Huaihai Campaign
Part of the Chinese Civil War
People's Liberation Army during the Huaihai Campaign
Date 6 November 1948 - 10 January 1949 Location Shandong, Jiangsu Result Decisive Communist victory; The Nationalist lost all the terriories north of Yangtze River.
Combatants
National Revolutionary Army	People's Liberation Army East China Field Army, Central Plains Field Army
Commanders
Du Yuming, Wu Shaozhou, Huang Wei, Huang Baitao, Qiu Qingquao	Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, Su Yu, Tan Zhenlin
Strength
800,000	600,000
Casualties
~555,000 (including non-combat losses)	134,000

Huaihai Campaign (淮海戰役) or Battle of Hsupeng (徐蚌會戰) (also Xu-Beng) was a decisive military action during 1948 and 1949, it was the determining battle of the Chinese Civil War. It is one of the few conventional battles of the war. 500,000 troops of the Republic of China (under the Kuomintang) were surrounded in Xuzhou (Hsuchow) and destroyed by the communist People's Liberation Army. Combatants Chinese Nationalists Chinese Communists Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Mao Zedong Strength 3,600,000 (circa June 1948) 2,800,000 (circa June 1948) The Chinese Civil War (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: guógòng neìzhàn; literally Nationalist-Communist Civil War) was a conflict in China between... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 55 days remaining. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... (Simplified Chinese: 山东; Traditional Chinese: 山東; pinyin: Shāndōng; Wade-Giles: Shan-tung) is a coastal province of eastern Peoples Republic of China. ... Jiangsu (Simplified Chinese: 江苏; Traditional Chinese: 江蘇; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chiang-su; Postal System Pinyin: Kiangsu) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. ... Afternoon light on the jagged grey mountains rising from the Yangtze River gorge The Yangtze River or Chang Jiang is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon in South America. ... The National Revolutionary Army (NRA) (Chinese: 國民革命軍; pinyin: guo2 min2 ge2 ming4 jun1) was the national army of the Republic of China. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Du Yuming (py) or Tu Yü-ming (wg) (杜聿明) (November 28, 1903-May 7, 1981) was a Kuomintang field commander active in the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) theatre of World War II and in the Chinese civil war from 1945 to 1949. ... Liu in his Field Marshal uniform Liu Bocheng (刘伯承, Wade-Giles: Liu Po-cheng; December 4, 1892 - October 7, 1986) was a Chinese Communist military commander and Field Marshal of the Peoples Liberation Army. ... Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (Simplified Chinese: 邓小平; Traditional Chinese: 鄧小平; Pinyin: Dèng XiÇŽopíng; Wade-Giles: Teng Hsiao-ping; August 22, 1904–February 19, 1997) was a leader in the Communist Party of China (CPC). ... Chen Yi, Rao Shushi and Su Yu in Shanghai in 1949 Su Yu (粟裕) (August 10, 1907 - February 5, 1984) was a Chinese Communist military leader. ... Combatants Chinese Nationalists Chinese Communists Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Mao Zedong Strength 3,600,000 (circa June 1948) 2,800,000 (circa June 1948) The Chinese Civil War (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: guógòng neìzhàn; literally Nationalist-Communist Civil War) was a conflict in China between... The Liaoshen Campaign was an important series of battles in the Chinese Civil War fought in the north-eastern province of Liaoning. ... Combatants National Revolutionary Army Peoples Liberation Army Northeast Field Army Commanders Fan Hanjie Lin Biao Strength ~200,000 250,000 Casualties 20,000 deaths, 80,000 captured unknown Battle of Jinzhou (Simplified Chinese: , Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Jînzhou ZhÄ«zhàn) was a battle between the Peoples Liberation... The Battle of Kuningtou (古寧頭之役) was a battle fought over Quemoy in the Taiwan Strait during the Chinese Civil War in 1949. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Combatants Chinese Nationalists Chinese Communists Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Mao Zedong Strength 3,600,000 (circa June 1948) 2,800,000 (circa June 1948) The Chinese Civil War (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: guógòng neìzhàn; literally Nationalist-Communist Civil War) was a conflict in China between... Conventional warfare means a form of warfare conducted by using conventional military weapons and battlefield tactics between two or more nation-states in open confrontation. ... The Republic of China governs Taiwan and some surrounding islands, and should not be confused with the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), which governs mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. ... The Chinese Nationalist Party (Traditional Chinese: 中國國民黨; Simplified Chinese: 中国国民党; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Tongyong Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chung-kuo Kuo-min-tang), commonly known as the Kuomintang (KMT), is a centre-right political party in the Republic of China on Taiwan, and is currently the largest political party in terms of sitting Legislative... Xuzhou (Chinese: 徐州; Hanyu Pinyin: ), known as Pengcheng (Chinese: 彭城; Hanyu Pinyin: ) in ancient times, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Jiangsu province, Peoples Republic of China. ... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (official name) also known as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) (Simplified Chinese: 中国共产党; Traditional Chinese: 中國共産黨; Pinyin: Zhōngguó GòngchÇŽndÇŽng) is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Timeline

• Begins on November 6, 1948
• ends on January 10, 1949
• said to last 65 days

Items of Note

• Xuzhou was an exposed salient
• Huang (Huai) River in Shandong and Jiangsu provinces
• Lung Hai railway
• Nationalists had air-superiority
• Communists used concentrated artillery effectively

Xuzhou (Chinese: 徐州; Hanyu Pinyin: ), known as Pengcheng (Chinese: 彭城; Hanyu Pinyin: ) in ancient times, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Jiangsu province, Peoples Republic of China. ...

CPC/PLA Order of Battle

• Central Plains Field Army (renamed as the Second Field Army)
• East China Field Army (renamed as the Third Field Army)

KMT Order of Battle

• Nationalist Seventh Army Group
• Sixth Army Group
• Second Army Group
• Thirteenth Army Group
• Sixteenth Army Group

CPC/PLA Leaders

• Liu Bocheng
• Deng Xiaoping
• Su Yu
• Tan Zhenlin

Liu in his Field Marshal uniform Liu Bocheng (刘伯承, Wade-Giles: Liu Po-cheng; December 4, 1892 - October 7, 1986) was a Chinese Communist military commander and Field Marshal of the Peoples Liberation Army. ... Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (Simplified Chinese: 邓小平; Traditional Chinese: 鄧小平; Pinyin: Dèng Xiǎopíng; Wade-Giles: Teng Hsiao-ping; August 22, 1904–February 19, 1997) was a leader in the Communist Party of China (CPC). ... Chen Yi, Rao Shushi and Su Yu in Shanghai in 1949 Su Yu (粟裕) (August 10, 1907 - February 5, 1984) was a Chinese Communist military leader. ...

KMT Leaders

• Huang Baitao (killed)
• Qiu Qingquan (killed)
• Du Yuming, deputy commander-in-chief (captured)
• Huang Wei, army commander (captured)
• Wu Shaozhou, deputy army commander (captured)

The Three Phases of the Battle

The Huai Hai Campaign is typically divided into three main phases.

Phase 1

An assault by the East China Field Army beginning on November 6th surrounds the Nationalist Seventh Army Group.

On November 8th, two armies (with 23,000 troops) led by He Jifeng and Zhang Kexia, deputy commanders of the Third Pacification Zone of the Kuomintang army (who were actually underground Communist Party members) suddenly revolted on the battlefield. The Seventh Army Group was able to hold out for 12 days without supplies. The two army groups ordered to relieve the Seventh were delayed. On November 22, the 100,000 troops of the Seventh Army Group were wiped from the Nationalist order of battle.

Phase 2

November 23 to January 6

Communist forces from the east and west captured Xuzhou (Hsuchow), a key railway junction, on December 1st. On December 6, following a PLA breakthrough, the Nationalist Sixteenth Army Group is eliminated. On the same day, the People's Liberation Army initiates an attack on the 12th Army Group. The Central Plains Field Army, in coordination with the main force of the Eastern China Field Army, surrounded and wiped out the army under Huang Wei at and around Shuangtuichi, southwest of Suhsien. On December 15, it succeeds in defeating these 120,000 troops and captures its commander, Huang Wei, alive. Xuzhou (Chinese: 徐州; Hanyu Pinyin: ), known as Pengcheng (Chinese: 彭城; Hanyu Pinyin: ) in ancient times, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Jiangsu province, Peoples Republic of China. ...

Phase 3

On January 6, 1949, People's Liberation Army initiates a general attack on the surrounded troops of Du Yuming, eliminating the Thirteenth Army Group. The remnants of defeated troops retreat toward the Second Army Group defense area. On January 10, the PLA achieves a breakthrough and the Second Army Group is annihilated. Commander Qiu Qingquan commits suicide and Du Yuming is captured.

External links

• http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/bjorge_huai.pdf
• http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-4/mswv4_43.htm