The Chinese Red Army, formally the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army( zh, labels=no, t=中國工農紅軍) or just the Red Army( zh, labels=no, t=紅軍), was the military wing of the
Chinese Communist Party
The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
(CCP) from 1928 to 1937. It was formed when Communist elements of the
National Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; zh, labels=no, t=國民革命軍) served as the military arm of the Kuomintang, Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, or KMT) from 1924 until 1947.
From 1928, it functioned as the regular army, de facto ...
splintered and mutinied in the
Nanchang Uprising. The Red Army was reincorporated into the
National Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; zh, labels=no, t=國民革命軍) served as the military arm of the Kuomintang, Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, or KMT) from 1924 until 1947.
From 1928, it functioned as the regular army, de facto ...
as part of the
Second United Front
The Second United Front ( zh, t=第二次國共合作 , s=第二次国共合作 , first=t , l=Second Nationalist-Communist Cooperation, p=dì èr cì guógòng hézuò ) was the alliance between the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Co ...
with the
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
to fight against the
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...
during the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
of 1937–1945. In the later stages of the
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...
the Red Army splintered off once again and was renamed the
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...
.
History
Formation (late 1920s)
In the summer of 1927, the CCP took over the two divisions of the
Chinese Nationalist Party
The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the sole ruling party of the country during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until its relocation to Taiwan, and in Taiwan ruled under ...
forces and led a military mutiny. Nationalist forces General
He Long commanded the 20th Corps to join them. They had a total of 20,000 soldiers and planned to occupy
Guangzhou
Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
. However, they were defeated before they reached Guangzhou with only a few thousand men surviving the battle.
Zhu De
Zhu De; (1 December 1886 – 6 July 1976) was a Chinese general, military strategist, politician and revolutionary in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Zhu was born into poverty in 1886 in Sichuan. He was adopted by a wealthy uncle at ...
led a column of survivors to
Hunan
Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...
to fight in the
Autumn Harvest Uprising where they were defeated again. After the revolt,
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...
organized the rebels into a guerilla army, establishing a
revolutionary base area
In Mao Zedong's original formulation of the military strategy of people's war, a revolutionary base area (), or simply base area, is a local stronghold that the revolutionary force conducting the people's war should attempt to establish, starti ...
in the
Jinggang Mountains.
The two armies joined forces in the following year. In the winter of 1927, the CCP planned to conquer Guangzhou; however, the uprising failed and thousands of insurgents were killed by the Nationalist forces of General
Li Jishen.
Between 1928 and 1929, the CCP launched multiple uprisings.
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...
and
Zhu De
Zhu De; (1 December 1886 – 6 July 1976) was a Chinese general, military strategist, politician and revolutionary in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Zhu was born into poverty in 1886 in Sichuan. He was adopted by a wealthy uncle at ...
led the organization and training of the Communist military,
including the Fourth Army, which totaled about 6,000 men in the summer of 1928 and fought in
Jiangxi
; Gan: )
, translit_lang1_type2 =
, translit_lang1_info2 =
, translit_lang1_type3 =
, translit_lang1_info3 =
, image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg
, mapsize = 275px
, map_caption = Location ...
. Also in the summer of 1928,
Peng Dehuai
Peng Dehuai (October 24, 1898November 29, 1974; also spelled as Peng Teh-Huai) was a Chinese general and politician who was the Minister of National Defense (China), Minister of National Defense from 1954 to 1959. Peng was born into a poor ...
, the Nationalist forces Regimental Commander, led a military mutiny. A
Nanchang uprising survivor, He Long, also created an army in his hometown, with former government soldiers as the main fighting force.
In the late 1920s, the Communist forces lacked resources and relied on guerilla tactics such as hit-and-run operations to compensate for their material limitations.
In late 1929, the Fourth Army organized the Gucheng Uprising and the establishment of
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
administrations, peasant organizations, and militias.
Early success (early 1930s)
In early 1930, more red armies were created and the number of red soldiers grew rapidly. By the summer of 1930, the Chinese Red Army had grown to more than 100,000 soldiers and had several base areas, such as in southern and northern Jiangxi, western
Hubei
Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...
, and eastern Hunan, among others.
Peng Dehuai's Fifth Army and
Yang Youlin's 16th Red Army attacked and occupied
Changsha
Changsha is the capital of Hunan, China. It is the 15th most populous city in China with a population of 10,513,100, the Central China#Cities with urban area over one million in population, third-most populous city in Central China, and the ...
, the capital of Hunan. After the attack, Jiangxi became the largest base area of the Chinese Red Army. In the autumn of 1930,
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping also Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Teng Hsiao-p'ing; born Xiansheng (). (22 August 190419 February 1997) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's R ...
's Seventh Army left its base area in
Guangxi
Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
.
In 1931, the Chinese Red Army defeated the Nationalist forces three times with a large-scale attack, causing the Nationalist forces to lose nearly 100,000 soldiers. Several smaller red armies came together and formed a group army. In the summer of 1931, General
Zhang Guotao arrived at the Fourth Red Army's base area and took over the army. Most of the Fourth Red Army's senior officers were killed by him, including
Xu Jishen,
Zhou Weijiong, and Xiaofang. Similar movements also occurred in western Hubei; in the spring of 1931,
Xia Xi
Xia Xi (; 17 August 1901 – 28 February 1936), also known as Man Bo () and Lao Xia (), was an early leader of the Chinese Communist Party and a member of the 28 Bolsheviks.
Biography
Xia was born in Yiyang, Hunan Province. He studied at ...
took over He Long's army and killed most of his senior officers including
Duan Dechang.
In the fall of 1932, the Nationalist forces gathered 300,000 soldiers to attack the Fourth Red Army. Most of the Nationalist forces' future generals participated in this battle such as
Huang Wei,
Du Yuming,
Sun Li-jen
Sun Li-jen ( zh, t=孫立人 , s=孙立人 , p=Sūn Lìrén, first=t; December 8, 1900November 19, 1990) was a Kuomintang, Chinese Nationalist (KMT) General officer, general, a graduate of Virginia Military Institute in the United States, bes ...
, and others. Having lost more than half of its soldiers, the Fourth Red Army was defeated and had to retreat from its base area. He Long's Third Army also sustained significant loses, with more than 10,000 soldiers losing their lives after leaving western Hubei. During this time, there were also several battles between the Nationalist forces and Jiangxi's First Red Army.
In the spring of 1933, the First Red Army defeated the Nationalist forces' fourth large-scale attack and eliminated two and a half of its elite divisions. Several of the Nationalist forces' generals were also captured. In 1933, the Fourth Red Army arrived at
Sichuan
Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...
and recruited more than 80,000 soldiers. This caused Sichuan's warlord
Liu Xiang to gather 200,000 troops to attack the Fourth Red Army in autumn.
Defeats (mid 1930s)
In 1934, the Nationalist forces purchased new German weapons and launched a fifth large-scale attack on the Red Army's base area in Jiangxi. The First Red Army lost more than 50,000 soldiers in this battle and had to leave Jiangxi to establish a new base. This was the beginning of the
Long March
The Long March ( zh, s=长征, p=Chángzhēng, l=Long Expedition) was a military retreat by the Chinese Red Army and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from advancing Kuomintang forces during the Chinese Civil War, occurring between October 1934 and ...
. About 30,000 soldiers were left to defend the base areas in southern China. During the same time, the Fourth Red Army defeated
Liu Xiang's attacks, who lost more than 80,000 soldiers in battle. Before the First Red Army began the Long March,
Xiao Ke's Sixth Legion arrived at eastern Guizhou and joined forces with
He Long's Third Army. After this, the Third Army changed its designation to Second Legion.
In the autumn of 1935, the First Red Army arrived in northern
Shaanxi
Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
with only 6,000 soldiers after losing more than 80,000 along the way. During this same time, the Fourth Red Army moved to northern
Sichuan
Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...
and planned to attack
Chengdu
Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...
. By the end of 1935, they had lost more than 40,000 soldiers and were defeated. Therefore, they were forced to move to southern
Gansu
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
and wait for
He Long's Second Legion and Sixth Legion to arrive.
Formation of a new Army (late 1930s)
In the summer of 1936, the Second Legion, the Sixth Legion and the Thirty-Second Army formed a new group army. It was named the Second Red Army and He Long was tasked with being its commander. The Second Red Army and Fourth Red Army arrived in north
Shaanxi
Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
in the autumn of 1936. Around the same time, roughly 21,000 soldiers from the Fourth Red Army attacked Gansu, wanting to find a way to the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. By the end of 1936, they were defeated by the Nationalist forces' General
Ma Bufang, with more than 6,000 soldiers being captured. Only
Xu Xiangqian
Xu or XU may refer to:
Surnames
* Xu (surname 徐) ( ''Xú'')
* Xu (surname 許) (/ ''Xǔ'')
* Xu (surname 胥) ( ''Xū'')
The Tone (linguistics), tones of these surnames are different in Mandarin, but if the tone diacritics are omitted then eac ...
and other senior officers survived. Because of this great failure, the Fourth Red Army's Commander in Chief
Zhang Guotao was stripped of his military power.
When the
anti-Japanese war broke out on 7 July 1937, the communist military forces were nominally integrated into the
National Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; zh, labels=no, t=國民革命軍) served as the military arm of the Kuomintang, Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, or KMT) from 1924 until 1947.
From 1928, it functioned as the regular army, de facto ...
of the
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, forming the
Eighth Route Army
The Eighth Route Army (), officially titled as the List of Army Groups of the National Revolutionary Army, 18th Group Army, was a Field army, group army nominally under the banner of the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of Ch ...
and the
New Fourth Army
The New Fourth Army (N4A) () was a military unit nominally under the banner of the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of China, established in 1937 as part of the Second United Front against Japan.
However, in practice, the New ...
units. The First Red Army was integrated into the 115th Division of the Nationalist forces. The Second Red Army was integrated into the 120th Division of the Nationalist forces. The Fourth Red Army was integrated into the 129th Division of the Nationalist forces. These three divisions had 45,000 soldiers in all. 10,000 soldiers were left to defend the base areas in northern
Shaanxi
Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
. In southern China, the
New Fourth Army
The New Fourth Army (N4A) () was a military unit nominally under the banner of the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of China, established in 1937 as part of the Second United Front against Japan.
However, in practice, the New ...
's 10,000 soldiers acted as a guerrilla force. At the time of the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
, these two armies contained one million armed men. The Red Army grew rapidly during the war,
At the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Red Army had 2 million militia members and 900,000 regular troops.
Re-organization into People's Liberation Army
In 1947, the Red Army was reorganized into the People's Liberation Army.
It continued to operate as a guerilla army reliant on the support of the peasantry.
By the time the People's Republic of China was established on 1 October 1949, the PLA had 5.5 million personnel, primarily light infantry.
After the Communist Party assumed power in 1949, veterans of the Red Army were venerated in
mainland Chinese
Mainland Chinese or mainlanders are Chinese people who live in or have recently emigrated from mainland China, defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) except for Hong Kong ( SAR of the PRC), Macau (SAR of the PRC) ...
culture and are distinguished from those who joined to fight with the Communist Party after the integration with the Nationalists, or during the second civil war.
In 1954, the relationship between the Party and the military was further institutionalized by the establishment of the
Central Military Commission Central Military Commission may refer to:
*Central Military Commission (China), the highest national defense organization in the People's Republic of China.
*Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the highest body in Vietnam ...
.
Major events
* 1 August 1927:
Nanchang Uprising
* 1927:
Autumn Harvest Uprising
* 1927:
Guangzhou Uprising
* 1930 to 1931:
First Encirclement Campaign
* 1931:
Second Encirclement Campaign
* July 1931:
Third Encirclement Campaign
* 1932 to 1933:
Fourth Encirclement Campaign
* 1933 to 1934:
Fifth Encirclement Campaign
* 1934 to 1936:
Long March
The Long March ( zh, s=长征, p=Chángzhēng, l=Long Expedition) was a military retreat by the Chinese Red Army and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from advancing Kuomintang forces during the Chinese Civil War, occurring between October 1934 and ...
Political and ideological roles
In the view of the Communist Party, participation of the masses in the Red Army was significant beyond the direct concerns of manpower and material support.
It was also viewed as a political process through which the masses would evolve into "masters of the state."
According to Mao, "
e Red Army is not an entity for fighting only. Its major task (or function) is to mobilize the masses. Fighting is only a means."
This process involved the Red Army's significant responsibility for educating, organizing, and mobilizing the masses, functioning like the mobile embodiment of the Communist Party in addition to its military roles.
Academic Cai Xiang writes that the Red Army's ability to function in this way helps explain why despite the weak industrial base in revolutionary China, a
proletarian
The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian or a . Marxist philo ...
party nonetheless successfully developed.
These ideas developed at the 1929
Gutian Congress The June 1930 Program for the Red Fourth Army at All Levels and the winter 1930 Provisional Regulations on the Political Work of the Chinese Workers and Peasants Army (Draft), which formally established Party leadership of the military.
In the article ''The Democratic Movement within the Army''
, written during the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
, Mao Zedong discussed the Red Army's political work and stated, "Through the
democratic movement under centralized leadership, we were able to achieve a high degree of political unity, improve lives, and improve military technology and tactics, which are our three main purposes."
This view of democracy in the military emphasized
democratic centralism
Democratic centralism is the organisational principle of most communist parties, in which decisions are made by a process of vigorous and open debate amongst party membership, and are subsequently binding upon all members of the party. The co ...
and avoiding what the Party deemed "extreme democracy
or
anarchism
Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...
."
Main leadership
Main leadership of the Red Army headquarters
In May 1933, the Chinese Red Army began to build a military regularization system. They established the Red Army headquarters on the front line to command operations.
Commanders of group armies
The Chinese Red Army often claimed they had three group armies, although, by 1931, the Second Red Army was much smaller than the other two.
Main leadership of base areas
In 1930, the Chinese Red Army had established several base areas. Though the designations of the Red Army changed frequently, the main leadership of base areas did not change significantly.
})
, Died in 1937
, -
, Wu Xianxi ( zh, labels=no, c=吴先喜)
, Died in 1937
, -
, rowspan="4", Western
Jiangxi
; Gan: )
, translit_lang1_type2 =
, translit_lang1_info2 =
, translit_lang1_type3 =
, translit_lang1_info3 =
, image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg
, mapsize = 275px
, map_caption = Location ...
and Eastern
Hunan
Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...
, rowspan="4", 1930 - 1934
,
Ren Bishi
Ren Bishi (; 30 April 1904 – 27 October 1950) was a military and political leader in the early Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In the early 1930s, Ren commanded the Fifth Red Army and was a central figure in the Hunan-Jiangxi Soviet, but he ...
,
, -
,
Wang Zhen
,
, -
,
Xiao Ke
,
, -
,
, Died in 1936
, -
, rowspan="5", Western
Anhui
Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...
, Eastern
Hubei
Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...
, and Southern
Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
, rowspan="5", 1930 - 1932
,
Zhang Guotao
,
, -
,
Xu Jishen
, Died in 1931
, -
,
Xu Xiangqian
Xu or XU may refer to:
Surnames
* Xu (surname 徐) ( ''Xú'')
* Xu (surname 許) (/ ''Xǔ'')
* Xu (surname 胥) ( ''Xū'')
The Tone (linguistics), tones of these surnames are different in Mandarin, but if the tone diacritics are omitted then eac ...
,
, -
,
Chen Changhao
,
, -
,
Shen Zemin
, Died in 1933
, -
, rowspan="4", Western
Hubei
Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...
, rowspan="4", 1930 - 1932
,
He Long
,
, -
,
Zhou Yiqun
, Died in 1931
, -
,
,
, -
,
Xia Xi
Xia Xi (; 17 August 1901 – 28 February 1936), also known as Man Bo () and Lao Xia (), was an early leader of the Chinese Communist Party and a member of the 28 Bolsheviks.
Biography
Xia was born in Yiyang, Hunan Province. He studied at ...
, Died in 1936
, -
, rowspan="4", Northern
Sichuan
Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...
, rowspan="4", 1933 - 1935
, Zhang Guotao
,
, -
, Xu Xiangqian
,
, -
, Chen Changhao
,
, -
,
,
, -
, rowspan="3", Northern
Shaanxi
Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
, rowspan="3", 1932 - 1937
,
Liu Zhidan
, Died in 1936
, -
,
Xie Zichang
, Died in 1935
, -
,
Xi Zhongxun
Xi Zhongxun ( Chinese: 习仲勋; pinyin: ''Xí Zhòngxūn;'' 15 October 1913 – 24 May 2002) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and politician who played a significant role in the history of the People's Republic of China. He served ...
,
, -
, rowspan="1", Eastern
Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
, rowspan="1", 1930 - 1931
,
,
, -
, rowspan="5",
Guangxi
Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
, rowspan="5", 1930 - 1932
,
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping also Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Teng Hsiao-p'ing; born Xiansheng (). (22 August 190419 February 1997) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's R ...
,
, -
,
Zhang Yunyi
,
, -
,
, Died in 1931
, -
,
, Died in 1930
, -
,
Wei Baqun
, Died in 1932
, -
, rowspan="2",
Hainan
Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
, rowspan="2", 1930 - 1932
, Wang Wenming ( zh, labels=no, c=王文明)
, Died in 1930
, -
,
Feng Baiju
,
Personnel
Military rebellion
In the early phases of its establishment, most of the Chinese Red Army's military officers were made up of former officers of the Nationalist forces, with most of them joining the Red Army secretly between 1925 and 1928. Many of these officers were killed in the first years of the war. The largest rebellion was the
Ningdu Uprising which occurred in the winter of 1931. General , head of the 26th Route Army of the
National Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; zh, labels=no, t=國民革命軍) served as the military arm of the Kuomintang, Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, or KMT) from 1924 until 1947.
From 1928, it functioned as the regular army, de facto ...
and his 17,000 soldiers were the first to join the First Red Army. After the uprising, the
Nationalist Party strengthened its control over the army, making launching a military rebellion more difficult. Despite this, General
Zhang Guotao, who regarded the former officers of the Nationalist forces with disdain, lead an attack in the summer of 1931 which killed more than 2,500 of the Fourth Red Army's middle and senior officers who originated from the Nationalist forces.
Ranks and titles
The Chinese Red Army had no ranks. Officers and soldiers were considered equal. Early on, the officers were elected by the soldiers; however, during the later parts of the war this system was eliminated. From regiment to army, the command system at each level had four commanders: commander, political commissar, chief of staff, and director of political department, with the political commissar holding the most power.
Recruitment
Red Army recruitment efforts often involved mass meetings and competitions between different villages, counties, or mass organizations on the basis of which could supply the most recruits.
Women's Organizations were mobilized to provided support to the dependents of Red Army soldiers and to prevent women from "pulling on
heir menfolk'stails" to forestall their enlistment.
Coerced recruiting was explicitly forbidden.
Military education
As the number of former officers of the Nationalist forces that made up the Red Army decreased throughout the war, the Red Army began to develop military education for the new officers who were formerly farmers. Each base area established its own military academies, usually using captured enemy officers as teachers. The enterprise was very successful, and by 1936 most of the Red Army's military officers were former farmers.
Purges
In 1931, commanders determined that there were a number of spies in the Red Army. This issue became particularly prevalent when the First Red Army's Chief of Staff Zhu Yunqing was assassinated by a spy in a hospital. After this, each Red Army began to judge and execute the officers and soldiers who were suspected. In 1931, the First Red Army executed about 4,000 men. The Fourth Red Army and Third Red Army also executed thousands of officers, especially senior officers.
Militia
Typically a Red Army's base area was surrounded by enemy forces. To protect the base area from enemy attack, the Red Army recruited red guards. The red guards were commanded by officers of the local
soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. When large-scale war broke out, the red guards were responsible for the logistical support of the Red Army and supplied new soldiers for the Red Army. For example, in the winter of 1932,
Xiao Ke's Eighth Army had 2,200 red soldiers and 10,000 red guards. The red guards' officers were not always loyal. In the spring of 1933, one of the red guards' officers killed 29th Army's commander Chen Qianlun and surrendered to the Nationalist forces.
Organization
Usually each Chinese Red Army's army or legion had three or two infantry divisions. Each division has three infantry regiments and one mortar company. In different time the number of one division's soldiers is different. In the beginning every division had about 1000 or 2000 men. From 1933 to 1936, one
division usually had about 5000 or 6000 men.
1928
After several uprisings, the Chinese Red Army had several armies in the summer of 1928.
1930
The Chinese Red Army became stronger than before and during the summer of 1930.
})
, 3000
, -
, 20th Army
, Hu Shaohai ( zh, labels=no, c=胡少海)
, 1500
, -
, rowspan="3",
Hunan
Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...
, 5th Army
,
Peng Dehuai
Peng Dehuai (October 24, 1898November 29, 1974; also spelled as Peng Teh-Huai) was a Chinese general and politician who was the Minister of National Defense (China), Minister of National Defense from 1954 to 1959. Peng was born into a poor ...
, 4000
, -
, 8th Army
,
He Changgong
, 5000
, -
, 16th Army
, Hu Yiming ( zh, labels=no, c=胡一鸣)
, 2000
, -
, rowspan="2",
Hubei
Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...
, 4th Army
,
He Long
, 2000
, -
, 6th Army
,
Duan Dechang
, 8000
, -
, rowspan="1",
Anhui
Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...
, 1st Army
,
Xu Jishen
, 2100
, -
, rowspan="1",
Zhejiang
)
, translit_lang1_type2 =
, translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese)
, image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg
, image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains
, image_map = Zhejiang i ...
, 13th Army
,
, 3000
, -
, rowspan="1",
Jiangsu
Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...
, 14th Army
,
, 700
, -
, rowspan="2",
Guangxi
Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
, 7th Army
,
Zhang Yunyi
, 6000
, -
, 8th Army
,
, 1000
1932
In the summer of 1932, the Chinese Red Army had formed three main forces before the Fourth Encirclement Campaign.
1934
The Chinese Red Army had nearly 200,000 men in the winter of 1934.
1936
Most of Chinese Red Army had arrived in northern Shaanxi by autumn 1936. Only a minority of them stayed in southern China.
})
, 1200
, -
, rowspan="1", Eastern
Fujian
Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
, rowspan="1", Eastern Fujian Military Command
, Independent Division
,
Ye Fei
, 1000
, -
, rowspan="1", Northern
Fujian
Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
, rowspan="1", Northern Fujian Military Command
, Independent Division
, Huang Ligui ( zh, labels=no, c=黄立贵)
, 3000
, -
, rowspan="1", Southern
Zhejiang
)
, translit_lang1_type2 =
, translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese)
, image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg
, image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains
, image_map = Zhejiang i ...
, rowspan="1", Southern Zhejiang Military Command
, Independent Division
,
Su Yu
, 1600
Equipment
Rifles
The Chinese Red Army's weapons were all captured from the enemy army, with the most important and useful weapon being the rifle. In the winter of 1934, the First Red Army's twelve divisions had 72,300 soldiers and 25,300 rifles. Compared to the First Red Army, the Fourth Red Army had more rifles which allowed it to recruit many new soldiers in Sichuan. However, the local forces lacked rifles. In the summer of 1934, 's Seventh Legion had 6,000 soldiers but only 1,200 rifles, which lead to the Seventh Legion's quick defeat when they attempted to attack
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian, China. The city lies between the Min River (Fujian), Min River estuary to the south and the city of Ningde to the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up the Eastern Min, Mindong linguistic and cultural regi ...
.
Machine guns
Every Red Army regiment typically had one machine gun company, with every company having six or more machine guns. The machine gun equipment rate of the Red Army was no less than that of the Nationalist forces' elite troops. This was one of the important reasons why the Red Army was able to defeat the Nationalist forces on many occasions. The most common machine guns were the
MG08,
ZB vz. 26,
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, and
Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun
The Mle 1914 Hotchkiss machine gun chambered for the 8mm Lebel cartridge became the standard machine gun of the French Army during the latter half of World War I. It was manufactured by the French arms company Hotchkiss et Cie, which had been ...
.
Cold weapons
Due to the lack of rifles, the Chinese Red Army was forced to use cold weapons such as broadswords, spears, sabres, and other melee implements. In particular, most of the soldiers from the Red Army's militia troops were armed with cold weapons at all times. In the autumn of 1930, Zeng Zhongsheng commanded 30,000 red guards who were armed with cold weapons. Despite the overwhelming numbers of red soldiers, 1,000 opposing troops armed with rifles were able to defeat Zeng Zhongsheng's forces.
Submachine guns
The Chinese Red Army used various types of
submachine guns
A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an automa ...
from
Thompsons to
MP 18
The MP 18 is a German submachine gun designed and manufactured by Theodor Bergmann, Bergmann Waffenfabrik. Introduced into service in 1918 by the German Army (German Empire), German Army during World War I, the MP 18 was intended for use by the ' ...
s. They were captured from the Nationalist forces.
Artillery
The Chinese Red Army made use of artillery seized from the enemy forces. Most of the time the Red Armies only had mortars, with typically every army having three to five mortars. During the summer of 1930,
Peng Dehuai
Peng Dehuai (October 24, 1898November 29, 1974; also spelled as Peng Teh-Huai) was a Chinese general and politician who was the Minister of National Defense (China), Minister of National Defense from 1954 to 1959. Peng was born into a poor ...
's Fifth Army captured four 75mm
mountain guns in Yuezhou, but they lacked the required ammunition.
Aircraft
In the spring of 1931, the Fourth Red Army captured a Nationalist forces' reconnaissance aircraft in eastern Hubei. The pilot, Long Wenguang, joined the Red Army and assisted them in attacking the enemy army. Before the Fourth Red Army retreated from its base area, the aircraft was concealed by local farmers and was found again in 1951. The First Red Army also captured two reconnaissance aircraft in 1932.
See also
*
Outline of the Chinese Civil War
*
Outline of the military history of the People's Republic of China
Notes
References
{{Authority control
Military units and formations established in 1928
1928 establishments in China
Military history of China
History of the Chinese Communist Party
Military organizations associated with the Chinese Communist Party
Chinese Communist Revolution