When did the Battle of Xiamen start?

Ye Fei gave the order, and the battle of Xiamen started.

10 15 at 4: 30 pm on June 5, the weather suddenly turned bad, with strong winds and waves. According to the original order, the artillery started shooting at the enemy position 30 minutes in advance.

It is strictly forbidden to bomb and damage the scenic buildings of Gulangyu Island in battle. After the planned test firing, the artillery began to destroy and shoot the reinforced concrete forts on both sides of the beach in the southwest of Gulangyu Island, which posed the greatest threat to our landing troops. After the artillery fire lasted for 45 minutes, it extended to the landing site and the enemy suppressed the shooting in depth until the west side of Gulangyu Island was ablaze, most of the trees on the west hillside of the island were destroyed and the terrain changed. The intensity of the artillery fire exceeded expectations.

But because the wind and waves are too big, the hit rate is not high.

Ye Fei later recalled that the artillery hit rate was not high. Although the artillery fire of the People's Liberation Army could not completely suppress the firepower of the Kuomintang troops on the island, it greatly shocked the enemy and made the Kuomintang defenders on the front line at sea panic for a time. However, the shelling also put our army's attacking troops in the light, and the attack on Gulangyu Island was not sudden or concealed.

It used to be a sunny day in autumn. At 4: 30 pm, just as the attack was about to start as planned, the weather suddenly changed, from sunny to cloudy, and the northeast wind gradually started, blowing harder and harder, and dark clouds rolled in, and the sky over the strait suddenly became gloomy.

After the artillery preparation began, the 27 1 regiment, the first echelon of the division, began to prepare for boarding. It takes a lot of time for the ship to leave the hidden port and reach the boarding dock. It was 18 when they officially started boarding. Due to the loose organization and command during the loading process, the loading operation was chaotic, and the weather suddenly changed from southeast wind to northeast wind, which became worse and worse, affecting the boarding and receiving of the ship, thus delaying the sailing time. The original stipulation was 18 to complete the loading, and the sailing was delayed to 19: 30.

The attack forces set sail from Haicang and Beach, filed out from Haicang Bay and Beach Bay, and set off in two directions to the southwest of Gulangyu Island.

Attack force consists of four capable wooden fleets and 1 echelon battalion, which are respectively from 2 main attack regiments of 3 1 army, 27 1 regiment of 9 1 division and 277 regiment of 93rd division. Among them, the 27 1 regiment was named the 2nd regiment of Jinan because of its heroic performance and outstanding achievements in the battle of Jinan. As the sailing time was delayed for nearly two hours, the artillery damage started by our army was eliminated, and the enemy reinforced the fortifications and made preparations.

After the PLA set sail, it was adjusted to 27 1 Battalion 1 3 led by Wang, head of the regiment, and Tian Jun, deputy head of the regiment, as the first echelon. When the ship reached the estuary, the tide and the river met at the estuary and set off a big wave. The oncoming northeast wind blows harder and harder, and the waves surge and roll, forming a strong navigation resistance at the estuary. The fleet is mostly flat-bottomed river boats, and the bumps are even worse.

Soldiers and crew struggled with the wind and waves together. One moment the waves are very strong, and the other moment the wind is very strong, which makes the whole ship spin. There are too many fishing boats towed by the steamboat, which causes the towing rope to break from time to time and the mast to be discounted, which has never been encountered in training exercises. The cable was broken and the mast was broken, but they didn't flinch because of it and fought bravely against the wind and waves.

However, the first echelon, the first battalion, the first company and the third company changed from parallel to echelon, and the soldiers still braved the wind and waves.

When the PLA fleet sailed about 200 meters offshore, the Kuomintang defenders in Gulangyu began to block it with fierce firepower, but it also blocked the firm will of PLA soldiers to advance.

Zhang Jinniang, a 54-year-old female boatman, went out with three boats and five people, braving intensive artillery fire and fierce wind and waves, flying in front of the fleet. Seeing that it was only 100 meters offshore, at this moment, an evil shell exploded beside Zhang Jinniang's boat, and her husband and youngest son fell after being shot.

At this time, Zhang Jinniang, who was seriously injured, had no intention to help her loved ones. She took the helm and continued to sail bravely, shouting with all her strength: Go!

Zhang Jinniang struggled to steer the injured ship to the enemy reef head position. Finally, the boat driven by Zhang Jinniang was unfortunately shot and sank, and she, her husband and three sons were all killed!

Fisherman Ou Daxing and his four brothers and uncles transported commandos across the sea twice in a row, but when they finally returned, they were unfortunately shot in the abdomen, but he rescued a drowning soldier despite serious injuries and finally died heroically.

The soldiers are all wooden boats, on which are two main attack regiments of 3 1 Army, namely 9 1 Division 27 1 Regiment and 93rd Division 277 Regiment. As the sailing time was delayed for nearly two hours, the defense forces found out and reinforced the fortifications again.

The soldiers' boat was rowing desperately on the rough sea. The enemy's artillery fire on the defensive is getting fiercer and fiercer, and the wooden boats are braving intensive artillery fire and fighting against bad winds and waves. Sadly, the sailor 132, who was selected by the 27 1 regiment before the war, was brave and tenacious, calm and calm, and insisted on rowing regardless of casualties. Most of them were killed or injured afterwards.

Peng, the propaganda chief of the 27 1 regiment who took the lead in hard training before the war and determined to win the title of the first ship crossing the sea, and Qu Ming, who won the first class when crossing the river, were unfortunately shot and sacrificed while rowing side by side.

Most of the ships in the first echelon of the attack force failed to dock at the scheduled breakthrough point because of the heavy wind and waves and the enemy's artillery fire, and a few were even blown back.

The defenders of Gulangyu fired flares to light up the sea on the shore.

The enemy also came to Taikang and intensively shelled the waters near Xiamen University.

Some PLA ships were punctured by shrapnel and seawater poured into the cabin; Some masts were blown off; Some ships were sunk by bombing ... after most of them were dispersed, the soldiers were still determined to fight for themselves and others, bravely braving the enemy's gunfire and struggling to paddle.

At 9 o'clock at night, the 3rd Company of 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment, Jinan approached the landing point, towing the steamboat to cut the towing cable not far from the landing point, and each boat sailed to the shore respectively. But not far away, the enemy suddenly opened fire, and most of the pioneers of the People's Liberation Army died before they got off the boat.

Worried that the enemy's artillery fire was too fierce, the troops who had not landed cut the traction rope at the offshore 1 km, and the wooden boat rowed close to the enemy, and then they were madly strafed by enemy artillery and machine guns.

Most companies in the first echelon battalion suffered casualties! After 2 1: 30, Company 27 1 regiment 1, Company 2, Company 3, Company 5, Company 7 and Company 2, Company 4, Company 8 of Group 277 began to arrive at the beach sporadically, and the officers and men on board jumped into the water one after another, bleeding profusely, and attacked the enemy shore. The enemy's advancing bunker rampaged, and the landing troops of the first echelon suffered heavy losses on the beach. Only seven platoons entered the enemy's advancing position. Blood dyed Gulangyu beach red, blood dyed Xiamen Bay red!

After landing, Company 27 1 Regiment 1, Company 2, Company 3, Company 5, Company 7 and Company 2, Company 4 and Company 8 of Regiment 277 began to advance to the beachhead one after another, but they were blocked by enemy gunfire at the beachhead, and only seven platoons approached the enemy's forward positions.