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People's Liberation Army
Order of Battle

by Xinhui

Chengdu Military Region (2/3)

13 Group Army (56005) Chongoing

Category A; took part in the 79 and 84 Sino Vietnam wars.

This unit involved in large number corruption case in the mid 90s. Deputy Cmdr major General Cui Guodong was murder in 1998 due to money related issues.

13th GA was a member of the 73rd Division from the Hubei/Anhui Soviet, later it moved to Sichuan/Shaanxi Soviet and jointed the 31st Army as its 93rd division. During the Anti-Japanese War, It was incorporated into the 8th Route Army, as 129th Division's 386th Brigade, with the task of establishing the Taiyue operational base.

The Fourth Column served as a tactical mobile formation during the war of liberation, and commanded by 1st, 2nd, and 4th Field Army from one time to another. During the battle of Lin Fu, it destroyed the KMT elite formation, the so-called "1st Brigade under the Heaven" and captured its commander Lt. General Huang Zhengcheng. The Fourth Column entered central China in March 1948 and took part of the battle of Luoyang. Its 13th brigade, 37th regiment,7th company, 1st squad, and 10th brigade, 28th regiment and 5th company received honors as the "Luoyang Hero Squad" and "Luoyang Hero Company".

The Column also distinguished itself during the epic battle of Huai Hai, where 600,000 PLA troops encircled and destroyed the best of the KMT army, and marked the beginning of the end of the Chinese civil war. For its part, its 13th brigade 38th regiment's 1st battalion received the honored title "Iron and Steel" Battalion. The Fourth Column moved down south and reached Hananin February 1949. It was then officially renamed as 2nd Field Army, 4th Army Group, 13th Army with Zhou Xihanas the command and Liu Youquang as the political commissar. Its 10th brigade was renamed as 37th division, and 13th brigade as 38th division. In addition, it also incorporated troops from the Yuxi MR as its 39th division. Liu Bocheng was the commander of the 2nd field army with Deng Xiaoping as its political commissar. 13th Army soon took part in the battle of Yangzi Crossing, and librated Nanchang, the birthplace of the PLA in May 22nd, 1948. In September of the same year, the 13th, reassigned as a member of the 4th field army entered the Guangdong and, Guangxi provinces. In the battle of Yunnan that followed, it captured KMT army's vice commander Clang Yao.

After the civil war, the 13th army was assigned to the South Yunnan Garrison Region. According to the official PLA records, the 4th Column/13th Army destroyed over 53,000 KMT troops. In the spring of 1950, the 13th Army was ordered to "Aid the Vietnamese in their struggle against the French", in the process, it whipped over 3000 KMT troops who had escaped to Vietnam. In November of 1960, after a treaty with the Burma government was signed, the 13th Army supported with other troops from Yunnan Military District, launched an attack into Burma and attempted to push out KMT troops operating in that area. During this attack, the 13th army was order to study judge warfare for future use.

The 13th Army moved its Head Quarter to Chongqing inDecember 1968. It took part in the Sino-Vietnam War of 1979 as main force of the Western line and completed its assignment in capturing the important city of Qantang in the Northwest.

- 39 Motorized Infantry Division

Part of 2nd Field Army 13th Army Group during the Civil War.

Received new unit designation 1949.2 Some reports suggests this unit already disbanded.

- 37 (56013) Motorized Infantry Division Jianggin/Chongqin

Part of 2nd Field Army, 13th Army Group during the Civil War.

Red Army Division, its 109th Regt is a Red Army Regiment.

Received new unit designation in 1949.2Its 110 motorized infantry regiment is being reform as “reformed regiment” with organic tank support.

Its 5th company of 119th regt was honored as the Luoying Hero Company and Night Strike Ever-Victorious Company.

3rd company of 110 reformed regiment honored as Brave and Stubborn Company.

- 149 Special Mechanized Mountain RDF Division (56016) LokShan/Sichuan

Part of 2nd Field Army 18th Army Group during the Civil War.

Designated as RDF, nick name “Hunting Leopard”

Took part in the Sino-India war as 52nd division of 18th army. 1969 transfer to 50th Army as 149th Division.

Transfer to 13 GA when 50th Field Army disbanded in 1985.

Its 44th motorized infantry regiment is being reform as “reformed regiment” with organic tank support; its commander is a woman, the first woman to commander a tank regiment.

Its 446th regt is the Mess Work Model Regiment One of Its armored regiment is the Sharp Knife Hero Company.

Type-96 MBT and Type-89 APC (2001). -- Andrew KC

- Unidentified Armored Brigade (56017) Pengzhou/Sichuan

First of PLA’s new Armored Brigade PLAdaily 9-5-01

Still equipped with Type 62 light tank

- Unidentified Artillery Brigade (56014) Chongqing

It has 6 battalions: 1 of 122-mm MRL, 2 of 152-mm gun-howitzer, 2 of 130-mm gun and 1 of jeep-mounted HJ-8 ATGW.

- Unidentified AA Artillery Brigade(56018) Mianyang Sichuan

-- Dennis J Blasko

5xAAA battalions

- Unidentified Engineer Regiment

- Unidentified Communications Regiments

- Unidentified Recon Unit

- Unidentified Transportation Regiment

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