40th Group Army
The 40th Group Army was a People's Liberation Army formation that served in different organizational forms from 1949 until its reported disbandment in 2017.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The 40th Group Army was a military formation of the People's Liberation Army of China. It was established in 1949 and remained active, in changing organizational forms, until 2017. In its later existence it was associated with the Shenyang Military Region and subsequently the Northern Theater Command. Unlike a commercial brand, it had no consumer products, public shareholders, or ordinary market operations; its institutional identity derived from its role within China's armed forces. The formation is principally associated with the People's Volunteer Army's intervention in the Korean War. During that conflict, the 40th Army included the 118th, 119th, and 120th Divisions. On 25 October, the 118th Division ambushed the 3rd Infantry Battalion of the Republic of Korea's 6th Division. The engagement destroyed the South Korean unit as an organized force and is identified in historical accounts as an early combat action involving Chinese forces in the war. The 40th Army also fought United States forces near the Chongchon River, attacking the 9th and 38th Infantry Regiments of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division northeast of Kunu-ri. The unit also became associated with the Chinese government's response to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. In May of that year, the army's 118th Infantry Division and Artillery Brigade were deployed to Beijing during the imposition of martial law. Their deployment formed part of the military operation used to suppress the protests. This episode is a major and politically sensitive part of the formation's documented history. Over subsequent decades, the 40th Army underwent the broader restructuring and renaming processes that affected the People's Liberation Army's field formations. Its later institutional affiliation was first with the Shenyang Military Region and, following the 2016 theater-command reforms, the Northern Theater Command. The formation ceased to exist in its previous form by 2017. Public reference material does not establish a commercial successor brand, a private owner, or a current operating entity under the same name.
History
The 40th Group Army was a formation of the People's Liberation Army that existed in different forms from 1949 until 2017. Its history is connected to the post-revolutionary reorganization of Chinese ground forces and to several major episodes in the modern military and political history of the People's Republic of China. The formation's best-documented combat service occurred during the Korean War, when it operated as part of the People's Volunteer Army. The 40th Army consisted of the 118th, 119th, and 120th Divisions. On 25 October, the 118th Division ambushed the 3rd Infantry Battalion of the Republic of Korea's 6th Division. The attack destroyed the South Korean battalion as an organized fighting force. The 40th Army subsequently fought United States forces in the area northeast of Kunu-ri, attacking the 9th and 38th Infantry Regiments of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division along the Chongchon River. These operations placed the formation among the Chinese units involved in the opening phase of the People's Volunteer Army's intervention in the conflict. The army later acquired a controversial domestic-security role. During the demonstrations that began in Beijing in 1989, the 118th Infantry Division and an artillery brigade belonging to the 40th Army were sent to the capital in May. The deployment took place as the government imposed martial law and prepared to end the protests by force. The formation's participation in this deployment is part of the historical record surrounding the suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. In its later organizational history, the 40th Group Army was associated with the Shenyang Military Region. China's 2016 military reforms replaced the previous regional command structure with theater commands, and the formation was subsequently linked to the Northern Theater Command. The group army was ultimately disbanded or reorganized out of existence by 2017. Available reference material does not provide a definitive account of every intermediate reorganization, commander, subordinate unit change, or successor formation, so those details are not expanded here. The name now primarily denotes a historical military formation rather than a current institution or commercial identity.
- 2017
End of the formation's former identity
[1]The 40th Group Army was no longer active under its previous identity after the People's Liberation Army's restructuring.
- 2016
Association with the Northern Theater Command
[1]Following China's theater-command reforms, the formation was associated with the Northern Theater Command.
- 1989
Deployment during the Tiananmen protests
[1]The 118th Infantry Division and an artillery brigade were deployed to Beijing during martial law and the suppression of the protests.
- 1950
Service in the Korean War
[1]The 40th Army operated within the People's Volunteer Army and included the 118th, 119th, and 120th Divisions.
- 1950
Combat near the Chongchon River
[1]The army attacked elements of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division northeast of Kunu-ri along the Chongchon River.
- 1949
Formation of the 40th Army
[1]The formation was established as a People's Liberation Army army and remained active in changing forms until 2017.
Products and positioning
A historical People's Liberation Army field formation rather than a commercial brand.
Controversies
1989
Role in the suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests
The 40th Army's 118th Infantry Division and Artillery Brigade were deployed to Beijing during martial law and the military suppression of the 1989 protests, making the formation part of the historical record of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Marketing campaigns
- 1989Beijing martial-law deployment
Beijing, China
Elements of the 40th Army were deployed to Beijing during the government's enforcement of martial law and suppression of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
Outcome. The deployment formed part of the military operation that ended the protests by force.
- 1950Korean War operations
Korean Peninsula
As part of the People's Volunteer Army, the 40th Army participated in operations against South Korean and United Nations forces. Its documented actions included the 118th Division's ambush of the Republic of Korea's 6th Division and attacks near the Chongchon River.
Brand decisions
2016
Transition to the theater-command structureStrategyBackground
China reorganized its military command system, replacing the former military-region arrangement with theater commands.
Action taken
The 40th Group Army became associated with the Northern Theater Command during the restructuring period.
Aftermath
The formation was subsequently disbanded or reorganized out of existence by 2017.
Recent events
- 2017
40th Group Army ceases to exist in its previous form[1]
Other
The formation was reported as active in various forms from 1949 to 2017 and was no longer operating under its former group-army identity after the People's Liberation Army's organizational reforms.
- 1950
40th Army formations participate in the Korean War[1]
Other
The 40th Army served as part of the People's Volunteer Army. Its 118th Division, together with the 119th and 120th Divisions, took part in operations against United Nations and South Korean forces, including fighting near the Chongchon River.
Sources1 sources
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