The seniors recalled that Liu Xing fought fiercely, the bamboo sticks in the ditch were like knives, and the main attack battalion was 800 people, and less than 200 after the war

On May 12, 1949, the 244th Regiment of the 82nd Division of the 28th Army was stationed in Suzhou.

At dusk, the 244th Regiment suddenly received an order to march east to liberate Shanghai. After a hurried dinner, the team entered. After nearly 16 hours of forced marching, on the morning of the 13th, the troops rushed to the Jiading and Luodian areas, and the vanguard detachment approached the front line of Liuhang and International Radio, the main positions of the enemy's defense line in western Shanghai.

In the afternoon, the regiment headquarters held a pre-war regimental party committee meeting in a small village on the outskirts of Jiading. The regiment commander Xing Yongsheng conveyed the combat mission of the regiment: to quickly seize Liu Xing, open the gate to Songhu, cooperate with the brother troops to attack Wusong, and cut off the enemy's escape route by sea.

After the meeting, the commander of the 244th Regiment first divided up to inspect the terrain.

Liuhang, located in the west of Wusong, is a small town, and Wusong, Shanghai just into a triangle, located in the Hutai (Cang) highway rush. Tang Enbo, commander-in-chief of the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou garrison, built a Puxi arc defense line with a length of 100 miles and a depth of 20~30 miles from Baoshan in the north, to Longhua in the south, and to Liuhang in the west.

On this endless Yangtze River Delta, rivers are intertwined and the water network is vertical and horizontal; Bridges were destroyed, trees were cut down, and many buildings were demolished; Only patches of thin yellow wheat seedlings in the nearby fields swayed in the breeze. In the distance, there are many reinforced concrete forts, turtle shells lying on the ground, layer by layer of deer, barbed wire, ground nets, and trenches, and the forest is standing.

Back at the regimental command post, Deputy Regiment Commander Song Jialie saw Regiment Commander Xing and said, "No, you can't fight tonight." Head Xing replied, "Yes, I was about to study with you...... The problem is not that the enemy's fortifications are strong, but that we are not well prepared, and the idea of underestimating the enemy with our troops is very serious. Now, let's take a closer look at the terrain and get acquainted with the characteristics of the enemy's fortifications. ”

After repeated study, the regiment decided to launch an attack at 20 o'clock the next day, and determined: the northwest corner was the 1st breakthrough, and the 3rd Battalion was responsible; The southwest corner is the 2nd breach, which is in charge of the 1st Battalion, with a two-pronged approach; The second battalion is the second echelon of the regiment; We should step up the political mobilization of the troops and focus on overcoming the paralyzing mentality of underestimating the enemy. The plan was reported to the division and approved.

On the evening of the 14th, the battalions reported one after another, and the preparations were completed. This is tantamount to urging the regimental commander: Hurry up and give the battle order!

Song Jialie couldn't sit still at the regimental command post as early as possible, and he said, "Regiment commander, I'll go to the front." "The regimental commander knew his temper and was reluctant to leave the assault team as soon as there was a fight. The head of the regiment smiled: "You are the same as below, can't you hold your breath?" Saying that, he sent Song Jialie out of the command post.

Song Jialie took the guard Guo Liancheng and a communication squad to the position of the third battalion along the traffic ditch. At this time, the clouds were thick, and through the faint light of dusk, you could still see the scene on the battlefield. In the distance, the enemy's position was deserted; On our side, however, it was like a machine with full power, and even every tiny gear was turning rapidly.

The Seventh Company has begun to engage the enemy, and the soldiers are all excited and proud. After crossing the river, the enemy fled in the wind, and the troops chased around Taihu Lake, but they did not fight a solid battle, so everyone sang Allegro: "Cross the river and cross the river, without firing a shot; Pursuit and pursuit, vulnerable. "The war of liberation is coming to an end, and there are not many opportunities for a big battle. The liberation of Shanghai was the last chance to make great contributions, and after accepting the main attack task, the people of the Seventh Company were eager to rush and enter Shanghai that night. Those who hold explosives, those who carry door panels, those who dig bunkers, and the unmanned department is in high spirits.

The Eighth Company, which served as a reserve, also had to drill forward, and some soldiers saw Song Jialie and said as if they were scolding: "Deputy Regiment Commander, why don't you give us the main attack task to the Eighth Company?" ”

Song Jialie was very proud and a little angry: Why is there no concept of hostility at all? Even the common sense of covert marching is left behind! He solemnly reminded: "The most difficult task is still after the gap is opened, and we must not treat the enemy as a dead tiger!" ”

At exactly 20 o'clock, two red signal flares pierced the night sky, and our artillery was ejected. The assault platoon of the 7th Company did not wait for the artillery fire to extend, and under the cover of dozens of light and heavy machine guns, it exploded the first deer barricade and began to assault, but it was blocked by a small river. In his anxiety, a soldier suddenly noticed a small stone bridge nearby that the enemy had no time to destroy, picked up the explosives and rushed to the opposite bank. However, I saw a figure flickering and fell under the bridge. Then more than a dozen people swarmed up.

Song Jialie's heart tightened: "Why don't you rush up without waiting for continuous blasting?" "A squad quickly passed under artillery fire. The soldier who ran at the front carried a pistol in his left hand and two grenades in his right hand, and Song Jialie believed that as long as he threw two grenades and the whole class rushed up, he could occupy the bunker. However, it was blocked again, and the front was blocked by ditches and dense barbed wire and bamboo sticks.

Crossfire from various bunkers covered the side of the bridge. A squad of soldiers was lying on such a completely exposed open ground, unable to advance or retreat, and suffered heavy casualties. Song Jialie's heart was so anxious that it seemed to be on fire!

Zhang Wenming, the deputy company commander, rushed up with two squads. After only a while, Zhang Anzhi, the leader of the seventh squad, came back with a broken submachine gun, and blood flowed from his hands. The two squads that went up were frustrated, and Company Commander Su also died. The seventh squad leader changed his submachine gun, and with the remaining two groups in the platoon, he crossed the bridge and rushed to the enemy position.

The enemy's fire was even fiercer, and the howitzers at long range were also bombarded. Obviously, the enemy had concentrated most of Liu Xing's firepower on the assault point of the Seventh Company. Seeing that the Seventh Company failed in its first attack, Song Jialie was a little anxious, and while reporting the situation to the regiment commander, he continued to organize the whole battalion to support the Seventh Company with light and heavy firearms. However, the two platoons that rushed forward again still failed to tear the hole.

What to do? Song Jialie thought nervously. According to the opinion of the three battalions, even if the strength of the entire battalion is used, it must be continued. Battalion commander Liu Zhongyi vigorously demanded that the Eighth Company be brought up, and Ma Shuxiang, the commander of the Eighth Company, had already angrily asked for battle: "Let us break through and ensure that the enemy's arrogance will be defeated." "The order is good, but the result is unpredictable, because the intention of our actions is exposed, the enemy is ready, and the enemy must not be underestimated.

Song Jialie felt that this side could not break through anymore, and while the enemy concentrated its fire on the side of the third battalion, the first battalion should quickly launch a fierce attack in the southwest corner. He grabbed the phone and asked the regiment commander for instructions, but he didn't expect the regiment commander's answer to be: "The Seventh Company will continue to attack, and it will attack like just now!" Song Jialie was taken aback, but immediately understood: the regiment commander wanted him to attract the main forces of the enemy.

The attack of the 7th Company continued, and the enemy continued to reinforce this side. Song Jialie ordered the artillery battalion and led the 8th and 9th companies to quietly move to the southwest corner.

Song Jialie came to the command post of the first battalion, where the battle had begun. Battalion Commander Geng De'an reported: "The battle proceeded as originally planned, and when the Seventh Company attacked, our battalion launched a small group activity, and the Third Company had already erected a pontoon bridge on a river close to the enemy's bunker, but it was just ...... The casualties were relatively large, and the company commander Dai Xianyun was wounded. His voice gradually deepened, and he raised his voice again and said, "Now, the 'Tai'an Lian' has been hit. ”

"How's it going?"

"It hasn't been reported yet. The chief can rest assured that with the fighting style of the 'Tai'an Company' and the suddenness of the battle, he will definitely be able to break through. ”

"Of course......," Song Jialie said, as if talking to himself.

The battalion commander went to the front again. Song Jialie successively sent several messengers to the front to make contact, but they never returned. The enemy's position was like a volcano erupting continuously, with the roar of cannonballs, and only in the gaps between the explosions could the occasional wind-like gunfire and the thunderclap of grenade explosions slowly move into the distance.

"Rush in!" Song Jialie thought. Then the commander of the first battalion reported: "The second company has opened a breakthrough and is developing in depth, and has captured more than 100 enemies. ”

Song Jialie decided to move the command post forward.

Avoiding the enemy's barrage of shells, Song Jialie and the guards advanced rapidly. Crossing creeks, climbing over trenches, jumping over barbed wire and crossing deer. Every time he took a step forward, Song Jialie deeply felt that this was the road to victory that the warriors of the "Tai'an Company" opened up with their blood and lives.

Bamboo skewers and deer skewers are like sharp knife mountains, densely packed with feet that cannot be inserted, and the barbed wire is also like unreasonable mountain vines and wild kudzu, there is no gap, you can't take a few steps, your pants are hung up, and your skin and flesh are also scratched, but it is better to walk on a honeycomb-like crater. Song Jialie was amazed by this: "How did the "Tai'an Company" pass through the open field of the densely fortified front in this area under the frantic resistance of the enemy?

Approaching a ditch. The communicator at the front told him to be careful. Song Jialie didn't think about it, and immediately slipped down the ditch wall. I don't want this ditch to be 3 meters deep and 4 meters wide, and it is knee-deep and full of bamboo sticks, so you have to grope slowly to get through the gap. The ditch wall was slippery and steep, and Song Jialie was thinking about climbing up, when the guard said, "Chief, it's good here, there are ready-made pedals." ”

Song Jialie walked over and found the body of the martyr, leaned over and touched it, there were five or six in a row, all holding small shovels in their hands. From the mud stains on their bodies, it can be seen that the comrades-in-arms who rushed up behind them climbed out of the ditch by stepping on these corpses. Song Jialie was in a sad mood.

Climbing up the ditch bank, there are more than 10 reinforced concrete bunkers in front of you, the iron gate is half an inch thick, and the bunker is covered with barbed wire. Song Jialie approached a newly captured bunker, several wounded soldiers were guarding a group of prisoners, the corpses of the enemy had been removed from the bunker, and our martyrs were temporarily placed in the bunker.

The warriors saw him coming. Jumping for joy. All rushed to talk to him:

"Deputy Commander, you came to the front, we only opened the gap, and we were injured before we could completely complete the task. However, it is not a problem to fight a few more bunkers. ”

"Chief, do you know why the enemy is so stubborn? It turns out that their pockets are full of oceans! ”

It was already before dawn on the 15th, and Song Jialie ordered the second battalion to advance from the right flank, preparing to intercept the enemy reinforcements from the south, and stand by to attack the bunker group southeast of Liu Xing; On the one hand, the troops of less than four companies of the first and third battalions were wedged into depth and rushed into the town. There aren't many enemies in the town. The main force was in the surrounding bunkers, and at this time the 244th Regiment was like a sharp knife stuck in an iron barrel. There is a danger of being truncated. Song Jialie hurriedly ordered the 8th Company to take the enemy's bunker group from the west and join the 7th Company, and the 1st Battalion was responsible for destroying the bunker group in the east.

The command post was temporarily set up in the large bunker that the Eighth Company had just captured.

The battle in depth after dawn was brutal, and the enemy resisted stubbornly with strong fortifications, and they used the cunning tactics of scattered defense, cross-support, single fort combat, and fort by fort, and even an isolated bunker was not easily abandoned. Each company can only fight with the enemy one bunker at a time.

Zhu Boyu, the third squad leader of the Eighth Company, was extremely witty and brave. After the platoon of the Eighth Company forcibly captured several bunkers, the advance was blocked, and many soldiers fell for no apparent reason. Zhu Boyu found a dark ditch of the enemy, with many shooting holes on the ground and spitting tongues of fire. At this time, only he and the deputy squad leader were left in the third squad, and they were pressed by enemy fire next to a small ditch, and lost contact with the back. Zhu Boyu asked the deputy squad leader to go back to contact, and he stayed to find an opportunity to knock out the enemy's firepower point.

Enemy grenades constantly exploded around. He pulled out his only grenade, pulled out the strings, and was ready to die with the enemy if necessary!

It's just dawning. Deputy company commander Nie Shufen quickly came along the small ditch with the second platoon. Zhu Boyu greeted him and replaced him with a submachine gun. After asking for a few grenades and smoke bombs, he asked to lead a group to the front. With a chopping action, another soldier was wounded, and the comrades behind immediately threw a smoke bomb, and he rushed into the ditch with two soldiers carrying the thick smoke.

The culvert was used by the enemy to conceal troops and communicate with various bunkers, and it was about 100 meters long. While they were advancing, they swept with submachine guns. An enemy suddenly came out of the bunker, and Zhu Boyu jumped forward. Grabbed his gun, but was taken back. As soon as the guy got into cover, he raised a grenade, and another enemy lunged at him down the ditch. With a bang, the enemy soldier with the grenade fell in response. It turned out that a fighter then arrived and fired first.

Zhu Boyu immediately pounced on another frightened enemy and snatched his American rifle. The three men continued to move forward, turning a corner, throwing a grenade, and advancing for a while. When there were not many grenades, they used smoke bombs until they completely drove the enemy out of the ditch. They skillfully coordinated to capture 4 bunkers in a row, and in the end only two smoke bombs and two bullets remained. But there is also a large bunker ahead, and the enemy is still frantically struggling.

Zhu Boyu did not hesitate, fired a smoke bomb, took advantage of the smoke and arrows to rush to the enemy fort, blocked the back door with a submachine gun and shouted: "If you surrender the gun, you will not kill, if you don't surrender the gun, you will have explosives." After a few seconds of silence, the iron door opened, and a squad of enemies became prisoners. Just after capturing this reinforced concrete bunker, the 8th and 7th companies met in victory.

Song Jialie hadn't been in touch with the regiment leader for several hours. At around 13:30, Regiment Commander Xing, Chief of Staff Zhu Zhu, Division Deputy Political Commissar Long Feihu, and some cadres of the regiment suddenly appeared at the door of the bunker. Song Jialie looked like he hadn't seen them for a few years, and he really had indescribable affection. Deputy Political Commissar Long held his hand and said, "Old Song, you are still alive, you have worked hard. ”

"Live well."

"Okay? Look at your legs and feet. ”

Song Jialie realized that his two trousers had been torn to shreds, his shoes were torn, and the blood on several wounds had clotted. He tightened his belt and said, "It doesn't matter, it's cut by bamboo sticks and barbed wire." ”

Head Xing handed the cigarette to Song Jialie and told him to go to dinner. Song Jialie lit a cigarette and inhaled vigorously, as if he would increase his strength by taking a sip, but he didn't eat the food that was delivered, he asked the messenger to deliver the food to the wounded, and then reported the battle situation.

As he spoke, the enemy again concentrated its artillery fire, and sent out bombers, and a series of bombs exploded on our position, as if the ground had cracked and the sky had fallen. Everyone was stuffy in the bunker, sweating profusely. Song Jialie wiped his sweat with his sleeve, and at the same time estimated: The enemy is afraid that he will take advantage of our army's unstable foothold to counterattack.

Sure enough, as the artillery fire extended to the rear, fierce machine-gun fire rang out.

"It's not good, the enemy is fighting back." Song Jialie said.

"Why didn't the troops report earlier?" The head of the regiment asked.

"The phone is disconnected."

"Where's your soldier?" Deputy Political Commissar Long asked.

yes, there are no troops around. The Seventh and Eighth Companies were on the west, and after a night and a morning of brutal fighting, most of the men were painted; The 2nd Battalion was blocked to the south by enemy artillery fire and lost contact; The first battalion was in the northeast corner. Only one platoon of the Nine Company was on the east side. Song Jialie hurriedly said: "The troops can't be transferred back. I'll take a look. ”

As soon as they came out of the bunker, the enemy's machine guns swept across the trench "suddenly". Two battalions of the enemy counterattacked from the southeast corner, had occupied two houses not far from the front, and were approaching our command post, shouting: "Surrender your guns!" "Catch it alive!"

The command post is in danger, and the division commander is still inside. And it can't be transferred. Song Jialie was really anxious, and while asking the communicator to order the commander of the third battalion to lead a platoon of the ninth company to counterattack from the flank, he stripped off his shirt and grabbed the "20 rings" of the guards, so he asked the communications platoon commander who had just come in with the regiment commander: "Platoon Commander Ge, how many people have you come in?"

"Two classes."

"Fight back with me!"

The platoon commander Ge was tall and big, and he also stripped off his shirt and carried more than 20 grenades, and took the two squads hidden in the trench. Rushed out of the trench with Song Jialie and rushed straight towards the swarming enemy.

But the guard Guo Liancheng dragged Song Jialie desperately, and shouted repeatedly: "Chief, don't go, I'll go, I promise to fight!" Song Jialie didn't care about explaining, broke free from him and rushed forward, but Guo Liancheng immediately chased in front of him again.

Rows of grenades were thrown at the enemy group, and several 60 guns from the first battalion of machine guns also bombarded the enemy. The sudden bombardment overwhelmed the enemy, and more than 100 enemies who rushed to the front were counterattacked. At this time, fierce gunfire suddenly rang out behind the enemy. The enemy of the two battalions that had rushed to the head of the village was in confusion. The whole line collapsed and retreated. Song Jialie led the communication platoon to pursue the victory, and he had some doubts in his heart: Where did the gunfire come from behind the enemy?

After chasing him to the side of the road in the southeast corner, he found that the fourth company had occupied the bunker group in this area, and had captured more than 100 enemies.

It turned out that after the enemy's shelling, the 2nd Battalion knew that the enemy was going to counterattack, and took the initiative to move the troops behind the enemy's flank. When the counterattack began on the side of the command post, all four companies rushed forward, and the enemy was attacked on the back of the enemy, and the whole line collapsed. We took advantage of the victory and pursued, captured 11 bunkers in one go, and solved all the bunker groups in the southeast corner.

Our army completely occupied Liu Xing. The "door" to Songhu has finally opened!

After the occupation of Liu Xing, the 244th Regiment, together with its brother troops, continued to advance without letting the enemy breathe, and captured the International Radio Station on the 19th, and then defeated Yang Xing. In the entire battle of Shanghai, the 244th Regiment killed, wounded and captured more than 2,500 enemies.

In less than 24 hours, the 244th Regiment took down the large and small bunker groups that had been boasted by Chiang Kai-shek as exemplary fortifications, and completely annihilated all the 1st Battalion of the 73rd Regiment of the 25th Division of the 52nd Army and the mortar company and supervision team of the regiment. However, the casualties of the 244th Regiment were also very large, and the first battalion of the main attack battalion originally had more than 800 people, and at the end of the battle there were less than 200 people left; The fourth company, which was the second echelon, was also reduced from 170 to 39 people, and all the cadres of the company platoon were killed or wounded.

On June 14, the 28th Army held the 2nd Heroic Model Conference in Changshu, and Zhu Boyu of the 244th Regiment was awarded the title of Second Class People's Hero in East China; Ma Liangbin and other 8 comrades were awarded the title of third-class people's heroes in East China; "Tai'an Lian" was awarded the honorary title of "Songhu Fame".