Eighth Route Army


The Eighth Route Army, officially known as the 18th Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China, was a group army under the command of the Chinese Communist Party, nominally within the structure of the Chinese military headed by the Chinese Nationalist Party during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
The Eighth Route Army was created from the Chinese Red Army on September 22, 1937, when the Chinese Communists and Chinese Nationalists formed the Second United Front against Japan at the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, as World War II is known in China. Together with the New Fourth Army, the Eighth Route Army formed the main Communist fighting force during the war and was commanded by Communist party leader Mao Zedong and general Zhu De. Though officially designated the 18th Group Army by the Nationalists, the unit was referred to by the Chinese Communists and Japanese military as the Eighth Route Army. The Eighth Route Army wore Nationalist uniforms and flew the flag of the Republic of China and waged mostly guerrilla war against the Japanese, collaborationist forces and, later in the war, other Nationalist forces. The unit was renamed the People's Liberation Army in 1947, after the end of World War II, as the Chinese Communists and Nationalists resumed the Chinese Civil War.
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The Eighth Route Army consisted of three divisions. During World War II, the Eighth Route Army operated mostly in North China, infiltrating behind Japanese lines, to establish guerrilla bases in rural and remote areas. The main units of the Eighth Route Army were aided by local militias organized from the peasantry.
The Communist Party's liaison offices in cities under Nationalist control such as Chongqing, Guilin and Dihua were called Eighth Route Army Offices.
Ethnic Koreans who fought in the Eighth Route Army later joined the Korean People's Army, the Communist army of North Korea in the Korean War.
Norman Bethune, a Canadian doctor and communist, served with the Eighth Route Army.

Organization

1937

In August 1937 the Eighth Route Army had three divisions.
DivisionCommanderOrder of battleCommanderTroop strength
115th DivisionLin Biao 343th BrigadeChen Guang 15,000
115th DivisionLin Biao 344th BrigadeXu Haidong 15,000
115th DivisionLin Biao Independent RegimentalYang Chengwu 15,000
120th DivisionHe Long 358th BrigadeLu Dongsheng 14,000
120th DivisionHe Long 359th BrigadeChen Bojun 14,000
120th DivisionHe Long Teaching RegimentalPeng Shaohui 14,000
129th DivisionLiu Bocheng 385th BrigadeWang Hongkun 13,000
129th DivisionLiu Bocheng 386th BrigadeChen Geng 13,000
129th DivisionLiu Bocheng Teaching RegimentalZhang Xian 13,000

1940

In Winter 1940 the Eighth Route Army had already 400,000 soldiers.
DivisionCommanderOrder of battleCommanderTroop strength
115th DivisionChen Guang 1st Teaching BrigadePeng Mingzhi 70,000
115th DivisionChen Guang 2nd Teaching BrigadeZeng Guohua 70,000
115th DivisionChen Guang 3rd Teaching Brigade
Western Shandong Military Region		Yang Yong 70,000
115th DivisionChen Guang 4th Teaching Brigade
Western Lake Military Region		Deng Keming 70,000
115th DivisionChen Guang 5th Teaching BrigadeLiang Xingchu 70,000
115th DivisionChen Guang 6th Teaching Brigade
Shandong and Hebei Military Region		Xing Renfu 70,000
115th DivisionChen Guang Southern Shandong Military RegionZhang Guangzhong 70,000
Shandong ColumnZhang Jingwu 1st BrigadeWang Jian'an 51,000
Shandong ColumnZhang Jingwu 2nd BrigadeSun Jixian 51,000
Shandong ColumnZhang Jingwu 3rd BrigadeXu Shiyou 51,000
Shandong ColumnZhang Jingwu 5th BrigadeWu Kehua 51,000
Shandong ColumnZhang Jingwu 1st DetachmentHu Qicai 51,000
Shandong ColumnZhang Jingwu 4th DetachmentZhao Jie 51,000
Shandong ColumnZhang Jingwu 5th DetachmentWang Bin 51,000
120th Division
Western and Northern Shanxi Military Region		He Long 1st Independent Brigade
4th Military Subarea		Gao Shiyi 51,000
120th Division
Western and Northern Shanxi Military Region		He Long 2nd Independent Brigade
2nd Military Subarea		Peng Shaohui 51,000
120th Division
Western and Northern Shanxi Military Region		He Long 358th Brigade
3rd Military Subarea		Zhang Zongxun 51,000
120th Division
Western and Northern Shanxi Military Region		He Long 2nd Shanxi Youth Column
8th Military Subarea		Han Jun 51,000
120th Division
Western and Northern Shanxi Military Region		He Long Cavalry DetachmentYao Zhe 51,000
129th DivisionLiu Bocheng Taihang Mountain Military SubareaLiu Bocheng 56,000
129th DivisionLiu Bocheng 386th Brigade
Taiyue Mountain Military Subarea		Chen Geng 56,000
129th DivisionLiu Bocheng Southern Hebei Military SubareaChen Zaidao 56,000
Shanxi, Hebei and Chahaer Military RegionNie Rongzhen 1st Military SubareaYang Chengwu 100,000
Shanxi, Hebei and Chahaer Military RegionNie Rongzhen 2nd Military SubareaGuo Tianmin 100,000
Shanxi, Hebei and Chahaer Military RegionNie Rongzhen 3rd Military SubareaHuang Yongsheng 100,000
Shanxi, Hebei and Chahaer Military RegionNie Rongzhen 4th Military SubareaXiong Botao 100,000
Shanxi, Hebei and Chahaer Military RegionNie Rongzhen 5th Military SubareaDeng Hua 100,000
Shanxi, Hebei and Chahaer Military RegionNie Rongzhen 3rd Column
Middle Hebei Military Region		Lv Zhengcao 100,000
Shanxi, Hebei and Chahaer Military RegionNie Rongzhen Advanced DetachmentXiao Ke 100,000
Shaanxi Left Behind CorpsXiao Jinguang 385th BrigadeWang Weizhou 22,600
Shaanxi Left Behind CorpsXiao Jinguang 359th BrigadeWang Zhen 22,600
Shaanxi Left Behind CorpsXiao Jinguang 1th Security BrigadeWen Niansheng 22,600
Shaanxi Left Behind CorpsXiao Jinguang Security CommandGao Gang 22,600
Others2nd Column
Hebei, Shandong and Henan Military Region		Yang Dezhi 50,000
Others4th ColumnPeng Xuefeng 50,000
Others5th ColumnHuang Kecheng 50,000