Battle of Yijiangshan Islands
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Yijiangshan Islands (一江山島戰役) was a conflict between forces of the Republic of China Army
and the People's Liberation Army
of the People's Republic of China
, over one of the last strongholds of Nationalist
(ROC) forces near mainland China
on the Yijiangshan Islands. The conflict occurred from January 18, 1955 to January 20, 1955 during the First Taiwan Strait Crisis
, and resulted in a PLA victory and the complete destruction of the ROC garrison.
, it had become a forward base for the Nationalist
defense of Chinese coastal islands centered on Dachen Island, as well as a base for launching guerrilla attacks on mainland China
.
Order of battle
The Nationalist
defense force consisted of the following units and totaled more than 1000:
Yijiangshan Regional Headquarters
In addition, the Nationalist
defenders could call up the air and naval support when needed.
The Communist attackers totaled more than 5,000, with the landing force totaling one regiment and one battalion from the following units:
In addition, over 30,000 civilians and three dozen civilian ships were mobilized for logistic support.
air force and navy did not participate due to overwhelming Communist firepower. The battle started at 8:00AM with Communist bomber
s from three groups and ground attack aircraft
from 2 groups bombing and strafing the islands. At the same time, bombers from another group and ground attack aircraft from the second group began bombing and strafing the Dachen Islands as a diversion. At 9:00 AM, 50 long range artillery shelled the Yijiangshan Islands.
Around noon, 70+ naval vessels carrying the landing force sailed from Gaodao (高岛)、Queerao (雀儿岙)、Toumen Mountain Island (头门山岛) in three formations in two waves, with more than 40 escort vessels. 2 hours later, the 10 specially converted naval vessels with rocket launchers bombarded Yijiangshan island in conjunction with bombers from 3 groups and 1 squadron, ground attack aircraft from 2 groups, before landing on 20 landing spots. However, the defenders took advantage of their fortifications and severely disrupted the attackers’ formation after their successful landing. As a result, most of the Communist casualties suffered during the battle were at this initial stage.
The attackers immediately called for fire support after they met with fierce enemy fire, and the Communist aircraft responded by attacking the enemy position by flying at extremely low altitude. As the first line of defence was quickly overpowered by the flame throwers, bombs and artillery, the PLA rapidly gained ground. Most of the Communist casualties resulted from two machine gun nests with as many as 200 deaths and 400 casualties. Air strike and massive artillery bombardments called in eventually knocked out these two positions. As the demoralized defenders retreated into their underground tunnels, the attackers changed their tactics by fighting in small groups, and using recoilless guns and flame throwers to gradually torch the Nationalist soldiers to death, including the underground tunnel complex of the Nationalist
4th Assault Group, the largest on the island.
By 5:30 PM, the battle on the islands subsided with the Communist decimation of the Nationalist
defenders almost complete taken 132(meter), 95 hills killing (mostly burned by the flame throwers of 567 and capturing 519 alive according to the often exaggerated PRC source, or 712 soldiers and 12 nurses died in line of duty from Taiwan source. The Communist forces were then ordered to assume a defensive posture for the next day, to prepare for a possible Nationalist counter attack that never materialized. Wang Shen-Ming(王生民), the Nationalist commander was on the phone mentioned he was 50 yards from the approaching Communists. He committed suicide with a grenade, ended all the communication and resistance at his 121 hill cave headquarter. Also on the January 19, the Communist force begun their shelling on Dachen Archipelago about 13 kilometers away, but these actions were still originally intended to prevent possible counter attacks. Finally, on January 20, 1955, the islands were formally declared to be firmly in Communist hands.
Communists was demoralizing the Nationalist will power to continue holding on to some of the islets difficult to defend. The Nationalists became aware that the logistics to send support from Taiwan Island was difficult with its antiquated air force and a lack of strong Navy. The Nationalist lost a Destroyer, named Taiping. The Korean War then was over. The PLA had ample military resources including MIGs, warships to focused on wiping out anti-Communist resistance. This was the prelude to the eventual abandonment of Dachen island with US urging Taiwan not to spread too thin. According to Taiwan sources, the troops garrison consists of mostly former fishermen/pirates and civil war refugees. Some of the casualties were female interns from a Political Warfare College.
There are a number of shrine, roads, and even a restaurant today to commemorate the anti-Communist resistance on Taiwan. The 18,000 refugees, soldiers and their decedents consider themselves to be fortunate to have relocated to Taiwan.
Note: Most of the sources were taken from PRC sources with some exaggerated claims. One example is the museum on site stating it took only 2 hours to win the battle. At any rate, over 500 bombs and 50,000 shells were fired over two little rocky islets. PLA launched an amphibious assault with 182 aircraft, bombers, long distance artilleries. Over 5,000 troops were landed with the mobilization of 30,000 civilians. It was considered an example of PRC's modern warfare.
Republic of China Army
The ROC Army's current operational strength includes 3 armies, 5 corps. As of 2005, the Army's 35 brigades include 25 infantry brigades, 5 armoured brigades and 3 mechanized infantry brigades...
and the People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, over one of the last strongholds of Nationalist
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...
(ROC) forces near mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
on the Yijiangshan Islands. The conflict occurred from January 18, 1955 to January 20, 1955 during the First Taiwan Strait Crisis
First Taiwan Strait Crisis
The First Taiwan Strait Crisis was a short armed conflict that took place between the governments of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China . The PRC seized the Yijiangshan Islands, forcing the ROC to abandon the Tachen Islands...
, and resulted in a PLA victory and the complete destruction of the ROC garrison.
Geography
The Yijiangshan Islands consist of two islands, the Northern Yijang (北一江) Island and the Southern Yijiang (南一江) Island, and the region is approximately 1.2 square kilometers in area. Due to its strategic location near the coast of ZhejiangZhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
, it had become a forward base for the Nationalist
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...
defense of Chinese coastal islands centered on Dachen Island, as well as a base for launching guerrilla attacks on mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
.
Order of battleOrder of battleIn 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...
The NationalistKuomintang
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...
defense force consisted of the following units and totaled more than 1000:
Yijiangshan Regional Headquarters
- The 2nd Assault Group
- The 4th Assault Group
- The 4th Assault Squadron
- One artillery squadron
In addition, the Nationalist
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...
defenders could call up the air and naval support when needed.
The Communist attackers totaled more than 5,000, with the landing force totaling one regiment and one battalion from the following units:
- The 178th regiment of the 60th Division of the 20th Army
- The 180th regiment of the 60th Division of the 20th Army
- 137 naval vessels, (including more than 70 landing vessels, and more than 40 escort vessels). *184 aircraft from a total of 22 groups, 7 artillery battalions, and 2 anti-aircraft artillery regiments assigned to support the landing force.
In addition, over 30,000 civilians and three dozen civilian ships were mobilized for logistic support.
The battle
When the fight began on January 18, 1955, the NationalistKuomintang
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...
air force and navy did not participate due to overwhelming Communist firepower. The battle started at 8:00AM with Communist bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s from three groups and ground attack aircraft
Ground attack aircraft
Ground-attack aircraft are military aircraft with primary role of attacking targets on the ground with greater precision than bombers and prepared to face stronger low-level air defense...
from 2 groups bombing and strafing the islands. At the same time, bombers from another group and ground attack aircraft from the second group began bombing and strafing the Dachen Islands as a diversion. At 9:00 AM, 50 long range artillery shelled the Yijiangshan Islands.
Around noon, 70+ naval vessels carrying the landing force sailed from Gaodao (高岛)、Queerao (雀儿岙)、Toumen Mountain Island (头门山岛) in three formations in two waves, with more than 40 escort vessels. 2 hours later, the 10 specially converted naval vessels with rocket launchers bombarded Yijiangshan island in conjunction with bombers from 3 groups and 1 squadron, ground attack aircraft from 2 groups, before landing on 20 landing spots. However, the defenders took advantage of their fortifications and severely disrupted the attackers’ formation after their successful landing. As a result, most of the Communist casualties suffered during the battle were at this initial stage.
The attackers immediately called for fire support after they met with fierce enemy fire, and the Communist aircraft responded by attacking the enemy position by flying at extremely low altitude. As the first line of defence was quickly overpowered by the flame throwers, bombs and artillery, the PLA rapidly gained ground. Most of the Communist casualties resulted from two machine gun nests with as many as 200 deaths and 400 casualties. Air strike and massive artillery bombardments called in eventually knocked out these two positions. As the demoralized defenders retreated into their underground tunnels, the attackers changed their tactics by fighting in small groups, and using recoilless guns and flame throwers to gradually torch the Nationalist soldiers to death, including the underground tunnel complex of the Nationalist
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...
4th Assault Group, the largest on the island.
By 5:30 PM, the battle on the islands subsided with the Communist decimation of the Nationalist
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...
defenders almost complete taken 132(meter), 95 hills killing (mostly burned by the flame throwers of 567 and capturing 519 alive according to the often exaggerated PRC source, or 712 soldiers and 12 nurses died in line of duty from Taiwan source. The Communist forces were then ordered to assume a defensive posture for the next day, to prepare for a possible Nationalist counter attack that never materialized. Wang Shen-Ming(王生民), the Nationalist commander was on the phone mentioned he was 50 yards from the approaching Communists. He committed suicide with a grenade, ended all the communication and resistance at his 121 hill cave headquarter. Also on the January 19, the Communist force begun their shelling on Dachen Archipelago about 13 kilometers away, but these actions were still originally intended to prevent possible counter attacks. Finally, on January 20, 1955, the islands were formally declared to be firmly in Communist hands.
Outcome
The scale of the battle was minute, and the most important gain of the ChinesePeople's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
Communists was demoralizing the Nationalist will power to continue holding on to some of the islets difficult to defend. The Nationalists became aware that the logistics to send support from Taiwan Island was difficult with its antiquated air force and a lack of strong Navy. The Nationalist lost a Destroyer, named Taiping. The Korean War then was over. The PLA had ample military resources including MIGs, warships to focused on wiping out anti-Communist resistance. This was the prelude to the eventual abandonment of Dachen island with US urging Taiwan not to spread too thin. According to Taiwan sources, the troops garrison consists of mostly former fishermen/pirates and civil war refugees. Some of the casualties were female interns from a Political Warfare College.
There are a number of shrine, roads, and even a restaurant today to commemorate the anti-Communist resistance on Taiwan. The 18,000 refugees, soldiers and their decedents consider themselves to be fortunate to have relocated to Taiwan.
Note: Most of the sources were taken from PRC sources with some exaggerated claims. One example is the museum on site stating it took only 2 hours to win the battle. At any rate, over 500 bombs and 50,000 shells were fired over two little rocky islets. PLA launched an amphibious assault with 182 aircraft, bombers, long distance artilleries. Over 5,000 troops were landed with the mobilization of 30,000 civilians. It was considered an example of PRC's modern warfare.
See also
- List of Battles of 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...
- Chekiang Province, Republic of ChinaChekiang Province, Republic of ChinaChekiang Province, Republic of China was abolished after the Republic of China Army, Republic of China government officials and local residents were evacuated from Tachen to Taiwan in 1955 following the ROC's military defeat to People's Liberation Army forces during the Battle of Dachen...