16th Group Army
| 16th Group Army | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1949 - present |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Allegiance | Communist Party of China |
| Branch | Army |
| Engagements | Korean War |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Guan Kai |
| ||||||||||
The 16th Group Army is one of the group armies of the People's Liberation Army's Shenyang Military Region. Its predecessor was the 16th Army of the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF).
Organisation
It was composed of the 69th, 46th, 48th,[1] 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)
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.