Chapter 46 7. Build an iron wall

The west coast is about 565 kilometers from Tieshan Peninsula to the south via Town Nanpu, Shaliyuan, Xinliyuan, Yan (An) Bai (Chuan) to Licheng River Estuary, except for the section from Zhennanpu direction and Hanchuan direction from Malshan to Huangjiashan Except for the good terrain, other areas are not conducive to defense, especially the section from the north of Shixiu Mountain to the mouth of Qingchuan River is open and there is no danger to defend; the east coast is about 286 kilometers from Peichuanli in the south to Fuzhanling in the north. There are almost no fortifications on the second line. Although most of them are mountainous and dangerous, Yuanshan Port and Xingnan Port are convenient for enemy troops to land. The front is about 264 kilometers from Lichengjiangkou in the west to Gaocheng in the east. The fortifications have a considerable foundation. It has been tested in actual combat, but the terrain in the Pingkang area is flat, the fortifications are weak, and the solid positions of individual armies are not deep enough.Therefore, comprehensively strengthening fortifications, especially building tunnels and permanent fortifications on the east and west coasts, is a major project and arduous task in preparation for anti-landing operations.

Based on this, the Volunteer Army Headquarters determined that the west coast should be the first key direction of city building, and the supply of equipment and transportation support should also be focused on it. Focus on fortifications, combined with field fortifications and secondary defenses (water network areas, minefields, anti-tank trenches, etc.), to form a multi-line and deep defense system; with the east coast as the second key direction, in terms of fortification construction, the main With tunnel fortifications as the backbone, field fortifications and necessary anti-tank cement fortifications are combined to form a deep defense system for anti-landing, anti-tank, and anti-airborne; The position increases in depth.

According to the deployment of the Volunteer Army Command, from January to April, the Volunteer Army assaulted and built solid fortifications.According to the overall operational intentions of each army, the commanders of the divisions and special forces personally organize divisions and special forces commanders to conduct tactical surveys of the terrain in the defensive zone, and determine the location of the division command post and the principles of position formation, troop deployment, and firepower preparation. Construction began on the west coast in early January and on the east coast in early February.In order to complete this major and arduous project, the Volunteer Army mobilized all possible forces, from the front to the rear, from troops to institutions, from infantry to special forces, and participated in the arduous work of building strong fortifications.There are two infantry divisions, nine artillery divisions, two tank divisions, and three engineering regiments in the 17th Army. An average of 500,000 people participate in construction work every day. From the beginning of January to the end of April, the entire army has a total of 6,000 workers ten thousand.The Volunteer Army’s Rear Service Command dispatched a total of 99,257 vehicles for transporting equipment, accounting for 30% of its total transport capacity.

During the construction period, it was the coldest season in North Korea. The temperature was very low, generally at minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius; the permafrost layer was about one meter thick.However, the vast number of commanders and fighters who participated in the construction of the city were not afraid of the cold, the blood and sweat, and they rushed to the construction day and night.They have only one idea, which is to establish a solid line of defense before the "United Nations Army" lands. After several months of hard work, by the end of April 1953, a total of 8,090 tunnels had been excavated on the east and west coasts and the front lines, with a total length of more than 720 kilometers, which was equivalent to digging a stone tunnel from Tianshui to Chengdu in China or from Yongxing to Busan in North Korea. Dig trenches and traffic trenches of more than 3,100 kilometers, equivalent to six times the distance from Sinuiju to Seoul; build more than 600 permanent fortifications and 109,000 various bunkers.Including the fortifications built before this, the total length of tunnels is more than 1,250 kilometers, and the total length of trenches and traffic trenches is 6,240 kilometers, which is close to the Great Wall of China (6,700 kilometers).Anti-airborne and anti-tank positions were built on the east and west coasts.It has completely changed the situation of the weak fortifications on the east and west coasts.The east and west coasts and the front front formed a complete defense system with a length of 1,130 kilometers and a depth of 20 to 30 kilometers, with tunnels and permanent fortifications as the backbone. With a solid and reliable position to rely on.