90th Division
The 90th Division was a short-lived Chinese People's Liberation Army infantry division formed in 1949 and inactivated in 1950 for reorganization as the 4th Aviation Brigade.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The 90th Division was an infantry formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) during the final phase of the Chinese Civil War. It was the first formation to use the 90th Division designation in the People's Republic of China military lineage identified by the cited reference. The unit was established in February 1949 under the Central Military Commission's regulation on the redesignation of army organizations and units, issued on November 1, 1948. Its immediate institutional predecessor was the 36th Brigade of the 12th Column of the PLA Huadong Field Army, a formation that had been created in July 1948. The division was assigned to the PLA's 30th Army. Its principal documented role was participation in the Chinese Civil War under the 90th Division designation. Available reference material does not provide a detailed operational chronology, battle list, command roster, headquarters location, equipment profile, or casualty figures, so those details are not supplied here. The division's known order of battle consisted of the 268th Regiment, 269th Regiment, and 270th Regiment. The formation had a brief institutional existence. In July 1950, it was inactivated and reorganized as the 4th Aviation Brigade. This reorganization marked a change from an infantry division structure to an aviation formation rather than a continuation of the division as an active infantry unit. Accordingly, the 90th Division is best understood as a historical military formation and lineage designation, not as a commercial brand, company, or consumer-facing organization. The available sources do not establish a continuing organization operating under this name after the 1950 reorganization.
History
The 90th Division was formed in February 1949 during the People's Liberation Army's large-scale reorganization and redesignation of units in the closing period of the Chinese Civil War. The institutional basis of the division was the 36th Brigade of the 12th Column of the PLA Huadong Field Army. That predecessor brigade had been formed in July 1948. The transition to division status followed a Central Military Commission regulation on the redesignation of army organizations and units, issued on November 1, 1948. After its creation, the 90th Division became part of the PLA's 30th Army. The available historical account records that it participated in the Chinese Civil War, but does not identify specific engagements, geographic deployments, commanders, or detailed operational achievements. The division's documented wartime structure comprised three regiments: the 268th Regiment, the 269th Regiment, and the 270th Regiment. No reliable source in the supplied materials provides further unit-level detail about battalion organization, artillery, logistics, or personnel strength. The division's existence as an infantry formation ended in July 1950. It was inactivated and reorganized as the 4th Aviation Brigade. This transformation occurred during the early development of the People's Republic of China's military aviation capabilities and represents the principal documented turning point in the unit's history. The reorganization means that the 90th Division should not be treated as an active contemporary PLA division. The supplied references also do not indicate that the 90th Division designation was restored after this first formation. Because the source material is limited, the unit's complete operational history, command succession, locations, and relationship to later formations cannot be established with confidence. The distinction in the canonical title—90th Division, first formation, People's Republic of China—is important because other military organizations may have used similar numerical designations.
- 1950
Inactivated and reorganized as the 4th Aviation Brigade
[1]In July 1950, the infantry division was inactivated and its organization was converted into the 4th Aviation Brigade.
- 1949
90th Division established
[1]The 90th Division was created in February 1949 from the 36th Brigade of the 12th Column of the Huadong Field Army.
- 1949
Assigned to the 30th Army
[1]Following its formation, the division served as part of the Chinese People's Liberation Army's 30th Army and participated in the Chinese Civil War.
- 1948
Predecessor brigade formed
[1]The 36th Brigade of the 12th Column of the PLA Huadong Field Army, the formation from which the 90th Division was later created, was established in July 1948.
- 1948
Redesignation regulation issued
[1]The Central Military Commission issued a regulation on the redesignation of army organizations and units on November 1, 1948, providing the framework for the subsequent formation of the division.
Products and positioning
A historical PLA infantry formation associated with the 30th Army during the Chinese Civil War; not a commercial brand.
Brand decisions
1950
Conversion from infantry division to aviation brigadeStrategyBackground
The PLA ended the 90th Division's existence as an infantry formation in July 1950.
Action taken
The division was inactivated and reorganized as the 4th Aviation Brigade.
Aftermath
The 90th Division ceased to operate under that designation, while its organizational successor became an aviation brigade.
Sources2 sources
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