The People's Republic of China has one of the largest, if not the largest army in the world, yet not all that much is known about it. Part of this is due to a reticence of China to divulge anything about its military over the years and some of this is due to the seemingly inexplicably long titles that are given to units. These titles also seem to change with some regularity as the tasks of these various entities are changed.

Not surprisingly, the current PLA is what was developed from Mao Tse Tsung's red army of the 1930s and WWII. Once the Kuomintang were ousted from mainland China onto Formosa, the Chinese army had to be properly organized and trained. They started with quite a mixture of weapons and equipment, much left over from the US or the Japanese. The PLA was also divided into several major sections including one that served as a national police force, one for border protection, as well as one that served as a regular standing army. There was also a rather large reserve force that was frequently called in when needed to take care of local disasters or to help in specific campaigns.

Though initially dependent on the Soviets for equipment and training, the PLA eventually broke away from this and found several border disputes with the Soviets. The Cultural Revolution also caused chaos as ranks disappeared and the military was not very, well, military. However, this is all part of the past as are the many conflicts with Vietnam and the issues with India as well as their invasion of Nepal (which the book is rather silent in mentioning).

However, the Elite series of books is not really an in-depth look at things, but more of a uniforms, units, and personal equipment book. The author provides a basic historical background as well as a look at the ever-changing organizaton of the PLA. We get to see what has made the Chinese army what it is today and we get a very good look at how it is currently organized. Each of the major sections is covered so that their purpose, both civil and military are known to the reader.

In all, it makes for a very interesting look into the PLA today and is a book that I found to offer insights that I had not considered. It is a book I enjoyed reading and am sure you will as well.  

March 2013

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