78th Group Army

The 78th Group Army is one of the group armies of the People's Liberation Army's Northern Theater Command. It was established in 2017, by seemingly a redesignation of the former 16th Group Army.

78th Group Army
Active2017 – present (16th Gp Army 1949 – 2017)
CountryPeople's Republic of China
AllegianceCommunist Party of China
Branch People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Part ofNorthern Theater Command Ground Force
Garrison/HQ Harbin, Heilongjiang
MarchMilitary Anthem of the People's Liberation Army
EngagementsChinese Civil War
Korean War
Commanders
Current
commander		Major General Wu Yanan,[1] Xu Xiaodong
Notable
commanders		Yang Dezhi

Organisation

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

In 2006 the formation consisted of the:

  • Headquarters, Changchun, Jilin
  • 46th Motorised Infantry Division, Changchun, Jilin
  • 48th Motorised Infantry Brigade, Tonghua, Jilin
  • 4th Armoured Division, Meihekou, Jilin
  • Artillery Brigade, Yanbian, Jilin
  • AA Brigade, Changchun, Jilin

(Source Blasko 2006, 76)

In 2013, the formation consisted of the:

  • Headquarters, Changchun, Jilin
  • 46th Motorized Infantry Division (the Red Army Division), Changchun, Jilin
  • 69th Motorized Infantry Division, Harbin, Heilongjiang
  • 48th Motorized Infantry Brigade, Tonghua, Jilin
  • 68th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China), Qiqihar, Heilongjiang
  • 4th Armoured Division, Meihekou, Jilin
  • Artillery Brigade, Yanbian, Jilin
  • AA Brigade, Changchun, Jilin

Note Blasko 2013, lists the 4th Armoured 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 Chemical Engineering Brigade (工化第78旅)[1]
  • 78th Sustainment Brigade (勤务支援第78旅)

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.

Notable people

People who served in the 16th Group Army include Xu Caihou, a former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.

References
  1. "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.
  2. http://news.163.com/07/0327/08/3AJ15PJU00011243.html(Chinese)%5B%5D
  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".
  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.
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