During the Liberation War, the Fourth Field Army was formed by the reorganization of the mighty Northeast Field Army. This field army successively participated in the two most important major battles on the battlefield of liberation, the first was the Liaoshen Campaign in the northeast and the second was the Pingjin Campaign in north China. It can be said that in these two battles, the Northeast Field Army played a decisive role. At the same time, this field army launched a nationwide counteroffensive operation, inflicted a heavy blow on the Gui clique in central China, liberated Nanguang and Hainan Island in southern China, perfectly completed our army's first sea-crossing operation, and created a model for wooden sailing ships to cross the sea.
From the White Mountains and Black Water in the northeast to Hainan Island in southern China, the Fourth Field Army can be said to have turned to most of China, and has experienced battles, liberated counties and countless enemy troops. And it was only after the Fourth Field Army experienced countless baptisms of blood and fire that it created a group of ace troops with strong combat effectiveness and tenacious style.
Speaking of ace troops, I am afraid that the Fourth Field Army is the field army with the largest number of aces among the five field armies. For example, the 38th Army, which later held the title of Banzai Army, the 40th Army known as the Whirlwind Army, the 39th Army with strong comprehensive combat capability, the 43rd Army of the Tiger Army, the 47th Army of the Invincible Changsheng Army, the 42nd Army of the Rising Star, and the 41st Army of the Lingnan Xiong Division, all belonged to the ace army with strong comprehensive ability of the Fourth Field Army. Like the 38th, 39th, 40th, 47th, and 42nd Armies, after the end of the War of Liberation, they also participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and all of them were the ace units of the Volunteer Army who fought relatively well in the Campaign to Aid Korea.
So, what ranks were the commanders of these ace armies awarded in 1955 after liberation? Which ace commanders are ranked as generals, and which are ace commanders with the rank of lieutenant general.
In fact, when the rank was awarded in 1955, the Fourth Field Army was probably the field army with the largest number of ranks awarded. There are two marshals, three generals, admirals, lieutenant generals, and major generals. With such a strong lineup, no field army can match it. As the ace commanders of the Fourth Field Army, such as Li Tianyou, the commander of the 38th Army, he was awarded the rank of general in 1955, while Liang Xingchu, the second commander of the more famous army, was a lieutenant general, and Liang Xingchu was also the first commander of the 47th Army.
Han Xianchu, commander of the 40th Army of the Whirlwind Army, was a very powerful general who rarely lost battles in his military career. At the same time, he was also the most assertive of the ace commanders of the Fourth Field Army, and he always adhered to his own style of play, such as the Battle of Xinkailing, and vigorously fought a bloody battle with the enemy's 25th Division to the end, and in the Battle of Hainan Island, Han Xianchu crossed the level and reported to the higher level, insisting on advancing the battle time. However, these two battles ended in victory, which shows Han Xianchu's analysis of the battlefield, as well as his sensitivity, coupled with his rich combat experience, so that he can make correct judgments every time. It is rare among the founding generals to be able to have this, so Han Xianchu, as the first commander of the Whirlwind Army, was also awarded the rank of general.
The first commander of the 39th Army was General Liu Zhen, who was very low-key. The commander was low-key, but the achievements of the 39th Army on the battlefield were very high-profile. Whether on the battlefield of liberation or in the later Campaign to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the army was the ace unit on the battlefield that made the enemy feel frightened and became a well-known main lion in the country. As the first military commander, Liu Zhen certainly had the greatest influence on this unit, so after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was also a general.
The Forty-third Army of the Ace Army was the tiger and wolf division of the Fourth Field Army that was best at fighting tough battles, so it won the reputation of attacking tigers. After the joint liberation of Hainan Island with the 40th Army, this unit remained in the south, guarding the border and defending the defense, and did not participate in the campaign to aid Korea. However, the first commander, Hong Xuezhi, participated in the Campaign to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and was appointed deputy commander of the Volunteer Army, responsible for logistics. As a general who can fight wars and manage logistics, and at the same time can also focus on the construction of the troops, the all-round general Hong Xuezhi was twice awarded the rank of general and became the first person in the whole army.
The first commanders of the 42nd Army and the 41st Army, the two aces, were Wan Yi and Wu Kehua. Although General Wan Yi did not participate in the Campaign to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the 42nd Army participated in this campaign under the leadership of Wu Ruilin, the second commander of the Army, and made great achievements on the battlefield. Although the 41st Army did not participate in the campaign to aid Korea, it participated in the suppression of bandits in southern China. Therefore, the contributions made by the two commanders were not small, so they were awarded the rank of lieutenant general.