Wang Yaowu commander of the 2nd pacification zone and governor of Shandong (POW) Chen Yi commander-in-chief, Eastern China Field Army Su Yu deputy commander and political commissar Xu Shiyou Shandong Corps commander Tan Zhenlin deputy political commissar of the Eastern China Field Army, chief political commissar of Shandong The Battle of Jinan[1] was a critical engagement fought between the Kuomintang (KMT or Chinese Nationalist Party) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from September 16 to September 24, 1948, during the Chinese Civil War.

[4] The defenders of Jinan had become isolated in the summer of 1948, when the communist Eastern China Field Army commanded by Chen Yi captured the railway line south of the city.

[3][independent source needed] The outer ring was fortified by a four-ply line of pillboxes, barbed wire, and a newly dug 3-meter wide moat.

[additional citation(s) needed] General Wu Huawen (Chinese: 吴化文; pinyin: Wú Huàwén) was in charge of the outer ring of defenses.

[3][verification needed] Most of Wu's troops had fought on the Japanese side during the Second Sino-Japanese War and were integrated into Su Yu's forces immediately.

[5] After the outer ring of defenses was lost due to Wu's defection, communist forces launched a bloody assault on the historical city center.