Chapter 56 8. Severely attack the puppet army and promote the truce

At this moment, the Syngman Rhee Group unilaterally "released" the prisoners of the Korean People's Army. This was an act that was secretly planned and carefully arranged. On June 18, Syngman Rhee ordered the "release" of the prisoners of the Korean People's Army who were not directly repatriated.The commander-in-chief of the South Korean Gendarmerie, Won Yong-deok, ordered the South Korean security forces guarding the prisoner-of-war camp to open the gate of the prisoner-of-war camp. The armed police responded outside the prisoner-of-war camp, broadcasting through Seoul Central Radio, calling on local residents to take in the prisoners of war and provide cover.From the early morning of June 18 to June 19, 25,000 prisoners of the Korean People’s Army (including 50 prisoners of the Volunteer Army) in the prisoner-of-war camps of Nonsan, Masan, Pusan, and Sangmutai were sent to the south of the Yangtze River. Under the coercion of North Korean security forces, armed police and secret agents, they left the prisoner-of-war camps one after another. By the end of June, more than 27,000 People's Army prisoners of war had been "released".

The perverse actions of the Syngman Rhee clique have put it in a very isolated position and put the United States in a very embarrassing situation.The situation is very favorable for the DPRK and China.In order to truly realize the Korean armistice, the DPRK and China must make major political and military performances to put pressure on the US and the Syngman Rhee clique. On June 19, Mao Zedong called the Volunteer Army delegation, stating: Quarrels and divisions within the imperialist camp are widening.In view of this situation, we must make a major statement in action in order to cooperate with the situation and put sufficient pressure on the enemy so that such incidents will not dare to happen again, and it will be easy for us to take the initiative.

On June 19, Kim Il Sung and Peng Dehuai sent a letter to Clark.It is solemnly pointed out that the nature of this incident is "extremely serious" and that the U.S. side "intentionally connives at the Syngman Rhee clique to realize its long-awaited plan to break the POW agreement and prevent the realization of the armistice."We solemnly request that the U.S. side "must take responsibility for this incident" and "must be responsible for immediately recovering" all prisoners of war who were released or coerced and detained, and "guarantee that similar incidents will never happen again in the future."He also asked the U.S. side: "Can the United Nations Command control the government and army of South Korea? If not, does the Korean armistice include the Syngman Rhee Group?" The army responded by ensuring the implementation of the Armistice Agreement.The U.S. government tried its best to shirk its responsibility, expressing its efforts to recover the prisoners of war.

In order to deepen the conflict between the United States and the Syngman Rhee clique, put more pressure on them, and strive for a stable and reliable truce, Mao Zedong decided to strike South Korea another military strike before the truce.Peng Dehuai, who went to North Korea to participate in the signing of the armistice agreement, called Mao Zedong on June 19, suggesting that the signing of the armistice should be postponed so as to "strike another blow against Syngman Rhee's puppet army and wipe out another 15,000 puppet troops." On June 21, Mao Zedong replied in a telegram agreeing to this proposal, and clearly stated: "The signing of the armistice must be postponed. When it is appropriate to postpone it depends on the development of the situation before making a decision. It is extremely necessary to annihilate more than 10,000 puppet troops." Therefore, the headquarters of the Volunteer Army decided to immediately organize the Battle of Jincheng to severely hit the South Korean Army and promote the early realization of the Korean Armistice.For this reason, all corps and armies are instructed to resolutely attack and wipe out the original pre-selected target if they are ready, and to seize the time to prepare if a new target is selected.There will be no active attack on the U.S. military and other armies for the time being, but any invading enemy must be resolutely attacked.

At this time, on the front of the front line defended by the 20th Corps of the Volunteer Army, from Jinhua in the west to the area south of Jincheng on the North Han River in the east, the Capital Division of the South Korean Army under the command of the Ninth Army of the United States and the 6th and 1st South Korean Army under the command of the 2nd South Korean Army Corps 8. The 3rd Division has a total of four divisions defending, and the situation is prominent to the north. In the first and second phases of the Volunteer Army’s summer offensive campaign, they were hit to varying degrees. Their original defense system was destroyed and readjusted. The latter defensive structure has not yet been stabilized.The 20th Corps of the Volunteer Army has mastered the defensive characteristics of the South Korean Army, gained experience in attacking the strong positions of its battalions and regiments, and found out the fortifications of its deep positions. , the 54th Army, a total of four armies, and the 33rd Division have about 1,000 artillery pieces above 82 mm mortars, including about 400 mountain artillery pieces, field artillery pieces, and howitzers. Favorable conditions for large-scale counterattack operations.

On June 23, the 20th Corps of the Volunteer Army decided to form the Central, Eastern and Western Groups with the four armies under its command and the 21st Corps strengthened by Zhisi to carry out the Battle of Jincheng, and continue to provide the South Korean Army Capital Division and the 6th, 6th, and 6th Corps. The main force of the 8th and 3rd divisions used annihilating blows, striving to straighten the front line south of Jincheng.And it is scheduled to launch an attack around July 10. On June 25, the head of the Volunteer Army approved this plan and instructed the 20th Corps to fight freely. If the counterattack is successful and the situation is favorable, it can continue to make a limited expansion into the enemy's depth; at the same time, he instructed other armies on the front. Only make preparations for attack, basically take a defensive position, and resolutely annihilate the enemy if he attacks.From June 26th to July 6th, the 20th Corps held a meeting of the Corps Party Committee and cadres above the division level, emphasizing the earnest implementation of the spirit of "strike steadily and hard", first fight small and then fight hard, so that "fighting must be wiped out" It is necessary to attack the enemy fiercely on a stable basis; it requires resolute breakthroughs, continuous assaults, bold implementation of interspersed divisions, roundabout encirclement, and annihilation of the enemy one by one; and concretely studied and determined the combat deployment. . On July 10, the 20th Corps officially issued a combat order.

On the night of July 13th, thick clouds covered and heavy rain was about to come. The three assault groups of the 20th Corps of the Volunteer Army and the 24th Army of the 9th Corps suddenly launched an attack on the 25-kilometer front at the same time, unexpectedly. More than 1,100 artillery pieces of the Volunteer Army violently bombarded the enemy's positions south of Jincheng. In just 28 minutes of rapid firepower, more than 1,900 tons of artillery shells were about to be poured on the enemy's positions.This is the time that the Volunteers have used the largest number of artillery fire and consumed the most ammunition since the Volunteers entered the DPRK.The fierce artillery fire destroyed most of the enemy's fortifications, making the enemy unable to raise his head.After the artillery preparations were over, the infantry quickly launched an attack.Within an hour, they all broke through the defensive forward positions of the four enemy divisions.The South Korean army fell into chaos and asked for reinforcements one after another.The wails of "the position is lost" and "ready to retreat" are continuously issued on the radio.

After breaking through the enemy's frontier positions, each group quickly developed an offensive southward.The West Group composed of the 203rd and 204th Divisions of the 68th Army and the 130th Division of the 54th Army attacked Fangtongli and Yuefeng Mountain respectively.In order to ensure the smooth development of the main attacking force, the divisions of the first echelon organized infiltration and roundabout detachments to penetrate deep into the enemy, disrupt the enemy's command post, artillery positions or cut off the enemy's retreat.The 203rd Division infiltrated the roundabout detachment, and under the leadership of the deputy head Zhao Renhu, plunged into the enemy's depth along the road.The reconnaissance squad led by the deputy platoon leader Yang Yucai disguised himself as the South Korean Army, attacked the headquarters of the "White Tiger Regiment" of the Capital Division by surprise, and killed Lu Gen, the commander of the enemy mech regiment on the spot. Fleeing, disrupting the enemy's chain of command.During the interspersed operations, the infiltrating detachment advanced 9 kilometers in more than three hours, and fought eleven times on the way, destroying the regiment headquarters of the "White Tiger Regiment" of the South Korean Army, annihilating most of the mech regiment and the US 555th Howitzer Battalion. The Ministry effectively cooperated with the offensive operations of the frontal forces.By the afternoon of the 14th, the West Group had completed the first step.

The central group composed of the 67th Army, the 135th Division of the 54th Army, and the 202nd Division of the 68th Army broke through the forward positions and concentrated firepower and troops to storm Jiaoyan Mountain.Jiaoyan Mountain is composed of three adjacent peaks. The mountain is steep and easy to defend but difficult to attack. It overlooks a large area north of Jinchengchuan and west of North Han River.If Jiaoyan Mountain falls, the entire position north of Jinchengchuan will be shaken.Therefore, the South Korean Army attached great importance to the defense of Jiaoyan Mountain, defended with two regiments, built a large number of fortifications, and strengthened the firepower configuration.The offensive of the 199th Division was met with stubborn resistance from the enemy and did not develop smoothly.It was not until 0:00 on the 14th that Zhongfeng and Dongfeng were captured.After entering the second echelon, they captured the main peak (West Peak) at 10 o'clock on the 14th and occupied all positions in Jiaoyan Mountain.In the battle to capture the main peak, Li Jiafa blocked the perforation of the enemy's machine gun fortification with his body wounded in seven places, becoming another hero like Huang Jiguang.The 200th Division attacked smoothly. After annihilating an enemy battalion in the southwest of Guandaili, it quickly moved southward, dividing the position of the South Korean 6th Division from east to west.Then they joined the second echelon, crossed Jinchengchuan, rushed towards the direction of Lichuandong, and chased and wiped out the fleeing enemies along the way.Quickly occupied the west and northwest areas of Lichuandong, and seized 29 enemy trucks and one plane loaded with supplies.

The East Group, composed of the 60th Army, the 21st Army, and the 205th Regiment of the 68th Army, used the 21st Army to be located east of the North Han River as a defense to suppress the frontal enemy, and the 181st Division attacked from east to west to the north of Jinchengchuan. enemy.Due to insufficient preparation time, coupled with the narrow front and crossing the ridge, progress was slow after the breakthrough, and the battle could not be resolved that night. On the afternoon of the 14th, the enemy wavered and quickly occupied the area north of Jinchengchuan, and crossed Jinchengchuan westward with a force to join the Central Group.

After the 24th Army broke through the enemy's frontier positions, it controlled the traffic arteries for the enemy of Jinhua to reinforce eastward, ensuring the safety of the right wing of the 20th Corps. By the afternoon of the 14th, after a day and night of continuous combat, the offensive troops straightened the front line south of Jincheng, advanced 9.5 kilometers to the south, wiped out more than 14,000 enemies, and dealt a devastating blow to the South Korean Capital Division and the 6th Division. Lin Yichun, deputy commander of the capital division, was captured alive. Facing the powerful offensive of the Volunteers, the enemy troops were either wiped out, or fled in embarrassment by discarding their weapons and equipment.Along the road from Jincheng to Huachuan, cars crushed the corpses, and tanks blocked the cars, making a mess.A reporter from the Associated Press described the fleeing South Korean soldiers in this way: Some sat on trucks and jeeps, some climbed on tanks, and some rode on the guns of cannons.But there were thousands more walking south with espadrilles and blistered feet.These people limped forward, and when they were exhausted, they fell asleep in the muddy ground beside the road, regardless of the pouring rain. ...If the Communists had had a fleet of fighter-bombers, they could have turned this mile-long section of the road into a river of blood. The Volunteer Army successfully completed the first task of the campaign.At this time, the heavy rain did not stop, the road was muddy, and the river surged.With the southward advance, the Volunteer Army's logistical follow-up support and artillery support were subject to certain restrictions.Taylor, commander of the US 8th Army, quickly adjusted his deployment to strengthen the defense of the area east of Jinhua, and prepared to counterattack the Volunteers. Under such circumstances, in order to implement the guideline of "strike steadily and hard" and consolidate the occupied positions, on July 14, the head of the Volunteer Army ordered the 20th Corps to use the main force to control the occupied positions, quickly build fortifications, and repair roads. At the same time, with several powerful detachments, taking advantage of the enemy's chaos, they actively developed to the south, continued to expand the results of the battle, occupied favorable terrain, and covered the main defensive preparations. The fierce offensive of the Volunteers made the "United Nations Army" panic.Chengman Li complained that Clark would not save him, and Clark said that Chengman Li's army was incompetent. On July 16, Clark and Taylor, the commander of the 8th Army, flew to the front in a hurry and held a meeting of senior officers at the 2nd Army Headquarters in South Korea. Starting in the afternoon of that day, the "United Nations Army" successively gathered the 3rd Division of the United States, the 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, and the remnants of the 3rd, 6th, and 8th Divisions of South Korea to counterattack the Volunteers with all their strength. On the 17th, the enemy concentrated the strength of six regiments. With the support of more than 100 sorties and more than 200 large-caliber artillery, the 180th Division of the East Group attacked Heiyuntuling-Baiyanshan-949.5 Heights. .The 180th Division fought fiercely with the enemy for several days, killing and injuring more than 3,000 enemies. Except for the loss of one highland, the rest of the positions stood still.The head of the 20th Corps decided to abandon the Heiyuntuling-Baiyunshan frontline position of the East Group, considering that the position south of Jinchengchuan was too prominent, and it was fighting against the water, the artillery could not support, and the transportation and supply were difficult.That night, except for one battalion of the 180th Division to control the 461.9 highland at the junction of Jinchengchuan and the North Han River, its main force withdrew to the north of Jinchengchuan to organize defense.Since then, the focus of the enemy's counterattack has shifted to the Central Group.The volunteers fought tenaciously and repelled thousands of enemy attacks.The enemy paid a huge price and took only one position.The so-called "biggest counterattack" by Clark and Syngman Rhee could only end in failure. During the Battle of Jincheng, the other armies of the Volunteer Army and the various regiments of the People's Army on the frontal front also actively cooperated in the battle, attacking targets below the enemy company 27 times, annihilating 17,000 enemies, and effectively cooperating with the battle in the direction of Jincheng. On July 27, the Battle of Jincheng ended.The Volunteers killed, wounded and captured more than 78,000 enemies, seized 45 tanks, 279 cars, one aircraft, 423 guns, and more than 7,400 guns. They recovered 178 square kilometers of land and straightened the front line south of Jincheng, causing Favorable situation after the armistice. In the offensive campaign in the summer of 1953, the scale of the operation changed from small to large, closely cooperated with the negotiation struggle, constantly changed the target of attack, severely hit the South Korean army, and promoted the negotiation by fighting, which effectively promoted the realization of the armistice. stability played an important role.