In July 1947, the battlefield in East China was filled with gunsmoke. Su Yu, commander of the East China Field Army, faced with the stubbornness of the Kuomintang elite integrated 11th Division, decided to launch the Nanma Campaign in an attempt to annihilate the troops led by Hu Lian in one fell swoop. Around Nanma Town, Huaye has been heavily surrounded, and it seems that victory is in sight. However, when Su Yu climbed the hill to overlook the enemy position, he was taken aback by an unexpected sight - the position of the reorganized 11th Division was densely covered with countless pillboxes, like an impregnable wall blocking the pace of the attack. Where did these bunkers come from? Why is it so strong in such a short period of time? The tide of battle took a subtle turn at this moment. Will Su Yu be able to find a breakthrough at this time and lead Huaye to this decisive victory? The battle entered an unprecedented predicament and suspense.
Bunkers: Hu Lian's defensive strategy
In July 1947, the town of Nanma was tense in war. Hu Lian, as the commander of the 11th Division of the Kuomintang Army, knew very well that the victory or defeat of this battle would determine the safety of Xuzhou. Nanma is the northern barrier of Xuzhou, and Hu Lian learned the lesson of Zhang Lingfu's annihilation a few months ago, and did not dare to take it lightly. He stood on the high ground of the headquarters, overlooking the battlefield that had been covered by pillboxes, his heart was peaceful, but also full of endless thoughts.
"Bunkers, we have more than 2,000 bunkers!" Hu Lian pointed to the position in the distance and said confidently to the adjutant. After many days of intense construction, every bunker is like a nail, firmly rooted in every corner of Nanma. These bunkers were not only densely distributed, but also interconnected by underground communication trenches, forming a complex defensive system. Not only are they sturdy, but they are supported by sufficient fire points inside and out, and if an enemy approaches, they will be covered by fire from all sides.
Hu Lian knew in his heart that although Su Yu's East China Field Army was good at flexible and mobile tactics, in the face of such a dense group of pillboxes, any surprise attack and encirclement would become ineffective. "This time, they don't want to use the same old set again." He muttered to himself.
Su Yu, as Hu Lian's opponent, stood on the hill opposite Nanma Town, observing Hu Lian's defense line through a telescope. His brow furrowed, the bunkers were a problem for him. Su Yu had annihilated the 74th Division, the ace of the Kuomintang, in the victory of Meng Lianggu, but the scene in front of him was completely different from that time. The town seems to have been turned into a steel labyrinth, and behind each bunker is a carefully arranged firepower network of the 11th Division.
"Where did the 11th Division's bunkers come from?" Su Yu put down the binoculars, and there was a doubt in his heart. For him, Hua Ye's mobility and rapid combat ability had always been the key to victory, but in the face of such a well-defended position, he had to re-examine his tactics.
At this time, Hu Lian had already laid a net of heaven and earth in Nanmabu, and each bunker was designed exquisitely and abnormally. At night, the sappers did not sleep and continued to strengthen their positions. The soldiers of the 11th Division have also been instilled with the belief that this is their homeland and that they must fight to defend this land to the end.
After the battle began, Hua Ye's several tentative attacks were easily repelled by Hu Lian's defensive line. With each charge, they were faced with crossfire, and it was difficult for the soldiers to approach the pillboxes. Hu Lian sat at the command headquarters, quietly looking at the battle report in front of him, feeling a little complacent. "It seems that my bunker strategy has worked." He muttered softly to himself.
This bunker group is not only the crystallization of Hu Lian's wisdom, but also the embodiment of the Kuomintang at all costs to ensure the safety of Xuzhou. However, Hu Lian knew that in the face of an old opponent like Su Yu, it was not enough to have a bunker, and he still needed more time to wait for the arrival of reinforcements.
Thrilling Breakout: Huaye's offensive and defensive stalemate
As time went on, the war became a stalemate. Although the East China Field Army launched many fierce attacks, it failed to shake the solid defense line of the 11th Division. The bunkers were like an impregnable wall, leaving Su Yu's troops at a loss. Hu Lian was in command, and he knew that the 11th Division in his hands could not afford to lose. It was a tough battle, and the forces of both sides were almost at a stalemate.
On 19 July, the weather changed dramatically, with sudden rainstorms making the battlefield even more muddy and flooding making it even more difficult for both sides to attack and defend. The soldiers were stuck in the mud and could not march, and the defenders inside the pillboxes were tired. Although Hu Lian was anxious, he was still as steady as Mount Tai, and the atmosphere in the headquarters was tense but orderly.
Su Yu stood at the top of the mountain, looking at the bunkers of Nanma, and fell into deep thought. The rain hit his face, but it didn't affect his thinking in the slightest. Although his troops once captured several pillboxes in Gaozhuang, Hu Lian's defenses remained impregnable. He understood that if this continued, victory would become out of reach.
"It seems that another way to break the situation must be found." Su Yu finally spoke, breaking the silence. The staff officers around him all looked at him, waiting for the wise and brave commander to make a new decision.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the soldiers on the battlefield were exhausted. Huaye's offensive seemed to be at a bottleneck, and the defense line of the 11th Division was also under tremendous pressure. Casualties on both sides continue to mount, but the battle remains deadlocked. Hu Lian knew in his heart that this battle had become more and more dangerous for him. He sent a messenger to the direction of Xuzhou to request reinforcements.
The battle in Nanma Town became more and more fierce, the rain mixed with mud and blood, and the entire battlefield seemed to be thrown into chaos. The soldiers of the 11th Division in the bunker were exhausted, but they still held their positions, and they understood that as long as the defensive line was not broken, they could hopefully wait for reinforcements to arrive.
Su Yu knew that there was no hope of a strong attack, but he did not give up. He began to mobilize his troops and plan his next move. Hu Lian was also quietly waiting for the arrival of reinforcements, and the two old rivals launched a battle of wits and courage in this small Nanma town.
The rain washed over the battlefield, and the battle horn still sounded.
Tactical Adjustments: Su Yu's Decision Test
In late July 1947, the Battle of Nanma had been going on for several days. Although the East China Field Army's attack was fierce, it was still unable to shake Hu Lian's iron bucket-like defense line. Each attack was met with crossfire from pillboxes, and Su Yu's troops repeatedly charged on the battlefield, leaving thousands of casualties. And as time passed, the Kuomintang reinforcements continued to approach, and the situation began to tilt in an unfavorable direction.
Su Yu, who was standing on the top of the mountain, looked solemn, and he knew that he was now in a dilemma - continuing to attack, risking being surrounded by Kuomintang reinforcements, and possibly annihilating the entire army; The retreat means that the Battle of Nanma will be an unfinished victory. The wind blew through the mountains, and the air after the rain was moist, but it was also mixed with the smell of gunpowder smoke from the war, and Su Yu's thoughts were full of thoughts.
Su Yu's chief of staff, Chen Shiyu, stepped forward and said in a low voice: "Commander, Huang Baitao's 25th and 64th divisions are rapidly approaching, if we don't retreat, I'm afraid we will be surrounded." ”
Su Yu was silent for a moment, staring at the smoke of gunpowder on the battlefield. He knew, of course, that the situation had become extremely complicated. The arrival of reinforcements put his original plan to encircle and annihilate the 11th Division in a difficult situation, and if he did not make a decision, tens of thousands of Huaye soldiers could face the risk of annihilation.
"Withdraw." Su Yu finally made a difficult decision. His voice was low, but full of determination. This decision was not a cowardly retreat, but a calm tactical adjustment. Although Hu Lian's 11th Division could not be completely annihilated, in Su Yu's view, it was more important to preserve the vital force at the moment than to pursue complete victory.
On July 21, the East China Field Army began to withdraw from the battlefield in an orderly manner. After the rain, Nanma was muddy, and the retreat route was rugged and difficult, and the soldiers struggled to advance in the rain, trying to avoid a head-on clash with the Kuomintang reinforcements. During the retreat, Su Yu's troops still maintained a high degree of discipline, and they did not fall into confusion, but withdrew from Nanma step by step according to the predetermined plan, avoiding the danger of being flanked by Kuomintang reinforcements.
Although the Battle of Nanma failed to achieve Su Yu's original goal, the battle still brought huge losses to the Kuomintang 11th Division. Huaye wiped out more than 9,000 enemy troops and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy's living forces. This arduous tug-of-war became a thrilling chapter in the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and also laid the groundwork for future wars.
Regret retreats: the reversal of the tide of battle and the lesson
With the advent of the end of July, the smoke of Nanma finally gradually dissipated. Although Su Yu's East China Field Army successfully retreated, there was still a trace of regret in his heart. It could have been possible to completely annihilate Hu Lian's 11th Division through this battle and lay the foundation for victory in the future East China battlefield, but it could not be realized for various reasons. However, Su Yu did not regret his decision. In his opinion, the retreat was to preserve strength and avoid falling into the encirclement of the enemy army, which could even lead to greater losses.
The Huaye soldiers were exhausted, and the fierce battle of Nanma made them physically and mentally exhausted. In the days following the retreat, the troops were given a temporary respite. However, Su Yu knew that this was only a short break, and a new battle was coming.
Chiang Kai-shek did not stop at the victory of Nanma, he quickly ordered his troops to adjust their deployment, in an attempt to take advantage of Huaye's exhaustion and launch a new offensive. Sure enough, with the end of the Battle of Nanma, the Kuomintang army quickly turned its attention to Linqu. This important town in Shandong has once again become the focus of the confrontation between the two armies.
In the Battle of Linqu, Su Yu fought Hu Lian again. At this time, the East China Field Army was exhausted, and the troops were filled with an atmosphere of fatigue after the Nanma Campaign. Su Yu understood that this time the battle would be more difficult, and Hu Lian was no longer on the defensive as he was in Nanma, but launched an active attack. The 11th Division of the Kuomintang Army became more and more tenacious in the follow-up battles of the Kuomintang-Communist Civil War, and their defensive experience was fully utilized at this time.
Huaye's soldiers faced battle after battle, and their losses gradually increased. On the battlefield of Linqu, the two sides launched fierce street battles, and Su Yu tried to mobilize troops many times, but it was always difficult to break the enemy's defensive line. The battle was even harder than he expected in Nanma, and with each attack, Huaye's soldiers had to pay a huge price.
Su Yu felt the pressure and began to reflect on some of the decisions made in the Battle of Nanma. Although he chose to retreat at that time, in the subsequent Battle of Linqu and the Battle of Shatuji, the East China Field Army had to face the enemy's counterattack. Nanma's regret became a turning point in the series of battles that followed, and Su Yu realized that his troops had to be more flexible in the face of a strong defensive system, rather than blindly attacking.
In the Battle of Shatuji in September, Su Yu finally found an opportunity to break through the enemy's defensive line. He learned the lessons of Nanma and Linqu, adopted more flexible tactics, and successfully turned the tide of the battle in the Battle of Shatuji. Huaye's troops regained their morale and successfully repelled the attack of the Kuomintang army.
Nanma, Linqu, and Shatuji, these three battles constitute a period of ups and downs in the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. Although Su Yu failed to achieve a complete victory in Nanma, he learned valuable lessons that laid the foundation for the next battle. Nanma's regret became the prelude to Huaye's victory in the future.