Quote:
Originally Posted by Olefin
the 2nd Para on the other hand is a completely invented unit as far as I can find - there was no real Chinese 2nd Para Division
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Chinese airborne divisions were under PLA Air Force control. the Chinese 15th Airborne Corps was a 35,000 strong force of 3 airborne divisions (43rd, 44th, 45th). There were other airborne regiments or brigades that may have equalled a division in size but I cant get a unit number for it.
When the Soviets invaded China this would have been a strategic reserve to be used against Soviet forces. They would have been better quality troops than the average PLA division but they were lightly armed. At some point the PLA would have sent them against advancing Soviet forces, were they would likely have been chewed to pieces by better equipped Soviet forces in the meat grinder that was the Soviet-Chinese War. Maybe the PLA raised more airborne divisions to replace them as I doubt any of them would have survived at division strength after a year or more of fighting.