Chapter 6 Chapter 5 "Amethyst" Incident

On the day when the battle of crossing the river began, that is, April 20, 1949, the People's Liberation Army originally estimated that the United States was most likely to find trouble when crossing the river, but it did not expect that the four British warships, including its escort destroyer Amethyst (Amethyst) , The nearly 10,000-ton flagship of the Far East Fleet broke into the defense zone of the People's Liberation Army one after another, which led to three "land and water battles" that lasted two days. This is the "Amethyst" incident. April 20, 1949 was a very important day in the history of the Chinese People's War of Liberation.

On this day, the peace negotiations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party broke down. The Chinese People's Liberation Army's million-strong army was on the north bank of the Yangtze River, ready to go. The 750,000 Kuomintang troops guarding the south bank of the Yangtze River were also on high alert. The two sides were at war and decided the fate of the Nanjing government. The last big fight was inevitable. In the early morning of this day, there was no wind, no rain, and the Yangtze River in mid-spring was quiet.The huge energy accumulated is constantly approaching the critical point, waiting to erupt.

Beginning at dawn, the East Road Army Command of the People's Liberation Army Crossing the River received a report from the forward troops: a foreign warship of unknown nationality was sailing upstream from east to west under the cover of the white mist and sailed through the waters of the Jingjiang River. Came to the waterway between Jiangyin and Baxu Port, and then drove to the waters of Sanjiangying 20 kilometers southeast of Yangzhou, and successively broke into the defense areas of the Tenth Corps and Eighth Corps of the East Road Army of the crossing army. At this extraordinary moment and extraordinary place, what will the unpredictable "uninvited guest" do?

Xiao Yongfu, commander of the 3rd company of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Battalion of the Sanye Special Forces Column, which was assigned to the 10th Corps, took Liu Yunquan, the leader of the observation platoon, and Gao Rizhang, the leader of the observation team, to cross Liuwei Port in a small sampan. After checking the situation at the flank observation post, board the sampan and return to the company headquarters.At this time, there was a layer of white mist floating on the surface of the river, and visibility was very low. According to the deployment of the artillery regiment leaders, the main task of the third company happened to be to fight warships.On the same day, according to the instructions of the superiors, for the sake of secrecy and air defense, the artillery of the whole company was temporarily hidden in the small woods behind the position, and did not enter the built fortifications until night.After Xiao Yongfu received the battalion commander's order to approve the shooting, he quickly conveyed the order to the first row.A cannon immediately took off its camouflage, hung on a large truck, and went straight to the launch fortifications set up by the river.

pity!The morning fog has not dissipated, making long-distance observation difficult.In just a few minutes, this warship of unknown origin quickly crossed the front of the third company's position, sailed towards Nanjing, and disappeared in a vast expanse of whiteness. The warning fire was meaningless. Battalion Commander Wang Kunting of the First Battalion promptly reported to Commander Ma Dawei that a warship was sailing upstream.Commander Ma said: "It doesn't matter if you drive upstream. There are artillery positions along the river. As long as the fog clears, you can shoot at any time. You should strengthen your observation. Whenever there are new suspicious targets, try to find them early. If you are driving downstream We must identify the nationality of our warships as soon as possible. When encountering foreign warships, they fired warnings and did not respond, and even dared to fire at us. We must resolutely fight back. If it is a Kuomintang warship, we should not be polite, so as to sink it, we must not let it escape. "

Battalion Commander Wang Kunting quickly conveyed this instruction to the battalion commanders. About an hour later, in the positions of the first battalion and the third battalion of the Third Artillery Regiment adjacent to the west, rumbling artillery sounds successively.An unexpected "water and land artillery battle" began. As the fog on the river cleared, the national flag on the warship was finally revealed.At that time, no one thought that the warship that brazenly broke into our Yangtze River defense area and fired at our PLA troops crossing the river was neither a Kuomintang warship nor an American warship, but turned out to be an old sea king, the "Amethyst" of the Far East Fleet of the Royal Navy of the British Empire. ” escort destroyer.

"Amethyst" ignored our army's bombardment and continued to drive westward.So, our third artillery regiment fired another shot, and the shell fell 30 meters in front of the "Amethyst".At this time, "Amethyst" fired, and it drove west while firing, and entered the Sanjiangying area at 9 o'clock. That morning, Li Anbang, the commander of the Third Artillery Regiment, and Kang Maozhao, the political commissar, were ordered to attend the combat meeting at the headquarters of the Eighth Corps. In the Command Post of the Third Regiment, Commander Li Anbang and Political Commissar Kang Maozhao followed the instructions of Commander Chen Ruiting and Political Commissar Zhang Kai, and clearly explained the countermeasures that should be taken to the duty commander of the regiment headquarters and the battalion and company cadres:

1. If foreign warships are found, if they do not listen to the warning of our army and stop sailing, they can stop warning and shoot immediately; 2. To shoot at enemy ships, use the artillery located in the center of each company as a benchmark, fire salvos, use crossfire, and strive to hit the target with the first salvo; 3. Howitzer shells should use full charge to enhance the rate of fire and penetration.Aiming and shooting actions should be fast, and the lead time can be ignored for important targets such as the conning tower and turret of the warship. The armor-piercing projectile mainly shoots at vital parts such as the engine room and ammunition compartment below the waterline.

According to these three specific instructions, the two artillery companies of the Third Artillery Regiment stationed at the Sanjiang Battalion did not hesitate to launch a fierce counterattack against the "Amethyst".At the same time, the adjacent artillery regiment also took the initiative to join the battle. Sanjiangying extends into the Yangtze River in a milky shape, making the river narrow here.The Sanye Special Longitudinal Artillery Third Regiment, which is attached to the Eighth Corps, is equipped with the first artillery company and the seventh artillery company here, and is equipped with a total of 3 Japanese-style 75 field guns and 105 howitzers.

When the "Amethyst" entered the narrow mouth and bend of the Sanjiang Camp, it was immediately flanked by the No. 1 Pao Company and the No. 7 Pao Company. Although "Amethyst" is equipped with 6 large-caliber artillery, it cannot suppress the accurate shooting of the PLA artillery.After a fierce battle, the "Amethyst" turret was destroyed, the command platform was hit, the captain, Major Skinner, was seriously injured and died, and the deputy captain, Captain Weston, was also seriously injured. The "Amethyst" lost control of its course, crossed the channel and ran aground on the opposite bank of the Sanjiang Camp. A white shirt was hurriedly raised, and the PLA stopped its shelling.

After a while, "Amethyst" lowered its white shirt and hoisted the British flag again.The People's Liberation Army then continued shelling, forcing him to hoist the white flag again.This time, the "Amethyst" feared that the PLA would not be able to see it, so it hung three white flags, and the PLA stopped shooting.At this time, the ship had been shot more than 30 rounds, and more than 60 sailors on the ship abandoned the ship and jumped into the river, swam to the south bank, and then arrived in Shanghai by train. In this "Water and Land War", if it weren't for the PLA's lack of armor-piercing ammunition and delayed fuses, the "Amethyst" would have been sunk long ago! However, the British Far East Fleet will not let it go. At 1:30 p.m. that day, the British destroyer Consd (Companion), which was originally moored in Nanjing, sailed from west to east into the Sanjiang Camp area to reinforce the "Amethyst". The arrival of the "Companion" immediately led to the shelling of the company and the seventh company. After the "companion" hit 5 bombs in a company, it drove down at full speed and escaped from the fire net of the People's Liberation Army.Then, the ship turned around and sailed up the north bank, taking advantage of the blind angle formed by the PLA artillery bunker and the river bank, and destroyed two PLA field artillery.However, when the ship crossed the milk-shaped shore, the howitzers of the People's Liberation Army penetrated its joint main guns and destroyed its conning tower. The captain, Lieutenant Colonel Robertson, was injured. The "Companion" turned around in a hurry and headed east, but was shot again and again while turning the rudder.In this way, the "Mate" fled to Jiangyin with trauma all over her body. Admiral Patri K Blind, Commander-in-Chief, was in London when HQ Far East Fleet received reports that two of its warships had been injured in the Yangtze River.In order to retaliate against the People's Liberation Army, Vice Admiral Madden, the deputy commander-in-chief, personally led the flagship "London" and the fast ship "Black Swan" from Shanghai to the area where the accident occurred on the Yangtze River. On the morning of the 21st, Maiden led the two ships "London" and "Black Swan" to set off from Jiangyin, slowly back to Jiangxi, and carefully observe the situation on the north bank with binoculars.By 4:00 p.m., the British ship entered the 23rd Army defense area. At this time, there were only 2 hours left before the East Group of the People's Liberation Army launched the cross-river operation! Time is ticking.The Sanye Special Longitudinal Artillery Sixth Regiment attached to the Tenth Corps was ordered to launch shelling on "London" and "Black Swan".The British ship returned fire with large-caliber naval guns.Immediately, the surface of the river bounced like rain, and the water column soared into the sky.In an instant, an American-made grenade hit the command platform of the "London", and the captain, Colonel Cazalat, was injured on the spot. The fragments of the shell also tore Lieutenant Admiral Maiden's white naval uniform.Under the heavy blow of the People's Liberation Army, the British ship fled to Shanghai. After three decisive battles, the casualties announced by the two sides are: the captain of the British "Amethyst" was killed, the deputy captain was injured, 17 crew members died and 20 were injured; the captain of the "Companion" was injured, 20 crew members died, 15 were injured; the captain of the "London" was injured, 15 crew members died and 13 were injured; 7 crew members of the "Black Swan" were injured.The Chinese People's Liberation Army suffered 252 casualties and lost 2 field artillery pieces. On April 20, British warships appeared in the Yangtze River instead of American warships, which was beyond people's expectations.Since the Kuomintang has a small naval fleet, the artillery of the People's Liberation Army was prepared for combat in advance, but it was unexpected that it would engage the British warships. The sound of gunfire on the Yangtze River shocked the Western world and aroused serious concern from international public opinion.Reuters’ comprehensive report from New York on April 21 stated that the communist army shelled four British warships in the Yangtze River, which caused a sensation in the United States.American authorities were appalled by the toll of British naval casualties.All the New York newspapers carried the news in maximum font size. French newspapers reported the news on their front pages. The sound of the Yangtze River's cannons shocked the British Isles even more. They never thought: "The Chinese army dares to fire back at us!" A small bombardment ignited the first diplomatic contest between the Chinese Communist Party and its army and Britain! On April 24, British Prime Minister Attlee declared in Parliament: "British warships have the legal right to sail on the Yangtze River and carry out peaceful missions, because they have the permission of the Kuomintang government." Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill uttered wild words, asking the British government to "send one or two aircraft carriers to Shanghai...to retaliate by force." On April 30, Mao Zedong personally drafted a statement condemning the atrocities committed by British warships, which showed that the Chinese people were not afraid of any threats and resolutely opposed imperialist aggression, and also expressed the foreign policy of the soon-to-be-established New China. The statement said: "We condemn the arrogant statement of the warmonger Mr. Churchill....Mr. Churchill, what are you 'retaliating'? Together with the Kuomintang warships, British warships broke into the defense zone of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and fired at the People's Liberation Army, killing the people. There were as many as 252 casualties among the loyal soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army. The British ran into China and committed such a large crime. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has reason to ask the British government to admit its mistakes and implement an apology and compensation. Isn’t this what you should do in the future? Instead, they sent troops to China to "retaliate" against the Chinese People's Liberation Army? Prime Minister Attlee's words are also wrong. He said that the British have the right to use warships to enter the Yangtze River in China. The Yangtze River is an inland river in China. What do you British have? The right to bring warships in? There is no such right. The Chinese people must defend China's territorial sovereignty and absolutely not allow foreign governments to infringe upon it..." Statement issued") After the "Amethyst" incident, Chen Yi, the commander of the Sanye, made a detailed report to Mao Zedong, worried about his subordinates, for fear that the chairman would criticize Tao Yong as "reckless". From May to August 1949, he negotiated with representatives of the British Navy in Zhenjiang.The one on the left is Kang Maozhao (political commissar of the Third Regiment of Sanye Special Vertical Artillery), the middle is General Yuan Zhongxian, the political commissar of the Eighth Corps of Sanye, and the one on the right is Krens, the captain of the British Royal Navy destroyer Lieutenant Commander Unexpectedly, Mao Zedong praised Tao Yong for his loyalty and courage after listening to the report.Later he said: "Since he likes playing warships so much, let him be in the navy in the future!" After the founding of New China, Tao Yong served as the deputy commander of the navy and commander of the East China Sea Fleet, and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general of the navy. At that time, the ship "Amethyst" was injured and stranded on the river east of Zhenjiang. Britain tried many channels to get the PLA to release the ship.The Commander-in-Chief of the British Far East Fleet stated that he is willing to go to any port in North China to meet with Commander-in-Chief Zhu De and negotiate to resolve the issue.Sir Wyatt, the former British Prime Minister and special representative to China, also called for mediation by taking advantage of his old friendship with Zhou Enlai. Since the Central People's Government had not yet been established at that time, it was inconvenient to have formal relations with the British embassy.Therefore, the Central Military Commission decided that the matter should be settled through negotiations between the Third Field Army and the British Navy. During the negotiations, the third field army negotiating delegation requested the British naval fleet to perform the following duties: ① admit that the above-mentioned actions of the British warships were wrong, and apologize to the Chinese People's Liberation Army; ② compensate the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the local people for the losses suffered; ③ Our side is ready to discuss with the British side how to evacuate the British ship and its personnel from the Yangtze River after the British side fulfills the above-mentioned responsibilities; ④The items listed in this memorandum will be forwarded to the Commander-in-Chief of the British Far East Fleet. Of course, the attitude of the British side is far from this requirement, and it is difficult to proceed with the negotiations. Given that the British authorities have no sincerity in negotiating, and the CCP is in a favorable position politically and militarily, international public opinion is also in favor of the CCP.Therefore, at this time, the CCP decided not to delay with the United Kingdom and not to entangle with it for a long time.At this time, the Third Field Army issued a secret order among several senior headquarters along the river: If the "Amethyst" escapes, our troops along the river can pretend not to know it and not intercept it, but issue a statement afterwards be condemned. The British Royal Navy destroyer "Amethyst" was stranded and captured after being damaged by our army But later, the People's Liberation Army learned that Britain was going to send destroyers to sneak into the Yangtze River and take away the "Amethyst".In order to prevent the British side from acting recklessly, the Sanye Command announced that the original order not to intercept the "Amethyst" ship fleeing eastward was revoked, and reiterated that if the British ship went back to the river to rob the "Amethyst" ship, or the ship fled without authorization. , will be resolutely cracked down. In this way, the "Zishi" ship moored on the Yangtze River for 100 days, until the evening of July 30, before it fled disgracefully. At 9:00 p.m. on July 30, when the ship "Amethyst" took advantage of the routine flight of the passenger ship "Jiangling Liberation" to sail under the British ship, the British ship pretended to be the mastlight of our passenger ship and followed the "Jiangling Liberation".After the People's Liberation Army surveillance post discovered that the "Amethyst" was going down, it immediately notified the artillerymen of the 25th Army stationed in Dagang. At 9:15, the Dagang artillery fired at the "Amethyst" to warn it to stop sailing, and the British ship also fired back, and a fierce artillery battle broke out between the two sides. The "Amethyst" ship caught up with the "Jiangling Liberation" in the rain of bullets, and forcibly sailed on the left string of the ship, using the "Jiangling Liberation" as a cover, so that the passenger ship engaged in peaceful shipping and its hundreds of passengers were in danger. Under the rain of bullets. The "Jiangling Liberation" unfortunately suffered shelling, was shot and sank, and the fire and drowning caused heavy casualties to the passengers. Before the "Amethyst" approached Jiangyin, it shut down and turned off the lights and drifted down the river. At that time, the typhoon was strong and the river was soaring. Some artillery positions in Jiangyin temporarily moved to high ground, but they failed to find the British ship drifting past. When the "Amethyst" ship continued to flee eastward, it was dawn.The ship actually rammed a wooden boat ferrying Liming into two pieces, and the passengers rolled overboard, causing many casualties. "Amethyst" avoided the Wusongkou waterway and escaped from the north mouth of Chongming Island to the Yangtze River.