First Encirclement Campaign against Shaanxi-Gansu Soviet
Encyclopedia
The First Encirclement Campaign
against Shaanxi
-Gansu
Soviet was an encirclement campaign
launched by the Chinese Nationalist Government that was intended to destroy communist
Shaanxi
-Gansu
Soviet and its Chinese Red Army in the local region. It was responded by the Communists’ First Counter-Encirclement Campaign
at Shaanxi
-Gansu
Soviet , also called by the communists as the First Counter-Encirclement Campaign
at Shaanxi
-Gansu
Revolutionary Base , in which the local Chinese Red Army successfully defended their soviet republic in Shaanxi
and Gansu
provinces against the Nationalist
attacks from March 1934 to August 26, 1934.
to eliminate communist Shaanxi
-Gansu
Soviet by deploying troops from various units, with the nationalist 86th Division being the principle fighting unit. Majority of the nationalist troops totaling over ten thousands would be deployed to attack the communist base in the border region of Shaanxi
and Gansu
province
s, while the bulk of the nationalist 86th Division would attack the other communist base of Shaanxi
-Gansu
Soviet in northern Shaanxi
with the help of nationalist security regiment by taking regions including Stability (Anding, 安定), Yanchuan (延川), Suide (绥德), Clear Ravine (Qingjian, 清涧), Jia (葭) county, Wubao (Wubao, 吴堡), Celestial Wood (Shenmu, 神木) and Prefecture Valley (Fugu, 府谷). Communists, in turn, decided to counter the nationalist encirclement campaign
and defend their bases of the Shaanxi
-Gansu
Soviet.
Communists (7,000+ total)
2nd Garrison Brigade
of the nationalist 17th Route Army. The communists subsequently launched their assaults on the unsuspecting nationalist regiment and after a series battles fought in the regions of Lan Family’s Stone Probe (Lanjiabian, 蔺家砭) and Li Family’s Ridge (Lijialiang, 李家梁), the surprised nationalists lost four companies and the nationalist security regiment was also badly mauled. Before the nationalists could regroup and avenge their defeat, the communists quickly turned south to disengage and seek new opportunities.
The communists did not need to wait long for another opportunity. On April 11, 1934, the communist 42nd Division annihilated the 5th Regiment of the nationalist Eastern Gansu
2nd Garrison Brigade, killing over 700 nationalist troops in the region of Xihuachi (西华池). In early May, 1935, communists completely annihilated two companies of the nationalist Shaanxi
Guerrilla Regiment
in the region of Three Miles Source (Sanliyuan, 三里源) of Chunhua (淳化) County, and the nationalists were forced to deploy eight regiments for another round of offensives after suffering a series of defeats. The communists decided not to engage the superior enemy force and returned to the Southern Ridge (Nanliang 南梁) region in the north to wait for other opportunities to annihilate their nationalist adversary.
In June, 1934, a detachment of communist 42nd Division went northward to Bao'an (Shaanxi), and defeated a battalion of the 514th Regiment of the nationalist 86th Division, killing more than a hundred nationalist troops in the process in the region of Horse River (Mazichuan, 马子川). After this engagement, the nationalists gave up their attempt to eliminate the communist base in the border region of Shaanxi
-Gansu
and concede their defeat. The communist 42nd Division and guerrillas fought over thirty battles and annihilated over three thousand nationalist troops and successfully secured their base in the region.
and Gansu
provinces in the south, in northern Shaanxi
, local communist guerrillas under the command of Xie Zichang (谢子长), the communist Shaanxi
military envoy and commander-in-chief of guerrilla in Shaanxi
shocked the nationalists by taking the town of Stability (Anding, 安定) on July 17, 1934 and then linked up with the communist 42nd Division went south, with Xie Zichang (谢子长) became the political commissar of the communist 42nd Division. The taking of the town by the poorly equipped communist guerrilla caused the nationalists to redeploy their troops to take back the town, thus opening the way for the communists to escape by removing nationalist troops originally stationed along the way.
Taking the opportunity, the communists withdrew northward, with Xie Zichang (谢子长) leading the communist guerrillas and 3rd Regiment of the communist 42nd Division. On August 15, 1934, the communists once again was in Anding (安定) region, and begun to launch their assaults on the nationalists. From August 18, 1934 thru August 26, 1934, three battles were fought in the regions of Jingwujiata (井吴家塌) of Stability (Anding, 安定) County, Zhang Family’s Earth Platform (Zhangjiaketai, 张家圪台) of Clear Ravine (Qingjian, 清涧) County, and River Mouth (Hekou 河口) Town, and communists scored victory for all of them, completely annihilating two companies of the 515th Regiment of the nationalist 86th Division and badly mauling the nationalist security regiment in the battles. Meanwhile, a battalion of the 514th Regiment of the nationalist 86th Division was also badly mauled by the communists in the regions of Celestial Wood (Shenmu, 神木) and Prefecture Valley (Fugu, 府谷). After suffering a continuous series of defeat, the nationalists were forced to withdraw and called off their First Encirclement Campaign
against Shaanxi
-Gansu
Soviet, and the communists declared their victory.
First Encirclement Campaign
The First Encirclement Campaign is an abbreviated name used for several different encirclement campaigns launched by the Nationalist Government with the goal of destroying the developing Chinese Red Army and its communist bases in several separate locations in China during the early stage of...
against Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
-Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet was an encirclement campaign
Encirclement Campaigns
Encirclement Campaigns is a term used to describe several different campaigns launched by forces of the Chinese Nationalist Government against forces of the Communist Party of China during the Chinese Civil War. The campaigns were launched between the late 1920s to the mid-1930s with the goal of...
launched by the Chinese Nationalist Government that was intended to destroy communist
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
-Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet and its Chinese Red Army in the local region. It was responded by the Communists’ First Counter-Encirclement Campaign
Encirclement Campaigns
Encirclement Campaigns is a term used to describe several different campaigns launched by forces of the Chinese Nationalist Government against forces of the Communist Party of China during the Chinese Civil War. The campaigns were launched between the late 1920s to the mid-1930s with the goal of...
at Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
-Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet , also called by the communists as the First Counter-Encirclement Campaign
Encirclement Campaigns
Encirclement Campaigns is a term used to describe several different campaigns launched by forces of the Chinese Nationalist Government against forces of the Communist Party of China during the Chinese Civil War. The campaigns were launched between the late 1920s to the mid-1930s with the goal of...
at Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
-Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Revolutionary Base , in which the local Chinese Red Army successfully defended their soviet republic in Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
and Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
provinces against the Nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
attacks from March 1934 to August 26, 1934.
Prelude
In February, 1934, nationalists decided to launch an encirclement campaignEncirclement Campaigns
Encirclement Campaigns is a term used to describe several different campaigns launched by forces of the Chinese Nationalist Government against forces of the Communist Party of China during the Chinese Civil War. The campaigns were launched between the late 1920s to the mid-1930s with the goal of...
to eliminate communist Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
-Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet by deploying troops from various units, with the nationalist 86th Division being the principle fighting unit. Majority of the nationalist troops totaling over ten thousands would be deployed to attack the communist base in the border region of Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
and Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
s, while the bulk of the nationalist 86th Division would attack the other communist base of Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
-Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet in northern Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
with the help of nationalist security regiment by taking regions including Stability (Anding, 安定), Yanchuan (延川), Suide (绥德), Clear Ravine (Qingjian, 清涧), Jia (葭) county, Wubao (Wubao, 吴堡), Celestial Wood (Shenmu, 神木) and Prefecture Valley (Fugu, 府谷). Communists, in turn, decided to counter the nationalist encirclement campaign
Encirclement Campaigns
Encirclement Campaigns is a term used to describe several different campaigns launched by forces of the Chinese Nationalist Government against forces of the Communist Party of China during the Chinese Civil War. The campaigns were launched between the late 1920s to the mid-1930s with the goal of...
and defend their bases of the Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
-Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet.
Order of battle
Nationalists (12,500+ total)- 2 regiments of the 2nd Regiment of the Garrison 2nd CavalryCavalryCavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
BrigadeBrigadeA brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of the 17th Route Army stationed in eastern GansuGansu' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east... - 2 regiments of ShaanxiShaanxi' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
Garrison CavalryCavalryCavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
BrigadeBrigadeA brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
stationed at Jingbian (靖边), Dingbian (定边), and Anbian (安边) regions - A regiment of the nationalist 42nd Division stationed at Wealthy (Fu, 富) County
- Nationalist 86th Division stationed at Yan'anYan'anYan'an , is a prefecture-level city in the Shanbei region of Shaanxi province in China, administering several counties, including Zhidan County , which served as the Chinese communist capital before the city of Yan'an proper took that role....
- ShaanxiShaanxi' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
Guerrilla RegimentRegimentA regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel... - 2 Security Regiments
Communists (7,000+ total)
- 42nd Division of the 26th Army
- Guerrillas
Border Region of Shaanxi-Gansu
In March, 1934, the communist 42nd Division and guerrilla under the command of Liu Zhidan (刘志丹) left the Southern Ridge (Nanliang 南梁) region and went northward behind the enemy line, and reached Triple River (Sandaochuan, 三道川) region of Wuqi (吴起) County, directly behind the 2nd Regiment of the Eastern GansuGansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
2nd Garrison Brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of the nationalist 17th Route Army. The communists subsequently launched their assaults on the unsuspecting nationalist regiment and after a series battles fought in the regions of Lan Family’s Stone Probe (Lanjiabian, 蔺家砭) and Li Family’s Ridge (Lijialiang, 李家梁), the surprised nationalists lost four companies and the nationalist security regiment was also badly mauled. Before the nationalists could regroup and avenge their defeat, the communists quickly turned south to disengage and seek new opportunities.
The communists did not need to wait long for another opportunity. On April 11, 1934, the communist 42nd Division annihilated the 5th Regiment of the nationalist Eastern Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
2nd Garrison Brigade, killing over 700 nationalist troops in the region of Xihuachi (西华池). In early May, 1935, communists completely annihilated two companies of the nationalist Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
Guerrilla Regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
in the region of Three Miles Source (Sanliyuan, 三里源) of Chunhua (淳化) County, and the nationalists were forced to deploy eight regiments for another round of offensives after suffering a series of defeats. The communists decided not to engage the superior enemy force and returned to the Southern Ridge (Nanliang 南梁) region in the north to wait for other opportunities to annihilate their nationalist adversary.
In June, 1934, a detachment of communist 42nd Division went northward to Bao'an (Shaanxi), and defeated a battalion of the 514th Regiment of the nationalist 86th Division, killing more than a hundred nationalist troops in the process in the region of Horse River (Mazichuan, 马子川). After this engagement, the nationalists gave up their attempt to eliminate the communist base in the border region of Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
-Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
and concede their defeat. The communist 42nd Division and guerrillas fought over thirty battles and annihilated over three thousand nationalist troops and successfully secured their base in the region.
Northern Shaanxi
While the battles were raging on in the border region of ShaanxiShaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
and Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
provinces in the south, in northern Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
, local communist guerrillas under the command of Xie Zichang (谢子长), the communist Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
military envoy and commander-in-chief of guerrilla in Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
shocked the nationalists by taking the town of Stability (Anding, 安定) on July 17, 1934 and then linked up with the communist 42nd Division went south, with Xie Zichang (谢子长) became the political commissar of the communist 42nd Division. The taking of the town by the poorly equipped communist guerrilla caused the nationalists to redeploy their troops to take back the town, thus opening the way for the communists to escape by removing nationalist troops originally stationed along the way.
Taking the opportunity, the communists withdrew northward, with Xie Zichang (谢子长) leading the communist guerrillas and 3rd Regiment of the communist 42nd Division. On August 15, 1934, the communists once again was in Anding (安定) region, and begun to launch their assaults on the nationalists. From August 18, 1934 thru August 26, 1934, three battles were fought in the regions of Jingwujiata (井吴家塌) of Stability (Anding, 安定) County, Zhang Family’s Earth Platform (Zhangjiaketai, 张家圪台) of Clear Ravine (Qingjian, 清涧) County, and River Mouth (Hekou 河口) Town, and communists scored victory for all of them, completely annihilating two companies of the 515th Regiment of the nationalist 86th Division and badly mauling the nationalist security regiment in the battles. Meanwhile, a battalion of the 514th Regiment of the nationalist 86th Division was also badly mauled by the communists in the regions of Celestial Wood (Shenmu, 神木) and Prefecture Valley (Fugu, 府谷). After suffering a continuous series of defeat, the nationalists were forced to withdraw and called off their First Encirclement Campaign
First Encirclement Campaign
The First Encirclement Campaign is an abbreviated name used for several different encirclement campaigns launched by the Nationalist Government with the goal of destroying the developing Chinese Red Army and its communist bases in several separate locations in China during the early stage of...
against Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
-Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet, and the communists declared their victory.
See also
- List of battles of the Chinese Civil War
- National Revolutionary ArmyNational Revolutionary ArmyThe National Revolutionary Army , pre-1928 sometimes shortened to 革命軍 or Revolutionary Army and between 1928-1947 as 國軍 or National Army was the Military Arm of the Kuomintang from 1925 until 1947, as well as the national army of the Republic of China during the KMT's period of party rule...
- History of the People's Liberation ArmyHistory of the People's Liberation ArmyThe history of the People's Liberation Army began in 1927 with the start of the Chinese Civil War and spans to the present, having developed from a peasant guerrilla force into the largest armed force in the world.-Historical background:...
- Chinese Civil WarChinese Civil WarThe Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...