52nd Mountain Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)

149th Division (1949-60) 149th Army Division (1960-69) 52nd Army Division (1969-1985) 52nd Mountain Motorized Infantry Brigade (1985-)
Active	1949.1 - Present
Country	People's Republic of China
Branch	People's Liberation Army, People's Volunteer Army
Type	Brigade
Role	Mountain Infantry
Part of	Tibet Military District
Garrison/HQ	Shigatse, Tibet since 1969
Engagements	Chinese Civil War, Korean War

The 149th Division, then 52nd Army Division and 52nd Mountain Motorized Infantry Brigade is an infantry formation of the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China. It's now a mountain unit facing India.

The 149th division(Chinese: 第149师) was formed in January 1949 under the Regulation of the Redesignations of All Organizations and Units of the Army, issued by Central Military Commission on November 1, 1948,^[1] basing on 21st Temporary Division, 60th Corps of the Republic of China Army defected during Liaoshen Campaign. Under the flag of 149th it took part in the further battles of the Chinese civil war.

From 1950 it became part of the People's Volunteer Army (Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) or Chinese Communist Forces (CCF)) during the Korean War with a standard strength of approximately 10,000 men. It was a component of the 50th Corps, consisting of the 445th, 446th, and 447th Regiments.^[2]

During the Fourth Campaign of Korean War, the division, with the Corps, persisted on the battlefields along the Han River near Seoul for 50 days and made a lot of losses on the United Nations. In March 1951 it pulled out from Korea for R&R. By July the division entered Korea for the second time.

In April 1955 the 148th Division pulled out from Korea and stationed in Shenyang Military District. The division was then composed of:

• 445th Infantry Regiment;
• 446th Infantry Regiment;
• 447th Infantry Regiment;
• 529th Artillery Regiment.

In 1960 it renamed as 149th Army Division(Chinese: 陆军第149师).

In May 1967 the division moved to Sichuan province with the Corps HQ, converting to a "southern" unit.

In 1969 it swapped its designations and positions with 52nd Army Division from the Tibet Military District, and became 52nd Army Divsion(Chinese: 陆军第52师)(2nd Formation). All its regiments were re-designated as 154th, 155th and 156th Infantry Regiments. Its 529th Artillery Regiment was renamed as Artillery Regiment, 52nd Army Division.

From September 28th 1975 the division maintained as a Catalogue B Division. From August 16th 1978 the division maintained as a Catalogue A Division. In September 1985 the division was reduced and re-organized as 52nd Mountain Motorized Infantry Brigade(Chinese: 山地摩托化步兵第52旅), as a Motorized Infantry Brigade of High Altitude.

References

1. 《中央军委关于统一全军组织及部队番号的规定》, http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_7254c7350100xb56.html
2. Appleman, Roy E. "South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu", pg 768

• 中国人民解放军各步兵师沿革，http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_a3f74a990101cp1q.html