Military Wiki
Register
Advertisement
116th Division
Active 1950–present
Country Flag of the People's Republic of China China
Branch Ground Force Flag of the People's Republic of China People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Type Mechanized Infantry
Size 10,000+
Garrison/HQ Shenyang Military Region
Engagements

Korean War

The 116th Division was a military formation of the People's Volunteer Army (Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) or Chinese Communist Forces (CCF)) during the Korean War with a standard strength of approximately 10,000 men.

History[]

The 116th Division was part of the 39th Army, consisting of the 346th, 347th, and 348th Regiments.[1]

Korean War[]

The 116th Division was one of the first CCF divisions to attack the UN forces as they approached the Yalu River. It effectively reduced the 8th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division to a combat ineffective unit, after inflicting severe losses on them at Unsan. In all, over eight hundred men of the 8th Cavalry were killed or captured—almost one-third of the regiment's strength.

The enemy [Chinese] force that brought tragedy to the 8th Cavalry at Unsan was the CCF’s 116th Division. Elements of the 116th’s 347th Regiment were responsible for the roadblock south of Unsan. Also engaged in the Unsan action was the 115th Division.[2]

Current[]

The formation appears to still be active with the 39th Group Army in the Shenyang Military Region, as the 116th Mechanised Infantry Division.[3]

The division was involved with the rest of the 39th Army in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. On the evening of 3 June, Xu Feng, the division commander, switched to plain clothes and carried out his own reconnaissance of the city.[4] When he returned, he told subordinates "not to look for him" and went into the division's communications vehicle.[4] Thereafter, the division maintained radio silence and did not advance on Beijing, except for the 347th Regiment under Ai Husheng, which complied with orders and went to Tiananmen Square on 4 June.[4] On 5 June, the rest of the division was escorted by other units to the square.[4] Xu Feng was later disciplined for passive resistance.[4]

See also[]

References[]

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at 116th Mechanized Infantry Division (People's Republic of China) and the edit history here.


Advertisement