8th Route.

This is coolbert: Here are links to web articles concerning the Red Chinese 8th Route Army. Enjoy. Lots of good photos too.

http://http://english.people.com.cn/200508/15/eng20050815_202518.html

Shows the 8th Route Army history with good pics.



[from this pic of the troops firing the machinegun, one can infer that the 8th Route Army was NOT a ragtag bunch of guerillas. Had a standard uniform, structure, weapons, etc. Soldiers. This particular photo shows the typical mountainous but very barren terrain with the Great Wall in the background. Maybe in the winter. Note the pile type cap with the folded ear muffs worn by the troops.]

http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/dengxiaoping/103411.htm

Describes 129th division of the 8th route army, comrade Deng a Red Commissar. Deng of course is Deng Xiaoping. Who set China on the current modernization course. A man who said, "it is not important if the cat is black or white, only that it catches mice!"

http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/149188.htm

A tribute to Michael Lindsay, English telecommunications guy that stayed in China after World War Two broke out. Assisted the 8th Route Army with it's communications.

http://www.sxta.com.cn/sxtaold/lvjd/ecombl.htm

Here is an interesting tourist destination and activity. YOU can become a troop of the 8th route army for a day. Dress in uniform, live in the yellow cliff caves carved out of the loess formations of northern China. This is for the hard-core adventuresome tourist.

"Now Visitors can Join the military training and war exercise in uniforms of Eight-Route-Army and visit the former ordnance. You may learn a few Army Songs in times of War of resistance against Japanese."

http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_travel/2003-09/24/content_33864.htm

For the less adventuresome, here are alternate tourist destinations. Former headquarter sites of the 8th Route Army.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8th_Route_Army

The 8th route army wiki.

Here are the three main rules of discipline and the eight points for attention that the 8th Route Army troops were to follow.

The Three Main Rules of Discipline:
(1) Obey orders in all your actions.
(2) Do not take a single needle or piece of thread from the masses.
(3) Turn in everything captured.


The Eight Points For Attention:
(1) Speak politely.
(2) Pay fairly for what you buy.
(3) Return everything you borrow.
(4) Pay for anything you damage.
(5) Do not hit or swear at people.
(6) Do not damage crops.
(7) Do not take liberties with women.
(8) Do not ill-treat captives.

http://www.marx.org/reference/archive/lin-biao/1965/09/peoples_war/ch04.htm

Article by Lin Biao. Mao's other right hand man. Became one of the gang of four. Met his death in a plane crash "fleeing" China???".

http://www.newsgd.com/specials/60thanniversaryofwaragainstjapaneseaggression/memorabilia/200508240056.htm

Everything you wanted to know about the Battle of Pingxingguan.

Don't ask me to pronounce it.

It appears the Chinese troops have the top to a wicker basket affixed to their backs. I can almost guarantee I know what that is. In the defense, the troops of the 8th Route Army would dig a hole and place wicker baskets in them. Baskets large enough to hold a person. When under aerial bombardment or fire from artillery using shrapnel rounds, the Chinese troops would get inside the basket and pull the cover over their head. Give camouflage and protection at the same time!!



coolbert.