Talk:Dongshan Island Campaign

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Military history: Asian / Chinese Start‑class

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POV flagged today[edit]

I am not a military buff - just landed here by accident. I flagged the article for WP:POV The author does not conceal identifying with "the defenders", even though he calls them "the enemy", as opposed to the attackers, the Kuomintang. Needs to be rewritten in a neutral manner. The language is unencyclopedic with WP:editorializing terms. Absence of WP:INLINECITE needs to be fixed too. I am not watchlisting this, but can be reached by using my name if needed.--Wuerzele (talk) 14:52, 8 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Confusion in stated Nationalist objective contributes to POV problem[edit]

It is unclear whether the Nationalist objective was to raid Dongshan Island and then withdraw in the face of expected Communist reinforcement, as stated here:

Prelude: "After fierce debate, a compromise was reached: a much more moderate objective of striking the island to gain a political and morale boost and then a quick withdrawal before the enemy could reinforce the island."

or alternatively to take and hold the island, as implied here:

Prelude: "Shortly before dawn on 16 July 1953, the Nationalist commander Hu Lien (胡琏) sailed with his troops in 13 naval vessels and more than 30 motorized junks toward Dongshan Island, Fujian, attempting to retake the island from the Communists who took the island from the Nationalists three years earlier in the Battle of Dongshan Island."

Prelude: "You Meiyao, a staff officer of Chen Yi during the Second Sino-Japanese War, refused to withdraw because that would allow the Nationalists to occupy the Communist fortifications on the island, making future attempts to dislodge the Nationalists very difficult."

First Stage: "The lack of heavy weaponry was the main cause of the Nationalist failure to take this very important position, which paved the way for the eventual Nationalist defeat in the campaign."

If the Nationalist objective was to take and hold Dongshan Island, then being driven off the island by the Communists was a substantial Nationalist defeat. Alternatively, if the Nationalist intent was to raid and immediately withdraw, then being driven off the island by the Communists was part of the Nationalist plan, and the defeat was that the Communists inflicted more casualties on them than they inflicted on the Communists, which is a less significant defeat.

If this latter is the case, then the passages suggesting that the Nationalists intended to take and hold the island depart from a neutral POV because they imply a substantial Nationalist defeat.

Dieter.Meinertzhagen (talk) 20:16, 23 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]