Battle of Guningtou

Battle of Kinmen
Battle of Kuningtou
Part of the Cross-Strait conflict

Today's Kinmen County, ROC (Taiwan) (red) off the coast of Mainland China (light grey), relative to the rest of Taiwan (dark gray, in inset). Greater Kinmen (Quemoy) is the largest red highlighted island.
Date25 October 1949 - 27 October 1949
Location
Result Republic of China (Taiwan) victory
Belligerents
Republic of China (Taiwan) People's Republic of China
Commanders and leaders
Chiang Kai-shek
Tang En-Po
Hu Lien
Hiroshi Nemoto
Mao Tse-Tung
Chen Yih
Su Yü
Yeh Fei
Strength
  • ROC Army
    • ~40,000 garrisoned
      mainly from the
      • 12th Army Corps
      • 22nd Army Corps
      • 5th Army
    • Reinforcements during the battle.
  • ROC Air Force
    • Close Air Support
  • ROC Navy
    • Naval support and logistics
  • PLA ground forces
    • 19,000 infantry from the
      • 3rd Field Army
        • 28th Army Corps
        • 29th Army Corps
    • (9,086 actually landed in Kinmen)
    • Artillery support from Mainland Hokkien
  • PRC Maritime Militia
    • 200 Landing Vessels (mostly confiscated fishing boats)
    • ~2000 Boatmen and Porters
Casualties and losses
1,267 killed
1,982 wounded
3,873 killed
5,175 captured

The Battle of Kinmen (Chinese: 金門戰役), also known as the Battle of Kuningtou (Chinese: 古寧頭之役) or the Battle of Guningtou, was fought in October 1949 on the island of Kinmen (Quemoy), located in the Taiwan Strait, during the final stages of the Chinese Civil War.

The battle resulted in a decisive victory for the Republic of China (ROC) forces and marked a significant turning point in the civil war. The defeat of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forces not only preserved Kinmen under ROC control, but also effectively halted CCP plans for an immediate invasion of Taiwan. This victory ensured the survival of the Republic of China government on Taiwan and reshaped the strategic landscape of the Taiwan Strait.