The story of the Battle of Gaoping

The PLA’s strategic and tactical estimates of the Vietnamese army are very accurate

When Wang Shangrong, commander-in-chief of the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, reviewed the strategic policy of "Shuojiang-Gaoping-Dongxi Theater", he focused on Praise was given to the bold strategic plan proposed by the General Staff. This plan not only maintains the characteristics of the People's Liberation Army's warfare interspersed with encirclement, but also highlights the status of the tank unit in the battle. It can be said to be unexpected and win in danger.

The People's Liberation Army correctly estimated that the Vietnamese army was confident that it had long-term actual combat experience and had more advanced weapons than the Chinese infantry, so it must be underestimating the enemy. To defeat the enemy in this area surrounded by caves, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and eliminate the enemy's strength, it is necessary to strategically lay a big pocket for the enemy and dare to eat the enemy in one bite.

Therefore, the People's Liberation Army decided to launch a strong attack in the front areas of Daonong and Shuojiang, but not in a hurry. The purpose was to attract and completely destroy the enemy with artillery fire dozens of times more powerful than the enemy.

Our main offensive troops set off from Jingxi and Longzhou. Jingxi is located to the north of Gaoping area. The intersecting troops are divided into two routes. They pass through Chaling and point directly at Gaoping, attracting the enemy to strengthen the Gaoping defenders. , the other road laid a pocket east of Gaoping.

At the same time, the army that captured Tongnong sent out another surprise force to penetrate the west of Gaoping to block the 338th Division of the Yinshan Vietnamese Army.

The troops from Southeast Longzhou marched straight into Guangzhou from Shuikou Pass as a force to capture the east side of Gaoping. The other route went out of the layout pass, attacked Qixi and Tuolang, and set up blocking positions to prevent enemy reinforcements in the Lang Son area. The main force occupied Dongxi and then headed north along Highway 4, then took the back road to Caoping to complete the siege of Caoping and ensure that the entire army was surrounded. Annihilate the 346th Division.

Among them, the heavy troops on the back route to Gaoping are the most important. Not only do they have to attack from areas that are said to be impossible to attack, but they also have to pass through Boshan and other important strongholds of the Vietnamese army. This route of troops is the most important one. The east entrance surrounded by the 346th Division.

Tactics: In order to reduce losses, it was decided to invest 300 tanks in the Gaoping area, use the tanks as the main battle weapons, replace self-propelled artillery with heavy artillery on the tanks, and directly attack the enemy's caves, using what we have Attack the enemy's strongholds by force, fight hard, and cover the infantry to capture the position.

The infantry is the backup for the tanks, followed closely by the powerful heavy artillery troops, because where the tanks pass, with the repairs of engineers, the heavy artillery can still reach the front line. This tactical plan draws on the experience of the US military in the Vietnam War. At that time, the US military used fighter bombing to suppress the ambushing Vietnamese troops, while our army pushed heavy artillery fire to the front of the formation, which was more accurate and direct than aerial bombing.

The battle unfolded within the PLA's expected strategies and tactics

The course of the battle proved that the PLA's pre-war estimates were completely correct. As planned, the People's Liberation Army invaded from areas that the Vietnamese army had never imagined. The 338th Division of the Vietnamese Army in the Yinshan area discovered the People's Liberation Army troops crossing from Daonong. They thought that our army was going to attack Hanoi from Highway 3, so they dug trenches one after another. We built fortifications and defended it, but after occupying Kuizha, the intersecting troops suddenly attacked Yuanping, sandblasted, and pointed directly at Gaoping. Only then did the 338th Division know that they had fallen into the trap and wanted to form an army to reinforce the 346th Division. However, they were blocked by a battalion of our intersecting troops. On the outskirts of Yinshan, we attacked for two days and were unable to move. Two days later, the 346th Division was completely wiped out. The 338th Division was afraid of being surrounded again and had to retreat to Yinshan.

The People's Liberation Army will attack two troops from the east and north of Shuikou Pass and Yuexu. It will take only one day to reach Guangzhou and form a pocket Dongping. At the same time, Qixi and Dongxi were quickly captured by the surprise attack. The US military fighter jets of the Vietnamese army staying at Tuolang Airport became the trophies of our army.

Dongxi's feint attack force, with tanks as the spearhead, crossed Boshan and attacked Gaoping in only three days. At this time, the morale of the Vietnamese troops facing them was in chaos and they wanted to flee, but they were unable to move under the artillery fire of the People's Liberation Army. Our army only took one day to launch a general offensive, and the 346th Division was completely wiped out in Gaoping.

The battle review shows the level of both warring parties at a glance

As for the Vietnamese army: the advantage is that they fight tenaciously, but they also escape quickly. The most tenacious are the militiamen, known as "?, but they hide They did not dare to return to the front line in Lang Son, and several regiment leaders also fled very quickly.

The biggest reason for the Vietnamese army's failure was strategic self-righteousness and overestimation of themselves. Therefore, on the second day, the People's Liberation Army intervened. When the troops and tanks moved in, both Lang Son and Hanoi headquarters believed that it was impossible for the tanks to pass through the mountain road. They did not believe the military intelligence and instead accused their subordinates of lying.

In terms of tactics, the Vietnamese army had its own set of tactics. However, the Vietnamese army, which was encircled by the People's Liberation Army, lost confidence in itself and just fled.

As for the People's Liberation Army, its strategic estimation was very correct before the battle. He was well aware of the morale, strategy, and character of the commanders of the Vietnamese army. He was able to catch the enemy off guard by interweaving his troops. In just four days, he used tank troops to launch an encirclement and annihilation war against the enemy in the high mountain jungle area, creating a new miracle in the history of warfare.

Tactically, it was a mistake for the People's Liberation Army to use tanks as spearheads to attack in cave areas. Therefore, after the third day, infantrymen were used as spearheads in modified personnel carriers, and the heavy artillery on the tanks followed closely to support them. It not only reduced the loss of troops, but also enhanced the threat to the enemy. Under the command of the infantry, the tanks fired accurately, which effectively solved the Vietnamese army's anti-tank tactical plan.