That night, when our army continued to attack the enemy, we found that the enemy had fled and immediately launched a pursuit.The third army of the Second Corps entered the city first and started street fighting with the enemy.One rushed towards the Yellow River Iron Bridge, wiped out the stubborn enemy, captured the Yellow River Iron Bridge, and cut off the enemy's only retreat.The main force of the enemy troops who had withdrawn from Nanshan was concentrating in the city, and they were annihilated by me immediately.At this time, the Sixth Army had also entered the city. The Sixty-third Army and the Sixty-fifth Army of our corps pursued for more than 20 li, went straight to the Dongshao Gate, and wiped out the remnants of the enemy.By 12 o'clock on the 26th, our army had occupied all key points inside and outside the city, wiped out all the enemies, crossed the iron bridge over the Yellow River, occupied Baita Mountain, and Lanzhou was declared liberated. The enemies who fled in embarrassment across the iron bridge of the Yellow River only cared about their own lives. Cavalry and infantry mixed together, and horses and vehicles competed for the road. .After I took control of the Iron Bridge over the Yellow River, Commander Qingma, disregarding the lives of the soldiers, forced them to swim across the Yellow River, causing countless people to die in the belly of the fish.The enemy troops who escaped by chance ran to Qinghai in despair.The lower-ranking officers and soldiers broke up one after another with their guns and horses, and there were only a few officers and soldiers who fled back to Qinghai. In the decisive battle in Lanzhou, both Ning Ma and Hu Zongnan were anxiously waiting for the green horse to defeat me, and then took the opportunity to attack me from the rear, hoping to win the decisive battle.Until August 24th, Ningma was still concentrating on the main force, just around the corner.The main force of Qingma was annihilated in the Battle of Lanzhou, which finally completely shattered their hopes.The main force of Ningma was afraid of being wiped out, and hurriedly fled back to Zhongning and Zhongwei's lair in Ningxia.After the main force of Qingma was wiped out, Hu Zongnan dispatched troops to Baoji and Longnan on August 27, pretending to be a support gesture, but was flanked by our 18th Corps and fled in defeat.On August 30th, the fifth day after the liberation of Lanzhou by the Kuomintang Air Force, our army held a grand entrance ceremony. When the people of Lanzhou celebrated the liberation with joy, they finally sent two planes to fly over Lanzhou. Under the fierce fire of anti-aircraft guns, he ran away in a panic after turning twice.This is the assistance that Qingma received after repeated begging. Liberated Lanzhou, wiped out the Qingma main force with the strongest combat effectiveness among the enemy forces in the northwest region, and declared the victory of the decisive battle in the northwest battlefield.Since then, the enemy in the northwest region has lost the ability to organize any battles, while our army can freely sweep the remnants of the enemy.As Chairman Mao predicted, there were no more serious battles on the Northwest battlefield, and our army continued to complete the task of liberating the entire Northwest, basically it was just a matter of walking and taking over.