Chapter 74 10. Inventory

The defense of Zhangjiakou lasted for two weeks. The Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei troops "wiped out all the 325 regiments of the 109th division of the 16th army, 3 battalions of the 327th regiment and one division, one division of the 94th division, all 127th regiments of the 43rd division of the 94th army, and 121 The divisions and the entire regiment killed and wounded more than 7,500 people and captured more than 4,000 people." (Compiled by the First Bureau of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China: "Summary of the Battle of Zhangyuan", September 29 to October 14, 1946) However, the Kuomintang said: "In service, the enemy suffered 17,213 casualties, 640 were captured, and our army suffered 4,682 casualties. member."

Zhangjiakou was one of several large cities in the liberated area at that time, and it was the center of the Jinchaji Border Region.Because it is located on the edge of the three regions of Northeast, Jinsui, and Jinchaji, it is the hub of the Guannei Liberated Area and the Northeast Liberated Area. Therefore, it was attacked and threatened by the Jiang army from three sides: Fu Zuoyi in Suiyuan, Sun Lianzhong in Beiping, and Du Yuming in Shenyang. One of the key points of Jiang Jun's military offensive.Its fall was the inevitable result of developments in the early days of the Civil War.Huailai's frontal defense operations were basically successful, but they did not take advantage of the victory to develop an in-depth attack on Jiang's army and expand the results of the battle.The Ping-Han Breaking Campaign was also very successful, annihilating more than 8,000 people from the Jiang army, controlling more than 200 miles of the railway, conquering towns along the line, trapping Baoding City in isolation, cutting off the north-south main line of the Jiang army's attack on the liberated areas, and breaking its ties to central Hebei. , The division of the Liberated Areas in Western Hebei also opened up a new battlefield for subsequent operations.However, the lessons learned from the defense of Zhangjiakou are obvious and profound. "Zhang Yuan fell so quickly that it was unexpected. According to the original intention of the central government, it was not to defend to the death, but to withdraw after a certain period of time. At the same time, my troops on the east and west lines were enough to defend for another period of time. A serious blow was dealt to the enemy, but the facts were quickly lost. Reviewing the lessons learned, the deployment of the campaign command was inappropriate, and the enemy's situation was estimated incorrectly."

After the fall of Zhangjiakou, the Kuomintang believed that the Communist Army "was in a passive position throughout the entire period because of its misjudgment of our army," but because the Communist Army was "good at night operations and avoiding the bombing of our air force and artillery, especially because it did not stick to the dotted line. Carry out the decisive battle of the main force, so even though we are defeated, we can still maintain the main force in the mountainous area, and continue to pose a great threat to our recovered areas."The Kuomintang was overwhelmed by its temporary military victory. Chen Cheng boasted at a press conference at home and abroad on October 17: "I think it may be resolved in three to five months" for the CCP. (October 17, 1946, Chen Cheng answered reporters' questions at a press conference at home and abroad)