148th Division
The 148th Division was a People's Liberation Army infantry division that served from 1949 until its disbandment in 1985.
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Overview
The 148th Division was a military formation of the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China. It was created during the reorganization of forces following the Chinese Civil War, when the former 182nd Division of the Republic of China Army defected during the Liaoshen Campaign and was incorporated into the communist military system. In January 1949, under a Central Military Commission regulation issued on November 1, 1948, the formation was redesignated the 148th Division and placed under the PLA's 50th Corps. The division's principal role was conventional infantry service. Its organization included the 442nd, 443rd, and 444th Regiments, with a wartime establishment of approximately 10,000 personnel. Under the 148th Division designation, it participated in the later stages of the Chinese Civil War before becoming part of the Chinese intervention in the Korean War. On October 26, 1950, it entered Korea with the headquarters of the 50th Corps as part of the People's Volunteer Army, also described in contemporary sources as the Chinese People's Volunteers or Chinese Communist Forces. During the Fourth Campaign of the Korean War, the division and its corps operated along the Han River near Seoul. The formation remained in combat in that area for roughly 50 days and was involved in fighting that inflicted substantial losses on United Nations forces. It withdrew from Korea in March 1951 for rest and reorganization, but returned to the Korean theater by July of the same year. The division ultimately left Korea in April 1955 and was stationed in the Shenyang Military Region. In 1960, the formation received the designation 148th Army Division. In May 1967, it moved with the 50th Corps to Baitou in Sichuan Province, reflecting its transition from a northeastern-based formation to a southern military role. The division remained intact during the army-wide redesignations of December 1969. In February 1979, it participated in the Sino-Vietnamese conflict. The division was disbanded in 1985 at the same time as the dissolution of its corps headquarters. It was therefore not a commercial brand, but a historical military organization whose identity was expressed through unit designations, subordinate regiments, deployments, and service history.
History
The formation that became the 148th Division originated as the 182nd Division of the Republic of China Army. During the Liaoshen Campaign, that division defected to the communist side and was subsequently incorporated into the forces that became the People's Liberation Army. A Central Military Commission regulation issued on November 1, 1948 established a framework for redesignating army organizations and units. In January 1949, the former 182nd Division was formally renamed the 148th Division and assigned to the PLA's 50th Corps. The division fought under its new designation during the final phase of the Chinese Civil War. Its standard wartime structure consisted of the 442nd, 443rd, and 444th Regiments, giving it an approximate strength of 10,000 personnel. Its most significant early overseas deployment began on October 26, 1950, when it entered Korea with the 50th Corps headquarters as part of the People's Volunteer Army. The force was also referred to as the Chinese People's Volunteers and, in opposing accounts, the Chinese Communist Forces. During the Fourth Campaign of the Korean War, the 148th Division fought in the area of the Han River near Seoul. Together with the rest of its corps, it remained engaged there for approximately 50 days and contributed to operations that caused heavy losses among United Nations forces. The division withdrew from Korea in March 1951 for rest and reorganization. It returned to the Korean theater in July 1951 and continued its service there until the larger withdrawal of Chinese forces from the peninsula. In April 1955, the division left Korea and was assigned to the Shenyang Military Region. The unit received a new formal designation in 1960 as the 148th Army Division. In May 1967, it moved with the 50th Corps to Baitou in Sichuan Province. This relocation placed the formation in a southern strategic setting, while it retained its divisional identity through the army's organizational changes of the late 1960s. The division was not affected by the broad redesignation process carried out in December 1969. In February 1979, the 148th Division participated in the Sino-Vietnamese conflict. This was its last identified major wartime deployment. In 1985, the People's Liberation Army undertook a major force-reduction and reorganization program. The 148th Division was disbanded during that process together with the headquarters of the 50th Corps, ending the unit's institutional existence. The historical record therefore covers service in the Chinese Civil War, the Korean War, postwar regional garrison duties, the move to Sichuan, and participation in the 1979 conflict with Vietnam.
- 1985
Disbanded
[1]The 148th Division was disbanded during the 1985 reorganization of the People's Liberation Army, along with the headquarters of the 50th Corps.
- 1979
Participated in the Sino-Vietnamese conflict
[1]The division took part in the conflict between China and Vietnam in February.
- 1967
Moved to Baitou, Sichuan
[1]The division relocated with its corps headquarters to Baitou in Sichuan Province in May, becoming a southern-based formation.
- 1960
Renamed the 148th Army Division
[1]The unit adopted the designation 148th Army Division.
- 1955
Transferred from Korea to the Shenyang Military Region
[1]The division withdrew from Korea in April and was subsequently stationed in the Shenyang Military Region.
- 1951
Returned to Korea after rest
[1]After withdrawing for rest in March, the division re-entered Korea by July and resumed service in the theater.
- 1950
Entered the Korean War
[1]The division entered Korea on October 26 with the 50th Corps as part of the People's Volunteer Army.
- 1949
Renamed the 148th Division
[1]The former 182nd Division, which had defected during the Liaoshen Campaign, was redesignated the 148th Division in January and assigned to the PLA 50th Corps.
- 1948
Redesignation framework issued
[1]The Central Military Commission issued regulations on November 1 establishing the system used to rename and reorganize army units during the formation of the People's Republic of China.
Products and positioning
Historical People's Liberation Army infantry formation
Marketing campaigns
- 1979Sino-Vietnamese conflict
China · Vietnam-China border region
The division participated in the Chinese military campaign against Vietnam in February 1979 after its relocation to the southern part of China.
Outcome. This was the division's last identified major conflict before its disbandment in 1985.
- 1950Korean War
Korean Peninsula
The division entered Korea with the 50th Corps on October 26, 1950, as part of the People's Volunteer Army. During the Fourth Campaign, it fought along the Han River near Seoul for approximately 50 days.
Outcome. It withdrew for rest in March 1951, returned to Korea by July, and finally left the peninsula in April 1955.
- 1949Chinese Civil War
China
Under the 148th Division designation, the formation served in the final phase of the Chinese Civil War after its predecessor had defected from the Republic of China Army and been incorporated into the PLA.
Outcome. The division became part of the PLA's postwar force structure and was assigned to the 50th Corps.
Brand decisions
1985
Disbandment during army reorganizationStrategyBackground
The People's Liberation Army conducted a broad force-reduction and organizational restructuring program in 1985.
Action taken
The 148th Division was disbanded together with the headquarters of the 50th Corps.
Aftermath
The division ceased to exist as an active military formation.
1967
Relocation to southern ChinaStrategyBackground
The PLA adjusted the geographic disposition of the 50th Corps and its subordinate formations during a period of military and political reorganization.
Action taken
The division moved with the corps headquarters from the northeast to Baitou in Sichuan Province.
Aftermath
The division became a southern-based formation and later participated in the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese conflict.
1949
Conversion and reassignment as the 148th DivisionStrategyBackground
Following the defection of the former 182nd Division during the Liaoshen Campaign, the communist military authorities reorganized the formation under the PLA's postwar naming system.
Action taken
The unit was redesignated the 148th Division and placed under the 50th Corps.
Aftermath
The division subsequently served in the Chinese Civil War's final phase and the Korean War.
Sources1 sources
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