Liaoshen campaign

Quick Facts: Who was Liaoshen campaign?

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Liaoshen campaign

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Major Communist offensive in Manchuria, leading to the collapse of KMT forces.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Liaoshen campaign (Chinese: 辽沈会战; pinyin: Liáoshěn huìzhàn), an abbreviation of Liaoning–Shenyang campaign after the province of Liaoning and its Yuan directly administered capital city Shenyang, was the first of the three major military campaigns (along with Huaihai campaign and Pingjin campaign) launched by the Chinese Communist Party's People's Liberation Army (PLA) against the Kuomintang Nationalist government during the late stage of the Chinese Civil War. This engagement is also known to the Kuomintang as the Liaohsi campaign (Chinese: 遼西會戰; pinyin: Liáoxī huìzhàn), and took place between September and November 1948, lasting a total of 52 days. The campaign ended after the Nationalist forces suffered sweeping defeats across Manchuria, losing the major cities of Jinzhou, Changchun, and eventually Shenyang in the process, leading to the capture of the whole of Manchuria by the Communist forces. The victory of the campaign resulted in the Communists achieving a strategic numerical advantage over the Nationalists for the first time in its history. Manchuria, alternatively known as Northeast China in contemporary accounts, was the most industrialized region in China.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In the immediate aftermath of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Manchuria was placed under Soviet occupation. Both the Nationalists and the Communists began their expansion in the region after the Soviet withdrawal in March 1946. After the Communist Winter Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China, the PLA had expanded considerably in the Northeast, surpassing the Nationalists in total operational strength in Northeast China for the first time since the beginning of the civil war. In response to the deteriorating situation for the Nationalists, Chiang Kai-shek decided to replace Chen Cheng with Wei Lihuang as the commander of the Nationalist forces in the Northeast. In January 1948, the Communist forces in the Northeast were renamed as the Northeast Field Army with Lin Biao as the commander.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The Nationalist forces were indecisive in responding to Communist expansion, as Wei Lihuang directly clashed with Chiang over Nationalist strategies in the Northeast. Wei believed that it was better to "preserve the status quo" and concentrate on defending Shenyang and Changchun, while Chiang insisted that Wei withdraw from those two cities and concentrate Nationalist forces in the Jinzhou-Huludao area to prevent the PLA from entering the North China Plain through the Shanhai Pass. By spring 1948, the Communist forces were in control of the countryside across Northeast China, isolating the Nationalist forces in Shenyang, Changchun and Jinzhou from each other. In addition, the PLA had seized control of the Jingha Railway, cutting off the Nationalist land route supply lines to Shenyang and Changchun. Consequently, supplies for the Nationalist forces in the Northeast had to be airlifted, which were largely ineffective and unsustainable.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1946: 1946 Milestone — Both the Nationalists and the Communists began their expansion in the region after the Soviet withdrawal in March 1946.
2. 1947: 1947 Milestone — After the Communist Winter Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China, the PLA had expanded considerably in the Northeast, surpassing the Nationalists in total operational strength in Northeast China for the first time since the beginning of the civil war.
3. 1948: 1948 Milestone — This engagement is also known to the Kuomintang as the Liaohsi campaign (Chinese: 遼西會戰; pinyin: Liáoxī huìzhàn), and took place between September and November 1948, lasting a total of 52 days.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Liaoshen campaign

True or False: “The Liaoshen campaign was one of only two major military campaigns launched by the PLA against the KMT during the Chinese Civil War.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): It was one of three major campaigns; the others were the Huaihai and Pingjin campaigns.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• A. Wyatt Tilby — Historical peer (Died in 1948) (1948): British author, journalist, and traveler known for his writings on history and philosophy.
• Abby Aldrich Rockefeller — Historical peer (Died in 1948) (1948): American socialite and influential philanthropist, key patron of modern art.
• Adam Michnik — Historical peer (Born in 1946) (1946): Prominent Polish intellectual, dissident, and journalist advocating for democracy.
• Ahmad Zahir — Historical peer (Born in 1946) (1946): Iconic Afghan singer, songwriter, and composer, dubbed the "Elvis of Afghanistan".
• Al Capone — Historical peer (Died in 1947) (1947): Notorious American gangster and businessman during the Prohibition era.
• Alan Guth — Historical peer (Born in 1947) (1947): Pioneering cosmologist known for developing the theory of cosmic inflation.

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