In 1937, the All-Out War of Resistance broke out, and the main forces of the Red Army were enriched into the Eighth Route Army, which was divided into the 115th Division, the 120th Division and the 129th Division. This historical moment opened the curtain on China's resistance to Japanese aggression. During this period, the organizational structure and tactical adjustment of the Eighth Route Army played a crucial role.
In the initial reorganization, each infantry division led two brigades, while each brigade administered two regiments. This two-brigade-four-regiment system is quite a typical formation. Thus, the initial numbered infantry regiments of the Eighth Route Army totaled 12. In addition, the 115th Division had independent regiments, while the 120th and 129th Divisions had teaching regiments, and the headquarters also included direct special service regiments. However , not all of these units were sent to the anti-Japanese front , and each division retained a part of its strength in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia region , mainly battalions directly under the division and an infantry regiment each for the 120th and 129th divisions.
In the actual front-line deployment, the 115th Division sent the most troops, with 5 infantry regiments. Over time, the 115th Division's forces dispersed, and they carried out several strategic missions, which also allowed the force to grow. In contrast, the 120th and 129th divisions each sent a full brigade, as well as another infantry regiment, to join the battle. It is particularly worth mentioning that the complete brigade of the 129th Division is the 386th Brigade adapted from the Red 31st Army, and the leader of this brigade is the famous General Chen Geng. During this period, the main strength of the 129th Division came from the 386th Brigade, including the 771st Regiment and the 772nd Regiment, as well as the brigade direct subordinate team, with a total strength of more than 5700 troops, becoming the main force of the 129th Division.
In the early days of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the 129th Division showed many classic examples in the battle against Japan, mainly from the troops of the 386th Brigade. At the same time, U.S. Counselor Carlson visited bases behind enemy lines in January 1938. Carlson's inspection gave him a deep intuitive impression of the combat capabilities of the Eighth Route Army. During the exchange with Brigadier Chen Geng, Carlson was amazed by the combat methods of the Eighth Route Army. Carlson believed that the Eighth Route Army's guerrilla tactics, strategy and tactics, and ability to mobilize the masses were rare in the world. General Chen Geng also gave Carlson a captured Japanese knife, symbolizing their cooperation in battle.
Carson's expedition was not limited to the 386th Brigade, he inspected several units over 51 days and finally concluded that the Eighth Route Army was "the most disciplined and self-controlled army in the world," and he was deeply shocked by what he saw and said it would be an experience he would never forget. However, this army continued to fight a formidable enemy after Carlson's departure. Battalion Commander Ding Silin and Regiment Commander Ye Chenghuan, who had escorted Carlson, were both killed in the War of Resistance shortly after. General Chen Geng's wife, Comrade Wang Genying, also died heroically in 1939.
In a combat environment full of brutality, it is not enough to rely on a dozen old regiments. Therefore, battalions and companies were separated from the old units to mobilize the masses and expand the new units. At the same time, the guerrilla units that had been formed were reorganized, and some of the better quality units were reorganized into the main regiment, increasing the composition of the infantry brigade to three regiments. Taking the 129th Division as an example, the initial trip to the front was a half-brigade, including 3 main regiments, divisional instruction regiments and cavalry battalions, with a total strength of about 9,000 people. Of these, 64 companies were sent to various places to wage guerrilla warfare. Some companies used as a basis to expand many new units.
Take the 386th regiment of the 772nd brigade as an example, from which 3 companies and more than 100 backbone cadres were drawn and a supplementary regiment was formed. Thus, by the first half of 1938, the 386th Brigade had resumed its strength in three regiments with a relatively large number of troops. However, the 771st Regiment later broke away from the 386th Brigade and joined the Southern Hebei Military Region, where it fought in this direction for a long time. Therefore, the establishment of the 386 brigade was not restored to a two-regiment system. In fact, the new 1st Regiment, which was combined with the 1st and 3rd Regiments of the Eastern Column, was assigned to the 386th Brigade and became the new 1st Regiment, while the 3rd Group was reorganized into the 4th Regiment, bringing the number of regiments under the 386th Brigade to four.
Despite the complexity of the designation of infantry regiments, they are all regular infantry regiments, regardless
Whether they carry the words "standalone" or "supplemental". In fact, these regiments were among the first new regiments to be formed in the Eighth Route Army, and many of them were excellent backbones of the old Red Army. For example, the supplementary regiment included 3 Red Army companies of the former 772nd Regiment and more than 100 backbones; The new 1st Regiment included two Red Army companies of the original 769th Regiment. After a period of actual combat baptism, these regiments have been significantly improved in terms of combat experience and weapons and equipment. They were incorporated into the main brigade and were actually considered the main regiment for use. However, in operation, the designation of these regiments is complex, which creates certain difficulties in command and communication. Therefore, by the time the Eighth Route Army was reorganized in 1940, these new regiments were uniformly assigned new numerical numbers.
Taking the 386th brigade, the 772nd regiment remained unchanged, the new 1st regiment was renamed the 16th regiment, the supplementary regiment was renamed the 17th regiment, and the 4th regiment was renamed the 18th regiment. This made the 386th Brigade a standardized four-regiment formed brigade. At that time, the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army mentioned in a telegram in January 1940 that the infantry regiment of the field army should have at least 2,000 or more troops. The reorganization of the 129th Division was completed in May and June, and the main regiment of the Eighth Route Army usually had about 2,500 men, so the total strength of the 386th Brigade was about 10,000 people, which had basically reached the strength of a normal division.
At this stage, the 386th Brigade entered the Taiyue District and carried out strategic tasks alone, and the brigade headquarters also served as the leading organ of the military region, which was called the Taiyue Column by the outside world. This allowed the 386 Brigade to play an important role in the battle, so its establishment was special