During the period of the All-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army was a capable force of our army, and this unit was known for being able to fight vicious and hard battles, and such famous generals as Deng Hua, Xu Haidong, and Liang Xingchu of our army came from this unit. The 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army was reorganized from the Central Red Army and the Red 15th Army during the former Red Army period, and when this unit was first formed, its strength also reached more than 10,000 people in five regiments. What ranks did they later receive?
The 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army is the trump card of the Eighth Route Army, and this unit is the strongest in combat effectiveness among the three divisions of the Eighth Route Army, like the soldiers of the 685th Regiment, the 686th Regiment and the Independent Regiment in the 115th Division, all of whom are the backbone forces of the Red Army's anti-"encirclement and suppression" and Long March, and they all have strong combat effectiveness. The 685th Regiment of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army was reorganized from the Red Second Division, an elite unit of the former Red Army, and the first regimental commander and deputy commander of this unit were the famous General Yang Dezhi and Lieutenant General Chen Zhengxiang.
General Yang Dezhi is a battle-hardened general of our army, and he is also very famous in the sequence of founding generals. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, General Yang Dezhi led his troops to fight on the battlefield, and eventually grew into a famous general of the heavyweight level of our army. During the revolutionary years, General Yang Dezhi served under Marshal Nie Rongzhen for a long time, serving as the commander of the Second Division of the Red Army and the deputy commander of the Volunteer Army to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
Chen Zhengxiang, deputy commander of the 685th Regiment, was an excellent senior general of our army. General Chen Zhengxiang once served as the regimental commander of the Red First Regiment of the Sharp Knife Regiment of the Red First Army, and in the course of the Long March, he led the army to kill the enemy bravely and opened the way for the whole army. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chen Zhengxiang first served as deputy regimental commander in the 115th Division, and later after the formation of the military region, he accompanied Nie Shuai to the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, and in 1955, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general.
Like the 685 Regiment, the 686 Regiment was also the main force of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, which was reorganized from the Red Fourth Division of the former Red First Army, and the first regimental commander of this unit was General Li Tianyou, and the deputy regimental commander was General Yang Yong.
Li Tianyou was one of the few military and political all-rounders among the founding generals of our army, who graduated from the Frunze Military Academy in the Soviet Union and had high military talent. Li Tianyou was an old revolutionary who participated in the Baise Uprising, participated in successive battles such as Huangpi and Caotaigang, and won the trust of the central leadership. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Li Tianyou first served as the commander of the 115th Division, and later replaced Chen Guang as the brigade commander of the 343rd Brigade, and when he was awarded the title in 1955, Li Tianyou was awarded the rank of general and received two first-class medals.
General Yang Yong is one of the "three Yang Kaitai" of our army, whose combat command is first-class and good at fighting hard battles. In his early years, Yang Yong participated in the siege of Changsha by the Liuyang peasant army, and later, Xu Kexiang launched an incident in Changsha, and Yang Yong returned to his hometown and officially joined the Red Army. Yang Yong served first in the 115th Division during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and later transferred to Liu Shuai as the commander of the column, and in 1955 he was awarded the rank of general.
The independent regiment of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army was a separate unit formed by the Central Committee, which was originally established, although it did not have an official name, but it was also an important part of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army. The Independent Regiment was reorganized from the former Red First Division, and its first regimental commander and deputy regimental commander were General Yang Chengwu and General Huang Yongsheng.
General Yang Chengwu is on a par with Yang Yong and Yang Dezhi, and he is one of the "Three Yang Kaitai" of our army. Like Lieutenant General Chen Zhengxiang, General Yang Chengwu was a famous general who participated in the Long March of the Red Army, and during the Long March, he served as the political commissar of the Fourth Regiment of the First Red Army. In battles such as Luding Bridge, Yang Chengwu led his troops to fight bravely and opened the way for the main force to go north into Sichuan. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Yang Chengwu first served as the head of the Independent Regiment, and then followed Nie Shuai to the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region.
Deputy Regiment Commander Huang Yongsheng was a native of Xianning, Hubei Province, and he was also a famous general who participated in the Red Army's Long March. In his early years, Huang Yongsheng served mainly under the martyr Lu Deming, and later, when the Autumn Harvest Uprising broke out, his entourage Chairman Mao went to Jinggangshan. During the Red Army, Huang Yongsheng gradually rose from a soldier to a division commander and performed military merits, and when he was awarded the rank of general in 1955.
The other two regiments of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, the 687th Regiment and the 688th Regiment, were reorganized from the Red 15th Army led by xu Haidong, and this unit was also led by President Lin, of which the 687th Regiment was headed by Zhang Shaodong, an old subordinate of General Xu Haidong, with the deputy regimental commander Han Zhenji, and the first regimental commander of the 688 Regiment was Chen Jinxiu Martyr, and the deputy regimental commander was General Han Xianchu.
Zhang Shaodong is a native of Hubei and served in the Red 25th Army for a long time in his early years. During the Red Army period, Zhang Shaodong gradually rose from a soldier to the commander of the Red 15th Army, although this person participated in the Long March, but the revolutionary will was not firm, in 1938, his gang and chief of staff Lan Guoqing left the team.
Han Zhenji, the deputy commander of the 687th Regiment, was a member of our army, a tiger general, who was from Gaoyi, Hebei. Han Zhenji participated in the patriotic movement of Hebei students in his early years, and during the Ningdu Uprising, his entourage Dong Zhentang and Ji Zhen and others joined the Red Army and officially became a member of our army. Han Zhenji was able to write and fight, and he not only commanded battles, but also served as a military instructor in the Red Army school, and he also won the trust of the central leadership. In 1955, Han Was given the rank of Lieutenant General.
Chen Jinxiu, the leader of the 688th Regiment, was the beloved general of General Xu Haidong, who was a native of Gushi, Hebei. Chen Jinxiu served under General Xu Haidong as early as the Eyu-Anhui period, and he successively served as the regimental commander and division commander of the Red 25th Army, and won Xu Haidong's trust. Chen Jinxiu martyr has profound qualifications, in 1938, in the Battle of Wentang, he died gloriously, only 27 years old. According to Chen Jinxiu's military merits and seniority, if he did not sacrifice, he might be awarded the rank of general.
Deputy Regiment Commander Han Xianchu is a member of our army' tiger generals. Han Xianchu participated in the jute uprising, and during the Red Army period, he served under the martyr Wu Huanxian and general Xu Haidong, and his bravery in battle also won the trust of Wu Huanxian and others. After the founding of New China, Han Xianchu led his troops into the DPRK and personally commanded the troops to fight against the enemy's blood, which also made important contributions to the victory of our army. When he was awarded the title in 1955, Han Xianchu was awarded the rank of general and was awarded three first-class medals.
Ten backbones of the five main regiments of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, except for Chen Jinxiu and Zhang Shaodong, were all awarded military ranks after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Among the eight generals who were conferred the title, there were not only the famous "Three Yangs" generals Yang Dezhi, Yang Yong, and Yang Chengwu, as well as the famous Red Army generals Li Tianyou and Chen Zhengxiang, all of whom had made immortal contributions to the revolution and would always be remembered by the people.