Chapter 79 5. Siege the enemy's reorganized 69 divisions

On December 15, Hu Lian, commander of the reorganized 11th Division, held a combat meeting in the name of the frontline commander of the Suxin Corps.At the meeting, Dai Zhiqi, commander of the Reorganized 69th Division, criticized the slow progress of the Reorganized 11th Division; while Hu Lian criticized the Reorganized 69th Division for advancing rashly and not being prudent enough. The contradiction between the two commanders led to the lack of cooperation in the subsequent development of the campaign. On the evening of the 15th, the participating troops of the People's Liberation Army entered the assembly position according to the scheduled plan, and immediately launched an attack.The 8th Division first concentrated its forces and assaulted Fengshan, an important commanding height between Zhangshan Town and Xiaodianzi.The peak mountain is more than 50 meters high, and there are independent group fortifications that can support each other at the foot of the mountain. A fence is built on the top of the mountain, and trenches with a width of 6 meters and a depth of 3 meters are dug around.The defenders are a reinforced battalion of the 3rd Brigade.

The 8th Division of the Shandong Field Army is a force that is good at tackling tough situations.In order not to miss the opportunity, the division marched for 6 consecutive days. On the night of the 15th when it arrived at the battlefield, it concentrated the 23rd and 24th regiments, which were about 5 times the enemy's strength, and would attack Fengshan from the southwest and northwest. The 1st Battalion of the Assault Battalion of the 23rd Regiment, which attacked from the southwest, organized 3 consecutive strong attacks and once broke into the trench outside the top of the mountain. Due to the deep and wide trenches, they suffered heavy casualties under the enemy's intensive firepower and the attack was blocked.At this time, it was about to dawn, and the deputy political instructor of the 1st Battalion, considering whether Fengshan could be conquered in time, would directly affect the progress of the entire campaign, immediately organized the only remaining 40 cadres and soldiers in the whole battalion to brave the blazing enemy fire to organize 4th shock.The regiment command post also concentrated all artillery and light and heavy machine guns for fire cover.The assault battalion chose a more concealed terrain to meet the enemy, quickly eliminated the deer village and the barbed wire, jumped into the outer ditch, took a ladder and climbed up the ditch cliff. With the cooperation of the 24th regiment attacking from the northwest, they finally captured the main position of Fengshan before dawn. Annihilate the defenders.

On the 17th, the Kuomintang army concentrated about 2 regiments of the 60th Brigade and the 3rd Brigade, under the cover of aircraft and artillery fire, launched several counterattacks against Fengshan, all of which were defeated.The People's Liberation Army controlled the commanding heights of the battlefield, not only severed the connection between the Kuomintang troops defending Shangzhangshan Town and Xiaodianzi on the Suxin Highway, but also directly threatened the flanks of the Kuomintang troops at various points east of the road, creating favorable conditions for the smooth development of the battle. .

In order to cut off the connection between the enemy's reorganized 11th Division and the reorganized 69th Division, our 1st Column used the main force of the 3rd Brigade to enter the enemy's defense depth between Xiaodianzi and Jingertou on the evening of the 15th, approaching the reorganized 11th Division. The Caojiaji area where the Ministry is stationed, annihilated the engineering battalion and cavalry battalion directly under the division.This action greatly shocked the division headquarters and disrupted its offensive deployment.At dawn the next day, the brigade voluntarily withdrew to the area west of Xiaodianzi due to its isolation.

After being suddenly attacked by the People's Liberation Army, Wu Qiwei, deputy director of the Xuzhou Sui Department of the Kuomintang Army, ordered the reorganized 69th Division to shrink its troops and stick to the villages;The People's Liberation Army used the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Column to form a blocking front against the reorganized 11th Division on the Gaojiawa and Cailin lines on the north side of the Sushu Highway; at the same time, with the main force of the 1st Column, the 2nd, 9th and 7th The 8th Division will divide and encircle the reorganized 69th Division Headquarters, the 41st, 60th Brigade, and the Reserve 3rd Brigade in Renhewei, Miaozhuang, Luozhuang, Xiaodianzi and other places to the east and north of Suqian.

During the siege of the reorganized 69th Division by the People's Liberation Army, the reorganized 11th Division successively sent reinforcements to the north with one or two regiments, but was stubbornly resisted by the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Column.When reinforcements failed, the 18th Brigade of the Reorganized 11th Division, which was adjacent to the Renhe Weinan side of the Reorganized 69th Division, quietly retreated regardless of the safety of its friends and neighbors, which provided favorable conditions for the PLA to encircle and wipe out the reorganized 69th Division. .The National Defense Ministry of the Kuomintang government commented after the war: "The retreat of the 11th Division failed to be notified in a timely manner, which affected the reorganization of the 69th Division and suffered heavy losses." (KMT Ministry of Defense: "Summary of Important Battles in the First Year of Appeasement")

While resolutely blocking and aiding the enemy, the People's Liberation Army concentrated its forces to attack and annihilate the divisions of the reorganized 69th Division that had been divided and surrounded point by point.First of all, the 3rd Reserve Brigade in Xiaodianzi and Zhangshan Township was annihilated, which further isolated the headquarters of the reorganized 69th Division and its affiliated 41st and 60th Brigades.These troops are in a state of hastily shifting from offense to defense, without solid fortifications to rely on.Although they planned to stick to it and wait for help, they still could not get strong support from friends and neighbors until the 18th.Dai Zhiqi, the commander of the reorganized 69th Division, had to issue the last order: "The hope of breaking through the siege has been cut off, and I have been bullied by my friends and neighbors", ordering his troops to "quickly try to break out of the siege". (Quoted from "Compilation of Enemy Situation in the Subei Campaign") But it was too late. The brigades and regiments were wiped out on the spot or during the breakout. Lieutenant General Dai Zhiqi committed suicide, and Major General Rao Shaowei was captured.