Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 587 Operation Code Name: Wolfhound!
Just when everyone in the United States thought that there was no hope left on the Korean battlefield.

One person is still striving for victory.

While Washington and MacArthur were bickering, Ridgway was busy reorganizing the Eighth Army.

However, it is not so easy to lift the morale of the US military, which has plummeted to rock bottom.

The command post at the front line should have been the busiest place.

But at this moment, only Ridgway was standing there.

Seeing Ridgway trembling with anger, Chief of Staff Dane quickly stepped forward to persuade him:

"Sir, the enemy has retreated. Although all the staff officers in the command post have withdrawn to the rear, the officers of each company have gone to the front line."

“That’s no excuse!” Ridgway retorted angrily.

"The war is not over yet! The Chinese army could launch another attack at any time!"

Ridgway knew perfectly well that Dane was just saying nice things.

Were the staff officers, who should have been in the front-line command post, sent to the rear because the enemy retreated?

"Let's go to the front line and take a look, then we'll go to the regimental command post."

Ridgway didn't waste any more time on the matter, but decided to go to the front lines first and deal with them when he got back.

Seeing Ridgway's frighteningly grim face, Dane wisely refrained from saying anything more.

The car was eerily quiet the whole way.

However, once he arrived at the front line, Ridgway's previously grim expression disappeared.

He communicated with the soldiers in a very friendly manner at every position and firing point.

The situation at the front lines gave Ridgway even more confidence.

However, to truly boost the morale of the Eighth Army Group, he still needs to solve the command problem.

Upon arriving at the rear command post, Ridgway was no longer as amiable as before when facing the regimental commander.

At the start of the meeting, Ridgway spoke non-stop for half an hour.

He then issued a firm order: "Commanders must move to the front!"

"All of you must go out, leave your bunkers, go to the troops, go to the battlefield to inspect!"

"Don't let me see you sitting at this damn desk again!" Ridgway slammed his hand on the desk.

"Yes, sir!"

Seeing Ridgway about to explode, officers of all ranks dared not utter a word and stood at attention.

“In addition, I want to emphasize this again.”

"The troops are going up the mountain!" Ridgway said solemnly.

“The UN forces relied entirely on vehicles during their marches, ignoring the mountains and hills on either side of the road.”

"Isn't this just handing the enemy a fighting opportunity for nothing?"

“Before, because the Southern Army was on the front line, I only asked the Southern Army for help, but now it’s different.”

"The US troops also have to get out of their vehicles, leave the damn road, and get into the woods! Get to the mountaintop!"

In the previous three battles, the UN forces twice acted as if they were completely stupid, sticking their heads into the enemy's encirclement.

If it weren't for the significant disparity in firepower, the Eighth Army Group would likely have been completely annihilated long ago.

"I will give it my all, and I hope you will too!"

"If anyone disobeys orders, I will send him directly to court-martial!"

Ridgway's tone was filled with murderous intent.

"Yes, sir!"

Ridgway was not joking at all.

He couldn't send all the frontline commanders to court, but he was ruthless in his control over the divisions.

Ridgway genuinely felt that these people were all incompetent, and that he needed more capable assistants to achieve victory.

美军前线骑1师、2师、7师、24师、25师的师掌，李奇微一个没留，一口气全都撤掉。

Although these people still hold military ranks, being removed from their positions as division commanders almost certainly marks the end of their military careers.

With these five individuals serving as a warning to others, officers at all levels of the Eighth Army were all taken aback.

No one dared to disobey military orders anymore.

Subsequently, a group of younger and more capable U.S. major generals arrived in Korea and took over command of the various divisions.

At the same time, a large number of World War II veterans, as well as field artillery and tanks, were transported to North Korea.

After all preparations were completed, Ridgway revealed his true colors at the first plenary meeting.

"Passive defense only leads to defeat!"

"To achieve victory, you must attack! Offense is the only option in modern warfare!"

"And in order to launch an attack, the first thing to do is to conduct reconnaissance!"

Ridgway pointed to the area north of the 37th parallel on the map.

"Take a look at our battle map."

"The enemy is right here, but we know absolutely nothing about them!"

"As it turns out, with the Chinese military's deliberate concealment, relying solely on air force reconnaissance was completely ineffective."

"To avoid being blind, ground troops must maintain contact with the enemy."

"I have decided to launch an operation, with battalions and companies as units, under the cover of aircraft and tanks, to conduct large-scale reconnaissance of enemy positions."

"We must ascertain the enemy's deployment in order to prepare for a full-scale counter-offensive."

"Operation codename: 'Operation Wolfhound'!"

Upon hearing that a small-scale attack was to be launched, everyone's expressions immediately turned serious.

Even though the new division commanders were newcomers and had not been beaten by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, they could still understand the prowess of the Volunteer Army in mountain warfare through battle reports.

Fighting the Chinese People's Volunteer Army in the mountains, it goes without saying that casualties would be significant.

Dane cautioned, "Sir, the U.S. military cannot afford any more losses."

The morale of the Eighth Army Group had only just begun to recover; if it suffered further losses, its morale would plummet instantly.

The losses don't even need to be large; just the annihilation of a battalion or even a company could trigger a chain reaction.

“I know.” Li Qiwei nodded.

This reconnaissance operation was of paramount importance, and Ridgway was extremely cautious.

"This reconnaissance can proceed slowly, but security must be ensured."

"The reconnaissance units are all equipped with tanks and armored vehicles. During the day, the reconnaissance units advance at full speed with the help of armored forces."

"But if the battle goes against us, or if we fail to defeat the central army in the daytime, we must retreat 25 kilometers before nightfall to avoid being outmaneuvered by the central army."

According to Ridgway's estimate, the average marching distance of the central army in one night was about 20 kilometers.

However, the experiences of the British 29th Brigade and the US 27th Regiment also served as a reminder that there was a unit in the Chinese army that was moving faster than the others.

Just to be on the safe side, Ridgway chose to add five kilometers.

For the US military, this is just a matter of stepping on the gas.

After assigning the reconnaissance directions to each division, Ridgway solemnly said, "Find them, keep them at bay, strike them, and annihilate them!"

Ridgway's proposed tactics sounded quite safe and naturally received unanimous praise from the US military.

At the same time that ground reconnaissance forces were deployed, Ridgway also dispatched almost all of his air power.

This even includes himself.

Ridgway personally flew a training aircraft every day, going out to conduct reconnaissance missions with his troops.

Although many members of the reconnaissance team went missing in just a few days, Ridgway was not alarmed but rather pleased.

The situation was better than he had imagined.

At that moment, Collins also arrived at the Eighth Army headquarters.

"General Ridgway, I am acting on the President's orders to learn about the specifics of the Korean War."

Collins said in a deep voice, "Can we still continue fighting now?!"

Without hesitation, Ridgway nodded decisively: "Okay."

Upon hearing Ridgway's words, Collins immediately perked up.

"Can you tell me what you're thinking?"

“Of course.” Ridgway gestured to Collins and led him to the sand table. “These past few days, I’ve launched a large-scale reconnaissance operation.”

"When the small unit went into the mountains, many of them lost contact. I judged that it was probably a reconnaissance unit of the G army operating in this area."

"However, there was no sign of attack on units of battalion or company size."

At this point, Ridgway couldn't help but smile.

"This shows that the enemy's defensive strength near the 37th parallel is much weaker than we imagined."

"This?" Collins indicated that he did not understand.

A weak defense doesn't mean there won't be an attack in the future.

What he wanted to know was whether the US military could hold out, not whether the Chinese would attack.

Seeing that Collins didn't understand, Ridgway didn't mind, because apart from him, no one in the Eighth Army had thought of this point.

Ridgway solemnly uttered two words: "Logistics!"

"I've discovered China's biggest weakness: logistics!"

"The enemy had clearly reached the 37th parallel, but chose to retreat and rest, entirely because their logistics couldn't keep up."

"After arriving in Korea, I studied every battle fought by the Chinese army."

"I found that their offensives in each battle were not long. The main offensive usually lasted for three to five days, after which the offensive would be greatly weakened."

"Adding to the results reported by the Air Force, I can conclude that their logistical capabilities are extremely weak!"

"If logistics can't keep up, it's impossible to sustain an offensive for long."

"This is the case north of the 38th parallel. If they advance to the south of the 38th parallel, their logistics will be even more inadequate."

"I am certain that south of the 38th parallel, the Chinese army does not have the capability for large-scale operations."

"In other words, the US military can absolutely hold out in Korea!"

As he listened to Ridgway's report, Collins's eyes grew brighter, but then he thought of the crushing defeat.

"If, as you say, the Chinese side lacked the capability to fight south of the 38th parallel, why did the Allied forces retreat to the 37th parallel?"

"General Collins, from a purely military perspective, withdrawing the front line has no impact."

"The casualties of the UN forces in this battle were not serious."

"Moreover, during this withdrawal, we established a solid defensive line across North Korea along the 37th parallel."

"From a military perspective, our withdrawal this time is a good thing."

Ridgway didn't care at all about the international impact of losing Seoul.

That wasn't something he should be thinking about; all he was thinking about was how to defeat the enemy.

Collins was overjoyed to hear Ridgway's explanation.

"This is the best news I've heard since the third battle!"

"I will return to Washington immediately and report this good news to the White House!"

Overjoyed, Collins didn't even wait for Vandenberg and went straight back to Washington on his private jet.

When Ridgway's conclusions spread through upper-class American circles, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The news that the US can stabilize its position in North Korea is like a timely rain after a long drought.

The United States desperately needs someone like this to hold up the skies above North Korea.

The US government’s support for Ridgway reached its maximum level instantly.

After gaining various forms of support, Ridgway was no longer content with simply establishing a foothold.

Just as Ridgway was planning how to retaliate.

Following the South Korean government's act of doing the US military a great favor by running over and killing Walker with a car, the North Korean government also stepped in to do the US military a great favor.

At the end of the Third Campaign, although the headquarters of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army decided to withdraw the entire army, it did not directly abandon the positions.

Instead, they devised a plan that could be described as foolproof.

That is, the North Korean army would take over the front-line positions and confront the US forces, while the Chinese People's Volunteer Army would withdraw to the second-line positions to provide support to the North Korean army while resting and reorganizing.

The Chinese People's Volunteer Army has been fighting continuously for two months since entering Korea.

During these two months, the Northern Army has been resting and replenishing its forces, and many veterans who had been scattered in the southern mountains have gradually returned to their posts.

At this time, the Northern Army's strength had recovered to 100,000 men, and the main forces, the Second and Fifth Army Corps, had basically recovered their combat effectiveness.

Now that the Volunteer Army needs to rest and reorganize, it's just right to let the North Korean Army take its place.

However, to everyone's surprise, although the commander of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had several cordial exchanges with the Northern Army, the Northern Army still believed that the American army was terrified.

They believed that if they continued to push forward, the Americans themselves would be scared and run away from North Korea.

Most importantly, the Union Army didn't just talk the talk.

Just as the entire Chinese People's Volunteer Army was withdrawing for rest and reorganization, the Second and Fifth Army Corps of the North Korean Army also arrived at their respective defensive positions as planned.

However, the Northern Army did not follow the orders of the Generalissimo and switch to a defensive posture.

Instead, they continued forward, preparing to drive all the Americans back into the sea.

According to the Northern Army commander, they wanted to show the Volunteer Army the strength of the Northern Army.

Therefore, the Union Fifth Army launched a fierce attack on the U.S. 2nd Division in front of them.

According to their thinking, the US 2nd Division had just been decimated after being attacked, and even if it was replenished, it would mainly consist of new recruits, so its combat effectiveness would definitely be poor.

What the Union Army didn't expect was that the US 2nd Division was indeed reinforced with newly recruited soldiers.

But these soldiers were not green recruits; the vast majority of them were veterans from World War II.

Therefore, after a fierce charge, the Fifth Army Corps was crippled.

In less than two days, the Fifth Legion had already lost its fighting capacity.

Of course, the Northern army did not only rely on frontal assaults.

While the Fifth Army was charging forward, the Second Army also dispersed into small groups and adopted guerrilla tactics to infiltrate the American defenses.

As it turned out, Ridgway simply countered each move and perfectly resolved the problem.

The 1st Marine Division broke up into smaller units and used similar tactics against the 2nd Corps.

In guerrilla warfare, the key to victory lies in the respective military skills of each side.

The U.S. military was already quite powerful and could call in air strikes at any time; the Union army was no match for them.

The Second Army Corps roamed for several days, only to find that it had not only failed to break through the defenses, but had also lost a large number of troops.

When the Second Army Corps withdrew from the battle and the casualties were tallied, they were even greater than those of the Fifth Army Corps.

The Union Army's astute judgment directly led to the complete annihilation of what was originally a fairly solid first line of defense.

The Han River was directly exposed to the reconnaissance range of the US military.

In the following days, Ridgway was surprised to find that only a small reconnaissance force had pushed the front line back.

The US military encountered the Chinese People's Volunteer Army again.

Now, Shiji was completely dumbfounded.

"Commander, the Northern Army has lost its fighting capacity, and our main force has also dispersed for rest and reorganization. Only a few divisions that entered Korea later remain on the south bank of the Han River."

"If the US military attacks at this time, they will probably have a hard time stopping them."

The divisions that entered North Korea later were all second-line troops, incomparable to the main force of the first batch.

The commander nodded with a headache: "The Northern Army's recklessness has caused a lot of trouble."

The chief of staff asked, "Should we call back a few main divisions?"

According to the chief of staff, a single main force advancing to the south bank of the Han River would be enough to halt the American offensive.

"A single move can affect the whole situation!" The commander knew that more troops should be sent, but he still couldn't make up his mind.

"If we need to bring back a few main forces, let alone how much trouble it would be to regroup the scattered troops."

"If the main force takes turns to rest and recuperate, it will inevitably affect the progress of the spring offensive, and even the course of the entire war."

According to the plan of the Central Committee and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army Headquarters, as long as two or three more US divisions are wiped out in the spring offensive, the Korean War will basically be over.

Allowing the main force to stop resting at this point would have a significant impact on the battle situation.

Just as Zhi Si was hesitating, Chen Chengxing arrived at Zhi Si.

No one knew what had happened, but after Chen Chengxing left, the Fourth Army Corps, which had been resting and reorganizing separately, began to move quietly.

The other armies also changed their garrison locations.

Although the Volunteer Army was still in a state of rest and reorganization, significant changes had already taken place.

(End of this chapter)