Sun Yuanliang
Encyclopedia
Sun Yuanliang (1904 – May 25, 2007) was a Chinese military general of the National Revolutionary Army
of the Republic of China
. Sun was the last surviving member of the first graduating class of the Whampoa Military Academy
, as well as the last surviving army-level commander of the Second Sino-Japanese War
. His career spanned the January 28 Incident
, Second Sino-Japanese War
and the Chinese Civil War
.
, Sichuan
in 1904. From 1922 to 1924, he studied in the University of Nanjing. He transferred to University of Beijing later. His uncle, Sun Zhen
, helped him to secure an appointment in the newly formed Whampoa Military Academy
. He performed well in the Northern Expedition and Chiang Kai-shek
sent him to study in Japan. Sun attended the Imperial Military Academy in Japan and returned home in 1928. He was appointed as the first commander of the elite German trained 88th Division
. In 1934, Sun and Tang Enbo succeed in surrounding the Jiangxi Soviet
area and cut off their retreat route to the south and he was promoted to lieutenant general
.
, Sun led his division to defeat the Japanese at Miaoxingzhen (廟行鎮), in what the media billed as the first Chinese military victory over Japan. When full-scale war broke out between China and Japan in 1937, Sun led his 88th Division
in the Battle of Shanghai
. He personally gave the order to regimental commander Xie Jinyuan
to hold onto the Sihang Warehouse at the conclusion of the three-month battle.
During the Battle of Nanjing
in December 1937, he and his troops were surrounded by nearly a quarter of a million Japanese troops, Sun's superior, Tang Shengzhi
, fled the city without given his commanders any clear instructions on a possible breakout. Sun was forced to abandon his post during the ensuring chaos and survived the Nanking Massacre
by disguise as a local brothel owner. Chiang Kai-shek
reluctantly suspended him for two month and Sun did not receive another command until 1939. In 1944, the Imperial Japanese Army under Hata Shunroku launched Operation Ichigo, the largest military offensive against the nationalist government since the Battle of Wuhan
, most of China's best troops were in Yunnan and Burma, and over half million Japanese soldiers attacked major railroad links and large cities, and the vanguard of the Japanese Eleventh Army were only 150 miles from Chongking
itself. Chiang Kai-shek dispatched nine hundred men of Sun's 29th corps to the south of Chongking and they drove away the two regiments of the Japanese 3rd Infantry Division
despite complete numerical and technological inferiority. Sun was promoted to General and commander of the 16th army. Chiang Kai-shek personally bestowed the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun
upon him.
, Fan Hanjie
, Hu Lian
and Liu Yujian
. The communists lost all of their holdings in Central and Eastern China except Shangdong and Henan Provinces. In November 1948, the determining battle of the Chinese Civil War, the Huaihai Campaign
broke out. Due the to poor leadership of Liu Chih
, one of the least effective Kuomingtang commanders and major security breaches caused by communist moles, Sun's troops were encircled by the communist Eastern China Field Army commanded by Su Yu
. As a seasoned veteran, he urged Du Yuming, the deputy commander of the nationalist troops to break out before it is too late. Du, being a noted Chiang Kai-shek
loyalist, decided to wait for reinforcement as Chiang have ordered. Sun decided to breakout on his own, his 16th army was destroyed by the communist troops, but he made it safely to Nanjing in 1948. Chiang again appointed him as commander of the 16th army and tasked to reorganize his unit. In 1949, while he was defending Sichuan
province from communist attack, many of his officers went to the communists. Sun was forced to resign as army commander and retired shortly after following Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan
.
Sun died at the age of 103 on May 25, 2007 in Taiwan.
National Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army , pre-1928 sometimes shortened to 革命軍 or Revolutionary Army and between 1928-1947 as 國軍 or National Army was the Military Arm of the Kuomintang from 1925 until 1947, as well as the national army of the Republic of China during the KMT's period of party rule...
of the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
. Sun was the last surviving member of the first graduating class of the Whampoa Military Academy
Whampoa Military Academy
The Nationalist Party of China Army Officer Academy , commonly known as the Whampoa Military Academy , was a military academy in the Republic of China that produced many prestigious commanders who fought in many of China's conflicts in the 20th century, notably the Northern Expedition, the Second...
, as well as the last surviving army-level commander of the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
. His career spanned the January 28 Incident
January 28 Incident
The January 28 Incident was a short war between the armies of the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan, before official hostilities of the Second Sino-Japanese War commenced in 1937.- Naming :...
, Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
and 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...
.
Early life and career
Sun was born in ChengduChengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
in 1904. From 1922 to 1924, he studied in the University of Nanjing. He transferred to University of Beijing later. His uncle, Sun Zhen
Sun Zhen
Sun Zhen was a General of the National Revolutionary Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.-Biography:In 1933 he was made a General commanding the Garrison of Sichuan's Northwestern District...
, helped him to secure an appointment in the newly formed Whampoa Military Academy
Whampoa Military Academy
The Nationalist Party of China Army Officer Academy , commonly known as the Whampoa Military Academy , was a military academy in the Republic of China that produced many prestigious commanders who fought in many of China's conflicts in the 20th century, notably the Northern Expedition, the Second...
. He performed well in the Northern Expedition and 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....
sent him to study in Japan. Sun attended the Imperial Military Academy in Japan and returned home in 1928. He was appointed as the first commander of the elite German trained 88th Division
88th Division (National Revolutionary Army)
The 88th Division was a German-trained and reorganized division in the National Revolutionary Army.-First Battle of Shanghai:The division was present at the First Battle of Shanghai in 1932 under the command of General Yu Jishi as part of the Fifth Army, fighting alongside the 19th Route...
. In 1934, Sun and Tang Enbo succeed in surrounding the Jiangxi Soviet
Jiangxi Soviet
The Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
area and cut off their retreat route to the south and he was promoted to lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
.
Second Sino-Japanese War
In the 1932 Japanese invasion of ShanghaiJanuary 28 Incident
The January 28 Incident was a short war between the armies of the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan, before official hostilities of the Second Sino-Japanese War commenced in 1937.- Naming :...
, Sun led his division to defeat the Japanese at Miaoxingzhen (廟行鎮), in what the media billed as the first Chinese military victory over Japan. When full-scale war broke out between China and Japan in 1937, Sun led his 88th Division
88th Division (National Revolutionary Army)
The 88th Division was a German-trained and reorganized division in the National Revolutionary Army.-First Battle of Shanghai:The division was present at the First Battle of Shanghai in 1932 under the command of General Yu Jishi as part of the Fifth Army, fighting alongside the 19th Route...
in the Battle of Shanghai
Battle of Shanghai
The Battle of Shanghai, known in Chinese as Battle of Songhu, was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China and the Imperial Japanese Army of the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War...
. He personally gave the order to regimental commander Xie Jinyuan
Xie Jinyuan
-Places residing for a length of time:Xie got through his several years at Whampoa Military Academy in Guangzhou, then he serve in the National Revolutionary Army in Shanghai till to death.-Educational level attained:...
to hold onto the Sihang Warehouse at the conclusion of the three-month battle.
During the Battle of Nanjing
Battle of Nanjing
The Battle of Nanking began after the fall of Shanghai on October 9, 1937, and ended with the fall of the capital city of Nanking on December 13, 1937 to Japanese troops, a few days after the Republic of China Government had evacuated the city and relocated to Wuhan...
in December 1937, he and his troops were surrounded by nearly a quarter of a million Japanese troops, Sun's superior, Tang Shengzhi
Tang Shengzhi
Tang Shengzhi was a Chinese warlord during the Warlord Era, a military commander during the Second Sino-Japanese War, and a politician after World War II....
, fled the city without given his commanders any clear instructions on a possible breakout. Sun was forced to abandon his post during the ensuring chaos and survived the Nanking Massacre
Nanking Massacre
The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was a mass murder, genocide and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing , the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second...
by disguise as a local brothel owner. 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....
reluctantly suspended him for two month and Sun did not receive another command until 1939. In 1944, the Imperial Japanese Army under Hata Shunroku launched Operation Ichigo, the largest military offensive against the nationalist government since the Battle of Wuhan
Battle of Wuhan
The Battle of Wuhan, popularly known to the Chinese as the Defence of Wuhan, and to the Japanese as the Capture of Wuhan, was a large-scale battle of the Second Sino-Japanese War...
, most of China's best troops were in Yunnan and Burma, and over half million Japanese soldiers attacked major railroad links and large cities, and the vanguard of the Japanese Eleventh Army were only 150 miles from Chongking
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
itself. Chiang Kai-shek dispatched nine hundred men of Sun's 29th corps to the south of Chongking and they drove away the two regiments of the Japanese 3rd Infantry Division
3rd Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
The was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the .-History:The 3rd Infantry Division was formed in Nagoya in January 1871 as the , one of six regional commands created in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army. The Nagoya Garrison had responsibility for the central...
despite complete numerical and technological inferiority. Sun was promoted to General and commander of the 16th army. Chiang Kai-shek personally bestowed the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun
Order of Blue Sky and White Sun
The Order of Blue Sky and White Sun with Grand Cordon is the Republic of China's second highest military award. Created in 1929, it is awarded for "outstanding contributions to national security under foreign invasion" and is second only to the Order of National Glory...
upon him.
Chinese Civil War
After the war against Japan was over, Sun was named garrison commander of Chongking and Nanjing, while keeping the command of the 16th army. He participated early successful campaigns against the communist forces along with his old classmates, they were Du YumingDu Yuming
Du Yuming was a Kuomintang field commander active in the Sino-Japanese War theatre of World War II and in the Chinese Civil War from 1945 to 1949....
, Fan Hanjie
Fan Hanjie
Fan Hanjie , courtesy name Jie-ying, was a Chinese military general who served during the Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War...
, Hu Lian
Hu Lian
Hu Lian was a Chinese Nationalist general, he participated the Northern Expedition, anti-communist Encirclement Campaigns, Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War.- Whampoa Military Academy :...
and Liu Yujian
Liu Yujian
Liu Yuzhang , nicknamed the bald general, was a well-known Chinese nationalist general. He was one of the very few KMT commanders who could defeat both the Imperial Japanese Army and PLA in the Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War....
. The communists lost all of their holdings in Central and Eastern China except Shangdong and Henan Provinces. In November 1948, the determining battle of the Chinese Civil War, the Huaihai Campaign
Huaihai Campaign
Huaihai Campaign or Battle of Hsupeng was a military action during 1948 and 1949 that was the determining battle of the Chinese Civil War. It was one of the few conventional battles of the war. 550,000 troops of the Republic of China were surrounded in Xuzhou and destroyed by the communist...
broke out. Due the to poor leadership of Liu Chih
Liu Chih
Liu Chih was a prominent Kuomintang military and political leader in the Republic of China.-Biography:...
, one of the least effective Kuomingtang commanders and major security breaches caused by communist moles, Sun's troops were encircled by the communist Eastern China Field Army commanded by Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
. As a seasoned veteran, he urged Du Yuming, the deputy commander of the nationalist troops to break out before it is too late. Du, being a noted 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....
loyalist, decided to wait for reinforcement as Chiang have ordered. Sun decided to breakout on his own, his 16th army was destroyed by the communist troops, but he made it safely to Nanjing in 1948. Chiang again appointed him as commander of the 16th army and tasked to reorganize his unit. In 1949, while he was defending Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
province from communist attack, many of his officers went to the communists. Sun was forced to resign as army commander and retired shortly after following Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
Sun died at the age of 103 on May 25, 2007 in Taiwan.