The Bright Sword of Changjin Lake becomes stronger

Chapter 44 The Detailed Process of the Battle of Changjin Lake
(The next step is to write about the official start of the Changjin Lake Battle. If you are interested, you can get a general understanding. There will be key references later in this book, but it is mainly based on the framework of film and television fans to innovate and expand)

(Note: Because it is a free chapter, I want everyone to learn more about science for free, so the length is very long. If you don’t want to read it, it is recommended to skip to the next chapter directly, and it will be tiring to turn the page)
总：志愿军九兵团于1950年11月7日入朝，27军跨过鸭绿江后第1天夜里冻伤减员就达700人。11月13日，中江镇，27军79师237团三营召开连以上干部开会，遭遇美军飞机轰炸，20多人被燃烧弹烧死，与会14名营连干部全部阵亡。这也是第九兵团入朝的第一批阵亡人员。

The intelligence of the Volunteer Army at that time showed that in the Changjin Lake area, the US military had only two regiments and one forward command post.So the 9th Corps was deployed, and the 27th Army attacked 2 U.S. regiments, and the 20th Army was responsible for cutting off the communication between the various U.S. ministries and attacking the U.S. forward command post.The 26th Army serves as the general reserve of the Corps on the border between China and North Korea.The original plan was to launch an attack simultaneously with the Western Front on the evening of November 11, but due to the heavy snowfall, it was difficult for the troops to move forward, coupled with the bombing by US aircraft, almost all the cars were destroyed, and the logistics transfer could not keep up. (The artillery of the 25th Army was also blown up during the subsequent march. This is also an important reason for the tragic results of the 26th Army in subsequent battles.) In the end, the start of the campaign was postponed to the evening of the 26th.

On November 11, the actual strength of the US military was as follows: in Xinxingli was the forward command post of the 26st Regiment of the 7th Division of the United States, the third battalion of the 31st Regiment, an artillery battalion, and a self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery company. It is the 31nd Battalion of the 32nd Regiment and the Heavy Mortar Company of the 31st Regiment. The Houpo in the south of Xinxingli is the headquarters of the 31st Regiment, a tank unit, an engineer company, and a part of the Korean army.There are more than 4000 people in total.

Xiajieyuli is the forward command post of the 1st U.S. Army Division, the 1rd Battalion of the 7st Marine Regiment, the first part of the 11nd Battalion of the 3900th Marine Regiment, the [-]nd Battalion of the [-]th Artillery Regiment, two engineering battalions, a tank detachment, and logistics units. There are more than [-] people in the Navy, Air Force, Army Joint Service Communication Unit and part of the Korean Army.

In Liutanli are the 7th Marine Regiment, the 5st Battalion and 11nd Battalion of the 8600th Marine Regiment, the [-]rd Battalion of the [-]th Artillery Regiment and part of the Korean Army.A total of more than [-] people.

陆战1师的其他部队则在长津湖以南的富盛里、古土里至真兴里一线。至此长津湖地区的美军已比九兵团预估的多了一倍。另外长津湖西南的社仓里则有美3师7团，长津湖以东则有美7师和韩3师部队。海面上还有美海军7艘航母以及美远东空军提供空中支援。

The intelligence on the battlefield was inaccurate, the U.S. military’s superiority in firepower and maneuverability were not clearly understood, and the preparations for the extremely cold weather were insufficient. The Ninth Corps was doomed to indelible pain before the battle even started.

February 11:
During the day, the U.S. troops in Liutanli launched an attack, but were strongly blocked by the volunteers. The U.S. troops advanced less than 1.3 kilometers, but this also aroused the vigilance of the 1st Division of the U.S. Army, and immediately set up a circular defense circle in Liutanli.

In the evening, the 9th Corps launched a full-line attack.

27军79师、20军89师267团猛攻柳潭里，激战一夜占领柳潭里部分高地。但此处美军为美陆1师主力，第二天白天美军在飞机、坦克、大炮配合下发起反攻，多处阵地丢失。此后几日两军一直反复拉锯争夺。

The 80th Division occupied the high ground between Xinxingli and Neidongzhi and the highlands around Xinxingli. The 81nd regiment of the 242st division occupied the 1221 highland between Xinxingli and Houpu.

27军94师281团在鸭绿江边的惠山方向与美7师一部对峙，另2个团在柳潭里做预备队。81师241团、243团在新兴里以东的赴战湖方向监视美7师和韩3师部队。

The 20th Regiment of the 59th Division of the 175th Army attacked the 1419 highland between Liutanli and Xiajieyuli, but failed.When the attack was organized again at dawn the next day, it encountered napalm bombs thrown by the US Air Force, causing heavy casualties.

The 177th regiment occupied Siyingling and Xixingli between Liutanli and Xiajieyuli, but failed to attack Dedong Pass.Dedong Mountain is located next to the Dead Eagle Ridge. It is the main peak here. The mountain is high and the road is dangerous. With the continuous support of the 105 howitzers in Xiajieyuli, it has never been conquered.It later became a strong support point for the retreat of the U.S. military in Liudamli.

The 60th and 178th regiments of the 179th Division occupied the highlands on both sides of the road from Gutuli to Xiajieyuli, while the 180th regiment entered Huangcaoling south of Gutuli.

The 89th and 265th regiments of the 266th Division entered the warehouse.

The original plan of the 58th Division was to attack Xiajieyuli, but due to a map error, it was unable to cross the mountains and ridges, which led to a detour of 70 kilometers, and it was unable to launch the attack on time.This mistake caused the U.S. military in Xiajieyu to construct a 28-kilometer-long defensive circle for a whole day on the 6th, causing irreparable consequences for the Ninth Corps.

February 11:
At dawn, the U.S. troops in Liutanli began to attack Dead Eagle Ridge, and the first part of the Second Battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment in Xiajieyuli attacked Xixingli. The 59th Division was attacked on both sides.

During the day on the same day, the U.S. Army in Houpu attacked Highland 1221, but was blocked by the 81nd Regiment of the 242st Division. The U.S. Army failed to break through and was forced to retreat. Flee back to Xiajieyuli.

晚，80师猛攻内洞峙和新兴里，次日拂晓内洞峙美军撤至新兴里。撤退过程中美7师31团团长麦克莱恩上校受伤并被俘，4天后伤重不治。31团级战斗队由32团一营营长费斯接任。

下碣隅里方向，58师发起进攻，集中全师火炮，18门82迫、54门60迫，备弹90发和120发开火。天可怜见这跟美军一个团的火力相比都是天差地别，美一个团装备5辆坦克、12门107迫、24门75无后坐力炮、30门81迫及89毫米火箭筒若干，备弹无数，作战时还配属一个炮营18门105榴弹炮。这一晚下碣隅里美军就发射了8000多发炮弹。

That night, the 172nd regiment occupied Dongshan and the nearby highlands. The 173rd regiment once broke through the airport defense line, but in the end it was too weak to expand the gap. The troops suffered heavy casualties during the continuous attack, and they withdrew from the battle at dawn the next day.

It was still the main force of the 20th Division of the 89th Army that night exchanged fire with the 3th Regiment of the 7rd US Division in Shecang.

February 11:
During the day, the U.S. Army in Xiajieyu stormed Dongshan Highland 1701, and Yang Gensi died on the nearby Xiaokaoling Highland.

In the evening, the U.S. bombed the Dongshan position with artillery and night fighters, and the 58th Division was unable to gather and attack.

古土里方向，由英皇家海军陆战队第41突击队，及美陆1师两个步兵连，两个坦克排和其他火力单位组成特遣队北上支援下碣隅里。被60师178团、179团围追堵截，最终300多人、17辆坦克突入下碣隅里，300多人伤亡，剩余237人于30日上午8时向179团投降。

February 11:
During the day, the U.S. military in Xiajieyu continued to storm the 1701 highland in Dongshan.

In the evening, the 58th Division organized the remaining forces to attack Xiajieyuli from the Dongshan position, but finally failed to break through due to the lack of attack points and lack of follow-up troops.Since then, the 58th Division of Dongshan Highland has repeatedly fought with the enemy until the evening of December 12th, and all the blood of the 5th Division has been shed here.

同日晚，27军集中80师238、239、240团，81师241团4个团以及全军所有火炮围攻新兴里。

February 12:
In Liutanli, the U.S. troops broke through in an all-round way and attacked Dead Eagle Ridge. The 27th Division of the 79th Army occupied the highland on the west side of the northern section of the highway, and the 94th Division occupied the highland on the east side of the northern section of the highway. However, the 79th Division was exhausted, and the 94th Division had lost thousands of personnel after being frozen in the ice and snow for several days. Failed to arrive at the preset position as scheduled, and the 79th Division was unable to stop the US military's retreat on its own.

In the afternoon, the 27th Army entered Xinxingli and captured the flag of the "Polar Bear Regiment".The U.S. 7th Division decided to break out of the siege, but the command was chaotic. Pu's U.S. troops withdrew to Xiajieyu after 4 pm, resulting in no one to respond to the U.S. troops who broke out.Lieutenant Colonel Faith was killed while directing the breakout, and the US troops broke up and fled across the ice.By the end of the battle at 12 o'clock in the morning on December 2, more than 4 enemies were actually wiped out in this battle, and 2000 people fled back to Xiajieyu, of which only 1050 had all beards and tails.The 385th company of the 81nd regiment of the 242st division all froze to death on the blocking position. This is the first "ice sculpture company".

The 7st Regimental Combat Team of the 31th Division of the United States was wiped out. The first reason is that its strength is exaggerated. Although it has the title of "Polar Bear Regiment", its actual combat power is at the level of the ordinary US Army and cannot be compared with the 1st US Army Division.This is also the reason why the Ninth Corps decided to take him first after adjusting the battle. The second is that the defense is loose, and the troops are stationed in three places, and they are divided as soon as the war starts.Later, although there were two combined troops and one, they did not form a circular defensive circle, and the defense line was distributed in a belt shape, and then it was broken by the 1th Army. The third is command confusion. After the breakthrough was confirmed, the Houpu troops received an order to retreat early, resulting in the failure of the troops who had broken through to this point to respond. 2. The will to fight was weak. The supreme commander fled far away from the battlefield. After two battlefield commanders were killed, the third commander gave up command. More than 27 people fled, and the remaining troops fought on their own.

As for the Ninth Corps, weak battlefield reconnaissance and inaccurate intelligence resulted in the inability to achieve the principle of concentrating forces to wipe out the enemy from the beginning of the battle. One division of the 79th Division mainly attacked the main force of the 1st Division of the US Continental Army. One division of the 58th Division besieged the command and logistics base of the 1st Division of the United States and Mainland China after a one-day delay.

Affected by hunger and cold at that time, the Ninth Corps had the strongest combat power on the first night, followed by the second night, and after that, its combat power dropped to a new level. Power has been greatly reduced.

The U.S. military has no awareness of the ability of the U.S. military to mechanize air-ground integrated operations, and the casualties in offensive operations are huge. However, the strategy of occupying the high ground on both sides of the road to block the enemy actually failed to achieve the expected effect.

So far, the Ninth Corps has suffered a severe reduction in combat personnel, freezing to death and frostbite, and almost exhausted food and ammunition. It is actually unable to carry out offensive combat missions.

February 12:
The 27th Division of the 79th Army fought bloody battles with the breakout U.S. troops on the northern section of the highway from Liutanli to Xiajieyuli, and the 20th Division of the 59th Army fought bloody battles on the eastern section of the highway from Liutanli to Xiajieyuli.

February 12:
The 27st and 81nd Regiments of the 241st Division of the 242th Army, which ended the battle in Xinxingli, crossed Changjin Lake to occupy the highlands on the north side of the eastern section of the road.However, the Dead Eagle Ridge position was breached by the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Army at Deokdong Pass lost more than half of its company. They still stayed at the position for 6 nights and 6 days, and captured nearly 20 volunteers. The 59th Division of the 177th Army withdrew from the battle. There were only more than 60 people left in the first battalion of the 177th Regiment. After receiving the retreat order, they did not withdraw because their hands and feet were frozen and they could not crawl. They were not carried back until night. The 6nd Battalion of the [-]th Regiment did not retreat until dusk, and all of the [-]th company froze to death on the blocking position. This was the second "Ice Sculpture Company", and Song Amao, who wrote the last poem, was a soldier of this company.

At 7 o'clock in the evening, the vanguard of the US military had arrived in Xiajieyu.At 22 o'clock in the evening, the 81rd Regiment of the 243st Division arrived near Xixinxin.

I don't know if it's a delay in contact or a report of the battle situation. In the middle of the night on the 3rd, Mao Zedong was still calling the Ninth Corps, asking him to speed up the mobilization of the 26th Army, besiege the U.S. troops in Liutanli, and implement the combat plan of encircling the spot and sending aid.

February 12:
The 81rd Regiment of the 243st Division and the US military repeatedly competed for the high ground near Xixin.After all, the daytime belongs to the U.S. military, and was taken away by the U.S. military and all were withdrawn to Xiajieyu.There were more than 1500 American casualties in Liutanli.

February 12:
The U.S. military in Xiajieyu was preparing to retreat and began to transport the wounded by air.By the second day, thousands of wounded were transferred.

On the same day, the 20th Division of the 89th Army entangled with the 3th Regiment of the 7rd US Division from Shecangli to Xiatongli and then withdrew from the battle.

At 8:10 p.m., two U.S. B-26 bombers dropped six 6-pound bombs on Xiajieyu Ri.The oil was hit, and the flames soared into the sky, reflecting the entire sky. The U.S. military and volunteers were stunned.

In the middle of the night, the 26th and 76th Divisions of the 77th Army rushed to Xiajieyuli and handed over positions with the 58th Division.Its 88th Division is still dawdling on the road, while the 78th Division is covering the flank of the entire Corps on the Eastern Front. The 26th Army originally planned to launch an attack on the evening of the 6th, but the U.S. military began to attack and retreat at dawn, and the 26th Army was forced to hastily fight.

February 12:
At 4:30 in the morning, the U.S. forward began to retreat and fought fiercely with the 76th Division. In the afternoon, it broke through the blockade and left Xiajieyu.

At 7:30 in the morning, the US rearguard began to attack the Dongshan position and occupied it at 14:30 in the afternoon.The Volunteer Army organized a counterattack but the command was incompetent. They even organized troops on the ridge between the two hills in front of 1701 Heights in broad daylight to prepare for the attack.It was immediately bombed by U.S. aircraft, causing heavy casualties.The US ground forces took the opportunity to occupy the hills on both sides and blocked the retreat route of the Ministry with heavy firepower.The unit was neither able to defend nor retreat, and was unilaterally massacred by the US military. It had to surrender and eventually captured 220 people.

In the evening, the 26th Army organized another counterattack against the Dongshan position, but failed.

February 12:
At 2 o'clock in the morning, the 26th Army once again organized a full-scale attack on the Dongshan position and the US military on the way to retreat overnight, but it still failed.The Battle of Dongshan, which began on the evening of November 11, is also known as the Battle of Dongqiu in the history of the US military.

At 6 o'clock in the morning, the U.S. rearguard began to retreat, and the 76th and 77th divisions were still fighting tenaciously.At the same time, the US forward arrived in Gutuli. At 10:[-] in the morning, all the forward troops entered Gutuli.

At 8:26 am, the U.S. rear guards exchanged fire with the 88th Division of the 15th Army that had just arrived, and broke through at [-]:[-] pm.

In the past two days and one night, the 26th Army was stunned, and its main force, the 76th Division, lost more than 6000 people. It can be said that the combat troops were completely lost.

At midnight that day, all the 1st Division of the US Army withdrew to Gutuli, and more than 600 people were killed or injured during the entire retreat.Lieutenant Colonel Harris, the son of General Harris, commander of the U.S. Naval Air Force, was shot dead while leading a team to cover the retreat of the 1st U.S. Continental Division's baggage transport team.When this person was fighting in Liutanli ahead, he ordered a company to withdraw from the position to defend the safety of his battalion headquarters.

February 12:
At 2 o'clock in the morning, the U.S. military had just arrived in Gutuli and began to retreat, marching towards Huangcaoling.The famous three bombings of the Shuimen Bridge took place here (on December 12, the 1th Division bombed for the first time, on December 60th, the 12th Division bombed for the second time, and on December 4th, the 60th Division and the 12nd Regiment bombed for the third time).The remnants of the 6th Division of the 58th Army were blocked north of the Shuimen Bridge, with about 172 to 20 companies, and each company had less than a hundred people. The division chief of staff Hu Ganxiu and the political commissar of the 58th regiment Hao Liang led the command.Unfortunately, the command post was discovered by a U.S. military plane, and the rockets shot directly into the cave where the command post was hiding, and all members died.

The U.S. troops who went north from Zhenxingli attacked Huangcaoling south of Shuimen Bridge. The 60th Division was defending here, but the 178th and 179th regiments were disabled. Although the 180th regiment did not have many combat missions in the early stage, it lost a lot of personnel while lying on the ice and drinking snow. , the whole battle was very difficult.

February 12:
The Shuimen Bridge was repaired for the third time, and all 3 soldiers from the 58nd Regiment of the 172th Division on the hill next to it froze to death on the ground.

Huangcaoling 1081 highland, the 20nd Company of the 60th Division and 180th Regiment of the 2th Army all froze to death on the position. This is the third "Ice Sculpture Company".Because it was first discovered by the U.S. military, the deeds of the "Ice Sculpture Company" are the most widely spread.The first battalion where the company was located had a total of 666 people. By the time they withdrew from the battle, only 16 people could act on their own.

On the same day, the 26th Army rushed to Gutuli, but could not prevent the US military from retreating.

February 12:
美陆1师全部通过水门桥，越过黄草岭向真兴里撤退。20军58师、60师战斗人员只剩100多人，仍然顽强追击。

February 12:
At 1 o'clock in the morning, dozens of people from the 20th Army caught up with the rear guard of the 1st Division of the US Army.

On the same day, all the 1st Division of the U.S. Army entered Zhenxingli, and the U.S. Army lost more than 300 people along the way.

The situation since then was that the U.S. military retreated on the road covered by aircraft and tanks, and the volunteers pursued along the mountains on both sides of the road, without any major battles.

February 12:
More than 10 people from the U.S. Tenth Army began to board the ship from Xingnan Port.

February 12:
The 1st U.S. Continental Division began boarding from Xingnan Port.

The U.S. carrier-based aircraft and naval guns formed a dense firepower network to prevent the attack attempts of the 27th and 26th armies that were chasing.

December 12: The U.S. military blasted and destroyed the remaining materials and equipment, and left North Korea forever.

Throughout the entire Changjin Lake Battle, the U.S. military lost 4418 combat personnel and 7313 frostbite casualties, of which more than 2500 were dead or missing.The battle report of the Ninth Corps stated that more than 7000 enemies were wiped out. It is said that the statistical caliber is different. For example, the more than 1000 U.S. troops scattered in Xinxingli, the Volunteer Army was counted in the number of enemies wiped out, and the U.S. military has already recruited these people, so naturally it is not counted.The second is that because the volunteers had no food at all, many captives were released.

Speaking of food, the 27th Army and the 20th Army were already running out of food while they were on the way, but the logistics transfer was very difficult. The North Koreans did not trust the Volunteer Army, and a large number of North Koreans fled across the Volunteer Army’s defense line to the U.S. military camp.There are also a small number of North Koreans who took advantage of the fact that the volunteers did not threaten or block the North Koreans, and went back and forth through the defense lines of the volunteers to report information to the US military. It is also said that the accompanying Korean soldiers pretended to be civilians.From Liutanli, a large number of North Koreans followed the U.S. troops to retreat. There were about a few thousand people in the Changjin Lake area. In the end, more than 9 North Koreans left with the U.S. troops in Xingnan Port.The 26th Army walking behind had no food to raise, and many died of starvation.

The Ninth Corps lost more than 14 people in this battle, and more than 000 people died of frostbite, of which more than 30 died of freezing and more than 000 were killed in battle.

Although there were many major flaws in the preparations and tactical operations of the Ninth Corps during the Battle of Changjin Lake, the Ninth Corps overcame great difficulties, exerted super will and courage, and forced the 1st Division of the US Army and the entire US 10th Army to withdraw from North Korea. It is undoubtedly a huge achievement.

(End of this chapter)