| 45th Division (1949–54) 45th Infantry Division (1954–60) 45th Army Division (1960–61) 45th Airborne Division (1961–85) 45th Airborne Brigade (1985–1992) 45th Airborne Division (1992–present) | |
|---|---|
| Founded | February 1949 |
| Country |  People's Republic of China |
| Allegiance |  Chinese Communist Party |
| Branch | People's Liberation Army Air Force,People's Volunteer Army |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Airborne Mechanized Infantry |
| Part of | 15th Airborne Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | Huangpi,Wuhan,Hubei province |
| Engagements | Chinese Civil War,Korean War,Vietnam War,Sino-Vietnamese War |
The45th Division (45 div) (Chinese:第45师), latterly known as45th Airborne Division is a military formation of thePeople's Liberation Army (PLA) andPeople's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) of thePeople's Republic of China (PRC). It is now one of two mobile divisions of PLA15th Airborne Corps, and aRapid Reaction, First Level unit.
The 45 Div was created in February 1949 underthe Regulation of the Redesignations of All Organizations and Units of the Army, issued byCentral Military Commission on 1 November 1948, as part of the 27th Brigade, 9th Column of PLAZhongyuan Field Army, formed in August 1947.
The division was a part of15th Airborne Corps (15 corps). Under the flag of 45 Div it took part in theChinese Civil War.
In March 1951 the division invaded Korea as a part of thePeople's Volunteer Army; the division took part in theFifth Phase Offensive in 1951 and theBattle of Triangle Hill against UN forces.
On 19 October 1952, a soldier from 45 Div,Huang Jiguang, hurled himself against a machine gun slit on the blockhouse after running out of ammunition, blocking enemy fire while sacrificing his life. He was posthumously honoured as a "First-Class Hero of the Chinese People's Volunteers Army".
In May 1954 45 Div returned from Korea with 15 Corps HQ and renamed as45th Infantry Division'(Chinese:步兵第45师) of the National Defense Force, stationed atHuangpi,Hubei province.
By mid 1954 the division comprised
In May 1958 45th Tank Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment was transferred to29th Infantry Division.
In April 1960 the division was renamed as45th Army Division(Chinese:陆军第45师).
On June 1, 1961, the division was converted to anAirborne Division, renaming itself as45th Airborne Division(Chinese:空降兵第45师). The division was then transferred to theAir Force along with the now15th Airborne Corps.By then the division was composed of:
In July 1967, during theWuhan Incident, 133rd Airborne Regiment, 45th Airborne Division relieved and disarmed the mutinousIndependent Division of Hubei Provincial Military District.
In December 1969 its 325th Artillery Regiment was renamed as Artillery Regiment, 45th Airborne Division.
In 1975 and 1983 all airborne divisions were reduced. In 1983 the division's 133rd Regiment was re-organized as a catalogue B training unit.
In May 1985 the division was reduced to45th Airborne Brigade(Chinese:空降兵第45旅), which consisted of 3 airborne battalions, 1 artillery battalion, 1 anti-tank battalion and 1 anti-aircraft battalion. The brigade was a training unit from 1985 to 1992.
From May 1985 to June 1986 Reconnaissance Company, 45th Airborne Brigade took part in theBattle of Laoshan as a part of 7th Reconnaissance Group.
In 1992 the brigade was expanded to45th Airborne Division again. Since then the division was composed of:
From 2003 the division was converted to anAirborne Mechanized Division, equipping withZBD-03 AIFVs.