Huaihai Campaign

The Huaihai campaign (Chinese: 淮海戰役; pinyin: Huáihǎi Zhànyì), or Battle of Hsupeng (traditional Chinese: 徐蚌會戰; simplified Chinese: 徐蚌会战; pinyin: Xúbèng Huìzhàn), was the second of the three major campaigns that was fought between the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the Chinese Civil War. The campaign started when the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the CCP launched a major offensive against KMT forces operating between the city of Xuzhou and Huai River areas on 6 November 1948, and ended on 10 January 1949 with the destruction or surrender of major KMT forces in the region.

The Huaihai campaign was the most important campaign of the Chinese Civil War as it resulted in the heaviest losses of KMT forces. Following the end of the campaign, the CCP had captured a vast area of territories north of the Yangtze River and threatened the defence of Nanjing, Shanghai and Wuhan directly.