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21°33′N112°12′E / 21.55°N 112.20°E /21.55; 112.20
| Battle of Nanpeng Island | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theCross-Strait conflict | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Republic of China |  People's Republic of China | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 421 soldiers | More than 1,000 soldiers | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Entire army killed or captured | Light casualties | ||||||
TheBattle of Nanpeng Island (Chinese:南鵬島戰鬥) was fought between theChinese Nationalists and theChinese Communists. AfterGuangdong fell into communist hands, a detachment of the Nationalist troops held out on Nanpeng Island ofYangjiang. This remnant of the Nationalist forces proved to be a major headache the Communists because the island is strategically located between the Pearl River mouth and theQiongzhou Strait, controlling the shipping line that was vital to the local economy.
The Communists decided to rid of the Nationalist forces and take the island. In the morning of August 9, 1950, the third battalion of the 364th regiment of the 41st Army of thePeople's Liberation Army attacked the island. After two hours of fighting, the entire Nationalist garrison of Nanpeng Island of 421 was lost and the island was firmly in the Communist hands. The Communists succeeded in capturing one motorized vessel, twentyjunks, one artillery piece, tenmachine guns, and another 194 firearms.
The Nationalists did not have any chance against the overwhelming enemy because the island is located too far away from any friendly bases. In the event of breaking out of the battle, no Nationalist reinforcement could reach the island in time. The local commanders had repeatedly asked the permission to withdraw toTaiwan but their pleas were ignored due to political reasons because holding out at the enemy's doorstep far away from any friendly bases had very significant symbolic meaning, but in doing so, the fate of the local defenders was sealed.
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