During the Anti-Japanese War, the Eighth Route Army

Recruitment and training of military technical talents

Zuo Jieting

【Abstract】The military industry of the Eighth Route Army was established during the Anti-Japanese War period. After undergoing the baptism of war, it continuously developed and grew, achieving remarkable accomplishments. The Eighth Route Army's Military Industry Department gathered a large number of military technology talents through recruiting and introducing high-level military industry professionals, cultivating and selecting military technology talents, and educating and transforming technical workers. This provided a steady stream of weapons and ammunition for the military and civilians in the base areas to resist Japanese aggression, making outstanding contributions to the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. Summarizing and drawing lessons from the experiences and inspirations of the Eighth Route Army's military talent cultivation can provide strong talent support for building a modern socialist powerhouse and a world-class modernized military.

【Keywords】Military Technology Talent | Eighth Route Army | Recruitment | Training

The military industry of the Eighth Route Army was established and developed under the strong leadership of the Central Bureau, military regions, and governments in the base areas, building a professional talent team in the military industry with profound political literacy and solid technological capabilities, providing reliable ammunition supplies for the Anti-Japanese War.

I. The Founding and Development of the Military Industry of the Eighth Route Army

After the July 7th Incident, General Zhu De led the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army and the 115th Division, 120th Division, and 129th Division to Shanxi, launching a large-scale anti-Japanese guerrilla war. On a certain date, Mao Zedong cabled Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, and others, stating, "It is necessary to increase the number of rifles by ten thousand within a year, primarily by manufacturing them ourselves," "Use all methods to obtain a machine for making rifles and some rifle workers in Shanxi," and "establish a munitions factory." Subsequently, small armories were established in various anti-Japanese base areas. By a certain month, the Eighth Route Army decided to relocate all the armories to Hanzhuang Village in Yushe County, establishing the Eighth Route Army Headquarters Armory.

In October 1938, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out at the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party: "Each base area for guerrilla warfare must do its utmost to establish small arsenals, to the extent of producing its own ammunition, rifles, grenades, etc., ensuring that guerrilla warfare does not suffer from a shortage of military supplies." The headquarters of the Eighth Route Army resolutely implemented the spirit of the Central Committee, establishing their own arsenals through self-reliance, producing firearms and ammunition, and resolving the issue of military supply. In July 1939, the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army established the Military Industry Section; in September, based on the Military Industry Section, the Military Industry Department (hereinafter referred to as the "Military Industry Department") was established.

In the summer of that year, the Eighth Route Army moved its headquarters' repair workshop to the Shuiyao Mountain Huangyadong. The Huangyadong Arsenal was a relatively large mechanized munitions factory established by the Eighth Route Army in the enemy's rear during the Anti-Japanese War. From January to August 1941, the Japanese army conducted multiple devastating sweeps against the Huangyadong Arsenal. While persisting in "counter-sweeping," the Eighth Route Army's Military Industry Department also led military production. In 1941, the base areas faced severe natural disasters. Under the guidance of the principles "centralized leadership," "decentralized factories," and "streamlining the administration," the Military Industry Department adjusted its affiliated battalion factories by breaking them down into smaller units and expanding new battalions and arsenals, making the military industrial workforce more efficient and achieving technological breakthroughs.

In the year, the Military Industry Department mistakenly launched the "Rescue the Fallen" movement during the rectification campaign, causing the entire military industry to cease production for half a year and resulting in significant losses to production. As the Anti-Japanese War entered the stage of all-out counteroffensive, factories urgently resumed production, adjusted factory layouts, and military production experienced rapid development.

II. The Eighth Route Army's Recruitment and Training of Military-Industrial Technical Talents

During the Anti-Japanese War, the Eighth Route Army's Military Industry Department recruited and introduced a group of experts and scholars with scientific knowledge and proficient in military technology. They cultivated and trained a group of technical backbone and skilled workers with high political consciousness and relatively high technical levels. Motivated by the common aspiration to save the nation from Japanese aggression, they were eager to learn, worked hard, and strived for production, creating miracles in military industrial production.

(1) Recruitment and Introduction of High-Level Talents

The Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission attached great importance to and supported the construction and production work of the Eighth Route Army's military industry, recruiting and introducing expert technical cadres and high-level military industrial technology talents from various regions. On a certain date, Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, and Zuo Quan sent a telegram to Mao Zedong, titled "Request for Personnel to Support Military Industry Construction in the Front Lines," stating, "We hope to transfer engineers, industrial management personnel, and skilled workers."

In the spring of the year, the Central Military Commission dispatched Yang Lishan, Deputy Minister of the Logistics Department and concurrently Director of the Military Station Department, to Shanxi to establish the Logistics Department of the Eighth Route Army headquarters. Utilizing his experience in managing the military industry in the Soviet area and taking care of technical personnel during the Long March, Yang Lishan, who was familiar with such talents, made great efforts to transfer multiple experts from various regions. Regarding this high-level military-industrial scientific and technological team, on a certain date in the year, the Central Military Commission issued the "Policy Directive on the Recruitment and Treatment of Specialists in the Military". The headquarters of the Eighth Route Army quickly responded to the spirit of this directive.

Firstly, at the political level, they are given deep care and attention. For technical cadres who are not party members, not only are they invited to participate in important party meetings, but also on a designated day each year, the Military Industry Department and its subordinate factories organize symposiums for non-party technical cadres and other non-party cadres, where their valuable opinions on leadership work are listened to and adopted. Department leaders personally preside over these meetings at each factory, adopting an open and sincere attitude to earnestly listen to and accept their criticisms and suggestions. For those technical cadres who wish to join the party but have not yet been able to, they are encouraged to join "sympathy groups," where they receive political guidance and cultivation, while also being encouraged to integrate theory with practice in their work, engage deeply with the masses, closely cooperate with workers, and collectively tackle production challenges.

Secondly, in terms of work, the Eighth Route Army fully trusted and relied on the professional capabilities of these experts, entrusting them with important responsibilities such as serving as factory directors and institute directors, enabling them to fully utilize their technical expertise, lead, and organize military production. This policy reflects the spirit of the "Central Military Commission's Directive on Military Industry Construction," which emphasizes the role of technical experts and draws on the successful experience of Yan'an by appointing technically proficient talents to leadership positions. For example, Liu Ding, who graduated from the University of Berlin in Germany, served as the Minister of Military Industry for the Eighth Route Army, while Guo Dongcai, who graduated from Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan, became the director of a factory in a certain institute under the Military Industry Department.

Additionally, in daily life, the Eighth Route Army also provided necessary care and support to these technical personnel and their families. Under extremely difficult conditions, efforts were made to improve their living conditions and they were given special protection during anti-"mopping-up" operations and other battles. For example, Dr. Zhang Huaqing's family was prioritized for relocation to a safe location during enemy "mopping-up" operations and was provided with security personnel to ensure their safety and convenience. These measures greatly enhanced the technical personnel's sense of identity and belonging to the Party, deepening their loyalty and sense of responsibility towards the anti-Japanese war effort.

(2) Cultivating and Selecting Technical Cadres

The Eighth Route Army's military industry not only produced high-quality weapons and equipment for the Anti-Japanese War but also cultivated a large number of outstanding military industrial talents. At the inception of the establishment of the Military Industry Department, Zhu De and Peng Dehuai proposed: "Our factories must not only produce firearms and ammunition for today's war of resistance but also cultivate talents and train cadres for the defense industry of the new China." As the military industry of the Eighth Route Army grew and expanded, there was a severe shortage of specialized technical talents and management cadres. Therefore, the Military Industry Department decided to vigorously cultivate a large number of cadres.

In the month of year, the Military Industry Department established a Workers Training Team, organized training sessions for branch secretaries and political cadres, and cultivated technical talents and political work cadres. In the month of year, the Military Industry Department founded the Taihang Industrial School on the basis of the Cadre Training Team. This was an industrial school under the direct command of the Eighth Route Army General Headquarters' Military Industry Department. Liu Ding, the Minister of the Military Industry Department, concurrently served as the principal, and Liu Zhizhong as the vice principal. The Taihang Industrial School offered courses in machinery, chemical engineering, demolition, light weapon manufacturing, heavy weapon manufacturing, gunpowder manufacturing, and pyrotechnic manufacturing.

In terms of faculty, the school places particular emphasis on transferring and selecting skilled and knowledgeable technicians and senior intellectuals from various institutes and factories to teach, ensuring the quality of education and the caliber of the graduates. When training cadres, Taihang Industrial School not only focused on theoretical education but also particularly emphasized the cultivation of practical skills. Students were required to engage in actual operations in factories, enabling them to play a significant role in military industrial production. The school was founded during the most arduous phase of the Anti-Japanese War, facing frequent "mopping-up" operations by the Japanese and puppet forces. The entire faculty and student body had to repeatedly relocate in the midst of continuous warfare. They persisted in their studies while courageously fighting, demonstrating an indomitable spirit in the face of difficulties.

According to the statistics of the year, among the 100 factory-level leaders of the Eighth Route Army's munitions factories, 96 were workers by origin. Most of them were trained scientific and technical cadres through the Workers' Training Team and the Taihang Industrial School. From January 1940 to January 1945, the Taihang Industrial School trained more than 2,000 cadres of various specialties, cultivating a large number of outstanding talents for the Eighth Route Army's military industry. After the founding of New China, they also became the mainstay in promoting the country's industrial development.

(III) Education and Reform of Technical Workers

After the outbreak of the War of Resistance, the Eighth Route Army established repair workshops, manufacturing factories, and bomb factories in various anti-Japanese base areas in Shanxi. They recruited skilled workers from the military factories, coal miners, gunsmiths, railway workers, and folk craftsmen, forming a formidable force in military production. The Eighth Route Army conducted cultural and technical education as well as political education for the workers. Cultural education often combined with the study of production technology, such as learning to write tools, machine names, technical terms, factory rules, and labor discipline clauses in literacy classes.

Technical education was conducted around the urgent problems in production technology at the time, such as the unification of product specifications, the trial production of new products, and key issues in production technology. The textbooks were compiled by the Engineering Department of the Military Industry Department and various factories. Political education not only taught the history of the Chinese revolution, the Communist Party of China and the proletariat, the protection of the Anti-Japanese base areas, but also taught about revolutionary factories and revolutionary work, new labor and new labor attitudes, and the idea that "today's Soviet Union is our tomorrow," helping workers to clearly understand the role and status of the working class in the national liberation war, the future of the working class, the relationship between the working class and the Communist Party, and the relationship between military factory employees and military factories. The workers were very concerned about the war situation and national affairs. After the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, the number of newspapers subscribed to by workers reached an average of one per person. The methods of educating employees were also diverse.

In cultural and technical education, in addition to lectures, methods such as picture-based word recognition, word recognition stations, word recognition boards, issuing word slips, technical research meetings, and technical games are employed. Additionally, dormitory education and the Little Teacher system are established, fully utilizing club organizations to integrate education with entertainment. In conducting current affairs and policy education, in addition to reports and commentary, methods such as current affairs discussion meetings, question and answer sessions, question and answer columns, and performances of current affairs skits are used. Through education and transformation of technical workers, the workers' skills are continuously improved. In the practical training of both the struggle against the enemy and production, they gradually grow into a strong military industry workforce that is conscious, skilled, disciplined, and indomitable. This workforce provided excellent talent preparation for the military industry construction during the Liberation War period and even for national defense construction after the founding of the country.

III. Experiences and Enlightenments in Technical Talent Development

(1) Uphold the leadership of the Party.

During the Anti-Japanese War, under the strong leadership of the Party, the Eighth Route Army's military industry overcame difficulties and persisted in production, continuously sending weapons and ammunition to the front lines, effectively supporting the war against Japan. In the early stages of the construction of the munitions factories, the Central Committee of the Party and the Central Military Commission provided tremendous support in terms of manpower, material resources, and financial resources. They not only transferred technical cadres and skilled workers to assist in the construction of the Eighth Route Army's military industry but also transported advanced machinery and equipment from Yan'an and other places for production and construction, allocating and increasing special funds for the construction of the Eighth Route Army's military industry.

In the month and year, the Eighth Route Army's Military Industry Department earnestly implemented the Central Committee's "Decision on Unifying the Leadership of the Anti-Japanese Base Areas and Adjusting the Relationships Between Various Organizations," establishing Party General Branches in each factory and implementing the system of factory director responsibility under the leadership of the Party committee. Party branches were established according to production units (later changed to departments), inheriting the strict organizational life system of the military: initially, a general branch meeting and a group meeting were held once a week each, with party members reporting their thoughts and work to the party organization every three days. Later, this was changed to one meeting and one report per week. In organizational life, one must examine their own thoughts, work, and learning, whether party members are setting an example among the masses, and emphasize that cadre party members cannot engage in special treatment. If a party member is unable to attend organizational life as scheduled due to circumstances, they must apply for leave in advance.

(II) Strengthen Ideological and Political Construction

Ideological and political construction, as an integral part of military industry development, is the lifeline of military production, propelling the smooth progress of the Eighth Route Army's military industry. With the rapid development of military production, the number of workers increased continuously. Coming from all corners of the country, they brought with them different ideas, customs, experiences, habits, levels of consciousness, and even religious beliefs. These differences in old ideas and traditional customs severely hindered their unity.

How to make them abandon these old things and unite under the banner of national and class struggle is an urgent and difficult task. Therefore, through ideological and political education, it is necessary to clarify the long-term goals of the working class and their status and responsibilities in the national liberation war, so that workers who were previously not united understand that "without the unity of the working class, can we liberate all humanity?" and "can we unite people of all ethnicities and classes to defeat Japanese imperialism?" The Military Industry Department also adopted specific methods such as symposiums, gatherings, and individual heart-to-heart talks to communicate ideas, eliminate misunderstandings, and enhance the unity of the workforce.

(III) Enhance employee benefits and enrich cultural activities

Due to the construction of the arsenal in a remote mountainous area, life was very difficult, and the material and cultural life of the employees urgently needed improvement and enhancement. In the "Summary of the 1941 Work of the Military Industry Department" by Liu Ding, the Minister of the Military Industry Department, it was proposed to change the allowance system to a wage system, open cooperatives, improve and enhance the quality of life for employees, and stimulate their production enthusiasm. On a certain date, the Eighth Route Army Headquarters issued the "Order on the Treatment of Military Industry Workers by the Eighth Route Army Headquarters," which decided to "increase the allowance for heavy industry (such as firearms and ammunition) workers by an average of 10 yuan per person per month, and for light industry (such as clothing, leather, pharmaceuticals, printing) workers by an average of 5 yuan per person per month."

To enhance production motivation, the Military Industry Department stipulated that all workers in the military system were considered Eighth Route Army workers, enjoying the treatment of Eighth Route Army soldiers, and their families enjoyed the treatment of anti-Japanese military families under local governments. During that brutal war era, the Military Industry Department established cultural and art troupes, clubs, organized basketball teams, track and field teams, choirs, drama teams, and other groups to carry out a rich variety of cultural and sports activities. In the year, workers at the Huangyadong Arsenal in the Taihang Mountains created "The Song of the Military Industry," with lyrics like "The machine motors go clattering, we have strength, we have solutions..." expressing the employees' indomitable spirit and courage to fight.

(IV) Uphold the fine qualities of self-reliance and hard work.

During the enemy's sweeps, the gun factory was relocated and rebuilt four times, and the chemical factory five times. From the autumn of one year to the month of another, Shuiyao No. 1 suffered severe damage from the enemy three consecutive times, but each time it was rebuilt in a very short period. The workers' slogan was: "If the enemy destroys it, we rebuild it again!" The harsher the environment, the more spirited the workers became, continuously overcoming technical challenges and developing munitions production. In terms of weapon production, they successively designed and manufactured rifles, short guns, 50mm small cannons, and mortars. In manufacturing technology, they solved the technical issue of making white cast iron, after muffle treatment, easier for machining; they mastered the production of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, smokeless propellant, and ammonium nitrate explosives. In ammunition production, they solved the technical issues of refining pure copper and producing brass sheets, entering the stage of manufacturing brand-new ammunition. For the victory of the war, the vast number of workers actively opened up wasteland for farming, produced for self-sufficiency, and enthusiastically donated their wages. They also worked voluntary hours beyond their ten-hour workday to aid disaster victims.

(V) Establish a scientific management system

At the inception of the various factories under the Eighth Route Army's military industry, all employees were subject to strict military-style management. On a certain date, after hearing the production report from the Military Industry Department, Vice Commander Peng Dehuai instructed: "Factories are not armies, workers are not soldiers; production management systems need to be established, and labor laws should be promulgated." Following this directive, the Military Industry Department reformed and readjusted the management methods for the factories and their employees.

In [month] [year], the Military Industry Department formulated factory rules, changing practices such as roll calls, drills, and lining up for meals, implementing an eight-hour workday and rest on Sundays and public holidays; working hours were signaled by steam whistles, bells, or horns. In terms of labor discipline, employees were required not to be late or leave early, not to laugh, shout, or receive visitors during working hours, not to leave without permission, not to move tools or raw materials without authorization, and not to manufacture personal items. In [month] [year], the Military Industry Department issued a collective labor contract jointly signed by the administration and the trade union. In [year], to prepare for the strategic counteroffensive phase and produce more weapons and equipment, the factory re-drafted the collective labor contract, changing the eight-hour workday to a ten-hour workday, which effectively propelled the vigorous development of the military production industry.

In summary, the Eighth Route Army overcame numerous difficulties, recruited and introduced a group of engineering and technical personnel and intellectual cadres with specialized knowledge, cultivated a large number of outstanding technical talents and management cadres. They relied on their own efforts and persevered through hardships, not only providing crucial weapons and ammunition for the victory of the Anti-Japanese War but also accumulating valuable experience for the development of national defense science and technology after the founding of New China.

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Wu Dongcai. Beijing: Weaponry Industry Press, Jing-Ji-Yu Base Area.

Wu Dongcai. Beijing: Weapons Industry Press of the Jin-Ji-Yu Base Area.

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Wu Dongcai. Beijing Weapons Industry Publishing House, Jin-Ji-Yu Base Area.

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Editor of this issue: Chen Luyang

This issue reviewed by: Lin Yingxi

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Article Source: "China Military-to-Civilian Magazine"

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