The 132nd Division () was created in November 1948 under ''the Regulation of the Redesignations of All Organizations and Units of the Army'', issued by Central Military Commission on November 1, 1948, basing on the 21st Division, 7th Column of the PLA
Northeastern Field Army
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
. Its history can be traced to Independent Division of Western Manchurian Military District formed in March 1947, which was formed from 1st and 2nd Special Troops Regiment of 3rd division,
New Fourth Army
The New Fourth Army () was a unit of the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China established in 1937. In contrast to most of the National Revolutionary Army, it was controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and not by the ruling Ku ...
.
The division is part of
44th Corps. Under the flag of 132nd division it took part in several major battles during the
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...
. The division was composed of 394th, 395th and 396th Regiments.
In October 1952 the division was transferred to
43rd Corps following 44th's disbandment. At the same time 385th Regiment from disbanding
129th Division was transferred to the division and renamed as 396th Regiment. The former 396th was disbanded. In November 1952 it moved onto
Hainan
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 ...
island.
[海南省志 军事志, p.96]
In 1953 it renamed as the 132nd Infantry Division (). In April 1960 the division was renamed as the 132nd Army Division ().
In August 1961 the division was transferred to Hainan Provincial Military District's control following 43rd Corps' inactivation. By then the division was composed of:
*394th Infantry Regiment;
*395th Infantry Regiment;
*396th Infantry Regiment;
*509th Artillery Regiment.
In June 1969 its 509th Artillery Regiment was renamed as Artillery Regiment, 132nd Army Division.
In 1985 the division was renamed as the 132nd Infantry Division (). From 1985 to 1998 the division maintained as a ''Southern Infantry Division, Catalogue B''.
In 1998 the division started to convert to a ''Motorized Infantry Division'': 396th Infantry Regiment converted to Armored Regiment, and Antiaircraft Regiment activated.
In 2003 the division was reduced to brigade-size, and renamed as the 132nd Motorized Infantry Brigade ().
In 2017 the brigade was reorganized as the 132nd Light Combined Arms Brigade ().
Now the brigade is the major PLA ground mobile asset in
Hainan
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 ...
province.
References
*中国人民解放军各步兵师沿革, http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_a3f74a990101cp1q.html
132
Military units and formations established in 1948
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