PVA gyalogos puskával/ PVA Rifleman

 

HUN: Kínai Népi Önkéntes Haderő puskás gyalogosa

Egyenruha: Type50 téli egyenruha

Fegyverzet: zsákmányolt japán Type 38-as puska, Gong típusú gránátok,

Felszerelés: német M35-ös rohamsisak, vászon tölténybandolier,  NRA kenyérzsák,  zománcozott bögre

Koreai Háború 1950-1953

ENG: People's Volunteer Army rifleman

Uniform: Type50 winter uniform

Weaponry: captured Japanese Type 38 rifle, Gong type grenades

Equipment: german M35 helmet, canvas rifle ammo bandolier, NRA bread bag, enameled mug

Korean War 1950-1953

Elszakítva/Separated

HUN: Ugyan a kínai polgárháború második fázisával még nem foglalkozunk, ez a sztori mindenképp említést érdemel. Egyike azon sok százezer sorsnak és életnek, amelyeket a polgárháború eseményei sokszor egy életre elszakítottak egymástól. Szerencsére, mint a következőkben láthatjuk, nem minden esetben.

Wang Te-yao egy öreg katona volt Taiwan szigetről, és bőven túl volt már a 70. életévén is. 1987-ben hosszú idő után végre visszatért szülővárosába, amelyet már harminc éve nem láthatott. Remegő kézzel kopogtatott az ajtón. A bent lévő nő meghallotta a kopogást, és azonnal felállt, görnyedt háttal odalépett, hogy kinyissa az ajtót. De amikor meglátta, hogy ki az, megdermedt. „Te-yao, hát visszajöttél? Tényleg te vagy az?” Liu Ku-hsziang tétován kérdezte, szemében izgatottság és idegesség volt. Az öreg katona, Wang Te-yao ünnepélyesen nézett rá, és azt mondta: „Tényleg én vagyok, visszatértem, Ku-hsziang”. A két idős ember szeretettel nézett egymásra, és mire észbe kaptak, a könnyek patakokban folytak végig az arcukon. Teljes harmincnyolc év választotta el őket egymástól! Wang Te-yao Choushanban született, ő és Liu Ku-hsziang gyerekkori szerelmesek voltak, együtt nőttek fel. A mindennap együtt töltött órák során mély kötelék alakult ki közöttük, és mikor kicsit idősebbek lettek, a családjaik elkezdtek beszélni a házasságukról. De abban az időben az ország teljes zűrzavarban volt és az emberek nyomorban éltek. Wang Te-yao fiatal kínai férfiként nem tudta elviselni, hogy hazája ilyen állapotban van, ezért elszántan csatlakozott a helyi japánellenes erőkhöz.

Mielőtt elment volna, Wang Te-yao megfogta Liu Ku-hsiang kezét, és megígérte neki, hogy miután megnyerték a háborút, és hazatér, nagy ünnepség keretében feleségül veszi. Liu Ku-hsziang ismételten azt mondta neki, hogy vigyázzon magára, és hogy otthon várni fog rá. Akkor még nem tudta, hogy ez a várakozás harmincnyolc évig fog tartani.

Eleinte Wang Te-yao egysége még fent tudta tartani a kapcsolatot szülővárosával, de ahogy az évek során csatáról-csatába vándoroltak, Wang Te-yao elveszítette a kapcsolatot Liu Ku-hszianggal. Liu Ku-hsziang azt sem tudta, hogy Wang Te-yao él-e vagy halott, de továbbra is egyre csak várta őt haza. A családja azt tanácsolta neki, hogy ne vegye komolyan a férfi alkalmi ígéretét, azt sugallva ezzel, hogy Wang Te-yao talán valaki máshoz ment feleségül. Liu Ku-hsziang azonban állhatatos maradt. Minden nap ott állt az udvar kapujában, és abba az irányba nézett, amerre Wang Te-yao távozott, remélve, hogy egy nap újra láthatja őt.

A faluban sokan kigúnyolták Liu Ku-hsziangot, amiért ennyire belebolondult a férfiba, de ő válaszul mindig csak mosolygott. Nem tudták, hogy Wang Te-yao is hiányolta Liu Ku-hsiangot. A háború eseményei miatt Wang kénytelen volt követni a hadsereget Taiwanra, de miután megérkezett, többé már nem tudott visszatérni a szárazföldre, még egy levelet sem tudott küldeni oda. Wang Te-yao szívét minden este végtelen bánat töltötte el, és Liu Ku-hsziang iránti szerelmét levelekbe öntötte. Wang Te-yao az érkezése után elővette azokat a leveleket, amelyeket az évek során Liu Ku-hsiangnak írt tele szerelmes gondolataival. Bár életük legfontosabb éveit kihagyták, végül több mint egy évtizedet töltöttek együtt.


ENG: Although we are not yet dealing with the second phase of the Chinese civil war, this story is definitely worth mentioning. It is one of the hundreds of thousands of lives and destinies that have been torn apart, often for a lifetime, by the events of the civil war. Fortunately, as we shall see, not always.

He was an old soldier from Taiwan, over seventy years old. In 1987, he finally returned to his hometown, which he had missed for thirty years. With trembling hands, he knocked on the door. The woman inside heard the knock and immediately stood up, her back hunched, to open the door. But when she saw who it was, she froze. "Te-yao, you're back? Is it really you?" Liu Ku-hsiang asked tentatively, her eyes filled with excitement and nervousness. The old soldier, Wang Te-yao, looked at her solemnly and said, "It's really me, I'm back, Ku-hsiang." The two elderly people looked at each other effectionately, and before they knew it, tears were streaming down their cheeks. They had been separated for a full thirty-eight years! Wang Te-yao was born in Choushan, and he and Liu Ku-hsiang were childhood sweethearts, growing up together. In their daily interactions, they developed a deep bond. When they were a little older, their families began discussing their marriage. But at that time, the country was in turmoil, and the people were living in misery. As a young Chinese man, Wang Te-yao couldn't bear to see his homeland in such a state, so he resolutely joined the local anti-Japanese resistance.

Before leaving, Wang Te-yao held Liu Ku-hsiang's hand and promised her that after they won the war and returned home, he would marry her in a grand ceremony. Liu Ku-hsiang repeatedly told him to take care of himself, and that she would wait for him at home. Little did she know that this wait would last for thirty-eight years. At first, Wang Te-yao's unit maintained contact with his hometown, but as they moved from battle to battle over the years, Wang Te-yao lost contact with Liu Ku-hsiang. Liu Ku-hsiang didn't even know if Wang Te-yao was alive or dead, but she continued to wait for him. Her family advised her not to take his casual promise to heart, suggesting that Wang Te-yao might have married someone else. But Liu Ku-hsiang remained steadfast. Every day, she would stand at the courtyard gate, gazing in the direction Wang Te-yao had left, hoping to see him again one day.

Many people in the village mocked Liu Ku-hsiang for being so infatuated, but she simply smiled in response. Little did they know, Wang Te-yao was also missing Liu Ku-hsiang. Due to the war, he was forced to follow the army to Taiwan. But once he arrived, he couldn't return to the mainland, or even send a letter. Every night, Wang Te-yao's heart was filled with endless sorrow, and he poured his love for Liu Ku-hsiang into letters. Wang Te-yao pulled out the letters he had written to Liu Ku-hsiang over the years, filled with his love for her. Although they had missed the most important years of their lives, they finally spent more than a decade together.

我有一把枪 / I Have a Gun - Nationalist China Military Song - With Lyrics

 

Nyaralás a Kínai Köztársaságban (Taiwan), 10. rész

    Bocsánat a késői nyaralásos folytatásért, de rengeteg tennivalóm akadt az utóbbi hónapokban, és ebbe az idei év kiállítási munkálatai még benne sincsenek.... Szóval a 10. napon a taiwani nyaralásom már erőteljesen a végéhez közeledett, és itt egy régi barátom volt segítségemre abban, hogy meg tudjak nézni olyan helyeket, amelyeket előzetesen már kinéztem magamnak. Ha ő nincs, ezeket a programokat sajnos bukom, mert indulás előtt nem néztem össze a szálláshelyem és a kinézett programok közti távolságokat, amelyek megközelítése a valóságban jóval körülményesebb volt, mint azt a térkép alapján gondoltam volna. Az első megállóhely a Daxi Old Street volt (https://g.co/kgs/YzTggsX) amely egy igazi csemege a régi épületek kedvelőinek, mindez mixelve van a mindkét oldalon megtalálható üzletsorokkal és egyéb vásárokkal. A hely Taoyuan megyében található, Taipei megye mellett, úgyhogy lesz némi utazás annak, aki ide szeretne látogatni.

Javarészt hozzászoktam 10 nap alatt a taiwani klímához, de itt a hőség és a pára valami elviselhetetlen szintet ütött meg ezen a napon, és még csak nem is egy rekkenő napsütéses időjárásban volt részem. Az út vége felé amikor elmenőben voltunk, vettem két gombóc fagyit, amit mihelyst a kezembe nyomtak, elkezdett végigfolyni minden létező oldalon, így a kényelmes elnyalogatás helyett szó szerint habzsolnom kellett, annyira gyorsan olvadt a meleg miatt :D Délután 2 óra fele járt már az idő, így elindultunk egy olyan programra is, amelyet nem terveztem be, viszont igen érdekesnek bizonyult.

Cimborám és helyi útikalauzom elvezetett a szülővárosába, a Hsinchu megyében található Zhubeibe. Futottunk pár kört a környéken, egyrészt mert szerettem volna egy Type 95-ös tank modellt hazavinni, de 2 boltban sem találtunk, így a helyi híres plázába, a Far Eastern Department Storeba (https://g.co/kgs/QtjMWpT) vitt az utunk. Külön érdekesség, hogy a belső tervezésnél úgy alakították ki a bevásárlóközpontot, hogy a régi 1930-as évekbeli épületek homlokzatára hasonlítsanak bizonyos része, nem beszélve a kék ég okozta látványról, amely a mozgólépcső tetején fogad majd minket.

Befejezve a plázázós programot egy másik helyi látványosság, a Tofu Sziklák (https://g.co/kgs/PWyw8rQ) felé vettük az utunkat. Egyfajta gát, amin simán átsétálhatsz, és a túloldalon már egy másik kerület, s másik város fogad. A nap sok beszélgetéssel telt, jó társaságban pedig gyorsan repül az idő, így a cimbora estére visszavitt a Taoyuanban található szálláshelyemre, ahonnan ismét nekivágtam a környéknek, hogy valami vacsorafélét szerezzek. 

Kellően belakmározva mindenféle földi jóval, hazafelé a lakhelyemhez közel található Jingfu (https://g.co/kgs/hZBLN1x) templom felé vettem az irányt, amelynek a látványa olyannyira rabul ejtett, hogy 30 percet simán ott ácsorogtam a templom udvarán. Próbáltam jó fotókat készíteni, de az a nagy helyzet, hogy egyik sem adja vissza azt a látványt és érzéseket, amiket ekkor éltem át. Tényleg nem vagyok az a fajta, aki mindig az épületekben keresi a szépséget, de a fényekben pompázó szökőkút és a templom minden porcikája olyan hatást gyakorolt rám, hogy bátran ajánlom nektek megnézésre, ha Taoyuan megyében jártok.

Tudván, hogy ez az utolsó Taiwanon töltött estém, a lábaim igen nehezen vették az irányt hazafelé, még mentem egy kört azért a kedvenc templomom körül. A hosszú nap után ledőlve szinte azonnal elnyomott az álom, ami nem is volt baj, mert másnapra is akadt még némi program a majdnem éjféli gép indulásig.

M20 bazooka

 

HUN: 1950 telén Tao Yong (középen), az Önkéntes Hadsereg 9. hadtestének parancsnokhelyettese ellenőrzi a frissen zsákmányolt amerikai rakétavetőket.

ENG: In the winter of 1950, Tao Yong (center), deputy commander of the 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army, was checking the captured American rocket launchers. Source: "Oral Image History - Walking with the Republic (1949-1978)" China Photography Publishing House

HUN: Az M1 és M1A1 páncéltörő páncéltörő folyamatos fejlődésének köszönhetően a II. világháború befejezése után az amerikaiak kifejlesztették a nagyobb kaliberű és erősebb páncéltörő képességgel rendelkező M20 „Super Bazooka” rakétavetőt. Többféle robbanófejjel felszerelt rakétát volt képes indítani, és nagyobb hatótávolsággal is rendelkezett, mint elődei. Az M20 rakétavetőt az Egyesült Nemzetek Hadserege folyamatosan használta a koreai hadszíntéren. Annak érdekében, hogy nagyobb hatékonysággal legyen bevethető gyalogsági erők ellen, bizonyos tölteteit egyfajta fehér foszforral töltötték meg. Az Önkéntes Hadsereg az M20 „Super Bazookából” is szerzett szép számmal a koreai a harctéren. A legtöbb esetben az M20-asokat az Egyesült Nemzetek Hadseregének különböző tankjai vagy páncélozott járművei ellen vetették be. A katonák, akik használták, arról számoltak be, hogy ez az „idegen dolog” nagyon erős fegyver. Ennek a páncéltörő fegyvernek köszönhetően az amerikai tankok megtámadásához immáron nem volt szükség manuálisan lerakandó robbanótöltetekre, és körülbelül 100 méteres távolságból is képes volt a tankok megsemmisítésére. Később az M20 technológián alapuló Type 51 rakétavetőt is sikerrel vetették be a koreai harctéren.

ENG: With the continuous improvement of the M1 and M1A1 bazookas, after the end of World War II, the M20 "Super Bazooka" rocket launcher with a larger caliber and stronger armor-piercing ability was developed. It can match more types of ammunition and has a longer range. The M20 rocket launcher continued to be used by the United Nations Army on the Korean battlefield. In order to make it have stronger anti-infantry capabilities, it was specially equipped with a kind of white phosphorus ammunition. The Volunteer Army also seized the M20 "Super Bazooka" on the battlefield. Most of them were used to fight against various tanks or armored vehicles of the United Nations Army. The soldiers who used it felt that this "foreign thing" was very powerful. It no longer required explosive packs to attack tanks, and it could destroy tanks at a distance of about 100 meters. Later, the chinese also imitated the Type 51 rocket launcher based on the M20 technology and put it into use on the Korean battlefield.

Battle for the Chosin reservoir. Finale: the Battle of Funchilin Pass and the evacuation at Hungnam

 

The battle for the Chosin reservoir ended and resumed with a rather hasty American retreat. After a brief respite, on 6 December 1950, the breakout was launched, led by the 7th Marine Division, to the south (Armchair Historian's previously published video provides a very good visual representation of both US and Chinese troop movements), with the 5th Marine Division forming the rear guard. At the same time, the slightly delayed 26th PVA Corps (76th and 77th Divisions) relieved the 58th and 60th Divisions at Hagaru-ri. While the 7th Marines pushed the 76th PVA Division south of Hagaru-ri, the 5th Marines took over the outskirts of Hagaru-ri and recaptured the East Hill from the 76th. In a last-ditch effort to stop the American breakout, the Chinese launched their usual night attack, with the 76th and 77th divisions attacking American positions on the outskirts of Hagaru-ri from all directions. The Marines successfully repelled the unrelenting Chinese attacks, inflicting heavy casualties.

Meanwhile, the 7th Marine Division successfully opened the Hagaru-ri-Koto-ri pass, occupying the high ground surrounding the road. As soon as the Marines withdrew from this high ground, the Chinese 77th PVA Division returned to the high ground and successfully attacked the American column. Total chaos broke out, serious clashes took place and the retreat slowed. The Marines fought off the Chinese forces in night fighting, and most of the PVA troops blocking the retreat route were eliminated. On 7 December, the last of the column managed to reach Kot'o-ri with some difficulty.

Troop movements of the retreating US forces (blue) and the attacking Chinese forces (red)

After the failure of the Chinese 26th Corps at Hagaru-ri, the PVA General Headquarters sent the 26th and 27th Corps to pursue the fleeing UN forces and the 20th PVA Corps to block the escape route. However, as most of the 20th PVA Corps had been destroyed in the Yudam-ni and Hagaru-ri areas, the only significant Chinese forces between Kot'o-ri and Hungnam were the remnants of the 58th and 60th Divisions. In desperation, Song Shilun ordered these troops to dig in at the Funchilin Pass, while he blew up the only vital bridge in the area (40.232°N 127.296°E), hoping that the terrain and obstacles would allow the 26th and 27th Corps to catch up with the retreating UN forces.

The Watergate bridge on an american made aerial photo

Source for the previous two pictures: https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/americans-faced-blown-out-bridge-during-retreat-to-38th-parallel/

American units crossing the freshly repaired bridge

The 180th Regiment of the PVA, which had occupied Hill 1081 (40.233°N 127.326°E), then blew up the original concrete bridge and the two makeshift replacements the Americans had built afterwards in quick succession, and were then under the impression that the bridge had become beyond repair. In response, the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Division, launched an attack from the south against the Chinese troops dug in on Hill 1081, and the hill was captured on 9 December. It was a bittersweet victory, because the PVA men literally fought to the last bullet and all of them died heroic deaths on Hill 1081.  At the same time, the 7th Marines and RCT-31 launched an attack on the bridge from the north, only to be met by Chinese defenders who froze to the death in their trenches like a group of ice-coiled statues. There were also instances of US Marines finding Chinese units that were still alive but could no longer move, so the Americans pulled them out of their trenches to start to 'thaw' somewhat. It was also common for Chinese soldiers to have their hands so frozen to their weapons that the American soldiers had to break their fingers to take their weapons.

Frozen PVA soldiers in their ambush positions

With the road to Hungnam still blocked at Funchilin Pass, the US 314th Troop Carrier Squadron used eight C-119 aircraft to drop parachute-borne bridge sections. The bridge, which consisted of eight separate sections 5.5 metres long and weighing 1,900 pounds (1,300 kg), was dropped one at a time, using a 15-metre parachute for each section. Four of these sections, along with additional wooden extensions, were successfully assembled by Marine Corps combat engineers and members of the US Army's 58th Engineer Company on 9 December into a replacement bridge, allowing UN forces to continue their advance south. The PVA's 58th and 60th divisions, although at a considerable disadvantage, continued to try to slow the retreat of the UN forces with ambushes and raids, but weeks of non-stop fighting left the two Chinese divisions completely depleted in both materiel and manpower, with only 200 troops remaining. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find exact figures for this (if I can in the near future, I will update this article), but if we take the full deployment (10,000 troops per division) of both PVA divisions in question from the point they crossed the Yalu River (19 October 1950), the total number of troops in each division was about 10,000. ) to the point where the Americans withdraw their last troops at Hungnam (11 December 1950), this represents a 99% loss of troops in practically 3 months..... The last UN forces left Funchilin pass on 11 December 1950.

EVACUATION AT HUNGNAM

The heavy cruiser USS Saint Paul fires its 8-inch (203 mm) guns at Chinese troops threatening evacuation

By the time the UN forces arrived at Hungnam, MacArthur had long since (on 8 December) ordered the evacuation of the US X Corps to reinforce the US Eighth Army, which by then was severely depleted and rapidly retreating towards the 38th parallel. Following his orders, the ROK I Corps, the ROK 1st Marine Regiment and the US 3rd and 7th Infantry Divisions also established defensive positions around the harbour. There were some exchanges of fire between the defending US 7th, 17th and 65th Infantry Regiments and the pursuing Chinese 27th PVA Corps, but against heavy naval gunfire from the US Navy's 90th Marine Corps, the badly battered 9th Corps was no longer in a position to approach Hungnam.

The USS Begor high-speed transport vessel observes the destruction of Hungnam's port facilities on 24 December

In what US historians have called "the largest naval evacuation movement in American military history", an armada of 193 ships gathered in the harbour and managed to evacuate not only the UN troops but also their heavy weapons and about a third of the Korean refugees. One of the Victory ships, the SS Meredith Victory, evacuated 14,000 refugees alone, despite being designed to carry only 12 passengers. The last UN unit left the country at 14:36 on 24 December, and the port was demolished to make it completely unusable by the Chinese. The PVA's 27th Army moved into Hungnam on the morning of 25 December.

CASUALTIES

According to official estimates published by the General Logistics Department of the People's Liberation Army in 1988, the PVA's 9th Army Corps suffered 21,366 casualties, including 7,304 dead. In addition, 30,732 non-combat casualties were attributed to the extremely harsh Korean winter and food shortages. The 9th Corps suffered a total of 52,098 casualties, more than a third of its initial total. Outside of official channels, the estimate of Chinese casualties was put at 60,000 by Patrick C. Roe, chairman of the Chosin Few Historical Commission, citing the 9th Corps' request for supplies after the battle to replenish its personnel. Regardless of the differing estimates, Yan Xue, a historian at the PLA National Defence University, noted that the 9th Corps was completely disabled for three months after the battle at the Chosin Reservoir (until March 1951 to be precise). With the absence of the 9th Corps, the Korean Chinese Army was reduced to 18 infantry divisions by 31 December 1950, compared to 30 infantry divisions present on 16 November 1950.

WINNERS OR LOSERS?

In fact, there are many researchers, many points of view, and many ways of interpreting what happened at the Chosin reservoir. To start with, both sides can claim a victory: the PVA's 9th Corps completely dominated the battlefield, while the X Corps was able to hold off the PVA's 9th Corps in a series of battles, allowing it to use them as effective tactical units to help withdraw a large part of its forces. It can also be seen as a kind of Chinese "geographical victory", because although the PVA did not achieve its goal of destroying the US 1st Marine Division, the X Corps was successfully driven out of North Korea. According to the official Chinese history textbook published by the PLA Military Academy of Sciences, despite the heavy losses, the PVA's 9th Corps earned the victory by successfully defending the eastern flank of Chinese forces in the Korean theatre of operations while inflicting more than 10,000 casualties on United Nations forces.

If we look at the events at the Chosin reservoir from the other point of view, the PVA's 9th Army was defeated because of its heavy losses and its inability to destroy the very understrength US/UN forces: the Chinese were able to deploy approximately 120,000 soldiers during the battle, while the US/UN forces were able to deploy approximately 30,000. Unfortunately, the battle affected the PVA in two ways, both of which had the result of helping the UN Command to stabilise their South Korean position, while at the same time losing North Korea for a time.
- Firstly, according to historian Shu Guang Zhang, the PVA commanders, under the influence of the victories at Chosin and Ch'ongch'on, were lulled into the completely false illusion that they were "capable of completely defeating the US armed forces" and this led to "unrealistic expectations of what miracles the PVA would perform in the future."
- Second, the sub-zero temperatures and heavy casualties caused by the fighting, coupled with poor logistical support, weakened the PVA's eight elite divisions of the 20th and 27th Corps to the point that the leadership was forced to disband two of these eight divisions completely. By early 1951, 12 of the 30 Chinese divisions in Korea were now missing, and heavy Chinese losses at the Chosin Reservoir allowed the UN forces to gain a firm foothold in southern Korea.

As we shall see later, this will have the fateful consequences of creating a kind of stand-off between the parties between July 1951 and July 1953, and from 1951 onwards the Chinese forces will no longer be able to launch counter-attacks as effectively and achieve as much success as they did up to the end of December 1950.

MOVIE RECOMMENDATION:

A Chinese action movie about the Battle of Watergate Bridge at Funchilin Pass has also been made, and this one is in many ways better than the previous Battle of Changjin Lake.....it is the second part of the series, and even if it is not perfect, it is well worth a Sunday afternoon with popcorn and nachos. Below you can watch the trailer:

Hadműveleti parancsnokság/ Operations command

 

HUN: A Kínai Népi Önkéntes Hadsereg egyik egységének parancsnoka a Csangdzsin-tónál vívott csatában végrehajtott hadműveleteket irányítja 1950. november 27-én .

ENG: On November 27, 1950, a commander of a certain unit of the Volunteer Army commanded operations in the Battle of Changjin Lake