Volunteer Army Fights Well in Its First Battle Abroad

Move forward. (2) It is estimated that it will take about seven days for the Puppet Capital Division and Puppet 3rd Division to reach Changjin, after which they will turn toward Kanggye. If our army is not preparing to strike these two divisions in the first battle, it will be sufficient to place one division of the 42nd Army in the Changjin area to block the enemy. The main force of the 42nd Army should be deployed south of Maengsan (i.e., on the approach route of the Puppet 6th Division) in order to cut the railway line between Wonsan and Pyongyang, contain the enemy forces at Wonsan and Pyongyang so that they cannot send reinforcements north, and facilitate the concentration of our three main armies to separately annihilate the Puppet 6th, 7th, and 8th Divisions. (3) If a part of the Korean People's Army can put up a strong blocking action against the Puppet 6th Division (relatively strong) on the road from P'agyŏn (on the railway line) to Tŏkchon, the enemy may not be able to occupy Tŏkchon until around October 24 or 25. If our 40th Army (in its entirety) can rush to the Tŏkchon-Nyŏngwŏn area by the 23rd, it can then move around to the rear of the Puppet 6th Division (circling from the east to the vicinity of the railway line in the south), leaving the front for use by another army (the 38th Army or the 39th Army). If too late, the enemy will occupy Tŏkchon first. (4) This is an excellent opportunity to annihilate three or so divisions of the puppet forces, win the first victory abroad, and begin to turn the tide of the Korean war situation. For deployment, hope that Peng and Deng[1] will carefully plan and execute it. (5) This battle may take seven to ten days (including pursuit) to conclude. Have our troops brought dry rations? Hope the whole army is encouraged not to fear sacrifice or hardship, and to strive for complete victory. (6) Peng and Deng should stay together and not separate.

Mao Zedong
2:30, October 21
[1]

--- Notes

Peng and Deng refer to Peng Dehuai and Deng Hua.