Battle of Dongshan Island

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Date	May 11, 1950 - May 11, 1950
Location	Dongshan Island, Fujian, China
Result	Communist victory

Combatants

National Revolutionary Army

People's Liberation Army

Commanders

Strength

5,000

14,000

Casualties

2,044

Minor

The battle of Eastern Mountain (Dongshan, 东山) Island (东山岛战斗) was a battle fought between the nationalists and the communists during the Chinese Civil War for the control of the Eastern Mountain (Dongshan, 东山) Island at the southern tip of Fujian, China, and resulted in communists taking the island from the nationalists.

Order of battle:

Defenders: nationalist order of battle:
- The 17th Army
Attackers: communist order of battle:
- The 91st Division of the 31st Army
- The 94th Division of the 32nd Army

After Zhangzhou-Xiamen Campaign, more than 5000 troops of the nationalist 17th Army retreated to Eastern Mountain (Dongshan, 东山) Island of Fujian, and the nationalists used the island as a steppingstone to launch raids against the mainland. The 91st Division of the 31st Army and the 94th Division of the 32nd Army of the People's Liberation Army launched the assault to take the island on May 11, 1950 with the help of three artillery battalions. After 10 hours of fighting, the nationalist fled the island after suffering 2,044 fatalities on land, and the island was firmly in the communist hands.

The communist victory was a result of lessons learned from previous battles with the nationalists for the control of coastal islands, such as the Battle of Kuningtou, the Battle of Denbu Island, and the Battle of Nan'ao Island, which illustrated the necessity of massing absolute numerically and technical superior force in order to achieve success for the attackers. As a result, the attackers outnumbered the defenders nearly three to one, and the victory was secured.

The nationalist defenders, on the other hand, also learned from their previous experience in that a steppingstone at the enemy’s doorsteps might serve as a good political and propaganda showpiece, it was really impractical to hold on forever at all cost. Instead, when the situation permitted, it was wise to withdraw in order to save the strength for the future fights. Therefore, although the nationalists lost the island, the defeat cannot be viewed as a total failure because more than half of the troops were saved, being able to successfully escape the enemy onslaught and fight for another day. Furthermore, the abandonment of Eastern Mountain (Dongshan, 东山) Island meant that other offshore islands could be better protected because the nationalist force was not as overstretched as before, and the nationalists could concentrate their force to strengthen their positions for better defense or even counterattack in greater scale, as shown three years later in the Dongshan Island Campaign, when they attacked this very same island previously abandoned by themselves.