77th Group Army

People's Liberation Army Ground Force 77th Group Army
第七十七集团军
Active	1985–present
Country	People's Republic of China
Allegiance	Chinese Communist Party
Branch	People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Type	Group army
Part of	Western Theater Command
Garrison/HQ	Chongzhou,Chengdu,Sichuan
Engagements	Long March Second Sino-Japanese War World War II Chinese Civil War First Indochina War Sino-Indian War Vietnam War Sino-Vietnamese War
Commanders
Current commander	Major General Wang Suocheng
Political Commissar	Major General Kuang Ming
Notable commanders	Chen Geng Xie Fuzhi Zhou Xihan Liu Youguang Lin Biao
Insignia
NATO Map Symbol

The 77th Group Army (Chinese: 第七十七集团军; pinyin: Dì Qīshíqī Jítuánjūn), Unit 31667, formerly the 13th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF). The 77th Group Army is one of thirteen total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces in the People's Republic of China, and one of two assigned to the nation's Western Theater Command.^[1]

History

The 13th Group Army (Military Unit Cover Designator (MUCD) 56005)^[2] was established in 1985 after the disbandment of the 50th Army. It incorporated the 149th Division, which had been part of the 50th Army.^[3]

During the Sino-Vietnamese War, the Kunming Military Region took responsibility for Chinese operations during the Battle of Lào Cai, which involved the 11th and 13th Armies from the Kunming Military Region itself, and the 14th Army from the Chengdu Military Region, totaling about 125,000 troops.^[4] The three armies was followed by the reserve 149th Division of the 50th Army, as well as many support units.^[5] The invasion comprised three prongs of advances: while the 11th Army was assigned to attack Phong Thổ before hooking up to Sa Pa and Lào Cai from the west, the 14th Army was ordered to take Mường Khương and move against Lào Cai from the east; the central thrust was undertaken by the 13th Army, targeting Lào Cai itself, as well as the township of Cam Đường to the south.^[6]

Blasko 2002, drawing upon the Directory of PRC Military Personalities, 1999 and 2000 editions, wrote that the 13 GA (MUCD 56005), at Chongqing, comprised the 37th Motorized Infantry Division (MUCD 56013), the 149th Motorized Infantry Division (MUCD 56016) at Emei, Sichuan, an Armored Brigade (MUCD 56017) at Pengzhou, Sichuan, an Artillery Brigade (MUCD 56014) at Chongqing, and an Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade (MUCD 56018) at Mianyang, Sichuan.^[7]

Since 2002, various sources have identified the armored brigade as the 17th Armored Brigade and also added 2nd Helicopter Regiment and a Special Operations Group to the listing.

Organization

• 39th Heavy Combined-Arms Brigade [zh]
• 40th Mountain Combined-Arms Brigade [zh]
• 55th Light Combined-Arms Brigade [zh]
• 139th Heavy Combined-Arms Brigade [zh]
• 150th Mountain Combined-Arms Brigade [zh]
• 181st Medium Combined-Arms Brigade [zh]
• 77th Special Operations Brigade
• 77th Army Aviation Brigade
• 77th Artillery Brigade
• 77th Air Defense Brigade
• 77th Engineering Brigade
• 77th Chemical Defense Brigade
• 77th Service Support Brigade

Leaders

Commanders

• Zhou Xihan: 1949–1952
• Chen Kang: 1952–1956
• Xu Qixiao: 1956–1965
• Wu Xiaomin: 1965–1968
• Gu Yongwu: 1968–1978
• Yan Shouqing: 1978–1980
• An Yufeng: 1980–1983
• Yang Anzhong: 1983–1985
• Chen Shijun: 1985–1994
• Gui Quanzhi: 1994–2000
• Zhang Youxia: 2000–2005
• Wang Xixin: 2005–2007
• Zhao Zongqi: 2007–2008
• Xu Yong: 2008–2013
• Wang Kai: 2013–2017
• Lin Huomao: 2017–2021
• Wang Suocheng: 2021–present

Political commissars

• Liu Youguang: 1949–1951
• Jin Rubai: 1951–1954
• Zhang Lixiong: 1954–1955
• Kong Junbiao: 1955–1961
• Lei Qiyun: 1961–1969
• Duan Siying: 1965–1969
• He Yunfeng: 1969–1970
• Zhao Wei: 1970–1975
• Geng Zhongxian: 1975–1978
• Qiao Xueting: 1978–1982
• Ai Weiren: 1983–1988
• Xiao Huaishu: 1988–1993
• Chen Peizhong: 1993–1996
• Qiu Jian: 1996–2005
• Cui Changjun: 2005–2010
• Diao Guoxin: 2010–2012
• Zheng Xuan: 2013–2017
• Li Zehua： 2017–2021
• Kuang Ming： 2021–present

References

1. Burke, Edmund J. (February 4, 2019). "Coming to a (New) Theater Near You: Command, Control, and Forces" (PDF). National Defense University Press.
2. Blasko 2002, 326. Note that all MUCDs in this article are the old, pre-2000 system.
3. "中国人民解放军陆军第13集团军". Archived from the original on September 5, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
4. O'Dowd, p. 61-62.
5. Zhang, p. 100.
6. O'Dowd, p. 62.
7. Blasko RAND 2002, 329.

Further reading

• Blasko, Dennis J. (2013). The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century (2nd ed.). Routledge.