127th Mechanized Infantry Division (People's Republic of China)
The 127th Combined Arms Brigade is the primary maneuver element of the 82nd Group Army in the Central Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and is its sole infantry division as of present.
127th Combined Arms Brigade | |
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![]() Shield of The 127th Combined Arms Brigade "The Iron Army" | |
Active | Before Wuchang Uprising 12 November 1924 - 1 July 1925 (as The Cantonese Nation Building Army 建国粤军, of Sun Yat-sen's Army and Navy Marshal stronghold of the Republic of China) |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | People's Liberation Army Ground Force |
Type | Army |
Role | Combined arms operations |
Part of | 83rd Group Army |
Garrison/HQ | Henan, Luoyang, Central Theater Command Ground Force |
Nickname(s) | The Iron Division "鐵軍" |
Patron | Ye Ting Fourth Army (National Revolutionary Army) |
March | Invincible Iron Fist "無敵的鐵拳" |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Chen Yi, Lin Biao, Su Yu, Wang Kaixiang, Yang Chengwu, Yang Dezhi, Liang Xingchu, Zhang Wannian, Ye Ting |
The 127th Combined Arms Brigade is one of the most famous and best-equipped PLA formations. Its three main regiments, the 371st, 379th, and 380th, are all Red Army Infantry Regiments. The 379th regiment is the famed Ye Ting independent regiment, a nationalist armored train unit that was once commanded by Dr Sun Yat-Sen, with Zhou Enlai as its political commissar, during the 1911 Xinhai Revolution. The "Iron Army" title was an honor for its Armored Train roots. The 379th is also the regiment that formed the basis of the forces that fought KMT allies in the victory at the 1935 Battle of Luding Bridge.
See also
- Republic of China Marine Corps, where the 77th Marine Brigade and the 99th Marine Brigade also claim a legacy with the NRA Fourth Army, with the nicknames "Iron Vanguard" (Chinese: 鐵衛) and "Iron Army/Iron Force" (Chinese: 鐵軍), respectively.