1st Armored Brigade (People's Republic of China)
Tank Division, 4th Field Army(1949) 1st Tank Division(1949-1950) 1st Tank Brigade(1950) 1st Tank Division(1950-1998) 1st Armored Division(1998-2011) 1st Armored Brigade(2011-2017) | |||||
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Active | 1949.2 - 2017.4 | ||||
Country | Sino-Vietnamese War | ||||
Commanders | |||||
Current commander | Deng Hanqiao | ||||
Notable commanders | Xu Qinxian | ||||
Insignia | |||||
NATO Map Symbol |
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The 1st Armored Brigade (formerly the 1st Tank Division , then 1st Armored Division ) is an
Formation
The Tank Division, 4th Field Army(Chinese: 四野战车师) was activated in February 1949 in Tianjin, from Special Troops Tank Command, 4th Field Army.
In May 1949 the division was renamed as 1st Tank Division(Chinese: 战车第1师). In December 1950 the division was re-organized as 1st Tank Brigade(Chinese: 坦克第1旅, note the change on Chinese characters). By then the brigade was composed of:
- 1st Tank Regiment (medium);
- 2nd Tank Regiment (light);
- Motorized Infantry Regiment;
On November 3, 1950, the brigade was renamed as 1st Tank Division(Chinese: 坦克第1师). Its regiments were not affected.
Korean War
From March 1951 to November 1952 the division entered Korea to take part in the
After Korea
In February Artillery Regiment was renamed as Howitzer Artillery Regiment. On May 13, 1958, Motorized Infantry Regiment was renamed as Mechanized Regiment.
In 1959 the division moved to
In December 1962 Howitzer Artillery Regiment was renamed as Artillery Regiment.
In August 1969 402nd Tank Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment from 197th Army Division was attached and renamed as 3rd Tank Regiment.
By then the division was composed of:
- 1st Tank Regiment;
- 2nd Tank Regiment;
- 3rd Tank Regiment;
- Mechanized Regiment;
- Artillery Regiment.
In August 1970 3rd Tank Regiment was detached and transferred to 79th Infantry Division as Tank Regiment, 79th Infantry Division. In September Mechanized Regiment was re-organized and renamed as 3rd Tank Regiment.
On July 1, 1976, Armored Infantry Regiment was activated.
During
In January 1983 the division was put under command of 66th Army Corps.
In the 1980s the division was equipped with Type 59-2 medium tanks, becoming the only Type 59-2 unit in PLA ground force.
In July 1985 the division was attached to Tianjin Security District following 66th Army Corps' disbandment.
In 1989 the division actively took part in the
In April 1996 the division was attached to
In October 1998, the division was renamed as 1st Armored Division(Chinese: 装甲第1师). The Armored Infantry Regiment was disbanded and absorbed into tank regiments which became armored regiments.
By then the division was composed of:
- 1st Armored Regiment;
- 2nd Armored Regiment;
- 3rd Armored Regiment;
- Artillery Regiment.
In 2003 the division was attached to
"Division to Brigade"
In late 2011 it split into two: the division main body re-organized into 1st Armored Brigade, while half of its battalions reorganized into
In April 2017 the brigade was deactivated and absorbed into 70th Combined Arms Brigade.
References
- ISBN 9781135988777. Retrieved 12 March 2018.