Chinese Civil War types of war

Though this was a Limited War for the Nationalists and a Guerilla War for the Communists, combining the two fronts created a Civil War; more specifically the Chinese Civil War.

- Guerilla War: Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat in which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes, raids, etc.) to combat a larger and less mobile formal army
- Limited War: Military conflict that is fought with objectives short of the total occupation or destruction of an enemy. Also utilizing much but not all of an army’s usable resources.

Limited War for the Nationalists under the command of Chiang Kai-Shek/ Jiang Jieshi
Examples:
- Battle of Tiananmen- (August 17th, 1945) Chiang Kai-Shek wanted to simultaneously take out both the problem of the warlords and the Communists. But he realized that he had a limited number of men, materials, and transportation abilities. This did not allow him to deploy his troops with success. This ended up as a victory for the Communists.
- Lanzhou Campaign- (August 9th-August 27th, 1949) Was a series of battles fought between the Nationalist and Communist parties in China. They fought for ultimate control of the largest city in NW China. The nationalists used limited resources against the communists throughout this engagement.

Guerilla War for the Communists under the command of Mao Zedong
Examples:
- Nanchang Uprising- (August 1st, 1927) Communist forces successfully occupied Nanchang and escaped from the siege of Kuomintang forces by August 5, 1927 withdrawing to the Jinggang Mountains of Western Jiangxi, using the land to their advantage in true guerilla fashion. The day of August 1, 1927 was later regarded as the anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army. It is regarded as the first action fought against the Kuomintang. First Communist event of the Chinese Civil War; countering the Anti-communist purges.
- Guangzhou Uprising- (December 11th, 1927) This was a failed communist uprising in the southern Chinese town of Guangzhou. The Communist political leaders ordered communist militia and red guard workers to rise against the Nationalists. The reason for this failed attempt was because of lack of materials on the part of the communists. The communists had many disadvantages that allowed them to easily be taken down.
- Battle of Yiwu- (March 29th- May 7th, 1950) also called the Battle to Defend Yiwu by the Communist Party of China, and resulted in the communist victory. After the local nationalist commanders in Xinjiang defected to the communist side, there were many nationalists loyal to Chiang Kai-shek refused to join the communists, and one detachment of these loyal nationalists decided to take the town of Yiwu to turn it into a nationalist guerrilla base in order to fight on until the eventual return of Chiang.