Wartime Mass Movements of KPA

Mass movements created and generalized in the Korean People’s Army during the Fatherland Liberation War (June 25, 1950-July 27, 1953) made great contribution to winning victory in the war.

Among them was the snipers’ team movement.

According to Order No. 085 of the Supreme Commander of the KPA issued in November Juche 40 (1951), the KPA soldiers conducted the movement vigorously, binding the limbs of the US aggressors in their desperate attempt to escape from the fear of death. As a result, over 1 000 enemy soldiers were destroyed in a month on all front.

The anti-tank team movement, too, dealt a crushing blow to the US imperialists. According to the order of Comrade Kim Il Sung to conduct a Korean-style tank-destroying operation which was unprecedented in any warfare, tank-hunters in all KPA combined and other units destroyed tanks massed in the interior of the enemy. They reduced over 200 enemy tanks into scrap iron in one year. During the three-year-long war, they assaulted and destroyed 3 255 tanks and armoured vehicles, and 13 Heroes, including Sok Pong Gon, and many recipients of state commendations were produced.

The anti-aircraft team movement also dealt a fatal blow to the US air pirates that boasted of “air supremacy.” It became more active from 1952. As the aircraft-hunting teams, equipped with small arms, began to conduct vigorous activities at the front, in the rear and on the coasts, the enemy planes fell like fallen leaves in the autumn. The aircraft hunters of the 8th and 47th infantry divisions under the 1st Corps of the KPA shot down 35 planes in less than one month. They created a miracle of shooting down over 1 200 low-flying planes in a year, by means of small arms in different parts of the country.

Besides, there was the model company movement with the main stress on beefing up the fighting efficiency of the company, enhancing the level of its military and political training and building it up into a vigorous combat group.

In March Juche 41 (1952), the 2nd Company, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment under Andong 12th Infantry Division, was the first to receive the model company flag. Then, the movement rapidly spread throughout the army.

As a result, over 390 model companies and tens of thousands of model soldiers were produced in a matter of one year.

The flames of those mass movements inspired the KPA soldiers to give full play to the indomitable revolutionary spirit and matchless mass heroism in all battles and perform feats of achieving victory in the war which would shine forever in the history of the country.

2023-07-17