The 80th Group Army (),
Unit
Unit may refer to:
General measurement
* Unit of measurement, a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law
**International System of Units (SI), modern form of the metric system
**English units, histo ...
31673, formerly the 26th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese
People's Liberation Army Ground Force
The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF), also referred to as the PLA Army, is the army, land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), and also its largest and oldest branch. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 192 ...
(PLAGF). The 80th Group Army is one of thirteen total
group armies
Group armies () or army groups or combined corps, are corps-level military formations of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force of China. Despite what the name suggests, current Group Armies are not army-level formations, but corps-sized f ...
of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces in the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, and one of three assigned to the nation's
Northern Theater Command
The Northern Theater Command () is one of the five Theater command (China), theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, founded on 1 February 2016. Its predecessor is the Shenyang Military Region, Jinan Military Region and Beijing Militar ...
.
History
Korean War
It was composed of the
76th,
77th, and
78th Divisions, and was augmented by the
88th Division from its parent unit, the
30th Army.
During the Korean War, the 26th Army was commanded by Lieutenant General Zhang Renchu.
The PLA's 9th Army Group began moving into Korea on 5 November. After the 20th Army had moved in, followed by the 27th Army, the 26th Army followed, moving east to Linjiang and Huchang as army group reserve, and defending against any advance down the Yalu River by the US Army 7th Infantry Division. On 2 December, General Song Shilun ordered the 26th Army south from the Huchang River to take over the attack on Hagaru-ri. Movement of the 26th Army was slowed and delayed by air attacks. Further, according to one of the Chinese histories, some elements got lost in a snowstorm. The 26th Army failed to reach Hagaru and launch an attack on the 5th Marines. Advanced elements did reach East Hill and attempt to hold that. And, on the night of December 6, as the 1st Marine Division was attacking towards Hagaru-ri, advance elements of the 26th Army did attack the column but failed to organize a coordinated attack. The 26th Army suffered some 10,000 cold-weather related casualties.
Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989
In May 1989, the 26th Army’s 138th Infantry Division was airlifted to
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
to
enforce martial law and suppress the
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests, known within China as the June Fourth Incident, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, lasting from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts between t ...
.
[Based on Wu Renhua's study. (Chines]
Wu Renhua, "进京的戒严部队和进京路线" 《1989天安门事件二十周年祭》系列之十二
Accessed 2013-06-29
Dennis Blasko wrote in 2013 that during the force reductions which began in 2003, the 138th and 199th Brigades, along with the 8th Artillery Brigade, were created from former divisions. The
83rd Division has also been associated with this army in public reporting in the last few years.
Organization
The 80th Group Army is composed of:
*
*
*
*
*
*
* 80th Special Operations Brigade "
Taishan
__NOTOC__
Taishan may refer to:
*Mount Tai
Mount Tai () is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an. It is the highest point in Shandong province, China. The tallest peak is the ''Jade Emperor Peak ...
Eagles" (泰山雄鹰); stationed in
Tai'an
Tai'an () is a prefecture-level city in Western Shandong Province of the People's Republic of China. Centered on Mount Tai, the city borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Zibo to the east, Linyi to the southeast, Liaocheng ...
,
MUCD unit 71770, formerly
26th Group Army special operations brigade
* 80th Army Aviation Brigade
*
* 80th Air Defense Brigade
* 80th Engineering and Chemical Defense Brigade
* 80th Service Support Brigade
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:80th Group Army
80
80
Military units and formations established in 1949
Northern Theater Command
Jinan Military Region
Weifang