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The Tachen Islands are located north of Taiwan off the coast of Chekiang/Zhejiang Province. The Nationalists maintained control of the islands after the Communist victory on the Mainland. The Nationalists governed the islands as the capital of Chekiang Province. As other islands fell to the Communists, the Natiionalists built up their defenses and managed to hold on to the Tachen Islands. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) began a military buildup along the coast facing the islands (January 1955). Communist forces on the Chinese mainland threatening the Nationalist stronghold for several weeks. The Nationalists wanted to maintain control of the islands, but the United States to help defuse tensions in the Taiwan Straits wanted the Nationalists to withdraw. The withdrawl began days after the U.S. Senate voted to ratify the Nationalist Chinese-American defence treaty which committed the Unites States to defend the Nationalists on Taiwan. The Nationalists then agreed to the evacuation. It occured during the First Taiwan Strait Crisis. The United States Seventh Fleet deployed 132 boats and 400 aircraft to evacuate 14,500 civilians, 10,000 military personnel, and 4,000 guerrilla fighters (February 1955). The U.S. Navy also removed 40,000 tons of military equipment and supplies. The PLA did not interfere with the evacuation, but didcfire on American patrol aircraft. The PLA occupied the islands 3 days after it was completed.
The Tachen Islands are located north of Taiwan off the coast of Chekiang/Zhejiang Province. The Nationalists/Republic of China (ROC) maintained control of several the islands after the Communist victory on the Mainland because the PRC had virtually mo naval capability. Gradually the Communists seized the offshore islands, the most important being Hainan Island. The Tachen Islands were one of the groups the Nationalists held. The islands had little importance other than Shanghai, China's most important port was located to the north. The economy was agricultural and pastoral. Fishjing had been important, but made difficult because of the military situatiom. The Nationalists governed the islands as the capital of Chekiang Province. As other islands fell to the Communists, the Natiionalists built up their defenses and managed to hold on to the Tachen Islands. The islands were entirely unknown to the American public.
The Nationalists continued to insist that they would regain control of mainland China. This of course meant a renewed military campaign. President Truman and his advisors saw this as a dream--an unrealizable goal. At the same time the issue of losing China to international Communism had become a major political issue in America. President Truman was sharoly criticized by the Repoublicans for losing China. And the issue of 'unleashing' Chiang Kai-shek entered the political debate. The Truman Administration used the 7th Fleet to separate the Nationalists and Communists. In reality the Nstionslists did not have the capability to retake the Mainland, but could launch small-scale attacks. Republican President Dwight Eisenhower won the 1952 presidentioal election. He was a World War II war hero and soon after becoming president lifted the 7th Fleet's blockade on ROC military operations. The fact thst no sigioficant operations ensued showed how limited the ROC's military capability was.
Both the Communists and Nationalists were spoiling for a fight. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) began a military buildup along the coast facing the Nationalist off-shore islands. The Nationalists placed 58,000 troops on Quemoy and 15,000 troops on Matsu (August 1954). The islands were important because they were inbetween Tawan and the coast. The ROC Nationalists began building defensive positions and the PLA began shelling Quemoy. Premier Zhou Enlai, the second most important fifure in the PRC publically announced that Taiwan must be "liberated" (August 11, 1954). The United States warned against attacking Taiwan. The PLA conducted a heaving shelling of Quemoy (September 3). Thgey further escalzted by bombing the Tachen Islands (November). This all occured within the conteke of the recebt Korean war and Commuinist initiatives in Southeast Asia. The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff recommended the use of nuclear weapons against mainland China (September 12). President Eisenhower rejected the recommendation and also refused to involve Ameriucan combst troops. The United States snd the Nationalists signed a mutual defense treaty which applkied to Taiwan but not the small islands along the Chinese mainland (December 2).
The Yijiangshan Islands were two small islands, the Northern Yijang and the Southern Yijiang Island. They were very close to coast and the Tachen Islands to the north. The islands had no real value other than they were located close to the mainland coast. , and the region is approximately 1.2 square kilometers in area. Due to its strategic location near the coast of Zhejiang. The Nationalists turned the islands into a forward base for launching guerrilla attacks on mainland China. The islands were not vital for the defense of Taiwan because they were located some distance north of Taiwan. This also meant that they could not be easily defended by the ROC forces. Their first major People's Liberation Army move was to attack the nearby Yijiangshan Islands.
The PRC struck with a massive force(January 18, 1955). The small ROC garison resisted, inflicting casualties on the first wave of invaders. The ROC did not intervene with air and naval support. PRC air and naval forces hammered the the ROC defensive positions. And thus the invading force overwealmed the invaders. The major importance of the battle was that it showed the Nationalists the futility of defending small isolated island garrisons close to the coast at some distance from Taiwwabn itself.
Communist forces on the Chinese mainland threatening the Nationalist stronghold for several weeks. The ROC Tachen garrison was larger than the Yijiangshan garison. If the Nationalists had resisted, there would have been a larger battle, but the outcome would have been little different given the force thast the PLA could bring to bear.
The Nationalists wanted the United States 7th Fleet to support their efforts to defend the Tachen Islands. While the Nationalists wanted to maintain control of the islands, the United States saw an evacuatuin of the islands which had little strategic importance would defuse tensions in the Taiwan Straits. Essentially involved separating two combatabts. The PLA did not have the capability to cross the Strreaits, but the Tachen Islands were much closer to the coast. And the United States had a powerful too to convince the Nationalists-- negotiatuions over the Nationalist Chinese-American defence treaty. Until this tiome there had been no formal American commitment to defend Taiwan. And with the 7th Fleet supporing the ROIC, the PLA could not invade.
The United States after the PLA intervened in Korea (November 1950), deployed the 7th Fleet in the Taiwan Straits. This essentially meant they could not invade Taiwan. The PLA at the time had a very limited naval and air component. Gradually the PLA increased their military capability adding important air and naval units. The Soviet Union provided modern aor craft in this effort. It would have been sufficent to launch an assault on Taiwan, but not with the 7th Fleet patroliong the Straits. While the United States deployed 7th Fleet in the Straits, there was no formal commiment. After the end of the Korean War, the Nationalists pushed for a formal American commitment. This may not have happened if Communist leaders had not sent the PLA into Korea. But there was considerable support for the Nationalists and the Korean experience created considerable annimosity toward Communist China. The Senate finally ratified the Treaty (February 9, 1955.
The Nationalist evacuation began days after the U.S. Senate voted to ratify the Nationalist Chinese-American defence treaty which committed the Unites States to defend the Nationalists on Taiwan. The Nationalists then agreed to the evacuation. The United States Seventh Fleet deployed 132 boats and 400 aircraft to evacuate 14,500 civilians, 10,000 military personnel, and 4,000 guerrilla fighters (February 1955). The U.S. Navy also removed 40,000 tons of military equipment and supplies. The PLA did not interfere with the evacuation, but did fire on American patrol aircraft. The PLA occupied the islands 3 days Tachen was evacuated.
Given the huge press fervor attacking President Truman for losing Truman or keeping Chianf Kai-shek on a lease, there was very little American reporting on the evacuarion of the Tachen Islands. Instrad the press lsargelyu focused on Quemoy and Matsu, island the PLA continued to shell for somne time.
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