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Battle of Kalgan
Part of the Chinese Civil War
Date October 10, 1946 – October 20, 1946 Location Zhangjiakou (Kalgan), China Result Nationalist victory
Belligerents
National Revolutionary Army	Chinese Red Army
Commanders and leaders
Fu Zuoyi	He Long Nie Rongzhen
Strength
3 corps 4 divisions 1 brigade	14 brigades
Casualties and losses
12,000	100,000 losses

The Battle of Kalgan took place during the off and on mediation of a cease fire between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party by George Marshall. It was fought in the renamed city of Zhangjiakou, China.

Prelude

Around September 1946, Chiang Kai-shek was prepared to propose another cease fire agreement, as the Nationalist armies were within Kalgan, with the Communists to George Marshall, as long as the Communists agreed to the proposal of the National Assembly. Zhou Enlai responded that the cease fire must occur at once. According to Zhou, if Kalgan falls into the Nationalist hands, there would be a "total national split." Marshall told Chiang that if the attack was called off, Mao Zedong would consider the cease fire and that the Communists would also be willing to join the National Assembly or the coalition of Nationalist and Communist troops.

Chiang knew the strategic location of Kalgan as the "gateway" for both armies movement in and out of northeast China. Its importance was that it helped secure the area south of the Great Wall.

Marshall rejected the idea of the attack on Kalgan and threatened to send a message to President Truman to have himself recalled back to the US. On October 4, Chiang tried to persuade to Marshall that he always have treated him very well and not to leave. Upon hearing that Marshall had indeed sent a radiogram to Washington D.C., Chiang proposed a ten-day truce. Marshall rescinded his decision and stayed.

With a diplomatic package, proposing Communist delegates to the National Assembly and the amalgamation of the Communist armies into the Nationalist armies as suggested by Chiang, and agreed upon by Marshall and Ambassador John Stuart, Zhou rejected it, saying that it was as equivalent to ask the Communists to surrender. Zhou sent a plan to Marshall, which he became "more impatient with Zhou than at any time during the year." Marshall told Zhou that there were no other reason to continue on with the talks.

Battle

On October 10, 1946, General Fu Zuoyi attacked the city of Kalgan. The battle lasted to October 20.

Outcome

Of the 150,000 inhabitants, 50,000 fled with the remnants of the Communist armies. The model city of the Communists was "lies gutted and ghost-like." The retreating Communist army demolished or set fire to parts of the city. Three weeks after the battle, the city was still without running water, electricity, and lines of communication. They also destroyed 52 factories located in the city which " families of 3,000 workers of their livelihood." According to TIME coorespondant, Frederick Gruin, the destruction of the city may have been a political mistake and may also have "undermined their own guerrilla potential."

The Communist army lost about 100,000 soldiers in the defense. The Communist armies in northeast China were also cut off from Yan'an.

See also

• Outline of the Chinese Civil War
• National Revolutionary Army
• History of the People's Liberation Army

v t e Chinese Civil War
Principal belligerents and campaigns Nationalist Party / National Government ( National Revolutionary Army) → Constitutional ROC Government (ROC Armed Forces) → Republic of China on Taiwan Communist Party / Soviet Republic ( Red Army) → Liberated Area ( 8th Route Army, New Fourth Army, etc. → People's Liberation Army) →  People's Republic of China
Pre-1945 Post-1945 1923 Sun–Joffe Manifesto 1924 First United Front 1926 Canton Coup 1927–1949 Chinese Communist Revolution 1927 Nanking incident Shanghai Commune Shanghai massacre Nanjing–Wuhan split 715 Incident Little Long March Nanchang uprising Autumn Harvest Uprising Guangzhou Uprising 1930–1934 Encirclement campaigns 1931–1934 Chinese Soviet Republic 1933–1934 Fujian People's Government 1934–1936 Long March 1936 Xi'an Incident 1937–1946 Second United Front (Wartime perception of the Chinese Communists) 1941 New Fourth Army incident 1944 Dixie Mission 1945 Chongqing Negotiations Double Tenth Agreement Retrocession of Taiwan 1946 Jiaochangkou Incident Peiping rape case 1945–1947 Marshall Mission 1945–1949 Operation Beleaguer 1947 Yu Zisan Incident 1948 SS Kiangya incident Liaoshen campaign 1948–1949 Huaihai campaign Pingjin campaign 1949 Taiping Steamer Incident Yangtze River Crossing campaign Amethyst Incident ROC Government retreat to Taiwan PRC incorporation of Xinjiang 1949–1953 Bombing of Shanghai 1950 Hainan Island campaign Wanshan Archipelago Campaign 1950–1958 Kuomintang Islamic insurgency 1961–1972 Project National Glory

References

1. ^ Taylor, Jay (2009). The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China. Cambridge: Belknap Press. ISBN 978-0-674-03338-2.
2. ^ United Press (October 20, 1946), "Kalgan Gutted During Battle", Eugene Register-Guard, p. 10, retrieved 2010-01-22
3. "Scorched earth, chilled hopes", TIME, p. 10, October 20, 1946, retrieved 2010-01-22

• Conflicts in 1946
• Battles of the Chinese Civil War
• 1946 in China
• Military history of Shanxi
• Military history of Zhangjiakou