The Art of War CBI (id:#63486)

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Lintsuo, Kinmen Island, China 1949-10-26 (0 others)

Overview:

In late October 1949, Mao Zedong's People's Liberation Army was on the verge of defeating Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist forces. The PLA's next target was Kinmen Island, eight miles off China's southeastern coast. Overconfident and lacking intelligence on enemy forces, the Communists planned to simply land and overwhelm the defenders. In the early hours of 25 October, the PLA's armada of fishing boats loaded with men set sail for Kinmen. They intended to land near the village of Longkou, but due to the crudeness of their craft, choppy waters and winds, most were scattered along the island's northern coastline. Regiment 244 was first to land at Longkou, where it ran headlong into an alert defense and was virtually destroyed. Regiments 251 and 253 fared better, landing near Guningtou and Huwei, where they broke through ROC defenses and moved inland. By nightfall on 25 October, the PLA force had lost more than half its strength and was running low on ammunition. In the morning, Nationalist counterattacks began in earnest.

Defender: Red Chinese (PLA) (251st Regiment, 10th Army, People's Liberation Army)  

Errata (source)