58th Division (People's Republic of China)
| 58th Division (1949-52) 58th Infantry Division (1952-60) 58th Army Division (1960-85) 58th Infantry Division (1985-98) 58th Motorized Infantry Brigade (1998-99) 58th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (1999-) |
|
|---|---|
| Active | 1949.2-present |
| Country |  |
| Type | Mechanized infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 20th Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Xuchang, Henan |
| Nickname(s) | Elite of Hundred Brigades(Chinese: 百旅之杰) |
| Engagements | Chinese Civil War, Korean War, Sino-Vietnamese War |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Zhang Chuanguang |
The 58th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (lang-zh:机械化步兵第58旅) is a brigade of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force. It is one of the three maneuver elements of the 20th Group Army in the Jinan Military Region. The 58th was previously a division, being converted to a brigade sized formation in 1998.
The 58th Division (Chinese: 第58师) was created in February 1949 under the Regulation of the Redesignations of All Organizations and Units of the Army, issued by Central Military Commission on November 1, 1948, basing on the 1st Division, 1st Column of the PLA Huadong Field Army. Its history can be traced to 3rd Guerrilla Contingent of Eastern Fujian Red Army, formed in May 1933.
The division is part of 20th Corps. Under the flag of 58th division it took part in several major battles during the Chinese Civil War.
In November 1950 the division entered Korea as part of the People's Volunteer Army. At this time, the division consisted of the 172nd, 173rd, and 174th Regiments.
The 58th Division attacked the U.S. Marines holding Hagaru-ri during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. During the battle, Yang Gensi, commander of 3rd Company, 172nd Infantry Regiment, 58th Division, sacrificed himself when holding a strategic position with one of his platoons, as he threw himself into a group of more than 40 American soldiers while holding a satchel charge, killing himself and the American soldiers. Yang was posthumously awarded as "First Class Hero of People's Volunteer Army", and "Hero of Democratic People's Republic of Korea".
During its deployment in Korea, the division inflicted 11952 casualties to opposing UN forces, destroyed or damaged 26 aircraft, destroyed or captured 313 tanks and automobiles and 67 artillery pieces.
In October 1952 the division pulled out from Korea and renamed as 58th Infantry Division(Chinese: 步兵第58师). The division was then composed of:
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Wikipedia