The 116th Division was a military formation of the
People's Volunteer Army
The People's Volunteer Army (PVA) was the armed expeditionary forces deployed by the People's Republic of China during the Korean War. Although all units in the PVA were actually transferred from the People's Liberation Army under the order ...
(Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
with a standard strength of approximately 10,000 men.
History
The 116th Division was part of the
39th Army, consisting of the
346th,
347th, and
348th Regiments.
Korean War
The 116th Division was one of the first CCF divisions to attack the
UN forces as they approached the
Yalu River
The Yalu River, known by Koreans as the Amrok River or Amnok River, is a river on the border between North Korea and China. Together with the Tumen River to its east, and a small portion of Paektu Mountain, the Yalu forms the border between ...
. It effectively reduced the
8th Cavalry Regiment
The 8th Cavalry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army formed in 1866 during the American Indian Wars. The 8th Cavalry continued to serve under a number of designations, fighting in every other major U.S. conflict since, except Worl ...
of the
1st Cavalry Division to a combat ineffective unit, after inflicting severe losses on them at
Unsan
Unsan County is a ''kun'', or county, in eastern North P'yŏngan province, North Korea. Within the province, it borders Hyangsan in the east, Kujang and Nyŏngbyŏn in the south, and Tongch'ang and T'aech'ŏn in the west. In addition, it ...
. In all, over eight hundred men of the 8th Cavalry were killed or captured—almost one-third of the regiment's strength.
''The enemy
hineseforce that brought tragedy to the 8th Cavalry at Unsan was the CCF’s 116th Division. Elements of the 116th’s
347th Regiment were responsible for the roadblock south of Unsan. Also engaged in the Unsan action was the
115th Division.''
Current
The formation appears to still be active with the
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 for ...
in the
Northern Theater Command
The Northern Theater Command (is) one of the five theater commands of 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 Chines ...
, as the 116th Mechanised Infantry Division.
The division was involved with the rest of the 39th Army in the
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...
. On the evening of 3 June, Xu Feng, the division commander, switched to plain clothes and carried out his own reconnaissance of the city.
When he returned, he told subordinates "not to look for him" and went into the division's communications vehicle.
Thereafter, the division maintained radio silence and did not advance on Beijing, except for the 347th Regiment under
Ai Husheng, which complied with orders and went to Tiananmen Square on 4 June.
On 5 June, the rest of the division was escorted by other units to the square.
Xu Feng was later disciplined for passive resistance.
[(Chinese]
Fang Bing, "参与六四镇压军官公开事件真相" Voice of America
2002-05-30
See also
*
People's Liberation Army at Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
During the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre in Beijing, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) played a decisive role in enforcing martial law, suppressing the demonstrations by force and upholding the authority of the Chinese Co ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Infdiv0116china
Infantry divisions of the People's Volunteer Army
116 116 (''one hundred and sixteen'') may refer to:
*116 (number)
*AD 116
* 116 BC
* 116 (Devon and Cornwall) Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, a military unit
* 116 (MBTA bus)
* 116 (New Jersey bus)
* 116 (hip hop group), a Christian hip hop collect ...
Red Army Divisions of the People's Liberation Army
Military units and formations established in 1948