Ningxia Campaign (1949)


The Ningxia Campaign was a series of battles fought between the nationalists and the communists during Chinese Civil War in the post World War II era, and resulted in the communist victory.

Order of battle

Nationalist order of battle:
The following units were deployed in the beginning, but later on, did not participate in fightings:
Communist order of battle:
After their defeat in Lanzhou Campaign, Ningxia was no longer the concern of the nationalist commander-in-chief of northwest China Ma Bufang, who was busy worrying protecting his home base Qinghai. The nationalist deputy commander-in-chief of northwest China Ma Hongkui fled to Hong Kong via air, and left his son, Ma Dunjing in charge to make a last stand against the communists. The nationalists organized three lines of defense in the regions including Zhongwei, Lingwu, Tongxin, Jingyuan, Jingtai, Zhongning and Jinji, and deployed over a hundred sixty thousand troops for the upcoming campaign, but the nationalist strategy was ruined by the disagreements among themselves. Five out of the eight armies deployed were Ma Bufang’s force, and they were much more concerned about keeping their own strength to retreat to and guard the inevitable communist advance to their home base in Qinghai, and thus did not put in any real effort to protect Ma Hongkui’s Ningxia. These troops of Ma Bufang simply felt that they had done more than enough as they did the bulk of fighting in Lanzhou Campaign, and was worried that if they devote fully in fighting in Ningxia, they would risk being cutting off by the enemy and would never be able to return home. Consequently, Ma Bufang’s force refused to take any orders from Ma Dunjing and never participated in any fighting at all, despite being deployed initially by Ma Dunjing under previous agreements between Ma Bufang and Ma Hongkui. As a result, only seventy five thousands nationalist troops did the fighting, and the result was disastrous as the nationalists could achieve neither the numerical nor the technical superiority.
The communists launched their offensive in three fronts: By 14 September 1949, towns including Jingyuan, Tongxin and Zhongning had fallen into communist hands. On 15 September 1949, the nationalist Newly Organized 15th Cavalry Brigade guarding Jingtai surrendered to the communists. The main force of the communist 63rd Army took Changle Bunker to the south of Zhongwei County on 16 September 1949, after completely destroying two regiments of the nationalist 81st Army. Meanwhile, the 188th Division of the communist 63rd Army approached Zhongwei County from the west from Jingtai on 17 September 1949, after pass through Tengger Desert. The nationalist 81st Army was hard pressed from both south and west. Under heavy military and political pressure, Ma Hongbin, the nationalist deputy commander of Northwestern China, and his son Ma Dunjing, the commander of the nationalist 81st Army defected to the communist side on 19 September 1949.
On 19 September 1949, the communist 64th Army launched its offensive against Jingji and Lingwu, badly mauling the nationalist 128th Army in Jinji-Lingwu Campaign. By 21 September 1949, all three defensive lines organized by the nationalists were completely destroyed. Ma Dunjing fled to Chongqing by air and the nationalist Ningxia Corps lost it command, and as a result, the nationalist 11th Army, the remnant of the 128th Army and Helan Army consequently disintegrated as the surviving nationalist troops deserted en masse, after learning their commander-in-chief had fled the battlefield. On 24 September 1949, the communist XIX Corps entered Yinchuan without a fight and the campaign concluded with communist victory. Nationalist lost over 40,000 troops out of the original 75,000, while the remaining deserted, and the communist victory ended the 36-year rule of Ma clique in Ningxia, as well as the nationalist rule over the region.