In the whole war, the China Volunteers won five major victories, and the United Nations troops led by the United States rushed to the vicinity of the 38th parallel, achieving the strategic goal and winning the war. Both sides of the war have detailed data, so I won't explain them in detail.
Where there is war, there is sacrifice, and there are prisoners of war; In this article, we will learn about the volunteer soldiers who were unfortunately captured by the 180 division in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. One of them is the highest level of volunteers: Wu Chengde, acting political commissar and director of the political department of the 60th Army 180 Division of the former Third Corps of Volunteers.
The other is Yang Yuhua, the only woman among more than 6,000 returned volunteers. Before being captured, she was a nurse in Chinese people's Volunteer Army 60 Army 180 Division.
How did Wu Chengde and Yang Yuhua get caught? What are the stories after being arrested? Why did Peng denounce the sixty army commanders? How will the captured people be treated after returning to China? This article will understand the above contents.
In the fifth battle of the Korean War, the United States-led Sino-Korean Coalition forces and the United Nations Army invested more than100000 troops, which was the largest battle in the Korean War. Peng, commander-in-chief of the Volunteers, chose to attack ahead of time in order to prevent the United Nations troops from landing from the flank and put the Volunteers into a difficult situation of fighting on both sides.
Because of the advance of the battle plan, most troops were not fully prepared, which also laid the groundwork for the defeat of 180 division.
At that time, the 60th Army180th Division of the Third Corps of Volunteers just entered North Korea. Because the orders were given in a hurry, they rushed into the fifth war without making more preparations (19565438+April 22, 2000).
From May 16 to May 23, the Volunteers and the Korean People's Army opened a gap at the enemy's front; This would have been an excellent opportunity to defeat the United nations army in one fell swoop; However, it was difficult for the volunteers to keep up with the rear supply, so the attacking frontline troops could only stop and wait for ammunition and supplies.
At this time, the well-equipped American and South Korean troops used modern means of transportation-motorcycle marching 100 kilometers, blocking the gap that had been opened before the arrival of our supply troops; In an instant, the balance of war fell to the side of the United Nations Army.
Peng thinks:
At that time, Li Qiwei, who had just succeeded General MacArthur as Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces, had discovered the shortage of supply capacity of volunteers. Li Qiwei predicted that if volunteers were not replenished, they would run out of food and ammunition within five days.
So, when the volunteers tended to retreat, Li Qiwei decisively sent seven well-equipped American divisions, plus the South Korean 13 division, to launch a comprehensive counterattack against the volunteers; At this point, the main force of the volunteers is at stake.
On May 2 1 day, 180 Division received an order from the superior to stop the attack and move northward, but it must block the United Nations troops in the blocking area for at least 3-5 days and cover the main retreat before retreating. After receiving the order, the 180 division really blocked the United Nations army for the main force and covered the retreat of the main force.
Three days later, the 180 division received a new order to retreat to the north of the Han River immediately after completing the sniper mission. At this time, two armies of the United Nations Army appeared in front of and behind the 180 division respectively, and the 180 division was besieged.
At this time, Wei Jie, the commander of the 60th Army, first ordered 180 Division to continue fighting and wait for rescue, and later ordered 180 Division to break through.
Waiting for help? Who can come to the rescue of 180 Division when this main force is retreating and the rest of the troops are trying their best to stop the United Nations? Thanks to the idea of the commander of the 60 th Army.
180 division immediately split in two and successfully broke through after a bloody battle. But just as the two divisions met, the United Nations troops again sent troops to surround them. This time, in order to prevent them from breaking through again, the United Nations troops sent absolute superior troops and weapons and set up several blockade lines.
In order to meet with 180 division, the 60th Military Department dispatched 179 division and 18 1 division for rescue, but none of them succeeded. Now 180 division soldiers have to rely on themselves to break through.
One night, in a small ravine near Chunchuan, 180 Division convened an emergency party committee. Every participant knows that his current situation is not optimistic: surrounded by well-equipped enemies and set up several blockade lines outside; The enemy is constantly compressing the encirclement, and the 180 division has been compressed into a very narrow area.
The gunfire not far away and the roar of enemy planes above show that if the 180 division does not take action, it will only take a day or two for the United Nations troops to try to catch them.
Because it was blocked by the enemy, there was no food and ammunition supply. 180 division has been out of food for three or four days, and there is little ammunition left. Under the constant compression of the enemy, the number of casualties is rising, and everyone present feels very heavy.
You know, in the early years, the 180 division was famous for its bravery and good fighting, but now the remaining more than 10 thousand soldiers are surrounded by the United Nations army in this narrow place.
Wu Chengde, the acting political commissar of the division who presided over the meeting, asked several questions, but no one dared to answer. It was not until later that someone suggested: "It is still a breakthrough in a decentralized way." According to common sense, when the troops are concentrated, the combat effectiveness of the troops will be strong, and it is easier to break through the enemy's blockade with a little attack.
However, at that time, when the 180 division was seriously short of ammunition, the centralized breakthrough would be more hopeless than the decentralized breakthrough; It can't be said that decentralized breakthrough is a good policy, but it can only be said that it is the best policy. There is no way, and this is the only choice that 180 Division can make. As a result, the proposal of "decentralized breakthrough" was quickly approved by most people.
After simple deployment, the leaders returned to their respective units to arrange a breakthrough. Wu Chengde also visited the regiment before the breakout; When he passed a ravine, he heard someone shouting, "Political commissar Wu, we can't go any further." When Wu Chengde looked intently, it turned out to be a group of wounded people who were injured in previous battles and could not keep up with the breakthrough of the troops.
After finding the head of the wounded and arranging the wounded, Wu Chengde pursued the transferred division to the west with guards and messengers. When Wu Chengde and his party came to Youshankou, he found a dark crowd in front. Looking carefully, it turned out that there were more than 300 wounded people in 180 division. These wounded people are too injured to move easily, so it is difficult for them to keep up with the transfer of troops.
When the wounded saw Wu Chengde, they seemed to see hope and asked noisily:
If Wu Chengde ignored these wounded people and pursued them directly, he would be able to catch up with HQ and perhaps break through successfully. However, watching the injured people turn their eager eyes to him, Wu Chengde couldn't bear to leave them and took them to break through.
Wu Chengde knows very well that the troops are short of food and ammunition now. If they were with the disabled, he would certainly not be able to break out of the encirclement of the United Nations. But how can you have the heart to leave these lovely soldiers?
In order to show his determination to be with the wounded, Wu Chengde got off the horse, took out his pistol and fired a shot at his horse, which fell to the ground. Wu Chengde said to the wounded:
Subsequently, Wu Chengde asked the wounded to be grouped according to the number of people, with 40 people in each group; Each group should also choose one or two cadres to lead the group to break through. However, due to the disparity in strength, Wu Chengde led the wounded to break through and fought all night until they ran out of ammunition and food.
Later, Wu Chengde led the rest of the wounded to persist in guerrilla warfare in the mountainous area near the 38th parallel of Korea. Everyone was in the same boat, and they persisted for 14 months, until only three people were left, and they were accidentally captured by the U.S. mountain search team.
At that time, when the U.S. Army Mountain Search Team learned that Wu Chengde was the acting political commissar of 180 Division, they were happy-they finally caught a big official.
In fact, before this breakthrough, everyone in 180 division knew clearly that the decentralized breakthrough was only the last attempt, and the chances of success were very small; Facts have indeed proved this point: among the more than 10,000 soldiers of the 180 Division who participated in the breakout, less than 4,000 people succeeded in the breakout, and the remaining 7,000 people, a few died in battle and most were captured.
You know, during the war to resist US aggression and aid Korea, more than 20,000 volunteers were captured. The breakthrough of 180 division once set a new record for captured volunteers-at least 7000 people, accounting for about one-third of the total number of captured volunteers. This is also the largest number of captured volunteers since the volunteers entered the DPRK.
The whole army was shocked to learn that at least 7000 soldiers had been captured. As the commander-in-chief of the volunteers, Peng was very angry. At the military meeting held in mid-June, Peng questioned and denounced Wei Jie, the commander of the 60 th Army.
Although Peng angered the commander of the 60th Army and thought that he was mostly responsible for the capture of more than 7,000 soldiers of the180th Division, Peng himself once said that he was also responsible for the defeat of the180th Division.
Peng said to him:
Later, Wu Chengde was sent to Busan War Crimes Prison by the United Nations Army. In order to make Wu Chengde surrender, to make him betray the motherland, and to win him over to Chiang Kai-shek after the war, the enemy can be said to have exhausted all means. First, he seduced Wu Chengde with all kinds of beautiful women, delicious food and good living conditions. Later, when I saw that he could not be soft, I tried hard, tortured him and destroyed his will.
However, Wu Chengde never gave in. He is always hopeful, waiting for the day when he can return to China to visit his wife and children after the war. Wu Chengde knows that there is an international convention on the treatment of prisoners of war, that is, the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, in which article 1 18 stipulates that prisoners of war should be released and repatriated immediately after the war.
Moreover, even without this convention, Wu Chengde always believed that the motherland would try every means to rescue them.
Panmunjom negotiations officially started in July 195 1, but it was not until two years later (1July 27, 953) that the Korean Armistice Agreement was formally signed and came into effect. In these 24 months, 19 months was stuck on the issue of the repatriation of prisoners of war, because the United States unreasonably ignored the requirements of the Geneva convention, and the warring parties could not reach an agreement on the issue of prisoners of war; In order to win the smooth return of prisoners of war, we fought the United Nations Army for more than a year.
As the highest-ranking prisoner of war, Wu Chengde was repatriated by the last batch of American troops. It was1September 2, 953. Several American soldiers came to the room where Wu Chengde was held with a bucket of water. Wu Chengde knew his purpose at a glance: want me to take a bath? Cover up the truth about your mistreatment of prisoners of war. Nice try!
Thinking about it, Wu Chengde was so angry that he kicked the bucket over. Several American soldiers looked at each other. One of them ran to get the faucet, washed it directly for Wu Chengde, and left with others. Wu Chengde threw the suit out of the window without looking at it.
After throwing clothes, Wu Chengde took out a needle and thread to mend his shoes, which were worn out from China to North Korea. This pair of shoes is a souvenir and a symbol of hometown; These shoes gave him the courage and confidence to live. Later, Wu Chengde's old shoes were collected by Dandong Memorial Hall to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
At 9: 00 am on September 6, Wu Chengde took an American ambulance and came to the scene of the exchange of prisoners of war between China and the United States with other captured personnel. At that time, the personnel in charge of prisoner exchange in China knew Wu Chengde, but they hardly recognized him.
Wu Chengde lived in a prison camp for only a few months, and he was already tortured by the US military. Before being captured, Wu Chengde weighed 130 kilograms, and now he weighs only 90 kilograms. Under the long-term torture of the US military, Wu Chengde was sallow and emaciated, and his body was very weak.
Later, Wu Chengde and many weak prisoners of war were rushed to an ambulance and immediately sent to the Volunteer Hospital in Kaesong for a comprehensive inspection.
Li Kenong, then Vice Foreign Minister, and Huang Hua, the Chinese negotiator, cordially received the last group of repatriated persons, including Wu Chengde. I also expressed my condolences and congratulations to them. The care from the leaders and the care from the organization made these heroes who had been tortured physically and mentally in the prison camp for several months, only bleeding without tears, could not help but shed tears.
Later, after returning to China, all these prisoners boarded the train and arrived in Shenyang, where they were arranged to stay in the guest house of the Northeast Military Region. 1980, that is, 27 years after returning to China, Wu Chengde resumed his military duties and was able to enjoy the treatment of military ranks.
At that time, there were always 29 female nurses in the division health team of 180 Division. Before the encirclement of the United Nations Army was sealed, Shi Jinchang, the chief of medical administration of the logistics department of 180 Division, led the health team and followed the second echelon composed of the "post-administrative secretary" organs of 180 Division to evacuate from the North Han River. Except for a few people who were unfortunately killed by American planes, the rest of them successfully rushed out of the encirclement of the United Nations forces.
But Yang Yuhua is not one of them. The thing is this: when Yang Yuhua treated the wounded a few days ago, the wounded and the stretcher bearers were very hungry, so she gave all her fried noodles to the wounded and the stretcher bearers, and she had to find wild vegetables to satisfy her hunger. Unfortunately, she found poisonous wild vegetables and vomited and diarrhea for several days in a row, so she couldn't really participate in the evacuation. A few days later, she went into a semi-coma, tied to a stretcher and evacuated with the stretcher team.
The stretcher team was unfortunately discovered by the enemy on the way to evacuation and was also shelled; More than a dozen stretcher bearers and the wounded on the stretcher were killed, and the survivors took the wounded to an abandoned railway tunnel.
However, the US military immediately fired several rockets into the railway tunnel, and the stretcher bearers and the wounded outside were burned to death. Only five wounded people survived in the railway tunnel, including Yang Yuhua.
The next morning, during the search by the United Nations search team, the US military found five wounded people, including Yang Yuhua, who were all taken to the hospital behind the United Nations.
At that time, Yang Yuhua was wearing a men's uniform and his hair was cut very short. In the process of rescuing the wounded for a long time, he was unkempt and covered in mud. The US military currently does not recognize Yang Yuhua as a woman; Yang Yuhua was not treated as a female prisoner of war until her physiological period came and she was discovered by female military doctors of the US army.
Later, accompanied by Zhang Zeshi, who acted as an interpreter in the U.S. prison camp, Yang Yuhua was sent to the South Korean Army concentration camp, where she was locked up with female prisoners of war of the Korean People's Army. At that time, only Yang Yuhua in the South Korean army concentration camp came from the Volunteers, so the female prisoners of war of the Korean People's Army took special care of Yang Yuhua.
On one occasion, in order to protest against the abuse of prisoners by the US military, female prisoners of war of the Korean People's Army began a collective hunger strike; However, an American female second lieutenant thought that Yang Yuhua was from China and would definitely not take part in the hunger strike of Korean female prisoners of war, so she put the food in front of Yang Yuhua.
As a result, Yang Yuhua knocked over the food brought by the female second lieutenant of the US army without looking; Later, Yang Yuhua was retaliated by the US military and was beaten, but Yang Yuhua was also respected and admired by the female prisoners of war of the Korean People's Army.
1On the afternoon of August 8th, 953, Yang Yuhua, who spent more than two years in the American prison camp, finally went back with other female prisoners of war of the Korean People's Army. At that time, the U.S. military rudely took more than 400 Korean female prisoners of war and Yang Yuhua from Busan to the carriage about to exchange prisoners of war.
Female prisoners of war of the Korean People's Army sang happily in the carriage, and the American army became angry from embarrassment and threw three tear gas bombs into the carriage. Yang Yuhua did not hesitate to throw tear gas into the train and directly covered the North Korean female prisoners of war and their children with her body.
The car finally arrived at Panmunjom, and Yang Yuhua wore his own liberation hat in the prison camp, holding his own five-star red flag and waving it outside the door; Yang Yuhua burst into tears when he saw his relatives from the motherland who came to exchange prisoners of war.
Du Ping, director of the Political Department of Volunteers, took Yang Yuhua's hand affectionately and said to her:
Later, Yang Yuhua returned to his hometown, Chongqing, and began to teach in mountain village primary schools for decades, serving the children wholeheartedly. 1986 after retirement, I began to do some housework at home, go to the market to buy food, and occasionally climb mountains to see the scenery like a normal old man.
So, except Wu Chengde and Yang Yuhua, what happened to other prisoners of war after they returned to China? Some of the volunteers' prisoners of war returned to the motherland, and some were intimidated by the United States to Chiang Kai-shek. At first, the prisoners who returned to the motherland were treated as they should. However, due to the special period, every movement pushed them to the front desk, and they were treated unfairly from the beginning, just like Wu Chengde and Yang Yuhua.
For example, the former instructors of the 593rd regiment, Li Ming, 18 1 division commander Shi, were only recognized by the management committee as "in the army before being captured", while the instructors of the 583rd regiment in Sichuan were "expelled from the army" and reluctantly demobilized ... All these prisoners of war were treated unfairly.
Later 1980, after the central government issued documents, these returned prisoners of war were properly resettled and financially subsidized, so that they could spend their old age safely.
For any war, prisoners of war are a sensitive topic, but they should also be treated differently. They didn't surrender voluntarily, most of them were caused by objective reasons. Some people were seriously injured, some people were stunned by shells to save their comrades-in-arms, and some people were besieged by a large number of troops because of the general's command mistakes.
Take the 7,000 prisoners of war of the Volunteer Army 180 Division as an example. The commander's instructions put them in a passive position, and even Peng reflected on himself and regarded the fifth campaign to resist US aggression and aid Korea as one of the four major military mistakes in his life.
As for the prisoners of the Volunteers, Wu Chengde, Yang Yuhua and most other prisoners of war were once good soldiers who fought bravely and were not afraid of sacrifice. After being captured, they also turned their hearts to the motherland without hesitation. Such soldiers are also heroes.
Where there is war, there will be prisoners of war. Therefore, we should treat prisoners of war differently After returning home, they should be properly placed, and the heroes should not be allowed to shed blood and tears.
Take this article to pay tribute to volunteers!