| dc.description.abstract | Chiang Kai-shek, director-general of Kuomintang, decided to retreat to Taiwan after the defeat of the National Army in the mainland China in December 1949. The long-lasting civil war caused considerable damage to personnel, weapons, and military equipment. The then military supplies, oil, and parts and components were particularly scarce; and the combat power was almost exhausted. Given this, it was challenging to control the air and sea dominance of the Taiwan Strait since the communist forces from mainland China might cross the sea to attack Taiwan. As a result, the National Army’s primary task was to reorganize the army and prepare for war with an eye to defending Taiwan’s security, and waiting for the opportunity to counterattack the mainland.
With the outbreak of the Korean War on June 25, 1950, the United States dispatched the Seventh Fleet to assist Taiwan′s security around the Taiwan Strait. According to the “Mutual Defense Agreement between the United States of America and the Republic of China”, the United States established a “U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group on Taiwan,” providing assistance in terms of military build-up and planning, force building, and preparation training, Taiwan Strait security, and military consulting. In response to the Korean War, the National Army continued to attack the islands in the southeastern coastal area of the mainland for the sake of gathering intelligence information and containing the communist forces. Among those, the Tung-shan Island Battle in 1953 was the first and only attack that paratrooper landed on the mainland after the National Army’s retreat to Taiwan. This battle involved the largest force, with a joint amphibious and airborne operation of more than 10,000 personnel from three armed forces.
The reason why the National Army initiated Tung-shan Island Battle was to cooperate with Western Enterprise Inc. to verify its combat capabilities of guerrilla paratroopers; meanwhile, the National Army assigned Hu Lien , Commander of Kinmen Command Headquarters of Defense, to serve as the commander. However, the National Army was defeated in the end. According to the analysis afterward, the main reason for the defeat attributed to the navy and air force could not maneuver both landing troops and paratroopers to the designated battlefield. Thus, they missed the combat schedule and severely affected the performance. As a result, this reason, the army forces could not optimize their strength to carry out an effective attack against the communist army. Therefore, the communist military could take advantage of its terrain to resist and waited for more assistance. Upon the communist army gained additional reinforcements, they were able to fight back and forced the National Army to retreat.
Keywords: Chiang Kai-shek, Hu Lien, Western Enterprises Inc., Tung-shan island, paratrooper | en_US |