Liaoshen Campaign

Liaoshen Campaign
Part of the Chinese Civil War
PLA troops and Chinese Type 97 Chi-Ha tanks advance into Shenyang.
Date 12 September 1948 - 12 November 1948 Location Manchuria Result Decisive Communist victory; fall of Manchuria for the Nationalist government; Most important industrial and raw resources region of China fell to Communists
Belligerents
Republic of China Army	People's Liberation Army Northeast Field Army
Commanders and leaders
*Chiang Kai-shek Wei Lihuang Du Yuming Fan Hanjie Liao Yaoxiang Liu Yuzhang	*Lin Biao Luo Ronghuan (Political commissar) Liu Yalou (Chief of staff)
Strength
550,000	700,000
Casualties and losses
~472,000 (including non-combat losses)	70,000

Liaoshen Campaign (simplified Chinese: 辽沈战役; traditional Chinese: 遼瀋戰役; pinyin: Líaoshên Zhànyì), literally the abbreviation of Liaoning-Shenyang Campaign, was part of the three major campaigns launched by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) during the late stage of the Chinese Civil War. This engagement is known in the Nationalist government as the Battle of Liaohsi (Traditional Chinese: 遼西會戰). The campaign began on September 12, 1948, and ended in the same year on November 2, lasting 52 days. This campaign was the first of the three campaigns that marked the end of Nationalist dominance in northern China. (The other two were the Huaihai Campaign and Pingjin Campaign.)

Background

By August 1948, after years of brief advances throughout Manchuria, the Northeast Field Army of the PLA had 13 infantry armies, one artillery army, and 15 independent divisions as well as 3 cavalry divisions, approximately 54 divisions consisting of over 700,000 men. The Communists also had approximately 300,000 troops in non Field Army formations. They also held control of 97% percent of the area in the northeast and 86% of the population. The Nationalists on the other hand, had four armies consisting of 14 corps and 44 divisions. With the local security forces, they had over 550,000 men. However, they were cut apart in Shenyang, Changchun, and Jinzhou, three major cities that are not geographically connected. Because the Jingha Railway was controlled by the PLA, the land routes through Shanhai Pass to Changchun and Shenyang were cut off completely. Supplies had to be airlifted to these two cities.

Communist commanders. From left to right: Liu Yalou, Lin Biao and Luo Ronghuan.

Manchuria was the only place where the Communists had superior military strength to the Nationalists at the time. Therefore, the Chinese Communist Military Committee had chosen Manchuria as the place for the first decisive engagement between the two sides.

Objectives

Nationalists: To withdraw from Changchun and Shenyang, as the supply routes were cut off for these two cities, prevent the Communists from entering Shanhai Pass, stabilize the situation, and launch a counter-offensive in Manchuria when the time was right.

Communists: Encircle the city first, then attack it. Cut off the line between Jinzhou and Tashan from the south, and cut the Jingha Railway to seal the Nationalist forces in Manchuria.

Course of campaign

The entire Liaoshen Campaign was divided into three stages:

First stage

Main article: Battle of Jinzhou

Communists marching south along Beining line.

On September 12, 1948, the PLA Northeast Field Army marched south and began to attack along the Jingha Railway. After the PLA captured Changli and Tashan, the Nationalist Jingha supply route was cut off. During the battle in Yixian, the commander of the North Field Artillery Army Zhu Rei was killed in action when he stepped on a mine. Beginning on October 3, the Northeast Field Army gathered up 250,000 men to encircle Jinzhou. Chiang Kai-shek ordered the Nationalist defenders in Huludao and the army group in Shenyang led by Liao Yaoxiang (廖耀湘) to reinforce and rescue Jinzhou. However, Hou Jingru, the commander of 17th Army Group in Huludao, was dissatisfied with Chiang's constant interference, and was afraid of being ambushed on the way; he refused to follow the order. Liao Yaoxiang in Shenyang was afraid of leaving fortified defensive positions and delayed the attack. After Chiang took command himself, the Nationalist forces in Huludao marched to Jinzhou, but were blocked by the PLA in the area of Tashan, and were unable to advance further. The Northeast Field Army launched the final assault on Jinzhou On October 14, and occupied the city next evening. They killed or captured 100,000 defenders including Fan Hanjie, the vice-commander of Nationalist forces in Manchuria. The land route for the Nationalists to retreat to North China Plain was cut.

Meanwhile, the PLA encircled Changchun. Zeng Zesheng, the vice commander of the Nationalist forces defending Changchun, was originally a subordinate of Long Yun, and like his fellow soldiers of the 60th Army, he was deeply dissatisfied with Chiang Kai-shek's treatment. Capitalizing on this opportunity, Communists infiltrated Zeng's inner circle and convinced him to rebel against the Nationalists. Zeng so did after the pressure from the fall of Jinzhou. The remaining Nationalist units in the 1st Army Group consequently also gave up their arms. Zheng Dongguo, commander of the Nationalist forces in Changchun, surrendered as well along with 100,000 men on October 21.

Second stage

Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Shenyang to monitor the Nationalist war effort.

After the Nationalist forces were destroyed in Jinzhou and Changchun, the situation turned worse for the Nationalists in Manchuria. Liao Yaoxiang decided to abandon Shenyang. He attempted to lead the main force south to the seaport of Yinkou, and return to the North China Plain by sea. However, they were unable to break through the PLA defensive line around Heshan(黑山) and Dahushan, and lost a considerable amount of time. Between October 20 to October 28, the PLA forces under Han Xianchu attacked at Liaoxi(遼西戰役) in the area east of Heshan and Dahushan, and west of Raoyanghe. They destroyed twelve Nationalist divisions, including the elite New 1st Army of 100,000 men, and captured the commander, Liao.

Final stage

Beginning on October 29, the PLA encircled Shenyang from four sides, penetrated Yinkou with three columns and attacked the defending 52nd Army. On October 30, Wei Lihuang, the commander-in-chief of all Nationalist forces in Manchuria, left Shenyang via plane. He turned command over to Zhou Fucheng(周福成), the commander of the 8th Army Group. On November 1, the PLA launched the final assault on the city of Shenyang, capturing the city the very next day. They annihilated two armies with 134,000 men. Zhou Fucheng was also taken prisoner. Yinkou was captured the same day. The PLA killed 14,000 men of the defending 52nd Army. The remnants of the 52nd Army and its commander Liu Yuzhang retreated to Huludao via sea. The Liaoshen Campaign was over.

After the fall of Shenyang, the Nationalists in the area of Jinxi and Huludao withdrew to the North China Plain by sea. The Communist force captured these two ports the next day, and all Manchuria was now under the Communist control. Up to this point, the National Revolutionary Army lost four army groups, eleven armies and thirty-three divisions, approximately 472,000 men. Only the New 5th Army, 52nd Army and the 54th Army were able to retreat. The rest of the Nationalist forces in Manchuria were all destroyed. The balance of military power for the Nationalists and the Communists were reversed, and for the first time, the total strength for the Nationalists was less than that of the People's Liberation Army.

Review

Reasons for Nationalist defeat

1. During the period of March to June, the Nationalists were unable to move their main force southwards to combine with the North China corps and make the balance of forces more favorable to them.
2. Inability of the different Nationalist forces to coordinate their attacks on the Communists, often due to factional disharmonies.
3. Inability to break through the Communist defensive line, lack of will.
4. Chiang's constant interference with the command: Chiang would personally approve his commanders' battle plans during meetings, but after the battles begun, Chiang often changed his mind and gave orders to the Nationalist troops in the field down to the division level directly, bypassing the chain of command. Nationalist commanders above the division level were rarely told in time about the changes by Chiang, and instead, they usually found out about the changes after their subordinates had already carried out Chiang's direct orders.

Reasons for Communist victory

1. Initiative to seize strategic points, capture Jinzhou, and besiege the Nationalists in the northeast to destroy them.
2. Ability to make quick adjustments and destroy Nationalist forces that did not retreat in time.
3. Attacked the Nationalist defenders in Shenyang from multiple sides and swiftly destroyed them.
4. Communist forces successfully contained Nationalist forces in North China so they were unable to reinforce the Nationalists in the Manchuria.
5. Effectively mobilized, long-term management.

See also

• List of Battles of Chinese Civil War
• National Revolutionary Army
• History of the People's Liberation Army
• Chinese Civil War

References

• 《雪白血红》 張正隆 解放軍出版社 1989年8月 ISBN 7-01-000381-5/ISBN 7-01-000413-7
• 《辽沈战役概述》杜聿明, 文史资料选辑 第二十辑，1961年8月
• 《东北战场与辽沈战役》韩先楚，《辽沈决战》人民出版社
• 《第十二纵队在辽沈战役中》 袁升平，《辽沈决战》人民出版社
• 《辽沈决战》（上、下）人民出版社 ISBN 7-01-000381-5/ISBN 7-01-000413-7

External links

• Memorial of Liaoshen Campaign
• 辽沈战役