79th Group Army
The 79th Group Army, Unit 31671, formerly the 39th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Force. The 79th Group Army is one of thirteen total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces in the People's Republic of China, and one of three assigned to the nation's Northern Theater Command.
History
The 79th Group Army can trace its lineage to the Chinese Red Army's 15th Legion. It was involved in the Chinese Civil War, most notably the Liaoshen campaign and Pingjin campaign.In 1949 the 15th Legion was renamed to the 39th Army Corps
The army corps was a military formation of the People's Volunteer Army. It comprised the 115th, 116th, and 117th Divisions.
The 39th Army Corps was deployed to the Korean War in 1950.
After the ceasefire, it was placed under the command of the Shenyang Military Region and was stationed in the Liaodong Peninsula.
In 1985, it was re-organized into the 39th Group Army.
In 2016, it was reassigned to the Northern Theater Command Ground Force, and in April 2017 it was renamed to the 79th Group Army
Organization
In 2023, the 79th Group Army was composed of:- 4 armored brigades
- 1 mechanized infantry brigade
- 1 infantry brigade
- 79th Special Forces Brigade "Amur Tigers"
- 1 artillery brigade
- 1 engineering brigade
- 1 Chemical defense brigade
- 1 helicopter brigade
- 1 air defense brigade
- 1 Service support brigade