Chapter 35 1. Main experience

According to statistics from the relevant departments of the Volunteer Army, during the two years and nine months of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the Chinese People’s Volunteers killed, wounded and captured more than 710,000 enemies, and lost more than 366,000 people in their own battles (including more than 116,000 killed in battle and 22 wounded in battle. A total of 4,268 aircraft, 1,492 tanks, 92 armored vehicles, 7,949 cars, and 4,037 guns of various types were seized (not included) and captured.The Volunteer Army lost 231 aircraft, 9 tanks, 6,060 cars, and 4,371 guns (including those destroyed). On August 14, 1953, the DPRK and China announced that during the three years and one month of the Korean War, the Chinese People's Volunteers and the Korean People's Army killed, wounded and captured more than 1.09 million enemies.During the same period, the Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's Volunteers had a total of more than 628,000 casualties, missing and captured people (the loss of the People's Army is calculated by the author of this book).Calculated according to the number of annihilated enemies announced by the DPRK and China, the casualty loss ratio between the Chinese and North Korean troops and the "United Nations Army" is 1:1.7.The Chinese People's Volunteers relied on weapons and equipment of great disparity, together with the Korean People's Army, to fight the "United Nations Army" led by the United States from the Yalu River back to the 38th Parallel, and forced the United States to sign an armistice, achieving a great victory in the war.

This war was the first war in the history of New China. It was an international war in which New China was forced to decide to participate in the name of the Chinese People's Volunteers in order to "resist US aggression, aid Korea, and defend the country" under serious difficulties in all aspects. Sexual local wars.New China, which was only established for one year, actually defeated the United States, the world's number one power with a history of more than 170 years of capitalist development.The Chinese People's Volunteers, with vastly different weapons and equipment, actually defeated the U.S. military with highly modernized weapons and equipment.It shows the determination and strength of the Chinese people who have stood up to resist aggression, swept away the humiliation in China's modern history, changed China's image in the world, and established the important position and role of the People's Republic of China in Asian and international affairs .

The victory of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea was the result of a combination of various factors, but the core and most critical factor was the high-level decision-making and guidance.No matter judging from the situation at the time or looking back 60 years later, the decision to "resist US aggression, aid Korea, and defend the country" was a wise decision, and it was quite a remarkable decision.It shows the heroic courage and courage of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with Mao Zedong as the chairman. The noble character of patriotism combined with proletarian internationalism.Controlling the development and evolution of the entire war is also easy to handle, and the director is majestic and powerful, which embodies the superb art of war guidance.

The high-level decision-making and guidance of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea provided many valuable experiences, mainly as follows: The basis for decision-making is the change of the situation, and the criterion for decision-making is to conform to the best interests of the country. After the founding of New China, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central People's Government were determined to heal the wounds of war and resume national construction. In April 1950, Hainan Island was liberated. Except for a small number of coastal islands such as Taiwan and Tibet on the mainland, the national liberation war was basically over. Governments at and above the county level in the liberated areas were successively established. possible. In early June, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China had just made a decision and deployment on this.However, in late June, the United States intervened armedly in the Korean Civil War and at the same time sent a naval fleet to invade the Taiwan Strait.The situation has changed suddenly.The U.S. armed aggression against North Korea poses a threat to the security of Northeast China, and the U.S. naval fleet's intrusion into the Taiwan Strait is a direct violation of China's sovereignty.The Chinese government and people cannot but react strongly.At this time, the focus of China's military preparations is to liberate Taiwan.Liberating Taiwan involves crossing the sea and landing operations, and the preparations are quite complicated. Moreover, China has no naval and air forces, and the invasion of the US Navy fleet into the Taiwan Strait has made it even more difficult for the Chinese People's Liberation Army to liberate Taiwan.And it is imminent to defend the national defense security of the Northeast mainland.Liberating Taiwan and defending the Northeast frontier are both national interests. However, considering the strength of the People's Liberation Army at that time, it was impossible to have both fish and bear's paws.Defending the national defense security of Northeast China is to prevent foreign aggression, and it is obviously more important than liberating Taiwan, which is an internal issue.Therefore, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central Military Commission decided to postpone the liberation of Taiwan, defend the northeast frontier defense and prepare to assist the Korean people in fighting aggression, and formed the Northeast Frontier Defense Force.

This is also the reason why the strategic decision of "resisting US aggression, aiding Korea, and defending the country" was made later.After the U.S. Army landed in Incheon, the ground troops crossed the 38th parallel, and Northeast China directly faced the threat of U.S. aggression.Even if the United States does not directly invade China, but stands on the border and is eager to try, Northeast China will not find peace. Moreover, 50% of China's small industrial base is located in Northeast China.At this time, resisting U.S. aggression and aiding Korea, defending the country, and restoring domestic construction are all national interests. However, resisting U.S. aggression and aiding Korea will inevitably affect the restoration of domestic construction; The aggressive expansion policy of power politics, after occupying the entire North Korea, may provoke war against China at any time. Therefore, it is impossible for China to engage in construction with peace of mind.Regardless of China's current interests and long-term interests, it is necessary to resist the United States, aid Korea, and defend the country.At the same time, North Korea is a friendly neighbor of China, a socialist country with China, and has made a request to China for direct military aid.Therefore, China adopts an active policy of sending troops to join the war, which is extremely beneficial to China, North Korea, the East, and even the whole world; if it does not send troops, the United States will be pushed to the side of the Yalu River, and the reactionary arrogance at home and abroad will increase, which is not good for all parties. First of all, it is more unfavorable to Northeast China.China should participate in the war, must participate in the war, the benefits of participating in the war are great, and the damage of not participating in the war is great.Based on this, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made a strategic decision of "resisting US aggression, aiding Korea, and defending the country", and decided to dispatch part of the troops to fight in North Korea in the name of the Chinese People's Volunteers.The final result of this decision fully demonstrates that the decision itself is the most beneficial choice for China no matter from the political, economic and military perspectives, or at that time and now.

China is a weak country, and the United States is the number one power in the world. The economic strength of the two countries is so different that they cannot be compared.The weapons and equipment of the Chinese People's Volunteers are backward, and they are basically a single ground force.However, China is a large country with a large population, abundant military resources, and strong national cohesion, especially the Chinese people who have just turned over and become the masters of the country. , has rich experience in domestic warfare, and has a tenacious will to fight; the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea is a just war against aggression, and will receive support and assistance from peace-loving countries and people around the world, especially the Soviet Union.And these are precisely the weaknesses of the United States.

Based on the objective basis of the two sides, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made three estimates of the possible outcome of the war after the volunteers participated in the war: First, under the condition that the Soviet Union provided weapons and equipment and dispatched air force support, they would annihilate and expel the United States and other countries in North Korea. Second, when the weapons and equipment provided by the Soviet Union could not arrive in time, and the air force could not provide support, North Korea became a stalemate and was even forced to withdraw. The United States declared war on China, which affected the entire country Restoration and construction plan; third, the Volunteer Army has flexible command, gives full play to its tactical expertise, and can attack areas other than large and medium-sized cities, which can force the United States to solve the problem through negotiation, but the condition is that the US military must first withdraw to the south of the 38th parallel.The attitude of the central government is to strive for the first possibility, try to avoid the second possibility, and accept the third possibility.In other words, the lowest goal of the Volunteers fighting in North Korea is the third possibility, and the highest goal is the first possibility.For the possibility of the second situation, we must also consider and prepare, and participate in the war in the name of the volunteer army, so as not to give the United States an excuse to declare war on China.What kind of ending will happen can only be determined after a period of war practice.The general policy is to start from a solid foundation and not do what is impossible.Strive for all possible victories on a solid and reliable basis.Facts have proved that the development of the entire war did not exceed these pre-estimates, so the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central Military Commission were able to calmly respond to the development and changes of the war and steer the war to the expected favorable direction.

After the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea began, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Central People’s Government, and the Central Military Commission focused on ensuring the victory of the Volunteers on the battlefield. Sufficient combat troops, while taking into account the safety of domestic defense; not only ensuring the material and financial resources needed for war, but also taking into account the recovery of domestic construction; not only ensuring the frontline operations, but also establishing a solid rear; not only relying on the party, government, and military organizations at all levels to solve problems , and fully mobilize the people of the whole country to carry out the movement to resist US aggression and aid Korea extensively and deeply (this is a new form of people's war), help the country overcome difficulties, and contribute to supporting the war and restoring domestic construction.In this way, inside and outside the battlefield, in order to achieve the goal of victory in the war, all efforts were made. Not only did the volunteers win the war on the battlefield, but also the domestic construction was resumed according to the original plan.

According to the combat conditions of the Volunteer Army and the possible military strategic goals, before the Volunteer Army dispatched, the Central Military Commission determined for the Volunteer Army the first phase of the combat policy, in the north of the Pyongyang and Wonsan Railway Lines, and in the south of the Dechuan and Ningyuan Highway Lines, Establish a defensive position, organize a defensive battle, and gain a firm foothold. After six months, when the Soviet equipment arrives, completes the training, and has an overwhelming advantage in the air and on the ground, then cooperate with the Korean People's Army to implement a strategic counterattack.However, after the Volunteers entered the DPRK, changes in the battlefield situation made it impossible for the Volunteers to carry out defensive operations as originally planned.The Central Military Commission and the Volunteer Army judged the situation and resolutely abandoned the original policy of defensive operations. According to the battlefield situation, they adopted the policy of annihilating the enemy in motion, and immediately launched a strategic counter-offensive, winning the initiative on the battlefield and creating a favorable situation for the war.By the summer of 1951, the war had reached a stalemate in the 38th parallel area. The US authorities adjusted their Korean War policy, abandoned the military goal of occupying all of Korea by force, and sought to achieve a Korean armistice through negotiations.At the same time, judging from the strength of the Volunteer Army and the People's Army, it is possible to drive the US troops out of North Korea, but it is difficult to drive them out of South Korea, and the minimum military strategic goal of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea has been achieved.Based on this situation, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China determined in due course the guidelines of “fully preparing for protracted operations and striving for peace talks to end the war.” In terms of military affairs, it adopted the operational policy of “protracted operations and active defense,” with close coordination between operations and negotiations.When the armistice negotiating parties reached an agreement on the military demarcation line, it was not only a military operational need but also a political need for the volunteers to stick to the front line.Therefore, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China determined the combat policy of sticking to the defense for the volunteers.When the frontal front has been consolidated, but the coastal defense in the rear is still a weak link, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided that the Volunteer Army will cooperate with the People's Army to concentrate on solving the problem of coastal defense in the rear.As a result, the battlefield guidance of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea fully adapted to the development and changes of the war situation.In addition to not daring to use the atomic bomb, the United States has used all its modern weapons and all means of warfare, but it has no choice but to do so on the battlefield.

Due to the great disparity between the quality of the weapons and equipment of the enemy and ours, and the backwardness of the weapons and equipment of the Volunteer Army, especially the lack of air and sea control, it has encountered difficulties that have never been encountered in previous operations. These are mainly whether it can fight, defend, and ensure supplies. transport problem.It can be said that all military guidance on the battlefield in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea was carried out around these three issues. In addition to ordering weapons and equipment from the Soviet Union to ensure the urgent needs of the Volunteers on the battlefield, domestic assault expansion, formation of air force, artillery (including anti-aircraft artillery), and armored units to enhance the combat capabilities of the Volunteers, many effective countermeasures and measures were also adopted on the battlefield. , The basic principle is to avoid the strong and attack the weak, and to develop strengths and avoid weaknesses.

One is to seize and exploit the insurmountable weaknesses of the US military in combat.The U.S. Air Force cannot be dispatched on a large scale at night like it is during the day and can not fully play its role. The U.S. troops are afraid of night battles, while the Volunteers give full play to their night combat expertise and launch attacks at night; the U.S. motorized and mechanized equipment is highly dependent on the rear and roads, and is afraid of leaving The road and cut off the connection with the rear, the Volunteer Army adopted roundabout tactics to cut off its rear, and shake its determination to fight; the U.S. infantry has poor fighting spirit, afraid of losing air and ground fire support, and afraid of close combat, the Volunteer Army often adopts detours in battle The method of combining encirclement and combat division and encirclement isolates the connection between the US infantry and tanks, sends small units to attack the enemy regiments, battalion command posts and artillery positions, conducts close combat, and concentrates on attacking the infantry.This is especially true in the early campaigns. The second is to determine the style of play according to its own equipment characteristics and combat capabilities.The Volunteer Army's firepower was weak, and it was difficult to completely wipe out the encircled enemies after the campaign was encircled. Therefore, they changed the tactics of strategic and campaign large-scale encirclement and large-scale encirclement, and implemented tactical small encirclement and small annihilation battles, "zero-knocking brown sugar".Take the army or division as the unit, select the organic units below the enemy camp as the target, concentrate the forces and firepower to achieve local advantages, encircle and annihilate them in one fell swoop.In the later positional warfare, this kind of tactics was adopted, and the ideal effect of annihilating the enemy was achieved.The Volunteer Army does not have motorized equipment, and it is difficult to carry out combat pursuits, so they only carry out corresponding pursuits without fatigue.The Volunteer Army had difficulty in transporting supplies, and its ability to continuously attack was weak, so each offensive operation emphasized quick battles and quick decisions.It was difficult for the Volunteers to stick to the defense, so in the early stage of mobile warfare, they adopted the deployment principle of "light in front and heavy in firepower, light in front and light in firepower", and fought against the mountains and rivers; A solid position defense system and adopt corresponding tunnel tactics.Also launched cold guns and cold guns sniping and annihilating the enemy on the front line, killing and injuring the enemy troops who haunted the forward positions during the day. Taking these countermeasures has effectively limited the role of the US military's superior weapons and equipment, and better solved the problems of whether it can fight or defend. The third is to establish a steel line that cannot be broken or bombed.Domestic and battlefield joint efforts, the Volunteer Army's logistics system and the troops behind the joint efforts, the combination of air defense operations on the transportation line with emergency repairs and emergency transportation, and the combination of train transportation with automobile transportation and human and animal power transportation, forming a one-stop communication system. The criss-cross transportation network, the so-called "steel transportation line", solved the problem of supply and transportation of materials. This war is the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. China’s main enemy is the United States. Therefore, in terms of political and diplomatic strategy guidance, including armistice negotiations, the goal has always been to isolate and attack the main enemy of the United States.Taking advantage of the contradictions between the United States and other countries participating in the "United Nations Army" and the different mentalities of the participating countries, they treated them differently, put forward the slogan of "resisting the U.S., aiding Korea, and defending the country." Condemn the aggressive policy and crimes of the United States; consolidate and develop relations with more than a dozen countries that established diplomatic relations with China at that time, and actively seek the sympathy and support of countries that did not establish diplomatic relations with China or even Western countries that did not participate in the "United Nations Army" operations.These also effectively cooperate with the combat operations on the battlefield. On the battlefield, it has always regarded isolating and attacking the US military as the main strategic goal.Although in some specific campaigns and battles, the main goal is to attack the South Korean Army or other "United Nations forces" other than the U.S. military, strategically they all serve the main goal of isolating and attacking the U.S. military and create conditions for isolating and attacking the U.S. military of. In this way, the internal division of the enemy is divided, the internal contradictions of the enemy are increased, and the main enemy is dealt a powerful blow.