Office of the Historian

893.00/1–2149: Telegram

The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State

Nanking, January 21, 1949—11 a. m.
[Received 6:41 p. m.]

165. In East China battle Hsuchow–Pengpu area and North China battles Kalgan, Nankou, Huailai and Tientsin Nationalists lost [Page 477] through defection, capture and combat two armies with 80% US equipment totalling 35,000 men, two armies with 50% US equipment totalling 35,000 men, two armies with 15% US equipment totalling 30,000 men and approximately 20 armies without US training or equipment totalling 321,000 men.

In addition, now trapped in Peiping and presumably in process or on verge of surrender are 1 army and 3 divisions with at least 85% US equipment totalling 78,000 men and other units or elements of units lacking US equipment or training totalling 74,000 men.

Over-all losses in equipment and military stores impossible to figure since nobody Chinese or American knows even table of equipment virtually any Chinese unit, let alone what they actually have. Size of any given unit also varies most widely. Following statistics on US equipment in 2nd army group may furnish yardstick for wild guess. This group had 5 armies, one of which considered 85% US equipped and one 50%. US equipment included thirty-nine 105-howitzer; twelve 75-howitzer; fourteen 4.2-mortar; ten 590 rifles; 10,456 sub-machine guns (45 caliber); 193 heavy machine guns; 72 rocket launchers; 55 flame throwers; seven hundred and sixty-eight .60-mortars; one hundred and thirteen .81 mortars; forty-nine command cars; fifty-three weapons carriers; two hundred and seven 2 and ½ ton trucks; and 4 ambulances. Isolated known equipment losses are about 1,000 miscellaneous vehicles left behind when Hsuchow evacuated and six 105-howitzer and fifty 75-howitzer in Tientsin.

Air losses include four F–51; five B–25; seven Mosquitos; six C–46’s; one B–24; and three trainers. These figures are only ones solidly available but a better idea rate of attrition probably given by period from September 15 to November 23 during which CAF15 lost 71 aircraft mostly through air field crashes. No information on losses in petroleum products.

Above data are from Military Attaché16 and answer Deptel 1527, November 2, 194817 and 29, January 8, 1949.

Stuart
  1. Chinese Air Force.↩
  2. Brig. Gen. Robert H. Soule, U.S.A.↩
  3. Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. viii, p. 185.↩