The Second Field Army during the liberation period was reorganized by Liu Deng's army in 1949. Even after its establishment, the highest military commander of the field army was still Commander Liu, and the political commissar was Deng Gong. The three corps under its jurisdiction are led by the famous generals Chen Geng and Yang Yong, and each corps has three corps, a total of nine armies, that is, nine tiger generals serve as army commanders.
Although the number of troops was not as large as that of several other field armies, after the founding of New China, four of the nine armies from the Second Field Army were retained for their outstanding performance in previous wars, and became one of the first 24 group armies. Strictly speaking, there is also the 15th Army, which was reorganized into the Airborne Corps in 1961 and is stationed in Xiaogan, Hubei, and enjoys the reputation of the Chitose Army. The four land battle tigers retained in the second field are all divisions of a hundred battles in the history of our army.
During the years of the Revolutionary War, these four forces were the main force in the fight against the reactionary military bloc. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, they became heroic troops guarding the border and defending the country. The first was the 16th Army, which was adapted from the first column of the Central Plains Field Army, and the first commander was Yin Xianbing. Despite the fact that the commander of the 1st Column, the predecessor of the army, was not very famous, the 16th Army was definitely a unit capable of winning battles.
Because the predecessor of the army was an iron-blooded division cultivated by three famous generals, including the founding generals Yang Dezhi, Yang Yong and Su Zhenhua, during the revolutionary war years. In the battle of crossing the river and the liberation of the southwest, the 16th Army took the lead and fought bloodily for the cause of liberation. In order to support the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the 16th Army was equipped with Soviet equipment in 1953 and went to North Korea to participate in the famous Jincheng counterattack, winning three battles and three victories.
As the last group of troops to enter the Korean War, the army was also the last batch of volunteers to withdraw to China. After returning to China, the 16th Army was stationed in the three northeastern provinces of the motherland for a long time, so it won the reputation of the Changbai Tiger Army. The 13th Army was developed from the Fourth Column of the Central Plains Field Army and was subordinate to the 15th Corps of General Chen Geng. During the War of Liberation, the army was a strong division led by General Chen Geng.
After the victory of the Huaihai Campaign, the two brigades under the jurisdiction of the Fourth Column were reorganized into the 13th Army, and the first commander was the famous tiger general General Zhou Xihan. General Zhou Xihan made meritorious contributions to the fight against the Japanese invaders during the Anti-Japanese War and was praised as Zhao Zilong in the army. On the battlefield of liberation, Zhou Xihan became General Chen Geng's most relied on fierce general in the enemy's battle, and the two famous generals joined forces on the battlefield to participate in the battle against the enemy.
The 13th Army has been stationed on the border of Yunnan for a long time and has accumulated rich combat experience in the mountains and jungle areas, so it has won the reputation of the Mountain Tiger Army. The 14th Army was also developed from the Fourth Column of the Central Plains Field Army, and was subordinate to the same corps as the 13th Army. As a result, the two forces were involved in essentially the same campaign. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the 14th Army was also stationed on the southwestern border of the motherland for a long time and was good at jungle warfare, so it was given the title of the Jungle Tiger Army.
Finally, the 12th Army, formerly known as the Sixth Column of the Central Plains Field Army, is known as the number one trump card main force of the Second Field Army. During the liberation period, the 12th Army played the role of a sharp knife many times, and played a key role in the Huaihai Campaign, the Dabie Mountain Campaign, the River Crossing Campaign, and the Southwest Campaign. In the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the 12th Army cooperated with the 15th Army to command the famous Battle of Shangganling, which directly determined the end of the Aid to Korea campaign.
After returning to China, the 12th Army became a heroic unit that defended the side and protected the territory and the people, and also had resounding titles such as the iron-blooded assault army and the hundred generals.