Battle of Shangcai
Encyclopedia
Battle of Shangcai was a series of clashes fought between the nationalists
and the communists
during Chinese Civil War
in the post World War II
era, and resulted in the communist victory. The battle is also called the Blocking Actions at Shangcai (上蔡阻击战) by the communists
, who launched the battle to support their Eastern Hennan Campaign, with intention to prevent the nationalist force from reinforce their comrades-in-arms fighting the Eastern Hennan Campaign.
, communists lacked the necessary weaponry to destroy large formations of nationalist troops who were stationed in fortifications, so they must be lured out of the fortifications and engaged in the open field where communists would have a chance, and one of such occasion rose in June, 1948. On June 15, 1948, communists
had decided to launch Eastern Hennan Campaign to attack Kaifeng
, thus forcing the nationalists
to reinforce the defense of the city via redeployment. Communists planned to take the opportunity to destroy the nationalist reinforcement force while it was on the move.
Order of battle
:
communists
Order of battle
:
Nationalist strategy
received order to reach north of Shangcai (上蔡) and be ready for the incoming battle no later than 9:00 AM next morning. When the 28th and the 29th Divisions of the communist 10th Column were ready to move out, it was already 2:00 pm on June 16, 1948. To travel to their destination in 17 hours at 90 km away, many communist troops were forced to sleep while on the move. To ensure the timely arrival and preparation, the communist commander himself and his chief-of-staff Gong Zuoyao (工作尧) traveled with the 29th Division, and the communist troops reached their destination on time.
The communists begun their attack on the town of Shangcai (上蔡) after taking a short break, with the three regiments of the 29th Division shouldered the main responsibility of attacking the nationalist headquarter: the 85th Regiment attacked the regions of Single Hamlet (Dan Zhuang, 单庄) and Little Village (Xiao Ji, 小集) to the north of the town after taking regions including Wheat Store (Mairen Dian, 麦仁店), and Plum Hamlet (Li Zhuang, 李庄), the 86th Regiment attacked and took the regions Western Flood Bridge (Xi Hong Qiao, 西洪桥), Liu Bridge (Liu Qiao, 刘桥), Kudzu Hamlet (Ge Zhuang, 葛庄), Sloped Zhao Village (Bo Zhao Cun, 坡赵村), of the 87th Regiment attacked and took the regions of Dong Hamlet (Dong Zhuang, 董庄), and Juan Liu (圈刘). By the night of June 17, 1948, all of the dispatched units of the nationalist 11th Reorganized Division had turned back to rescue the headquarter at Shangcai (上蔡), and much heavier fighting was expected by both sides.
The only way to return to Shangcai (上蔡) was via the narrow strip of land beginning at the Eastern Flood Bridge (Dong Hong Qiao, 东洪桥) in the east and ended at the Wheat Store (Mairen Dian, 麦仁店) in the west. The local rugged terrain, however, was ill-suited for the highly mechanized nationalist force, and this was exploited by the communists to the maximum. At 8:00 am on June 18, 1948, the nationalist 11th Reorganized Division launched its all out attack on the communists but the progress was painfully slow due to the unfavorable terrain. After eight hour of continuous fighting, the nationalist offensive stopped and both sides rested and prepared for the next round of fighting. By 10:00 PM, the communists withdrew to the second line of the defense by redeploying their 28th Division to the regions of Fan Hamlet (Fan Zhuang, 樊庄), Luo Pavilion (Luo Ge, 罗阁), Jiang Hamlet (Jiang Zhuang, 蒋庄), Xiao Slope (Xiao Po, 肖坡), and their 29th Division to the regions of King’s Pavilion (Wang Ge, 王阁), Xiadi Pass (Xia Di Guan, 下地关), Hundred Feet Village (Bai Chi Ji, 百尺集), and Thunder Hamlet (Lei Zhuang, 雷庄).
Fierce fighting resumed and continued to the next day. After suffering five thousand casualties and realizing the rugged terrain had severely limited the effectiveness of the superior firepower, the nationalist commander refused to be drawn into a war of attrition anymore in a terrain favoring the enemy and decided to call it a quit. Since turning back to reinforce Kaifeng
was too late to do, the nationalists withdrew southward, abandoning the hope of annihilating the communist 10th Column. The communists, in the meantime, successfully achieving their original objective of preventing the nationalists from reinforce Kaifeng
did not pursuit and ended the battle.
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 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 the communist victory. The battle is also called the Blocking Actions at Shangcai (上蔡阻击战) by 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...
, who launched the battle to support their Eastern Hennan Campaign, with intention to prevent the nationalist force from reinforce their comrades-in-arms fighting the Eastern Hennan Campaign.
Prelude
During the first half of the Chinese Civil WarChinese 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...
, communists lacked the necessary weaponry to destroy large formations of nationalist troops who were stationed in fortifications, so they must be lured out of the fortifications and engaged in the open field where communists would have a chance, and one of such occasion rose in June, 1948. On June 15, 1948, 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...
had decided to launch Eastern Hennan Campaign to attack Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
, thus forcing 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...
to reinforce the defense of the city via redeployment. Communists planned to take the opportunity to destroy the nationalist reinforcement force while it was on the move.
Order of battle
NationalistsKuomintang
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...
:
- Army-sized 11th Reorganized Division commanded by Hu LianHu LianHu 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 :...
- 3 division-sized brigades
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...
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...
:
- 10th Column commanded by Song Shilun 宋时轮
- 28th Division
- 29th Division commanded by Xiao Feng 肖锋 political commissar Li Mancun 李曼村
- Brigade-sized 85th Regiment
- Brigade-sized 86th Regiment
- Brigade-sized 87th Regiment
Strategies
Communist strategy- The nationalist 11th Reorganized Division was already on its northern march toward KaifengKaifengKaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
, to prevent it from reinforcing nationalist force defending the city, the communist commander Song Shilun (宋时轮) decided to attack Shangcai (上蔡), where the nationalist 11th Reorganized Division setup its headquarter, thus forcing the nationalist division to return to save its own headquarter.
Nationalist strategy
- Hu Lian (胡琏), the nationalist commander of the 11th Reorganized Division was well aware the communist strategy and adjust his plan accordingly. Giving up the mission to reinforce KaifengKaifengKaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
, Hu Lian (胡琏) ordered all of his force to turn back, and planned to use his headquarter as a bait to attract the enemy, while his main force would attack the enemy from the other side, destroying the enemy in a two fronts assault. Though this move would mean that he had to give up the rescue of the city exactly as his enemy had hoped, it was a good price to pay in exchange of totally destroying the enemy’s 10th Column.
Battle
In the morning of June 16, 1948, Song Shilun (宋时轮)’s 10th Column at Leave County (Yexian, 叶县) and Dancing Sun (Wuyang, 舞阳) in western HenanHenan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
received order to reach north of Shangcai (上蔡) and be ready for the incoming battle no later than 9:00 AM next morning. When the 28th and the 29th Divisions of the communist 10th Column were ready to move out, it was already 2:00 pm on June 16, 1948. To travel to their destination in 17 hours at 90 km away, many communist troops were forced to sleep while on the move. To ensure the timely arrival and preparation, the communist commander himself and his chief-of-staff Gong Zuoyao (工作尧) traveled with the 29th Division, and the communist troops reached their destination on time.
The communists begun their attack on the town of Shangcai (上蔡) after taking a short break, with the three regiments of the 29th Division shouldered the main responsibility of attacking the nationalist headquarter: the 85th Regiment attacked the regions of Single Hamlet (Dan Zhuang, 单庄) and Little Village (Xiao Ji, 小集) to the north of the town after taking regions including Wheat Store (Mairen Dian, 麦仁店), and Plum Hamlet (Li Zhuang, 李庄), the 86th Regiment attacked and took the regions Western Flood Bridge (Xi Hong Qiao, 西洪桥), Liu Bridge (Liu Qiao, 刘桥), Kudzu Hamlet (Ge Zhuang, 葛庄), Sloped Zhao Village (Bo Zhao Cun, 坡赵村), of the 87th Regiment attacked and took the regions of Dong Hamlet (Dong Zhuang, 董庄), and Juan Liu (圈刘). By the night of June 17, 1948, all of the dispatched units of the nationalist 11th Reorganized Division had turned back to rescue the headquarter at Shangcai (上蔡), and much heavier fighting was expected by both sides.
The only way to return to Shangcai (上蔡) was via the narrow strip of land beginning at the Eastern Flood Bridge (Dong Hong Qiao, 东洪桥) in the east and ended at the Wheat Store (Mairen Dian, 麦仁店) in the west. The local rugged terrain, however, was ill-suited for the highly mechanized nationalist force, and this was exploited by the communists to the maximum. At 8:00 am on June 18, 1948, the nationalist 11th Reorganized Division launched its all out attack on the communists but the progress was painfully slow due to the unfavorable terrain. After eight hour of continuous fighting, the nationalist offensive stopped and both sides rested and prepared for the next round of fighting. By 10:00 PM, the communists withdrew to the second line of the defense by redeploying their 28th Division to the regions of Fan Hamlet (Fan Zhuang, 樊庄), Luo Pavilion (Luo Ge, 罗阁), Jiang Hamlet (Jiang Zhuang, 蒋庄), Xiao Slope (Xiao Po, 肖坡), and their 29th Division to the regions of King’s Pavilion (Wang Ge, 王阁), Xiadi Pass (Xia Di Guan, 下地关), Hundred Feet Village (Bai Chi Ji, 百尺集), and Thunder Hamlet (Lei Zhuang, 雷庄).
Fierce fighting resumed and continued to the next day. After suffering five thousand casualties and realizing the rugged terrain had severely limited the effectiveness of the superior firepower, the nationalist commander refused to be drawn into a war of attrition anymore in a terrain favoring the enemy and decided to call it a quit. Since turning back to reinforce Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
was too late to do, the nationalists withdrew southward, abandoning the hope of annihilating the communist 10th Column. The communists, in the meantime, successfully achieving their original objective of preventing the nationalists from reinforce Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
did not pursuit and ended the battle.
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...