Preface:
As everyone knows, during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the officers and men of our volunteers defended the motherland's territory from infringement with their flesh and blood.
It was also highly praised by American generals, and after a battle, Li Qiwei, then commander-in-chief of the United Nations Forces, also highly praised the volunteers.
And also wrote in his memoirs: the volunteer army is the most ferocious fighter and the most civilized enemy.
So what really happened in that battle, and why did Ridgway call the Volunteers "the most civilized enemy"?
In fact, it is still very easy to understand the "most ferocious fighter" in Li Qiwei's mouth.
Because since the Chinese Volunteers entered the Korean War, they have been known for their courage and fearlessness in battle, and they have obvious firepower superiority in the face of the US military.
Relying on his will to fight and his perfect tactical application, the US and South Korean armies suffered heavy defeats one after another.
Moreover, in the first battle, it also left an almost indelible shadow on the proud and complacent US army.
In this battle, the ace unit of the United States, the 1st Cavalry Division, which claimed to have never been defeated, went head-to-head with the 39th Army of the Volunteer Army.
After the battle began, the Volunteer Army relied on roundabout tactics to surround the 8th Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division.
After the battle, the 8th Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division was defeated, and the title of undefeated disappeared.
Since then, the battles between our army and the US army, the US troops who can fight every time have a headache, not only because of the skillfulness of our army's tactics, but also because of the will of the officers and men of the volunteer army to sacrifice their lives and forget their lives.
However, these Li Qiwei were only hearsay, and when he really served as the commander of the US Eighth Army, he really felt the horror of the volunteers.
After the death of Lieutenant General Walker, the former commander of the Eighth Army, Ridgway was ordered to accept and later participated in the Fourth Campaign.
At that time, Li Qiwei could not have imagined that the US army, which had a comprehensive firepower superiority in the sea, land and air, would be defeated by the poorly equipped volunteers.
However, the fiasco of the fourth battle of the US army made Li Qiwei understand that although the weapons and equipment of the volunteers were inferior, the momentum of fighting to the end in their bodies had completely crushed the US army.
It is precisely because of these experiences that Li Qiwei called the volunteers "the most ferocious fighters".
So where does the "most civilized enemy" come from?
This also traces back to a battle in the later period of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
At that time, the volunteers and the American army fought fiercely in a valley, and in the end, the American army and the volunteer army each occupied a ridge and confronted each other.
At that time, the U.S. military was like a great enemy, and they knew very well the strength of the volunteers, so they never dared to slack off.
However, just as the American soldiers were waiting, they found that two people from the volunteer side walked to the road in the middle of the valley with white flags.
Seeing this situation, the US troops on the position did not know what to do for a while.
Because since the beginning of the war, the U.S. military has only seen volunteers who died with them, and they have never seen volunteers who surrendered voluntarily.
Subsequently, the commander of the American position became aware of the situation.
He ordered the soldiers not to shoot, and he took one of the soldiers to the highway to investigate the situation.
On the way down the mountain, the commander was still very worried, because during World War II, the Japanese army would always pretend to surrender and wait until the American soldiers relaxed their vigilance before launching a sneak attack.
However, the practice of the volunteers quickly dispelled the doubts of the commander.
Because when the two met, the commander of the volunteer army said in not fluent English: Our army wants to return dozens of seriously wounded American soldiers of the US army, and asks the US army not to open fire and prepare to receive the wounded.
After saying that, he left, and the request of the volunteers made the American commander a little puzzled.
After returning to the position, he was worried that the volunteers would be deceitful, so he did not relax his vigilance.
The commander of the Volunteer Army, who also returned to the position, was very confused when he saw that the US troops were still in full position, and couldn't help but ask himself if what he said was not clear enough.
However, soon, the commander of the Volunteer Army understood that the US military was worried that he would carry out a sneak attack, so in order to dispel the doubts of the US army, the commander of the Volunteer Army stepped down from the position again.
Seeing this, the US commander had no choice but to confront the commander of the Volunteer Army again.
This time, the commander of the volunteer army said: We really want to return the prisoners of war, because the medical conditions on our side are not good, and if we continue to delay, the lives of these seriously wounded American soldiers will be in danger.
And the US commander still did not react, because he understood that China had not acceded to the Geneva Convention, and naturally did not know the preferential treatment of prisoners of war. Therefore, I still think that the Volunteer Army's move is fraudulent.
However, soon, our army sent the wounded American soldiers to the highway to wait for the American troops to receive them, but what is puzzling is that the American troops did not come to pick up their own wounded for a long time.
It turned out that the commander of the US army was still in a deep ideological struggle at that time, and he really wanted to pick up his comrades-in-arms, but he was worried that he would be shot by the volunteers.
Eventually, after a struggle, the U.S. commander ordered the soldiers to wear red cross armbands and go to receive the wounded.
In the end, the U.S. military successfully picked up the wounded, and the two sides entered a state of confrontation again.
Soon the news reached Li Qiwei, and Li Qiwei couldn't help but sigh: Our wounded can return safely, and it has nothing to do with the Red Cross you carry.
It is precisely because of this battle that Li Qiwei feels that the volunteer army is not only the most ferocious fighter, but also the most civilized enemy.
And this praise was confirmed after the end of the war.
Due to the fact that in several battles, the mainland captured a large number of prisoners.
After the end of the war, the mainland returned all these prisoners to United States, and according to many American prisoners of war, the attitude of the volunteers to prisoners of war was even better than that stipulated in the Geneva Convention.
Not only are food and clothing guaranteed, but various activities are even organized to liven up the atmosphere of the POW camp.
This relaxed and peaceful environment even made some American prisoners of war not want to return to the American army.
This shows how popular our army's policy of giving preferential treatment to prisoners of war is.
On the other hand, even if some countries have acceded to the Geneva Conventions, they still do not abide by the conventions and even massacre prisoners of war.
What is the difference between this kind of behavior and that of animals?
And at a time when they are being condemned, it is despicable that certain countries are still trying to distort history.
What's even more hateful is that there are still many people who openly excuse it, have they forgotten that period of history?
The Chinese nation has always been known for its kindness and tolerance, whether it was in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the War of Liberation, the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and even in several subsequent wars of self-defense and counterattack.
In the matter of giving preferential treatment to prisoners of war, the mainland has always practiced it with practical actions.
And this is also doomed to China's victory.
Resources
United States Army General Ridgway_How Ridgway Died_Ridgway's Memoirs Evaluation Record_On Sword History Network