Chapter 19 Chapter 18 The Last Battle Before the Summer Armistice of 1953

Before the end of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, that is, in the summer of 1953, the Chinese People’s Volunteers, with the cooperation of the Korean People’s Army, launched a two-and-a-half-month-long offensive against the United States-led “United Nations Army” and the South Korean Army—the summer of 1953 Counterattack campaign.In this campaign, from small to large, 139 offensive battles were carried out, and the enemy's long-term solid positions were continuously broken through. The last attack broke through the 25-kilometer defensive front of the enemy's 4 divisions in one fell swoop, and penetrated the enemy's defense depth to the farthest. 15 kilometers; due to the southward movement of the front, the land expanded by 240 square kilometers.In the whole battle, more than 123,000 people were killed, wounded and captured.It was during the offensive operations of this battle that the enemy and ourselves signed an armistice agreement, thus ending the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, which lasted two years and nine months.

The main reason for launching the summer counterattack campaign was to cooperate with the armistice negotiations, but the opportunity to resume the armistice negotiations came from the new US President Eisenhower. Eisenhower, the American general, served as the commander-in-chief of the Western European Union Army during World War II. He was famous for commanding the Normandy landing operations. After the war, he served as the commander-in-chief of the North Atlantic Treaty Forces .He was favored by the Republican Party in the 1952 U.S. presidential election and was elected as the party's presidential candidate.At that time, American public opinion had lost confidence in the Democratic government President Truman's policy of aggression against North Korea but could not come up with a way to end the Korean War. Various arguments for ending the Korean War came out one after another.The Republican Party of the United States took the opportunity to carry out Eisenhower to compete with the Democratic Party.Eisenhower flaunted the end of the Korean War, claiming that he would go to North Korea as soon as he was elected, so he defeated the Democratic candidate Stevenson in one fell swoop and became the 34th president of the United States.With Eisenhower coming to power, talk of expanding the war and launching a landing attack was rampant.

After Eisenhower was elected, he immediately fulfilled his promise to go to North Korea.In his inaugural address and first State of the Union address, he announced that he would use "actions" rather than "words" to break the deadlock, claiming that the expansion of the war would not be limited to North Korea, and ordered the removal of the so-called neutralization of the Taiwan region, expressing that he would Using the Kuomintang army; at the same time, he also tried his best to advocate the accelerated expansion of the South Korean army in order to implement the so-called "Asians fighting Asians" policy.There are various indications that the Korean War has reached a turning point. Once the war expands, the main offensive method adopted by the US military will be to carry out a landing attack on the flanks of the Chinese and North Korean troops.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Central Military Commission, and leaders such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Peng Dehuai were well aware of the situation in the Korean War, and did not relax their vigilance in the slightest because of the victory in the full-line tactical counterattack in the autumn of 1952 and the Shangganling defensive operation.After the victory in the battle of Shangganling, it is not difficult for anyone with a little military knowledge to conclude that it is impossible for the US aggressors to attack from the front and win.An American reporter at the time had such a vivid description: "If you want to capture a position the size of a sesame seed, the coalition forces will have to pay the price of tens of thousands of people." Indeed, what he said was not exaggerated.In the Battle of Shangganling, the enemy used more than 60,000 troops, more than 300 cannons, more than 170 tanks, and more than 1,000 sorties of aircraft. They continued to attack for 43 days, and finally lost more than 25,000 casualties and captured them.After this battle, the eyes of the American military personnel naturally turned to the landing attack. What's more, the Americans are proud of their naval and air superiority and the history of repeated landing operations.U.S. Army Headquarters in Tokyo and the Pentagon in Washington have always dreamed of repeating the Incheon landing.

Facing the reality of the Korean War, the leaders of the Chinese People's Volunteers always regard the defense of the enemy's rear coast landing as an important part of war guidance.With the development of the war situation and the political trends in the United States, the issue of defense against the enemy's rear landing attack has become increasingly prominent. In late November 1952, just after the Battle of Shangganling ended, Peng Dehuai, who had been in charge of daily work at the Central Military Commission, immediately telegraphed the leaders of the Volunteer Army to immediately start preparations for anti-landing to prevent the enemy from landing from the flanks in the coming spring and cooperate with the frontal attack. In late December, when Chairman Mao Zedong received Deng Hua, acting commander and political commissar of the Volunteer Army, he further instructed that the Volunteer Army should start from the basic point of affirming that the enemy will land, that the enemy will land from the west coast, and that the enemy will land from the Qingchuan River to Hanchuan. Determine course of action and deployment. On December 20, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued instructions to the Volunteers to prepare all necessary conditions, resolutely smash the enemy's adventurous landing, and strive for greater victory in the war. In the heroic and tenacious battles of communism and its accomplices, they have won great and brilliant victories. They have found out the enemy's foundation, overcome many difficulties, and accumulated rich experience. U.S. imperialism has adopted many methods to fight us , none of which is without defeat. Now there remains the hand that ventured ashore from my rear, with which it intends to strike us. If only we can carry this hand down, and make its venture a failure, its last failed The situation is now settled." The instruction required the volunteers to "be careful, be patient and calm, mobilize all efforts, buy time, and complete all preparations for the enemy's landing operations." And once again emphasized, "As long as we are ready, victory is ours. gone."

At the same time, the Central Military Commission added 6 infantry corps, another infantry division, 6 artillery regiments, 4 artillery battalions, 1 anti-aircraft artillery regiment, 1 anti-aircraft artillery battalion, and 1 tank division. ; 14 divisions of the Air Force, 1 Navy torpedo boat brigade, 1 maritime patrol brigade, and 2 coastal artillery companies were designated to participate in anti-landing operations. According to the determination of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Volunteer Army immediately and comprehensively adjusted the deployment of the battlefield, deployed a sufficient number of troops with combat experience on the east and west coasts, launched a huge project to build tunnels and fortifications, and transported and stored sufficient combat materials from the country. On the west coast, horizontal railways, roads or auxiliary lines were built in depth, original roads were refurbished, and logistical deployment was adjusted.All of this shows the dominant idea that victory in war must be based on one's own strength and preparation, and there must be no hesitation or fluke mentality.Later history showed that although the enemy's landing was not a fact, according to the information released by the US after the war, the US Army Headquarters in the Far East and the Pentagon had indeed formulated a landing attack implementation plan in the utmost secrecy, and it was only waiting for President Eisenhower's decision.The successful completion of anti-landing combat preparations by the Volunteer Army and the People's Army forced the United States and the "United Nations Army" to give up their attempts to land and attack.As for the "three affirmations" proposed by Chairman Mao Zedong, it is for the leaders of the Volunteer Army to establish the determination to prepare for the anti-landing, without any illusions and hesitation.This is exactly Mao Zedong's great courage as a strategist and commander in deciding strategic issues.

After Eisenhower clamored to expand the war in his State of the Union address on February 2, 1953, Chairman Mao Zedong immediately gave a tit-for-tat counterattack at the Fourth Session of the First National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on February 7, he said : "We want peace, but as long as the U.S. imperialists do not give up their outrageous and unreasonable demands and plots to expand aggression, the determination of the Chinese people is to continue to fight with the Korean people. This is not because we are bellicose , we are willing to cease the war immediately, and the remaining problems will be resolved in the future. But U.S. imperialism is unwilling to do so, so let’s continue the fight. We are prepared to fight with U.S. imperialism for as many years as it wants. Fight until the U.S. imperialists are willing to stop, and until the Chinese and Korean people are completely victorious." Chairman Mao Zedong's clear and powerful speech not only affirmed the determination of the Chinese people not to be afraid of the expansion of the war, but also expressed once again the immediate The desire for a truce cannot but make Eisenhower think carefully and deal with it calmly.

It was the Chinese people and the Chinese People's Volunteers who made up their minds to smash the enemy's landing offensive and expand the war, made resolute preparations for anti-landing operations, and insisted on fighting for a truce, which forced the enemy to rein in the precipice and return to the truce negotiations. Come to the table to make up your mind.After Eisenhower waved a big stick in public, he secretly gave orders to US Commander-in-Chief Clark through the US State Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, asking him to propose an exchange of wounded and sick prisoners of war to China and North Korea. On February 22, 1953, Clark sent a letter to Kim Il-sung and Peng Dehuai, proposing to exchange sick and wounded prisoners of war before the armistice, trying to use this as a turning point to resume armistice negotiations.

Ending the Korean War through armistice negotiations has been the guiding principle that China and North Korea have adhered to since negotiating with their enemies.However, U.S. imperialism, relying on its superiority in weapons and equipment, is unwilling to resolve the issue in a fair and reasonable manner. It has always adopted an outrageous and unreasonable attitude, trying in vain to force the Chinese and North Korean sides to submit to their demands through blackmail at the negotiating table and military pressure on the battlefield. Unreasonable conditions have resulted in negotiations failing to reach an agreement for a long time.By the first half of 1952, agreements had been reached on four of the five agenda items, but the so-called "voluntary repatriation" principle was proposed on the repatriation of prisoners of war in an attempt to forcibly detain North Korean and Chinese prisoners of war, resulting in a stalemate in the negotiations. On October 8, they unilaterally interrupted the negotiations, and then adopted a UN General Assembly resolution to put pressure on China and North Korea.China and North Korea adhered to the principled position of unconditionally repatriating all prisoners of war in accordance with the Geneva Convention, adopted the policy of "strive for a stop, prepare to delay", and waged a long-term and unremitting struggle against it.After the tunnel fortifications were built and the positions consolidated, they immediately launched a tactical counterattack against the enemy, trying to force the enemy to change their attitude by increasing the enemy's consumption.

After Clark sent a letter to Kim Il-sung and Peng Dehuai, on March 28, the DPRK and China agreed to Clark's proposal to exchange sick and wounded prisoners of war based on their consistent position of peacefully resolving the Korean issue. On March 30, Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai issued a statement proposing that the rest of the prisoners who insisted on repatriation be transferred to a neutral country, so that the issue of their repatriation can be resolved after explanations from relevant parties.International public opinion has also welcomed this.Since then, the stalemate has been broken, and the ceasefire negotiations, which had been interrupted for six months, resumed on April 26.

During this period, after preparations for anti-landing operations, the strength of China and the DPRK became stronger, and they became more active strategically, being able to attack and defend, while the enemy was in a helpless and passive situation.As of April 1953, the specific situation of the warring parties is as follows: Although the total strength of the enemy army has increased to 1.2 million, the ground force has 24 infantry divisions, including 16 infantry divisions of the South Korean Army, and one infantry division is being expanded, and its equipment is close to the level of the US military.Together with its navy and air force, there are a total of 640,000 people, but it is still insufficient.Although its second-line force has increased to 6 divisions, it is still not enough to launch a powerful two-handed landing operation, and it is difficult to carry out a frontal attack for a long time.The U.S. military was even more seriously short of troops, and each division was supplemented by 2,500 South Koreans.The fortifications of the enemy's positions have been further strengthened compared with our army's tactical counterattack in the autumn of 1952. Tunnels or tunnel shelters have been built on the basic positions, and there are a large number of bunkers and various obstacles, but the second and third positions are still For field fortifications.The enemy has a relatively large advantage in equipment and technology, and still holds the air supremacy on the battlefield, but its activities in the north of the Qingchuan River have been greatly restricted, and the threat to our transportation has been greatly weakened.Its ground artillery, large-caliber artillery and the ammunition it fires still have an advantage, but its role in dealing with the solid fortifications of the volunteers has been greatly reduced.The enemy's greatest weakness is low morale.This was evident in a fight that took place in late January. This was a so-called "air, artillery, tank, and infantry coordinated combat experiment" attack instructed by Commander-in-Chief Clark of the US Army and personally organized by the Commander-in-Chief of the 8th Army, Van Fleet. There are more than 30 tanks and a fighter-bomber wing with more than 40 aircraft. The attack target is the highland on the south side of Zhishan Cave (called "Tingzi Mountain" by the US military) guarded by a platoon of the 201st Regiment of the 23rd Army of the Volunteer Army.Before the attack, after several weeks of preparations, the required ammunition was calculated in detail, and a careful air, artillery, tank, and infantry coordination plan was drawn up. I thought it would be easy to capture the Volunteer Army positions and capture Volunteer Army personnel. Therefore, the relevant senior generals, For example, Kendall, the commander of the US 1st Army, Backus, the commander of the 5th Air Force, the chief of operations of the US Far East Air Force, and the chief of staff of the 1st Army all came to watch the battle, and invited 15 reporters to expand publicity and improve morale . On the day of the attack on January 25, the enemy fired nearly 170,000 rounds of various artillery shells at our position, dropped more than 220,000 pounds of bombs, and made multiple attacks.However, neither fierce artillery fire nor sophisticated technology can replace soldiers who lack the courage to attack-despite the closest support and cooperation, they still cannot get close to the positions of the volunteers, and every attack ends in failure.Relying on the tunnel fortifications, the volunteers bravely and calmly fought against the enemy. At the cost of only 11 casualties, more than 150 enemy soldiers were killed and wounded, while the position stood still.This ignominious battle waged by the U.S. Army was compared by a reporter to a gladiatorial fight in the Roman Colosseum, which caused quite an uproar in the U.S. Congress.Half a month later, Van Fleet resigned and returned home in despair.This example is actually representative to a certain extent, that is, the U.S. military with modern equipment and low morale was defeated by the Volunteer Army with inferior equipment and high morale. As far as our army is concerned, the total strength at that time reached 1.8 million, of which the volunteer army consisted of 19 armies with 350,000 people, and the people's army consisted of 6 legions with 450,000 people.The equipment technology has also been further enhanced. The ground artillery can form a local advantage. One infantry company can get the support and cooperation of 10 artillery companies for offensive operations.Both the frontal front and the east and west coasts have built solid positions 10 kilometers deep, with two to three tunnels as the backbone, combined with field fortifications or permanent fortifications, which relieved worries about the future.The transportation in the rear has been able to effectively deal with the bombing and destruction of the enemy air force, completed the task of transporting and storing 123,000 tons of combat materials ahead of schedule, and has spare capacity to transport troops.What is particularly outstanding is that after the anti-landing combat readiness mobilization education, the patriotism and internationalism spirit of the commanders and fighters has been further developed, and the confidence of victory has been enhanced. Beginning in late March, front-line troops selectively attacked targets below the enemy company and achieved victory.Among the larger battles were: the 46th Army attacked Matali Xishan-Meixianli Dongshan (the enemy called "Vega Mountain"), and wiped out 3 platoons of the US Army and 1 squadron of the South Korean Army; the 47th Army attacked Shangpufang Dongshan (the enemy called "Old Bald Mountain"), wiped out 1 company, another 3 platoons, 1 tank platoon, and 2 U.S. squads of the Columbia Battalion; The U.S. military had 3 platoons and 2 squads; Dai Lixishan, the offensive officer of the 67th Army, wiped out more than 350 enemies.In addition to the repeated battles and other battles with the counterattacking enemy on the newly occupied positions, there were 48 battles in the whole month, and more than 15,000 enemies were wiped out. Under such circumstances, the commanders and combatants of the Volunteer Army demanded organized full-line campaign counterattacks.The conditions for holding a campaign counterattack are already met. After the Central Military Commission agreed to hold a counterattack campaign, acting commander Deng Hua drafted a campaign instruction, which was issued to the entire army on April 20, and asked all corps to draw up a preliminary plan for counterattack operations.Then, from April 30th to May 4th, a volunteer army party committee meeting was held to study and formulate campaign guidelines and deployment.Determined: The purpose of the campaign "is mainly to destroy the enemy, train the troops, and learn experience to cooperate with the negotiations in Panmunjom. At the same time, due attention should be paid to improving my existing positions." The basic spirit of the campaign guidance is "strike steadily and hard."The so-called "steadiness" means mastering the principle of protracted combat and being able to smash the enemy's attack at any time. We must be steady, prevent underestimating the enemy from impatience, and rush to fight. We must make all preparations and start attacking when we are fully sure; The principle of victory is a big victory. The principle of each army's attack target is no more than one battalion. It is best to wipe out one or two platoons or one or two companies at a time. The development of the campaign is beneficial to the expansion.The so-called "struggle hard" means to fight freely when the front line is consolidated and the rear is guaranteed, and hit the enemy hard, so that "if you don't fight, you will be done; if you fight, you will be wiped out; if you attack, you will be defeated. Rules must be enforced."The target of the attack is the US military and other invading forces.According to the distribution of the enemy, the western front is mainly used to attack the U.S. Army, and the eastern front is mainly used to attack the South Korean army. The counterattack campaign was launched on June 1st, requiring all corps to participate in the battle, and each army must complete the preparations for the campaign before May 30th.At that time, the resumed armistice negotiations did not go smoothly. After our side proposed a new plan to send prisoners, the US side was still entangled in side issues.They opposed sending prisoners of war who were not directly repatriated to neutral countries, and at the same time rejected Asian countries as neutral countries.When our side made further amendments to the original plan, the United States suddenly retreated from its original position and put forward a counter-proposal of "releasing" the Korean prisoners of war on the spot, in an attempt to forcibly detain the captured personnel of the Korean People's Army.Judging from Rhee's constant opposition to the armistice, especially against the repatriation of all Korean prisoners of war, it can be seen that they are buying time to resolve the conflict between the United States and the Syngman Rhee clique. The Central Military Commission assigned the Volunteer Army the task of "just fighting, not talking." Even after the resumption of negotiations with the enemy this time, it still instructed the Volunteer Army to "don't relax, and everything will go according to plan."The basic spirit is that the volunteer army's operations should not be affected by negotiations, because the better the battle is fought, the more beneficial it is to promote negotiations.Volunteer Army leaders estimate that it will be difficult to reach an armistice agreement before June.In order to closely cooperate with the negotiation struggle, it was decided on May 11 that those who have completed combat preparations for the following targets of the enemy company will start combat in advance; and then decided not to unify the launch time.As a result, the first offensive of the campaign counterattack started ahead of schedule. From May 13th, the armies of the 20th Corps and the 9th Corps successively launched attacks on the targets below the enemy company.As of May 25, 29 battles were fought, 20 enemy strongholds were attacked, 3 enemy companies, 2 platoons, 3 squads, and most of the other 2 companies were wiped out, and more than 4,100 enemy people were killed, wounded and captured.Our army suffered more than 1,600 casualties.Distinguished by combat methods, each battle of the 9th Corps is to withdraw after attacking and annihilating the defending enemy. The purpose is to train the troops and gain experience.Except in individual battles where the enemy escaped or I lost, all were successful.The 20th Corps carried out three types of operations at the same time, focusing on the 67th Army's attack on the position of a reinforced company on the unnamed highland southeast of Kehuli. , so as to rely on this to develop an attack on the enemy's basic positions.The site is located in the bend of the North Han River. The enemy is defended by a company and a platoon of the 8th Division of the South Korean Army. There are 4 tunnels with a total length of 150 meters and a large number of bright and dark firepower points.The 67th Army launched an attack with 1 company, 1 platoon, and 2 squads of the 201st Division. First, it launched a rapid fire attack with 127 cannons with a caliber above 82. It destroyed most of the enemy's surface positions in the main breakthrough area and suppressed the enemy. The artillery failed to fire for half an hour.After the infantry launched an attack, they occupied all the enemy's surface positions after 25 minutes of fighting.Then enter the tunnel to fight.Volunteers fired while launching a political offensive.The enemy panicked, or shrank into a ball, or immediately handed over their guns, and a few resisters were killed.Tang Fengxi, a lone hero who won first-class merit when smashing the enemy's autumn offensive in 1951, led the sharp knife squad, occupied two enemy tunnels within 17 minutes, and wiped out 13 enemies. More than 70 people, all eliminated the enemies in the tunnel.From May 14th to 17th, the South Korean Army, with the strength of 4 companies, fought back 31 times with the support of a large number of artillery and more than 20 sorties of aircraft, all of which were repelled by the volunteers.Including the attack and counterattack against the enemy, more than 1,300 people were killed, wounded and captured.The land is all consolidated and occupied by me.The 60th Army attacked Dongshanbei, the 1089.6 highland south of Yuyin Mountain, three times in a continuous attack, and wiped out 1 company and most of 2 companies defending the enemy.In the second attack, I wiped out the enemy at the cost of only 3 casualties, and I played very beautifully.After 3 attacks, the enemy did not dare to occupy it again, and the area was also consolidated for us to occupy.In order to cooperate with these two battles, the two armies also attacked 10 strongholds on their respective fronts 15 times in a "grab and go" method, all of which were successful. Although the scale of this attack was very small and not many enemies were wiped out, it gave our army more experience and confidence.It illustrates the fact that the enemy's strong position with direct tunnel fortifications can be completely conquered and defended by relying on the reinforcement of our army's artillery fire and the bravery of combat.This is in stark contrast to the enemy's attack on Shangganling and Dingzishan. On May 25, the U.S. negotiators changed their attitude and withdrew the unreasonable request to detain the prisoners of the Korean People’s Army. They basically agreed with the DPRK and China’s proposal on May 7 that “the rest of the prisoners who will not be directly repatriated will remain in the original detention center.” The armistice negotiations have made great progress, and it is expected that a complete agreement will be reached soon.In order to avoid sabotage of the Syngman Rhee Group, the U.S. military commander Clark notified Syngman Rhee one hour before the negotiation.Syngman Rhee was extremely dissatisfied with this. In disregard of various guarantees made by the US government, he immediately asked his negotiators to withdraw from the negotiations, and immediately organized so-called "mass demonstrations" against the armistice in Seoul, Busan and other places, loudly clamoring "against any Compromise", claiming to "enter the Yalu River" and "fight alone".Armistice talks were severely blocked. At this time, the counterattack operation has begun the second offensive. On May 27, the 67th Army and the 60th Army respectively captured the positions of about 1 battalion to 1 reinforced battalion on the southern mountain of Lidong and the unnamed highland (Fangshan Mountain) in the north of 949.2. On the 28th, the 46th Army attacked and wiped out about 1 enemy company each in the west mountain of Matali - the southeast mountain of Meixianli and the south mountain of Pingcun.According to the different attitudes of the United States and Li in the negotiations, in order to cooperate more effectively with the negotiations and to enable the newly entered North Korea troops to quickly get actual combat training, the leaders of the Volunteer Army decided on June 1: the original combat plan to attack the U.S. military and other invading forces , to focus on attacking the South Korean army, and appropriately expand the scale of operations, in order to annihilate a large number of its viable forces; temporarily refrain from attacking the troops of the United Kingdom and other countries.Order the newly entered 16th Army, 54th Army, and 21st Army to go to the front line, under the command of the 9th and 20th Corps respectively, and the 21st Army will gather in the Gushan area as the General Reserve of the Volunteer Army; One regiment (less than one battalion) was transferred from each artillery group to strengthen the 60th and 67th armies.As a result, the 20th Corps formed the focus of counterattack operations across the board.The corps held a combat meeting on June 4 and decided to attack the 5th and 8th Divisions of the South Korean Army on both sides of the North Han River. The counterattack of more than 2 divisions, and then expand the results according to the situation.The advantage of this plan is that the two armies can closely cooperate with each other in terms of firepower and support, while the enemy is inconvenient to maneuver troops. The 5th Division of the South Korean Army was deployed in the area east of the North Han River.This area has high mountains and dense forests. From west to east, there are 949.2, 973, and 883.7 highlands, and from 883.7 highlands to the south is 902.8 highlands.The enemy has deployed one regiment at Height 949.2, one regiment at Height 883.7 to Height 902.8, and the other regiment as a reserve team, with a defensive front of 9 kilometers and a depth of 6 kilometers.After our army captured the 949.2 highland and the northern unnamed highland, the 949.2 highland has been exposed in front of our army. However, if we directly attack the 949.2 highland, it is inconvenient to deploy our troops, and it is easy to be pinched by the enemies on both sides, so it is inconvenient to expand the results of the battle.The 20th Corps and the 60th Corps decided to first attack the 883.7-902.8 highlands, and strive to defeat the enemy's counterattack and kill the enemy in large numbers, and then adopt the tactics of frontal assault and side and rear detours to capture the position of another enemy regiment west of the 949.2 highland.In this way, the first step of the operation can be unexpected, and the second step of the two-way attack is also easy to succeed. It is impossible to attack the solid frontal position of an enemy regiment, and it is impossible to use the method of building a garrison cave in front of the enemy as the starting point for the attack, and there is too little time.After personally scouting the terrain, the leaders of the corps and army boldly decided to use the dense forest in front of the enemy's position to hide and lurk our assault detachment as the starting point for the attack.This method can shorten the impact distance and launch an attack suddenly, but it is also very risky.It requires the latent troops to strictly observe discipline and ensure that they will not be detected by the enemy within a day and night, otherwise, not only will the attack fail, but they will also suffer heavy losses. After a week of preparations, the attack on the 883.7-902.8 highlands began. On the evening of the 9th, 6 infantry companies and 2 other platoons of the attacking force secretly entered the latent area with the accompanying artillery and command organization.On the way in and in the process of lurking, the troops came up with various ways to not make a sound or show their signs.When wounded or burned by the enemy's blind shooting, he persisted in hiding, and 15 Qiu Shaoyun-style heroic fighters appeared.Gou Ziqing, a soldier from the 8th Company of the 542nd Regiment, was hit in the waist by an enemy shell, and his intestines slipped out of his abdominal cavity.This spirit of collectivism and indomitable will to sacrifice the individual and ensure the overall situation can only be achieved by the people's army with the purpose of patriotism and internationalism.In this way, a huge team of more than 3,000 people lurked under the nose of the enemy for 19 hours without being noticed by the enemy, creating a miracle in the history of war. On the evening of the 10th, when the 60th Army launched an offensive, Zheng Weishan, the former acting commander of the 20th Corps, Zhang Nansheng, the political commissar, and Yang Yong, the new commander, and Wang Ping, the political commissar, all went to the front line to command the battle. Xu Shiyou, the commander of the 3rd Corps, also came visit.The 60th Army concentrated 259 artillery pieces with 82 or more mortars and carried out a 20-minute rapid fire attack, destroying 70% of the enemy's fortifications. , The multi-echelon team suddenly launched an attack on the enemy, quickly broke through the enemy's forward position, and then made a quick and violent assault on the enemy's depth.When attacking the main bee on the 883.7 highland, the way forward was blocked by barbed wire. Li Yunfeng, the squad leader of the rocket launcher, resolutely leaned on the barbed wire twice in a row, letting his comrades step on his body to buy time, while Li was stabbed by the iron thorn. Got scarred.Due to the simultaneous attack on the enemy's positions, the actions were sudden and brave, and they occupied all the highlands on the 883.7 and 902.8 lines that night, completely annihilating the enemy, creating an example of attacking and annihilating one regiment at a time since positional warfare. The enemy was never reconciled to having its basic positions occupied and divided. From the 11th, the South Korean Army assembled three regiments from the 5th Division and 3rd Division to launch a fierce counterattack.However, our army was prepared in advance, with high morale, and took the initiative to fight. No matter how violent the enemy's counterattack was, they were all beaten one by one, and the enemy suffered heavy casualties.By the 14th, the enemy was unable to continue to counterattack.That night, our army took advantage of the victory and launched an attack from the front with 4 regiments from the 949.2 highland west of this line to the enemy's left-wing regiment position on the North Han River.The enemy lost their ability to resist in the face of our army's powerful offensive, and fled one after another.His division commander ordered the bridges on the Bukhan River to be blown up without waiting for the soldiers to withdraw, and the heavy artillery and equipment that could not be evacuated were also blown up by themselves.After a night of fighting, our army occupied all the areas north of the line from Jialuozhi east of the North Han River to Guangshidong in the west with a crushing momentum, killing, wounding and capturing more than 2,000 enemies.At the same time, the 33rd Division under the command of the 60th Army also captured the 1089.6 highland and the unnamed highland to the south, which was occupied by a battalion of the 20th Division of the South Korean Army on the front of Yuyin Mountain.In total, in this operation, the 60th Army killed and injured more than 14,800 enemies, occupied all the positions of the first line regiment of the 5th Division of the South Korean Army, and advanced the combat area by 6 kilometers. Following the 60th Army, the 67th Army, with the strength of 3 regiments, with the support of 308 artillery pieces above 82 mortars and 8 tanks, marched towards Jincheng, which was guarded by the 21st Regiment of the 8th Division of the South Korean Army, on June 12. Launch an attack on Zuoshoudong Nanshan (called "Cross Hill" by commanders and fighters according to its shape) on the west side of the Hanjiang River in the northeast. Due to the important geographical location and favorable terrain for defense, the enemy army attached great importance to the defense of Zuoshoudong Nanshan.After long-term operation, the enemy has built extremely strong fortifications in this area, forming a complete defense system with tunnels as the backbone combined with a large number of bunkers.According to the understanding after the war, the specifications of its tunnels are comparable to those of our army.In this regard, the enemy regarded it as a model position, known as "Gyeonggi Mountain" and "Capital Fortress", and organized military officers to visit here many times.If our army wants to capture Jiaoyan Mountain and then straighten the front south of Jincheng, it must first capture Zuoshoudongnan Mountain. In order to capture Zuoshoudongnan Mountain, the 67th Army of the 20th Corps made full preparations.As mentioned earlier, the capture of the unnamed highland in the southeast of Kehuli, the south mountain of Lidong, the northeast and northwest legs of the 690.1 highland created the conditions for the direct capture of the mountain.In the direct preparation work, a garrison cave was built, the tactics and means of eliminating the enemy in the tunnel were studied and practiced, and ammunition was hoarded.In order to ensure sufficient troops and firepower for the offensive, an infantry regiment was strengthened for the 200th division in charge of the offensive, and 300 artillery pieces above 82 mortars were concentrated, and 8 tanks were attached.When the battle started, 28 minutes of firepower preparations were carried out, and 70% of the enemy's fortifications were destroyed in the main assault direction.Then the infantry split up and launched an attack, quickly dividing the enemy into many small pieces and annihilating them one by one.During the battle, Ren Xihe, the heavy machine gun shooter of the 600th regiment, resolutely picked up the body of the gun and fired when the machine gun frame was blown up, covering the troops' impact in time. Fight back with firepower and die gloriously.Ren Zhiming, the platoon leader of the 5th company, took the initiative to act as the commander when the company commander and instructor were injured. After occupying the main peak, he entered the tunnel to fight and wiped out the enemy.While holding the red flag, Chen Renhua, the flag bearer, also used explosives to blow up the enemy bunkers on the way forward, and planted the red flag on the main peak. After our army conquered the main peak, the second echelon of the enemy counterattacked 54 times with the strength of 1 company to 2 battalions, all of which were repelled. On the 14th, our army took advantage of the victory to expand the results of the battle and occupied Zuoshoudongnan Mountain in its entirety.Throughout the battle, the 67th Army killed and injured more than 13,500 enemies. While the 20th Corps launched an attack on the enemy forces on both sides of the North Han River, the 23rd and 24th Armies of the 9th Corps and the Korean People's Army also launched an attack on targets below 22 battalions of the enemy, killing and wounding more than 11,000 enemies. The 24th Army attacked the unnamed highlands in the south of 399.8 three times on a relatively large scale, killing and wounding more than 1,600 enemies.From the battle until June 15th, the armistice negotiations reached an agreement, and the two sides turned to preparations for signing. Our army also issued an order: "From June 16th, all troops will stop actively attacking the enemy." In this battle, a total of 65 attacks were carried out on the enemy's positions below 51 regiments, killing and injuring more than 41,000 enemies, and dealt a devastating blow to the 5th and 8th Divisions of the South Korean Army. The positions held by the three enemy regiments destroyed the enemy's defense system 12 kilometers in front and 3 to 6 kilometers in depth.The battlefield situation in this area has become more favorable to our army. While the two sides of the Panmunjom negotiations were preparing for the signing, the Syngman Rhee Group of South Korea staged a criminal act of undermining the armistice. In the middle of the night of June 17, they released 27,000 North Korean prisoners of war from the prison camps in the name of "immediate release", and forcibly incorporated many of them into the South Korean army in an attempt to break the armistice. purpose of signing the agreement. International public opinion immediately reacted strongly, condemning Syngman Rhee as a "traitor who betrayed peace" and an "irresponsible surly villain". Some even asked the United States to replace him.The countries that sent troops to participate in the "United Nations Army" also issued statements one after another, expressing dissatisfaction or protesting.British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said in a speech in the House of Commons that this was a "serious incident" that made him "greatly saddened" and "deeply shocked".The United Kingdom, France, Australia and other countries all sent notes to the South Korean authorities, protesting that he violated the authority of the "United Nations Army" command.The President of the UN General Assembly, Canadian Foreign Minister Pearson, and UN General Assembly Secretary-General Hammarskjöld also accused the incident of "clearly violating the position of the United Nations" in their statements.American bourgeois newspapers demanded that the government "get tough" with Syngman Rhee until his arrest.At the same time, public opinion in many countries also expressed dissatisfaction with the failure of the U.S. government and the "United Nations Command" to stop Syngman Rhee's sabotage, and believed that the responsibility for this incident "should be largely borne by the United Nations Command." , and even said that the "United Nations Army" Command "committed the crime of dereliction of duty."The information disclosed later showed that U.S. President Eisenhower used strong words in his telegram to Syngman Rhee, asking him to "immediately and unequivocally accept the command of the United Nations Command."Obviously, this led to the expansion and deepening of the conflict between the United States and Syngman Rhee. On June 19, the day after Syngman Rhee "released" the prisoners of war, Chairman Mao Zedong pointed out in a telegram to the negotiating delegation, "In view of this situation, we must make a major statement in action before we can Cooperate with the situation and put sufficient pressure on the enemy to prevent similar incidents from happening again and facilitate our side to take the initiative." 6月20日，我方谈判代表即以金日成元帅和彭德怀司令员名义致函“联合国军”总司令克拉克，严正指责美方纵容南朝鲜当局的这一行动，要求美方“必须负起这次事件的严重责任”，立即追回被“释放”的全部战俘，“保证以后绝对不再发生同类事件”，并就“能否控制南朝鲜的政府和军队”，保证停战协定的实施作出答复。次日，由北京动身赴南朝鲜准备履行停战协定签字事宜的彭德怀司令员到达平壤，立即同谈判代表团和志愿军代司令员邓华进行了磋商，并向毛泽东主席建议：推迟停战签字的时间，再给南朝鲜军以打击，再歼灭朝鲜军15000人。次日，毛泽东主席随即复电，同意并肯定“停战签字必须推迟”，同时指出：“再歼灭南朝鲜军万余人，极为必要”。于是志愿军领导人决定，立即组织夏季反击战役的第三次进攻，以狠狠打击南朝鲜军。 根据志愿军领导人的指示，由第20兵团来实施进攻作战，并把作战方向选在金城以南地区。这里敌军是清一色的南朝鲜军，建制属于第2军团的第3、第8、第6师和属于美第9军团指挥的南朝鲜首都师共4个师。夏季反击作战以来，其右翼的防御体系已为我军打破，阵地更加突出和暴露，其士气极为低落。而我军连续攻取敌营、团坚固阵地，作战经验更加丰富，士气高昂，并已查明了这一地区敌纵深工事薄弱这一情况。我军在这一地区已集中了4个军，400余门山、野、榴炮。这些都为志愿军发动较大规模的进攻战役提供了非常有利的条件。邓华代司令员与杨得志副司令员在得到彭德怀司令员和毛泽东主席的意图和决定以后，即决定由第20兵团在第9兵团第24军配合下实施金城战役，歼灭金城突出部的敌人，拉直战线，并在反击得手和情况有利时，向敌纵深作有限度的扩张。为增强第20兵团的兵力、火力、决定将第21军调归20兵团指挥，开赴第一线作战，并给第20兵团又加强地面炮兵2个团，高射炮兵1个团、反坦克炮兵3个连、工程兵4个营。加强后的金城正面我军5个军（含第24军）共有82迫击炮以上地面火炮1094门，平均每公里44.8门，敌我火力对比为1：1.7，兵力对比为1：3。 第20兵团在北汉江两岸进攻结束后，正准备调整部署。代司令员郑维山、政治委员张南生在师以上干部会议上，对第一、二次反击作战作了总结，并与新任司令员杨勇、政治委员王平作了交接。在接到志愿军首长命令后，新老兵团首长共同研究制订作战方案，并经志愿军领导人批准，下达正式作战命令，决定：以所属5个军（第60、第67、第68、第54、第21军）组成东、中、西3个作战集团，从三个方向突击。第一步攻歼敌第一线团基本阵地之敌，以攻取轿岩山为重要作战方向；第二步三个集团会攻梨船洞一带之敌（从地形上判断为数重点扼守的核心阵地）。根据“稳扎狠打”的方针，区分两个步骤无疑是适宜的，但轿岩山为敌防守重点，易守难攻，主要突击方向选在这里，却有悖于避实击虚的原则。第67军第200师师长李静曾建议把主要突击点放在西集团，或放在中集团之右翼官垡里方向，可惜这个意见未被采纳。然而，任何事物都具有两重性，当轿岩山成为敌军主要注意方面的时候，次要方向就容易获得成功。当然，前提还是部署必须得当，措施必须有力，计划必须周密。这里有这样一个故事：7月12日16时，即进攻的前一天，主管作战的杨得志副司令员审查3个集团作战计划时，了解到东集团组织有渗透迂回支队，准备插入敌人阵地纵深，他认为，中、西两集团也应当组织这样的支队，尤其西集团进攻区域内，纵向的山势走向和道路更利于渗透迂回，如果有一个支队在战斗发起后，插至下榛岘附近，首先打掉敌人的指挥机关和炮兵阵地，对于完成第一步作战任务和第二步向梨船洞进攻都将十分有利。于是发电给中、西集团和20兵团，提出这个意见。这便是“奇袭白虎团”的由来。 为了赶在雨季到来之前发起进攻，作战准备是紧张而繁重的。在兵团的作战方案基础上，各集团以下参战单位都要制订自己的作战计划，需要勘察地形，选择进攻道路，构筑攻击出发阵地。在后勤保障上，需要抢运作战物资达15000吨，其中炮弹一项即达70万发，另有炸药124吨。为此，志愿军后勤司令部由副司令员吴先恩在第20兵团设立了前进指挥所，调集了10个汽车团2000辆汽车担负这一任务。由于运输任务超过平时的2.5倍，司机一夜行车达440公里，经常一日只吃上一餐。从团到阵地的运输都是依靠人力，许多担任运输的士兵每天只休息三、四个小时，以致腿肿胀，脚打泡化浓，脊背发生溃疡。交通保障更为艰巨，为保证汽车运输和坦克、火炮进入阵地和转移阵地，要开辟新的道路，并加强原有道路桥梁的维修。仅依靠工兵远远不敷需要，不得不使用大量步兵来担任，总计在作战过程中，用于道路保障的步兵达11个团、3万余人。指战员们就这样不怕困难，把物资运上阵地，保证作战需要。 为了进一步创造进攻的有利条件和迷惑敌人，掩护战役准备工作的进行，第60军攻歼了北汉江以东938.2高地及广石洞以西高地南朝鲜军第5、第7师各1个营。第67军在北汉江以西攻歼了529.3高地（金城川与北汉江汇合处以北）南朝鲜军第3师一个营、690.1高地敌1个排、轿岩山北山腿南朝鲜军第6师1个连。两军在新占阵地上同敌进行了为时一周的反复争夺，毙伤敌达12000余人。然而，进攻690.1高地和轿岩山北山腿使敌判断我将发起更大的进攻，于是，开始增加第一线兵力，轿岩山由1个团增加为2个团。但战场基本形势未发生变化。 7月13日夜，天空中浓云密布，大雨欲来。我军按计划发起进攻。首先以1000余门大炮进行火力震击，在20分钟内发射炮弹1900余吨。猛烈的炮火，摧毁了敌军的大部分工事，破坏了敌军的通讯联络，震慑了敌人的精神，打得敌人抬不起头来。我军各突击部队乘势发起攻击，一小时内即全部突破敌前沿阵地。 由第68军第203师、第204师和第54军第130师组成的西集团，在突破前沿后，以2个师并肩作战，分别向522.1和552.8高地敌各1个营展开围攻。与此同时，以第609团副团长赵仁虎率领的渗透迂回支队（1个加强营）沿两个高地之间的公路插入敌人纵深，其先头由第607团侦察排副排长杨育才率领的化装成南朝鲜军的侦察班12人，巧妙地通过敌人哨卡，直插至南朝鲜军首都师第1团（以白虎头为团旗，号称“白虎团”）团部附近，出敌不意一举消灭了该团团部。随后，跟进的支队主力又以突然动作消灭了美军第555榴炮营大部和乘汽车来增援的南朝鲜军首都师机甲团第2营大部。至14日晨6时，已前出到芳通里、梨实洞、北亭岭、下榛岘一线以北地区。17时40分占领了峰火山、月峰山。在战斗中，歼灭南朝鲜军达3个营，击毙其机甲团团长陆根洙，生俘了首都师副师长林益淳，缴获105毫米榴炮12门。 由第67军、第54军第135师、第68军第202师（欠1个团）组成的中央集团，分两个波次展开。首先集中火力保障左翼师进攻轿岩山，1个小时后转移火力支援右翼师由官垡里西山向中芳坪地段进攻。轿岩山之敌进行了顽强抵抗，我军至14日零时始占领中峰、东峰。投入二梯队以后，于14日10时25分始占领轿岩山。在战斗中，第199师第595团第1连战士李家发，以负伤7处的身体堵住敌机枪工事射孔，为部队打开了冲击道路，成为又一名黄继光式的英雄。右翼师进攻开始时间晚，但发展顺利，当晚23时37分歼灭了官垡里西南高地守敌1个营，随即投入2梯队沿金城至华川公路发展进攻。14日晨6时，占领了金城川北侧的龙渊里、东山里；8时，渡过金城川；18时，占领了梨船洞。进攻中，在商山里以南截击逃敌1个营，将其大部歼灭，在竹洞附近，缴获飞机1架及满载弹药的汽车29辆。 由第60军、第21军、第68军第605团组成的东集团，以第21军位于北汉江以东担负防御，钳制正面之敌，以第60军附第605团分3个梯队，从执宝里、龙虎洞地段向轿岩山东南、金城川以北进攻。因该军7月6日始交防由北汉江以东转至江西，炮兵于13日晨才进入阵地，准备时间不足，加之正面狭窄，又横越山脊，突破后发展缓慢，至14目6时始占领汝文里至472.3高地一线，12时始占领585.5高地。下午，敌军动摇，我军迅速占领金城川以北地区。17时一部西渡金城川与中集团会合。18时，攻占了金城川与北汉江汇合处以南之461.9高地。 第9兵团第24军14日零时攻歼了注字洞南山、杏亭西山守敌2个营、4个连另1个营大部，13时30分攻占432.8高地及杨谷以北地区，控制了上、下九井间公路，保障了第20兵团右翼安全。 在我军强大攻势面前，敌军或则被歼，或则丢弃武器装备，狼狈溃逃。沿金城至华川的公路上，汽车轧着尸体，坦克堵住汽车，乱成一团。美联社记者曾这样描述：那些仓皇溃逃的南朝鲜士兵，“有的攀在坦克上，有的骑在大炮身上，但是还有成千的人用那起了水泡的一双脚，一拐一拐地向南步行，到了精疲力竭的时候，在路旁的泥泞里倒头就睡，顾不得倾盆大雨了。”“如果共军有一队战斗轰炸机的话，他们就能把公路上的这个长达数英里的地段变成一条血河。” 我军攻势作战发展顺利，在不到一昼夜的时间里，即向南推进了9.5公里，两步作战，一步完成。在此情况下，志愿军首长认为，我军进攻距离受后勤跟进保障能力的限制，而敌军虽受到重大打击，但成建制地被我军歼灭的不多，必然依靠其快速的机动能力迅速组织向我军反扑。为贯彻“稳扎狠打”的指导方针，巩固占领已得阵地，即电令第20兵团以主力控制现占领线，迅速构筑工事，修通道路，推进炮兵阵地，抢运弹药物资，准备打敌反扑，同时以若干有力支队，乘敌混乱之际，积极向南发展，继续扩张战果，占领有利阵地，以掩护主力防御准备。据此，各部队除主力转入防御外，第20兵团东集团以2个团南渡金城川，于16日占领了黑云吐岭、1118高地、白岩山以及以东之949.5高地，867高地一线，又向南推进了约8公里，中集团于15日晨占领了602.2高地以南无名高地及后洞里；西集团和第24军则在击退敌一部兵力反扑后，将阵地推进至新木洞至间榛岘公路北侧，与敌对峙。 我军的凌厉攻势，打得敌军慌了手脚。7月16日，“联合国军”总司令克拉克和美第8集团军司令泰勒，急忙赶到前线，在南朝鲜军第2军团部召开高级军官会议，声言要发动最大的反攻来夺回金城以南的失地。从这一天下午起，敌人即开始反扑。17日，敌集中6个团的兵力，在100余架次飞机和大量炮兵支援下，猛攻我军黑云吐岭、白岩山至867高地一线突出阵地。我军在无炮兵支援的情况下与敌激战竟日，毙伤敌3000余人，除867高地失守外，其余阵地屹立未动。第20兵团首先考虑到该线阵地过于突出，又处于背水作战，炮兵支援与运输补给问题一肘不能解决，乃报请上级批准，除以1个营继续控制461.9高地外，其余部队于当夜撤至金城川以北。18时，敌反扑重点指向中集团正面，先后展开1至3个团的兵力，在480余架次飞机和猛烈炮火掩护下，连续猛攻602.2高地至巨里宝北山一线阵地。此时，中集团方向公路已修通，炮兵阵地已转移就绪，弹药物资得到及时补给，敌人的反扑遂难以得逞。至停战时，在金城正面敌反扑共达1000余次，付出了重大伤亡代价，只占领了我巨宝里北山一个阵地，所谓“最大的反攻”只能以失败而告终。 在金城以南大反击的同时，其他正面上的我军和朝鲜人民军均作了积极的有力的配合作战，共对敌连以下目标进攻27次，毙伤俘敌16000余人。其中第1军进攻198.6高地战斗和第23军进攻石砚洞北山战斗，均同敌人进行了反复争夺，各杀伤敌3000余人。第23军第200团战士许家朋，在双腿负伤和炸药失效的情况下，为打开冲击道路，毅然以身体扑向敌地堡射孔，壮烈牺牲。 这次进攻作战，我军共毙伤俘敌7.8万余人，缴获坦克45辆，汽车279辆，飞机1架，各种炮423门，各种枪7400余支，因战线南移而扩展土地面积达178平方公里。我军伤亡33253人。 中国人民志愿军和朝鲜人民军1953年夏季反击战役的重大胜利，给“联合国军”和南朝鲜当局以沉重打击，加速了朝鲜停战谈判的过程，有力地促进了停战的实现。