| 133rd Division (1948–60) 133rd Army Division (1960–69) 138th Army Division (1969–85) 138th Infantry Division (1985–2003) 138th Motorized Infantry Brigade (2003–2017) 138th Combined Arms Brigade (2017–) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1948.11 - |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Branch | People's Liberation Army |
| Type | Brigade |
| Role | Infantry |
| Part of | 80th Group Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Laiyang,Shandong |
| Engagements | Chinese Civil War,Korean War,Sino-Soviet border conflict,Vietnam War,Sino-Vietnam War |
The133rd Division (Chinese:第133师) was created in November 1948 underthe Regulation of the Redesignations of All Organizations and Units of the Army, issued by Central Military Commission on November 1, 1948,[1] basing on the 22nd Division, 8th Column of theFourth Field Army. Its history could be traced to the 2nd and 3rd Brigade of the Jire Column and the 1st Brigade of the Jizhong Column formed in September 1945.
In the composition of45th Corps it took part in theChinese Civil War, including theWinter Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China,Liaoshen Campaign,Pingjin Campaign,Hengbao Campaign andGuangxi Campaign.
The division was composed of 397th, 398th, and 399th Infantry Regiments.
In July 1952, the division detached from the 45th Corps to join the46th Corps, when the138th division from the latter corps attached to the 45th Corps.
From August 1952 to October 1955 the division was deployed to North Korea as a part of thePeople's Volunteer Army.[2]
In June 1953, 516th Artillery Regiment was activated and attached to the division.
In October 1955, the division left North Korea along with the corps HQ and was relocated atYanji,Jilin Province.[3]
In May 1957, the 399th Regiment was reconstituted intoreduced status. In February 1960, the 399th Regiment was reestablished to full strength.[4]
In April 1960 the division was redesignated as the133rd Army Division (Chinese:陆军第133师). The division was then composed of:
In June 1962, the 133rd Army Division was reconstituted as adivision category A.
On March 2, 1969, a reconnaissance sub-unit of the 133rd Army Division participated in theSino-Soviet border conflict inZhenbao Island area.
In August 1969, the 516th Artillery Regiment was redesignated as the Artillery Regiment, 133rd Army Division.
In December 1969, the division was redesignated as the138th Army Division(Chinese:陆军第138师):
From June to July 1975, the division was relocated toXuzhou,Jiangsu.
In September 1978, the division was relocated toAnqiu,Shandong:
From March 1985 to February 1986, the division was deployed to the Sino-Vietnam border under the operational control of the67th Army Corps (later 67th Army). During its deployment, the division suffered 108 KIA and 314 wounded, while allegedly inflicting 2100 casualties on the confrontingPAVN forces.
In August 1985, the division was redesignated as the138th Infantry Division(Chinese:步兵第138师) and reconfigured as anorthern motorized infantry division, category A. The division was transferred to the26th Army following46th Army Corps' disbandment. By then the division was composed of:
In May and June 1989, the division participated in thepacification on the civil unrest in Beijing along with the corps HQ. On June 4, 1989, the division failed to take control of theYongdingmen area.[7]
In 1998, the division was reorganized:
The division was then composed of:
In September 2003, the division was reduced and redesignated as the138th Motorized Infantry Brigade(Chinese:摩托化步兵第138旅).
In April 2017, the brigade was further reconfigured as the138th Light Combined Arms Brigade(Chinese:轻型合成第138旅).
The brigade now stations inLaiyang,Shandong, as a maneuvering part of the PLA80th Group Army.
 Structure of thePeople's Liberation Army Ground Force | |||||||
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| PLAGF Headquarters directly subordinate units |
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| Eastern Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Southern Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Western Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Northern Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Central Theater Command Ground Force |
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