The military industry in Northeast China under the leadership of the Party during the War of Liberation

During the War of Liberation, the military industry in Northeast China under the leadership of the Party was constantly developing and growing along with the opening, consolidation, and growth of the Northeast Base Area. Under the strong leadership of the party, the military industry in Northeast China has grown from scratch and from weak to strong. According to the statistics of the "Manuscript of the Financial and Economic History of the Northeast Liberated Area" and the "Main Work of the Military Industry in the Past Three Years" of the Ministry of Military Industry of Northeast China, on the occasion of the liberation of the whole territory of Northeast China, a huge military industrial system with 48 factories, 11,033 machinery and equipment, and 44,164 employees was established. In the past four years, a total of 28067768 bullets, 5095799 grenades, 3073830 shells of various types have been produced, 10,676 guns of various types, 3,135 artillery pieces and mortars of various types, and 31,223 guns (doors) have been repaired. Such a huge scale and strong production capacity not only made a significant contribution to the liberation of Northeast China and even the whole country, but also laid a solid foundation for the construction of the national defense industry after the founding of New China.

The road is blue, and it is beginning to take shape

From October 1945 to September 1947, the military industry in the Northeast entered the first stage of development. Under the guidance of the principle of "self-reliance, arduous pioneering work, and starting from scratch" and with the efforts of the military cadres and all workers from the old liberated areas, all kinds of difficulties were overcome, and the military industry in Northeast China under the leadership of the party was finally established. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the CPC Central Committee judged the situation and successively dispatched 20,000 cadres and 110,000 troops to advance into the northeast and open up the northeast base area. In order to unify the management of the military cadres and workers of all units, on 12 October 1945, the Northeast Military Region decided to set up a temporary military industry department in Shenyang, and immediately took over the Shenyang Arsenal, the Wenguantun Tank Repair Factory, and the Gujiazi Gunpowder Factory.

A month later, however, the Kuomintang army launched a large-scale offensive into the liberated areas of northeastern China. Faced with the critical situation, the Ministry of Military Industry had to abandon advanced factory equipment, carry only a small number of machines and raw materials, and quickly transfer with the large army. At this time, because our army was in a passive situation, the Ministry of Military Industry carried out seven large-scale transfers within a year, and some comrades lamented that this was "a difficult stage in which factories moved and machines fought guerrillas." In order to meet the operational needs of the troops, the Ministry of Military Industry had no choice but to break up the military industry into parts, and each military region and each unit set up a military industry department to organize production on its own.

In the autumn and winter of 1946, in order to conscientiously implement the instructions and resolutions of the Party Central Committee and the Northeast Bureau on consolidating the Northeast Base Area, the Ministry of Military Industry seized the opportunity of the relatively stable war situation, overcame difficulties such as the shortage of raw materials, backward technology, harsh climate, and inconvenient transportation, quickly established a solid military production base, and began to deal with the problem of ammunition production. In Hunchun, Hegang, Jixi, Dandong, Qiqihar, Mudanjiang, Jilin, Harbin, Dalian and other places set up 14 factories directly under the company, and then produced 3359932 bullets, 2662159 grenades, and 117236 shells of various kinds in more than a year. Although most of these ammunition were reassembled and produced using old cartridge shells, which were not powerful and unstable, they promptly and effectively solved the problem of munitions supply encountered by the front-line troops, and made every effort to ensure that our army broke the all-out attack of the Kuomintang army on the liberated areas in northeast China.

Unified leadership to ensure the front line

From September 1947 to November 1948, the military industry in Northeast China entered the second stage of development. Under the guidance of the principle of "making every effort to strengthen the construction of the military industry" and along with the clarion call of the strategic counteroffensive, the military industry in Northeast China has ushered in a rapid development, laying a solid material foundation for the strategic decisive battle.

After our army switched to a strategic counteroffensive, the Party Central Committee placed high hopes on the military industry in Northeast China. On July 10, 1947, Mao Zedong instructed our army in the northeast that "within one year from now, you must vigorously establish a large-scale military industry." At this time, the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army Command realized that since the end of the campaign of "going south of the Yangtze River three times and protecting the Linjiang River four times," our army has grown rapidly, the scale of operations has become larger and larger, the form of operations has gradually changed to a battle of attack on the offensive and a war in depth, and the consumption of weapons and ammunition, especially artillery shells, has become more and more excessive, and it is no longer possible to meet the needs of the battlefield by relying only on battlefield capture and ammunition reloading. For the sake of strategic counteroffensive and even decisive battle, it is necessary to raise military production to a strategic level. The most important task is to promote the construction of the military industry from dispersion to unification.

Under the direct leadership of Luo Ronghuan, member of the Standing Committee of the Northeast Bureau and deputy political commissar of the Northeast Democratic Alliance, the first Northeast Military Industry Conference was held in Harbin from mid-September to early October 1947. The conference announced the formal establishment of the Northeast Military Industry Department, with He Changgong as the minister and Wu Xiuquan as the political commissar. On April 3, 1948, the Northeast Military Industry Department held an enlarged meeting of the Party Committee, emphasizing the current priorities: First, unified management. The original production base was reorganized into nine offices centered on the region, and the production plan was unified and the division of labor was coordinated. Second, we need to streamline our institutions. The military industrial offices of all military regions and units were abolished, and 14 repair factories and 2,006 sets of machinery and equipment were handed over. Third, improve quality. Eliminate backward production capacity, implement cost accounting, and carry out regularized and large-scale production.

Immediately, Mao Zedong issued an important instruction on the work of the Northeast Army: "I hope that the Northeast Bureau will make every effort to strengthen the construction of the military industry, with the goal of supporting the national war." This further clarifies the goals and tasks for the future. On the one hand, to ensure the northeast battlefield. Under the care and guidance of the CPC Central Committee and the Northeast Bureau, the military industry in Northeast China worked as one and was full of enthusiasm, and in just one year, it produced 8240783 rounds of bullets, 1635039 grenades, and 1236023 rounds of various artillery shells, and it is worth noting that the output of artillery shells was 10.5 times that of the previous stage. These weapons and ammunition were continuously delivered to the front-line troops, enhancing our army's superiority in artillery fire and speeding up the process of liberation of Northeast China. On the other hand, support the nationwide operation. Mao Zedong emphasized: "The task of transporting artillery shells and explosives through the northeast to central China, the Central Plains and the northwest is extremely important. He also pointed out that our army's expectations for artillery shells in the Guannai are "like the hope of a great drought." Immediately, the Northeast Bureau instructed the factories under the No. 9 Office of the Ministry of Military Industry in Dalian to step up the production of artillery shells and explosives, which were transported by sea to the material transfer station of our army in Yantai, Shandong, bypassing the blockade of the Kuomintang troops by sea, and then transported by the Shandong People's Front Army to the front lines. In this regard, Su Yu commented: "The victory of the Huaihai Battle is inseparable from the small carts of Shandong migrant workers and the cannonballs produced in Dalian. "In the past four years, more than 500,000 rounds of artillery shells have arrived in Shandong from Dalian, and the Northeast military industry has made outstanding contributions to the liberation of the country.

Actively transform and embark on a journey again

From November 1948 to September 1949, the military industry in Northeast China entered the third stage of development. Under the guidance of the principle of "transforming a part of the military industry into general industrial production to facilitate the recovery and development of the national economy," based on the new situation and new requirements, we will streamline our institutions and adjust our plans to help the recovery and development of heavy industry in Northeast China.

After the liberation of the whole of Northeast China, the Ministry of Military Industry was ordered to take over all the military enterprises left behind by the Kuomintang. After a series of rectifications, the number of factories under the jurisdiction of the Northeast Military Industry has increased from 39 to 48, and the number of employees has increased from 20,640 to 44,164. In order to ensure that our army fought in the south, in just six months from the liberation of Northeast China to the battle of crossing the river, the military industry in Northeast China produced 16467053 bullets, 798601 grenades, and 1720571 shells of various types, and the output reached a record high. Under the blow and deterrence of superior artillery fire, our army swept away the enemy with a devastating force.

After the victory of the Battle of Crossing the Yangtze River, the situation of the Chinese revolution took a major turn. In order to welcome the founding of New China, the Party Central Committee instructed the Northeast Bureau to actively promote the transformation and upgrading of the military industry. In May 1949, Li Fuchun, deputy secretary of the Northeast Bureau, pointed out at a conference on military production materials in Northeast China: "From the second half of 1949 onwards, the military industry in Northeast China should reduce or partially end the current arms production. Turning to the assistance and restoration of the recovery and development of heavy industry in the north-east and the beginning of the transition to a new defense and military industry. In order to build a new, large-scale, and high-level military industry to undertake the task of building national defense, it is necessary to first develop heavy industry, and only on the basis of a strong heavy industry can a new national defense industry be built. After the meeting, the Northeast Bureau issued the "Decision on Military Production" to implement the transformation work. First, streamlining institutions. 9 major offices were abolished, the original 48 factories were merged and reorganized into 12, and 35,318 employees were retained. The automobile factory, the electrical plant and its subordinate employees of 4,479 people were assigned to the Ministry of Industry of Northeast China to engage in civilian production. Second, adjust the plan. The "Decision" pointed out that since September 1949, the output of ordinary ammunition has been reduced year by year and the production structure has been optimized. Since then, the Northeast military industry has embarked on a new journey of building a new China's national defense industry and supporting the construction of heavy industry.