The 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army was the main force of our army during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and this unit fought many beautiful battles during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, such as the Jin-Cha-Ji Anti-Japanese Base Area and the Shandong Anti-Japanese Base Area, which was created by this unit. The 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army was formed in August 1937, and when it was first formed, it had two main brigades and an independent regiment, and under the regimental structure, it was divided into nineteen battalions. How did they develop later?
The 343rd Brigade of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army was divided into six battalions, and the commanders of these six battalions were Liu Deming, Zeng Guohua, Liang Xingchu, Zhang Renchu, Yang Shangru and Deng Keming.
Liu Deming joined the army in 1925, worked as a carpenter in his early years, and served in the Northwest Army. After the Ningdu Uprising, Liu Deming officially joined the Red Army after Dong Zhentang, and after that, he served in the Red Army for a long time until he was promoted to the position of commander of the Red Army. Liu Deming participated in the Red Army's Long March and the Eastern Crusade, and he was also wounded many times in the battle, and in 1942, Liu Deming was killed in battle.
General Zeng Guohua joined the army late, and he joined the Red Army only during the Third Anti-"Encirclement and Suppression" campaign of the Red Army. Despite this, Zeng Guohua grew up rapidly, and before the formation of the Eighth Route Army, he had already held the position of commander of the Red Army and made many military achievements. In 1955, Zeng Guohua was awarded the rank of lieutenant general and received two medals of honor of the first class and one medal of the august 1st order of the second class.
General Liang Xingchu was the commander of the famous 38th Army of the Banzai Army, and he was a member of our army. Liang Xingchu joined the Red Army in 1930 and joined the organization in the same year. After joining the army, Liang Xingchu made many meritorious achievements, and before the formation of the Eighth Route Army, he had already served as the commander of the Red Army, and liang Xingchu also participated in battles such as the Eastern Crusade of the Red Army. In 1955, Liang Xingchu was awarded the rank of lieutenant general and was awarded two first-class medals of honor.
Zhang Renchu was a famous Red Army general who participated in the jute uprising, with profound qualifications, outstanding military achievements, and deep trust of the central leadership. Before the reorganization of the Red Army, Zhang Renchu served as the commander of the Fifth Regiment of the Shaanxi-Gansu Detachment, and later, when the Eighth Route Army was formed, he served as the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 686th Regiment and led his troops to the front. In 1955, Zhang Renchu was awarded the rank of lieutenant general.
Yang Shangru joined the Red Army in 1930 and successively served as a platoon commander, company commander, and battalion commander of the Red Army. After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, he served as the first battalion commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 686th Regiment and participated in the Battle of Pingxingguan. Yang Shangru was awarded the rank of major general in 1955 and was awarded three medals of honor of the first class.
Born into poverty, Dun keming joined the Red Army at the age of 24 and made many military achievements. After the Long March of the Red Army, Deng Keming participated in the Battle of Shan Castle and later served as the commander of the Red Army. In 1955, Deng Keming was awarded the rank of major general.
The 344th Brigade of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army has a total of seven main battalions, in addition to the regular six battalions, the 344th Brigade also has a brigade guard battalion, the battalion commander of the guard battalion is He Zhenya, and the remaining six battalions are led by Hao Shiying, Yan Dongshan, Wang Jiadao, Liu Guoqing, Wang Derong and Xu Tishan.
He Zhenya, a native of Ankang, Shaanxi, joined the Red Army in 1931 and served successively as a company commander and regimental commander of the Red Army. He Zhenya has profound qualifications, and in 1936, he once served as the commander of the 1st Anti-Japanese Army in southern Shaanxi, which shows his achievements. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, He Zhenya led his troops to the battlefield. In 1955, He Zhenya was awarded the rank of major general and received a medal of honor of the first class.
Hao Shiying is a native of Luonan County, Shaanxi Province, and he is a famous general of our army. Before serving as the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 687th Regiment, Hao Shiying served in general Yang Hucheng's unit for a long time. As the commander of the special service company of the 38th Army of the Nationalist Army, Hao Shiying instigated the smooth uprising of the 17th Division and made important contributions to strengthening the strength of our army. In 1949, Hao Shiying died heroically.
General Yan Dongshan joined the Party before joining the Red Army, and he was an old subordinate of General Xu Haidong, and on the way to the Red Twenty-fifth Army to fight in northern Shaanxi, Yan Dongshan also fought many victorious battles. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Yan Dongshan was awarded the rank of major general.
General Wang Jiadao once served as the commander of the 49th Division of our army, and he was also an old subordinate of General Xu Haidong. Wang Jiadao participated in the construction of the Eyu-Shaanxi base area, and he also contributed greatly to the formation of the Red Fifteenth Army. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Wang Jiadao was awarded the rank of major general.
Liu Guoqing was the first battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the 688th Regiment, and Liu Guoqing was Xu Haidong's subordinate in the Red 15th Army, and in 1938, he died heroically.
Wang Derong was the commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 688th Regiment, and in 1940 he served in the New Fourth Army, but later left the army in 1941 to escape.
General Xu Tishan followed General Xu Haidong during the Eyu-Anhui period, and during the revolutionary years, Xu Tishan was promoted to the commander of the 92nd Division of our army, and later, he was awarded the rank of major general.
The independent regiment of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army was a team directly under the division headquarters, and it also had three main battalions under its command, with the battalion commanders Zeng Baotang, Ji Guangshun and Huang Shoufa.
Zeng Baotang, a native of Xinfeng, Jiangxi, joined the Red Army in 1928 and has since served in our army for a long time. Zeng Baotang served as the commander of the 192nd Division of our army during the Liberation War, and he also participated in the liberation of Shijiazhuang and other battles, and in 1955, Zeng Baotang was awarded the rank of major general and awarded two second-class medals of honor.
Ji Guangshun was the commander of the 2nd Battalion of the Independent Regiment, and later, the Independent Regiment was expanded, and Ji Guangshun was promoted to the position of regimental commander and served as the commander of the 6th Regiment of the Jirecha Advance Army of the Eighth Route Army, and in August 1940, Ji Guangshun was heroically killed in battle.
Huang Shoufa was the commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Independent Regiment, a native of Liancheng, Fujian Province, who served as a commander of the military region during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and was later shot for serious crimes.
In addition to the two main brigades and the independent regiment, the 115th Division also had three additional battalions of divisional units, namely the divisional cavalry battalion, the engineer battalion, and the Yuanzhong battalion, and the three battalion commanders were Liu Yunbiao, Wang Yaonan, and Li Xuexian.
Liu Yunbiao is a native of Changting, Fujian Province, and he is a famous general in our army. Liu Yunbiao joined the Red Army in 1930, and since then, he has successively served as a platoon leader in the reconnaissance platoon of our army. Liu Yunbiao had excellent marksmanship and was particularly good at riding and shooting, so when the Red First Army formed a cavalry unit, he served as the commander of the cavalry regiment of our army for a long time. Later, the Red Army accepted the reorganization, and Liu Yunbiao served as the battalion commander of the cavalry battalion and led his troops to participate in the Battle of Pingxingguan. In 1942, Liu Yunbiao died of illness in Xinwang County, Hebei Province, at the age of 28.
General Wang Yaonan was a famous Red Army general who participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising, and he was a native of Pingxiang, Jiangxi. Wang Yaonan had known Chairman Mao as early as the period of the Great Revolution, and he had participated in the Anyuan workers' strike led by Liu Shaoqi and Jiang Xianyun, and like the famous leader of the workers' movement, Huang Jingyuan, who was his close friend. After the Autumn Harvest Uprising, Wang Yaonan was responsible for the work of our army's sappers for a long time, although he did not participate in specific battles, but his development of our army's engineers was irreplaceable by others, and in 1955, Wang Yaonan was awarded the rank of major general.
Li Xuexian was a native of Funan, Anhui Province, and he once served as the president of the People's Court of Guangdong Province in China. Li Xue first joined the revolution in 1929 and later served in our army for a long time. During the revolutionary years, Li Xuexian once achieved the post of secretary general of the Central Plains Bureau, and he also made important contributions to the development of our army. In March 2000, Li Xuexian died of illness at the age of 88.
In summary, the nineteen battalion commanders of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, a total of three lieutenant generals and eight major generals appeared, in addition, four battalion commanders died, one died of illness, and one participated in civilian work. They all made great contributions to the revolution and will always be remembered.