131st Division
A former People's Liberation Army infantry division established during the final phase of the Chinese Civil War and disbanded in 1953.
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Overview
The 131st Division was a short-lived infantry formation of the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China. It was formally created in November 1948 under the Central Military Commission's nationwide program for redesignating army organizations and units. The division was formed from the 20th Division of the PLA Northeastern Field Army's 7th Column and became part of the 44th Corps. Its institutional lineage reached back to the 2nd Security Brigade of the Liaoji Military District, which had been organized in December 1946. The division operated during the final stage of the Chinese Civil War, when the Communist forces were reorganizing regional and field-army formations into a standardized corps-and-division structure. Its principal subordinate formations were the 391st, 392nd, and 393rd Regiments. Sources on the unit's lineage state that it participated in several major civil-war battles while operating under the designation or flag of the 132nd Division, indicating that its wartime record is closely connected with the redesignations and organizational transitions of the Northeast and South China field forces. The available reference material does not identify all of those battles by name, so they are not listed individually here. The 131st Division's existence as an army infantry division ended after the Chinese Civil War. Following the disbandment of the 44th Corps, the division was transferred to the Navy in October 1952. This change formed part of the early People's Republic's effort to reassign personnel and headquarters between the army and naval aviation organizations. In February 1953, the division was inactivated. Its headquarters was converted into the headquarters of the 3rd Naval Aviation Division, while the 391st Infantry Regiment was reassigned to the newly established 54th Corps, becoming the 391st Regiment of the 134th Infantry Division. The disposition of the 392nd and 393rd Regiments is not specified in the supplied reference material. Because the 131st Division was a military formation rather than a commercial organization, it had no consumer products, commercial positioning, listed-company status, or operating markets in the ordinary brand sense. Its historical significance lies in its lineage, wartime service, and conversion into successor naval and army structures. The designation is also potentially ambiguous because other military formations have used the number 131; this dossier therefore follows the specified first-formation People's Republic of China article rather than any other unit with the same numerical designation.
History
The lineage of the 131st Division can be traced to the 2nd Security Brigade of the Liaoji Military District, formed in December 1946 during the Chinese Civil War. The brigade's later organizational development took place within the Northeastern Field Army, where units were repeatedly reorganized as the People's Liberation Army consolidated command structures and prepared for large-scale operations. In November 1948, the Central Military Commission issued regulations for the redesignation of army organizations and units. Under this program, the 20th Division of the 7th Column of the PLA Northeastern Field Army was redesignated as the 131st Division. The new formation was assigned to the 44th Corps and consisted of the 391st, 392nd, and 393rd Regiments. The division's lineage and wartime activities therefore reflect a period in which units could undergo several numerical and organizational changes while retaining personnel and institutional connections from earlier formations. During the latter part of the Chinese Civil War, the formation participated in major operations under the flag or designation of the 132nd Division, according to the cited unit-history material. The supplied sources do not provide a complete list of these engagements, and the precise relationship between the 131st Division designation and the 132nd Division designation is best treated as part of the broader sequence of wartime reorganizations rather than simplified into a single uninterrupted identity. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the division remained associated with the 44th Corps until that corps was disbanded. In October 1952, the 131st Division was transferred to the Navy. This reassignment altered the formation's institutional role and prepared the way for its absorption into naval aviation structures. In February 1953, the division was inactivated. The division headquarters was converted into the headquarters of the 3rd Naval Aviation Division, while the 391st Infantry Regiment was transferred to the newly formed 54th Corps and redesignated as the 391st Regiment of the 134th Infantry Division. The supplied references do not document the later disposition of the 392nd and 393rd Regiments. The 131st Division should consequently be understood as a historical military formation rather than a continuing organization or commercial brand. Its main historical importance is its connection to the PLA's wartime field-army system, its incorporation into the 44th Corps, and the postwar redistribution of its headquarters and subordinate regiment into naval and army successor formations.
- 1953
Inactivated and divided among successor organizations
[1]The division was inactivated in February 1953. Its headquarters became the headquarters of the 3rd Naval Aviation Division, and the 391st Infantry Regiment joined the 134th Infantry Division of the 54th Corps.
- 1952
Transferred to the Navy
[1]The division was transferred to the Navy in October 1952 after the disbandment of the 44th Corps.
- 1948
131st Division formally established
[1]In November 1948, the 20th Division of the 7th Column of the PLA Northeastern Field Army was redesignated as the 131st Division under the Central Military Commission's unit-reorganization regulations.
- 1946
Lineage traced to the 2nd Security Brigade
[1]The 2nd Security Brigade of the Liaoji Military District was formed in December 1946, providing an early institutional predecessor in the division's recorded lineage.
Products and positioning
A historical People's Liberation Army infantry division and successor formation within the early post-1949 military reorganization system.
Marketing campaigns
- Chinese Civil War operations
China
The division was involved in several major battles during the final phase of the Chinese Civil War. The supplied references do not identify the engagements individually, and the formation is described as operating under the flag of the 132nd Division during those actions.
Brand decisions
1953
Inactivation and reassignment of subordinate unitsOtherBackground
The division's transfer to the Navy was followed by a further restructuring of its personnel and subordinate formations.
Action taken
The division was inactivated in February 1953. Its headquarters became the headquarters of the 3rd Naval Aviation Division, while the 391st Infantry Regiment was transferred to the 54th Corps and became part of the 134th Infantry Division.
Aftermath
The 131st Division ceased to exist as an independent formation. The available reference material does not specify the later disposition of the 392nd and 393rd Regiments.
1952
Transfer from the army to the NavyStrategyBackground
The 44th Corps was disbanded as part of postwar military restructuring.
Action taken
The 131st Division was transferred to the Navy in October 1952.
Aftermath
The division was subsequently inactivated, and its headquarters was converted into the headquarters of the 3rd Naval Aviation Division.
1948
Redesignation as the 131st DivisionStrategyBackground
The Central Military Commission introduced a broad redesignation framework for army organizations and units during the reorganization of the People's Liberation Army.
Action taken
The 20th Division of the 7th Column of the Northeastern Field Army was reorganized and designated the 131st Division within the 44th Corps.
Aftermath
The formation operated as a three-regiment infantry division during the closing period of the Chinese Civil War.
Recent events
- 1953
131st Division inactivated and reorganized into successor formations[1]
Other
In February 1953, the division was inactivated. Its headquarters became the headquarters of the 3rd Naval Aviation Division, and its 391st Infantry Regiment was transferred to the 134th Infantry Division of the newly formed 54th Corps.
- 1952
Division transferred to the Navy after 44th Corps disbandment[1]
Other
In October 1952, the division was transferred from the army structure to the Navy following the disbandment of the 44th Corps.
- 1948
131st Division established during PLA-wide redesignation program[1]
Other
The 131st Division was formally created in November 1948 from the 20th Division of the 7th Column of the PLA Northeastern Field Army.
Sources2 sources
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