Battle of Jinzhou

People's Liberation Army launches final strike on Jinzhou

Date	October 7–15, 1948
Location	Jinzhou and proximity
Result	Fall of Jinzhou for the Nationalist Government

Belligerents

National Revolutionary Army

People's Liberation Army Northeast Field Army

Commanders and leaders

Fan Hanjie (POW)

Lin Biao
Luo Ronghuan
Liu Yalou

Strength

~150,000

250,000

Casualties and losses

20,000 deaths, 80,000 captured

24,000

Battle of Jinzhou (simplified Chinese: 锦州之战; traditional Chinese: 錦州之戰; pinyin: Jînzhou Zhīzhàn) was a battle between the Communist People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Kuomintang's National Revolutionary Army (NRA) during the Chinese Civil War. It was one of the most decisive battles during the war in Manchuria; literally an epitome of the Liaoshen Campaign.

Jinzhou is where the main route from central China through Shanhai Pass enters Manchuria, and is a key strategic point. The fall of Jinzhou to the Communists would allow the Communist to drive into the North China Plain. Mao Zedong addressed the importance of capturing Jinzhou in a telegram to the Communist commanders in the Northeast, saying that the key to the success of the entire Liaoshen Campaign is "to strive to capture Jinzhou in one week."

To attack Jinzhou, it was necessary for the PLA to clear away the Nationalist positions in the outskirts of Jinzhou. Between October 8 to October 13, the Communists captured all the Nationalist strongholds outside Jinzhou, which set up the final assault on October 14. In the meantime, in the Battle of Tashan nine PLA divisions defeated eleven NRA divisions attempting to reinforce Jinzhou.

The PLA massed 900 artillery pieces, and launched the final assault on Jinzhou on October 14, 1948. The entire defensive line of Jinzhou was broken through soon after. Nationalist resistance ended the next day on October 15.

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