Huang Baitao
Encyclopedia
Huang Baitao was a Nationalist
general active in the Second Sino-Japanese War
and Chinese Civil War
, for which he was twice awarded the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun
, the highest honor a Chinese commander can achieve.
but he was born in Tianjin. After a stint of serving in the units of various northern warlords, he surrendered to Chiang Kai Shek's forces during the northern expedition. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he was promoted from a staff officer to command positions in regiment, brigade and division levels solely based on merit and attended the Chinese Army War College, and assigned as chief of staff
of the third, six and ninth war zones, and he helped to plan the New Fourth Army Incident
and wiped out a large numbers of communist troops. In 1946, when the Chinese Civil War
restarted he was promoted to command the 25th corps.
at Central China in the Eastern Henan Campaign around the summer of 1948. His actions helped to save two KMT units from destruction. President Chiang Kai shek decorated him with the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun and promoted him to command the 7th army. However, his promotion did not suit well with other nationalist commanders, notably Qiu Qingquan
, commander of 5th corps, and Communist moles in the KMT army spread rumors so their working relationship was very tense.
was about to start, so the nationalist department of defense decided to withdrew the 7th army and the 6th army
from northern Jiansu (江苏) province to the nationalist military headquarters in Xuzhou. http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/bjorge_huai.pdf Huang was ordered to wait for another KMT corps (44th corps) to arrive from the 9th pacification zone in Haizhou (海州) before he can travel across the grand canal, precious time of 2 days were wasted. He also made the crucial mistake of not securing a bridgehead on the grand canal, and the 300,000 communist soldiers of the Eastern China Field Army under Su Yu
caught up with him, and the 63rd corps under his command were wiped out of the 7th army's order of battle
while trying route to cross the grand canal at Yaowan (窑湾) after finishing the rearguard duties. On the same day (November 8, 1948), as Huang continued to retreat toward Xuzhou, Communist underground members of the 3rd pacification zone suddenly revolted on the battlefield, surrendering 23,000 troops to the communist forces. The nationalist headquarters in Xuzhou under Liu Zhi
panicked and ordered the 13th army under Li Mi
, which was defending the east side of Xuzhou, to retreat to back to Xuzhou. Those developments allowed the communist forces to completely cut off Huang's 7th army from the rest of the nationalist forces by taking Caobaji (曹八集) and Daxujia (大许家) vacated by Li Mi's 13th army. Chiang Kai-Shek ordered the KMT 2nd army
and 13th army to relieve the 7th army; But Qiu Qingquan (邱清泉), commander of the 2nd army, was not eager to save his beleaguered colleague because of their previous feuds and feared the Communists might encircle his unit as well. Li Mi did try but his relieve efforts were beaten back by the communist forces despite the support of the planes and tanks thus equally unsuccessful in saving the 7th Army. After 15 days of brutal fighting, the 7th army was destroyed in Nianzhuang (碾庄) village, only 20 miles from Xuzhou. On the night of November 22, 1948, Huang Baitao committed suicide after successfully broke out from his army headquarters with his deputy commander of the 25th corps, who smuggled his body and personal belongings through the communist security checkpoints. Since Huang Baitao was one of the few KMT army commanders who chose death rather than being taken prisoner by the Communists, President Chiang Kai Shek personally arranged a state funeral for him.http://www.generals.dk/ The Nationalist Government posthumously promoted him to four star general and awarded him with second Order of Blue Sky and White Sun. When the People's Liberation Army
approached on Nanjing
in the summer of 1949, the survivors of the 7th army transferred his remains to Taiwan.
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...
general active in the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
and Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The 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...
, for which he was twice awarded the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun
Order of Blue Sky and White Sun
The Order of Blue Sky and White Sun with Grand Cordon is the Republic of China's second highest military award. Created in 1929, it is awarded for "outstanding contributions to national security under foreign invasion" and is second only to the Order of National Glory...
, the highest honor a Chinese commander can achieve.
Early years and career
Huang's family was from Canton provinceGuangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
but he was born in Tianjin. After a stint of serving in the units of various northern warlords, he surrendered to Chiang Kai Shek's forces during the northern expedition. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he was promoted from a staff officer to command positions in regiment, brigade and division levels solely based on merit and attended the Chinese Army War College, and assigned as chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
of the third, six and ninth war zones, and he helped to plan the New Fourth Army Incident
New Fourth Army Incident
The New Fourth Army Incident , also known as the Wannan Incident , occurred in China in January 1941 during the Second Sino-Japanese War, during which the Chinese Civil War was in theory suspended, uniting the Communists and Nationalists against the Japanese...
and wiped out a large numbers of communist troops. In 1946, when the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The 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...
restarted he was promoted to command the 25th corps.
Rise to fame
In December 1946, Huang helped the nationalist army to evacuate from the Shandong province, and stopped the Communist advances led by Su YuSu Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
at Central China in the Eastern Henan Campaign around the summer of 1948. His actions helped to save two KMT units from destruction. President Chiang Kai shek decorated him with the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun and promoted him to command the 7th army. However, his promotion did not suit well with other nationalist commanders, notably Qiu Qingquan
Qiu Qingquan
Qiu Qinquan , was a Kuomintang general who excelled himself in Northern Expedition, anti-communist Encirclement Campaigns, Second Sino-Japanese War, and Chinese Civil War...
, commander of 5th corps, and Communist moles in the KMT army spread rumors so their working relationship was very tense.
Huaihai Campaign and death
On November 8, 1948, the Huaihai CampaignHuaihai Campaign
Huaihai Campaign or Battle of Hsupeng was a military action during 1948 and 1949 that was the determining battle of the Chinese Civil War. It was one of the few conventional battles of the war. 550,000 troops of the Republic of China were surrounded in Xuzhou and destroyed by the communist...
was about to start, so the nationalist department of defense decided to withdrew the 7th army and the 6th army
Sixth Army
A number of nations have had a Sixth Army:* Sixth Army * Sixth Army * Sixth Army * Ottoman Sixth Army* 6th Army * Sixth United States Army...
from northern Jiansu (江苏) province to the nationalist military headquarters in Xuzhou. http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/bjorge_huai.pdf Huang was ordered to wait for another KMT corps (44th corps) to arrive from the 9th pacification zone in Haizhou (海州) before he can travel across the grand canal, precious time of 2 days were wasted. He also made the crucial mistake of not securing a bridgehead on the grand canal, and the 300,000 communist soldiers of the Eastern China Field Army under Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
caught up with him, and the 63rd corps under his command were wiped out of the 7th army's order of battle
Order of battle
In 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...
while trying route to cross the grand canal at Yaowan (窑湾) after finishing the rearguard duties. On the same day (November 8, 1948), as Huang continued to retreat toward Xuzhou, Communist underground members of the 3rd pacification zone suddenly revolted on the battlefield, surrendering 23,000 troops to the communist forces. The nationalist headquarters in Xuzhou under Liu Zhi
Liu Chih
Liu Chih was a prominent Kuomintang military and political leader in the Republic of China.-Biography:...
panicked and ordered the 13th army under Li Mi
Li Mi (ROC general)
Li Mi , was a high-ranking Nationalist general who participated in the anti-Communist Encirclement Campaigns, Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War. He was one of the few Kuomintang commanders to achieve notable victories against both Chinese Communist forces and the Imperial Japanese Army...
, which was defending the east side of Xuzhou, to retreat to back to Xuzhou. Those developments allowed the communist forces to completely cut off Huang's 7th army from the rest of the nationalist forces by taking Caobaji (曹八集) and Daxujia (大许家) vacated by Li Mi's 13th army. Chiang Kai-Shek ordered the KMT 2nd army
Second Army
A number of nations have had a Second Army* Australian Second Army* British Second Army* French Second Army* German Second Army* Japanese Second Army* Ottoman Second Army* Polish Second Army* Second Army , fought at Tannenberg...
and 13th army to relieve the 7th army; But Qiu Qingquan (邱清泉), commander of the 2nd army, was not eager to save his beleaguered colleague because of their previous feuds and feared the Communists might encircle his unit as well. Li Mi did try but his relieve efforts were beaten back by the communist forces despite the support of the planes and tanks thus equally unsuccessful in saving the 7th Army. After 15 days of brutal fighting, the 7th army was destroyed in Nianzhuang (碾庄) village, only 20 miles from Xuzhou. On the night of November 22, 1948, Huang Baitao committed suicide after successfully broke out from his army headquarters with his deputy commander of the 25th corps, who smuggled his body and personal belongings through the communist security checkpoints. Since Huang Baitao was one of the few KMT army commanders who chose death rather than being taken prisoner by the Communists, President Chiang Kai Shek personally arranged a state funeral for him.http://www.generals.dk/ The Nationalist Government posthumously promoted him to four star general and awarded him with second Order of Blue Sky and White Sun. When 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...
approached on Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
in the summer of 1949, the survivors of the 7th army transferred his remains to Taiwan.