Imagine a career in the Peoples Liberation Army in 1952. In 25 years, there had never been a full year of peace. Now you were having to market yourself as a volunteer and fighting on foreign soil. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
Though poorly printed, these stamps do a good job of showing the Chinese soldier as strong and determined. The Chinese had just sent 600,000 plus volunteer soldiers to fight UN forces in Korea, a fight the North Koreans started with Soviet help. It was up to the Chinese to avert military disaster. The long Civil War had just ended with a decisive victory for the communists. It was time to show off what they could do for the simple citizen they claim to champion. Unless another military struggle could be concocted to take the pressure off.
Todays stamp is issue A28, an 800 Yuan stamp issued by the People’s Republic of China on August 1st, 1952. It was a four stamp issue in all the same inflation battered denomination recognizing the 25th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army. According to the Scott Catalog, the stamp is worth $2.50 unused.
The People’s Liberation Army(PLA) was founded in 1927 as the Chinese Workers and Peasants Red Army. In Shanghai there had been a purge of previously allied Communists from the KMT under orders from Chiang Kai-shek. In response army units in Nanchang under communist generals including Chow Enlai rebelled. Most of the KMT Army remained loyal to Chaing and there was a long pursuit of the Red Army. The fact that the Red Army was not caught was in itself a victory and the army became ever more adept at living off the countryside and engaging in guerilla tactics. In 1937, the Red Army officially rejoined the KMT to fight the invaders from Japan. The Red Army however held together in units separated from the KMT.
After World War II the Red Army became officially the PLA. Contact was close with the Soviets and there were large scale transfer of now surplus Soviet weaponry. Notice the artillery pieces on todays stamp are Soviet made 122mm pieces. The PLA did well in the Civil War, winning in 1949. The losses however were over 250,000 dead plus over a million on the KMT side. In a civil war, losses from both sides had to be absorbed.
Though the Chinese had allowed Soviet arms to flow through China to North Korea, when the North invaded the South it was without the Chinese Army. The entirety of the PLA was inside China’s borders. When the tide turned, it seem to surprise the Chinese that the North Koreans would be pursued in defeat into North Korea. The UN forces never crossed the Yalu River forming the border with China even though remnants of the North Korean army did.
China sent at least 600,000 troops into North Korea. Officially they were volunteers. General MacArthur proposed bombing Chinese cities with nuclear bombs to make the Chinese pay the price for getting involved. The USA fired General MacArthur and allowed the fantasy that the Chinese were volunteers to avoid World War III. China was not bombed. After some initial Chinese success using guerilla strategies of which they were expert, the Korean war settled into 2 years of trench warfare very near the old North Korea-South Korea border. The two sides dispute the numbers of Chinese casualties. The Americans claim 1 million while Chinese admit to one third of that. It may be that the Chinese number is more accurate. American Generals tend to promote high opponent losses to burnish their career and make it seem the war is successful. The Chinese point to the fact that it was a serious crime to misreport information to Chinese leadership. The fact is though that losses were high and the Chinese people had to again put off the bounty the communists had promised them.
Well my drink is empty, and I will pour another for the PLA veteran on todays stamp. The guns finally fell silent in 1953 and I hope he got his fair share of the communist bounty due him. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.