The enemy's infantry and tanks worked together to penetrate deep into the flanks of the Volunteer Army's positions. They were obviously rushing to counterattack, and they did not have time to dig tunnels.
Tunnels are mine-like caves built into a solid mountain. Such excavation projects are relatively large and do not take enough time.
On January 25, enemies on the east and west fronts launched a counterattack against the Volunteer Army's defense lines.
In front of the positions of the 112th Division, on the 26th and 27th, the US military adopted magnetic tactics, tentatively attacking the volunteers, or conducting tank reconnaissance. The enemy was obviously much more cautious and more cunning than before.
They also added tanks, artillery, and aviation, and adopted havoc tactics in an attempt to eliminate the volunteers on every hilltop on the south bank of the Yangtze River.
The Volunteer Army is now facing a situation of shortage of food, ammunition, and insufficient troops. Facing the fierce artillery fire of the US military can not but be said to be a severe test.
After several battles with the Volunteers, the enemy no longer dared to look down on the Volunteers. In addition to maintaining contact with a small number of troops, the enemy also stepped up reconnaissance activities. Enemy reconnaissance aircraft appeared over the Volunteers' defense areas every day, circling at low altitudes for reconnaissance, and also increased plainclothes reconnaissance.
Several groups of puppet troops were sent out, disguised as residents or people's officers and soldiers, or used planes to drop plainclothes spies, or drove local poor old people, women, and children deep into the back of the volunteer army's positions to spy on the volunteer army's strength and vitality to judge the volunteer army's combat effectiveness.
Or small groups of armed plainclothes troops may enter forward areas to capture sporadic volunteers.
A liaison officer from the 336th Regiment went to Taoxiongli to buy things for the festival and was captured by plainclothes armed enemy soldiers. From this, he learned about the strength of the volunteers.
The enemy began to counterattack the Volunteer Army, but the Volunteer Army did not yet understand the situation of the enemy in front of them. In order to find out the situation of the enemy in front of them, the Volunteer Army also strengthened its reconnaissance and tongue-catching activities, and continuously sent reconnaissance troops to the Lichuan area to find ways to capture enemy officers.
At 8 o'clock in the evening on January 20, the army ordered the 112th Division to capture the tongue and return.
At this time, there were only five days left before the enemy's full-scale attack. The superiors sensed an impending crisis and must understand the enemy's situation in front of them.
The division handed over the task to the 335th Regiment. The regiment had repeatedly made outstanding achievements in this field. Fan Tianen immediately asked the resting 3rd Company to carry out the task. The regiment's reconnaissance staff led the 4th and 5th reconnaissance squads to go together.
Xia Yuan had made many meritorious deeds in catching tongues before, and most of the investigators at the regiment knew him. They were very happy to learn that they were cooperating with Xia Yuan in his actions.
Not only was Xia Yuan brave in battle, he was also an excellent tongue grabber, and the investigators all respected him.
Xia Yuan walked with tiger stride, thinking as he walked, he must capture an officer this time!
They climbed up to the 580-meter Dinggai Mountain. Through the pine forest, they saw a bright white light in the direction of Lichuan. He took a closer look and saw that the enemy's large and small lights were surrounding a hilltop. He felt certain.
This must be the enemy's command organ.
There is a road leading to Lichuan at the foot of the mountain. There is a large village along the road to the south, which is also brightly lit, so the reconnaissance team followed the road towards the village.
When they approached the village, they found several telephone lines stretched out from the village. Xia Yuan and the reconnaissance staff basically judged that this was the enemy's command post.
"How about it? Do it or not?" the investigation staff asked Xia Yuan in a low voice.
"Definitely do it, I already have a solution."
Xia Yuan's eyes fell on the telephone line. He asked the soldiers to cut off the enemy's telephone line, and the other comrades were lying in wait, preparing to catch a telephone soldier.
Capture the phone soldier and ask him to take them directly to the enemy commander.
Unexpectedly, the comrade who cut the phone line had been back for two hours. Seeing that Samsung was far to the west, it was already two o'clock in the middle of the night, and there was no enemy checking the line. Han Qifa, the fourth squad leader, couldn't hold it in anymore and asked quietly: "I bet it's true."
It's because the enemy is too timid to come out, so we have to think of a way quickly, and we'll be in trouble when daybreak comes."
Xia Yuan scratched his head.
It's no wonder the enemy is so ignorant.
After a brief study with the reconnaissance staff, we decided to head towards Lichuan along the highway, looking for opportunities to capture prisoners. As for why we left the command post alone, the reason was simple.
The enemy's heavy troops were watching near the command post. Although they could get in, they might not be able to come out intact. If they failed to catch the enemy commander and jumped into the air, the enemy would move the command post as soon as daybreak.
Walk.
But if they don't take action, nothing will happen. Moreover, they also know the location of the enemy's command post. If they attack in the future, they can destroy this command post first!
It was a dark night and the road was quiet, with the sound of gunfire faintly heard in the distance. They walked carefully along the road in the enemy area, and entered the east side of Xingdong, only one kilometer away from Lichuan. They found a village with a few lonely houses beside the village.
The chief of staff felt that there must be enemies inside. Xia Yuan used night vision to find the enemies, and they were not sleeping yet.
But because it was too dark and others could not see, Xia Yuan decisively led his men to attack.
They quietly approached a house, and suddenly two American soldiers with guns walked out of it. They were startled when they saw a group of people. Xia Yuan had quick eyes and quick hands, and he reacted quickly. He stepped forward, sheathed his knife and landed on the shoulder of an American soldier.
, with a click, the American soldier fell to the ground.
Another American soldier was frightened. Looking at the black muzzle of the gun, he quickly raised his hands and surrendered.
In this way, two tongues were easily caught. The soldiers rushed forward, quickly disposed of the caught tongues, and retreated to the rear with the tongues in their hands.
Xia Yuan looked at the movement just now and quickly retreated with his men instead of fighting them, fearing that it might alarm the American troops in the village.
The interrogation of these prisoners allowed our army to further understand that after the U.S. military suffered a tragic defeat, it took advantage of its good transportation conditions to quickly recruit a large number of veterans from the U.S. mainland and troops stationed in Europe and Japan to supplement the troops in North Korea and strengthen tanks.
and field artillery units, improving rear supplies.
The U.S. Tenth Army was also transferred to the area near the 37th Parallel and joined the front-line combat sequence.
The enemy forces have been concentrated, with more than 250,000 ground troops. The enemies in front of our army are all American, British and Greek battalions.
The enemy has been strengthened after being replenished, but the volunteers have not been replenished, are severely short of food and ammunition, and are forced to fight despite the hardships and cold weather. They use field fortifications to resist the US 1st Cavalry Division, the 24th US Cavalry Division, and the 2nd US Cavalry Division.
The powerful offensive of the 15th Division, the Puppet 6th Division, the British 27th Brigade, the 29th Brigade, the Greek Battalion and other enemy forces!
The morning of January 28th.
There was heavy fog on the south bank of the Han River, and the soldiers were still sleeping soundly. The enemy suddenly launched a fierce attack on the volunteer positions, and the enemy threatened that within three days, the United Nations forces would resolutely recapture Seoul!
However, the enemy ignored the fighting will of the Volunteer Army and the People's Army!
Even though the volunteers were at an overall disadvantage, with far less strength, equipment, food and ammunition than the enemy, they still resisted the enemy's powerful offensive with one against ten!
Taihua Mountain is the forward position at the western end of the 38th Army's defensive position, and further west is the position of the 50th Army.
The thick bushes on Nanshan Mountain in Caoxiali serve as a barrier for the main position of Taihua Mountain, and they tightly block the highway.
This highway leads to Lichuan in the east, Suwon in the west, and Jinliangchang in the south. Following this highway to the northwest can reach Gyeongan-ri and Seoul, so this is the only way for the enemy to invade from the north.
After resting for a week, Xia Yuan was ordered to lead his troops to stay here.
This is the front line of the 335th Regiment's position, the 112th Division's position, and even the 38th Army's position. This shows the importance of holding on here.
The combat capabilities of the Third Company are obvious to all. Fan Tianen asked Xia Yuan to take the lead because he wanted to deal a head-on blow to the rampant US military!
The company stationed here was the 8th Company of the 335th Regiment. The company commander’s surname was Xu. He was from Juxian County, Dongshan. He joined the army before the Japanese surrender and won many military exploits in the war of liberation of the motherland. Although he was only 27 years old, he had a bright eye.
There are a few more wrinkles on his face, which further show his maturity and experience.
He has a calm demeanor and always gives people a sincere and honest smile.
During the handover, he specifically warned: "The enemy conducts reconnaissance very frequently these days and often uses artillery and bombing positions. You must be careful of the enemy."
Xia Yuan nodded.
After the handover was completed, Xia Yuan took people to check the situation of the position. There were craters and scorched earth burned black by gasoline bombs everywhere. The bunker fortifications had been blown up countless times and rebuilt countless times.
In the early morning, he stood on the main peak and looked ahead. The morning was foggy and the earth was quiet, but his heart was very uneasy.
The more frequent the enemy's reconnaissance is, the closer the enemy's attack will be. As the frontier of the defense line, this area will inevitably suffer the first round of violent attacks from the enemy. Pre-war work must be done carefully. A little carelessness will bring unforeseen consequences to the battle.
Estimated losses.
Xia Yuan walked along the mountain ridge toward the forward position of Highland 331.
Guarding Highland 331 were soldiers from the sixth squadron. Three soldiers served as observation posts. There was a thick fog in front of us and we couldn't see anything. We couldn't help but chatter.
Because the weather was too cold, they stamped their feet from time to time, or covered their mouths with their hands, hissing to keep warm. A soldier suddenly broke the dullness and said: "Today is January 28th, and in a few days it will be the Spring Festival."
Spring Festival! What a longing day.
While everyone was immersed in joyfully welcoming the Spring Festival, the enemy launched an attack on the Suwon position of the friendly neighbor. The 38th Army was ordered to enter the position. After several days of intensive construction of fortifications and a battle of wits and courage with the enemy's artillery fire, they almost destroyed the Spring Festival.
Things were forgotten.
Now when they mentioned it, they couldn't help but miss their relatives in the motherland. The family gathered around the stove to keep warm, had reunion dinner, wished each other happy years, and the crackling of firecrackers... These complicated thoughts flooded into the soldiers' minds.
mind, but they will spend the Spring Festival in the flames of war.
The tall and slender soldier from Sichuan Province said with emotion: "The Spring Festival in our hometown will definitely be more lively this year than last year. Not only did we in Sichuan Province reduce rent and interest rates, we will also implement land reform this year. The good days our ancestors have longed for are about to come."
It’s arrived.”
The soldiers talked more and more enthusiastically. Every time they thought of the peace in their hometown, the happiness on their faces became stronger.
Xia Yuan walked over and was in a trance when he heard the three people chatting.
During the Spring Festival, he remembered this day. When he first came here, it was New Year's Eve, and later he met the 335 group.
"In order for the people of the motherland to enjoy the Spring Festival well, it is worth it for us to suffer a little here. How are you preparing?"
"Company commander!"
The three men quickly stood at attention and said happily: "Company commander, don't worry, the enemy is coming, we must 'entertain' them well."
"Blatant words won't work. When the time comes, you have to show your real skills!"
Xia Yuan easily took the soldier's gun, pulled the bolt, and looked at the barrel of the gun. The rifle was shining brightly. He returned the gun to the soldier and said, "Take off the grenade."
The soldier didn't know what was going on. He looked at Xia Yuan suspiciously and slowly untied four grenades and handed them to him.
Xia Yuan twisted the grenades one by one, handed one to the soldier, and said commandingly: "Unscrew it."
The soldier took the grenade and tried his best to hold it in until his face turned red and his neck became thick, but he still couldn't unscrew it.
Xia Yuan said seriously: "With such carelessness, how can we 'entertain' the enemies properly when the enemies come up?"
"Company commander..." The soldier lowered his head in shame.
"Put it in your arms to warm it up, and loosen the lid." Xia Yuan said.
These are all experiences. When we were at Changjin Lake, it was so cold that the food was frozen solid. The gun bolts were frozen and couldn't be pulled open. Their grenades were never capped, because once they were screwed on
If it is not used for one night, the cap of the grenade will not open.
"You need to divide your work. Who should look at the south side of the highway, who should look at the west side of the highway, and who should look at the foot of the mountain. If everyone looks everywhere, it will not be easy to neglect."
"The Spring Festival in my hometown is all because of the peaceful days. Now the Americans want to bring the war to our hometown, but that can't be done, otherwise we won't be able to have a peaceful Spring Festival in the future."
"We must protect our motherland!"
Xia Yuan explained and left.
The sun came out, and as the thick fog gradually disappeared, a fierce sound of artillery was heard in the distance.
Xia Yuan sat on a large bluestone, holding a weed in his mouth, looking around. Suddenly, his face tensed up, "Xiao Miao, go and inform everyone, get ready for battle immediately, the enemy is coming!"
Xiaomiao, the company's correspondent, was looking at the road with a telescope, but she saw a tree moving on the road.
"It's Shu Danzi... Why didn't you see it yesterday... Company Commander, is that the enemy?"
"Don't expose the target!"
He pulled the little seedling, ran all the way, and jumped into the ditch.
A battalion of enemy troops, under the cover of more than a dozen tanks, divided into three groups to attack the third company in Xiacaoli Nanshan Yudong. Unexpectedly, the very arrogant enemy actually learned to disguise themselves during the attack. It seems that after being beaten,
, you will always become smarter.
Xia Yuan felt that a fierce battle was about to begin. In order to guard against enemy artillery fire, even his assistant was hiding behind the mountain. He asked Xiaomiao to inform him and prepare for the battle.
He believes that the enemy has not discovered them yet and will never enter easily. A search must be carried out.
Xia Yuan decided to use the mountains and shrubs and the positions of the four squadrons in front to attack the enemy. He tried to wait for the enemy to get close, and then suddenly opened fire to give the enemy a disastrous attack.
Try not to expose the main position as much as possible.
The two platoon leaders were ordered to arrive. Xia Yuan explained the situation to them and said categorically to the second platoon leader: "You fight first. The machine gun quickly enters the bushes on the left front. Everyone else will stay hidden behind the mountain!"