An exclusive interview with the soldiers of the 15th Army of the Volunteer Army recalling the arduous battle of Shangganling
Hope the hero has mountains and rivers
Cui Jiangong (right) is interviewed by the author
Qin Jiwei in front of the command post of the 15th Army in Daodedong, Korea
The author visits Zhang Yunyu (right) and takes a group photo
Qin Jiwei (second from left) is studying combat plans at the command post of the 15th Army in Daodedong
In 1986, Qin Jiwei (second from left) returned to Shangganling, where he had fought
◎Wu Dongfeng
About the Author
Famous biographer of generals.
He used to be a military reporter of Xinhua News Agency, deputy director of the "Warrior News" of Guangzhou Military Region, deputy director of Guangzhou Publishing House, and inspector of Guangzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
Representative works include "Mao Zedong's General Stars", "Anecdotes of Founding Generals", etc., and won the first Chinese reportage "Chint Cup" award, and the first Chinese outstanding short and medium biography literature award.
After several years of arduous interviews and mutual verification of historical facts and details, the first draft of "A River-Talking about Qin Jiwei" has been completed.
Commemorating the Chinese People's Volunteers
70th Anniversary of the War to Resist U.S. Aid Korea
"Whoever loses the Five Sacred Mountains is responsible for North Korea's history"
Shangganling is a small village with only a dozen households at the foot of the Five Sacred Mountains of North Korea.
If you take a bird’s eye view from the air, this small village is located between the two legs of the Wusheng Mountain. In the military, these two legs are called "597.9 Highland" and "537.7 North Mountain Highland".
Further ahead is the Pingkang, Jinhua, and Huaiyang (US military called the "iron triangle") areas controlled by the US military.
In October 1952, a war that shocked the world broke out here.
Since then, the name of the village "Shangganling" has been upgraded to the name of the battle.
In the early spring of 1952, the 38-year-old Commander Qin Jiwei led the 15th Army of the Volunteer Army to take over the defense of the 26th Army, and served as a defensive mission in the "Iron Triangle" area of the central line of Korea, about 30 kilometers wide.
When deploying combat missions, Commander Peng Dehuai clearly instructed: "The Five Sacred Mountains are the central gateway of North Korea. If the Five Sacred Mountains are lost, there is no danger to defend them if they retreat 200 kilometers. Whoever loses the Five Sacred Mountains will have to deal with North Korea’s history. Be responsible for."
After the troops completed their defense tasks, Qin Jiwei immediately dived into his small thatched house and drafted a report "Guiding Thoughts on Future Defensive Operations", proposing a combat plan for establishing unbreakable defensive positions.
At 4:30 am Beijing time on October 14, 1952, Qin Jiwei was suddenly awakened by a violent bombing sound.
The U.S. military concentrated more than 300 artillery pieces, 40 aircraft, and 120 tanks from 16 artillery battalions, and violently bombarded the Five Sacred Mountains at the same time. The large and small roads around the Five Sacred Mountains were blocked by the enemy, and the smoke filled the area within a few kilometers. A sea of fire.
On November 27, 2012, Sang Chuanbao, the then Combat Staff Officer, recalled in an interview with the author that Qin Jiwei asked him after entering the war room: "The artillery was very intense tonight. Is the enemy a feint or the main attack?" He replied: " There are a lot of bullets in the direction of the Five Sacred Mountains, the commander, I don’t look like a feint, the Americans want to attack us unpopularly."
Shangganling is a small village under the Five Sacred Mountains, which is located exactly between the 597.9 highlands and 537.7 Beishan highlands.
Sang Chuanbao recalled that the enemy suddenly stormed Shangganling. Commander Qin was indeed a little surprised, but he did not panic, but responded calmly.
Sang Chuanbao said that after Qin Jiwei entered the war room in the middle of the night, he never left, guarding the phone and watching the situation of the Five Sacred Mountains.
The shelter of the Fifteenth Army Command Post was narrow and short, and the tall Qin Jiwei liked to walk back and forth in great strides when strategizing. At this time, he could only sit and meditate in front of the military map and sand table.
Half a century later, on November 1, 2003, Zhang Yunyu, Chief of Staff of the Fifteenth Army, told me in an interview with the author in Beijing that the calculation of the total number of US military fires was the method of throwing beans in a bowl. Just throw a bean in the bowl.
There is also a record according to the sound point as a supplementary judgment.
Although this statistical method cannot be 100% accurate, there is basically no big mistake.
The military division’s listening station and the two central observation stations reported that the surface rocks of the position were crushed into powder, which was more than a foot thick, the mountain landmarks were lowered by two meters, and part of the tunnels were blown up.
Qin Jiwei said to Deputy Commander Zhou Fatian, Chief of Staff Zhang Yunyu, and Director of the Political Department Che Minqiao: "The enemy has started a big fight, and we must be prepared for a long fight."
After research, everyone agreed that this was a military operation launched by the enemy after long-term preparations.
The target of the enemy's offensive is the frontier of the Five Sacred Mountains, which are easy to defend and difficult to attack. They try to catch us by surprise, take the Five Sacred Mountains, and then break through in the middle, trying to get what they can't get at the negotiating table...
After dawn on October 14, the two battalions of the US army and the four battalions of the Korean army launched a fierce offensive. The officers and soldiers guarding the two plateaus of the Five Holy Mountains conducted more than 30 repeated battles with enemies ten times their own. , Due to too many casualties, had to retreat into the tunnel to hold on.
On August 11, 2000, in Jigong Mountain, Henan Province, in an interview with Cui Jiangong, the teacher of the 45th Division of the 15th Army, he recalled that he reported to Commander Qin about the loss of the apparent position. Commander Qin’s reply was frustrated and thrilled. : "What's the rush? If you lose it, find a way to get it back!"
Qin Jiwei said to Cui Jiangong: "The enemy's offensive is unusual. It is estimated that two or three divisions will be deployed. It seems that it will take more than a few weeks. We must be prepared to fight a war."
When the counterattack was launched, Commander Qin Jiwei, Deputy Commander Zhou Fatian, Chief of Staff Zhang Yunyu and others were closely watching the battle on the front at the headquarters.
Our officers and soldiers fought bloody battles and regained their positions.
Combat Staff Sang Chuanbao recalled that he inserted the two small red flags that had been pulled back into the two high grounds in front of the Five Sacred Mountains on the map.
Cui Jiangong said in the interview that since October 14th, Qin Jiwei has been talking on the phone with him almost uninterruptedly to understand the situation, deploy tasks, and make suggestions.
He also pointedly pointed out the problems that existed in our battle over the past few days.
Commander Qin thinks that now it seems that we are going to fight for positions with the enemy repeatedly, both tactics and artillery. If you use more force, the enemy uses more force, but our forces and ammunition cannot keep up.
There is the problem of insufficient strength in the back and excessive use of the front forces.
Sang Chuanbao remembered this scene. Qin Jiwei returned to his residence only after the two highlands of Shangganling were retaken. It was already 5 o'clock in the morning.
Qin Jiwei's hidden part is not far from the war room. It is a rectangular two bunkers. The outer room is also full of maps. The inner room has no beds. It is a floor kang. On the kang is a simple camp bed and a bedside table made of two bullet boxes.
All officers and soldiers who have entered Qin Jiwei's hidden department have the deepest memory of the poster "We Love Peace" posted on the wall above the bedside table: a man and a woman, two children, with childish faces, innocent and lively, lovingly holding about to take off "Dove of Peace".
"For the troops to win the battle, it depends on one breath"
"The position was taken by the enemy during the day, and at night we launched a counterattack, regained the position, and repeated the battle. The battle was extremely fierce and tragic." Master Cui Jiangong once recalled the first seven days of battle in Shangganling with the author in his later years.
General Cui Jiangong told the author that after the outbreak of the Shangganling battle, Qin Jiwei talked with him on the phone every day. At this time, the Qin army commander's tone was extremely calm and his weight was heavy.
Cui Jiangong recalled that they immediately called a combat meeting and made up their minds.
After the meeting, he stated to Qin Jiwei on the phone: "No. 1, don't worry, there is one company left, I will be the company commander, and one squad left, I will be the monitor. As long as I am Cui Jiangong, Shangganling belongs to the Chinese People's Volunteers! "
In accordance with Qin Jiwei's deployment, the Forty-Fifth Division took full advantage of the tunnels to advance and attack, and retreat and defend, and fought very tenaciously.
Once, the 597.9 highland fell again. Zhang Zhanhua, the head of the 134th regiment, had no mobile units to call. He organized all the staff of the regiment headquarters, including hygienists, callers, correspondents, and propaganda officers, to take them personally. Go to battle.
He said: "People are on the ground, the comrades of the company have sacrificed, and there are us!"
Master Cui Jiangong couldn't stop him, and quickly called to report to Chief Qin.
Qin Jiwei first asked the staff to call and order Zhang Zhanhua to step down. Zhang Zhanhua was on the fire and didn't listen at all.
The staff also reported to Qin Jiwei.
On September 27, 2013, Li Mingming, the chief of the Propaganda Section of the 45th Division, told the author that Qin Jiwei was afraid that Zhang Zhanhua might be wrong, so he personally called Zhang Zhanhua: "Zhang Zhanhua, don't rush. I order you to come down!" Zhang Zhanhua said. After the "Military Commander", he burst into tears and shouted: "Commander, I must take back the position!" Soon, Qin Jiwei received the news that Zhang Zhanhua had commanded the "unknown army" to rush towards the enemy and he just lost it. The 597.9 highland was retaken.
Cui Jiangong believes that at critical moments, the determination and will of the commander has an important impact on the morale of the troops.
He recalled that Qin Jiwei called him at this time and talked about a passage that had spread throughout the Shangganling position.
The commander said: "Now the entire Korean battlefield is fighting in Shangganling. This is the glory of the 15th Army!" "Tell the comrades of the agency that the officers and soldiers of the 15th Army bleed without tears, and no one is allowed to cry! Raise soldiers for a thousand days and use them for a while. No matter how heavy the casualties are, they will continue to be hit."
According to the author's interview, many people in the 15th Army have heard what Qin Jiwei said.
At the most tense moment of fighting in Shangganling, Qin Jiwei instructed Chief of Staff Zhang Yunyu to come to the position to understand the situation.
Zhang Yunyu recalled to the author that Song Xinan, the chief of the Forty-Fifth Division's combat operations, reported on the fighting situation. When he talked about the tragic scenes in the battle, Song Xinan couldn't restrain his feelings and burst into tears.
"Now is not the time to cry," Zhang Yunyu was both comforting and reminding at the division headquarters. "We must not only see the casualties, but also the meaning of the casualties; we must not only see our casualties, but the enemy has paid more than us. A bigger price."
Li Mingming was impressed by Qin Jiwei's words: "Now is the key time for us to fight the enemy and overcome difficulties. If the enemy is soft, I want to be hard; if the enemy is hard, I want to make him soft. This is what we win in front of a strong enemy. Important guiding principles."
Qin Jiwei also said: "The army wins a battle with one breath and courage. This is the spirit of giving up for the country."
The heroic spirit of "the officers and soldiers of the 15th Army shed blood without tears" has always run through the whole process of their adherence to Shangganling, fierce battle against Shangganling, and finally winning the battle of Shangganling.
At the most intense and tense moment of the Shangganling battle, Qin Jiwei was always moved by the heroic deeds of the soldiers. He wrote down many heroic deeds in the first half of the month in his diary.
When he wrote that some wounded soldiers asked the nurses to tell the commander, "Hurry up and send a team to defeat the enemy, and the position cannot be taken by American robbers", this man put forward the slogan "The officers and soldiers of the 15th Army shed blood without tears" The old soldier couldn't help crying.
According to statistics, during the Battle of Shangganling, a large number of heroes appeared in the 15th Army.
During the Anti-US Aid Korea, 12 of the Chinese People’s Volunteers were awarded the title of "Republic Hero" by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Among the 12 winners headed by Peng Dehuai, 4 of them participated in the Shangganling operation. They were Huang Jiguang, Sun Zhanyuan, and Qiu Shaoyun. , Hu Xiudao, 3 of them were from the 15th Army and 1 from the 12th Army.
An underground "tunnel city" was built on the defensive position
Cui Jiangong recalled that there were two connecting tunnels in the Shangganling position, the main tunnel, 3 row tunnels, 18 team tunnels (including individual Maoer holes originally dug), and these 20 tunnels were severely lacking in food. In the absence of water, many tunnels can only eat half a biscuit per person per day, and many people can’t drink a drop of water, so they have to add emergency water in the urine to detoxify and eliminate odors to relieve unbearable thirst.
Cui Jiangong and other witnesses of the Shangganling battle all believed that an important reason why the Shangganling battle was able to last until the final victory was that the 15th Army built an underground "tunnel city" on the defensive positions.
Zhang Yunyu recalled that Qin Jiwei demanded that the fortifications of the 15th Army "must withstand the enemy's artillery bombing."
Until the eve of the Shangganling battle, only the 45th Division had constructed 306 tunnels, 8,800 meters long; 160 trenches and traffic ditches, 53,000 meters long; 4 anti-tank trenches, 2,100 meters long; 2,400 shelters were built; 2,600 meters; 2,300 meters of barbed wire; 61 grain storage holes; 65 ammunition storage holes; 140 positions and houses; 204 command posts and observation posts at all levels, with a total labor force of 250,000.
Beginning on October 25th, the officers and men of the Forty-Fifth Division of the Shangganling garrison entered the arduous tunnel combat.
As the chief of the propaganda section, Li Mingming was on duty at the front command post of the 45th Division. He recalled that Qin Jiwei kept in touch with the division headquarters every day, ranging from a few times to as many as ten times, and talked about Chairman Mao’s handling and preservation of himself. Relationship with the annihilation of the enemy.
He painstakingly emphasized to the division leaders that although the war was fought so tragically, we must take good care of the soldiers and minimize unnecessary sacrifices.
Li Mingming said: "In the face of such a tragic battle in Shangganling, the old military commander's feelings of caring for the soldiers are even more urgent."
The tenacious perseverance of the tunnel forces won 10 days of precious time for a decisive counterattack.
After careful preparation, the counterattack conditions gradually mature.
Pull up even the guards of the military department to "refuel"
On October 20, 1952, Qin Jiwei called an emergency meeting attended by military leaders.
The theme of this conference is to study "How to solve the current difficulties and ensure that the 45th Division will fight a good battle?" After research, Qin Jiwei finally made a final decision: the army will directly draw out personnel to supplement the frontline combat forces; the deployment of the whole army has been readjusted , To specialize the defense forces and counterattack forces.
In an interview with the author, Zhang Yunyu believed that this meeting was crucial to ensuring the victory of the Shangganling battle and was a turning point for the Shangganling battle from passive to active.
According to Commander Qin’s instructions, the Fifteenth Army’s military organs and the corps directly under the army mobilized more than 1,200 soldiers to supplement 13 companies for the 45th Division.
Zhang Yunyu said that even the guards of the military department have been pulled up to "refuel". This requires much determination and courage!
On August 14, 2004, Che Minqi, director of the Political Department of the 15th Army, told the author in Changchun that after the Shangganling battle broke out, Qin Jiwei promptly instructed the Military Political Department to divide the grass-roots cadres into three batches: one on the battlefield and the other. Stand by in the divisions and regiments, keep a group in the army for training, retain a group of combat backbones, train a group of combat backbones, and be ready to "refuel" at any time to cope with the protracted war in the future.
Qin Jiwei also instructed the Political Department to vigorously carry out a campaign to kill the enemy and meritorious service, and the "Battlefield News" of the Political Department should promptly promote heroic deeds.
He said to Che Minqi: "The "Reference News" you printed can be sent to the division, and some can also be sent to the regiment leaders and political commissars. Let everyone see what the Associated Press is advocating. Know yourself and your enemy. !"
The logistics supply problem of the tunnel was a new issue encountered at that time.
In order to solve the serious shortage of food and water in the tunnel, the logistics department racked their brains and adopted methods such as "relay transportation" and "creeping forward" to send the needed materials to the tunnel.
Once, the cadres who came down from Shangganling reported to Qin Jiwei the situation of the cadres and soldiers who stood by the tunnel: they could not eat water or food for several days, and they held their positions independently.
He immediately pulled out the basket of apples under the camp bed and asked the comrades from the headquarters to send them to Shangganling.
In an interview with the author, Sang Chuanbao recalled that in those days, Qin Jiwei dictated that he wrote several hanging notes and put them in the basket for giving apples. The contents were as follows:
I have nothing else but the fruits, sugar, canned food, and pears I bought privately to the cutest person who sticks to the tunnel and fights back against the enemy.
I hope that after receiving these gifts, you will fight more tenaciously and strive to restore all positions as soon as possible.
Sang Chuanbao said that from now on, he would accumulate everything sent by the condolences team and the things the army commander bought with allowances himself, put them in a basket, and sign the written hanging notes one by one. Named, send someone to the front line.
Other military leaders also did the same.
Li Mingming said in an interview with the author that the story of "An Apple" in the "Shangganling" movie is not a fiction, but he has always insisted that the apples picked up by officers and soldiers who stick to the tunnel on the road are the basket given by Commander Qin Jiwei. Leaked from the apple.
He said: "Because at that time most of the fruits sent to the front line were radishes, and apples were rarely seen. It wasn't the basket of Qin Junchang's apples, so where did the apples come from?"
Called by Commander Qin Jiwei, the troops carried out activities to study tactics and tactics during the intense battle: the commando team studied how to move under enemy fire; the transportation unit studied how to pass through the enemy’s artillery blockade; The tactics of "group" and "add oil" are used to deal with the large-scale impact of the enemy; the troops temporarily transferred to the tunnel will study how to cooperate with the commando to counterattack...
Qin Jiwei even sent his guard company to Shangganling to "add oil".
"This is a big news at a critical moment in the battle in Shangganling!" In January 2013, the author interviewed Li Tianen, a reporter from the 15th Army's "Battlefield" in the Xiaogan Retreat, Hubei. He recalled: "We really did not expect Qin The commander will make such a great determination to take out his "old foundation" and "close soldiers" for commanding operations. The commander sends the guards to the front line. This is the greatest encouragement to the frontline combat troops!"
Li Mingming also recalled that Wang Liu, the instructor of the military guard company at the time, was Qin Jiwei's veteran guard when he fought in the Taihang Mountains. He had rescued Qin Jiwei under the bombing of planes, and they had deep feelings.
When Qin Jiwei learned that Wang Liu wanted to go to the front line, he did not stop him.
After Wang Liu signed up, Qin Jiwei gave Wang Liu a Parker pen he had treasured for six years, encouraging him to study hard and make continuous progress during the battle.
Li Mingming said: "The guards even suffered more casualties, and Wang Liu also died heroically."
"Refueling" becomes "refueling". The more the troops fight, the more refined they are, and the more they fight, the more they can do it.
Qin Jiwei quickly transported several companies full of personnel into the tunnel on the front line secretly.
597.9 The Highlandlord tunnel was originally a reinforced garrison. Before the big counterattack, the first batch of 3 companies had been stationed in the tunnel. The soldiers were sitting next to each other, row by row, at any time. Prepare to follow the orders and rush out of the tunnel.
Treat "Katyusha" as "Baby Egg"
During the Battle of Shangganling, the telephone lines of the military divisions were often broken. The telephone operators had to brave the gunfire to answer them. Often they were only connected and then broken. They had to rush to answer them again, and many telephone operators died.
Li Mingming recalled that sometimes Qin Jiwei talked with frontier teachers and group leaders. He wanted to comfort him first. Then he said, "Comrades, you have worked hard." He was interrupted by the telephone operator: "Chief, don't be long-winded, just give orders. Right!"
Li Mingming said that Commander Qin was not angry when he was robbed by the telephone operator. He understood the telephone operator’s well-intentioned criticism. He said, “The soldiers are doing the right thing! The enemy’s artillery shells are so dense, it’s really difficult to guarantee the call. The line is unblocked, only one sentence can be counted as one sentence, it is impossible to talk calmly as usual."
Jin Zhong, director of the Artillery Office of the Fifteenth Army, recalled that Qin Jiwei was so happy to jump up after the "Katyusha" rocket was shipped. He regarded "Katyusha" as a "baby egg."
The leaders of the 15th Army remember that Qin Jiwei hid it in a secret cave, and no one was allowed to see it.
Before the fight, I was very squeamish, and I couldn't watch it or move it.
After the fight, he is even more squeamish, and no one can move or watch.
Every time he uses "Katyusha", Qin Jiwei has repeatedly instructed to choose a good launch position, grasp the launch timing, and ensure safety.
Jin Zhong recalled that every time we counterattacked the fake positions we set up, they were bombarded by the enemy; after the launch, all the real positions were also destroyed by the enemy, but our "Katyusha" had already been pressed by this time. Commander Qin's secret order was moved to a safe area.
Jin Zhong also said that the use of Katyusha rockets supported by the Soviet Union by the Volunteers in the Battle of Shangganling was confidential, so few people knew about it.
In fact, on the fifth day of the battle, the 15th Army used the Katyusha rockets.
Speaking of the "Katyusha" launch, Jin Zhong was extremely excited. He said: "It's like a group of red crows flying across the sky suddenly. The rocket is dragging its beautiful red tail, group after group, piece after piece, chasing and flying. Upward Ganling!"
What made those who witnessed the Shangganling battle even more unforgettable was that flames and smoke billowed on the surface of Shangganling.
Volunteer officers and soldiers scrambled to climb the mountain, cheering and jumping like watching festive fireworks, completely forgetting that they were on the battlefield...
Sang Chuanbao recalled that from the middle of the night on November 24, there was a heavy snowfall on the Korean Peninsula.
The mountains and rivers were covered with a thick layer of snow, the snowflakes fluttered in the air, and the distance was white.
The tunnel crossings on Shangganling were hidden by heavy snow.
Before dawn on the 25th, Qin Jiwei walked on the snow to the military headquarters war room. Sang Chuanbao, who was on duty, sent a telegram to Qin Jiwei.
The telegram was sent from the front command post. The telegram said: After 01:01 on the 25th, the enemy had not fired a single shot nor fired a shot, and no enemy aircraft activity or presence of the enemy was seen.
Qin Jiwei seemed to have anticipated this ending. He calmly said a meaningful sentence: "They won't fight, we won't fight."
Photo courtesy/Wu Dongfeng