Tashan Blocking War: An Indelible Classic Battle Example

During the War of Liberation, the Northeast Field Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army conducted a series of defensive operations in the land of Liaoshen. Among them, the Tashan blocking battle is the largest, longest and most cruel position defense battle in the Liaoshen campaign, which has become an indelible classic case in the history of war.

　　A place of contention without towers and mountains 

Tashan is the abbreviation of Tashan Fort. The fortress road leading to Jinzhou passes through the village. The geographical location is very important. In fact, Tashan is not as stated in its name. It is just a small village with about 100 families. Tashan has no tower and no mountain. In August 1948, the Northeast Liberated Area already owned more than 97% of the land and more than 86% of the population in the Northeast. The Northeast Field Army had nearly 700000 regular troops. The central government believed that the time was ripe for a frontal strategic decisive battle with the Kuomintang army in the Northeast battlefield. The battle of Liaoshen was immediately launched.

In early October 1948, the Northeast Field Army formed a siege of Jinzhou. Chiang Kai-shek sent the "East Progressive Corps" commanded by Hou Jingru and the "West Progressive Corps" led by Liao Yaoxiang to help Jinzhou. On October 7, the Northeast Field Army, which was ordered to stick to Tashan, held a party committee meeting. The fourth column commander Wu Kehua, political commissar Mo Wenhua, 11th column commander He Jinnian, political commissar Chen Renqi and other participants fully discussed and judged the war situation, accurately judged the enemy's main attack direction, worked out a tactical policy of elite troops sticking, migrant workers preparing, repeated attacks and echelon operations, with the intention of fully defeating and destroying the enemy. Because the road to Jinzhou passed directly through Tashan, Tashan became the only defensive commanding point, and it was also the battleground for our army to intercept the Kuomintang reinforcements. The Northeast Field Army chose defensive points in Tashan, repaired the fortifications and established defensive positions to meet the reinforcements of the Kuomintang army.

 　　The tragic onslaught of "One Day and Nine Rush" 

From October 10 to 11, it was the first stage of Tashan's blocking war. In the early morning of the 10th, the "Dongjin Corps" that was ordered to reinforce Jinzhou launched a fierce attack on the entire line of the Tashan position. The Kuomintang army concentrated its artillery force to carry out large-scale bombing, which severely damaged the defensive fortifications that our army had just repaired. On this day, the Kuomintang army concentrated its firepower on the Tashan position for nine rounds of charge. The fourth column of the Northeast Field Army fought back bravely and fought with the enemy. The two sides even fought at close range, which finally made the Kuomintang army fail to succeed in several attacks and repel them. He charged nine times in a row in one day, and the battle was tragic.

On the 11th, the Kuomintang army made a comeback, strengthened ground artillery attacks and increased fire support from the navy and air force, realizing all-round coordination by sea, land and air, and fully attacking the core positions of our army. After several rounds of bombing, the Kuomintang army continued to attack the highland of Tashan from the left, center and right. Among them, the middle army was blocked by the concentrated fire of our army. Some flanking troops of the Kuomintang army took the opportunity to capture the houses on the edge of Tashan village. At this time, the soldiers of the 34th regiment of the People's Liberation Army had no fear and fought bravely with the Kuomintang army. After two days and two nights of fierce fighting, the Kuomintang army paid heavy casualties and failed to achieve the expected results.

　　an impenetrable iron wall 

On October 12, our army took advantage of the enemy's truce to sum up the experience and lessons of the battle in time and made sufficient preparations to continue the battle. From the 13th to the 15th, the Tashan blocking battle entered the second stage. On the 13th, the Tashan blocking war ushered in the most intense day. Early in the morning, the Kuomintang army gathered firepower from all sides and continued to attack the main targets such as Baitai Mountain and Tashan. Our army immediately mobilized firepower to meet and fight against them with all its strength. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. The Kuomintang army suffered heavy casualties because of the intensive charging tactics. On the morning of the 14th, on the fifth day of the Tashan blocking battle, the Kuomintang army continued to gather firepower and bombarded the Tashan position fiercely. It still adopted the method of repeated charges on the left, middle and right wings, and even successfully attacked the Tashan bridgehead defense position. However, our army was then driven out of the bridgehead position by counter-charge.

At the same time, the general attack on Jinzhou began, the Kuomintang army's chariot troops were also rapidly assembled, and the Tashan blocking battle entered a critical moment of decisive victory. Under the intense artillery fire and the impact of the defense line of the Kuomintang army, the two sides fought fieldly from morning to dusk. The 95th division of the Kuomintang army was almost wiped out, and other troops also suffered heavy casualties. At this point, the Kuomintang army's attack on Tashan was finally completely disintegrated. On the 15th, Jinzhou was liberated, and the Northeast Field Army killed and wounded more than 7000 enemy troops. The 6-day and 6-night Tashan blocking battle came to an end, and Tashan has since become an ironclad and indestructible position.

　　The indelible hero Tashan 

The victory of the Tashan blocking battle won valuable fighters and provided a solid guarantee for the main force of the Northeast Field Army to conquer Jinzhou. Slogans such as "live and die with the position" and many heroic deeds put forward by our army in the Tashan blocking war have been handed down to this day, which is deeply touching. The Tashan resistance battle is inseparable from the correct combat plan and deployment. The victory of any battle is by no means blind, let alone accidental. It is precisely because of our army's effective tactics and fearless spirit that we have won the final victory. The Tashan blocking war is a model for our party to effectively carry out ideological work and spiritual motivation. According to statistics, among the nearly 200 people who were awarded after the war, nearly 120 were Communist Party members, which shows the active participation and fearless dedication of Party members in the war. Before the start of the battle, the Jinxi County Party Committee and the county government issued the slogan "all for the front line, all for the victory of the battle" to the people of the whole county, calling on and mobilizing the people to fully support the front line. During the construction of the Tashan position, the migrant workers and the masses around Tashan Village not only gave their own door panels and wooden cabinets, but also carried them with the soldiers to repair the work, even giving their lives. The Tashan resistance war is not only an indelible mark in the Liaoshen campaign, but also an indelible mark in the history of the party and the army. After the Tashan blocking battle, our army gradually enriched the experience of corps operations, and the strength of the Northeast Field Army was further strengthened, laying a solid foundation for the rapid march into Shanhaiguan in the later stage and successively winning major battles.

Source: Learning Times