The Inner Changshan Fort District, formerly known as the 78th Division, is a military formation in 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, ...
of China. It is currently a coastal defense formation of the
Jinan Military Region.
History
The 78th Division (
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 va ...
: 第78师) was created in February 1949 under the ''"Regulation of the Re-designations of All Organizations and Units of the Army"'', issued by the Central Military Commission on November 1, 1948, based on the 24th Division, 8th Column of the
Huadong Field Army Huadong may refer to:
*East China (华东, ''Huádōng'')
* Huadong, Guangdong (花东), a town in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
* Huadong, Guangxi (化峒), a town in Jingxi, Guangxi, China
*Huadong Subdistrict, Huanghua (骅东街道), a subdistric ...
. The 78th Division can trace its history to the Security Brigade of Luzhong Military District founded in July 1946.
The 78th Division was a part of the
26th Corps. Under the flag of the 78th, the Division took part in major military 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 ...
.
In November 1950, the 78th Division entered
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
as a part of
the People's Volunteer Army. During its deployment in Korea it took part in the Second, Fourth, and Fifth Offensives in late 1950 and early 1951, consisting of the
232nd,
233rd, and the
234th Regiments.
In June 1952, the division quit Korea and was renamed the 78th Infantry Division (). In October 1954, the division moved to
Changdao
The ''changdao'' () was a two-handed, single-edged Chinese sword. The term has been translated as "long saber," "saber-staff," or "long-handled saber." During the Ming dynasty, was often used as a general term for two handed swords. After Repub ...
and became the Changshan Fort District() of the
People's Liberation Army Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army.
The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chinese ...
.
On May 4, 1960, the Fort District was transferred to the
Jinan Military Region's control and expanded to the army corps level.
In March 1962, the district was renamed the Inner Changshan Fort District (). From the 1960s to the late-1970s, the Fort District was composed of:
*1st Garrison District, division-level, at Daqin Island.
*2nd Garrison District, division-level, at North Changshan Island.
*3rd Garrison District, division-level, at
Penglai, Shandong.
From the 1967 Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, it activated the inner Changshan Fort District. The regiment was equipped with
SU-76
The SU-76 ('' Samokhodnaya Ustanovka 76'') was a Soviet light self-propelled gun used during and after World War II. The SU-76 was based on a lengthened version of the T-70 light tank chassis and armed with the 76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3) ...
s.
In 1976, the 2nd Garrison District was disbanded. The Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, Inner Changshan Fort District was detached from the Fort District and became the Tank Regiment
67th Army Corps. Soon after the Tank Regiment, activated the inner Changshan Fort District.
In 1980, the 1st Garrison District has renamed the
6th Garrison Division of Jinan Military Region, and the 3rd Garrison District was renamed the
7th Garrison Division of Jinan Military Region. The fort district was then composed of:
*6th Garrison Division of Jinan Military Region.
*7th Garrison Division of Jinan Military Region.
*29th Garrison Regiment.
*30th Garrison Regiment.
*31st Garrison Regiment.
*Tank Regiment.
In 1985, the district was diminished to division level and renamed the Inner Changshan Garrison Division (). Both the 6th and 7th Garrison divisions were dissolved.
In February 1993, the division was retitled the Inner Changshan Fort District () again, now a division-level unit. The fort district is currently crafted from:
*1st Coastal Defense Regiment.
*2nd Coastal Defense Regiment.
*3rd Coastal Defense Regiment.
*Shipping Group.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:78th Division (People's Republic Of China)
Divisions of the People's Liberation Army
Military units and formations established in 1949