Text | Editor: Chestnut
Foreword: It was the period of the War of Liberation, a shocking battle called the Huaihai Campaign, which became the most dazzling pearl of the War of Liberation with its magnificent scale, fierce battle and far-reaching influence.
Behind this great battle is a heroic and fearless People's Liberation Army, which, in the baptism of blood and fire, forged an immortal heroic spirit and wrote a magnificent epic that touches and deepens deeply.
How difficult was the second phase of the Huaihai Campaign, the Battle of Huangwei, and what happened on this day?
Battle of Huaihai
In early November 1948, in the southern region of Henan, Chiang Kai-shek ordered Huang Wei's 12th Corps to aid Xuzhou in the north and rescue Huang Baitao's corps. Huang Wei's corps was well-equipped and had strong firepower, and in the face of the stubborn resistance of the Central Plains Field Army, the battle situation reached a stalemate.
Until November 23, Huang Wei's corps was forced to stagnate in a bag-shaped position north of Nanpingji, and the situation was grim.
However, Huang Wei did not give up, he decided to give up the north into Suxian, and instead prepared to retreat south to Bengbu, but the Central Plains Field Army did not let go of this opportunity, and they quickly turned to the pursuit and surrounded Huang Wei's corps.
In the following days, from November 24 to 29, the Central Plains Field Army attacked on all fronts, and fierce melee was fought between the two sides. Eventually, Huang Wei's corps was compressed in a small area near the Shuangduiji, about 5 kilometers in diameter.
Relying on its remarkable defensive characteristics, advanced equipment, and high-level training, the Huang Wei Corps is able to handle defensive operations with ease.
However, Chen Geng was not bothered, he believed that although the tactics of the Huang Wei Corps were more rigid, there were no obvious flaws, especially the core force, the 18th Army, which showed strong combat effectiveness and firm fighting spirit.
In order to enhance its combat effectiveness, the Huang Wei Corps conducted several tactical reconnaissance operations and gave full play to the advantages of motorized artillery mobility and infantry search battalions. During the offensive, infantry, artillery, air force, and tank operations were coordinated to enable the corps to gain a clear advantage on the battlefield.
Despite the fact that the PLA faced the dilemma of lack of anti-aircraft firepower, machine guns were difficult to penetrate tanks, and grenades were difficult to have an impact on tanks, they remained tenacious against enemy forces.
Heavy losses
In the fierce battles of the Huaihai Campaign, the Central Plains Field Army faced a serious challenge, not only to contend with the well-equipped Huang Wei Corps in terms of weapons, but also to break through its carefully arranged defensive line, of which Dawangzhuang became the focus of both sides due to the importance of its strategic location.
Huang Wei was well aware of the importance of this place, so he sent a highly combat-effective "Tiger Regiment" to garrison it, and built a series of well-established fortifications, including strong sub-forts and complex skirmish trenches, forming an inseparable circular defense network.
In the face of such a strong enemy, the Central Plains Field Army did not flinch, they skillfully formulated a battle plan, used the enemy's fortifications as cover, gradually approached the enemy at night, and dug trenches, gradually shortening the distance with the enemy.
However, this process was not all smooth sailing, and the enemy's vigilance was very high, and many counterattacks were launched, which brought great pressure to the Central Plains Field Army.
Despite this, with tenacious perseverance and unremitting efforts, the fighters overcame many difficulties and approached the enemy's core position step by step.
After everything was ready, the Central Plains Field Army launched a general offensive, and after fierce fighting, they managed to capture Dawangzhuang, leaving forces there in case the enemy counterattacked.
As expected, Huang Wei immediately launched a frantic counterattack after learning that Dawangzhuang had lost. The position of Dawangzhuang changed hands repeatedly between the two sides, and the battle was extremely fierce.
In the end, after several rounds of fierce fighting, the Central Plains Field Army once again occupied Dawangzhuang, while Huang Wei's corps fell into a situation of running out of ammunition and food.
In the case of irreversible defeat, Huang Wei's corps had to choose to surrender, Huang Wei himself was captured, and with the fall of Huang Wei's corps, the second phase of the Huaihai Campaign came to an end.
On December 3, 1948, the fate of Huang Wei's corps was destined, on the Xiaoyangzhuang front, the Kuomintang army attacked the position of the 13th Brigade of the Fourth Column, and after a day of fierce fighting, the PLA defenders 3 and a half companies died bravely in the fight with the enemy tanks, creating a heroic battle legend.
The fall of Huang Wei's 12th Corps marked the further weakening of the Kuomintang's military power, and the heroic and indomitable spirit displayed by the People's Liberation Army in this war has also become a good story for future generations.
Behind the victory is full of sorrow, countless brave men sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the country and the people, and their heroic deeds will forever be remembered in the hearts of the Chinese people and in history.
For Huang Wei, who was captured after the war, he expressed his heartfelt respect and admiration for his old rival, General Chen Geng, who not only changed the course of the war, but also profoundly affected the outlook on life and worldview of both sides of the war.
Win with inferiority
The Battle of Huaihai was a pivotal battle during the War of Liberation, and its importance lies in the fact that it marked a major shift in the balance of power between the Kuomintang and the Communists.
In this battle, although the Kuomintang army had the advantage in numbers and advanced weapons and equipment provided by the United States, it was ultimately defeated by the Communist army, which was relatively small in strength and relatively backward in equipment.
So, how did the Communists win this battle with inferior forces?
The communist army adopted flexible strategies and tactics, and they were good at concentrating superior forces to divide and encircle the enemy, so as to quickly destroy the enemy's living forces.
The communist army won the support and participation of the general public, and during the war, peasants actively joined the army, and women also participated in logistical support.
In addition, the communist army had high morale, strong faith and tenacious fighting spirit. They showed extremely high heroism in the battle, fearless of strong enemies, and dared to sacrifice, and this high morale enabled the communist army to achieve great results on the battlefield.
However, during the war, the Kuomintang army revealed a number of problems. Relying too much on US aid and neglecting to enhance its own combat effectiveness; the command level lacks flexibility and adaptability and is too conservative; and internal factional strife affects the war situation.
In the Huaihai Campaign, General Huang Wei was a typical representative, too "nerdy", too much faith in book knowledge, and lacking actual combat experience and flexible handling ability.
During the war, he was skillfully lured into an ambush area by General Chen Geng, resulting in the complete annihilation of the 12th Corps led by him, a defeat that not only exposed his personal weaknesses, but also reflected a major strategic and tactical mistake of the Kuomintang army.
The key to the victory of the Communists in the Huaihai Campaign was that they were able to give full play to their own advantages, effectively use the strength of the people, and show extremely high heroism in the battle.
The author thinks
The Huaihai Campaign, a decisive war, not only demonstrated the wisdom and strength of the people's army, but also highlighted the importance of the people's aspirations.
In this battle, despite the superiority of the Kuomintang's weapons and equipment, the PLA relied on the support of the people and won the victory with the supplies pushed out by small carts.
However, the price of victory was heavy, the tragic scenes on the battlefield are unforgettable, and every piece of shrapnel and every corpse tells the tragedy of that period of history.
Today's peace and prosperity do not forget the national heroes of the country. The heroic deeds of great sacrifice for the enjoyment of happiness are forever engraved in our hearts.
Information sources:
Forever Monument Red Memory: The Battle of Huaihai (Part I) China Central Television
The last "war criminal" Huang Wei Phoenix.com