Chapter 1, Marine Division
When those soldiers finally heated their carbines and restored their effectiveness, they would combine compressed biscuits and chocolate with a type of toffee to cook a steaming hot soup. As the soup was being heated, these soldiers, under the leadership of their commander, would strip off their clothes and stand shivering in the cold wind like shrimp about to be thrown into a frying pan, grabbing handfuls of snow from the ground and applying it to their bodies. According to some special forces instructors skilled in polar warfare, taking a "snow bath" every morning not only cleanses the soldiers' bodies, washing away the sticky substances on them and helping them conserve energy, but also effectively prevents frostbite.
As soon as Major General Smith of the U.S. Marine Corps stepped out of his command post, he couldn't help but shiver violently. He cursed the damned weather under his breath; if he remembered correctly, today's temperature, even during the day, was minus twenty-five degrees Celsius. However, looking at the spirited young men in his unit, a faint smile still appeared on Major General Smith's face
Moreover, the weather is exceedingly cold, and by nightfall, the vehicles are unable to start. Each morning, the soldiers crawl out of their sleeping bags, and the first thing they do is carefully warm their carbines on portable military kerosene stoves. These rifles have a decent rate of fire and strong firepower for close combat, giving them a significant firepower advantage over the enemy, who are equipped with a hodgepodge of weapons. However, the complexity of the rifle's components poses a challenge. When the U.S. military ordered these weapons from arms dealers, they did not take into account the deployment of a large number of ground troops in such frigid conditions, nor did they impose stringent requirements for low-temperature resistance. Consequently, after a night of freezing, some components of these weapons have already failed. If not handled carefully, these powerful yet complex carbines could easily become nothing more than ineffective sticks for kindling during combat.
Excerpt from "The Qing-Long War" by Robert O'Neill, a strategic scholar at the University of Oxford, Doctor of Philosophy
General Almond, a leader in the United States Army, and Brigadier General Smith, a leader in the Navy, although differing in rank, often left General Almond with a sense of helplessness when issuing orders to Brigadier General Smith. Since telegraphic orders were ineffective, sending a staff officer with written orders to Brigadier General Smith proved futile, and making direct phone calls to issue commands also failed. General Almond decided to personally take a helicopter to the command post of the 1st Marine Division.
In late November 1950, although winter had just begun, the Kaema Plateau in northern Korea was already enveloped in a world of ice and snow. The Siberian cold wind, blowing across the Yalu River from Northeast China, howled relentlessly across the land, stirring up the layers of ethereal snow mist on the peaks, and casting a heavy shroud of desolation and gloom over this land that had already borne witness to too much smoke and fire of war.
If there are indeed tens of thousands of professional soldiers who have grown through the trials of war, lying in ambush in some location on the Gaima Plateau, quietly waiting for their Marine Division to step into the death trap that has long been prepared, then in the long wait, contrasting with this icy and snowy world, is the extreme repression embodied in these soldiers, a killing intent that is as hot as flames, already surging forth.
At the age of fifty-seven, Colonel Smith once served at the American Embassy in Paris during his youth. This experience has endowed him with a scholarly elegance, complemented by his tall yet not overly imposing physique and the gentle smile that often graces his face, making him an object of admiration among women. Having participated in both World Wars and distinguished himself with remarkable military achievements, Colonel Smith is regarded as a hero by all in the Marine Division. Viewed through the lens of Chinese culture, Colonel Smith undoubtedly embodies the qualities of a cultured general.
Brigadier General Smith is an outstanding professional soldier. Soldiers regard obedience to orders as their primary duty. However, upon receiving the order from Major General Almond to launch a full-scale attack, Brigadier General Smith issued the following command to his subordinates: "Slow down the pace of advance. We will resume normal attack speed only after we have truly joined forces with the other units. Before each attack, it is essential to determine the attack objectives and distances in advance, ensuring that the troops can maintain maximum responsiveness and counterattack capability when faced with surprise operations"
Upon entering the command center, with only these two commanders remaining in the room for a private discussion, General Almond's anger finally erupted. He pointed at the operational map spread out on the command table by Colonel Smith and said: "I understand that the conditions here are harsh, and you have soldiers suffering from frostbite every day. Everyone hopes to return home for a joyful Christmas. But, Mr. Smith, have you considered that with our equipment and supply status, the air force is conducting massive airdrops of supplies every day? We commanders are facing non-combat attrition, not to mention the Chinese forces. Colonel Smith, please look at their long supply and communication lines. They lack vehicles, and the railways are frequently bombed by our air force. Not to mention basic winter supplies, they cannot even secure food, medicine, and ammunition. In this situation, how can they possibly remain concealed on the routes ahead of you under such adverse conditions?"
However, from a common sense perspective, this is impossible
I am also a soldier, and I am fully aware of how dangerous the route that your Marine Corps 1st Division is about to traverse is. I understand, Mr. Smith, that your caution stems from your concern for the fine young men in your unit. However, I must say, Mr. Smith, that you are indeed too cautious, to the point that you have lost the bravery and strength that a soldier should possess. You have even become so cautious that you have lost the judgment that a commander ought to have.
This military unit has an undeniable connection with China that must be mentioned
Brigadier Smith once viewed photographs of the Chinese army taken by aerial reconnaissance. It depicted a unit that had not even been fully issued with warm cotton hats, with a considerable number of soldiers forced to wrap military blankets around their heads. As for the shoes they wore, Brigadier Smith truly could not imagine how these Chinese soldiers, dressed in such thin rubber-soled shoes, could survive on snow and ice in nighttime temperatures that could drop to minus thirty degrees Celsius, especially if there were indeed troops waiting to ambush his army division.
Due to his "absolute understanding" of the Chinese people, General MacArthur, the overall commander, had already determined that the Chinese army would never intervene on a large scale, even proposing the slogan "Let the soldiers go home for Christmas." In this context, General Almond, the commander of the eastern front in Korea, requested the commander of the 1st Marine Division, Smith, to lead his troops boldly north along the Chosin Reservoir, aiming to quickly reach the border and join forces with the Eighth Army on the western front
The 1st Marine Division is the pride of all American soldiers! The division participated in the most brutal battles of the Pacific War, including the Battle of Guadalcanal, and shone brilliantly in the Battle of Okinawa. These young men fought valiantly against the elite Japanese troops, who adhered to the spirit of bushido and fought to the death, and they were unstoppable.
If possible, Colonel Smith truly wished to personally drag General Almond out from the warm room with a fireplace, to let him experience the biting Siberian cold of the Gaima Plateau, and to open his eyes to clearly see the situation faced by the 1st Marine Division
Faced with Colonel Smith's repeated disobedience of orders, and confronted by the elite Marine Division, even under the leadership of an old sheep, advancing at a snail's pace, General Almond, the commander of the Tenth Army, could no longer contain himself
Every day, Colonel Smith receives General Almond's simple and direct orders: "1st Marine Division, advance, full speed ahead to the north!"
The reason why Major General Smith was willing to defy orders, even risking his military honor and future, to construct an airport and supply depots at Jiyu, was because he clearly sensed the increasingly oppressive danger ahead of him. Major General Smith understood even more that when the morale of an army is repeatedly suppressed to the limit, it eventually finds an outlet on the battlefield, manifesting as the most frenzied torrent of iron and blood among those soldiers. He understood that when the morale of an army is repeatedly suppressed to the limit, it eventually finds an outlet on the battlefield, manifesting as the most frenzied torrent of iron and blood among those soldiers
China has leaped to become a world power that can no longer be underestimated following their victory. If the Chinese had not firmly taken control on the battlefield of Qingchang in November 1950, the subsequent course of world history would undoubtedly have been different
According to predictions from the intelligence department, by the day after tomorrow, the minimum temperature in this icy plain may reach minus forty degrees. Chinese soldiers, no matter how peculiar, are still human. They lack the necessary warming equipment, and in order to remain concealed, they dare not ignite large fires. They are even wearing thin rubber shoes on their feet. Under these circumstances, if they lie on the ground for more than two hours, it will be impossible for them to stand up again using their own strength. They are even less likely to endure such cold and terrifying winter nights.
Faced with General Almond's reprimand, Commander Smith fell silent. General Almond was not wrong; given the equipment and supply situation of the Chinese army, it would require the mobilization of at least five times the number of troops to potentially defeat a hard nut like the Marine Division. In other words, the Chinese forces would need to deploy a large corps of at least 100,000 troops to launch a campaign aimed at annihilating the Marine Division
Colonel Smith was well aware of the equipment situation of the Chinese army, which referred to itself with names such as "Volunteer Army" and did not have prominent insignia on their uniforms
Those who have never been on the battlefield will never understand that individuals like General Smith, who have experienced countless battles and danced with death time and again, develop an instinctive reaction to danger that is akin to that of a wild beast, cultivated slowly on the battlefield
However, for some reason, as he looked at the battle map laid out on the table and the reconnaissance information just transmitted back from the reconnaissance aircraft, indicating no activity of Chinese troops near the Yalu River, and observing General Almond, who had personally rushed to the front line to oversee the battle, Smith felt as if his eyelids were incessantly twitching, and he sensed a heaviness in his chest
The Chinese military, their logistical supply capabilities do not even reach the level of World War I. The color of their uniforms resembles that of rocks, and on the icy plains of Gema, if their large forces operate during the day, this stark visual contrast allows bomber pilots to easily locate their targets from the air
Even with sufficient cold-weather gear, and the ability to receive three Class B and three Class M rations daily from the quartermaster, along with self-prepared high-calorie, high-protein thick soup, and the requirement to take at least one "snow bath" each day, there are still soldiers who suffer from frostbite on their hands or feet daily, rendering them incapable of combat.
Furthermore, General Almond took a deep breath at this point and continued: "The Marine Division is your unit, and you should be well aware of the combat capabilities of this elite force. How many troops do you think would need to be mobilized to defeat your Marine Division, considering the peasant-like Chinese soldiers, their weapons that are at best of World War I standard, and their rigid tactical thinking?"
The reason is simple: Colonel Smith does not dare to risk the lives of his twenty-five thousand soldiers
During the Pacific War, the 1st Marine Division continuously produced remarkable combat heroes. There was a soldier from the 1st Marine Division who, while attacking a Japanese bunker set up on a hill, held a grenade tightly in his hand and thrust it into the Japanese stronghold to detonate it, preventing the Japanese soldiers inside the bunker from pushing the grenade back out. Due to such achievements, after the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942, the 1st Marine Division became the first unit in the U.S. military to be awarded the "Outstanding Unit" citation in the name of the President. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is a heroic unit that has continuously grown amidst the flames of war.
It was precisely because of such concerns that Major General Smith devoted considerable effort to logistics while the 1st Marine Division advanced towards the rear. In Xiaoguli, he rebuilt roads to ensure the passage of M-26 Pershing tanks and constructed an airfield suitable for the takeoff and landing of small reconnaissance aircraft. On November 19, Major General Smith even risked his military career by dispatching engineering troops to a small town called Xiaojieyu, where they used five large bulldozers to construct a military airfield and established a supply station to store a large quantity of military supplies
At this time, although the Chinese army, self-styled as the "Volunteer Army," had already appeared on the Korean battlefield and dealt a significant blow to the United Nations forces, military experts, after analysis, still believed that China's involvement was merely symbolic. General Douglas MacArthur, the supreme commander on the Korean battlefield, even hoped for China's intervention. Throughout modern Chinese history, every negotiation and every war between nations has ended in China's defeat. In the eyes of Western powers, China has become synonymous with servility, weakness, selfishness, and disarray. General MacArthur even publicly declared: "If Red China wants to send troops to Korea, that would be even better! I can just send them back to the Stone Age!"
In 1900, among the Eight-Nation Alliance that invaded Beijing and burned the Summer Palace, there were troops from the Marine Corps; in 1945, after the end of World War II, American soldiers appeared in Chinese cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, and Qingdao with the swagger of victors, and they were also present; in 1946, the "Shen Chong Incident," in which a female student from Peking University was raped in Beijing, was also a news event created by several officers and soldiers from the Marine Corps.
Most importantly, the soldiers in this unit, including reserve members, are almost entirely active-duty volunteers, many of whom have participated in World War II and possess rich combat experience, having already developed a "liking" for war. This unit, composed of veterans and adventurers, exhibits a significant difference in both morale and combat capability compared to those units formed through conscription. It is precisely for this reason that the 1st Marine Division became the ace of the U.S. military on the Korean battlefield, earning the honor of being among the first to land at Incheon.
Having fought in two world wars and possessing rich combat experience, General Smith clearly understands that in such harsh conditions, the first priority in warfare is logistics and supply. Without ensuring a smooth supply line while advancing alone, the 1st Marine Division could very well face a disastrous defeat on the Gaimagao Plateau if subjected to a full-scale counterattack by the Chinese forces
Between the rear base at Xinnan Port and the Changjin Lake area, there is only one rudimentary road spanning over 100 kilometers, characterized by extremely complex terrain. This narrow path, composed of a mixture of soil and gravel, winds through the mountains and can barely be classified as a road. Particularly in the nearly 80-kilometer section through the mountains, the road is so narrow that it only allows for the passage of a single vehicle, and it is situated on the mountainside, with steep cliffs on one side and abrupt rock formations on the other. All troops and supplies must traverse this road, which will inevitably elongate the entire marching formation. Furthermore, to ensure the smooth operation of this lifeline, it is necessary to deploy defensive forces at several key points. This will inevitably lead to a dispersion of forces, and in the event of being cut off and surrounded, they could easily be defeated in detail.