Yang Dezhi
Encyclopedia
Yang Dezhi (January 13, 1911 – October 25, 1994) was a senior military officer in the North China (or 5th) Field Army, a veteran of the Korean War
and commander in China
during the Sino–Vietnamese War or Third Indochina War
, a brief but bloody border war fought in 1979 between the China
and the Vietnam
. He was a native of Nanyangqiao in Liling County, Hunan.
Yang studied at Kang Da in 1937. In the late 1938 in southern Hebei, the 343rd Brigade joined Yang Yong’s 68th Regiment to form the a unit known to the KMT as the Second Column of the Eighth Route Army, under the command of Yang Dezhi, with Yang Yong as his deputy and Su Zhenhua as political commissar. This 685th Regiment of the 344th Brigade would be Yang’s main force in the Chi-Lu-Yu Military Region until the end of the Sino-Japanese war in 1945.
The 19th Group Army, established in August 1947, brought together several officers who would take prominent roles in post-liberation China. Among these were Geng Biao, Luo Ruiqing, Yang Chengwu, Pan Zili and Yang Dezhi.
In the Spring of 1949, Yang’s now 19th Army besieged Taiyuan, where Yang worked closely with Xu Xiangqian’s 18th Army. Following that battle, Yang reinforced Peng Dehuai at Lanzhou and remained with him into Ningxia through 1949. Yang Dezhi established the Ningxia Military Control Committee and Commanded the local Military District as the Civil War drew to a close.
Yang’s forces participated in the fifth offensive against the ROK 1st Division and British 29th Brigade, destroying the Gloucester Battalion during the push toward Seoul. In May 1952, his forces were driven back from Chorwon and, suffering heavy casualties withdrew north for reinforcements from Yang Chengwu’s 20th Army. Yang remained in Korea until 1955, and was overall commander of the CPV during 1954-55.
Yang Dezhi was awarded the rank of General in 1955,, and served as an Alternate Member of the 8th Central Committee (1956-69). He was elevated to full membership at the 9th CC in 1969 and retained that status through the 12th CC (1982-87), where he served as a Full Politburo member. General Yang also served on the CC Secretariat, February 1980-September 1982, and on the Military Affairs Committee, from 1980 to 1987. He was Vice Minister of National Defence during much of the 1980s.
General Yang Dezhi retired from his party and military posts in November 1987, together with Marshals Xu Xiangqian and Nie Rongzhen, Defense Minister Zhang Aiping and General Political Department Director Yu Qiuli. Yang is reported to have signed a plea to avoid using military force against demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in 1989, a letter to the MAC said to have been signed by seven retired military officers including Zhang Aiping, Xiao Ke, Chen Zaidao and Song Shilun.
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and commander in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
during the Sino–Vietnamese War or Third Indochina War
Indochina Wars
The Indochina Wars were a series of wars fought in Southeast Asia from 1947 until 1979, between nationalist Vietnamese against French, American, and Chinese forces. The term "Indochina" originally referred to French Indochina, which included the current states of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. In...
, a brief but bloody border war fought in 1979 between the 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...
and the Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. He was a native of Nanyangqiao in Liling County, Hunan.
Early life
Yang Dezhi, the son of a blacksmith, worked as a miner at Anyuan Coal Mine near Pinghsiang at the age of 16 (1926) and may have heard Mao speak during the 1927 strike organization efforts. He later joined a force that followed Mao to Changsha in the summer of 1927, and was defeated in that aborted uprising. Joining the CCP in 1928, Yang fought in the early battles around Jinggangshan and was assigned to Lin Biao’s 28th Regiment where he participated in battles in Jiangxi and Fujian in 1929. After 1932, Yang commanded the 1st Regiment, 1st Division under Lin and Nie Rongzhen on the Long March.1930s
During the 1930s and 1940s, Yang commanded the 344th Brigade of the 115th Division; the 1st Column of the Field Army of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Area; and the 2nd and 19th Army Groups of the Northern China Military District.Yang studied at Kang Da in 1937. In the late 1938 in southern Hebei, the 343rd Brigade joined Yang Yong’s 68th Regiment to form the a unit known to the KMT as the Second Column of the Eighth Route Army, under the command of Yang Dezhi, with Yang Yong as his deputy and Su Zhenhua as political commissar. This 685th Regiment of the 344th Brigade would be Yang’s main force in the Chi-Lu-Yu Military Region until the end of the Sino-Japanese war in 1945.
Civil War
Throughout 1946-48, Yang faced very strong Nationalist forces in the area between Beiping (not yet renamed Beijing), Tianjin and Manchuria. In August 1946, Yang and Xiao Ke retreated in the face of an onslaught by three reinforced Nationalist corps concentrated on the rail lines between Beiping and Shenyang. In April 1948, Yang commanded the 2nd Army (later redesignated the 19th) under the North China Military Region of Nie Rongzhen and Xu Xiangqian. His deputy was Geng Biao and the political commissar Lo Ruiqing.The 19th Group Army, established in August 1947, brought together several officers who would take prominent roles in post-liberation China. Among these were Geng Biao, Luo Ruiqing, Yang Chengwu, Pan Zili and Yang Dezhi.
In the Spring of 1949, Yang’s now 19th Army besieged Taiyuan, where Yang worked closely with Xu Xiangqian’s 18th Army. Following that battle, Yang reinforced Peng Dehuai at Lanzhou and remained with him into Ningxia through 1949. Yang Dezhi established the Ningxia Military Control Committee and Commanded the local Military District as the Civil War drew to a close.
Korea
The outbreak of hostilities on the Korean peninsula led to Yang’s 19th Army being pre-positioned in Shandong, where it was re-equipped with new Russian arms. Yang led the 19th Army, 1st Field Army, to reinforce Peng Dehuai’s Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) in Korea in February 1951 as Deputy Commander of the CPV.Yang’s forces participated in the fifth offensive against the ROK 1st Division and British 29th Brigade, destroying the Gloucester Battalion during the push toward Seoul. In May 1952, his forces were driven back from Chorwon and, suffering heavy casualties withdrew north for reinforcements from Yang Chengwu’s 20th Army. Yang remained in Korea until 1955, and was overall commander of the CPV during 1954-55.
Regional Commands
Yang studied at the Nanjing Advanced Military Institute after returning from Korea, graduating in 1958 and being named Commander of the Jinan Military Region, a post he would hold until the mid-1970s. Yang’s first post-liberation assignment was as Shanxi Military District (MD, i.e., province) Commander. He later rose to command the Jinan Military Region (MR, September 1958-January 1974), Shandong MD (April 1971-January 1974), Wuhan MR (January 1974-January 1979) and Kunming MR(January 1979-February 1980).National Office
Yang took over from Deng Xiaoping as PLA Chief-of-Staff in February 1980, joined the standing committee of the CCP Military Affairs Commission and was named a Vice Minister of National Defense a month later. He was a member of the 11th and 12th politburos, 1977-87.Yang Dezhi was awarded the rank of General in 1955,, and served as an Alternate Member of the 8th Central Committee (1956-69). He was elevated to full membership at the 9th CC in 1969 and retained that status through the 12th CC (1982-87), where he served as a Full Politburo member. General Yang also served on the CC Secretariat, February 1980-September 1982, and on the Military Affairs Committee, from 1980 to 1987. He was Vice Minister of National Defence during much of the 1980s.
General Yang Dezhi retired from his party and military posts in November 1987, together with Marshals Xu Xiangqian and Nie Rongzhen, Defense Minister Zhang Aiping and General Political Department Director Yu Qiuli. Yang is reported to have signed a plea to avoid using military force against demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in 1989, a letter to the MAC said to have been signed by seven retired military officers including Zhang Aiping, Xiao Ke, Chen Zaidao and Song Shilun.