The 130th Army Division, now the 160th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade was a military formation 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 Chine ...
of the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. It is the only PLA division that took part in all three major wars of PLA after 1949.
The 130th 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 19th Division, 7th Column of
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 could be traced to 1st Security Brigade of Liaoji Military District formed in October 1945. Under the command of
44th Corps it took part in many 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 is the only unit that fought all four times of the
Battle of Siping
The Battle of Siping (四平战斗), also known as the Battle to Liberate Siping (四平解放战), was a battle fought between the Communist forces and the Nationalist forces in Jilin, China for the control of Siping during the Chinese Civil Wa ...
.
In October 1952 the division was transferred to
54th Corps after 44th's disbandment.
In February 1953 the division entered Korea as a part of
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 ...
. During its deployment in Korea it took part in the
Battle of Kumsong
The Battle of Kumsong, also known as the Jincheng Campaign (), was one of the last battles of the Korean War. During the ceasefire negotiations seeking to end the Korean War, the United Nations Command (UNC) and Chinese and North Korean forces wer ...
. In 1953 the division was renamed as the 130th Infantry Division (). In May 1958 it pulled out from Korea.
In 1959 the division was moved to
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
to deal with
the Tibetan uprising.
In 1960 the division was renamed as the 130th Army Division (). By then the division was composed of:
*388th Infantry Regiment;
*389th Infantry Regiment;
*390th Infantry Regiment;
*540th Artillery Regiment.
In 1962 the division took part in the
Sino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tib ...
. During the war the division overrun Indian 11th Brigade, inflicted more than 1,200 casualties to
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
.
In December 1969 the division was renamed as the 160th Army Division (). All regiments of the division was renamed as follows:
*478th Infantry Regiment (former 388th);
*479th Infantry Regiment (former 389th);
*480th Infantry Regiment (former 390th);
*Artillery Regiment (former 540th).
In February 1979 the division took part in the
Battle of Cao Bang during
Sino-Vietnamese War
The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by #Names, other names) was a border war fought between China and Vietnam in early 1979. China launched an offensive in response to Vietnam's Cambodian–Vietnamese War, actions against the Khmer Rouge in 1 ...
.
In 1985 the division was renamed as the 160th Infantry Division (). From 1985 to 1998 the division maintained as a ''Northern Infantry Division, Catalogue B''.
In 1998 the division was reduced and renamed as the 160th Motorized Infantry Brigade ().
In 2003 it appears the brigade was disbanded.
[Blasko 2013, The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation, 95.]
In 2012 160th brigade was recomposed and was an element of 54th group army. Retired Lieutenant General Dong Zhanlin, who commanded 130th division in Sino-Indian war, attended its recomposing ceremony.
In 2017 it was reorganized as the 160th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade () and transferred to the
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 force ...
.
References
*中国人民解放军各步兵师沿革，http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_a3f74a990101cp1q.html
{{People's Liberation Army Divisions
Infantry brigades of the People's Liberation Army
Military units and formations established in 1948