From 1949 into 1950, the Chinese Communist Party and its army the PLA planned for the invasion of Taiwan, 100 miles off the Chinese mainland. Reeling from the devastating loss at the Battle of Kinmen in October 1949 - a loss that Mao Zedong called the greatest loss the PLA suffered in the Chinese Civil War - the Communist party realized that conquering Taiwan would require a step above anything they had done before. It would have been one of the biggest amphibious military expeditions ever carried out in human history - with nearly a third of China’s total military force dedicated to the Taiwan campaign. 0:36 - The problems associated with invading Taiwan 1:13 - The 4 preconditions to invading Taiwan 2:18 - The preparations towards the invasion 3:32 - Complications 5:15 - A large setback 5:58 - Changing the plan 6:42 - Conclusions Music: Birds by Silent Partner from YouTube Audio Library