Chapter 14: Overview of the PLA
On July 2, 1945, Mao Zedong declared to the Chinese People, the Empire of Japan, and the rest of the world that the People's Republic of China would begin liberating the People of Asia from their Imperialist masters and reunite Manchuria with China. On July 2, 1945, the People's Republic of China declared war on the Empire of Japan and joined World War III as a third party, an act which had many far-reaching ramifications.
On July 2, 1945, the PRC entered WW3.
Since the founding of the PRC as an internationally-recognized sovereign nation, the PLA had begun a massive expansion. While aircraft had to be designed and built without foreign assistance, lessons learned from the War of Liberation pointed to the necessity of heavy weapons support for the infantry. Also, the limitations of armed volunteer units became apparent during the Chinese Civil War, and the main focus of the PLA's rearmament program was therefore split between equipping all divisions with artillery support and replacing militia units with trained regular infantry brigades. While China had many large borders to defend and the focus on improving the existing PLA over simply expanding it resulted in some coverage shortages, the fact that China's primary opponents had committed themselves to fighting in Europe meant that the lost potential of having more soldiers to cover the front was diminished. If the enemy didn't have troops to spare on the defense, then a handful of Chinese soldiers could simply occupy and liberate the people living in the colonies.
Despite the long border it had to cover and the strength of its enemies, the PLA was still a powerful force more than capable of tipping the balance of global power. The PLA was divided into 4 operational groups. The first was Army Group North, which commanded both PLAAF medium bomber wings, 3 light fighter wings, 75 infantry divisions, 5 mountain divisions, and 5 cavalry divisions. Army Group North was tasked with retaking Manchuria from the Japanese and liberating Korea. As the bulk of the Entente forces in Asia was currently fighting the Red Army in this area, Army Group North could expect rapid territorial gains until the Japanese relocate units engaged in the front to the south. At this point the PLA must rely on experience and leadership against superior Japanese technology and air superiority. For this reason, the PLA's most experienced leaders and soldiers were assigned to the northern front.
Army Group North was the most experienced and best-led in the entire PLA, and was tasked with eliminating the Imperial Japanese Army
The next major theater was the Indian Front. Despite having poor intelligence, it was estimated that the bulk of the British Raj's army was in Iran fighting the Red Army. As a result, the entire border between India and China was undefended. The second largest concentration of PLA divisions was ordered to cover this vast area and invade India. However, the infrastructure leading to this combat area was woefully inadequate for extended combat operations, and the theater headquarters located in Di Hua (now known as Urumqi) was ordered to advance slowly and take few risks, as supplies and reinforcements would be difficult to come by.
The Indian Front was of vital strategic importance.
Prior to declaring war it was known that this front would be plagued with logistical problems
The Southern Army Group was the third major division of the PLA. It's initial task was to secure French Indochina, then move west to Burma. Because of the mountainous terrain in the expected warzone, the PLA's second mountain corps was attached to Army Group South. Unfortunately, due to an oversight, Army Group South would not be deployed to Indochina, which remained neutral in WW3, but instead have to be redeployed to Burma. While not a critical oversight, as Burma was planned to be attacked after Indochina was pacified, the offensive operations in India could've been accelerated had Army Group South been deployed properly.
Army Group South would need to be redeployed after China entered WW3
Two other minor PLA divisions remained. The first was a force consisting of the 7th and 8th Corps, which were tasked with liberating the foreign concessions of Zhangjiang and Hong Kong. Both concessions were the sites of large naval bases and, in the case of Zhangjiang, a large coal mine. Both concessions were rightful territories of China, and both could be used to launch invasions into Guangdong province. Removing all foreign presence in these concessions was of the highest priority, despite requiring few soldiers to do so. Defensive garrison troops were on standby to defend the concessions after the infantry secured them, and both corps were slated to join Army Group South after having completed their missions.
The foreign concessions could be dangerous if left alone
Finally, a single corps of infantry was stations in Fuzhou. Since the year 1405, Fuzhou had been a major naval base, and in 1945 the city's port was still significant. This corps was to land and capture Taiwan, but only if conditions allowed it to do so. The PLAN was in no way, shape, nor form capable of performing any offensive operations, including commerce raiding. The state of the PLAN in 1945 was as though the PLAN didn't exist, so outclassed were the ships serving in the PLAN. However, Japan was at war with both Italy and the USSR, both of which possessed either large navies or the capability to produce large navies, and it was not inconceivable that the IJN would temporarily abandon its defense of Taiwan.
The 9th Corps was tasked with the liberation of Taiwan only if the military situation allowed for such an operation
Finally, as the PRC was a major global power, such power demanded that technological progress continue. One of China's major weaknesses was its overall backwardsness when compared to Japan and the Western powers. Because of that, major research and development projects had been funded since 1942, and the fruits of Chinese intellectual labor were now becoming ripe.
Small arms and weapons technology
Chinese heavy artillery is comparable to even the best European weapons
The PLAN is focusing on submarine research in order to starve Japan of raw materials
Chinese interceptors are inferior to everything the Entente can field
Chinese industry employs modern production methods
China's supply corps is equal that that of any western nation
Chinese land doctrines are only slightly behind those used by the Western nations
China's operational doctrines favor the Human Wave school of warfare
The PLAAF is still in its infancy, and is focused on air superiority rather than offensive tactics
