Chapter 48 One company of the Volunteer Army wiped out one company of the US Army

Unsan is the capital of Unsan County in North Korea. Because the city is surrounded by continuous mountains, dense forests, and clouds and mists, it is called Yunshan. Unsan's strategic position is very important, and it is a transportation hub in northern North Korea. Yunshan was at the center of the U.S. 8th Army's battle line at this time, and the Longshan Highway was the main supply line for the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division.The road runs down the valley of the Jiulong River, forming two large bends.Due to the terrain, these two curved parts are called "camel nose" and "glans nose" by the US military respectively.Regardless of whether the U.S. military is moving north or withdrawing south, "camel nose" and "turtle nose" are the only way to go.

On the morning of November 1, the Yunshan area was filled with fog and visibility was extremely poor. At this time, Wu Xinquan received a telegram from the headquarters of the Volunteer Army, saying that the US 1st Cavalry Division had entered the Longshandong area, so they must not be careless. In order to prevent the U.S. troops from going north to reinforce the Yunshan enemy, Commander Wu immediately sent a regiment to go south to both sides of the road from Longshan Cave to Yunshan to build positions and intercept the U.S. troops. After receiving the task, Wang Fuzhi, the commander of the 343rd Regiment of the 39th Army, immediately led the whole regiment to rush to the "Glans Head and Nose" to set up defenses and prepare for battle.

At noon, the 343rd Regiment, which was marching in a hurry, was spotted by a U.S. air reconnaissance plane. After receiving the report, Commander Gay immediately became alert.Commander Gay, who has rich combat experience, judged that the opponent is trying to cut off the road from Yongsandong to Unsan.He immediately ordered the 5th Cavalry Regiment and other troops stationed in Longshan Cave to drive away these enemies and ensure the smooth flow of the road.At the same time, he ordered the air force and artillery to strictly block the mountain road leading to "Glans Nose". At this time, the 343rd Regiment of the Volunteer Army, despite the bombing of U.S. aircraft and artillery fire, marched all the way and reached the "Glans Nose" one step ahead.

Before the troops had finished building the fortifications, the patrol unit from the north of the US army arrived. Out of self-confidence, the U.S. military sent only one platoon this time.As a result, the Volunteers attacked and fought wildly, and the 60-member US platoon-level patrol team was wiped out except for a few who fled back. Knowing that the patrol that cleared the obstacles was wiped out, Johnson, the commander of the 5th Cavalry, began to realize the seriousness of the problem. He immediately sent the 1st Battalion to attack northward. Afterwards, he personally led the 2nd Battalion to launch a fierce attack on the volunteer positions.

At this time, although the U.S. military realized the seriousness of the problem, out of habit, it was still overconfident in itself and underestimated the Chinese military. In the fierce battle until dusk, this loose offensive force, which underestimated the enemy, was unexpectedly counterattacked by the Chinese army. Moreover, the Chinese attack is as fast as lightning and as ruthless as a hungry wolf. The U.S. military was caught off guard and retreated in embarrassment. During the retreat, a US company with all modern equipment was completely annihilated by a company of Chinese soldiers with simple equipment.

This greatly exceeded the expectations of the Americans; It also greatly exceeded Peng Dehuai's expectations. Peng Dehuai was very pleased to receive the battle report, and immediately sent an order to reward him. He also said, "I can annihilate a company of the US military with one company." The 343rd regiment won the first battle, playing the prelude to the Battle of Yunshan.