China, The decisive year, 1948

The year 1948 was the turning point. In central China, Communist armies of 500,000 men proved their ability to fight major battles on the plains and to capture, though not always hold, such important towns on the Lung-hai as Lo-yang and K'ai-feng. In North China they encircled T'ai-y�an, the capital of Shansi; took most of Chahar and Jehol, provinces on Manchuria's western flank; and recaptured