Chapter 396 2. Mao Zedong was cautious when attacking Hainan Island

Hainan Island, also known as Qiongya, is the second largest island in China after Taiwan. Known as the "Gateway to the South China Sea", its military strategic position is extremely important.As early as the period of the Agrarian Revolutionary War, our party established a grassroots organization on the island and led the people of Hainan to launch a vigorous armed struggle. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the Qiongya Special Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Qiongya Anti-Japanese Independent Column persisted in the war of resistance and fought bravely against the Japanese invaders for eight years. In 1947, the Qiongya Special Committee of the Communist Party of China was changed to the Qiongya District Party Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the Qiongya Independent Column was also changed to the Qiongya Column of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. guerrilla warfare.By July 1949, the Qiongya Column led by the Qiongya District Party Committee had grown to nearly 20,000 people, established a revolutionary base centered on Wuzhishan, and established the Qiongya Provisional People's Government.

With the collapse of the Kuomintang army in the mainland, Hainan Island, like Taiwan Island, naturally became one of the nests where the remnants of the Kuomintang fled and could temporarily shelter.This naturally became the next target to be liberated by the Fourth Field Army. On October 17, the Central Military Commission pointed out in a telegram to Lin Biao and to Ye Jianying and Chen Geng that the 4th Corps should take advantage of the victory to pursue and annihilate part or most of the Kuomintang troops fleeing from Guangzhou, "to make it easier for the 15th Corps to capture Hainan Island." , wipe out the remnants of the enemy, and pacify the whole of Guangdong" ("Mao Zedong Military Anthology" Vol. 6, p. 28).

On the eve of the end of the Guangxi campaign, on December 10, in a telegram to Mao Zedong about the deployment of the four fields after the end of the Guangxi campaign, Lin Biao suggested that the 40th and 43rd armies would prepare to attack Qiongya after a short-term rest. On the 14th, the former commander of the Fourth Field Army pointed out in a telegram to the 43rd Army and to the leaders of the 15th Corps and the 40th Corps: "The commander of the 15th Corps will be in charge of the battle against Hainan Island." Deng Hua, the commander of the 15th Corps, Lai Chuanzhu, the political commissar, and Hong Xuezhi, the deputy commander and chief of staff, accepted the mission. According to what we learned from the Qiongya Column, sailing ships can pass through the Qiongzhou Strait overnight with the north wind and the year before the lunar calendar is the north wind season. Then it turned to the southerly situation. On the 15th, they called Lin, Tan, Xiao and the Central Military Commission, and proposed that the 40th and 43rd armies quickly clear the Leizhou Peninsula, and then carry out training and preparations for crossing the sea, and strive to start crossing the sea before the lunar calendar. fight.

While preparing for combat, the method of smuggling with small troops was adopted, and a group of troops was first transported to join the Qiongya column to strengthen the response force on the island. On December 18, Shino's report was sent to Mao Zedong, who was visiting the Soviet Union. Mao Zedong picked up the pen again and again, and put it down again and again. Mao Zedong didn't want to liberate Hainan Island, but he was thinking about how to succeed in World War I and avoid losses from rash attacks. Because just over a month ago, the Third Field Army's attack on Kinmen Island was frustrated, and more than 9,000 officers and soldiers died.

That was an extremely tragic page in the history of the People's Liberation Army.Although the People's Army has suffered many losses during the decades of war, it is unique for such an organized unit to be destroyed in the War of Liberation. When the news reached Beijing, Mao Zedong couldn't help crying.Now that Siye is going to attack Hainan Island again, Mao Zedong has to think carefully. After reviewing Siye's battle plan repeatedly, Mao Zedong finally made up his mind. He believed in the group of tiger generals in Siye. He called Lin Biao and Deng Zihui and agreed to "prepare to attack Qiongya with the 43rd and 40th armies."And based on the experience and lessons of the defeat of the Battle of Kinmen, he pointed out: "Crossing the sea is completely different from the experience of all previous operations of our army, that is, we must pay attention to the tide and wind direction, and we must concentrate on carrying at least one army (40,000 to 50,000 people) at a time. Corps, carrying more than 3 days of food, landed in front of the enemy, established a solid beachhead, and then attacked independently without relying on backup. Because the tide needs 12 hours to carry the ship for the first time before returning for the second time, and the enemy can use the navy and air force Cut off our transportation, so we have to choose the right time to carry one army across the sea and land at a time. If we cannot attack independently, establish a base, and obtain food, there will be no backup and the danger of suffering heavy losses. After the Sanye Yefei Corps occupied Xiamen, it is unknown. In the above situation, the 30,000 people who attacked Kinmen Island with 3 and a half regiments of 9,000 people were besieged by the enemy with no aid or food, and the entire army was wiped out. You must study this lesson. The enemy of Hainan Island may be weaker than the enemy of Kinmen. However, the enemy should not be underestimated. Please inform Deng Lai, the 40th Army and the 43rd Army to pay attention, and hope that you can investigate all the experience of crossing the sea with Su Yu, so as not to repeat the Kinmen retreat." ("Mao Zedong Military Collection" Vol. 6, No. 62～ 63 pages)

Accordingly, on the 22nd, the Fourth Field Army sent Yin Jian, the deputy director of the Operations Department, to the Third Field Army to investigate the experience of crossing the sea, and at the same time passed Mao Zedong's above instructions to the 15th Corps.