Chapter 8 Chapter 8
On October 22, 1947, the Qingfengdian battle ended, paving the way for the capture of Shijiazhuang.
After the victory at Qingfengdian, Nie Rongzhen, commander of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, suggested to Commander-in-Chief Zhu De to take advantage of the victory to capture Shijiazhuang.Commander-in-Chief Zhu De immediately forwarded it to the Central Military Commission jointly with Liu Shaoqi: Our opinion is that it is also beneficial to hit Shimen.There is no city wall in Shimen, and there are only three regiments of guards. The surrounding 40-mile-long front, the officer in charge was captured, and the internal turmoil was easy to understand.Taking advantage of the victory to attack, it is possible to open up, and it may also cause the enemy to fight and protect the south, and seek opportunities for large-scale mobile warfare between Baoshi and Baoshi.What do you think, please reply soon.At the same time, Commander-in-Chief Zhu De sent a reply to Nie Rongzhen and others: We agree to attack Shimen.It is possible to open.Even if it cannot be opened, it may also cause Li Wen, Yuan Pu and other southern aid, and it may be in my interest to seek large-scale mobile warfare in Shi and Baojian.Please prepare various supplements in advance.After the approval of the Military Commission, use all your strength to carry out the campaign.
On October 24, 1947, Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, replied: "At 12 o'clock on the 22nd, the victory of the Qingfengdian Great Annihilation Battle has great significance for the further transformation of the fighting style in your area. If the enemy stops, our army should rest on the spot for about 10 days, rectify the troops, recover from fatigue, scout Shimen, and complete all preparations for attacking Shimen."
Zhu De's telegram on the Battle of Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang used to be called Shimen. It was originally a small village with only 10 households, hence the name Shijiazhuang.The development of Shijiazhuang is due to the railway.Originally, the railway to Taiyuan was to be built in Zhengding, 20 kilometers north of Shijiazhuang. At that time, Shijiazhuang was a small village under the jurisdiction of Zhengding.It's just that the railway was still a new thing in China at that time, and the officials in Zhengding refused to admit it, saying that building the railway was not a good thing, and they were determined not to let the railway approach Zhengding.Therefore, Shijiazhuang is cheaper.Later, Shijiazhuang became the intersection of Shide, Pinghan, and Zhengtai railways, and it grew bigger and bigger, not only surpassing Zhengding, but also logically becoming a strategic location in North China.After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Chiang Kai-shek transported the Third Army of his descendant Hu Zongnan from the rear to here, so that Shijiazhuang not only became the connecting hub between Taiyuan and Baoding, but also the place where the enemy sent us to Hebei, South Hebei, and Taihang. Bases for attack in liberated areas.
On November 6, 1947, the Battle of Shijiazhuang began.This is a large-scale battle, but the combat deployment before the battle is not exactly like this.Chairman Mao's combat policy at that time was "to attack Shimen to fight for reinforcements."That is to say, prepare with both hands, if the enemy reinforcements come, they will fight to aid Commander-in-Chief Zhu De to review the siege artillery, and if the enemy reinforcements do not come, they will attack Shijiazhuang.At that time, the Front Committee of the Field Army said it would take 2 months to mobilize cadres above the regiment level, but in fact it only took 2 days to actually fight the city.The combat deployment is to place a column and an independent brigade on the northern line, with the Tang River and Sha River as barriers, and build 4 blocking positions, and go all out to prepare for the aid battlefield. 2 columns and 4 independent brigades surrounded the enemy from all sides, and carried out centripetal assaults from the southwest and northeast.It constitutes an encirclement scene in which the east and the west cooperate with each other to respond to each other, and maintain the continuous force to attack the enemy in depth.Due to the complete organization of the entire battlefield, the enemies on the northern front did not dare to act rashly.The enemy in Shijiazhuang is always surrounded by the absolute superiority of our army.
On October 22, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Field Army's first major victory, the Battle of Qingfengdian, came to an end.This battle not only wiped out 14,000 enemies who came out of Shijiazhuang, greatly weakening the vitality of Shijiazhuang defending the enemy, but also captured the commander of the Kuomintang Third Army alive, and handed over the detailed map of Shijiazhuang's military setup.Lin Runtian, secretary of the Shimen Working Committee, Zhu Zemin, deputy secretary, and Zhang Jie, the enemy worker officer, also held the drawn Shijiazhuang enemy army fortification map.He rushed to Fuping at the end of October and reported the situation in Shijiazhuang to the head of Jinchaji.
According to the army's urgent need for information, people were immediately selected to gather and sort out the social and military intelligence materials related to Shijiazhuang over the past few years, draw maps, mimeograph them into a book, and compile a copy of "City News" every day and send them to the combat troops .The underground party also stated that after the battle started, it would send more than 30 guides to lead the troops, all of which created extremely convenient conditions for breaking Shijiazhuang.
Although Shijiazhuang has so many favorable conditions, after all, Shijiazhuang is an industrial city with a population of 300,000 to 400,000. It is the hub of the Pinghan, Shide, and Zhengtai railways, and it is the border between the plain and the mountains.After the Japanese invaders occupied Shijiazhuang, they built a large number of fortifications.The Kuomintang is also well aware of the status of Shijiazhuang. After the third army of the Kuomintang took over, in order to stick to it, it continued to build fortifications year after year on the basis of the fortifications built by the Japanese invading army. Taihang and other liberated areas attacked the military station base.
From the outskirts of the city to the city center, the outer city ditch, the inner city ditch and the core fortifications of the urban area are the backbone, forming three lines of defense.Take the first blockade ditch dug by the Japanese army as the first line of defense. The ditch is 7 meters deep, 6 meters wide, and has a circumference of more than 60 miles. Most of the villages have fortifications, and the most solid ones are the East and West Sanjiao, Daguo Village Airport, Yunpan Mountain, and North and South Zhaiying, among which Yunpan Mountain is a commanding height in the northeast suburb of the city.Electric grid fences are set up along the city ditch, and bunkers are built every tens of meters. There are more than 6,000 large and small bunkers, which are connected with the bunker foxhole traffic trenches in a circular shape.
The second line of defense is Neishigou, which is built on the basis of large buildings around the urban area and the North Barracks, with a total length of 36 li.The system is also composed of bunker groups, bunker groups and secondary defense facilities.There are fortifications built in all the villages between the inner and outer ditches, and there are traffic trenches and tunnels connecting the forts and the forts, the villages and the villages, and the inner ditches and the outer ditches.A ring-city railway with a circumference of 50 li was built between the inner and outer city ditches. In case of emergency, armored trains are used to patrol day and night as a mobile fortress.In the depths of the market, there is the third line of defense, which is the last fortification, with Zhengtai Hotel, Dashiqiao, railway factory, electric light factory and station as the core fortifications.
The enemy's total force defending Shijiazhuang is 24,680 people.There are 2 tank companies directly under the Third Army with 9 tanks; 1 mountain artillery company with 4 guns; 1 automobile company with 60 vehicles; 1 field artillery battalion with about 1880 people.The 32nd Division consists of artillery battalion, supply battalion, cavalry battalion, engineer battalion, special service company and 3 infantry regiments, with a total of about 11,000 people.The above troops are allocated to the Second City Ditch and the core fortifications, which are the backbone of its defense.The three regiments under the jurisdiction of the Hebei Security Column have a total of about 4,900 people, defending the main points of Yuanshi, Huolu, Daguocun Airport, Xijiao, Beijiao, and Dongzhongjiazhuang.With a total of more than 7,600 armed teams in 19 counties around Shijiazhuang, they defended the first Shigou and the forward security positions beyond.
In addition, after Qingfengdian, Chiang Kai-shek had a premonition of the crisis in Shijiazhuang. On November 3 and 4, he ordered the Baoding Sui Department to airlift his independent regiment and the field artillery battalion of the Third Army that had been left in Baoding to Shijiazhuang.In this way, there are more than 24,000 people in Shijiazhuang defending the enemy.Among them are the 32nd Division of the Third Army, the Artillery Battalion of the Army, the tank company and other regular units, as well as the Ninth and Tenth Security Regiments, as well as the security police teams and home-returning regiments in 19 counties around Shijiazhuang.
Regarding the military facilities and military strength of Shijiazhuang, it is clear at a glance from the military defense map seized in Qingfengdian.The enemy's circular defense in Shijiazhuang, the deployment of troops and firepower is stronger in depth than the outer edge, and the construction and configuration of fortifications are solid and complete, so the enemy still has a strong defensive force.
The enemies in Shijiazhuang themselves said: "Based on the fortifications in Shijiazhuang, the national army can stand guard for three years." As for our field army fighting in the field, it is no problem to leave after fighting.However, our weapons are not good enough after all, although it is better than the situation during the War of Resistance Against Japan when a person had less than one gun and one gun had less than three bullets.The bullet bags are bulging, but these are useless for tough battles. There is still a lack of heavy weapons. The troops only have a few mortars, and they are good at explosives.It was only later when we fought against Tianjin and Taiyuan that we had a large number of heavy artillery.Without guns, can we attack fortifications?Can you break down the iron walled Shijiazhuang?
Our army forcibly crossed the Hutuo River, and it seemed that no one could guarantee the movement to Shijiazhuang.
Chairman Mao instructed in the telegram: "Not only concentrate a few brigades of the main force, but also concentrate a few local brigades, and attack Shimen with the attitude of attacking Shimen and fighting for reinforcements." Why are you so cautious?Didn't Chairman Mao say when he was in northern Shaanxi that now it is not a question of whether we can win, but a question of whether we dare to win?Since you dare to win, then fight boldly.Here we should be clear that Chairman Mao's consistent thinking on war is that we should despise the enemy strategically and pay attention to the enemy tactically.The two are indispensable. Strategic contempt does not mean not to pay attention to tactics, and tactical attention does not mean not being afraid, but to make victory more certain.
Chen Jing wrote in his diary:
According to the deployment of Yesi, the 4 regiments of our brigade have all assembled on the east side of Pinghan Road, trained in the three counties of Anguo, Dingxian, and Wuji, summed up the experience of Qingfengdian, and prepared to accept new combat missions.
What is the new combat mission?They speculated and analyzed one after another, and came to the common conclusion: Liberate Shijiazhuang!At 8:30 in the morning, the political commissar and I went to the Political Department of the Yesi to report on the political work in the Battle of Qingfengdian, where we met the beloved Commander-in-Chief Zhu De.
Chairman Mao has approved the plan to attack Shijiazhuang with the military grain station.Today, Yesi held a meeting of cadres above the brigade and made an extremely important mobilization, officially announcing the order and deployment of the Shijiazhuang Campaign.
On October 25, the Frontline Committee of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Field Army of the Communist Party of China held an enlarged meeting attended by cadres above the brigade level. According to the campaign intention of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region to seize Shijiazhuang, the combat missions and pre-war preparations were studied in detail.
Commander-in-chief Zhu De of the stretcher team with the army asked the troops to strengthen the party's leadership in combat, carefully plan, carry out military democracy, study tactics and techniques carefully, and do a good job in entering the city.In the pre-war mobilization, Zhu De particularly emphasized the coordinated operations of artillery, infantry, and engineers.He specially came to the station of the Artillery Brigade, inspected the various artillery regiments on the spot, publicized the central government's strategic policy for the second year of the Liberation War and the situation of the national strategic offensive to the commanders and fighters, and told everyone that Shijiazhuang was about to be attacked. Fighting tough battles, learning to fight big cities, and connecting the two liberated areas into one, is of great military, political, and economic significance.
Zhu De asked everyone to study how the artillery opened a breakthrough for the infantry and opened up the way for in-depth development.He also convened some company commanders and fighters of the artillery, infantry, and engineers to discuss how to fight fortified positions, how to build low forts and dark forts, how to implement approaching operations and tunnel blasting, how to start street fighting, and so on.He also personally asked the captured soldiers to understand the enemy's situation.
The meeting formulated a combat plan in accordance with the instructions of the Central Military Commission, Chairman Mao and Commander-in-Chief Zhu De.And decided to convey the "bravery plus technology" proposed by Commander-in-Chief Zhu De as a slogan to all units.
The policy of the campaign is:
1. If we launch the Battle of Shijiazhuang and the enemy on the northern front sends reinforcements to the south, our army will continue to besiege the enemy in Shijiazhuang with the Hebei and Shanxi Hebei corps, and all the concentrated field troops will go north. It is expected that the first battle will be between Baoding and Shijiazhuang. Wipe out part of its reinforcements or defeat it, and then continue to attack Shijiazhuang.
2. If I attack Shijiazhuang and the enemy does not provide reinforcements, I will concentrate on resolutely conquering the city.
According to this deployment, the division of labor in Shijiazhuang is as follows:
All of the Second Column and the Third and Ninth Army Sub-divisions marched to the south of Dingxian County, east of Xinle, and north of Shahe, selected favorable terrain and villages, and built four roads mainly relying on the Tanghe, Shahe, and Hutuo Rivers. Defensive positions, preventing the enemy from coming to help.The cavalry companies of each column formed an advance detachment, and went to the front line of Xingyangyi, the Dabai regiment in Baonan.Conduct active reconnaissance activities on the enemy on the northern front; if the enemy goes south for reinforcements, first fight back steadily, kill and consume the exhausted enemy in a large number, and buy time so that our main force, the third and fourth columns, can go north to fight in a timely manner, and work together to annihilate and aid the enemy.Concentrate the third and fourth columns and the seventh and eighth brigades of the Jizhong Military Region, and the first and second brigades of the Jijin Military Region to attack Shijiazhuang.The battle steps are: first capture the enemy's outer strongholds in the suburbs, rely on villages to transform the terrain, extend traffic trenches from the ground, and build attack positions;
On November 5th, the Three Columns marched to Tongye in the north and south, Longgui Mountain in the west and south, and Xiayin Village in the southwest of Shijiazhuang. On the morning of the 7th, it began to attack the southwest urban area.Break through the enemy's first Shigou defense line in Chengjiao Village and Zhentou Town, and attack in the direction of Dongdong, Xili Village, Garden Hotel and Dashiqiao.
The Four Columns entered the area to the west of Guxian on November 4. On the 6th, they first divided and annihilated the enemies east of Shijiazhuang and the periphery of the northeast urban area with a force, and then attacked the urban area.Break through the enemy's Waishigou defense line in Wujiazhuang and Fantan Village, and launch an attack in the direction of Zhongzheng Road and Zhengtai Hotel.
Our army moved towards Shijiazhuang, and the people along the way expressed their condolences warmly. The two columns took on the main task of attacking at the same time.
The Soldiers Brigade, the Soldiers Brigade and the Fourth Division of the Hebei Corps assembled in the northwest area of Shijiazhuang before dawn on the 5th, and first sent a small force to control the Hutuo River sluice in Huangbizhuang to prevent the enemy from diverting water and irrigation ditches, making future attacks more difficult. On the 6th, in addition to carrying out a feint attack on the northwestern city of Shijiazhuang with the third and fourth vertical movements, the main force actively attacked the Daguo Village Airport;The Independence Seventh Brigade, Independence Eighth Brigade, and Eleventh Subdivision Unit of the Jizhong Corps, with the cooperation of Taihang troops, apart from besieging and monitoring the enemies of the Yuan Clan to prevent them from retreating to Shijiazhuang, the main force was deployed from the southeast of Shijiazhuang to actively feint towards the urban area .The Independent Ninth Brigade gathered in the northeast of Dingxian County to guard Baoding. If the enemy in Baoding found reinforcements from the south, it would cooperate with the Second Column to block the enemy.The clear mission of the Jijin and Jizhong military regions is to serve as an auxiliary attack.But when they actually fought, they treated the auxiliary attack as the main attack.
In addition, the Independent Fourth Brigade of the Chahar Military Region and the Fifth and Seventh Divisions began to attack the Pingbao Railway from November 5 to clamp down on the enemy on the northern line.
The Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Field Army Command entered Lizhuang, Liyuan, Beima Village, southwest of Gaocheng at dawn on the 6th;While the battle was being deployed, it was decided to send more than 900 enemy officers and soldiers captured in the Qingfengdian Battle back to Shijiazhuang in batches after being educated, so as to disintegrate the enemy.This move has received very good results and has been praised by Commander-in-Chief Zhu De.
Shijiazhuang's fortifications are strong, but since Luo Lirong's third army was wiped out, Shijiazhuang's troops have been greatly weakened.A regular division plus the left-behind troops of the former Third Army, the Security Regiment, the Security Police Brigade, and the Home Returning Regiment totaled no more than 20,000 people.The length of the front and too many strongholds have formed an insurmountable contradiction with its existing forces.With these troops, it is very difficult to defend the 20 kilometers around the defense line, and coupled with the shaken morale of the army, Shijiazhuang's city defense can be said to be in jeopardy.
As Hu Yaobang, political commissar of the Three Verticals, said during the mobilization, Shijiazhuang is a "stone" village, not a "earth" village, nor a "steel" village. Although it is not so easy to attack, we can break through it.
The battle to liberate Shijiazhuang was confident of victory from the very beginning, which can be seen from the deployment of the campaign.While dividing the combat tasks, the Frontline Committee of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Field Army of the Communist Party of China designated the garrison troops after entering the city.A political instruction was also issued, and nine chapters were stipulated to the troops.The instruction pointed out: Liberating Shijiazhuang and ensuring good discipline in entering the city are the two central tasks of all troops participating in the war. All commanders and fighters are required to consciously abide by urban discipline, protect the lives and property of industry, commerce and the people, and contribute to the expansion of political influence for our army to attack large cities. example.
Commander-in-chief Zhu De participated in the pre-war meeting to prepare for the attack on Shijiazhuang.
It was at this meeting that the militiamen built a bridge over the Hutuo River, and he put forward the call for "bravery plus technology".This is the first time in the history of the People's Liberation Army to raise this slogan.Zhu De said that in the past we were millet plus rifles, but now we should be brave plus technology.What is brave plus technology?That is to say, fighting a war can not only rely on bravery, but also on skills, so as to reduce casualties and maximize the possibility of victory in the battle.Zhu De said that the battle of Shijiazhuang was different from previous battles. In the past, we fought guerrilla warfare, mobile warfare, fought and ran, or engaged in ambushes. The enemy could be defeated with bravery. Now Shijiazhuang is a fortified city, and we are fighting siege warfare and fortified warfare , It is not enough to rely on fierce fighting and dashing alone. You must study and master the techniques of tackling tough problems, and defeat the enemy with bravery and skill.
Bravery plus technology is what Zhu De summed up from the combat practice of the soldiers.The second vertical and fifth brigade's summary of the Battle of Baobei mentioned that the combination of bravery and technology is the best tactic. The combination of the brave action of the infantry and the effectiveness of firearm shooting is the main part of the success of the tactic.He also gave an example: one is that the commando was not well organized and rushed blindly, causing heavy casualties.The other was that the thirteenth regiment and one company were moving on the open ground of sixty to seventy meters. Because of the rapid movement, only one person was injured.The summary of the Battle of Qingfengdian also mentioned that only with bravery and skill can the success and quick decision of the assault be achieved.The more you fight, the smarter you get.In the Battle of Hebei in the Qing Dynasty, 5,000 enemies were wiped out, but 6,000 people were killed or injured, which was too expensive.We did not achieve great results at a small cost. The main point is that we have more than enough bravery and insufficient tactics.The formation was dense during the charge, and the company platoon leader was not familiar with the use of small group counter-charges.There is not enough education and tools to quickly build fortifications and bunkers under artillery fire.And some soldiers saved themselves by digging a simple bunker with their hands.In fact, as long as there is a simple fortification, casualties can be reduced.No wonder Wang Jinshan, the great hero of the 29th Regiment of the Four Columns, saluted his shovel after the battle in Shijiazhuang, saying that my meritorious service this time is half of yours, and your contribution is even greater than mine.A soldier of the 35th regiment also said that the shovel protected him, and if it weren't for the chicken claw-shaped attack fortification dug by the shovel, he would not be able to return.
Chief of Staff Geng Biao said, bravery plus technology, this resounding slogan became the basis of the guiding ideology of the Shijiazhuang Campaign.
The militiamen transported the ladder to the front. This is a valuable experience summed up in the previous battles of the War of Liberation, especially in the failed battles.Our commander-in-chief raised these combat experiences to a theoretical level and formed a slogan to make it deeply rooted in the troops.
Before the war, Commander-in-Chief Zhu talked to him once, and earnestly instructed his troops to fight not only to be brave, but also to use the gap between battles to improve their tactical skills.Senior commanders should pay more attention to learning, especially the command of battles and campaigns.Before leaving, Zhu De gave Zheng Weishan an old copy of the "Soviet Army Combat Doctrines" that he had turned over countless times, and wrote the words "study hard" in his own handwriting.
Qi Zhenhua, who was the deputy director of the political department of the 22nd regiment and secretary of the general party branch at that time, said that in war, it was all about being brave, and that was enough. The braver the better.It was the first time that the commander-in-chief told us about tactics. He said that tactics are like strings of money. It is not easy to mess up the strings. In the past, it was a pile. When money was needed, the copper coins were thrown away.Without tactics and techniques, the result is chaos and disorganization.Because they don't talk about tactics, there are a lot of casualties. After learning a lot of tactics, they know how to be brave and skillful.How to quickly improve combat technology?That is to carry out military democracy.Military democracy is one of the three major democracies of the People's Liberation Army, and it has always been a fine tradition inherited by the army.In his report on the international and domestic situation at the National Land Conference held in Shanxi, Chahar and Hebei on September 7, 1947, Zhu De specifically talked about the issue of the mass line in the work of the army.Commander-in-Chief Zhu De said: In the past, some people asked the Military Commission for instructors every day, but we didn’t send any of them.There are many capable people in our team. They searched hard and found all kinds of capable people, such as excellent gunners, machine gunners and so on.Let him teach whatever he knows. This is the mass line in military education.If everyone learns to follow the mass line, that would be great.
The propaganda team and the company encouraged Commander-in-Chief Zhu De to address various ideas and said: tactical issues should also follow the mass line. It can greatly improve the tactical level of the troops.In the past, our cadres followed the mass line and cared for the soldiers in one way or another, for fear that the soldiers would be hungry or cold. This is very good.Soldiers in Chen Geng's army recently asked the commander a question. Isn't it better for you to improve your tactics and reduce the number of deaths than caring about our food and clothing?The questions they raised are very practical, and everyone should be inspired by them.Some of our comrades said.I have fought all my life, and I have never learned any tactics. As long as I dare to fight, I will win the battle.It is good that you are not afraid of death and you are very brave, but it is not good if you sacrifice too many comrades in arms.Wouldn't it be better if the tactics were better, braver and less sacrificed?Therefore, in order to truly love soldiers, cadres must learn better tactics, and this is the mass line.In short, it is easy to learn tactics well by relying on the masses and following the mass line.Zhu De hopes that everyone will understand the importance of learning tactics, and learn from others with an open mind. Comrades who are chief of staff should learn tactics even more.
The Battle of Shijiazhuang had many tactical characteristics.The attack point was correctly selected, the troops and firepower were concentrated, and the attack was fierce.First, concentrated forces and firepower to take down the Daguo Village Airport, thereby breaking the enemy's air aid attempt; then captured the commanding heights of Yunpan Mountain in the northeast, and controlled the Xisanjiao and Xibingying in the southwest, thus achieving the first attack. The forward position of the Daoshigou defense line.After breaking through the first Daoshigou, instead of being attracted by the enemies in Beijiao, Fancun, Yuancun, Pengcun and other independent strongholds, we only surrounded and monitored with a small force, and the main force quickly advanced to the inner Shigou, so that the enemy had no time to breathe And the adjustment was continuously broken by me.During the deep battle, I ignored the blockade of the enemy's barricades and went straight to its core fortifications.These all hit the enemy's vital points and played a major role in quickly annihilating the enemy.
In addition, it is very characteristic in soil work.Vigorously promote tunnel operations and trench operations.Considering that Shijiazhuang is a city with solid fortifications and our artillery and engineers are relatively small, it is determined to vigorously carry out soil work and transform the terrain to overcome the enemy's numerous obstacles and quickly approach the enemy's frontier as the main means.In order to quickly break through the enemy's city defenses, all troops seized all the time and carried out a lot of tunnel operations and trench operations.In deep battles, every time a position is captured, the terrain must be quickly rebuilt, fortifications repaired, and these positions are used to repel the enemy's counterattack and launch a surprise attack on the enemy.
Combination of firepower, blasting and assault.I established a unified artillery arrangement in advance, and divided the artillery into several groups to suppress and annihilate the enemy's vital forces, destroy enemy bunkers and other engineering facilities, and cover and support the infantry assault.Under the cover of firepower, the blasting team blasted the walls of the enemy's outer ditch from the inside and the wall of the enemy's inner ditch from the outside, and continuously blasted the grid deer villages and walls in the ditch, opening up a path for the infantry to attack.The commandos took advantage of the shooting effect of the artillery, took advantage of the blasting smoke to attack resolutely and bravely, and quickly seized and expanded the breakthrough.
Organize small teams to intersperse and detour, and play the role of melee firearms.In street battles, the troops avoid straight-line movements in the streets and alleys, try to break through the walls and connect the courtyards, play the role of small units and individual soldiers, boldly intersperse, surround, and detour, to accompany artillery and submachine guns, grenades, and the enemy from house to house to fight for.At the same time, seize the favorable opportunity to launch a political offensive against the enemy and try to get the enemy to lay down their arms.
Maintain good communications to ensure smooth command.Communication is a very important and complicated issue in the battle of the large corps.In this battle, because our army paid attention to the training of commuters and the preparation of communication equipment before the battle; the command positions at all levels were advanced during the battle and the spirit of active communication between troops and units was carried forward; especially mobilizing the masses to come up with ideas Many methods of communication have been proposed.Therefore, throughout the campaign, the commander's uninterrupted command of the troops and the close coordination between the troops were guaranteed.
Most of these successful experiences in tackling key problems were summed up by the soldiers in previous combat practices. They were brainstormed at the military democracy meeting before the war, and you and I supplemented and perfected each one.
Chairman Mao said: "During combat, the company on the line of fire holds various large and small meetings. Under the guidance of the company commander, the soldiers are mobilized to discuss how to conquer the enemy's position and how to complete combat tasks. During several days of continuous battles, this kind of The meeting should be held several times. This military democracy was implemented in the Battle of Panlong in northern Shaanxi and the Battle of Shijiazhuang in Shanxi, Chahar and Hebei, and achieved great results. It has proved that there are only advantages and no disadvantages."
The troops seized the time to mobilize before the war. On the basis of sufficient political and ideological mobilization, they carried out military democracy. Especially before the general attack on Waishigou, the company generally held a "Zhuge Liang" meeting to summarize the experience and lessons of previous battles and study the overcoming The enemy's tactics.Discussing how to carry out soil work, how to dig tunnels and bury explosives, how to organically combine artillery with blasting and assault, how to pass through city ditches, how to destroy power grids, how to blast bunkers, and how to deal with tanks and armored vehicles, etc., the soldiers raised a lot. Great approach, solving many technical and tactical problems.
For example, the ladder, which is an important means of attacking fortifications, looks very simple, but it is not easy to be both light and strong. In the past few months, commanders at all levels have spent a lot of effort on this ladder.During the Great Qing Hebei Campaign.The soldiers invented a stretchable "snail ladder", which is useful for crossing ditches to attack bunkers, but it is too heavy and difficult to send up under artillery fire.The soldiers developed a folding "hinge ladder" this time. The lower half leans against the outer edge of the ditch, and the upper half is folded over to ride on the wall along the inner edge of the ditch, forming a sloping overpass with wooden planks laid on it. , You can pass without going down the ditch.
The troops also convened a forum for liberation fighters.Ask them to introduce the fortification situation of Shijiazhuang, and jointly study how to destroy the power grid through the city ditch, cross the road, blast the bunker and deal with tanks and armored vehicles.The participating companies seized the time to make models for sand table operations, searched for similar terrain and features to conduct fortification drills, and solved many tactical and technical problems. Played no small role.
Before the war, through military democracy, there was a lot of talk, and a lot of good new experiences were created.
Some say that two grenades tied together are very powerful.
Some say that if the grenade is covered with lime, the enemy who cannot be killed will be blinded.
Our militiamen are carrying out soil work under the Waishi ditch, preparing to let the stubborn enemy take a "dirt plane"
Some said that the second echelon each carried a bundle of sorghum straw to fill the big ditch.
Others said that the house that has been searched should be marked on the door to avoid repeated searches.
Liu Weichun, a soldier from the 20th Regiment of the 3rd Vertical and 7th Brigade, was only 17 or 18 years old, and he had a smart head. He wiped the grenade while thinking, why is this thing not like a rifle, designed to be a weapon that can be shot wherever he wants?Why do you have to shoot the cannon across the mountain, but not the target in front of you?That day when I was fighting Zhengding, I saw that I rushed to the front of the enemy's bunker, and it was only 180 meters away.
The squad leader said, don't think about it, other people's designers are no better than you.It would be nice to have this barrel. I think when we enlisted in the army, we didn’t have anything, and we would be very happy to touch a grenade.
The battle started. Liu Weichun looked at the enemy's bunker and killed many comrades in arms. He was still thinking, things are dead, but people are alive. I don't believe that this grenadier can't shoot the bunker.Hey, if it's like playing with a slingshot at home when you were a child, aiming and shooting, wouldn't that be it?
Yes, a slingshot gun!
Liu Weichun found a few wooden poles, tied a large slingshot in the shape of an eight-shaped frame, and then fixed the projectile on the wooden frame. He aimed a shot at the bunker, and a thick smoke burst out of the bunker.He immediately popped another shot at another bunker, and it hit again.Liu Weichun also used this method to destroy the searchlight.The more he fought, the more excited he was. He put a few explosive packets that had leaked into the rice bag he carried, connected the detonator and the fuse, and hung it directly on the grenade head to launch. He succeeded again and blasted the enemy's barbed wire seven times. A big hole of eight meters.
In this battle, Liu Weichun was awarded a special merit and was awarded the title of "Technical Innovation Expert".
Since then, this new type of small steel cannon has been widely promoted in the army and has become an effective weapon for infantry to attack bunkers.
He Zengkui, the platoon leader of the third company of a certain machine gun, created the night sight for the Type 92 heavy machine gun. It was made of a piece of nickel iron rolled into a cylindrical shape with a large head and a small tail, about seven inches long, and a cross shape connected with iron wire.Look directly at the target from inside the barrel.Because the mouth of the cylinder is so large that it is easy to find the target, aim at where to hit, and if you aim at 100 meters during the day, you don’t need a ruler at all.
Before attacking Shijiazhuang, the anti-aircraft artillery company of the Seventh Brigade followed the brigade headquarters to the Hengshan area south of Huolu to gather for training. The soldiers watched the terrain on the sand table, discussed tactics, analyzed the enemy's defensive characteristics, and studied our army's attack plan.Gunner Zhu Shouxin put forward the idea of "decomposing the artillery, concealing the enemy, and conquering the bunker".However, neither of the two shells hit the armored vehicle. The company commander Su Kuiguang immediately decided to use the breech method, opened the breech breech, aimed the aiming hand at the target along the bottom of the breech, hit the head and tail first, and then shot in the middle, forcing the enemy to stop driving.It was in this way that the enemy's armored vehicles were smashed one by one.
Our army used fortifications to approach the enemy. Our artillery lacked ammunition, so we adopted the tactical method of concentrating firepower above mortars, and for the first time adopted the unified command of artillery groups, concentrating the superiority of artillery fire in major areas, giving The enemy strikes by surprise.
When the field army summed up after the war, Fu Chongbi was specially praised, and his troops finally captured Liu Ying, the highest official in Shijiazhuang.Fu Chongbi, political commissar of the 10th Brigade, said that the battle plan determined that the four verticals would start from the northeast direction, and the main artillery of the artillery brigade was under my command. There were dozens of them.
On November 1, Yesi issued an order to launch the Battle of Shijiazhuang.The 3rd and 7th Brigade set off from the Gande area of Dingxian County, and arrived at the Hengshan area south of Huolu on the 5th to prepare for battle. At 00:00 on the 6th, the Seventh Brigade swept away the first-class stronghold of Xigang on the outskirts of Shijiazhuang with a sudden move, and then prepared to break through the Waishigou.
The first-line troops immediately carried out intense soil work.The assault company of the 20th regiment dug ten tunnels to the edge of the enemy's foreign city ditch.A large medicine room was dug at the end of the tunnel, containing more than a ton of explosives. It was planned to open the first gate of Shijiazhuang by means of tunnel blasting. Li Zhigui, an "explosive expert" from the 1st company of the 20th Regiment, took on the task of surveying and fixing the site.
Li Zhigui made a great contribution in the Xushui battle not long ago.At that time, the enemy's gun towers suppressed our attacking soldiers.Some comrades-in-arms have already sacrificed, it seems that it is impossible to force it, and it can only be outsmarted.Li Zhigui has no culture, but he is a warrior who can use his brain.He was thinking about the best way to take down the blockhouse.Looking at the fire-breathing gun tower, Li Zhigui suddenly saw a natural rain gap in front of the gun tower, which was a blind spot for the enemy to shoot.He felt happy for a while. Under the cover of the firepower of the whole squad, Li Zhigui and another soldier made a detour to Yurigou and slowly approached the gun tower. Li Zhigui stuffed the grenade into the explosive bag, tied the explosive bag to a long pole, Then connect the rope to the grenade pull ring, extend the long pole to the wall of the gun tower, pull the rope, the grenade sparks, and ignites the explosives.With a loud noise, the gun tower flew into the sky, but they didn't even hurt a single hair, so they made a contribution.
In the evening, Li Zhigui took a measuring tool and went to Waishigou with two other comrades in arms.Not far from the enemy's fortifications, Li Zhigui half-kneeled, measured the depth and width of the ditch with a measuring rod, and calculated in his mind.At this moment, on the circular railway inside the outer city ditch, an armored car drove over.
If there is a situation, get down quickly.
A soldier accidentally kicked a stone away, and the armored vehicle seemed to have discovered something, stopped and hit a beam of searchlights.Li Zhigui and his comrades immediately rolled over to the bottom of the ridge, and heavy machine guns swept over, sending earth and rocks flying everywhere.Just at this moment a little hare ran past under the blinding searchlights, and the armored vehicle stopped shooting and drove away.
so close!
Li Zhigui quickly finished his calculations, and he nailed a small wooden stake to mark it more than 20 meters along the ditch in Yuwaishi.Measurements were made in nearby places, and the location of the tunnel medicine room was determined.
In tunnel blasting, the medicine room is the key. The medicine room cannot be dug too far away from the ditch, nor too close to it. If the enemy discovers it, won’t all previous efforts be wasted?It is too far away to achieve the effect of burying the outer city ditch, and each brigade has its own tricks.When the Seventh Brigade was about to dig through the tunnel, they sent a soldier at night, with a rope tied around his waist, to climb up the outer city ditch, and when he reached the sign Li Zhigui had set up, he turned back.一量绳子，就知道地道该挖多少米了。二十一团团部通信班副班长徐墩说，他们班四个战士，有两个战士就在用绳子测量时牺牲了。
当天晚上，二十团一连就在李志贵定下的标志点分四组开始了土工作业。
8日16时30分，在野司的统一部署下，部队向外市沟发起了进攻。
二十团首先在西兵营爆破成功。
李志贵算好了时间，猛地拉响导火索，外市沟被炸开两个宽5米到10米的大缺口，像两座土桥。突击连顺利冲过外市沟，迅速夺取了敌人的前沿阵地，并以果断动作向两翼发展，扩大突破口，仅用10分钟就巩固了阵地，掩护主力突入。二十一团也很快突破。在整个战斗过程中，敌人显得不怎么经打，只是一列装甲车反扑了过来，被我们的战士用手榴弹炸毁。
李志贵又一枚大功奖章挂在了胸前。
石家庄的第一道大门就这样被我们英雄的战士打开了。
朱德总司令在清风店战役后检阅了炮兵旅，他表扬了炮兵旅在这七八个月里，从正太战役算起，参加了六个战役，连续作战，尤其是清风店战役，冒着敌机的轰炸，两昼夜强行军300里，与步兵同时到达作战地区，学会与步兵一起打运动战了，这是了不起的事情。朱德抚摸着大炮，看前看后，并向旅长高存信提出了很多关于炮的问题。
他说，咱们的炮兵有发展，东北部队的炮多，炮兵有十几个团，千把门炮了；山东有一个炮兵纵队，太行等地也有炮。你们也有一个旅了，很好。你们有前途，装备好，还要继续发展、扩大，将来要准备打出去。希望你们不要改行，要争取当一辈子炮兵。
朱总司令还说，炮兵很重要，为步兵开辟道路，可以减少伤亡，炮不打口不开。你们过去打了不少胜仗，希望你们不要骄傲，要再接再励，多打胜仗。这次打石家庄，摆在你们面前的一个重要课题，就是毛主席提出的阵地攻坚战，炮兵对这个课题应该学得更好。要研究使用炮兵为步兵打开突破口，把敌人的碉堡打掉，支援步兵向纵深发展，扩大战果。在战术上要注意接近敌人，打炮时要猛，要突然，火力整齐集中。集中里面还要再集中。要注意运用不同地形实施射击。不打则已，一打则打得猛，打得准，打得狠。
晋察冀军区在朱德的提议和亲自参加下，召开了炮兵和工兵干部的战前会议，朱德和指挥员们一起讨论了攻石家庄的技术问题，共同决定了作战计划。会议的中心议题是如何搞好阵地攻坚战。朱德总司令说，石家庄是一座近30万人口的城市，经过日本侵略者八年的侵占和国民党两年的经营，设有坚固工事，又有号称80多里长内外两道防御沟，对这样的城市作战不注意研究战法行吗？不注意学习战术行吗？总司令边说边从挎包里取出一本《合同战术》的书，说这里的第四章，取得胜利的一般原则，你们都看看，对你们是不是有启示？进攻战一章，这里有八段讲进攻战，结合你们自己的经验，看一看讲得有没有道理？朱德说石家庄就是一个很好的大课堂，要在战争中学习战争。
清风店战役刚刚结束，炮兵旅党委决定，搞三个星期的大练兵，人人争当神炮手。白炳武是在清风店战役后才当上瞄准手的。他说，战斗最激烈时，我们班的火炮轮子被炸坏，瞄准手隋纪银和另一名炮手牺牲了，白炳武冒着炮火跑到火炮边，迅速取下瞄准镜，然后卧倒，用自己的身体保护了瞄准镜。他知道，瞄准镜是火炮上最珍贵的东西。战斗结束后，白炳武把瞄准镜交到了连部，连长让白炳武接任瞄准手。白炳武知道，我们火炮少，弹药缺，单炮直接瞄准抵近射击是战斗的主要手段，瞄准手的责任很重。他说他一定争取当神炮手。
这回有三个星期的训练时间，这对白炳武来说是很宝贵的。白炳武使用的这门火炮是日式改造的三八野炮，实际上除瞄准镜和炮身是日本造的外，其余部件，有的是美国制造的，有的是德国制造的，也有我们自己修配的，大家称这门炮是联合国炮。虽然东拼西凑，也没完全凑齐，瞄准镜连水准气泡也没有，火炮的稳定性差，机件空回大，有时高低机打半圈炮身都不动。用这样的炮打就是神仙恐怕也神不起来。
指导员说，这门炮，是步兵战士把背包丢了，翻山越岭才把缴获的炮轮、方向机等零件送来的。为了保护这门炮，炮手王同占献出了生命。你一定要用这门炮打好。从此，白炳武刻苦训练，除了正课时间，他还利用擦炮时间熟记各部件的性能特点，利用晚上喂马时练习双手同时装定分划，熄灯后，摸黑还练夜间装定改装分划的技能。没有手电，就抓几只萤火虫放在小瓶里，或用香头、烟头代替，检查效果。雨天不能外出，就在屋里和全班用木头做一个模型，练习协同动作。
功夫不负有心人，三个星期的训练，白炳武摸清了火炮空回的规律，掌握了操作要领，连高低机、方向机每打1圈、1／2圈、1／4圈相应多少密位，都做到了心中有数，操作起来得心应手。在炮兵旅举行的瞄准手比武大会上，白炳武表演了用毛巾蒙上眼睛进行装定改装，十个口令只差了两密位，被旅里授予“甲等模范瞄准手”。在他当瞄准手的两年多时间内，他先后参加了大小战斗80多次，发射炮弹1000多发，其中单炮直接瞄准射击炮弹有300多发，命中率在95％以上，甚至在200多米的距离外发射的炮弹能从敌人的炮楼的枪眼里钻进去，他获得了“神炮手”的称号也是当之无愧的了。
部队昼夜向南急驰，隆隆的炮车也夹在其中。就要打石家庄了，战士们望着这么多门的大炮，都高兴得合不拢嘴。
其实，比起敌人来，我们的炮还处于劣势。晋察冀炮兵旅是刚刚成立的，只有三个战炮团和一个教导团，火炮大部分是抗日战争时缴获的。幸亏这次清风店缴获了一批大炮和炮弹，还显得多一些。但是，要以这些大炮打坚固设防的石家庄，就似乎不够了。
野战军前委在战前会议上决定，不仅在战役部署上要集中优势兵力，在战术部署上也要集中优势兵力，炮兵的大部分炮火配属四纵。在四纵主要突破地段的范谈村几十米的突破口上，给敌人准备下了30多门火炮。
在一个突破口集中30多门火炮，这在现在是不足为奇的，可在当时火炮数量很少的情况下，敢于集中这么多的火炮，如果没有毛泽东同志集中优势兵力、各个歼灭敌人的思想指引，我们是想不到也不敢这样做的。李健说，石家庄的核心工事在市中心偏东，如果我们在市东部的范谈村地段打开一个缺口，就可以以优势兵力取最近的距离，沿中正路直捣核心工事，配合三纵从西南和其他方面的突击，就可以很快把敌人分割包围，迅速歼灭。我们越加感到野战军首长这一决定的正确。但是，我们炮确实少，怎样在集中兵力的基础上高度集中火力？这是当时炮旅几个领导同志苦苦思索的一个重要问题，这关系到能不能在伤亡小的情况下迅速夺取石家庄。
必须把这个情况告诉广大的指挥员，发动大家来出主意，想办法。
一个个建议提出来了。
把步兵的山炮、迫击炮连集中起来，结合野炮、榴弹炮统一组成强大的火力队，把炮火轰击与步兵连续爆破结合起来，给敌人来一个大合奏，掩护突击队的勇猛冲击。
这个意见被上级采纳。
根据任务、敌情、地形，预先将火炮有重点地组成炮兵群，每群再结合步兵建制内的火炮，区分为若干火力队，主要突击方向的火力队要最强。根据当地地形及敌人工事情况，规定火力射击区域，严密分工敌人碉堡的号数。这样，在发起攻击后，敌前沿的高碉低堡以及散兵壕就全部被压制在我们的炮火之下。
首次远射火炮，是对敌市内的发电厂一阵急袭，切断了石家庄的电源。第二次是打云盘山，在离敌人500米的一个土坟后面，九一式榴弹炮连的战士正在摸黑构筑工事，敌人发现了，以为是步兵，就大叫，八路呵，我们这里有馒头……敌人没想到炮兵能在这么近的地方挖工事。战士们小声说，别急，挖好工事后，请你们尝尝铁馒头。果然，五发炮弹送给了敌人的碉堡，步兵冲了上去。
拿下云盘山炮兵起了很重要的作用。
下一个目标就是范谈村了。
范谈村这个地方，我们知道很重要，敌人也不傻，他也知道很重要，一旦突破，就直接威胁了核心工事。所以敌人在范谈村的火力很强，装甲列车也紧紧围着范谈村转个不完，一会儿一趟，还不时地射击。作为一个活动火力点，装甲火车是太令人讨厌了。四纵十旅炮兵连的阵地距离装甲车1200米，炮兵连决心要打掉它。
战前诸葛亮会上，二排长说，要在千米内打装甲车，应该是百发百中，可是我们炮上没有瞄准镜。没有瞄准镜想打千米以外的活动目标，有一定的困难。
二排长是“解放兵”，他在国民党军队中就是炮手，经验丰富。
指导员杜福增说，装甲列车是活动的，但它的行动路线是固定的。机车是装甲列车的心脏，它又高又长被弹面大，击中任何部位都能让它瘫痪。我们是否可以选定预先瞄准点实行等待射击。
大家一听，这主意不错，有道理。
但是，没把握，太没把握。我们只有三发炮弹，跑了一发都是犯罪，那时的口号是弹不虚发，炮炮命中。
杜福增没有说话。
别看杜福增是政工干部，他也是炮手出身，曾在军区炮兵训练队学习过。杜福增记得曾用炮膛射击打过那门架退式山炮，效果还不错。而这门美式防坦克炮刚缴获时，也是用炮膛直接瞄准在1000米距离上的目标，也很准确。杜福增知道装甲列车对我步兵威胁很大，而对付它只有这门没有瞄准镜的防坦克炮。革命战士的责任感使这位指导员有了很大的勇气，他说，让我来试一试。
杜福增用望远镜详细观察了敌人阵地的情况，选定了铁路后面相距20多米的两颗大树作为标定点。装甲列车的速度是每秒八到十米，1200米的射击距离，炮弹飞行时间是两秒多一点。杜福增用炮口下沿对准左边的大树，待装甲列车到达右边大树时，即开炮射击。
按照这个方案做了准备，只等装甲列车过来。
上午10点刚过，装甲列车真来了，杜福增命令炮手各就各位，一炮手在右侧做好击发准备，杜福增在左侧用望远镜通过火门口观察，当装甲列车进入右边标定点时，他下达了放的口令。
炮弹呼啸而出，装甲列车应声停止。
在大炮两侧单人掩体里的机枪射手高喊打中了，打中了。
没等敌人醒过神来，杜福增立即调整炮口瞄准了装甲列车上的两个炮塔，又连中两发。
三发三中。
四五分钟后，装甲列车发现了目标，才开始猛烈射击。在火力掩护下，又开来了一辆装甲列车，才把这打坏了的装甲列车拖走。从此，装甲列车再没有敢在这一带露面。
直接瞄准射击成了大炮的主要射击方法。李健说，因为我们的炮弹太少，如果用一般的间接射击是很难完成任务的，只能抵近射击，直接瞄准，保证每一发炮弹都命中目标。炮弹对炮兵来说，比生命还宝贵。在当时，每一发炮弹都是战士用鲜血换来的。不要说在那时，就是以后打太原，炮兵旅打三发以上的炮弹，都要经过兵团首长批准。
在炮兵指挥员会议上，炮兵旅旅长高存信让大家讨论。
我们能不能抵近射击？
一些同志提出，这不同于野战，敌人火力强，又有工事，射击目标都标定了，抵近射击太冒险了吧？像我们这样的重炮，主要是打技术，应该放在后一点。
这是有道理的，一旦被敌人发现，这么重的炮，躲都躲不了，那损失就太大了。
大部分人认为，我们技术装备差，炮弹少，只有大胆抵近射击，才能发挥大炮的威力。一个年轻的指挥员说，我们炮兵要技术，但也应该要勇敢。
炮兵旅最后决定，抵近射击外市沟，同时做好防敌人突然袭击的准备。
野炮一连的战土小李说，上级决定就是对我的心眼儿，靠得近近的，给敌人来一个底朝天。老王说，这才过瘾呢，把炮推到敌人鼻子底下，一炮一个大炮楼。小高说，近战是对的，但我们要注意隐蔽地接近敌人，给敌人来一个措手不及。野炮连连长张得明说，小高讲得对，我们应利用夜暗的条件，从交通壕里把炮轻轻地推向敌人的前沿。我们不仅要靠勇敢，也要靠智慧。
7日的黄昏，炮兵旅的战士用布把牲口的四只蹄子全部用布包起来，战土嘴里咬着柴禾棍，怕出声音，神不知鬼不觉地又拉又推，走了一晚上，把大炮推到了距敌人前沿几百米的公路处，送进事先挖好的战壕里，把大炮埋入了地下，上面用大盖布蒙好，撒上土。再加上周围残存的断墙，根本看不出来这里有愤怒的炮火在等待着。第二天，敌人的飞机在上空转了一个圈又一个圈，却没有发现这个重炮阵地。
能打一万米的火炮就这样上了“刺刀”。
炮兵战士像对待一个重大的节日一样，准备着总攻的时刻。
下午4点，总攻的信号一来，埋伏了整整—天的炮兵战士迅速打开墙洞，掀开炮布，昂起了炮身。还没等敌人叫出声来，我们的重炮就响了，炮弹像急雨一样倾泻到敌人阵地上。炮兵连长李巨魁说，开炮就命中，就直接用炮筒打，百发百中，一点都不夸张，就五六百米的距离，再小的目标也跑不了。李连长说，打漕河时，更近，才50米，敌人的手榴弹都能扔到我们身上。我们不勇敢不行，我们连就3门九○加农炮，炮弹就那么几发，舍不得打，一发炮弹就相当于一户中农的家产。轰一响，—个中农破产了。我们炮兵爱炮弹如宝，怎么爱？就是近，只能一个—个都让它起作用。就是打太原，打了那么多天，一门炮也才打了30多发炮弹。
李巨魁说，华北解放战争这几年，炮兵没有不立功的连队，都是功臣连。
在一个突破口上，30门火炮一起发射，一分钟内发射炮弹300余发，为步兵开辟了前进的道路。
打进石家庄后，迫击炮更是炮炮上了“刺刀”，采用了间壁射击的方法，从一个院落打另一个院落的敌人，消灭了街巷战斗中的死角，减少了伤亡，而进展却相当快。战后总结时，朱德总司令说，炮兵起了很大的作用，这次集中几十门炮打一个突破口的办法很好，这就学会了使用炮。炮、炸协同，打开突破口；炮、炸、步协同，巩固了突破口。
战士们在战斗中总结了很多好经验，像迫击炮平射，这就是抵近射击。一般迫击炮的45°是打得最远，战士们创造性地把炮口朝天，竖成85°，迫击炮可以隔墙打，炮弹升到空中就落下，可以打障碍物后面的死角。这样，炮就比机枪还好使，三四百米行，几十米也行，一个人就可以操作。战士们还发明了小鞭赶炮弹，炮尾改装拉火，用手指粗一个棍，拴上一根绳子，捆在炮弹上。炮弹放一半在炮膛里，猛往后一拽，炮弹往后一撞，撞上撞针，就平着出去了。
这也是没办法的办法，刚开始不敢，不敢怎么办？贴着敌人的炮楼，炮口竖不起来，贴着地皮，平着劲太小，没后坐力，炮弹就飞不远，用手给个后坐力也不行。农民有农民的办法，牛不走，不是用鞭子赶吗？炮弹不走，也用鞭子赶个试试。一试，成了，一打一个准。其实这就是小孩玩陀螺的法子，一抽，一转，炮弹就飞出去了。
迫击炮手每人都有一个小鞭子，用来赶炮弹。后来还发明了炮送炸药。炮筒多长，木头就多长。木头的粗细和炮弹差不多，把炮弹和木头连接好，炮弹固定在木头上，卸下炮弹尾部的四个翅，绑上炸药，一个孔可以放一个药包，捆紧，里面可以放上雷管，也可以不放。这样，一下就把四个炸药包送上去了。
清风店缴获了不少迫击炮，每个营都有了迫击炮连。为了打石家庄更有把握，炮兵旅还专门请了在刘伯承那里的神炮手赵章成来当教师，临时培训迫击炮手。赵章成是有名的红军神炮手，曾在冯玉祥部队干过炮兵，到了延安，在炮校当教导队长。最出名的是他用仅有的三发炮弹为红军开辟了通往大渡河的道路。大家都叫他赵老头，其实他并不老，才40多岁，但在十几岁的战士面前，他就显得老了。赵老头确实有经验，根本不用瞄准镜，也不用方向盘，炮一放，他马上就报出角度，指头一比，530米，距离就出来了。一量，一米不差。只见他用两腿夹着两个炮弹，左肘将炮身上部架住，右眼与炮上的瞄准线成垂直线，以便瞄准目测距离。打得很快，老鸦飞一样，十几发炮弹就从他手底下出去了。一般八二炮可打150米，加半个药包可打220米。
9发9中迫击炮神射手杨贵长，是立功炮连四班的班长，他说，我是老粗，但我学算术很努力，会算术就准确多了。但还是要多打多研究，不光看重各种炮的特点，尤其要看自己炮的特点，一个炮跟一个炮不一样，一个型号的炮也会因为零件变换而使特点不一样。要研究自己的炮，说明书上说底炮打200米，加一个药包远300米，而我们这炮这样打就不准。底炮打250米，加一个药包就350米，加两个就打950米。
大炮都作了分工，山炮弹道弯，打高；野炮打低，迫击炮打战壕。间壁射击更是创造，专打核心工事，墙太高，手榴弹