Korean War (抗美援朝)

Currently Playing: How the PLA Became Complicated in Just Five Years

In 1950, the People's Liberation Army was still, at heart, a revolutionary land army built around light infantry. A few years later, it had military ranks, dozens of branches and specialties, railroad troops, searchlight troops, technical officers, naval aviation, a separate Air Defense Force, and one of the most elaborate uniform systems in Chinese military history. What happened? This episode examines one of the fastest institutional transformations in PLA history. Between the end of the Chinese Civil War and the introduction of the Type 55 uniform system, the PLA attempted to reinvent itself along Soviet lines, building the ranks, services, branches, schools, and administrative structures of a modern military almost overnight. Along the way, we'll look at: • The revolutionary PLA of the early 1950s • The impact of the Korean War on Chinese military thinking • Soviet influence on PLA organization • The creation of new services, branches, and specialties • The famous Type 55 uniform system • Why military uniforms suddenly became so complicated • Searchlight troops, railroad troops, veterinary officers, and other forgotten corners of the 1950s PLA The Type 55 uniform wasn't complicated because somebody in Beijing liked complicated uniforms. The uniforms got complicated because the PLA itself suddenly became very complicated. Support the channel and join the PLAtrons on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/type56 #PLA #MilitaryHistory #China #ColdWar #KoreanWar #ChineseHistory #SovietUnion #Uniforms #Type55 #PeoplesLiberationArmy