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Text: Franck
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introduction
The Long March was a period of arduous years for the Red Army, and after the successful rendezvous of the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Front Armies of the Red Army, China's revolutionary hope was rekindled.
In reality, however, the three fronts were far from extricating themselves from the crisis after the successful rendezvous, and the Red Army had to move again due to the lack of base areas, the lack of productive forces, the enemy's encirclement and interception, and various problems.
The Ningxia campaign plan was born, but its implementation did not go well. In this process, part of the Red Army crossed the Yellow River to form the Western Route Army, which was not composed of three armies of the Red Fourth Front Army, but also joined the Red Fifth Army of the Red Front Army due to a series of changes. It's a pity that not long after this unit was formed, it was completely wiped out in the Hexi Corridor......
(Monument to the Western Route Army)
1. The predecessor of the Western Route Army
On October 9, 1956, the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Front Armies of the Red Army successfully met in the Shaanxi-Gansu region, preserving the vitality of the Red Army.
After the rendezvous, the soldiers established a new base area for the Red Army here, but the space for the Red Army to survive was still very small, and this base area was barren but needed to feed the three major armies. The economic situation and development in the base areas were not optimistic, and the Red Army urgently needed new solutions.
At this time, the superiors jointly discussed and decided: to take the Red Army to Ningxia. The first few troops became the core of the formation of the Western Route Army.
(The Red Army successfully rendezvous)
To the east of Ningxia, Zhang Xueliang's Northeast Army took care of it, and the Soviet Union could also rely on Outer Mongolia as a springboard to provide military assistance to the Red Army.
The development of a base here can be described as the best of both worlds, and the Ningxia campaign plan was born. The encirclement and suppression of the Kuomintang never stopped, and the Red Army's living space became smaller and smaller, and it was urgent to advance northward.
Crossing the Yellow River was the first task of the attack on Ningxia. The most well-preserved Red Fourth Front Army accepted the task of being the first to cross the river, and because the Red 30th Army had shipbuilding technology, the 30th Army was appointed as the pioneer of crossing the river. After pre-war considerations, Haw Par Mouth was chosen as the crossing point.
(The Red Army's Long March)
At this time, the Kuomintang was pressing forward step by step, and the rest of the Red Army units tried their best to block the pace of the Kuomintang offensive, and the Red 30th Army immediately carried out the plan to cross the river after building 16 wooden boats in an emergency.
The heroic and combative Red 30th Army successfully launched a forced crossing, and the Red 9th Army also completed the task of crossing the river in the follow-up. However, the situation changed abruptly, and the Kuomintang troops advanced rapidly, and the Haw Par Pass was the first to be occupied. The Red Army's subsequent plans to cross the river were also blocked.
(Tiger Leopard Mouth)
2. The formation of the Western Route Army
Hu Zongnan's troops on the southern front were the first to rush to the ferry to blockade at this time, and the task of the Red 5th Army to hold the Jingyuan ferry had to be temporarily shelved. The Red 5th Army received an order to withdraw to the west bank of the Yellow River and stand by.
(In October 1936, the first part of the Red Fourth Front Army preparing to cross the river)
On October 31, the Kuomintang troops attacked Jingyuan, Talachi and Zhongwei. These locations were all able to reinforce Ningxia, and with the fact that the ferry had been blocked, the Red Army's troops on the other side of the Yellow River and the Red Fourth Front Army that had already crossed the river were blocked, and the Ningxia campaign plan was close to bankruptcy.
At this time, the Red Army received a message from the Comintern, which decided to send military aid to Xinjiang through Khorgos, and to transport 1,600 tons of arms to Hami.
(Oil painting documenting the Long March)
As a result of this situation, the Red Army's strategic plan was adjusted, the attack on Ningxia became less important, and the strength of the troops could be preserved, so it was decided to cancel the Ningxia campaign plan.
However, this change put the troops that had already crossed the Yellow River into a somewhat awkward position, and now there were two options, one was to continue the westward advance of arms, and the other was to return east to cross the river.
(Banner of the Western Route Army)
At this time, the leaders of the Red Fourth Front Army, who had already crossed the river, said that they could complete the task of advancing westward. Considering the obstruction of the Kuomintang troops, the Red Army deployed a new operational plan: to establish a base area in Hexi.
On November 11, the Red 9th Army and the Red 30th Army of the Red Fourth Front, plus the Red 5th Army, which had been on standby on the other side of the river. The three divisions formed the Western Route Army, and the headquarters of the Red Fourth Front Army also became the headquarters of the Western Route Army.
The original command was preserved, and the organization remained the same. The Western Route Army was commanded by Xu Xiangqian, Wang Shusheng as deputy commander, and Chen Changhao as political commissar.
It has more than 21,000 people under its jurisdiction of the Red 5th Army, the Red 9th Army, the Red 30th Army and the cavalry divisions and special service regiments directly under the jurisdiction of the Yellow River. Thus was born the Western Route Army of the Red Army.
(Member of the Military and Political Committee of the Western Route Army)
Therefore, it is not correct to say that the Western Route Army was composed of the Red Fourth Front Army, which included the Red 5th Army in addition to the Red 30th Army and the Red 9th Army. In addition to the 33rd Army of the Red Fourth Front, the Red 5th Army also had the Red 5th Army of the Red First Army. So what is the origin of the two legions that make up the Red 5th Army?
The Red 5th Army Corps once made great contributions in the Xiangjiang Campaign, and the Red 5th Army Corps has always been responsible for covering the withdrawal of the main force.
The Eighth and Ninth Army Corps of the Red Army crossed the Xiangjiang River under the cover of the Red 5th Army Corps, and the column of the Military Commission was also able to successfully cross the river.
(Dong Zhentang, commander of the Red Fifth Army)
In January 1935, the Red 33rd Army, which had been damaged, was combined with the Red 5th Army to form the Red 5th Army.
The two armies, both of which had protected the main forces, were thus merged into one and became the Red 5th Army. In this crucial river crossing, it was the officers and men of the Red 5th Army who undertook the task of covering the crossing of the Red Fourth Front Army.
The Red 5th Army, together with the Red 9th Army and the Red 30th Army, which successfully crossed the river, were newly reorganized into the Western Route Army. The three armies have experienced the baptism of war, and they have never been soft in the face of a strong enemy, although this army has not continued forever, but the story of the Western Route Army is worth remembering.
(Memorial Park of the Red Army's West Route Army Entering Xinjiang)
3. Bloody battle in Hexi
After the formation of the Western Route Army, the troops advanced westward, and the first task was to reach Liangzhou. The Kuomintang Ma Bufang and Ma Buqing stationed here caused a lot of trouble to the Western Route Army, which had 30,000 regular troops plus 90,000 militias, but the Western Route Army was alone.
After the departure of the Western Route Army, due to a series of changes, this newly formed unit was buried in the Hexi Corridor.
(Ma Jiajun cavalry)
The purpose of the Western Route Army was originally to go all the way to the west and open up international passages. But unfortunately, the Xi'an Incident broke out at this time, and the Western Route Army had to stop in the desolate Hexi Corridor in order to respond to other troops, waiting for the outcome of the Xi'an Incident.
At that time, in the autumn and winter, the West Route Army lacked food and clothing, and in the desolate northwest region, there was no food at all, and the troops were in the open area, and they had to face the encirclement and interception of Ma Bufang's cavalry, so they could only race with two legs and other people's four legs, and go around in circles.
If it can't be defeated and can retreat, the Western Route Army may not be completely wiped out, but the nostalgia is bad, and the Western Route Army received an order to establish a base in the local area. For a while, the Western Route Army could not advance from the west and retreat from the east, and could only be consumed by Ma Bufang little by little.
(The film "Shocking Sand", which reflects the history of the war of the Western Route Army)
At the moment when they could not ask for help, the contact was interrupted, and the ammunition and food were exhausted, they still worked as one, and successively repelled 8 or 9 large-scale attacks by Ma Bufang, causing the Ma family army to pay more than 25,000 casualties.
Such a strong enemy was heavily damaged by the Western Route Army, which left a vivid mark in Chinese history with the spirit of heroic fighting, and this battle also provided combat experience for the People's Liberation Army to advance into the great northwest.
Although the Western Route Army was completely wiped out, their "iron-blooded" spirit was re-inherited, and despite the tragic ending, their exploits were indelible.
Resources:
[1] Shi Zhongquan.West Route Army and the Red Army's Long March[J].Journal of Yan'an Cadre College,2019,12(06)
[2] Tell the story of the West Route Army.Academy of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, 2020-09-13
[3] Party History Story丨 1934: The Red Army is not afraid of expeditionary difficulties - the Communist Party of China led the main force of the Red Army to start the Long March.The Paper, 2021-04-01