Third Field Army

Third Field Army
Active1949 to 1950
Country Republic of China
 China
Allegiance Chinese Communist Party
Branch People's Liberation Army
TypeLight infantry
Size825,000 troops
Garrison/HQCentral Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party
MarchEighth Route Army March
EquipmentChiang Kai-shek rifle
Hanyang 88
Type 38 rifle
Type 41 75 mm mountain gun
Mauser C96
Thompson submachine gun
M3 submachine gun
EngagementsSecond Sino-Japanese War
Chinese Civil War
Commanders
Ceremonial chiefChairman of the Central Military Commission
Notable
commanders
Marshal Chen Yi
General Su Yu
Insignia
ArmbandLiberation Army emblem

The Third Field Army was one of the five main forces of the Chinese Communist Party's People's Liberation Army during the Chinese Civil War. It was established in early 1949. Initially known as the East China Field Army, it was formed by the New Fourth Army and the Eighth Route Army troops stationed in Shandong Province, a gradual adaptation of the expansion.

It took control of the troops in eastern China, with Chen Yi as its commander. It comprised the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th Armies plus the headquarters of the special technical troops, with a total of 580,000 men.

Forces associated with the Third Field Army included:

In August 1950 the force was redesignated the East China Military Region.[citation needed]

References

  1. ↑ Historical Dictionary of Modern China (1800-1949), James Zheng Gao, Scarecrow Press, 2009, ISBN 0810849305, 116
  2. ↑ See Witson 1972