78th Group Army

The 78th Group Army (Chinese: 第七十八集团军; pinyin: Dì Qīshíbā Jítuánjūn), Unit 31669, formerly the 16th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 78th Group Army is one of thirteen total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces in the People's Republic of China, and one of three assigned to the nation's Northern Theater Command.[1]

78th Group Army
第七十八集团军
Active1949–present
Country People's Republic of China
Allegiance Chinese Communist Party
Branch People's Liberation Army Ground Force
TypeGroup army
Part ofNorthern Theater Command
Garrison/HQChina Harbin, Heilongjiang
EngagementsWorld War II
Chinese Civil War
Korean War
Commanders
Current
commander		Major General Zhang Fan
Political CommissarMajor General Zhang Xiao
Notable
commanders		Yang Dezhi
Yang Yong
Su Zhenhua
Insignia
NATO Map Symbol

History

The origins of this army go back to Nanchang Uprising. After People's Republic of China was established, it belonged to the 62nd Group Army for a while.

On February 19, 1949, column 1 of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region in Henan Shenqiu area became the 16th Army of the People's Liberation Army, was placed under the 5th Corps of the PLA Second Field Army. Yin Xianbing (尹先炳) was appointed army commander.

Organization

It was composed of the 69th, 46th, 48th,[2] and 4th Armored Divisions, the 68th brigade and an artillery brigade.

In 2006 the formation consisted of the:

  • Headquarters, Changchun, Jilin
  • 46th Motorized Infantry Division, Changchun, Jilin
  • 48th Motorized Infantry Brigade, Tonghua, Jilin
  • 4th Armored Division, Meihekou, Jilin
  • Artillery Brigade, Yantian, Jilin
  • AA Brigade, Changchun, Jilin

(Source Blasko 2006, 76)

In 2013, the formation consisted of the:

Note Blasko 2013, lists the 4th Armored Division as a division, not as a brigade.

(Source Blasko, Tradition and Transformation of the PLA, 2013, 89)

In 2017, the formation consisted of the:

  • Headquarters, Harbin, Heilongjiang[3][4]
  • 8th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade (重型合成第8旅)
  • 48th Light Combined Arms Brigade (轻型合成第48旅)
  • 68th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade (重型合成第68旅)
  • 115th Medium Combined Arms Brigade (中型合成第115旅)
  • 202nd Heavy Combined Arms Brigade (重型合成第202旅)
  • 204th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade (重型合成第204旅)
  • 78th Special Operation Brigade (特战第78旅) (formerly the 67th Brigade)[5]
  • 78th Army Aviation Brigade (陆航第78旅)
  • 78th Artillery Brigade (炮兵第78旅)[6][7]
  • 78th Air-Defense Brigade (防空第78旅)[8]
  • 78th Engineering and Chemical Defense Brigade (工化第78旅)[9]
  • 78th Service Support Brigade (勤务支援第78旅)

Notable members

General Xu Caihou, former vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) who was detained as part of a high-profile anti-corruption campaign, was a former member of the 78th Group Army.[10]

References
  1. Burke, Edmund J. (February 4, 2019). "Coming to a (New) Theater Near You: Command, Control, and Forces" (PDF). National Defense University Press.
  2. "中国人民解放军陆军集团军简史". www.163.com. March 27, 2007.
  3. "黑龙江党政领导会见78集团军高层：将全力支持集团军建设". Sohu.
  4. "军改之后，新调整组建的13个集团军已有7个披露驻地". 澎湃新闻. August 16, 2017.
  5. "第78集团军某旅：特战比武超越极限强化意志力". 人民网. May 15, 2017.
  6. "董存瑞生前所在部队已隶属第78集团军". 澎湃新闻. May 25, 2017.
  7. "永远和英雄在一起". 人民网. September 29, 2015.
  8. "那些年，我们的暖男班长和暖心排长". 搜狐. May 23, 2017.
  9. "原16军副军长吴亚男少将升任78军军长". 财新网 (in Chinese). May 19, 2017.
  10. Zhiyue, Bo. "The Rise and Fall of Xu Caihou, China's Corrupt General". thediplomat.com. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
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