Chapter 23 Chapter 22 Zhang Aiping stands still, Fujian bombards Kinmen, and the West believes that there is a "Taiwan Strait crisis"

Mao Zedong considered the Taiwan issue.Zhang Aiping stood still, Fujian shelled Kinmen, and the West believed that there was a "Taiwan Strait crisis" (Ningbo-Xiamen, August-September 1954) This courtyard is so ordinary that it can be seen everywhere in Ningbo, with off-white walls and green tiles. The large and small courtyards in the courtyard are connected to each other, and the corridors made of vertically stacked blue bricks look neither gorgeous nor spectacular. , and nothing conspicuous.However, an antenna was erected in the yard overnight, and the sound of key presses and telephone ringing came one after another, breaking the tranquility of the suburban yard. Many soldiers of different ages came and went, coming and going. A military map, reporting the military situation, and issuing orders, seemed lively, tense and mysterious.

This is where the "Zhedong Front Finger" was formed just three days ago.Its full name is the East Zhejiang Frontline Command of the East China Military Region, and its combat operations are directly under the command of the Central Military Commission.It can be seen that this is a special military organization that commands special operations and has great power. The new owner of this courtyard is Zhang Aiping, the former commander and political commissar of East Zhejiang. Although the headquarters of the "Zhedong Front Finger" has just been established, it has been more than a year since Zhang Aiping undertook the task of liberating the coastal islands of Zhejiang and Fujian.

At a time when the Volunteer Army had achieved a crucial victory in the war against the U.S. on the Korean battlefield, although the war was still going on, Chen Yi, the commander of the East China Military Region, instructed Zhang Aiping, then Chief of Staff of the East China Military Region, to take advantage of the advantages of the Korean War in accordance with the intention of the Central Military Commission. In view of the situation, consider the issue of liberating the islands along the coasts of Zhejiang and Fujian occupied by the Kuomintang army.After careful consideration, Mr. Chen believes that Zhang Aiping is the best candidate for this important task.

Both Zhang Aiping and Chen Yi were rare Sichuan men in the New Fourth Army.As the commander of the army, Chen Yi attaches great importance to this fellow general who is both wise and courageous, as well as both civil and military.Later, he served as the commander of the Seventh Corps and the commander of the Zhejiang Military Region.On April 23, 1949, the day when the Kuomintang Presidential Palace in Nanjing was captured, Chen Yi summoned the 39-year-old veteran soldier from the front line and allocated him only two to three hundred dollars. People, let him form an East China Navy in Baima Temple, Taizhou, Jiangsu, becoming the first navy in the history of the People's Liberation Army.Therefore, he collected the old ships surrendered or discarded by the Kuomintang Navy, set up a fleet, repaired the shipyard, and set up a sea school.In August of that year, when he was nervously preparing for the sea school in Nanjing, he suddenly received a telegram that Mao Zedong called him to Beijing to meet him. At his invitation, he wrote an inscription to the navy for the first time: "We must build a navy. Defend our coastal defenses effectively against possible imperialist aggression."

Just in the summer of 1952, Zhang Aiping was authorized to command the military struggles along the coasts of Zhejiang and Fujian after Chen Yi's proposal and Defense Minister Peng Dehuai's request to Mao Zedong for approval.He has since become the first general in New China to command the three-dimensional operations of the army, sea and air forces. Zhang Aiping made in-depth investigations and thought about foreign military battles. Considering that the PLA has no marines and the fact that large ships are slow, combined with the traditional tactics of the PLA, she proposed a campaign decision that cleverly uses modern combat principles: the air force and the navy are prior to the army. When the army is engaged in landing combat training, the air force and navy are fighting and training, looking for fighter planes, attacking the troubled enemy from the air and sea, doing everything possible to consume them, destroying the enemy's psychological stability and balance of power, and making the enemy weak from strong , making me from weak to strong, thus seizing the supremacy of the air and the sea.

The Central Military Commission quickly approved Zhang Aiping's decision. After the Korean armistice, in October 1953, Mao Zedong held a meeting of the Central Military Commission in Hangzhou. Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, Lin Biao, Chen Yi and others attended the meeting. At the meeting, he listened to the speech made by Yang Yong, the commander of the Volunteer Army who had just returned from North Korea. report on the situation in North Korea, and then study the focus of future military work.Peng Dehuai suggested that the air forces in Northeast China and North Korea be transferred to Fujian and Zhejiang to regain coastal air dominance;

Zhu De agreed very much, and proposed to "clean up the door", take back the islands occupied by the Kuomintang army along the coast of Fujian and Zhejiang, and open up the north-south channel of the strait.Chen Yi specifically proposed: Taking advantage of the situation of victory in the Korean battlefield, he planned to use the strength of the five armies to solve the Kinmen Island, and to build several airports in Fujian, the Yingxia Railway, the Fuzhou Railway, and the Xiamen Seawall.Mao Zedong and the Central Military Commission immediately approved Chen Yi's proposal, and ordered Zhang Aiping, the chief of staff of the East China Military Region, to organize the Fujian front-line command post.

However, after the autumn of 1953, the situation in Indochina suddenly became tense. The French army in Vietnam was implementing the "Narva Plan" to wipe out the main force of Ho Chi Minh's People's Army.The United States stepped up its aid to France and borne most of the military expenses of the French invaders. The U.S. Navy entered the coast of Vietnam, and Army personnel also appeared on the battlefield in Vietnam, showing a tendency to directly intervene.If the United States really intervenes directly, South China will face the situation in North Korea in the autumn of 1950, and China will consider sending a second volunteer army.After three years of the Korean War, Mao Zedong did not want the New China, which was in urgent need of economic construction, to compete in Vietnam with the U.S. military backed by nuclear weapons. The great possibility was a draw and an armistice.Therefore, Mao Zedong decided to support Ho Chi Minh's People's Army to defeat the French army as soon as possible, and strive to end the war before the US armed forces directly intervene. (Later, with the support of China, the Battle of Mo Bien Fu in Vietnam annihilated more than 10,000 elite French troops, achieving the goal set by Mao Zedong.) Therefore, from the autumn of 1953 onwards, the military struggles of New China focused on Putting it on aiding Vietnam in the fight against the French, the coastal areas of Fujian and Zhejiang cannot be the focus for a while.

Mao Zedong judged the situation and quickly changed his original decision, requesting that the attack on Kinmen be suspended and the coastal islands of Zhejiang be liberated first.Because there are as many as 60,000 defenders at the Golden Gate and permanent fortifications have been built, a large-scale offensive cannot be effective.Taking large-scale military actions will inevitably trigger a strong reaction from the United States, which is also not conducive to easing the international situation.At this time, fighting on the smaller islands to the east of Zhejiang will cause relatively small international fluctuations, and at the same time, it will not need to invest a lot of power, which will not affect domestic economic construction.Furthermore, the People's Liberation Army must gradually accumulate experience in the coordination and landing operations of the army, sea and air forces.Based on the above considerations, Mao Zedong approved the policy of liberating the coastal islands of East China determined by the Central Military Commission of "from small to large, attack island by island, and attack from north to south".According to the instructions of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Aiping conducted specific research and planning.In January 1954, Zhang Aiping, in the name of chief of staff of the East China Military Region, proposed a plan for the land, sea, and air forces to attack Dachen Island. After being approved by Mao Zedong, Zhu De, and Peng Dehuai, preparations for the campaign began.

The battle along the coast of Zhejiang began with the fishing protection battle in March 1954. After the spring flood in the Zhoushan fishing ground, the fishing boats went out to sea and were covered by naval ships and aviation aircraft.The People's Liberation Army Air Force, which has just participated in the world's highest level of air combat over North Korea, is equipped with the most advanced MiG-15 fighter jets at that time, while the Kuomintang Air Force has just equipped the F-84 fighter jets aided by the United States. The performance of this aircraft is not as good as the MiG-15. It has never conducted air combat with jet aircraft, so it cannot compete with the PLA aviation in air combat, and can only conduct small batches of surprise attacks on mainland and coastal targets.The People's Liberation Army Navy fought many battles with the Kuomintang Navy. During the two months of the flood season, it damaged nine Kuomintang warships and won a series of victories in sea battles.Under the cover of the navy, the 180th Regiment of a certain army landed on the Dongji Islands on May 15 and occupied the island without much cost.The coordination between ships and aviation has also caused a certain price due to the exposure of problems.On May 17, the destroyer "Ruijin" of the People's Liberation Army went out to patrol Sanmen Bay. It was a sea of ​​fog and the air force failed to take off to escort the destroyer. The "Ruijin" incident prompted General Zhang Aiping to make higher demands in the future sea, land and air coordinated operations.

After the spring of 1954 passed, Zhang Aiping's intended goal was achieved: the People's Liberation Army took control of the sea and air in the waters north of Dachen Island in eastern Zhejiang.Zhang Aiping pointed the finger of attack at Dachen Island. At this time, on July 21, the three-month Geneva Conference ended, and the issue of the armistice in Indochina was resolved.At that time, the north-south division of North Korea could not be resolved, and the truce in Indochina resulted in Vietnam being divided into North and South Vietnam. The United States was gathering Britain, France, Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand, and Pakistan to sign an agreement with the goal of "containing China." The "Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty" also attempted to stabilize the split between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. What Mao Zedong considered at the time was the impact of the easing of the international situation on the reunification of the motherland.At that time, in the whole of China, a wave of propaganda that "Taiwan must be liberated" began in late July; at the same time, the Central Military Commission also shifted the focus of the military struggle to the southeast coast.In accordance with the instructions of the Central Military Commission, the People's Liberation Army launched a campaign to capture the coastal islands in eastern Zhejiang, and at the same time bombarded Kinmen on the Fujian front.This military action coordinated by the North and the South once made the Taiwan authorities and the Washington government very nervous, resulting in what Western media called the "Taiwan Strait Crisis." Since the beginning of August, the Central Military Commission has asked the East China Military Region to step up preparations to attack Dachen, and at the same time prepare to strengthen Fujian artillery, and demonstrate its determination and strength to liberate Taiwan through large-scale bombardment of Kinmen.On August 11, the East China Military Region issued an advance order to attack Dachen.On August 27, the Eastern Zhejiang Frontline Command was announced, with Zhang Aiping as the commander and political commissar. On August 31, he presided over a meeting of commanders of the land, sea and air forces on the front line in eastern Zhejiang to discuss the specific campaign plan for attacking Dachen. The representative of the Air Force who came to the meeting from Ningbo Airport was Nie Fengzhi, Commander of the Air Force of the East China Military Region. Despite his short stature and plain appearance, the air battle he commanded shook the US Air Force's status as the "king of the air" in North Korea and established a The young Chinese Air Force is in the forefront of the world's air force with strong opponents. The commander who came from the naval base was Tao Yong, the naval commander of the East China Military Region. He was no longer in command of the wooden fleet when crossing the river. He also had destroyers, landing ships, torpedo boats, and gunboats of various sizes. In the initial contest with the Kuomintang Navy The record is not bad. There are also commanders and persons in charge of the army, logistics departments, political and industrial departments, and the Zhejiang Military Region. They have galloped on the battlefield for many years, sharing weal and woe, and now they are going to gather together for the Republic's first large-scale coordinated operation of the sea, land and air forces, and their jokes and jokes are endless.It seems that it is not like coming to discuss war, but like watching a war drama performance directed by Confucian general Zhang Aiping. Discussions at the meeting: There are more than ten large and small islands in Dachen Island, which are located in the southeast sea of ​​Taizhou Bay, Zhejiang Province. Sanmen Bay, Taizhou Bay, Yueqing Bay, Wenzhou Bay and other sea areas have been controlled, and surveillance wells have blocked the north-south traffic routes off the coast of the mainland. It is time to "clean up" as Mr. Zhu said.But the key is which island to hit first? In the past few days, Zhang Aiping personally led the staff to carry out on-the-spot surveys of the coast and islands in eastern Zhejiang by plane, boarding a warship, climbing mountains, and wading through dangerous shoals in accordance with the requirements of modern three-dimensional operations, involving terrain, shoreline, weather, water currents, and tides. They also organized the Air Force and Navy to carry out air and sea reconnaissance on the outlying islands of Dachen, and sent scouts to capture prisoners across the sea and approach them to take pictures, so as to fully grasp the terrain of the theater and the enemy's situation. He has a well-thought-out plan for the battle, but he still presides over the meeting and let everyone express their opinions and make up their minds. Most people advocate: first attack the core island of Dachen, as long as the main island is captured, other surrounding islands can be easily obtained. Some people proposed: first take down Pishan Island, which is weak in defense, and then attack island by island after winning the first battle. A few people suggested: capture the northernmost Yijiangshan Island first. This island is the gate. Once the gate is captured, the islands inside will be easy to attack. After everyone finished talking, they all focused their attention on Zhang Aiping. He spoke in a low tone, but full of confidence—— ——Jiangshan Island is located in the middle of the air route from the frontier base of our army to Dachen. It is the only way to pass, and it can also be called the gateway of Dachen Island.If we go around the gateway and attack Dachen Island first, it will inevitably increase the voyage. Our landing troops will be intercepted by the enemy's navy, air force and artillery on the island during the voyage, which may lead to setbacks in the initial battle.Therefore, the capture of Dachen Island must first attack Yijiangshan Island.There are only 1,100 troops on this island, and it is only five nautical miles away from Toumen Island. There are large and small camellia islands in the middle, and artillery positions can be set up. As long as we deploy carefully, we are completely sure of victory.After capturing Yijiangshan Island, the shore artillery can be pulled onto the island, so that Dachen Island is within the effective range of our artillery fire, which can put great psychological pressure on the defending enemy.Da Chen defending the enemy may be intimidated by the deterrence of our three armies and give up without a fight like Zhoushan, and retreat, so as to solve the problem of enemy-occupied islands along the coast of eastern Zhejiang in one fell swoop, and win the greatest victory at the smallest cost! After a moment of silence, applause broke out.The meeting unanimously passed Zhang Aiping's plan. The radio wave connects to Beijing.The Central Military Commission quickly approved the plan.After the meeting, Zhang Aiping was ordered to deploy: starting on September 2, in response to the bombardment of Kinmen in the south, the front line in eastern Zhejiang was dominated by the air force, and coordinated with naval torpedo boats and coastal artillery to concentrate on the enemy ships in Dachen Port or on patrol, and bombarded Dachen enemy Army ground important military targets, besieging and attacking defending enemies from the sea and air. On September 2, the navy and air force on the front line in eastern Zhejiang had completed preparations to bombard Dachen.At this time, Indian Prime Minister Nehru's visit to China was scheduled to pass through Shanghai and Hangzhou. The Central Military Commission instructed the Eastern Zhejiang Front Command to suspend the operation, and only the Fujian side bombarded Kinmen alone. At that time, the artillery force on the Fujian front line was not strong, and only one artillery division was added. This division was originally stationed in Fujian, and later supported the Vietnam War. After the Dien Bien Phu victory, it was returned to the Fujian front line. According to past rules, every other day, Taiwan will send one or two "Zhongzi" transport ships to Kinmen.Every time the transport ship arrives, the three destroyers go to the open sea to pick it up.According to the situation at that time, at 1:50 p.m. on September 3, 1954, the Fujian frontline troops launched shelling on Jinmen. All the artillery groups fired at the same time, and clouds of gray-brown gunpowder smoke suddenly rose from the large and small Jinmen. The Kuomintang troops in Dajinmen and Jinmen were stunned by the sudden artillery attack.Seven enemy artillery positions were destroyed at once, one gunboat and one tugboat were sunk, three destroyers were damaged, and one water sports dock was destroyed. The above are the memories made by Ye Fei, the commander of the "September 3rd Bombardment".The bombardment of Kinmen began on September 3, 1954, because at that time the PLA Air Force had not yet entered Fujian, and did not have air supremacy. Instead, the artillery units secretly assembled in advance, entered the position covertly, attacked them by surprise, and carried out surprise attacks. of.Each shelling can only last for more than an hour, and they will be transferred when they are hit to avoid retaliation by the Kuomintang Air Force.From a military point of view, the early bombardment was nothing more than a very limited ground artillery fire. However, it had a huge political impact at that time, and officially opened the curtain of the first Taiwan Strait crisis. The sound of gunfire at Kinmen stimulated the nerves of Taipei and Washington, and the reactions of the two sides were very different.The Kuomintang army immediately responded with artillery fire, and seized the weakness of the frontline air defense force in Fujian, mainland China, and sent planes from Taiwan to bomb Fuzhou, Xiamen and the front artillery positions in turn. Ships appeared to attack the Baishi Fort on Wuyu Island, and airdropped propaganda in places such as Shanghai and Guangzhou. bomb.At that time, most of the houses in Fuzhou were wooden structures, and many places were on fire after being bombed.Chen Cheng, Yu Dawei, Huang Jie and other military and political officials of the Taiwan authorities rushed to Kinmen for inspection.In this shelling, two US lieutenant colonels were killed in the Kuomintang army position, which caused an uproar in the US government and the opposition.President Eisenhower later said that this was one of the most serious problems he had encountered in the last eighteen months of his administration. This Kinmen bombardment lasted for several days from September 3rd to 22nd.