At that time, there were many warlord factions entrenched in the Sichuan-Shaanxi area. Taking advantage of the rear void caused by the fierce battle between the Red Army and Tian Songyao's troops, the warlords were all eyeing each other. Everyone wanted to find the right opportunity to bite the rear base of the Red Fourth Front Army...
In order to quickly reverse the passive situation and ensure the security and stability of the rear, the Red Fourth Front Army headquarters decided to organize the female soldiers in the headquarters and the women activists in the rear base area to establish the Women's Independence Battalion of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in Tongjiang County, Sichuan.
Zhang Qinqiu, then director of the Political Department of the Red Fourth Front Army, was fully responsible for the command and management of the Women's Independent Battalion. Women's Independent Battalion Battalion Tao Wanrong , Political Commissar Zeng Guanglan, Military Instructor Qin Jiwei. The entire battalion has 3 companies and 9 platoons, with about 300 people.
In October 1933, due to changes in the situation and the need to open up new base areas, the headquarters of the Red Fourth Front Army laid off the Women's Independent Battalion. The female soldiers were reassigned, and most of the personnel were arranged to work in the army's logistics department and various agencies and units in the base area.
At the same time, the counties under the Sichuan-Shaanxi Revolutionary Base Area formed local armed forces, and several troops composed of women activists appeared. The Cangxi County Soviet Government established a Women's Independence Company, the Changchi County Soviet Government established a Women's Independence Camp, and a Women's Independence Camp was also established in Wangcangba, Guangyuan County.
In early March 1934, the headquarters of the Red Fourth Front Army and the Sichuan-Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee decided to rebuild a combat force composed entirely of women. In late March, the headquarters of the Red Fourth Front Army and the Sichuan-Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee drew more than 1,000 female comrades with good physical fitness and high ideological awareness from various troops and rear base departments and departments, and formed the 1st Women's Independent Regiment of the Red Fourth Front Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.
In November 1934, the headquarters of the Red Fourth Front Army and dozens of local party and government organs belonging to the Sichuan-Shaanxi base were moved from Tongjiang County to Wangcangba, Guangyuan. The Wangcangba Women's Independence Battalion and the Changchi County Women's Independence Battalion were jointly organized into the 2nd Women's Independence Regiment of the Fourth Front Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.
In February 1935, as the enemy and us deteriorated, the Fourth Red Army prepared to evacuate the Sichuan-Shaanxi base. From February to April, the headquarters of the Red Fourth Front Army drew out the lesbians from various departments of the base areas to the Guangyuan and Wangcang , and jointly formed the Women's Independent Division of the Fourth Front Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army with the 1st and 2nd Regiment of the Women's Independent Division.
Zhang Qinqiu, commander of the Women's Independent Division, serves as the head of the 1st Regiment and political commissar; Zeng Guanglan, political commissar of the Women's Independent Division, serves as the head of the 2nd Regiment and Wu Chaoxiang, serves as the political commissar of the 2nd Regiment and director of the Political Department. The entire division has two regiments, with about 2,000 people, and is directly under the headquarters of the Red Fourth Front Army. After the reorganization of the Women's Independent Division was completed, the main force went north to start the Long March .
In May 1935, the Women's Independent Division of the Red Fourth Front Army entered Maoxian with the headquarters after Jialingjiang Battle, and reorganized again. The 2nd Women's Independent Regiment was disbanded, and some soldiers were assigned to the logistics departments of each unit to participate in the rescue of the wounded and the transfer of grain. The remaining personnel were organized into two companies and incorporated into the Independent 1st Regiment.
Then the establishment of the Women's Independent Division of the Fourth Red Front Army was cancelled, and the 1st Women's Independent Regiment was renamed the Women's Independent Regiment of the Fourth Front Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.
In the autumn of 1936, the Women's Independent Regiment was renamed the Women's Anti-Japanese Pioneer Regiment. The regiment commander Wang Quanyuan, deputy political commissar Wu Fulian, chief of staff Peng Yuru, director of the political department Hua Quanshuang, and special envoy Zeng Guanglan. The regiment has 3 battalions and 9 companies, with about 1,300 people. The Women's Anti-Japanese Pioneer Regiment, as the headquarters of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, crossed the Yellow River and began to embark on the road to the Western Expedition.
In January 1937, more than 300 people from the 2nd Battalion of the Women's Independent Regiment were led by Hua Quanshuang, director of the regiment political department, and Jiang Jukun, commander of the 2nd Battalion.During the Nijiayingzi breakthrough operation, when the 2nd Battalion of the Women's Independent Regiment retreated to Liyuankou, it received an order from its superiors to "hold the enemy at all costs and cover the transfer of the main force." In the battle of
Liyuankou, facing the revolving attacks of the Ma family cavalry, the 2nd Battalion of the Women's Independent Regiment fought for two days and two nights, and after completing the blocking mission, it fell into the enemy's encirclement. Hua Quanshuang, director of the Political Department of the Women's Independent Regiment, was captured, and more than 200 female soldiers in his unit were either sacrificed or captured.
Nearly 100 wounded soldiers from the remaining 2nd Battalion of the Women's Independent Battalion who retreated to Gaotai were also sacrificed or captured in the subsequent Gaotai Battle.
During the Gaotai Campaign from January 12 to 20, 1937, the 3rd Battalion of the Women's Independent Regiment was assigned to Dong Zhentang's unit of the 5th Army to conduct defensive operations. At the last moment, the commander of the army Dong Zhentang ordered some soldiers who were not seriously injured to break out westward, and one who could survive was considered one.
htmlOn January 20, after nine days and nights of fighting, the female soldiers of the 3rd Battalion of the Women's Independent Regiment, who had only more than 200 people, were already exhausted. In order not to become a burden to the breaking force, battalion commander Li Guiying took the initiative to ask the 3rd Battalion to stay in the county town of Gaotai to block the enemy's troops and cover the breaking force to retreat westward. From January 21, Gaotai fell, more than 100 people in the 3rd Battalion of the Women's Independent Regiment were captured, and the remaining troops were killed.In March 1937, more than 2,000 people from the remaining Western Route Army were in the battle of Shiwo Mountain. The Women's Independent Regiment had only less than 300 people left. He was ordered to block the enemy and cover the entire army's retreat.
Women's Independence Regiment fought and retreated. When it retreated to Kanglong area, it was caught by enemy cavalry. The Women's Independence Regiment, which had been fighting for 5 consecutive months, was at the end of its strength at this time, and most of them were sacrificed or dispersed, and dozens of wounded were captured by the enemy.
In 1984, the Women's Federation of Gansu Province and Qinghai Provinces, after several years of investigation and statistics: there are 231 female Red Army soldiers scattered among the people in Gansu, most of which are female soldiers of the former West Road Army; there are 136 female soldiers of the former West Road Army scattered among the people in Qinghai, all of which are female soldiers of the former West Road Army.
I would like to express my deep respect to all the soldiers of the Western Route Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Especially the heroines of the Women's Independence Group, at the age when they should have embroidered flowers on the window and waited for marriage, they used their youth and life and their delicate bodies to fight against the enemy. Nowadays, the country is rich and the people are strong. This prosperous era is as you wish!
