THE CHINESE CIVIL WAR 267
Apr–Jun 1946 GMD troops seize a corridor
of cities from Jinzhou to Changchun, but a
cease-fire leaves the Communists
holding the industrial city Harbin.Sep 14–24, 1948
A GMD officer
defects with 8,000
of his troops.Oct 25–27, 1949 The GMD’s
victory on the Kinmen Islands
secures Taiwan; the GMD regime
relocates there in December
1949, surviving as the
Republic of China.Apr 1948
An assault by the PLA
captures Luoyang.Feb 28, 1947 Tensions between the
islanders and the GMD government
result in a violent crackdown during
which thousands are killed.5
4
PLA OFFENSIVE
JUNE–AUGUST 1947
When a large Communist force, co-led by Deng
Xiaoping, broke through GMD defenses along the
Yellow River north-east of Kaifeng on June 30, 1947,
the PLA adopted a more offensive strategy—a
“leap forward”—against the GMD. They marched
around 300 miles (480 km) to the south to establish
strongholds in the Dabie Mountains north of Hankou
(modern Wuhan).2
PLA movement PLA base area3 GROUNDWORK IN MANCHURIA
SEPTEMBER 1947–MARCH 1948
By summer 1946, GMD troops had garrisoned the
Manchurian cities of Jinzhou, Yingkou, Shenyang,
and Changchun, as well as outlying towns. The
PLA controlled the territory to the north, including
Harbin. From September 1947 the PLA conducted
guerrilla attacks that isolated the GMD garrisons and
laid the ground for a devastating series of offensives
that would turn the war in their favor.PLA base area GMD garrisonsTHE PINGJIN CAMPAIGN
NOVEMBER 1948–JANUARY 1949
Now in the ascendant, the PLA assaulted and took
Zhangjiakou and Xinbao’an in December, and attacked
Tianjin on January 14, 1949. Some 130,000 defenders
surrendered the next day. Aware of the losses of
other encircled GMD formations, the commander at
Beijing surrendered his 200,000 men. This eliminated
the last major GMD force north of the Yangtze, and
enabled the PLA to focus its efforts on Nanjing.6
PLA movementsPLA movementsPLA movements GMD retreat by shipTHE LIAONING–SHENYANG CAMPAIGN
SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 1948
In September 1948 the PLA attacked Jinzhou, where
the GMD stockpiled its supplies in Manchuria; the
following month, GMD soldiers there began defecting
to the PLA. When besieged Changchun surrendered
on October 19, the GMD in the region began to
disintegrate. Shenyang was captured on November 2
and Yingkou fell three days later. Hundreds of
thousands of GMD troops were taken prisoner.THE HUAIHAI CAMPAIGN
SEPTEMBER 1948–JANUARY 1949
With Manchuria secured, PLA forces pushed south
toward the Yangtze River and Nanjing, taking Jinan—
Shandong’s provincial capital—on September 24.
Many of the remaining GMD units, concentrated at
the rail junction of Xuzhou, north of the Huai River,
were soon enveloped by the more mobile PLA, as
were other GMD units at Chenguanzhuang and
Shuangduiji. By January 10, 320,000 GMD troops had
surrendered.1 FALSE VICTORY FOR THE GMD
JUNE 1946–MARCH 1947
In June 1946, the GMD launched a major offensive
against the PLA’s base areas in Shaanxi Province, and
on March 19, 1947, overran Yan’an, the capital of Red
China since 1936. Chiang Kai-shek prematurely
declared the war won. However, PLA forces soon
recaptured the city and began to use their greater
mobility to destroy over-extended GMD units
defending fixed points.Yellow (^) Sea
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