Chapter 121 The bullet that hit the division headquarters
Political Commissar Han covered his right ear tightly with his right hand, listened to the microphone with his left ear, and said: "Commander, I am Han Qiming. The regimental commander went to the second battalion to supervise the battle. The enemy attacked fiercely. At first, he was still harassing. At dawn,
They launched an entire battalion, or even an entire regiment, to launch a group charge towards my Tumudong position! Yes! Yes! Our situation is very bad, the casualties are too great! Many of the wounded cannot be evacuated at all!"
"Yes! Yes! Please rest assured, Commander, we will defend the Tumudong position to the death! Fight to the last man!"
After hanging up the phone, a wave of air swept in from the gap between the spectators. Political Commissar Han spat out spit with dirt and dust, and cursed: "Damn it, the foreign devils really don't give us any time to breathe, and the regiment leader still
Didn’t come back.”
"No, I'm still supervising the operations at the Second Battalion. How is the situation there?"
"The situation is not bad. Although the US military's attack was fierce, it was blocked by us."
"That'll do!"
...
Thursday, May 24, 1951.
Yesterday, the U.S. military strafed the Jiuluan Mountain position with aircraft, dropped bombs, incendiary bombs, and used artillery for most of the day. Only before dusk did a few soldiers climb to the Fourth Company position defended by Jiulan Mountain. The Fourth Company had already withdrawn from the position.
, at the same time, another group of US troops attacked Junzili and Zongzili of the 538th Regiment on the left.
At 6 o'clock, about one regiment of the US military, with the cooperation of three powerful long-distance artillery groups and the cooperation of aircraft, tanks, and armored vehicles, launched eight consecutive attacks on the fifth company position. The ones holding the front line of the Tumu Cave were Wang Zhi's group.
, was surrounded by the enemy before dawn. The group resisted tenaciously until the whole group died heroically. The second platoon leader Hu Shuangjin was seriously injured, but he still used cluster grenades to fight off more than 20 enemies.
The machine gunners in the second row used grenades to deal with the swarming enemies. When the enemies retreated and became confused, they continued to use machine gun fire to kill the enemies.
The platoon fought tenaciously and was not afraid of sacrifice. They organized each other while fighting, encouraged and cheered each other on the battlefield, and were able to fight independently even when the platoon leader was seriously injured and no one was commanding them. Finally, they repelled the enemy's last attack until the end of the battle.
, wounded 21 people, killed 6 people, and wiped out more than 150 enemies.
The enemy used dozens of vehicles to transport the wounded, and abandoned a large number of guns and ammunition at the front of the position. The second platoon's ammunition was replenished in time. At the end of the battle, the surviving soldiers of the second platoon, under the cover of the rear soldiers, reached the forward position and looked for burial victims.
comrades in arms and brought back a large number of firearms, including one heavy machine gun, one light machine gun, twelve semi-automatic rifles, a large number of bullets and some grenades, and a walkie-talkie was also seized.
The battle on the front line was particularly fierce, with billowing black smoke filling the air. US B29 bombers dropped napalm bombs, followed closely by fighter jets that swooped over and dropped conventional bombs. In addition, the volunteers continued to bombard the front line with howitzers of various calibers.
There was a raging sea of fire, and the air waves of the shells rolled up the soil and flew more than ten meters high. The surviving soldiers were choked and could not open their eyes, let alone check the situation.
The billowing smoke filled the position and floated into the sky. From a few meters away, you could only hear the coughs of your comrades beside you, but not even a single figure could be seen.
From time to time, there was a shrill scream. It was the soldiers covered in flames rolling around on the ground. The flames burned every inch of their flesh, flesh, and skin. The melted clothes stuck to the flesh. The temperature was rolling, scorching, and stinging. The ground
All became extremely hot.
In such an environment, they withstood the pressure and repelled the enemy's attacks again and again. After the war, the US military's Far East intelligence agency publicly admitted that the battle in Tumudong alone caused more than 600 US military casualties. Specifically,
What the number is, they have not announced it.
The headquarters of the 180th Division is far more tense than the battle on the front line. The fighting situation of each regiment and battalion is reported to the division headquarters all the time. They have lost contact with the corps, and the military headquarters does not give instructions for retreating north.
Order, how should the 180th Division go?
"Okay, okay, I get it!"
Deputy Commander Duan hung up the phone and looked very ugly.
Chief of Staff Wang asked: "Whose phone number?"
Deputy Commander Duan slapped his right hand on the table and said: "The 538th Regiment reported that more than half of the Junzili Battalion suffered casualties. After the instructor Zhou Zhenhua ran out of bullets, he used a grenade to kill the enemy together! The company that retreated first,
The commander and the enemy perished together, and a continuous attack was not even enough for one squad."
Everyone in the division was silent. Deputy Commander Duan took off his hat and held it in his hand, holding it hard, holding it hard, until the hat was turned into a small ball.
He was so sad and angry.
In the past few days, whenever he answered the phone, all he heard was the casualty figures of each regiment, as well as the news of the heroic sacrifices of cadres one after another. He felt extremely depressed. This emotion was too difficult to restrain. His hatred and hatred for the enemy
Worry about the current situation of the entire division made him restless. He believed that as a commander, one must be responsible, but if Commander Zheng wouldn't let him speak, he couldn't. He was worried that Commander Zheng wouldn't be able to bear it either.
Deputy Commander Duan and Commander Zheng have been working together for a long time. He has known Commander Zheng very well since the War of Liberation. Regardless of what Commander Zheng says, he is always the one comforting others in the division.
But they all knew in their hearts that Mr. Zheng was feeling more uncomfortable than anyone else.
Except for the sound of gunfire outside, there was no other movement in the division headquarters. Commander Zheng was sitting on a stool nearby, smoking a cigarette, as if thinking about something. Director Wu and Chief of Staff Wang looked at the interspersed lines on the map.
, every minute and every second, the status of the front line is changing, and every change is huge.
"The only good thing is that there is no news that the City God's Hall has been attacked by the enemy. As long as the City God's Hall is not lost, no matter what state the frontline battle is in, our retreat path will be safe."
Chief of Staff Wang participated in last night's meeting and knew that the only way for the 180th Division at the moment was through Chenghuang Hall.
"Old Duan, don't be too anxious. We not only have confidence in Comrade Xia Yuan, but also in the soldiers fighting on the front line. I believe they will be able to withstand the pressure and complete the task of blocking the enemy!" Director Wu
said.
"That's what I say, but fighting like this is not the answer. The US military is acting normally today, more active than chicken blood. At dawn, the attack is more fierce than before. If we continue to fight like this, all our troops will be exhausted. We
The 180th Division is gone."
Deputy Division Commander Duan is worried that as time goes by, the enemy attacks become more fierce, and their casualties are also increasing. "The enemy's current attack momentum is getting bigger and stronger. Listen to this artillery fire,
It has been ringing since before dawn, and now it has not weakened, but is getting stronger and stronger. We are not afraid of death, but we cannot die in vain."
"It's just dawn now, and there are still several hours until dark. Let's not talk about tonight, whether the soldiers on the front line can hold on until tonight."
Commander Zheng is particularly embarrassed. He is more concerned about the current situation of the army than anyone else. Every soldier killed in battle is extremely distressing for the commander of the division. These are all good soldiers and good warriors. Some of them are from
Since the Anti-Japanese War, they have been following him, fighting in the War of Liberation, and fighting in Korea now. They have experienced various tests of life and death, but this time they have slept in a foreign country forever.
Commander Zheng has been commanding battles in China for a long time. He has fought all kinds of bad battles, but this time, the situation faced by the 180th Division is too dangerous. In the past military command, Commander Zheng has always continued the good conduct of our army's commanders and fighters.
Traditionally, that is, using less to defeat more. This time, the number of opponents is really too large, reaching ten times as many as the 180th Division. Moreover, they have advanced weapons and equipment, strong national power, and strong soldiers and horses.
We have nothing to ask for, not even food. We struggle every day with huge consumption, which has never happened before.
This is not only the first time for Commander Zheng, but also for everyone, and everyone is very uncomfortable with it. Of course, obeying orders is the bounden duty of soldiers, and it is precisely because the People’s Volunteer Army has always strictly obeyed orders from top to bottom.
Have ironclad discipline and outstanding performance.
However, it will definitely not work if we continue to work hard like this.
Mr. Zheng is really in a difficult position.
However, one thing that is certain is that Chenghuangtang is still in the hands of our army. The pressure they face is all from the front. Only by withstanding the pressure and completing the task of blocking the enemy can they retreat smoothly. The most critical point is,
Commander Zheng thought of what Xia Yuanlin said when he left, that the real purpose of their 180th Division was to confront the enemy head-on. If such a huge U.S. military was allowed to go all the way north, there was no telling what the consequences would be.
Commander Zheng used the radio to report the current frontline situation to the military headquarters. At the same time, he said to Deputy Commander Duan, Chief of Staff Wang and Director Wu: "The Corps' orders must be strictly implemented, and there is no room for sloppiness. Old Duan, don't worry, the frontline
The battle is fierce, but isn't it uncomfortable for the enemy? They have entangled so many troops and want to eat us up. But until now, our 180th Division is still standing here well. As long as the enemy
If there is no progress, then our sacrifice will not be in vain."
Chief of Staff Wang and Director Wu also comforted Deputy Division Commander Duan. They knew that Deputy Division Commander Duan's temper was like this. He cared very much about the soldiers fighting on the front line. They also felt uncomfortable in their hearts, but Deputy Division Commander Duan would express his feelings.
They never said it, and everyone also liked Deputy Commander Duan's straightforward temperament.
Deputy Commander Duan calmed down, sat on a stool, lit a cigarette, and his messy thoughts drifted away as the smoke drifted away.
He said solemnly: "Well, I hope the superior leaders can understand the current situation of our division and make a decision as soon as possible. If we can withdraw to the north of the Han River earlier, we will have fewer casualties."
Commander Zheng, who had always been known throughout the army for his rationality, put out the cigarette in his hand, put away his complicated thoughts, and calmly issued an order to the frontline combat troops to close the defense line.
"Immediately close the first line of defense, close up the position by alternately covering the retreat, and focus on defending Zhengping Mountain and Yin's hometown."
After hearing the order, Deputy Commander Duan began to observe the map again. At two or three o'clock, they had already closed a circle of defense. They continued to close it this morning. The main reason was that the 180th Division could no longer continue to move the two regiments horizontally.
The frontline soldiers are already quite tired, and coupled with the abnormal behavior of the enemy today, it can be seen that tightening the defense line for the first time is a correct choice.
Deputy Division Commander Duan added: "Continue to close the defense line and concentrate absolute forces to resist the US military. However, the US military is chasing us and is not slow to respond..."
Director Wu nodded: "The U.S. military is really out of the ordinary today, and the enemy is biting them hard. The worst part is that it's dawn, and we have to close the defense line to the rear. The U.S. fighter jets will not miss this opportunity."
They have repeatedly deliberated on this plan, but no one has a clear idea. Sticking to it is just a helpless move that mainly focuses on delaying time.
At this moment, a barrage of machine gun bullets flew over and hit the wooden beams of the division headquarters, causing wood chips to fly up in the form of foam.
In the room, as soon as the members of the security squad heard the sound, they immediately raised their guns and became alert, moving closer to the wooden stake in the middle. Three soldiers of the security squad moved very quickly, rushing in front of the four Commander Zheng, and blocking the four of them.
behind.
This must have been an attack from the enemy, otherwise the enemy's planes would not have been able to straf such a hidden headquarters. And from the perspective of strafing, the enemy's fighter jets probably did not expect that this would be their enemy's headquarters.
The guards were all battle-hardened warriors. They thought to themselves that no one panicked and remained calm.
"Teacher, please move quickly!"
Wang Xuebin, the guard squad leader, immediately shouted.
Overhead, US military fighter jets made a huge buzzing sound that echoed throughout the valley, alarming the division headquarters and comrades in the field hospital.
The roar of the aircraft engine was loud, but it disappeared after a while.
Deputy Commander Duan said, "I'm going out to see what's going on!" After that, he went out immediately.
Teacher Zheng was surprisingly calm and said to everyone: "Nothing's going on. Everyone, please go out."
A guard soldier advised: "Division commander, please change the place. It is too dangerous here now. Enemy shells are often fired at us."
Master Zheng said calmly: "Don't worry, comrades, nothing will happen to us. You can go out first and do your own business."
He then ordered: "Wang Xuebin, take them down."
"yes!"
The soldiers in the guard squad instinctively obeyed the division commander's order and walked out of the room, but they did not leave. They stood at the door with guns in hand to alert the surroundings.
There are mobile sentries twenty meters away, and patrols within five meters. Everyone is observing the enemy's situation, staying alert, and responding to emergencies at any time.
"Ring ring ring!"
The phone rang again, and Chief of Staff Wang picked up the phone: "Hello? I'm Chief of Staff Wang. Say, um, um, okay, I understand. If there is any situation, you must report it in time!"
Chief of Staff Wang put down the phone and said quickly: "Division Commander, the Chogiri position on the left wing of the 539th Regiment was occupied by the enemy. The American troops that rushed in made a roundabout movement towards our division headquarters. The grenades just now were fired by coordinated aircraft.