Blazing Fury; A Chronicle of the Battles of the People's Liberation Army's 24th Army

Author: Peng Xiangtai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The 24th Army is a heroic unit with a glorious revolutionary history and fine traditions. During the Chinese Revolutionary War, its predecessor units, such as the Red 5th Regiment, Red 24th Division, Red 10th Corps, Red 3rd Regiment, Red 9th Regiment, and the Southern Zhejiang Red Army Advance Corps, fought in eight southern provinces. After the Central Red Army began the Long March, they persisted in the arduous and relentless three-year guerrilla war in the south. When the War of Resistance Against Japan broke out, this southern eight-province Red Army guerrilla unit advanced into the rear areas of Jiangnan to carry out anti-Japanese guerrilla warfare, achieving their first victory at Weigang, shattering the myth of the "invincible Imperial Japanese Army." After suffering multiple heavy defeats, the Japanese invaders in China referred to this unit as the "Tiger" Corps. During the War of Liberation, they marched to engage in battle at Laiwu, where one division captured or killed over 20,000 enemy soldiers. They swiftly advanced to Dazhuang, encircled and defeated Mengliangguan, and killed the commander of the Imperial Japanese Army's elite 74th Division, General Zhang Lingfu. In the fierce battle of Yudong, they captured the commander of the enemy corps, Zhou Shounian. They fought for control of Huaihai, resisting the relentless attacks of more than a hundred thousand enemy soldiers, including two Nationalist Chinese corps and General Jiang Weiguo's armored division. They crossed the Yangtze River and captured the city of Tongling in Jiangnan. During the War of Resistance in Korea, in just 10 months, they captured or killed 37,000 American and South Korean soldiers, making significant contributions to safeguarding their homeland and world peace. In the war years, the soldiers of the 24th Army fought south and north, advancing and retreating, fully demonstrating their heroic spirit of "must conquer in battle, must win in combat," their skill in fighting large-scale, tough, and fierce battles, and their fierce and fearless fighting prowess like a whirlwind sweeping across the battlefield and a tiger charging bravely into enemy ranks.