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The 180th Division was a military formation of the People's Volunteer Army (Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) or Chinese Communist Forces (CCF)) during the Korean War with a standard strength of approximately 10,000 men. It was a component of the 60th Army. Before the Korean War it was stationed in Chengdu, Szechuan.
During what the Chinese call the 5th campaign (22 April 1951 – 10 June 1951), the CPV suffered its largest loss during the war: the 180th Division of the 60th Army was totally destroyed. Roughly 3,000 men escaped earlier (including the division commander and other high-ranking officers), but the majority of the division were killed or captured. During the final days of the 5th campaign, the main body of the 180th Division was encircled during a UN counterattack, and after a few days of hard fighting, the division was fragmented, and regiments fled in all directions. Soldiers either deserted or were abandoned by their officers during failed attempts to wage guerilla warfare without support from locals. Finally, out of ammunition and food, some 5,000 soldiers were captured. The division commander and other officers who escaped were subsequently investigated and demoted back in China.[1][2]
Most of those captured from the 180th Division were sent to Koje Island, 25 miles southwest of Pusan, including the Division Commissar Pei Shan.
Current[]
The current status of the unit is unknown.
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The original article can be found at 180th Division (People's Republic of China) and the edit history here.