Battle of Yijiangshan Islands

Overview

The Battle of Yijiangshan Islands occurred during the First Taiwan Strait Crisis in January 1955 when the People's Republic of China (PRC) attacked and captured the islands from the Republic of China (ROC). The loss of the Yijiangshans forced the ROC to abandon the Dachen Islands to the PRC. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) considers the battle as its first joint operation.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Yijiangshan Islands was fought during the First Taiwan Strait Crisis and resulted in the PRC capturing the islands from an ROC garrison of approximately 1,100 troops facing a PLA force of around 10,000. The loss of the Yijiangshans directly forced the ROC to abandon the Dachen Islands as well, representing a contraction of ROC-held territory along the mainland coast. For the PLA, the battle holds doctrinal significance as its first recognized joint operation, marking an early attempt to coordinate combined-arms or multi-service forces in an offensive amphibious context within the broader Chinese Civil War.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)