From: zing@wilber.rich.nt.com (Leon Z. Lee)
Subject: Re: ROC vs PRC
Organization: Northern Telecom, Inc.
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 23:18:51 GMT

In article <1992Sep28.230841.18389@odin.corp.sgi.com> yu@chang.asd.sgi.com (Yu Chang) writes:
[...]
>Exactly.
>As a matter of fact, everyone from TAIWAN should remember the origin of
>1-2-3 liberty day (January 23rd). Most of the chinese POW during korea war
>decided not to go back to mainland and instead go to taiwan.
>What KMT did not reveal at the time was majority of those POWs went to taiwan
>was ex-KMT army that stayed in mainland after 1949.

Quite true....a sizable portion of the so-called Chinese volunteers from PLA
that engaged the UN forces at the Yalu frontier were former Nationalist
combatants.  They were are conscripted for this venture with gentle persuasion 
from their CCP cadres. These ex-KMT mewn were not used in the initial assault
upon UN forces, but rather from static frontal assaults....in other words,
mere cannon fodders.

It was no surprise that droves of Chinese soldiers surrendered to UN forces 
during the UN retreat from the Chosin Resevior.  Although some fanatical
supporters of the PLA points out to the "great defeat of the American
forces since the Battle of the Buldge"....it should be noted that 6
Red Chinese Divisions encircled only 2 US Marine Divisions at the
Chosin Resevior.

However, the US forces were mechanized...with plenty of aerial support..
without which they would have been annhaliated by the PLA.   The PLA 
forces in Korea during the late-1950s were primarly infantry...with certain
cavalry bridgades laced within its ranks.  These PLA forces at best could
only engage in rear guard action against the UN forces...thereby permitting
the majority of the UN force to successfully retreat about 200 miles from
Chosin to the Eastern Coast of North Korea.

In the 3 years of fighting against UN forces....the PLA suffered 500,000
casaulties....most from direct frontal assaults against entrenched
UN positions.  History have proven that human-wave assaults will at times
gain a military objective....but the price in blood is too high from
any prudent military commander to paid.  This lesson has yet to learned
by the PLA.  It has been noted that the PLA's venture against Vietnam
in 1979 also cost them about 50,000 casaulties in 2 month...such is the
price of war.

>I think I got this from the same source of yours (bao4 gao4 wen2 xue2).
>My memory is fuzzy but I also believe it commented that was one of the reason
>CCP actively partipated in the korea-war because CCP wanted to get rid of
>the still-huge ex-KMT army left in mainland.

This is viable statement...however, the primary reason for the involvement
of the PLA in Korea was their view that the PRC's national security 
would be underminded if the UN successfully pursued its victory over
the North Koreans.  The annuals of Korean and Chinese histories are
perpetually linked in my mind....for a strong China cannot be achieved
without a secured and stable Korea.

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