74th Group Army
military unit in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China
The 74th Group Army (Chinese: 第七十四集团军; pinyin: Dì Qīshísì Jítuánjūn), Unit 31661, formerly the 42nd Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF). The 74th Group Army is one of thirteen total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces in the People's Republic of China, and one of two assigned to the nation's Southern Theater Command.
History
During the Korean War, the Army was part of the People's Volunteer Army (Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) or Chinese Communist Forces (CCF)) XIII Army Group. It was composed of the 124th, 125th, and 126th Divisions.
During the Korean War, the 42nd Army was commanded by Lieutenant General Wu Ruilin.
Major CPV forces did not enter Korea until the night of Oct. 16, 1950, when the 124th Division, of the 42nd Army of the XIIIth Army Group crossed the Yalu River opposite Manp'ojin. On the 16th it started on foot from Manp'ojin, marching southeast through Kanggye and Yudam-ni to Hagaru-ri. From there its advanced elements proceeded to the point south of the Changjin Reservoir where they met the ROK 26th Regiment on 25 October. The remainder of the division moved up to the point of contact and joined in the battle near Sudong against the U.S. 1st Marine Division troops that replaced the ROK 26th Regiment.
The public source identifies “74th Group Army” as military unit in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around 74th, Group and Army.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “74th Group Army”, the useful work is to connect “military unit in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5970007. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1950.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “74th Group Army”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 74th Group Army primary sources, 74th Group Army archive and 74th research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “74th Group Army”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “74th Group Army” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.