In 1985, the 117th Division of the 39th Army underwent a change in the establishment of the B Division, which, unlike other brother units, had seven regiments.
This is a very special event that deserves our admiration and emotion for the great achievements of this heroic unit.
The characteristic of the establishment of Division B is that it is not "fully manned" like Division A, so why does the 117th Division have 7 regiments? What's so special about them?
Let's join this saga.
The 117th Division is a pure-blooded, heroic and combative army, and its predecessor is the Independent Brigade of the 3rd Division of the New Fourth Army. The brigade killed more than 10,000 enemies in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and annihilated 6 enemies in the War of LiberationMore than 10,000 people.
In 1950, they participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea with the army and made great achievements. In 1953, they returned to the motherland after the Korean War, and later belonged to the Shenyang Military Region.
After decades, the 117th Division has maintained its fine traditions and is an army worthy of respect.
In 1984, the 117th Division implemented the establishment of a type B motorized infantry division, under the jurisdiction of the first regiment, tank regiment, artillery regiment and anti-aircraft artillery regiment.
A year later, the division absorbed the 36th Regiment of the original 7th Artillery Division, and implemented the establishment of the Northern B Motorized Infantry Division, becoming a powerful combat unit with 7 regiments.
According to analysis, there are three main reasons why the 117th Division has 7 regiments: First, the 39th Army is a strategic reserve of the whole army, heavily equipped and dominated by mechanized troops.
In 1983, the First Army began to undertake the pilot task of forming a composite group army. In 1984, the 39th Army began to implement the establishment of a group army. Almost at the same time, the 39th Army entered the era of mechanization and became a heavily armed army.
The proportion of technical arms in the heavy armies is large, so a certain number of infantry is required. Therefore, the 1st Army is also known as the Heavy Rapid Reaction Force.
The 39th Army, the symbol of the Heavy Army, its main force, the 116th Infantry Division, attracted attention for its powerful firepower output. However, the 117th Division, as a reserve, should not be underestimated.
Its establishment was developed in an all-round and balanced manner, and an additional infantry regiment was added to increase its combat effectiveness. In addition, the 117th Division has a complete range of technical arms, and the air and ground firepower system network provides strong firepower support for its infantry.
In order to strengthen the combat effectiveness of the infantry, the 36th Regiment was also transferred to the 117th Division. As the ace group army built by the Military Commission, the 39th Group Army is also one of the "three ace group armies" in the era of the seven military regions.
The 117th Division was not the only Division B with 7 regiments, and the 81st Division of the 27th Group Army at the same time also implemented the establishment of the Northern B Motorized Infantry Division.
Whether it is the 117th Division or the 81st Division, their formation is to provide support to the brother units at critical moments to demonstrate their combat effectiveness.
The veterans of the former 81st Division took a group photo, as if going back in time, back to the end of the eighties of that year. At that time, the 81st Division was under the jurisdiction of the first regiment, artillery regiment, anti-aircraft artillery regiment, and tank regiment.
Among them, the 250th Regiment originally belonged to the 28th Division of the 84th Army, which was also a regiment that was withdrawn at the end of the eighties. Judging from the establishment of the divisions, they are all aimed at taking into account the ratio between infantry and technical arms.
This kind of troop allocation is greater than that of the B division of the same period, and it can be said to be the "quasi-northern A motorized infantry division". During the period of the million-dollar disarmament, the Central Military Commission adopted a series of special measures to streamline and reorganize.
Coincidentally, during the same period, the 38th Division of the 13th Group Army of the Chengdu Military Region also implemented the establishment of Type B Division. However, the 38th Division was established as a Southern Division B, with the 112th, 113th, 117th, and 443rd regiments and artillery regiments under its command.
The situation of the 38th Division was similar to that of the 117th Division, which also maintained the establishment of four infantry regiments. The 21st Division of the 55th Group Army of the Lanzhou Military Region has an even more special establishment.
At that time, the 55th Division implemented the establishment of a light motorized infantry division, abolished the first regiment of the division, and the 163rd Regiment was transferred to the 63rd Division, implementing the division and battalion system.
However, this system did not last long, and at the end of the 80s, it was reorganized into the B Motorized Infantry Division, and the division, regiment, and battalion establishment was restored.
From the above situation, we can see that a series of streamlining and reorganization measures during the period of the million-dollar disarmament have both commonalities in the context of the great era and fine-tuning their individuality according to the actual situation.
No matter which division it is, it is trying its best to adapt to the changes of this great era. The group photos of these veterans have also become a part of history and remain in people's memories forever.
Twenty years ago, the 117th Mobile Division of the Armed Police was a division of the second type, but it had 7 regiments, which was a unique glory in the establishment of the ace group army.
In October 1996, the division was separated from the 39th Group Army and renamed the 117th Mobile Division of the Armed Police, and the regiment under its original jurisdiction was renamed the 1st Regiment of the Armed Police.
At the same time, the tank regiment under the division was withdrawn, and the antiaircraft artillery regiment and artillery regiment were reorganized into the 700th Regiment of the Armed Police. In the following 20 years, the 117th Mobile Division of the Armed Police has performed well and won the trust of the People's Armed Police.
Until 2018, with the deepening of military reform, the name of "117th Mobile Division of the Armed Police" became history.