After the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the First, Second, and Fourth Fronts of the Red Army and the Northwest Red Army of the Red Army were reorganized into the Eighth Route Army, and with the development and growth of the contingent, the Eighth Route Army has successively set up many new unit formations, such as columns, new brigades, independent regiments, and so on.
Commander of the First Column of the Eighth Route Army- Xu Xiangqian
After the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in order to facilitate the unified command of the Eighth Route Army and local armed forces in the Shandong region, in May 1939, the superior ordered Xu Xiangqian (then deputy commander of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army) in southern Hebei and Zhu Rui in southeastern Jin, respectively, to take a small detachment and outstanding cadres drawn from the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army and the First Branch of the Kang Da to Shandong day and night. On August 1, Xu Xiangqian and Zhu Rui took up their posts as commanders and political commissars of the 1st Column of the Eighth Route Army, and unified command of the Eighth Route Army troops in Shandong and northern Jiangsu north of the Yellow River (under the jurisdiction of the Shandong troops of the 115th Division and the Shandong Column).
Xu Xiangqian, born in 1901 in Yong'an Village, Wutai County, Shanxi Province, was admitted to the Whampoa Military Academy (Phase I) in April 1924, participated in the Eastern Expedition to Chen Jiongming, and after graduation was sent to Feng Yuxiang's position as an instructor, staff officer, and regimental deputy of the 6th Brigade of the Second Army of the Nationalist Army, after which he was deeply dissatisfied with the situation of the warlord troops and left the Nationalist Army to return to his hometown.
In November 1926, Xu Qianqian went to Wuhan to serve as an instructor of the Nanhu Cadet Corps, and then successively served as the deputy commander of the Red 31st Division, the deputy commander of the Red First Army and the commander of the Red 1st Division, the chief of staff of the Red Fourth Army, the commander of the Red Fourth Army, the commander-in-chief of the Red Fourth Front, the commander-in-chief of the General Headquarters of the Former Enemy of the Red Army, and the commander-in-chief of the Western Route Army.
After the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Xu Qianqian successively served as deputy commander of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, commander of the First Column of the Eighth Route Army, deputy commander of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Jinsui Joint Defense Army, and acting principal of the Kang Da; during the Liberation War, Xu Qianqian successively served as deputy commander of the Jinji-Hebei Luyu Military Region, deputy commander of the North China Military Region, and commander and political commissar of the First Corps (later renamed the Eighteenth Corps); after the founding of New China, Xu Qianqian successively served as chief of the general staff and minister of national defense.
In 1955, Xu Xiangqian was awarded the rank of marshal, the Order of August 1st Class, the Order of Independence and Freedom of the First Class, and the Liberation Medal of the First Class, and died of illness on September 21, 1990 at the age of 89.
Commander of the Second Column of the Eighth Route Army - Zuo Quan
In early February 1940, in order to unify the operational command of the anti-Japanese armed forces in the southern area of the Taihang Mountains, the superior decided to establish the 2nd Column of the Eighth Route Army. Zuo Quan, deputy chief of staff of the Eighth Route Army, was also the commander of the column, and Huang Kecheng was the political commissar, which had jurisdiction over the 344th Brigade of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, the 3rd Column (Equivalent Brigade) of the Shanxi Youth Anti-Enemy Death Squad, the newly organized 1st Brigade, the 1st Brigade of the Hebei Anti-Japanese Nationalist Army, and the Independent Guerrilla Detachment of the 129th Division.
Zuo Quan, born in 1905 in Liling County (now Liling City), Hunan Province, was admitted to the Army Martial Arts School in March 1924, transferred to the Huangpu School (Phase I) in November of the same year, and was sent to the Frunze Military Academy for further study.
In 1930, Zuo Quan returned to China, and since then he has successively served as the commander of the Red 12th Army, the chief of staff of the General Headquarters of the Red 1st Front, the political commissar of the Red 15th Army of the Red 5th Army, the commander and political commissar, the chief of staff of the Red 1st Army, and the acting commander of the Red First Army.
After the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance, Zuo Quan successively served as deputy chief of staff of the Eighth Route Army, chief of staff of the Forward Command (concurrently), and commander of the Second Column (concurrently). In May 1942, the Japanese army raided the former enemy headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, Zuo Quan personally commanded a unit responsible for covering everyone's retreat, and on May 25, he was killed in the head by shrapnel during the breakthrough.
Commander of the Third Column of the Eighth Route Army - Lü Zhengcao
In April 1938, the Hebei Central Self-Defense Army led by Lü Zhengcao and the Hebei Guerrilla Army led by Meng Qingshan were merged into the Third Column of the Eighth Route Army, with Lü Zhengcao as commander and Meng Qingshan as deputy commander.
Lü Zhengcao, born in 1904, a native of Haicheng City, Liaoning Province, joined the Northeast Army in 1922, was selected by Zhang Xueliang to join the Guard Brigade, was admitted to the Northeast Lecture Hall in 1923 to study, and after graduation successively served as Zhang Xueliang's aide-de-camp, chief of the staff office of the 16th Brigade of the 116th Division of the Northeast Army, commander of the 647th Regiment of the 116th Division, and commander of the newly organized 691st Regiment.
After the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Lü Zhengcao led the 691st Regiment to break away from the Northeast Army and reorganize it into the Jizhong Self-Defense Army, where he served as commander, and then successively served as commander of the Jizhong Military Region, commander of the Third Column of the Eighth Route Army, commander of the Jinsui Military Region, and other positions; during the Liberation War, Lü Zhengcao successively served as deputy commander of the Northeast Military Region and Northeast Field Army, director and political commissar of the Northeast Railway Administration, and deputy commander of the Railway Corps.
After the founding of New China, Lü Zhengcao successively served as vice minister of the Ministry of Railways, commander of transportation (during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea), director of the Military Communications Department of the General Staff Department (concurrently), acting minister and minister of the Ministry of Railways.
In 1955, Lü Zhengcao was awarded the rank of general, the Order of Independence and Freedom of the First Class, and the Liberation Medal of the First Class, and died of illness on October 12, 2009 at the age of 106, Lü Zhengcao was the last founding general to die.
Commander of the Fourth Column of the Eighth Route Army- Song Shilun
In May 1938, in order to facilitate unified command, the Song Shilun Detachment (Yanbei Detachment of the 120th Division) and the Deng Hua Detachment (the Third Brigade of the First Detachment of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region) were merged into the Fourth Column of the Eighth Route Army, with Song Shi as the commander in turn and Deng Hua as the political commissar.
Song Shilun, a native of Liling County (present-day Liling City), Hunan Province, was admitted to the Huangpu Military Academy (Phase V) in 1926, and in 1929 was sent to Liuyang, Liling, and Pingxiang Border Areas of Hunan Province to form a guerrilla group, serving as the leader of the Pinglibian Guerrilla Group, and later the guerrilla group was incorporated into the Red 6th Army, and Song Shilun successively served as the political commissar of the 2nd Column in Southeast Hunan Province, the chief of staff of the Red 35th Army, the commander of the Independent 3rd Division, the chief of staff of the Red 21st Army and the commander of the 61st Division, the chief of the Operations Section of the Jiangxi Military Region and the Northeast Theater Headquarters, and the chief of the Operations Section of the Red 15th Army. Commander of the Red 30Th Army, Commander of the Red 28th Army and other positions.
After the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Song Shilun successively served as the commander of the 716th Regiment of the 358th Brigade of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army, the commander and political commissar of the Yanbei Detachment, the commander of the 4th Column of the Eighth Route Army and the commander of the 12th Detachment, and the commander of the Jicha Reliao Military Region; during the Liberation War, Song Shilun successively served as chief of staff of the Shandong Field Army, deputy commander of the Bohai Naval Region, commander of the 10th Column of the East China Field Army, commander of the 9th Corps of the Third Field Army, and commander of the Songhu Garrison District.
After the founding of New China, Song Shilun successively served as commander and political commissar of the 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army, deputy commander of the Volunteer Army, and first vice president and president of the Academy of Military Sciences.
In 1955, Song Shilun was awarded the rank of general and was awarded the Order of August 1st Class, the Order of Independence and Freedom of the First Class, and the Liberation Medal of the First Class, and died of illness on September 17, 1991 at the age of 84.
Commander of the Fifth Column of the Eighth Route Army- Huang Kecheng
In August 1940, in order to unify the command, the eighth route army troops in the northeast Anhui region south of the Longhai Railway (present-day Lanzhou-Lianyungang), east of the Jinpu Railway (Tianjin-Pukou) and north of the Huai River, as well as the new Fourth Army units and local armed forces originally in the area, were unified and reorganized into the 5th Column of the Eighth Route Army, with Huang Kecheng as commander and political commissar.
Huang Kecheng, born in 1902, a native of Yongxing County, Hunan Province, during the Northern Expedition, he served as a battalion and regimental political instructor in the 8th Army, and in 1927 he participated in the Shonan Uprising, after which he successively served as the commander of the 35th Regiment of the Red 12th Division of the Red 4th Army, the commander of the 2nd Road Guerrilla Regiment of the Shonan Peasant Army, the director of the Political Department of the Red 4th Division of the Red 3rd Army, the political commissar of the Red 3rd Division, the political commissar of the Red 1st Division, the director of the Political Department of the Red 5th Army, and the acting director of the Political Department of the Red 3rd Army.
After the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Huang Kecheng successively served as political commissar of the 344th Brigade of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, political commissar of the 2nd Column of the Eighth Route Army, commander and political commissar of the Jiluyu Military Region, political commissar of the 4th Column of the Eighth Route Army, commander and political commissar of the 5th Column of the Eighth Route Army, commander and political commissar of the 3rd Division of the New Fourth Army, commander and political commissar of the Northern Jiangsu Military Region, etc. During the Liberation War, Huang Kecheng successively served as deputy political commissar and commander of the West Manchuria Military Region, and political commissar of the 2nd Corps of the Northeast Field Army.
After the founding of New China, Huang Kecheng successively served as commander and political commissar of the Hunan Military Region, deputy chief of general staff and director of the General Logistics Department, political commissar, vice minister of national defense, and chief of the general staff.
In 1955, Huang Kecheng was awarded the rank of Grand General, the Order of August 1st Class, the Order of Independence and Freedom of the First Class, and the Liberation Medal of the First Class, and died of illness on December 28, 1986 at the age of 84.
The commanders of the five columns of the Eighth Route Army, Xu Xiangqian was the founding marshal, Huang Kecheng was the founding general, Song Shilun and Lü Zhengcao were both founding generals, Zuo Quan was only 37 years old when he died, he was the highest-ranking commander of the Eighth Route Army in the War of Resistance.
Among the five major columns, the first column developed the fastest, Xu Xiangqian arrived in Shandong in early July 1939, left in June 1940, in less than a year, Shandong's main eighth route army developed from 25,000 people to more than 80,000 people (local armed hundred thousand), it can be said that Xu Xiangqian laid a very good foundation for the development and growth of Shandong base areas, by 1945, Shandong base area had a population of 17 million, the main eighth route army 270,000, local armed 500,000.