Battle of Bamianshan
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Bamianshan (八面山战斗) was a battle fought between the nationalists
and the communists
during the Chinese Civil War
in the post-World War II
era and resulted in communist victory.
Order of battle:
Bamianshan (八面山), meaning Eight Sided Mountain literally, is located 10 km to the north of the town of Liye (里耶) in the border region of Hunan
, Sichuan
and Hubei
. The difficult terrain made it ideal as a hideout for bandits, which had plagued the local region for more than a century. By the end of 1949, the bandits were led by Shi Xingzhou (师兴周). In late December, 1949 the nationalist Temporarily Organized 1st Army led by its commander Chen Zixian (陈子贤) withdrew to the mountains and convinced the local bandits to join them, fighting the communists together. The nationalists planned to use the mountain as a guerilla base to launch operations against their communist enemy.
In mid-January 1950, the 141st Division of the communist 47th Army was tasked to exterminate the nationalist guerrillas and the division began its intensive training in mountain warfare
. Two regiments of the 141st Division of the communist 47th Army were deployed in the regions of Neixipeng (内夕棚), Greater Rocky Gate (Dayanmen, 小岩门) and Lesser Rocky Gate (Xiaoyanmen, 小岩门), thus completed the encirclement of the Eight Sided Mountain (Bamianshan, 八面山).
The battle erupted on January 19, 1950, when a detachment of communist troops secretly climbed up the southern cliff of the mountain and dispersed the nationalist guerrillas in a surprise attack. The nationalist defenders were overwhelmed by the rapid and decisive surprise attack and were completely demoralized, abandoned their posts and began to flee. The nationalist commanders were unable to rally their troops for an effective counterattack and the nationalist guerrilla headquarters located in the Swallow Cave (Yanzidong, 燕子洞) fell, with a huge amount of weapons captured by the attacking enemy. After the main engagement, the communists began to eradicate the surviving nationalist guerrillas by fighting in small teams, and by the end of January 1950, the battle concluded with over 3,000 nationalist guerrillas killed or captured. The nationalist plan of long-term guerrilla and insurgency warfare had been crushed.
The communist victory, however, was incomplete: around 1,000 nationalist guerrilla fighters successfully escaped to fight for another day at different locations, including their commander Chen Zixian (陈子贤). Most of the escaped nationalist guerrillas retreated to Sichuan
.
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...
and the communists
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
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.
Order of battle:
- Nationalists: Temporarily Organized 1st Army (4,000+)
- Communists: 141st Division of the communist 47th Army (7000+)
Bamianshan (八面山), meaning Eight Sided Mountain literally, is located 10 km to the north of the town of Liye (里耶) in the border region of Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
, 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...
and Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
. The difficult terrain made it ideal as a hideout for bandits, which had plagued the local region for more than a century. By the end of 1949, the bandits were led by Shi Xingzhou (师兴周). In late December, 1949 the nationalist Temporarily Organized 1st Army led by its commander Chen Zixian (陈子贤) withdrew to the mountains and convinced the local bandits to join them, fighting the communists together. The nationalists planned to use the mountain as a guerilla base to launch operations against their communist enemy.
In mid-January 1950, the 141st Division of the communist 47th Army was tasked to exterminate the nationalist guerrillas and the division began its intensive training in mountain warfare
Mountain warfare
Mountain warfare refers to warfare in the mountains or similarly rough terrain. This type of warfare is also called Alpine warfare, named after the Alps mountains...
. Two regiments of the 141st Division of the communist 47th Army were deployed in the regions of Neixipeng (内夕棚), Greater Rocky Gate (Dayanmen, 小岩门) and Lesser Rocky Gate (Xiaoyanmen, 小岩门), thus completed the encirclement of the Eight Sided Mountain (Bamianshan, 八面山).
The battle erupted on January 19, 1950, when a detachment of communist troops secretly climbed up the southern cliff of the mountain and dispersed the nationalist guerrillas in a surprise attack. The nationalist defenders were overwhelmed by the rapid and decisive surprise attack and were completely demoralized, abandoned their posts and began to flee. The nationalist commanders were unable to rally their troops for an effective counterattack and the nationalist guerrilla headquarters located in the Swallow Cave (Yanzidong, 燕子洞) fell, with a huge amount of weapons captured by the attacking enemy. After the main engagement, the communists began to eradicate the surviving nationalist guerrillas by fighting in small teams, and by the end of January 1950, the battle concluded with over 3,000 nationalist guerrillas killed or captured. The nationalist plan of long-term guerrilla and insurgency warfare had been crushed.
The communist victory, however, was incomplete: around 1,000 nationalist guerrilla fighters successfully escaped to fight for another day at different locations, including their commander Chen Zixian (陈子贤). Most of the escaped nationalist guerrillas retreated to 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...
.
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...