Campaign of The North China Plain Pocket - Order of Battle - Breakout Force: Communist Order of Battle

Breakout Force: Communist Order of Battle

The communists called their base the Central Plains Military Region with a total force of 60,000, including 2 Columns and 3 military districts totaling six division-strength brigades:

Central Plains Military Region prior to the breakout:

• Commander-in-chief: Li Xiannian
• Deputy commander-in-chief: Wang Zhen and Wan Shusheng (王树声)
• Political commissar: Zheng Weisan (郑位三)
• Deputy political commissar: (王首道)
• Chief-of-staff: Wang Zhen
• Deputy Chief-of-staff: Zhu Zaoguan (朱早观)
• Chief of the Political Directorate: Wan Shoudao (王首道)
• Deputy Chief of the Political Directorate: Liu Xing (刘型)
• First Column:
  • Commander-in-chief: Wang Shusheng (王树声)
  • Political commissar: Dai Jiying (戴季英)
• Second Column:
  • Commander-in-chief: Wen Jianwu(文建武)
  • Political Commissar: (任质斌)
• Jianghan (江汉) Military District:
  • Commander-in-chief: Luo Houfu (罗厚福)
  • Political Commissar: Wen Minsheng (文敏生)
• Eastern Hubei Military District:
  • Commander-in-chief: Zhang Tixue (张体学)
  • Political Commissar: Nie Hongjun (聂鸿钧)
• Henan Military District:
  • Commander-in-chief and Political Commissar: Huang Lin (黄 霖)

While the negotiation with the nationalists for the legal withdraw continued, preparation was also made for the inevitable, and the communist force was restructured into three groups for the breakout:

• Right Route Force: 15,000 troops under the command of Li Xiannian, consisted of:
  • The headquarter staff of the original communist base
  • The 13th Brigade of the 2nd Column
  • The 45th Regiment of the 15th Brigade of the 2nd Column
  • The 359th Brigade under the command of Wang Zhen
  • The Cadres Brigade
• Left Route Force: 10,000 troops under the command of Wang Shusheng (王树声) and Liu Zijiu (刘子久), consisted of:
  • Most units of the 1st Column, with the exception of the 1st Brigade.
  • The 15th Brigade of the 2nd Column (except the 45th Regiment).
• Eastern Route Force: 7,000 troops commanded by the commander Pi Dingjun (皮定钧) and political commissar Xu Zirong (徐子荣).
  • The 1st Brigade of the 1st Column
• The remaining of units were tasked to cover the main force to breakout and then remain in the region afterward to fight guerrilla wars against the enemy, and the majority of the forces of the Jianghan (江汉) Military District would withdraw to the west of the Xiang River (襄河).