A Study On The Historical Role Of The 385th Brigade Of The Left-behind Corps Of The Eighth Route Army

During the period of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression of the whole nation,the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area was the seat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China,the guidance center of the Chinese people’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression,and the rear of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army,so its strategic position was very important.At that time,the border area was faced with two major threats: one was the North China Army of the invading Japanese army on the east bank of the Yellow River,eyeing the border area;Second,the stubborn Kuomintang forces who often provoked friction in the south,north and west of the border area and even launched military attacks on the border area.During the period of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression of the whole nation,the Longdong Revolutionary Base was not only an important part of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area,but also the west gate of Yan ’an,the seat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China,the base camp of the Chinese people’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression,which had a very important strategic position.Therefore,shortly after the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression of the whole nation,according to the instructions of the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission,in October 1937,as an important component of the left-behind corps,the 385 th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army,129 th Division,entered the Longdong Revolutionary Base and began to carry out the important task that is "guard the border area,wipe out bandits,and stabilize people’s lives;Protect the Yellow River defense,protect the Party Central Committee,consolidate and expand the left-behind troops;Building a regularized army,improving combat effectiveness,strengthening combat readiness,training and saving cadres ".In order to adapt to the situation of resistance against Japanese aggression,garrison tasks and military construction,the 385 th Brigade was adjusted and changed many times during its stay in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area.It was not until April 1946,when the Joint Defense Army of Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia and Shanxi-Suiyuan was downsized and reorganized,that the Brigade was merged into the 3rd Brigade of the joint defense army to prepare for the war of self-defense and its formation was abolished.While staying in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area,under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China,the Central Military Commission and the left-behind Corps of the Eighth Route Army,and with the strong support of the people of Longdong,the 385 th Brigade gave full play to the role of the fighting teams,work teams and production teams of the people’s Army and carried out a large number of effective activities in military and mass work and economic and social development.Through friction and struggle against the Kuomintang hardcore,eradicating bandits in the Longdong Revolutionary Base areas,strengthening the construction of the army,propagating resistance against Japanese aggression,mobilizing the people,launching the campaign of supporting the government and the people,and carrying out military production campaigns and medical and health work,etc.,consolidating the united front of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression of the whole nation,maintaining the peace of the Party,the government,the army and the people in the border area,and improving the level of army construction and combat effectiveness.It mobilized the enthusiasm of the people in Longdong to support the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression,strengthened the relationship between the military and the government in the border area,promoted the development of local economy,and promoted the development of medical and health services in Longdong.Finally,it successfully defended and constructed the Longdong Revolutionary Base and the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area,successfully completed the historical task of defending the border area and the CPC Central Committee,and effectively supported the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.It made important historical contributions to the victory of the Chinese people in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.At the same time,the 385 th Brigade has accumulated rich historical experience in self-construction in the process of defending and constructing the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area,including giving full play to the role of the military production team,constantly strengthening the army construction,constantly strengthening the political and ideological work,and vigorously carrying forward the glorious tradition of being close to the people and loving the people.These valuable experiences have provided useful inspiration for the building of the people’s armed forces in the new era,such as persisting in the unity of a rich country and a strong army,comprehensively improving war preparedness in the new era,strengthening the military’s political work,and constantly consolidating the unity between the army and the government,the army and the people.