Group Army
Encyclopedia
A Group Army is a major Chinese
military organization
. Some may use or translate it loosely to mean the same as Army Group
and through various time periods or history, depending on whether the military formation is under Nationalist China (ROC) or Communist China (PRC), Chinese Army Group
or Group Army could be equivalent to field army
or army group
in other militaries but NOT necessarily so. This is because while 军 in Chinese
means "corps
" when classifying by size or number of troops, it also means (and more frequently so) in common and less precise military usage - any significant grouping of combat troops / i.e. army
(usually corps
size or larger; including Army
or Army Group
as per defined by most international military forces).
Adding confusion to multiple Chinese definitions of Group Army or Army Group is also made by literal translation or 'conversion' by non chinese translators or military experts who do not really understand 军 by itself does have different meanings; with situations made worse by Chinese usage - both from PRC and ROC which have used both meanings rather interchangeably.
Hence any military enthusiast should ideally look at the number of troops (size) or component units i.e. numbers of Brigade
, Division
, Corps
or Army of any Chinese Group Army or Army Group before comparing and working out the corresponding equivalence to other military formation - especially those from the NATO or Western militaries.
-sized combined arms units with gross manpower ranging from 45,000 to 60,000 personnel. Each of the PLA’s seven military regions is assigned with 2 or 3 group armies.
Other Chinese language sources from PRC typically describe each Group Army has having 2 or 3 Divisions (mainly Infantry but some are Armour, Motorized or Artillery Divisions) and further augmented by several Brigade
or regiment
sized 'combat arms'/ 'support-arms' formations e.g. artillery, armour, air defence artillery, motorized (infantry), aviation/helicopter regiment etc.
, the National Revolutionary Army
had organized 40 Group Armies. These were roughly equivalent to a field army in other military terminology.
Source
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
military organization
Military organization
Military organization is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer military capability required by the national defence policy. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a nation's armed forces...
. Some may use or translate it loosely to mean the same as Army Group
Army group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area...
and through various time periods or history, depending on whether the military formation is under Nationalist China (ROC) or Communist China (PRC), Chinese Army Group
Army group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area...
or Group Army could be equivalent to field army
Field army
A Field Army, or Area Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national military forces for a military formation superior to a corps and beneath an army group....
or army group
Army group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area...
in other militaries but NOT necessarily so. This is because while 军 in Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
means "corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
" when classifying by size or number of troops, it also means (and more frequently so) in common and less precise military usage - any significant grouping of combat troops / i.e. army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
(usually corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
size or larger; including Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
or Army Group
Army group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area...
as per defined by most international military forces).
Adding confusion to multiple Chinese definitions of Group Army or Army Group is also made by literal translation or 'conversion' by non chinese translators or military experts who do not really understand 军 by itself does have different meanings; with situations made worse by Chinese usage - both from PRC and ROC which have used both meanings rather interchangeably.
Hence any military enthusiast should ideally look at the number of troops (size) or component units i.e. numbers of Brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
, Division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
, Corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
or Army of any Chinese Group Army or Army Group before comparing and working out the corresponding equivalence to other military formation - especially those from the NATO or Western militaries.
People's Liberation Army
The People’s Liberation Army has 18 regular 集团军 or 'Group Armies'. However, a modern PRC Group Army in (PRC) China are corpsCorps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
-sized combined arms units with gross manpower ranging from 45,000 to 60,000 personnel. Each of the PLA’s seven military regions is assigned with 2 or 3 group armies.
Other Chinese language sources from PRC typically describe each Group Army has having 2 or 3 Divisions (mainly Infantry but some are Armour, Motorized or Artillery Divisions) and further augmented by several Brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
or regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
sized 'combat arms'/ 'support-arms' formations e.g. artillery, armour, air defence artillery, motorized (infantry), aviation/helicopter regiment etc.
PLA Group Armies and their headquarters
- 1st Group Army1st Army (People's Republic of China)The 1st Group Army is a military formation of China's People's Liberation Army and one of three active group armies belonging to the Nanjing Military Region. It is based at Huzhou, Jiangsu and is composed of the 1st Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Division, an armored division, an artillery...
(Zhejiang, Nanjing Military Region) - 12th Group Army12th Army (People's Republic of China)The 12th Group Army is one of three Group Armies assigned to the Nanjing Military Region....
(Jiangsu, Nanjing Military Region) - 13th Group Army (Chongqing, Chengdu Military Region)
- 14th Group Army (Kunming, Chengdu Military Region)
- 16th Group Army16th Army (People's Republic of China)The 16th Army was a military formation of the People's Liberation Army Chinese Communist Forces ).-Organization :It was composed of the 69th, 46th, 48th, and 4th Armored Divisions, the 68th brigade and an artillery brigade. The formation is still active as the 16th Group Army in the Shenyang...
(Jilin, Shenyang Military Region) - 20th Group Army20th Army (People's Republic of China)The 20th Army was a military formation of the People's Volunteer Army during the Korean War.-Organization:...
(Henan, Jinan Military Region) - 21st Group Army (Shaaxi, Lanzhou Military Region)
- 26th Group Army26th Army (People's Republic of China)The 26th Army was a military formation of the People's Volunteer Army of the IX Army Group during the Korean War, and was commanded by Lieutenant General Zhang Renchu....
(Weifang, Shandong, Jinan Military Region) - 27th Group Army27th Army (People's Republic of China)The 27th Group Army is a military formation of China's People's Liberation Army and one of three active group armies belonging to the Beijing Military Region. It is based in Shijiazhuang, Hebei and is composed of one armored brigade, two motorized infantry brigades, one artillery brigade, and an...
(Hebei, Beijing Military Region) - 31st Group Army31st Army (People's Republic of China)The 31st Group Army is a military formation of China's People's Liberation Army and one of three active group armies belonging to the Nanjing Military Region...
(Fujian, Nanjing Military Region) - 38th Mechanized Group Army38th Army (People's Republic of China)The 38th Mechanized Group Army is a military formation of China's People's Liberation Army and one of three active group armies belonging to the Beijing Military Region...
(Baoding, Beijing Military Region) - 39th Mechanized Group Army39th Army (People's Republic of China)The 39th Army is a group army, a formation of roughly corps strength, of the People's Liberation Army.The Army was a military formation of the People's Volunteer Army during the Korean War...
(Liaoning, Shenyang Military Region) - 40th Group Army40th Army (People's Republic of China)The 40th Army was a military formation of the People's Volunteer Army during the Korean War. It was composed of the 118th, 119th, and 120th Divisions.-History:In the morning of Oct...
(Jinzhou, Liaoning, Shenyang Military Region) - 41st Group Army41st Army (People's Republic of China)The 41st Group Army is one of two Group Armies assigned to the Guangzhou Military Region....
(Guangxi, Guangzhou Military Region) - 42nd Group Army42nd Army (People's Republic of China)The 42nd Army is a group army - a roughly corps-sized military formation - of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, active since the late 1940s.-History:...
(Guangdong, Guangzhou Military Region) - 47th Group Army (Shaanxi, Lanzhou Military Region)
- 54th Group Army54th Army (People's Republic of China)The 54th Group Army is one of three group armies assigned to the Jinan Military Region....
(Henan, Jinan Military Region) - 65th Group Army65th Army (People's Republic of China)The 65th Group Army is a military formation of China's People's Liberation Army and one of three active group armies belonging to the Beijing Military Region. It is based in Zhangjiakou, Hebei and is composed of the 193rd Division, an artillery division, an armored brigade, two motorized infantry...
(Hebei, Beijing Military Region)
National Revolutionary Army
By the end of the Second Sino-Japanese WarSecond Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, the National Revolutionary Army
National Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army , pre-1928 sometimes shortened to 革命軍 or Revolutionary Army and between 1928-1947 as 國軍 or National Army was the Military Arm of the Kuomintang from 1925 until 1947, as well as the national army of the Republic of China during the KMT's period of party rule...
had organized 40 Group Armies. These were roughly equivalent to a field army in other military terminology.
Source
- Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) 2nd Ed. ,1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung, Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.