During the Liberation War, more than 1 million Kuomintang troops revolted or surrendered and joined the PLA. The uprising and surrender of these Kuomintang troops made a great contribution to hastening the victory of the War of Liberation and the liberation of the whole country. However, with the progress of successive military reforms, most of these troops were abolished, and only one unit remained, that is, the famous 60th Army of the Dian Army.
The 60th Army of the Dian Army was a very famous unit during the Republic of China period, which participated in major historical events such as the Xinhai Revolution and the Patriotic Movement. During the Battle of Taierzhuang, the 60th Army of the Dian Army took a train to get off at Taierzhuang South Station and went directly to assemble on the east bank of the canal, preparing to take over the positions of Tang Enbo's 20th Army and Yu Xuezhong's Third Army, but due to the unauthorized withdrawal of Tang Enbo and Yu Xuezhong, more than 4,000 people of the two Japanese companies carrying more than 30 cannons entered under the cover of more than 20 tanks, and the vanguard of the 60th Army was caught off guard.
In order to block the Japanese army, the 60th Army launched a full line around Yuwang Mountain, and the 184th Division engaged in more than 20 hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese army on the first day, annihilating more than a thousand enemy troops. In the 27-day blockade of YuwangShan, the 60th Army annihilated 12,000 Japanese troops, but the 60th Army also paid a tragic price, under the attack of Japanese aircraft, tanks, and artillery, the 60th Army lost 14,000 casualties, wounded more than 5,000 people, reduced by more than half, and suffered an average of thousands of casualties per day.
In the ensuing War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the 60th Army also made many meritorious achievements, participating in a series of important battles such as the Battle of Wuhan, the Battle of Nanchang, the First and Second Battles of Changsha, the Battle of Defending the Border of Southern Yunnan, and the Counteroffensive in Western Yunnan. After the end of the War of Resistance, the 60th Army was sent to Vietnam to accept the surrender of the Japanese army. However, chiang kai-shek, in order to weaken the factional forces in Yunnan, sent this force to the northeast to fight a civil war.
During the Liberation War, this unit did not have a good time in the northeast, and because it was a local army, it was very excluded in terms of supply and other aspects. In 1946, Pan Shuoduan, commander of the 184th Division of the 60th Army, led an uprising, and Chiang Kai-shek was so angry that he ordered the gathering of heavy troops to encircle and suppress this unit, but this unit detoured through Korea to reach the base area of Northern Manchuria.
During the Liaoshen Campaign in 1948, the 60th Army revolted under the leadership of its commander, Zeng Zesheng, which was the first unit to revolt during the Liberation War. After the uprising of the 60th Army, it was reorganized into the 50th Army of the People's Liberation Army, the commander was still Zeng Zesheng, and the former 21st Division of the 60th Army (the commander of the division was Long Yao, the commander of the guard battalion of the 60th Army who had made military achievements in Taierzhuang), was reorganized into the 149th Division of the 50th Army of the People's Liberation Army.
After the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, this unit originally planned to go to the northeast to receive Soviet anti-aircraft artillery, and even handed over weapons. However, due to the urgency of the war on the front line, this unit quickly resumed its formation and rushed to the Korean front under the leadership of its commander, Zeng Zesheng.
In the first two campaigns of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the 50th Army did not perform very well, but after the reorganization and training of the troops, the combat effectiveness was greatly improved. In the third battle, three companies of the 149th Division of the 50th Army completely annihilated the British Royal Heavy Tank Battalion, killed and wounded more than 300 British prisoners, captured and destroyed 31 tanks, one armored vehicle, and 24 cars.
During the fourth campaign, a division of the 50th Army and the 38th Army was ordered to defend the south bank of the Han River, and in this fierce blockade battle, the 50th Army inflicted heavy losses on the American army, and it was difficult to move forward, annihilating 11,000 UN troops, but the 50th Army also paid a tragic casualty price, and the whole army and the position coexisted and died in 7 whole companies, 31 whole platoons, and 138 whole squads, all of which were wiped out! At the time of entering the DPRK, the whole army was more than 33,000 people, and after one to four battles, it lost 10,033 people! However, the 50th Army also joined the ranks of the main forces of the People's Liberation Army because of this battle.
On January 25, 1969, the 52nd Division of the Tibet Military Region and the 149th Division of the 50th Army were transferred to defense, and on December 18, the number was reversed, and the 149th Division was renamed the 52nd Division. On September 24, 1985, it was reorganized into the 52nd Mountain Infantry Brigade, that is to say, the current 52nd Brigade of the Tibet Military Region was the 149th Division of the 50th Army that year, and this unit was not only not abolished, but became the number one trump card on the southwest front.