Group armies () or army groups or combined corps, which are

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

-level military formations of the

People's Liberation Army Ground Force The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF; ) is the land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army and the largest and oldest branch of the entire Chinese armed forces. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 1927 as the Chines ...

of China. Some may use or translate 'Group Army' loosely to mean the same as

Army Group An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organization handled ...

through various time periods of history, depending on whether the

military formation Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a natio ...

is under Nationalist China (ROC) or Communist China (PRC). Chinese Army Group or Group Army could be equivalent to field army or

army group An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organization handled ...

in other militaries but not necessarily so. This is because while“ ” in

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...

means "

" when classifying by size or number of troops, it also means (and more frequently so) in common and less precise military usage - any significant grouping of combat troops / i.e.

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

(usually corps size or larger; including Army or Army Group as per defined by most international military forces).

National Revolutionary Army

By the end of the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Thea ...

, the

National Revolutionary Army The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; ), sometimes shortened to Revolutionary Army () before 1928, and as National Army () after 1928, was the military arm of the Kuomintang (KMT, or the Chinese Nationalist Party) from 1925 until 1947 in Chin ...

had organized 40 army groups. These were roughly equivalent to a field army in other militaries.

People's Liberation Army

Armies of the PLA 1948-1985

From November 1948, the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

regularised the existing large number of armies and divisions into some sixty-seven armies of three divisions each. While some formations, such as the 1st Army, survived for over fifty years, a number were quickly amalgamated and disestablished in the early 1950s. It appears that over 37% (26 of 70) of the seventy new armies may have been disestablished from 1949 to 1953. In 1949, the 8th and 34th Armies were disbanded, in 1950, the 30th and 35th Armies were disbanded in January, the 51st Army on September 24, 1950, and the 29th, 32nd, and 33rd in November 1950. The 45th and 48th Armies appear to have been broken up in 1951–52; the 48th Army had the 142nd Division become the 11th Public Security Division and the 144th Division transferred to the 21st Army/Corps. The 52nd Army was broken up on September 2, 1951. In 1952, the 3rd,

4th Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

9th 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

, 10th,

17th 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as s ...

18th 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

19th 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

, 25th (July 1952), 36th, 37th, 43rd, 44th, and 49th Armies were disbanded. The 36th and 37th Armies appear to have both been broken up in February 1952, and both may have been reorganised for engineering tasks. The 44th Army was broken up in October 1952 with headquarters elements possibly transferred to the Navy, the 131st Division to the Navy Qingdao Base and the 132nd Division to the 43rd Army. The 49th Army was broken up in January. It appears that the 2nd and 6th Corps were disbanded in 1953. The 5th Army/Corps was reorganised into a military region in October 1954. After the

Landing Operation on Hainan Island The Battle of Hainan Island occurred in 1950 during the final phase of the Chinese Civil War. The People's Republic of China (PRC) conducted an amphibious assault on the island in mid-April, assisted by the independent Hainan Communist movement, w ...

, the 43rd Army merged with the

Hainan Military Region Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

on July 5, 1952. In September 1968 the 43rd Army was reformed, including the 127th Division, the 128th Division, the 220th Division (renamed the 129th Division on September 19, 1969), to defend Guangxi Guilin. On October 17, 1969, it moved to Henan Luoyang, changed to Wuhan Military Region leadership (129th Division left Guiyang "support left", in January 1973 to build). Zhang Wannian became corps commander in 1981. In October 1985, the 43rd Army was disbanded again. The 127th Division transferred to the 54th Army, and the 128th Division to the 20th Army. The 129th Division was disbanded. In March 1967, the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

identified some 35 field corps: *

Shenyang Military Region The Shenyang Military Region was one of seven military regions for the Chinese People's Liberation Army. It has command and control of military and armed police forces in the three northeast provinces of Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Liaoning, whi ...

: 16th, 23rd, 38th, 39th, 40th, 46th, 50th, 64th. *

Beijing Military Region The Beijing Military Region was one of seven military regions for the Chinese People's Liberation Army. From the mid 1980s to 2017, it had administration of all military affairs within Beijing city, Tianjin city, Hebei province, Shanxi province, ...

21st 21 (twenty-one) is the natural number following 20 and preceding 22. The current century is the 21st century AD, under the Gregorian calendar. In mathematics 21 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 3 and 7, and a defici ...

, 24th,

63rd 63rd may refer to: ;Metro stations *Ashland/63rd (CTA station), on the Green Line *East 63rd-Cottage Grove (CTA), on the Green Line *63rd (CTA Red Line), on the Red Line *63rd Street station (SEPTA Market–Frankford Line) on the Market-Frankford L ...

, 65th,

66th Army The 66th Army was a field army of the Red Army. It was established in August 1942 from the 8th Reserve Army. The 66th Army fought to break through to the Volga River, Volga to the north of Stalingrad during September and October 1942. During Opera ...

, 69th. *

Jinan Military Region The Jinan Military Region was a PLA Military Region located in the east of the People's Republic of China, covering the Shandong and Henan Provinces, which also formed military districts. It appears that Yang Dezhi was one of the first commande ...

: 26th,

67th 67 may refer to: * 67 (number) * one of the years 67 BC, AD 67, 1967, 2067 * ''67'', a 1992 song by Love Battery from the album ''Between the Eyes'' * 67 (rap group), a drill music group from London See also * 67th Regiment (disambiguation) * 67th ...

, 68th Army. *

Nanjing Military Region The Nanjing Military Region () was one of the former seven military command regions for the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Its jurisdiction covers all military and armed police located in Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Shanghai. ...

: 12th, 20th, 22nd, 27th Army,

60th Army The Red Army's 60th Army was a Soviet field army during the Second World War. It was first formed in reserve in the Moscow Military District in October 1941, but soon was disbanded. It was formed a second time in July 1942, and continued in servic ...

. *

Fuzhou Military Region Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...

: 28th Army, 31st Army. *

Guangzhou Military Region The Guangzhou Military Region was from 1955 to 2016 one of the People's Liberation Army PLA Military Regions, located in the south of the People's Republic of China. In May 1949, the Central China (Hua Zhong) Military Region (MR) was formed. In Ma ...

: 41st, 42nd, 43rd, 47th, 55th. *

Wuhan Military Region Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city and ...

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

, 10th Airborne (part of the

PLAAF The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peop ...

), 15th. *

Kunming Military Region The Kunming Military Region was a military region of the People's Liberation Army, established in December 1954 or 1955 and disestablished during the 1980s. It was incorporated within the Chengdu Military Region. In the 1954 reorganization that e ...

13th Army Thirteenth Army or 13th Army may refer to: *Thirteenth Army (Japan) *Japanese Thirteenth Area Army *13th Army (Russian Empire), unit in World War I *13th Army (RSFSR), a unit in the Russian Civil War *13th Army (Soviet Union) *13th Air Army The 76 ...

14th Army Fourteenth Army or 14th Army may refer to: * 14th Army (German Empire), a World War I field Army * 14th Army (Wehrmacht), a World War II field army * Italian Fourteenth Army * Japanese Fourteenth Army, a World War II field army, in 1944 converted ...

. *

Chengdu Military Region The Chengdu Military Region was one of seven military districts and is located in the southwest of the People's Republic of China, covering Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and the Xizang/Tibet Autonomous Region. It includes some of the area ...

: 54th Army. *Inner Mongolia, Lanzhou, Tibet, and Xinjiang Military Regions had no armies located within them. Potential disbanded field armies may have included: *Shenyang Military Region, 68th Corps. In 1985 the 68th Corps was reorganised as the Chifeng Garrison, in Inner Mongolia but part of the Shenyang MD. *Beijing Military Region:

(the Army and the Tianjin Garrison combined), 69 Jun; *Lanzhou Military Region: 19 Jun *

: 43rd Army (People's Republic of China) - definitely disbanded, see above; *

60th Army (People's Republic of China) The 60th Corps was a military formation of the People's Liberation Army. During the Korean War it formed part of the CPV/PLA III Army Group. When initially formed in February 1949, it likely consisted of the 178th Division (1st Formation)(People's ...

: 29th Army; *

: the 55th Army; *

: 50th Army; *

: Jun 11. 24 Army From 1997 to 2000, force reductions resulted in the disbandment of three group armies: the 28th (BMR), 64th (Dalian, Liaoning, SMR), and the 67th Group Army at

Zibo Zibo (, ) is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, China. It borders the provincial capital Jinan to the west, Tai'an to the southwest, Linyi to the south, Weifang to the east, Dongying to the northeast, and Binzhou to th ...

, Shandong, in the

. In September 2003, a further series of reductions were announced, and from 2003 to 2006 the

24th Group Army The 24th Army was a military formation of the People's Liberation Army. It was established in February 1949 and finally disbanded circa 2000–2003. The 24th Corps() was activated in February 1949, which has originally consisted of the 70th Divis ...

at Chengde, Hebei, the 63rd Army at Taiyuan, Shaanxi (both BMR), and the

23rd Group Army The 23rd Army was an army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, active from 1949. The army originally consisted of the 67th, 68th Division, and 69th Divisions. However, the 68th Division was disestablished in August 1952. It was active duri ...

at Harbin in the

were eliminated. Other PRC Chinese language sources typically describe each army group as having 2 or 3 divisions (mainly infantry but some are armour, motorized or artillery divisions) and further augmented by several

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

sized 'combat arms'/ 'support-arms' formations e.g. artillery, armour, air defence artillery, motorized (infantry), aviation/helicopter regiment etc.

PLA Group Armies and their headquarters up until 2016

1st Group Army First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

(Zhejiang, Nanjing Military Region) *

12th Group Army The 71st Group Army () is a formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 71st Group Army, formerly the 12th Army or 12th Corps, is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground force ...

(Jiangsu,

) *

13th Group Army In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave ...

(Chongqing,

) *

14th Group Army The 14th Army was an army level formation of the People's Liberation Army. 14th Corps 14th Corps () was activated on February 14, 1949 basing on 4th Column of Zhongyuan Field Army and defecting Republic of China Army 110th Division. The corps com ...

(Kunming, Chengdu Military Region) *

16th Group Army The 78th Group Army (), is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 78th Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces in the People's Republic o ...

(Jilin,

) *

20th Group Army The 20th Group Army is a military formation of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force, stationed in the Jinan Military Region. It consists of two manoeuvre brigades with other attached or otherwise organic units. For some time after its formati ...

(Henan,

) *

21st Group Army The 76th Group Army (), formerly the 21st Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 76th Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forc ...

(Shaaxi,

Lanzhou Military Region The Lanzhou Military Region was one of seven military regions in the People's Republic of China. It directed all People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police forces in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Ngari Prefecture in ...

) *

26th Group Army The 80th Group Army ), formerly the 26th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 80th Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces ...

(Weifang, Shandong, Jinan Military Region) *

27th Group Army The 27th Group Army was a military formation of the People's Republic of China's People's Liberation Army and one of three active group armies belonging to the Beijing Military Region between 1949 and 2017. It was based in Shijiazhuang, Hebei. ...

(Hebei,

) *

31st Group Army The 73rd Group Army , Unit 73111), formerly the 31st Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 73rd Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of g ...

(Fujian, Nanjing Military Region) *

38th Group Army The 82nd Group Army (), formerly the 38th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 82nd Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground force ...

(Baoding, Beijing Military Region) *

39th Group Army The 79th Group Army (), formerly the 39th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 79th Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground fo ...

(Liaoning, Shenyang Military Region) *

40th Group Army The 40th Group Army was a military formation of the People's Liberation Army, active in various forms from 1949 to 2017. It was last located in the Shenyang Military Region and the Northern Theater Command. History Korean War During the Korean Wa ...

(Jinzhou, Liaoning, Shenyang Military Region) *

41st Group Army The 75th Group Army ), formerly the 41st Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 75th Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forc ...

(Guangxi,

) *

42nd Group Army The 74th Group Army (), formerly the 42nd Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 74th Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forc ...

(Guangdong, Guangzhou Military Region) *

47th Group Army The 47th Group Army was a group army (corps-sized formation) of the People's Liberation Army It was stationed at Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi as part of the Lanzhou Military Region. It was disbanded in 2016-17, during the Chinese military refo ...

(Shaanxi, Lanzhou Military Region) *

54th Group Army The 83rd Group Army (), formerly the 54th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 83rd Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground f ...

(Henan, Jinan Military Region) *

65th Group Army The 81st Group Army (), formerly the 65th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 81st Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground for ...

(Hebei, Beijing Military Region)

PLA Group Armies and their headquarters after April 2017

Legend: * Red pog

Northern Theater Command The Northern Theater Command (is) one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, founded on 1 February 2016. Its predecessor is the Shenyang Military Region and Beijing Military Region. Its headquarters is in the Heping Dis ...

, TC headquarters at Shenyang, Liaoning; **TC Ground Force Headquarters

Jinan Jinan (), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanization of Chinese, romanized as Tsinan, is the Capital (political), capital of Shandong province in East China, Eastern China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is the second-largest city i ...

, Shandong. ***

78th Group Army The 78th Group Army (), is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 78th Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces in the People's Republic o ...

( Harbin,

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost province ...

, formerly 16th Group Army); ***

79th Group Army The 79th Group Army (), formerly the 39th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 79th Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground fo ...

( Shenyang, Liaoning, formerly 39th Group Army); ***

80th Group Army The 80th Group Army ), formerly the 26th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 80th Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground force ...

(

Weifang Weifang () is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The city borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao to the east, and looks out to th ...

, Shandong, formerly 26th Group Army). * Green pog

Eastern Theater Command The Eastern Theater Command () is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), founded 1 February 2016. It replaced the Nanjing Military Region. The command is headquartered in Nanjing. Its jurisdiction includes J ...

, TC headquarters at

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and t ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its c ...

; **TC Ground Force Headquarters Fuzhou,

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its c ...

. ***

71st Group Army The 71st Group Army () is a formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 71st Group Army, formerly the 12th Army or 12th Corps, is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces ...

(

Xuzhou Xuzhou (徐州), also known as Pengcheng (彭城) in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in the built-up area ma ...

, formerly 12th Group Army); ***

72nd Group Army 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

(

Huzhou Huzhou (, ; Huzhounese: ''ghou² cieu¹'') is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province (Hangzhou–Jiaxing–Huzhou Plain, China). Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzhou to the south, and the provi ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by ...

, formerly 1st Group Army); ***

73rd Group Army The 73rd Group Army , Unit 73111), formerly the 31st Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 73rd Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of g ...

(

Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong' ...

, formerly 31st Group Army). * Yellow pog

Western Theater Command The Western Theater Command ()is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, founded on 1 February 2016. Its jurisdiction includes Sichuan, Tibet, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Chongqing. ...

, TC headquarters at

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of th ...

; **TC Ground Force Headquarters

Lanzhou Lanzhou (, ; ) is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. Located on the banks of the Yellow River, it is a key regional transportation hub, connecting areas further west by rail to the eastern half of the country. H ...

, Gansu. ***

76th Group Army The 76th Group Army (), formerly the 21st Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 76th Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forc ...

(

Xining Xining (; ), alternatively known as Sining, is the capital of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. The city was a commercial hub along the Northern Silk Road's Hexi Corridor for over 2000 years, and ...

Qinghai Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...

, formerly 21st Group Army); *** 77th Group Army (

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Cou ...

, formerly 13th Group Army). * Blue pog

Southern Theater Command The Southern Theater Command () is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, founded on 1 February 2016. Its predecessor was the Guangzhou Military Region. Its jurisdiction includes Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Yunnan, Ha ...

, TC headquarters at

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...

; **TC Ground Force Headquarters

Nanning Nanning (; ; za, Namzningz) is the capital and largest city by population of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South o ...

, Guangxi. ***

74th Group Army The 74th Group Army (), formerly the 42nd Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 74th Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forc ...

(

Huizhou Huizhou ( zh, c= ) is a city in central-east Guangdong Province, China, forty-three miles north of Hong Kong. Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, Shaoguan to the north, Hey ...

, Guangdong, formerly 42nd Group Army); ***

75th Group Army The 75th Group Army ), formerly the 41st Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 75th Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forc ...

(

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headqua ...

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

, formerly 41st Group Army). * Black pog

Central Theater Command The Central Theater Command () is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army of China, and was founded on 1 February 2016. Its predecessors were the Beijing Military Region and Jinan Military Region. The Internationa ...

, TC headquarters at

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. **TC Ground Force Headquarters Shijiazhuang,

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and ...

. ***

81st Group Army The 81st Group Army (), formerly the 65th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 81st Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground for ...

(Shijiazhuang, Hebei, formerly 65th Group Army) ***

82nd Group Army The 82nd Group Army (), formerly the 38th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 82nd Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground force ...

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Baoding Baoding (), formerly known as Baozhou and Qingyuan, is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately southwest of Beijing. As of the 2010 census, Baoding City had 11,194,382 inhabitants out of which 2,176,857 lived in th ...

, formerly 38th Group Army); ***

83rd Group Army The 83rd Group Army (), formerly the 54th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 83rd Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground f ...

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Xinxiang Xinxiang ( ; postal: Sinsiang) is a prefecture-level city in northern Henan province, China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to its southwest, Kaifeng to its southeast, Hebi and Anyang to its north, Jiaozuo to its west, and the ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

, formerly 54th Group Army). PLA Army groups listed below have been disbanded: * 14th Group Army * 20th Group Army * 27th Group Army * 40th Group Army * 47th Group Army

Structure

's army groups (combined crops) are divided into Combined Arms Brigades (CA-BDE) and other support elements. Typically, a group army consists of: * Group army headquarters * Six maneuver combined arms brigades (CA-BDEs), including a mix of: ** Heavy combined arms brigade, and each brigade typically includes: *** Four combined arms battalions (CAB) *** Fire support/artillery battalion *** Air-defense battalion *** Reconnaissance battalion *** Combat support and engineering battalion *** Service support and sustainment battalion ** Medium combined arms brigade ** Light combined arms brigade ** Amphibious combined arms brigade ** Mountain combined arms brigade ** Air Assault Brigade * Fire support/artillery brigade * Air defense brigade * Army aviation brigade * Special operation brigade * Combat support and engineering brigade * Service support and sustainment brigade

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

* xvii, 228 pp. Paperback, $34.95. Hardcover $125.00, . {{Corps and Armies of the People's Liberation Army Army units and formations of China Units and formations of the National Revolutionary Army People's Liberation Army Ground Force