User:ZHANGQI1066/sandbox

Battle of Weixian
Part of Chinese Civil War
The old city walls of Weixian (now part of Weifang City), Shandong Province
Date April 2, 1948 – May 8, 1948 Location Shandong Province, Weixian and surrounding areas Result Victory for the People's Liberation Army; capture of Weixian
Belligerents
Republic of China National Revolutionary Army 96th Army, Reorganized 45th Division, 12 local security regiments	Permission plausible. Article relisted. User:ZHANGQI1066 (talk) 07:44, 23 October 2024 (UTC) East China Field Army Shandong Corps, local forces of Jiaodong and Bohai military regions
Commanders and leaders
Wang Yaowu Theater Commander Chen Jincheng Commander of the 96th Army Zhang Tianzuo Leader of the security regiments	Xu Shiyou Commander Tan Zhenlin Political Commissar Nie Fengzhi Leader of the main assault forces
Strength
Approximately 47,000 troops	Approximately 120,000 troops
Casualties and losses
19,000 casualties 26,000 captured	1,432 killed 6,548 wounded

Battle of Weixian (also known as the Battle of the Central Section of the Jiaoji Railway) was a military campaign during the Chinese Civil War in which the People's Liberation Army (PLA) East China Field Army Shandong Corps, under the command of Xu Shiyou, launched an offensive to capture the city of Weixian in Shandong Province, held by the National Revolutionary Army (NRA). The battle lasted from April 2 to May 8, 1948, and was the first major siege undertaken by the East China Field Army after its formation. Weixian was a significant commercial and industrial hub in Shandong and an important transportation node between Jinan and Qingdao, making it a key defensive point for the Nationalist forces on the Jiaoji Railway, known as the "Bastion of Central Shandong." The battle ended with the PLA capturing Weixian and surrounding areas. The PLA suffered approximately 8,000 casualties, while the NRA lost over 45,000 troops, including the capture of 6 high-ranking officers, such as the commander of the 96th Army and Reorganized 45th Division, Chen Jincheng.

Background

After the Battle of Menglianggu in May 1947, the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) shifted from strategic offense to defense on the East China front, while the PLA began its counteroffensive. On August 6 of the same year, the Chinese Communist military command decided to split the East China Field Army into two groups: the "Western Corps" (also known as the external corps), consisting of 7 main divisions led by Su Yu, was tasked with launching external offensives, while the "Eastern Corps" (also known as the internal corps or Shandong Corps), consisting of 3 divisions and local forces from Jiaodong, was commanded by Xu Shiyou and remained for internal operations in the Shandong Peninsula. On August 18, the NRA command responded by creating the "Jiaodong Corps," under the command of Fan Hanjie, aimed at taking advantage of the PLA's weakened presence in Jiaodong following the western advance to sever the maritime links between the liberated areas of Northeast China, North China, and Shandong. Thus, the Jiaodong theater became a contest between Xu Shiyou and Fan Hanjie.

Between August 1947 and March 1948, during the battles of the "Jiaohe Campaign" and the "Western Jiaoji Railway Campaign," Xu Shiyou exploited the disunity and internal factionalism within the NRA to gain the upper hand through maneuver warfare, capturing much of the western section of the Jiaoji Railway and towns such as Laiyang and Zibo. As a result, the PLA gained strategic dominance in the Jiaodong theater. After Fan Hanjie was transferred out of Shandong, command of the Jiaodong front fell to Wang Yaowu, Chairman of Shandong Province for the Nationalist Government. By March 1948, only three cities along the Jiaoji Railway—Jinan, Qingdao, and Weixian—remained under Nationalist control.

Deployment

Nationalist Forces

Commander of the Nationalist forces in the Weixian Battle and Second Pacification District, Wang Yaowu

The town of Weixian was located at the central section of the Jiaoji Railway, consisting of two separate walled cities, the larger western city and the smaller eastern city, separated by the Bailang River. These two cities were connected by five stone bridges. According to local records, Weixian had never been successfully captured in battle prior to this campaign. The town was considered a major stronghold and was dubbed the "Bastion of Central Shandong." The Nationalist forces defending Weixian consisted of the Reorganized 45th Division, 12 local security regiments, and various landlord militia, amounting to approximately 47,000 troops, with overall command entrusted to Chen Jincheng, commander of the 96th Army and Reorganized 45th Division. The 45th Division was a well-equipped regular army unit, including artillery, while the local security regiments and militia, though less equipped, still provided some combat effectiveness. Additionally, the Nationalist forces were supported by the Republic of China Air Force. In late March 1948, following consultations at the Weixian airfield with Chen Jincheng, Second Pacification District Commander Wang Yaowu decided to adopt a strategy of "concentrating forces and holding strongpoints, awaiting reinforcements" to defend Weixian. To this end, a fortified system with three lines of defense centered on the western city was built, including an extensive network of blockhouses, barbed wire, mines, and other fortifications. Tens of thousands of civilians were mobilized daily to fortify the defenses. Chen Jincheng confidently proclaimed, "Weixian is an impregnable fortress. It's impossible for the PLA to breach it!"