Siping Campaign
Encyclopedia
Siping
Campaign (四平战役) was a nine month long struggle between the communist and the nationalist
for Siping
in Jilin
, China
during the Chinese Civil War
in the post World War II
era, and resulted in communist victory.
in their Summer Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China
, the communists decided to take the city despite the fact that they had totally lacked the experience of taking strongly defended cities that are heavily fortified, and it was obvious to both sides that the isolated city would be the next battlefield. Siping (city)
was defended by three divisions
belong to two separate armies and the commander of the nationalist
71st Army, Chen Mingren (陈明仁) was named as the nationalist
commander-in-chief
of the urban defense. All three nationalist
divisions
suffered greatly in earlier battles and none of them was fully manned. However, the communists had eradicated nationalists
in the region from Tieling
in the south and Changchun
in the north, and most of these nationalist
forces had retreated to Siping (city)
. Chen Mingren (陈明仁) successfully recruited and incorporated these forces into his force, and every able bodied-man who had a governmental job was also recruited into the local garrison. Construction for additional fortifications and strengthening the current ones was also completed in very short span of time, and in a devoted effort, many bunkers were built by sacks full of wheat and starch of American aid. On June 3, 1947, Chiang Kai-shek
flew to Shenyang
and personally wrote to Chen Mingren (陈明仁) stating that Siping (city)
was a very important location in Northeast China
and if lost, the nationalists
would not only lose Northeast China
, but also endangering the rest of China
, so the city must be defended at all cost, and Chen Mingren (陈明仁) was determined to hold the city, and the nationalist
reporters claimed the city as Chen Mingren (陈明仁)’s fortress after witnessing the extensive defensive complex built.
On June 9, 1947, the enemy had completed its regroup outside the city for the upcoming attack. However, the communist made a serious intelligence blunder in underestimating the defenders’ strength by only assessing the total nationalist
strength as 18,000, and even Lin Biao
had erroneously believed that there were only four fully combat capable nationalist
regiment
s with full strength in the city. The enemy had missed the significant intelligence including the defenders receiving airdrop of 400 tons of supplies and weaponry in more than 200 sorties from Shenyang
, and the rapid new construction of the fortifications. The defenders’ recruitment of previously defeated nationalist
forces into the local garrison was completely undetected by the enemy, and enemy did not expect the nationalist
air force
would actively participate in the first stage in support of the ground troops defending the city either. This serious intelligence blunder would have to be paid with an extremely heavy price later in the first stage of the campaign.
order of battle
:
nationalist
units with more than 19,000 troops
Attackers: communist order of battle
:
positions outside the city, and on the same night, the airport at the western suburb of the city was taken by the communist 7th Column. On June 13, 1947, the communist 1st Column took Xinlitun
, and the nationalist
air force
begun to attack enemy ground positions at a rate of near twenty sorties per day in order to support the defenders of the city. On June 14, 1947, Lin Biao
ordered the 11th Division
and the 12th Division
of the communist 4th Column to strike south toward Shenyang
and Fushun
to distract nationalist
forces stationed in those cities from reinforcing Siping (city)
, and to take Fushun
if possible. At 8:00 PM on June 14, 1947, the assault on the city itself had begun with five communist artillery
battalion
s with near a hundred large caliber artillery
pieces starting to bombard the city, even the 12 anti-aircraft artilleries in the communist inventory were deployed to shell the city. The shelling shocked the nationalist
defenders since merely a year ago, artillery
was still an extremely rare commodity for the communists, yet a year later the communist artillery
firepower was greater than that of Japanese during World War II
. Under the cover of intense artillery
shelling, the communist 1st Column and 7th Column attacked the defenders from multiple directions.
Forty minutes after the assault begun, the 2nd Division
of the communist 1st Column breached the defense in the southwest, and by 2:00 AM on June 15, 1947, the 1st Division
of the communist 1st Column also penetrated into the city from Haifeng Village (Haifeng Tun, 海丰屯). However, the communist 7th Column and the 3rd Division
of the communist 1st Column failed to breach the defense, and nationalist
reserve launched multiple counterattacks on the enemy under the air cover, which had increased into more than twenty sorties per day. By June 16, 1947, the communists 1st Division
and the 2nd Division
inside the city had beaten back defenders’ counterattacks for more than a dozen times, but in doing so, each suffered more than 1,500 casualties. The regions inside the city taken by the enemy was relatively small and only a thousand or so defenders were captured alive by the enemy, but situation for the defenders worsened on June 18, 1947 when the communist 7th Column breached the defense in northwest. The nationalists
had underestimated the enemy’s resolution to take the city, and defenders’ stubborn resistance was equally out of expectation of the attacking communists as battle raged on with heavy casualties on both sides. By June 19, 1947, Lin Biao
was forced to send the 17th Division
and the 18th Division
of the communist 6th Column to reinforce the communists fighting inside the city. With the newly arrived help, the enemy was able to take nationalist
strongholds at the Telecommunication Building, the Municipal Building, and the Central Bank Building, and the nationalist
headquarter of the 71st Army that was also the headquarter of the urban defense was besieged.
There were many brick buildings in Siping (city)
and bricks made from black earth were extremely tough that when hit by 60 mm mortar
rounds, there was only a dent left. The defenders capitalized on these strong buildings and turned them into formidable fortifications, and the nationalist
71st Army headquarter was located in one of such bunkers, with the entrance sealed by a jeep. In addition to wide field of view, there were also dozens bunkers and pillboxes protected by minefields around the buildings to strengthen the defense. On June 20, 1947, the 17th Division
of the communist 6th Column unleashed its assault on the nationalist
headquarter, and by the evening, the enemy was dangerously close. Chen Mingren (陈明仁), the nationalist
commander-in-chief
inside the headquarter was forced to evacuate into another alternate headquarter in a different bunker in the eastern half of the city, while his brother, Chen Mingxin (陈明信), the regimental commander of the Specialized Duties Regiment
of the nationalist
71st Army, was left to defend the original headquarter. After three hours of fierce fighting, the headquarter fell and its defenders were annihilated. Chen Mingxin (陈明信), the regimental commander of the Specialized Duties Regiment
of the nationalist
71st Army, was captured alive by the enemy, and the stronghold that the nationalists
claimed to withstand enemy attack for more than a month fell in just three short hours. The fall of the nationalist
71st Army headquarter had signaled the fall of the western half of the city into the enemy hands, but the enemy had paid a very heavy price: the 1st Division
and the 2nd Division
of the communist 1st Column, and the Independent 1st Division
and the Independent 2nd Division
of communist 7th Column suffered heavy casualties that they were forced out of action, and Ma Renxing (马仁兴), the divisional
commander of the 1st Independent Division
of the communist 7th Column, became the highest ranked communist officer killed in the campaign.
After more than a week of fierce fighting, the enemy finally took western half of the city with heavy loss. Only then did the enemy realize the serious blunder of the underestimation of the defenders: the nationalists
defending the city was not 18,000 like previously thought, but almost twice, totaling more than 35,000. On June 21, 1947, the enemy was forced to send their reserves to join the fight: the 16th Division
of the communist 6th Column and the Independent 3rd Division
of the communist 7th Column join the assault on the eastern half of city, and Hong Xuezhi
, (洪学智), the commander-in-chief
of the communist 6th Column succeeded Li Tianyou (李天佑), the commander-in-chief
of the communist 1st Column in the last part of the fighting as the communist commander in charge of taking the city. Chen Mingren (陈明仁), the nationalist
commander-in-chief
of the urban defense, concentrated his remaining 20,000 strong force in the eastern half of the city, and by the evening of June 21, 1947, had successfully beaten back all enemy attacks. For the communists, it was impossible to achieve numerical superiority after sending in two divisions
following the withdraw of four divisions
, and the Independent 1st Division
of the communist 7th Column withdrawn earlier was forced to be back in action again. The highest point in the Siping (city)
was a water tower, and the nationalists
turned it into a formidable bunker manned by tough veterans of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Burma
and India
during World War II
, and these sharpshooters armed with light machine gun
s had successfully beaten back attacks by an entire enemy regiment
for four times. After concentrating over a dozen machine gun
s suppressing the nationalist
fire from the loopholes of the bunker to cover sappers setting up the explosives, the enemy finally neutralized the bunker in its fifth attempt.
At the railroad crossing bridge, the defenders used an ingenious tactic by deploying beans: as three attacks by the communist 8th Regiment
of the 1st Column were beaten back, the enemy launched their fourth attack personally led by the regimental political commissar
Jin Ke (金可), and it appeared that the fourth attack might be successful. However, the defenders unleashed their secret weapon by opening two large sacks of beans which suddenly filled the ground. Everyone in the unsuspecting enemy assault team slid down and had very difficult time of getting up, and with beans on the ground, it was impossible to advance, retreat or reinforce, thus the enemy assault team was completely wiped out. Jin Ke (金可), the regimental political commissar
of the communist 8th Regiment
of the 1st Column leading the fourth charge, was cut in half at the chest by a string of defenders’ machine gun
fire in front of the regimental commander of the communist 8th Regiment
of the 1st Column, Guan Shanlin (关山林), and thus became the second highest ranked communist officer killed in action during the campaign. The streets of Siping (city)
was covered with blood and soldiers of both sides frequently slid down, and the situation became desperate for the defenders that Chen Mingren (陈明仁), the nationalist
commander-in-chief
of the urban defense, was preparing to commit suicide and had his Browning
pistol
ready. Chen Mingren (陈明仁) also ordered the defenders to burn every building after it was abandoned so that the attacking enemy would not be able to use it. After fierce battles, the last counterattack of the nationalist
71st Army was beaten back with heavy loss in the morning of June 23, 1947, but the communist 1st Independent Division
of the 7th Column suffered equally and was forced out of action once again for the second time. Although the defenders could no longer launch anymore counterattacks to the smallest scale, they were still able to put up a good defensive fight in their fortifications, but as time dragged on, even the defenders themselves begun to have serious doubts how long before the city would fall into the enemy hands.
The communists were overconfident that the city would fall for sure, and their New China News Agency
had already issued a press release at the time, claiming that “…After 12 days of fierce fighting, the enemy (nationalists
) had suffered over 16,000 casualties and remaining survivors had nowhere to flee. The majority of the Siping
had been under our (communist) control, and Chiang
’s army had been annihilated, and our troops (communists) were expanding the military success…”. On June 28, 1947, the communist commander Chen Yi (communist)
even sent a telegraph congratulating Lin Biao
for taking the city. Nothing could be further from the truth as the situation suddenly turned drastically in nationalist
favor: on June 29, 1947, the nationalist
reinforcement rapidly approached the city thanks to their mechanization, the nationalist
93rd Army approached the city on the same day Lin Biao
received the telegraph from Chen Yi (communist)
, while on June 29, 1947, the nationalist
New 6th Army took Benxi
and from there pushed toward Siping (city)
, while the nationalist
53rd Army on the left of the New 6th Army also pushed toward Siping (city)
in unison. The highly mechanized nationalist
armies was able to bypass the enemy and thus not only the nationalist
reinforcement had avoided been ambushed by the enemy, now the enemy force attacking the city was threatened. The table had turned for the enemy.
Lin Biao
’s choice was clear, on June 30, 1947, he ordered a general withdraw that concluded the first stage of Siping
Campaign. The exhausted defenders had no strength left to give any chase and the nationalist
reinforcement did not pursuit the enemy either after reaching the city, and thus did not see any action, just like the five enemy armies to the south of the city originally planned to ambush them. The nationalists
suffered over 19,000 casualties while the communist suffered over 13,000 casualties. The nationalists
had successfully beaten back the enemy and held the city. In addition to the enemy’s grave underestimation of the defenders’ strength, the associating indecisiveness of Lin Biao
also contributed to the nationalist
success at the first stage of the campaign: Lin Biao
was trying to increase the gain of the communist Summer Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China
by deploying seventeen divisions
to the south of Siping (city)
in the hope of ambush nationalist
reinforcement, but this had not materialized. The seven remaining communist divisions
were simply not enough to take on the five technically superior nationalist
Divisions
defending the city. Furthermore, only after suffering heavy losses, did the two more divisions
were redeployed to join the fight, but by then the communists were unable to achieve any numerical superiority at all, following the withdraw of four divisions
and earlier heavy losses. However, the communists would not forget their goal and they would be back with vengeance, as well as the valuable experience learned from this first attempt. For the nationalists
, the city was still in their hands, but the nationalist
original plan to fight a decisive battle to annihilate the enemy at the gate of Siping (city)
was equally spoiled by Lin Biao
’s wise and timely retreat, and thus the first stage of the campaign ended in a stalemate.
, the communists set their sights on the Siping (city)
again in their Winter Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China
, and this time they were ready and much better prepared. By this time, the nationalists
in Northeast China
had suffered greatly and Siping (city)
was only garrisoned by a mere 19,000 troops, without any hope of reinforcement. The first sign of trouble appeared when a transportation battalion
of the nationalist
88th Division
was ambushed on January 26, 1948 at Guo Family’s Hotel (Guo Jia Dian, 郭家店) as the 500-men strong battalion
attempted to transport grains to the city. Though the enemy attack was considered unlikely, the nationalists
nonetheless doubled the strength of the battalion
and assigned over a dozen trucks and over 100 horse drawn carts to ensure the safe completion of the job. Learning the news, Luo Jie (罗杰), the deputy commander-in-chief
of the communist base at the border area of Liaoning
and Jilin
, personally lead the units of the communist 18th Regiment
and the Mongolian Cavalry
Regiment
launched a long distance surprise attack before dawn on the unsuspecting nationalist
transportation battalion
. In a short period of 40 minutes, over 70 nationalist
soldiers were killed and more than 200 were captured alive by the enemy. The rest of the nationalists
were able to successfully escape by trucks, but a truck and all of the 100+ horse-drawn carts full of grains had to be abandoned and left intact for the enemy in the hasty retreat. On February 27, 1948, the order was formally given to take the city and the commander-in-chief
of the communist 1st Column, Li Tianyou (李天佑), the communist commander in charge of last assault on the city nearly nine month ago, was put in charge again for the second time. Similarly, two communist columns particiapated in the assault on the city nearly nine months ago, the 1st Column and the 7th Column, were tasked to take the city, with the help of the communist 3rd Column, while the communist 2nd Column, 6th Column, 8th Column, and 10th Column were deployed to stop any possible nationalist
reinforcement that never came, because the nationalist
strength was greatly reduced by this time.
On March 4, 1948, the enemy assault on the nationalist
positions outside the city begun, and the communist 1st Division
of the 1st Column took Haifeng Village (Hai Feng Tun, 海丰屯) and Xu Family’s Yaodong
(Xu Jia Yao, 徐家窑), while the 3rd Division
of the communist 1st Column took Xinlitun
. The enemy had made significant gains on March 8, 1948 when most of the nationalist
positions outside the city wall fell in a domino effect: the 7th Division
of the communist 3rd Column took the bunkers outside the eastern gate, while the 8th Division
of the communist 3rd Column took the region of Red Mouth (Hong Zui Zi, 红嘴子). Meanwhile, the 19th Division
of the communist 7th Column took the Third Line of Grove (San Dao Lin Zi, 三道林子). In order to find better positions for the artilleries to shell the defenders, the enemy took Shidao (师道) School, the airport and the Liu Family’s Village (Liu Jia Tun, 刘家屯). At 7:40 PM on March 12, 1948, the final assault on the city begun. The nationalist
defense was soon breached in five fronts in the north, the east, and the west, and defenders had to resort to street fights for their last stand. By the next day, the nationalist
defeat was complete when the entire nationalist
garrison of more than 19,000 was totally annihilated by the attacking enemy, who declared the victory on 7:00 PM on March 13, 1948, after the mopping up operation was completed.
defeat, and the defenders lost over 35,000 troops, with more than 16,000 in the first major battle, and over 19,000 in the second battle. In addition to capturing the city, the enemy also captured enormous supplies from the nationalists
, including 491 machine gun
s, over 9,000 repeating rifle
s, over 779,000 rounds of ammunitions, over 200 artillery
pieces, and over 11,000 rounds of artillery
rounds.
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
Campaign (四平战役) was a nine month long struggle between the communist and the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
for Siping
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
in Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
, China
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...
during the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
in the post World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era, and resulted in communist victory.
Prelude
By the early June 1947, the communists had successfully isolated Siping (city)Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
in their Summer Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China
Summer Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China
The Summer Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China is a series of battles initiated by the communists against the nationalists during the Chinese Civil War after World War II.-Prelude:...
, the communists decided to take the city despite the fact that they had totally lacked the experience of taking strongly defended cities that are heavily fortified, and it was obvious to both sides that the isolated city would be the next battlefield. Siping (city)
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
was defended by three divisions
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...
belong to two separate armies and the commander of the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
71st Army, Chen Mingren (陈明仁) was named as the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the urban defense. All three nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
divisions
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...
suffered greatly in earlier battles and none of them was fully manned. However, the communists had eradicated nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
in the region from Tieling
Tieling
Tieling is a prefecture-level city in Liaoning province of the People's Republic of China.The population is 3 million at the 2nd of 2004. Tieling is a city where coal mining is an important industry.The mayor of Tieling is Li Wenke...
in the south and Changchun
Changchun
Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin province, located in the northeast of the People's Republic of China, in the center of the Songliao Plain. It is administered as a sub-provincial city with a population of 7,677,089 at the 2010 census under its jurisdiction, including counties and...
in the north, and most of these nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
forces had retreated to Siping (city)
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
. Chen Mingren (陈明仁) successfully recruited and incorporated these forces into his force, and every able bodied-man who had a governmental job was also recruited into the local garrison. Construction for additional fortifications and strengthening the current ones was also completed in very short span of time, and in a devoted effort, many bunkers were built by sacks full of wheat and starch of American aid. On June 3, 1947, Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
flew to Shenyang
Shenyang
Shenyang , or Mukden , is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtianfu...
and personally wrote to Chen Mingren (陈明仁) stating that Siping (city)
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
was a very important location in Northeast China
Northeast China
Northeast China, historically known in English as Manchuria, is a geographical region of China, consisting of the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The region is sometimes called the Three Northeast Provinces...
and if lost, the nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
would not only lose Northeast China
Northeast China
Northeast China, historically known in English as Manchuria, is a geographical region of China, consisting of the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The region is sometimes called the Three Northeast Provinces...
, but also endangering the rest of China
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...
, so the city must be defended at all cost, and Chen Mingren (陈明仁) was determined to hold the city, and the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
reporters claimed the city as Chen Mingren (陈明仁)’s fortress after witnessing the extensive defensive complex built.
On June 9, 1947, the enemy had completed its regroup outside the city for the upcoming attack. However, the communist made a serious intelligence blunder in underestimating the defenders’ strength by only assessing the total nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
strength as 18,000, and even Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
had erroneously believed that there were only four fully combat capable nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
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...
s with full strength in the city. The enemy had missed the significant intelligence including the defenders receiving airdrop of 400 tons of supplies and weaponry in more than 200 sorties from Shenyang
Shenyang
Shenyang , or Mukden , is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtianfu...
, and the rapid new construction of the fortifications. The defenders’ recruitment of previously defeated nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
forces into the local garrison was completely undetected by the enemy, and enemy did not expect the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
air force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
would actively participate in the first stage in support of the ground troops defending the city either. This serious intelligence blunder would have to be paid with an extremely heavy price later in the first stage of the campaign.
Order of battle
Defenders: nationalistKuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
order of battle
Order of battle
In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
:
- First stage (more than 35,000 troops total):
- The 87th DivisionDivision (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...
of the 71st Army - The 88th DivisionDivision (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...
of the 71st Army - The 54th DivisionDivision (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...
of the 13th Army
- The 87th Division
- Second stage:
nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
units with more than 19,000 troops
Attackers: communist order of battle
Order of battle
In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
:
- The 1st Column
- The 7th Column
- The 6th Column (First stage)
- The 3rd Column (Second Stage)
First stage
On June 11, 1947, the communists begun their assault on the nationalistKuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
positions outside the city, and on the same night, the airport at the western suburb of the city was taken by the communist 7th Column. On June 13, 1947, the communist 1st Column took Xinlitun
Xinlitun
Xinlitun ,or Hsin-li-t’un, is a town within Heishan County in Jinzhou prefecture, Liaoning, China. It's in the north east of the prefecture about 100 km west of Shenyang city....
, and the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
air force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
begun to attack enemy ground positions at a rate of near twenty sorties per day in order to support the defenders of the city. On June 14, 1947, Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
ordered the 11th 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...
and the 12th 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...
of the communist 4th Column to strike south toward Shenyang
Shenyang
Shenyang , or Mukden , is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtianfu...
and Fushun
Fushun
Fushun is a city in Liaoning, China, about 45 km east from Shenyang, with a population about 2,138 090 inhabitants at the 2010 census and an area of 11,271 km2, including 713 km2 of the city proper. Fushun is situated on the Hun He . It was formerly called Fouchouen in French...
to distract nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
forces stationed in those cities from reinforcing Siping (city)
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
, and to take Fushun
Fushun
Fushun is a city in Liaoning, China, about 45 km east from Shenyang, with a population about 2,138 090 inhabitants at the 2010 census and an area of 11,271 km2, including 713 km2 of the city proper. Fushun is situated on the Hun He . It was formerly called Fouchouen in French...
if possible. At 8:00 PM on June 14, 1947, the assault on the city itself had begun with five communist artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s with near a hundred large caliber artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
pieces starting to bombard the city, even the 12 anti-aircraft artilleries in the communist inventory were deployed to shell the city. The shelling shocked the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
defenders since merely a year ago, artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
was still an extremely rare commodity for the communists, yet a year later the communist artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
firepower was greater than that of Japanese during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Under the cover of intense artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
shelling, the communist 1st Column and 7th Column attacked the defenders from multiple directions.
Forty minutes after the assault begun, the 2nd 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...
of the communist 1st Column breached the defense in the southwest, and by 2:00 AM on June 15, 1947, the 1st 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...
of the communist 1st Column also penetrated into the city from Haifeng Village (Haifeng Tun, 海丰屯). However, the communist 7th Column and the 3rd 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...
of the communist 1st Column failed to breach the defense, and nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
reserve launched multiple counterattacks on the enemy under the air cover, which had increased into more than twenty sorties per day. By June 16, 1947, the communists 1st 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...
and the 2nd 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...
inside the city had beaten back defenders’ counterattacks for more than a dozen times, but in doing so, each suffered more than 1,500 casualties. The regions inside the city taken by the enemy was relatively small and only a thousand or so defenders were captured alive by the enemy, but situation for the defenders worsened on June 18, 1947 when the communist 7th Column breached the defense in northwest. The nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
had underestimated the enemy’s resolution to take the city, and defenders’ stubborn resistance was equally out of expectation of the attacking communists as battle raged on with heavy casualties on both sides. By June 19, 1947, Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
was forced to send the 17th 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...
and the 18th 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...
of the communist 6th Column to reinforce the communists fighting inside the city. With the newly arrived help, the enemy was able to take nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
strongholds at the Telecommunication Building, the Municipal Building, and the Central Bank Building, and the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
headquarter of the 71st Army that was also the headquarter of the urban defense was besieged.
There were many brick buildings in Siping (city)
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
and bricks made from black earth were extremely tough that when hit by 60 mm mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
rounds, there was only a dent left. The defenders capitalized on these strong buildings and turned them into formidable fortifications, and the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
71st Army headquarter was located in one of such bunkers, with the entrance sealed by a jeep. In addition to wide field of view, there were also dozens bunkers and pillboxes protected by minefields around the buildings to strengthen the defense. On June 20, 1947, the 17th 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...
of the communist 6th Column unleashed its assault on the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
headquarter, and by the evening, the enemy was dangerously close. Chen Mingren (陈明仁), the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
inside the headquarter was forced to evacuate into another alternate headquarter in a different bunker in the eastern half of the city, while his brother, Chen Mingxin (陈明信), the regimental commander of the Specialized Duties 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...
of the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
71st Army, was left to defend the original headquarter. After three hours of fierce fighting, the headquarter fell and its defenders were annihilated. Chen Mingxin (陈明信), the regimental commander of the Specialized Duties 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...
of the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
71st Army, was captured alive by the enemy, and the stronghold that the nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
claimed to withstand enemy attack for more than a month fell in just three short hours. The fall of the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
71st Army headquarter had signaled the fall of the western half of the city into the enemy hands, but the enemy had paid a very heavy price: the 1st 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...
and the 2nd 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...
of the communist 1st Column, and the Independent 1st 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...
and the Independent 2nd 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...
of communist 7th Column suffered heavy casualties that they were forced out of action, and Ma Renxing (马仁兴), the divisional
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...
commander of the 1st Independent 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...
of the communist 7th Column, became the highest ranked communist officer killed in the campaign.
After more than a week of fierce fighting, the enemy finally took western half of the city with heavy loss. Only then did the enemy realize the serious blunder of the underestimation of the defenders: the nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
defending the city was not 18,000 like previously thought, but almost twice, totaling more than 35,000. On June 21, 1947, the enemy was forced to send their reserves to join the fight: the 16th 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...
of the communist 6th Column and the Independent 3rd 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...
of the communist 7th Column join the assault on the eastern half of city, and Hong Xuezhi
Hong Xuezhi
Hong Xuezhi was a general in the Chinese Red Army and a politician in the Peoples Republic of China. He is the only person promoted to general both in 1955 and in 1988.- Biography :...
, (洪学智), the commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the communist 6th Column succeeded Li Tianyou (李天佑), the commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the communist 1st Column in the last part of the fighting as the communist commander in charge of taking the city. Chen Mingren (陈明仁), the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the urban defense, concentrated his remaining 20,000 strong force in the eastern half of the city, and by the evening of June 21, 1947, had successfully beaten back all enemy attacks. For the communists, it was impossible to achieve numerical superiority after sending in two divisions
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...
following the withdraw of four divisions
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...
, and the Independent 1st 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...
of the communist 7th Column withdrawn earlier was forced to be back in action again. The highest point in the Siping (city)
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
was a water tower, and the nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
turned it into a formidable bunker manned by tough veterans of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Burma
Chinese Expeditionary Force in Burma
1st Route Expeditionary Forces - Lo Cho-ying [1]* Commander – US Army Lieut.-General JW Stilwell [4]* Chief of the Chinese General Staff Mission to Burma - Lieut.-General Lin Wei[4]...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and these sharpshooters armed with light machine gun
Light machine gun
A light machine gun is a machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. Light machine guns are often used as squad automatic weapons.-Characteristics:...
s had successfully beaten back attacks by an entire enemy 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...
for four times. After concentrating over a dozen machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s suppressing the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
fire from the loopholes of the bunker to cover sappers setting up the explosives, the enemy finally neutralized the bunker in its fifth attempt.
At the railroad crossing bridge, the defenders used an ingenious tactic by deploying beans: as three attacks by the communist 8th 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...
of the 1st Column were beaten back, the enemy launched their fourth attack personally led by the regimental political commissar
Commissar
Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title used in Russia from the time of Peter the Great.The title was used during the Provisional Government for regional heads of administration, but it is mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in Bolshevik and Soviet...
Jin Ke (金可), and it appeared that the fourth attack might be successful. However, the defenders unleashed their secret weapon by opening two large sacks of beans which suddenly filled the ground. Everyone in the unsuspecting enemy assault team slid down and had very difficult time of getting up, and with beans on the ground, it was impossible to advance, retreat or reinforce, thus the enemy assault team was completely wiped out. Jin Ke (金可), the regimental political commissar
Commissar
Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title used in Russia from the time of Peter the Great.The title was used during the Provisional Government for regional heads of administration, but it is mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in Bolshevik and Soviet...
of the communist 8th 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...
of the 1st Column leading the fourth charge, was cut in half at the chest by a string of defenders’ machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
fire in front of the regimental commander of the communist 8th 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...
of the 1st Column, Guan Shanlin (关山林), and thus became the second highest ranked communist officer killed in action during the campaign. The streets of Siping (city)
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
was covered with blood and soldiers of both sides frequently slid down, and the situation became desperate for the defenders that Chen Mingren (陈明仁), the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the urban defense, was preparing to commit suicide and had his Browning
Browning Arms Company
Browning Arms Company is a maker of firearms, bows and fishing gear. Founded in Utah in 1927, it offers a wide variety of firearms, including shotguns, rifles, pistols, and rimfire firearms and sport bows, as well as fishing rods and reels....
pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
ready. Chen Mingren (陈明仁) also ordered the defenders to burn every building after it was abandoned so that the attacking enemy would not be able to use it. After fierce battles, the last counterattack of the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
71st Army was beaten back with heavy loss in the morning of June 23, 1947, but the communist 1st Independent 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...
of the 7th Column suffered equally and was forced out of action once again for the second time. Although the defenders could no longer launch anymore counterattacks to the smallest scale, they were still able to put up a good defensive fight in their fortifications, but as time dragged on, even the defenders themselves begun to have serious doubts how long before the city would fall into the enemy hands.
The communists were overconfident that the city would fall for sure, and their New China News Agency
Xinhua News Agency
The Xinhua News Agency is the official press agency of the government of the People's Republic of China and the biggest center for collecting information and press conferences in the PRC. It is the largest news agency in the PRC, ahead of the China News Service...
had already issued a press release at the time, claiming that “…After 12 days of fierce fighting, the enemy (nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
) had suffered over 16,000 casualties and remaining survivors had nowhere to flee. The majority of the Siping
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
had been under our (communist) control, and Chiang
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
’s army had been annihilated, and our troops (communists) were expanding the military success…”. On June 28, 1947, the communist commander Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
even sent a telegraph congratulating Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
for taking the city. Nothing could be further from the truth as the situation suddenly turned drastically in nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
favor: on June 29, 1947, the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
reinforcement rapidly approached the city thanks to their mechanization, the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
93rd Army approached the city on the same day Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
received the telegraph from Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
, while on June 29, 1947, the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
New 6th Army took Benxi
Benxi
Benxi is a prefecture-level city located in the east of Liaoning province in Northeast China, south-southeast of Shenyang. Its population is 1,709,538 at the 2010 census whom 959,610 in the built up area It was founded as a metallurgical center in 1915...
and from there pushed toward Siping (city)
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
, while the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
53rd Army on the left of the New 6th Army also pushed toward Siping (city)
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
in unison. The highly mechanized nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
armies was able to bypass the enemy and thus not only the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
reinforcement had avoided been ambushed by the enemy, now the enemy force attacking the city was threatened. The table had turned for the enemy.
Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
’s choice was clear, on June 30, 1947, he ordered a general withdraw that concluded the first stage of Siping
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
Campaign. The exhausted defenders had no strength left to give any chase and the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
reinforcement did not pursuit the enemy either after reaching the city, and thus did not see any action, just like the five enemy armies to the south of the city originally planned to ambush them. The nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
suffered over 19,000 casualties while the communist suffered over 13,000 casualties. The nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
had successfully beaten back the enemy and held the city. In addition to the enemy’s grave underestimation of the defenders’ strength, the associating indecisiveness of Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
also contributed to the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
success at the first stage of the campaign: Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
was trying to increase the gain of the communist Summer Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China
Summer Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China
The Summer Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China is a series of battles initiated by the communists against the nationalists during the Chinese Civil War after World War II.-Prelude:...
by deploying seventeen divisions
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...
to the south of Siping (city)
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
in the hope of ambush nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
reinforcement, but this had not materialized. The seven remaining communist divisions
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...
were simply not enough to take on the five technically superior nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
Divisions
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...
defending the city. Furthermore, only after suffering heavy losses, did the two more divisions
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...
were redeployed to join the fight, but by then the communists were unable to achieve any numerical superiority at all, following the withdraw of four divisions
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...
and earlier heavy losses. However, the communists would not forget their goal and they would be back with vengeance, as well as the valuable experience learned from this first attempt. For the nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
, the city was still in their hands, but the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
original plan to fight a decisive battle to annihilate the enemy at the gate of Siping (city)
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
was equally spoiled by Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
’s wise and timely retreat, and thus the first stage of the campaign ended in a stalemate.
Second stage
After their victory of the Autumn Offensive of 1947 in Northeast ChinaAutumn Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China
The Autumn Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China was a series of battles initiated by the communists against the nationalists during the Chinese Civil War after World War II.-Prelude:...
, the communists set their sights on the Siping (city)
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
again in their Winter Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China
Winter Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China
Winter Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China is a series of battles initiated by the communists against the nationalist during the Chinese Civil War after World War II.-Prelude:...
, and this time they were ready and much better prepared. By this time, the nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
in Northeast China
Northeast China
Northeast China, historically known in English as Manchuria, is a geographical region of China, consisting of the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The region is sometimes called the Three Northeast Provinces...
had suffered greatly and Siping (city)
Siping (city)
Siping , formerly Ssupingkai , is a prefecture-level city in the west of Jilin province in Northeast China. Located in the southwestern part of Jilin Province, in the middle of Songliao Plain and at the intersection of Jilin Province, Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Siping...
was only garrisoned by a mere 19,000 troops, without any hope of reinforcement. The first sign of trouble appeared when a transportation battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
88th 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...
was ambushed on January 26, 1948 at Guo Family’s Hotel (Guo Jia Dian, 郭家店) as the 500-men strong battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
attempted to transport grains to the city. Though the enemy attack was considered unlikely, the nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
nonetheless doubled the strength of the battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
and assigned over a dozen trucks and over 100 horse drawn carts to ensure the safe completion of the job. Learning the news, Luo Jie (罗杰), the deputy commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the communist base at the border area of Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
and Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
, personally lead the units of the communist 18th 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...
and the Mongolian Cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
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...
launched a long distance surprise attack before dawn on the unsuspecting nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
transportation battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
. In a short period of 40 minutes, over 70 nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
soldiers were killed and more than 200 were captured alive by the enemy. The rest of the nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
were able to successfully escape by trucks, but a truck and all of the 100+ horse-drawn carts full of grains had to be abandoned and left intact for the enemy in the hasty retreat. On February 27, 1948, the order was formally given to take the city and the commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the communist 1st Column, Li Tianyou (李天佑), the communist commander in charge of last assault on the city nearly nine month ago, was put in charge again for the second time. Similarly, two communist columns particiapated in the assault on the city nearly nine months ago, the 1st Column and the 7th Column, were tasked to take the city, with the help of the communist 3rd Column, while the communist 2nd Column, 6th Column, 8th Column, and 10th Column were deployed to stop any possible nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
reinforcement that never came, because the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
strength was greatly reduced by this time.
On March 4, 1948, the enemy assault on the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
positions outside the city begun, and the communist 1st 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...
of the 1st Column took Haifeng Village (Hai Feng Tun, 海丰屯) and Xu Family’s Yaodong
Yaodong
A yaodong or "cave house" is a particular form of earth shelter dwelling common in the Loess Plateau in China's north. They are generally carved out of a hillside or excavated horizontally from a central "sunken courtyard"....
(Xu Jia Yao, 徐家窑), while the 3rd 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...
of the communist 1st Column took Xinlitun
Xinlitun
Xinlitun ,or Hsin-li-t’un, is a town within Heishan County in Jinzhou prefecture, Liaoning, China. It's in the north east of the prefecture about 100 km west of Shenyang city....
. The enemy had made significant gains on March 8, 1948 when most of the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
positions outside the city wall fell in a domino effect: the 7th 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...
of the communist 3rd Column took the bunkers outside the eastern gate, while the 8th 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...
of the communist 3rd Column took the region of Red Mouth (Hong Zui Zi, 红嘴子). Meanwhile, the 19th 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...
of the communist 7th Column took the Third Line of Grove (San Dao Lin Zi, 三道林子). In order to find better positions for the artilleries to shell the defenders, the enemy took Shidao (师道) School, the airport and the Liu Family’s Village (Liu Jia Tun, 刘家屯). At 7:40 PM on March 12, 1948, the final assault on the city begun. The nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
defense was soon breached in five fronts in the north, the east, and the west, and defenders had to resort to street fights for their last stand. By the next day, the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
defeat was complete when the entire nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
garrison of more than 19,000 was totally annihilated by the attacking enemy, who declared the victory on 7:00 PM on March 13, 1948, after the mopping up operation was completed.
Outcome
The important strategic stronghold had fallen into the enemy hands with the nationalistKuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
defeat, and the defenders lost over 35,000 troops, with more than 16,000 in the first major battle, and over 19,000 in the second battle. In addition to capturing the city, the enemy also captured enormous supplies from the nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
, including 491 machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s, over 9,000 repeating rifle
Repeating rifle
A repeating rifle is a single barreled rifle containing multiple rounds of ammunition. These rounds are loaded from a magazine by means of a manual or automatic mechanism, and the action that reloads the rifle also typically recocks the firing action...
s, over 779,000 rounds of ammunitions, over 200 artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
pieces, and over 11,000 rounds of artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
rounds.
See also
- List of battles of the Chinese Civil War
- National Revolutionary ArmyNational Revolutionary ArmyThe 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...
- History of the People's Liberation ArmyHistory of the People's Liberation ArmyThe history of the People's Liberation Army began in 1927 with the start of the Chinese Civil War and spans to the present, having developed from a peasant guerrilla force into the largest armed force in the world.-Historical background:...
- Chinese Civil WarChinese Civil WarThe Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...