Chapter 139: Operational Plan

Although we have the strategy of mortars to prevent the puppet troops from chiseling eyes and blasting on the top of our tunnel, our struggle with the enemy in the tunnel is still very difficult.

On the one hand, our army does not have many mortar shells, with only more than 50 shells in total, and each mortar is less than 50. If it is released, it can be exhausted in one day.

Of course, it is impossible for us to finish the shells in one go. Cracking the shells in one day may cause great casualties and shock shots to the puppet army, but it won't take long. Once they find that we have no shells, they will destroy our tunnels in Bengali.

Therefore, I shared these more than 500 shells evenly and controlled the ammunition usage with 100 rounds of ammunition every day. Although 100 rounds per day are insufficient, the puppet army dare not act recklessly, so that they would secretly not make too much noise every time they chisel their eyes on the top of our tunnel. The result is that although we cannot completely stop the enemy from destroying our tunnel, it will greatly slow down the enemy's speed of destroying the tunnel.

Isn't this? In the past two days, it was only a dozen meters of bombs by the enemy. This speed is already within our acceptable range. Because I know that in history, our army's counterattack was on October 30, only three days away. The battle situation develops in this way, and it is no longer a problem for us to persevere until the counterattack!

Another reason why our battles are difficult is that the quality of the puppet army has been improved to another level.

The reason why the US military's initial fighting will was because they entered North Korea in a savior manner, and believed that their opponents were just some guerrillas with backward equipment. After fighting for a while, they realized their mistakes and felt increasingly that they should not fall into this war that had nothing to do with them. The domestic anti-war voices were also higher than those of a while. The impact on the US military was that the fighting will became weaker and weaker, and in the end, there were even more phenomena such as "protecting one's own self-protection" and "delaying time". To describe it in the words of veterans of the Volunteer Army, the US military at this time was already "as soon as they saw blood and fell down a few people, the entire army retreated!"

This is not surprising. The negotiation situation is getting clearer and clearer. Smart American soldiers know that the final outcome of this war will definitely end in negotiations, but it is just a matter of time. Therefore, in this case, no US military, which has always valued life, will be willing to sacrifice their lives for other people's land!

Of course, the 7th Division, the ace unit we competed for Shangganling, was different from other US troops. But even so, they still pushed the puppet army to Shangganling after suffering major casualties.

This shows that not only American soldiers are unwilling to sacrifice their lives for nothing, but even Van Vreet and even Clark are unwilling to sacrifice more American citizens on this land.

This reminds me of the modern times. When talking about the victory or defeat of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, some people always like to compare the casualties of the Volunteer Army with the casualties of the US military. They always put forward a lot of data, saying that the Volunteer Army sacrificed so many people, while the US military only suffered casualties. Finally, we will summarize: The number of casualties of the US military is much less than that of the Volunteer Army, so the Korean War was actually the one that lost...

This conclusion is obviously not in line with the facts and is also very ignorant. Not to mention whether the outcome of a war is based on whether the strategic goal is achieved, in terms of the number of casualties, the Volunteer Army fights troops from more than a dozen countries including the US, puppet army, British, French, etc. Among them, except for the large number of US and puppet army, although the number of participating troops in other countries is not large, they are all elite troops of the same country, especially the British and French.

Without the French army, the Volunteer Army would have likely not suffered a crushing defeat in Dipingli. The victory or defeat of this battle would have a key impact on the overall strategy of the Fourth Battle initiated by our army.

If there were no British troops, the US military might not have escaped the encirclement preset by our army in the third battle. When our army launched a thunder offensive against the enemy's defense line in the fifth battle, it would not have missed the opportunity to take Seoul because the British Gloucester Battalion blocked our army for three days and three nights.

Therefore, on the battlefield of resisting U.S. aggression and aiding Korea, they must not ignore their existence because of the small number of other troops. Although they are small, they are all the elites of a big country and can often play an important role on the battlefield.

On the other hand, the US military was always used to fighting long distances with the volunteer army, always used to retreat by using other countries' troops as cover, always used to letting the puppet army walk in front as cannon fodder, and always used to protect themselves... Just like now, they originally thought that only two battalions of troops could be easily taken down Shangganling, but after fighting, they found that the fact was not the case, so they quickly threw the mess to the puppet army.

It would be strange if they fight like them and suffer a lot of casualties!

However, can this be said to be a victory of the US military and a failure of the volunteer army?

Compared to the US military's more and more wars, the puppet army became more and more courageous on the battlefield. They were always pinched by the volunteers as soft persimmons, always used by the volunteers as breakthroughs to break through the defense line, and were always chased by the volunteers and ran all over the mountains. To this day, they have gradually grown into a unit that can stand alone.

The reason is that I think it is not only because the puppet army in the early days of the Korean War was transformed from the puppet army during the Japanese rule, with too bad reputation and too corrupt management class. It is also because the Korean Peninsula was poisoned by the war for too long, and the South Korean people also hope to end the war as soon as possible, so they joined the army one after another.

No matter what the reason is, the combat effectiveness of the puppet army is no longer the same as the former Wu Xia Ameng. Although the soldiers did not admit this, they actually knew it well. This can be seen from the fact that they were all cautious on the battlefield and no longer ignored them as before.

"Chief of Staff!" Just as I was lying on the bed and thinking boredly, the correspondent handed me a telegram sent by the regiment headquarters.

It was called telegram, and there was another episode in it.

The radio station cannot receive signals from outside in the tunnel. Only the walkie-talkie can throw the antenna outside, so it can maintain contact with the rear as usual.

But we soon discovered a problem. One day, I contacted Captain Zhang on a walkie-talkie. In order to relieve Captain Zhang not to transport supplies to Shangganling and increase casualties, I spoke loudly on the walkie-talkie, saying that because we reasonably allocated food and drinking water in the tunnel, the supply in the tunnel could last at least more than half a month.

So Captain Zhang agreed not to let the logistics officers and soldiers risk their lives to transport supplies upwards, but what surprised me was that the artillery blockade of Shangganling by the US military after that was weakened. By linking these two things, I could easily judge that our connection with the rear was monitored by the enemy. The US military's radio equipment was very advanced, and it was not difficult to do this.

This also reminds me of the last time we launched a counterattack against the US military, but was ambushed by the US Rangers. At that time, I was wondering how the US military could have configured it properly in time, place, firepower and other aspects, almost forcing us to death. Now that I think of the walkie-talkie being monitored by the enemy, I quickly understood.

So in order not to let important information fall into the opponent, we changed our contact with the rear to make a different approach, and agreed with each other in advance, and then reported a lot of numbers on the walkie-talkie. The correspondent found words on the book based on these numbers, and finally put them together, which became a complete telegram.

This method was learned from the Japanese devils. It is said that during World War II, the Japanese army adopted this method, which caused great headaches for the US military's intelligence departments and could not decipher these seemingly meaningless numbers.

However, there are advantages and disadvantages. Although this method can prevent the intelligence from leaking, it makes me unable to talk and chat with Captain Zhang and the others on the phone. I am so bored all day long in the tunnel. The battle situation at the entrance of the tunnel has stabilized, and I don’t need to command it at all. I want to help the wounded, but I don’t know how to do it. Standing there is a way, and I can only lie on the bed and sleep!

I took the telegram from the correspondent list listlessly and saw a few words written on it: "In order to use the favorable terrain and annihilate the enemy in large quantities, I plan to launch a counterattack on 30 days and nights. Staff Cui is familiar with the terrain and can formulate a preliminary combat plan!"

When I saw this telegram, I turned over and sat up from the bed. I read the telegram carefully and quickly placed it under a kerosene lamp to burn it to ashes.

The counterattack is about to begin!

Although I had known for a long time that the counterattack would be launched on the 30th, now I do see this information from the telegram and feel different.

It is obvious that the reason why the superiors sent me this information at the risk of being monitored by the enemy was because the enemy knew very little about Shangganling, and the two high grounds were covered with smoke for a long time and could not see them at all, so they could not formulate counterattack plans according to local conditions. Then they asked me.

Such information cannot be known to anyone, otherwise, once it is revealed and let the enemy know the time of our counterattack, the casualties caused to our large force will be immeasurable.

I walked to the map and looked for a while, then pulled out a piece of paper, wrote two words "Military Force" on it, and asked the correspondent to send it to Commander Zhang.

After a while, the correspondent handed back a piece of paper, which clearly stated: "Three infantry battalions, one regiment of the reserve force, two artillery regiments, and one rocket artillery regiment!"

I glanced at it, kept the numbers in my heart, and immediately put the telegram on the kerosene lamp and turned it into ashes.

This telegram does not list specific numbers or specific troops, which is understandable. I think the superiors mean that they are worried that there is a possibility of missing out on this, and I don’t need to know that it is so specific. As long as there is a big number and a preliminary plan can be formulated.

There are a lot of troops, and the first batch of troops were as many as nine companies, and there were three artillery regiments with almost two hundred artillery pieces! Although the number of shells was not mentioned in the telegram, I think that during the past ten days we have been holding the tunnel, we must have accumulated a large amount of ammunition in the rear, and I think it will not be less!

But how to attack? Looking at the map, I couldn't help but start to get into trouble!

Although I am familiar with the two high grounds of Shangganling, especially the 597.9 high ground. On this high ground, I can also say that I personally led the team to compete with the enemy repeatedly. I know which position is important and which position is difficult to fight. But sometimes it is a bit like a couple living a life, and the more familiar it is, the less they feel.

Isn't this? I fought with the enemy several times in the 597.9 Highlands. Each time it was my combat plan. After all, all the tricks were finished. The so-called return to nature, I just think about what other combat plan I need. First prepare for artillery fire, and then drive the troops up to fight!

At most...that is, let the troops be divided into three parts, attacking the left, right and middle roads of the 597.9 highland. The 597.9 highland is shaped like an arrow pointing to the enemy. This can prevent the middle road troops attacking the main peak from being attacked by the enemy from being attacked from being attacked on three sides...

But after thinking about it, I felt that this battle could not be fought like this!

First of all, such a plan is too uncreative. If you catch a chief of staff from the military headquarters, division headquarters, or even the regiment headquarters, you can formulate such a plan for combat. The superiors risked being monitored by the enemy and asked me to formulate a plan for combat, and I was definitely not trying to hear such a reply from me.

What are you trying to do above?

The more I thought about it, the more strange it became. Even though the puppet army built a large number of cement fortifications on the surface positions, it used three infantry battalions to attack, one infantry regiment as the reserve team, and three artillery regiments, which was fully capable of restoring all positions in Shangganling. What's more, there were tunnels on Shangganling that we worked inside and outside!

Suddenly I remembered a sentence in the first telegram: "To use the favorable terrain, annihilate the enemy in large quantities!" So I realized that the purpose of this counterattack was not to regain the position, but to annihilate the enemy in large quantities on Shangganling, with the purpose of consuming the enemy's living power!

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but sigh. Using people to fight for others is really a helpless move by the Volunteer Army! The equipment is not as good as others. If you want to gain some advantage on the battlefield, you must try your best to fight with the enemy, and try your best to fight against the enemy...

But in this way, Shangganling will undoubtedly be another battle of corpses and blood! No wonder the whole world calls this Shangganling Battle "Verdun of the East"!

I shook my head, took a deep breath, and threw all these compassionate people out of the sky, and there was no place for emotional colors such as mercy, pity, etc. on the battlefield, especially when formulating a combat plan. Because at this time, I was thinking about how to make full use of the resources in my hands to exert the maximum power of the weapons in my hands, so as to kill the enemy to the greatest extent...

The top position of the 597.9 highland has a small area. Generally speaking, in order to avoid being killed by enemy artillery fire, the number of troops arranged on the top position will not exceed two companies. However, our army has nine companies. Even if we divide four companies to attack the 537.7 highland, there are still five companies. With the troops in the tunnel, there will be six companies.

There is no way for so many companies to stay on the top of the mountain at the same time. Even if two companies are injured and killed, there are still four companies left. The guards on the top of the mountain are crowded. As long as the enemy fires a shell, a large area will be sacrificed.

Moreover... Once our army restores its surface position, the enemy will definitely play the same set they are used to. Attack, artillery bombing, attack, and artillery bombing... Such wave after wave of bombing like tide will eventually consume our troops on the position as before. Moreover, the time of attack is completely in the hands of the enemy, and the initiative to attack is also in the hands of the enemy, and even as long as they are willing, they can withdraw at any time. We cannot achieve the purpose of dragging the enemy and finally annihilation of the enemy's living forces in large quantities.

So? How can we hold the enemy down and prevent enemy artillery fire from bombing?

Can you coexist with the enemy?

If we only restore part of the surface positions on Shangganling and let the enemy still occupy another part of the surface positions, there will be two different troops on the small mountaintop position on Shangganling, so of course the enemy's artillery will not dare to act rashly.

On the other hand, the enemy will definitely not be willing to give up the positions that are still under control, and will continue to send reinforcements to launch a counterattack through these positions. In this way... a battlefield where people fight for people appears!

That's right! Just fight like this!

Thinking of this, I immediately decided on this plan, but what positions should our army occupy so that the puppet army cannot retreat, and it is difficult to fight?

I walked to the map in a few steps and looked at the terrain of the 597.9 highland.

Our army should not occupy too many positions. If there are too many, the puppet army will feel that the situation is hopeless and simply give up those irrelevant positions.

Our army cannot occupy too few positions. If it is too few, it is very likely that it will not stand firm at all. Then, let alone annihilate the enemy, whether the surface position can be restored is a problem!

Then, it is the main peak!

I then turned my eyes to the main peak positions No. 8, 9, 10 and 3 surrounding the main peak.

These positions are located in the middle of the 597.9 highland. When attacked by other positions on both sides, the puppet army would not give up such a great opportunity to attack us. However, these highlands are easy to defend and difficult to attack. After occupying these highlands, the volunteer soldiers also have considerable abilities to be able to stand firm here!
Chapter completed!