In 1955, the title was also awarded at the same time. Among the more than 1,000 founding generals, a total of 178 people were awarded the Order of August 1st Class, 313 people were awarded the Order of Independence and Freedom of the First Class, and a total of 991 people were awarded the Liberation Medal of the First Class. However, only 144 people received these three first-class medals at the same time, and Luo Houfu was one of them. According to common sense, a person who can receive three first-class medals at the same time is at least a major general when he is awarded a large title. But Luo Houfu was only awarded the rank of colonel, why?
There are many articles saying that it was mainly because he made mistakes during the war years and was punished, which affected his later titles. But this claim is only speculation, and there is no historical data to prove it. So what was the real reason why Luo Houfu was awarded the title of colonel? Just look at his position in the Red Army. Some friends may say that the August 1st Medal of the First Class is only awarded to division-level cadres during the Red Army period. Luo Houfu was able to receive the August 1st Medal of the First Class, indicating that he was at least a division-level cadre during the Red Army period, and this position was not low.
In fact, Luo Houfu did hold the position of division commander during the Red Army period. In November 1934, the Red 25th Army left the Eyu-Anhui Soviet District to begin the Long March. Zheng Weisan, secretary of the Northeast Hubei Provincial CPC Committee, found Luo Houfu and said: "When the main Red Army is gone, the jute area cannot be without seeds, and the red flag in the base areas cannot be poured." Luo Houfu was ordered to pull up a guerrilla force of more than 20 people, and after more than a year of conquest, it grew to more than 300 people.
In order to expand its influence, in the winter of 1935, the Northeast Hubei Provincial Committee decided to rename the guerrilla group led by Luo Houfu as the Third Guerrilla Division in Northeast Hubei and appointed Luo Houfu as the commander of the division. At that time, the total strength of the division was only more than 300 people, and the number of guns was less than 100, because of the shortage of weapons, many soldiers could only fight with large knives and darts.
Although it was the name of a division, the strength of the Third Road Guerrilla Division in northeast Hubei was not as good as that of a regular battalion, so Luo Houfu's position as division commander could not be compared with that of the division commander of the main Red Army. At that time, this situation was not uncommon, after the main force of the Red 25th Army entered the Shangluo area, it created the Eyu-Shaanxi Revolutionary Base Area and established the E-Shaanxi Guerrilla Command, which had 7 guerrilla divisions under its jurisdiction, and each division commander had only one company in his hands.
This situation is very similar to Luo Houfu's guerrilla division, although it is a division-level number, but the strength is also the battalion and company level. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Red 28th Army led by Gao Jingting was reorganized into the 4th Detachment of the New Fourth Army, and more than 400 people of Luo Houfu's 3rd Guerrilla Division were organized into the 2nd Battalion of the 9th Regiment of the 4th Detachment. However, Luo Houfu did not follow the troops to the front, but was ordered to stay in Dabie Mountain and serve as the deputy director of the Qiliping Left Guard Office of the four detachments and the commander of the cadre company.
Thanks to Luo Houfu's efforts, in the spring of 1939, his army grew to more than a thousand people, and the name was changed to the Sixth Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Brigade of the New Fourth Army, with Luo Houfu as the captain. After that, Luo Houfu also served as the commander of the first regiment of the Yu'e Advance Column and the brigade commander of the 14th Brigade of the 5th Division of the New Fourth Army. During the Liberation War, Luo Houfu successively served as deputy commander of the Jianghan Military Region, deputy commander of the Northwest Hubei Military Region, and commander of the Xiaogan Military Subdistrict of the Hubei Military Region. After the founding of New China, he served as deputy chief of staff of the Hubei Military Region.
During the Red Army period, although Luo Houfu served as the commander of the Third Road Guerrilla Division in northeast Hubei, the total strength of the division was only more than 300 people, and its strength was less than that of a regular battalion. In addition, in the early days of the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, his position was only deputy director of the Qiliping Left Guard Office and commander of the cadre company of the four detachments of the New Fourth Army. These two periods of office influenced his awards, so he was finally awarded the rank of colonel in 1955 and promoted to major general six years later. In 1975, General Luo Houfu died of illness at the age of 66.