The first large-scale award of honors by our army after the founding of New China

The conditions for awarding medals and medals at all levels are (abstract):

August 1st Medal and August 1st Medal Awarded during the Agrarian Revolutionary War (August 1, 1927 ~ July 6, 1937) to participate in the Revolutionary War A person who has merited merit but no gross negligence.The first-level Bayi Medal was awarded to cadres above the division level at that time. The second class Bayi Medal was awarded to regiment and battalion cadres at that time. The third-level Bayi Medal is awarded to personnel below the company level. The August 1st Medal is awarded to personnel other than the above-mentioned personnel who participated in the Red Army of the Chinese Workers and Peasants before July 6, 1937.

Three-level August 1st Medal Certificate

Medal of Independence and Freedom 　Awarded during the Anti-Japanese War (July 7, 1937-September 2, 1945) A person who has been meritorious in the war without major negligence. The First Class of Independence and Freedom Medal awarded to the Chinese Workers and Peasants Red Army when it was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army at the brigade level and equivalent to cadres above the brigade level, the Chinese Workers and Peasants Red Army was reorganized into the New Fourth Army when the detachment level and equivalent to cadres above the detachment level, in the Eighth Route Army before September 2, 1945 , The New Fourth Army and in the anti-Japanese guerrillas led by the Communist Party of China are equivalent to military-level columns and cadres above the division level of the New Fourth Army. The Second Class of Independent Freedom Medal was awarded to the brigade-level, regiment-level and their equivalent cadres at that time. The three-level Independent Freedom Medal was awarded to the battalion-level, company-level and their equivalent cadres at that time. The Medal of Independence and Freedom is awarded to those who are below rank at the time.

First Class Certificate of Independence and Freedom

Liberation Medal and Liberation Medal Awarded for participating in the Revolutionary War during the War of Liberation (September 3, 1945-June 30, 1950) A person who has merited merit but no gross negligence. The First Class Liberation Medal was awarded to military-level or above and equivalent cadres at that time. The second-level Liberation Medal was awarded to the division-level and equivalent cadres at that time. The third-level Liberation Medal was awarded to regiment-level, battalion-level and their equivalent cadres at that time. The Liberation Medal was awarded to personnel below the company level at that time. During the War of Liberation, the former Kuomintang army meritorious personnel who directly led the uprising of the Kuomintang army: those who directly led an uprising of the entire army were awarded the first-level liberation medal; those who directly led an entire division uprising were awarded the second-level liberation medal; those who directly led an entire group uprising were awarded Three-level Liberation Medal; Directly leading a platoon to the whole camp uprising awarded the Liberation Medal.

Since it is the first time that the military has been awarded uniformly, the party and the state attach great importance to it. The materials and production of the medals are very elegant. The first class medal is silver gilt on both sides; the second and third class medals are made of silver-based alloys. All three types of medals are copper plated with gold.

awarded the first batch of medals when the army was first awarded the rank in 1955

On September 23, 1955, the 22nd meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress decided to award Zhu De 10 He was awarded the rank of Marshal of the People’s Republic of China, and decided to award Zhu De and other 131 people with the First Class and August First Medal, Zhu De and other 117 people with the First Class Independence Medal, and Zhu De and other 570 people with the First Class Liberation Medal. Chairman Mao Zedong of the People's Republic of China successively issued orders to award marshals and generals various medals.

Chairman Mao Zedong awarded Marshal Zhu De three first class medals

Marshal Peng Dehuai's medal certificate

At 5 pm on September 27, 1955, the award ceremony of the President of the People's Republic of China was held in Zhongnanhaihuai Rentang was grandly held. Chairman Mao Zedong, Vice Chairman Zhu De of the People's Republic of China, Chairman Liu Shaoqi of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and Premier Zhou Enlai of the State Council attended the awarding ceremony. Peng Zhen, vice chairman and secretary-general of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, read out the order of the People’s Republic of China to grant the rank of marshal. Chairman Mao Zedong personally awarded Zhu De and other founding fathers one by one the orders of the rank of marshal. After conferring the rank of marshal, Peng Zhen read out the order of the President of the People’s Republic of China to award honors, and Chairman Mao Zedong awarded the first-level August 1st Medal, the First-Class Independence Freedom Medal, and the First-Class Liberation Medal to those who participated in the Chinese Revolution, and were awarded During the war, the Kuomintang army revolted.

Chairman Liu Shaoqi and Premier Zhou Enlai made a toast to Marshal Zhu De and others at the award ceremony

Medal and medal awarding work,The original plan was divided into two phases: in 1955, medals and medals for active servicemen were awarded, and in 1956, medals and medals for demobilized, demobilized and demobilized soldiers were awarded. But in fact, there were some changes in the actual implementation of the awarding work, which failed to proceed as planned. The first is the medals and medals of active servicemen, which were awarded until 1957. The main reason is that the examination and approval procedures and political review of the awarding work are very strict, especially the evaluation of the types and grades of the medals is very detailed and complicated. Due to historical conditions, especially during the Red Army period, the cadre file system is not sound enough. The appointment is not clear enough in the archives, and sometimes it needs to be proved by the superior or the same level of the year; the rank of some positions has also changed, for example, according to the relevant documents for the evaluation of medals at the time: The calculation of the battalion level is now generally calculated at the company level; the deputy director of the brigade supply department and the deputy director of the brigade health department during the Anti-Japanese War were generally calculated at the regiment level, but now they are generally calculated at the battalion level; military health during the War of Liberation Deputy Ministers and Deputy Ministers of the Military Supply Department used to be calculated at the division level, but now they are generally calculated at the regiment level, etc. This makes it more difficult to assess the medal, and is also an important reason for the publication of the list of honorees in batches. For example, General Yang Chengwu was awarded the First Class Independent Freedom Medal and the First Class Liberation Medal in 1955, but it was not until 1957 that he was awarded the First Class Bayi Medal. The second is that after the completion of the first phase, the second phase was not implemented as planned for some reason, and most of the soldiers who transferred to work in local areas did not receive medals or medals. The main reason is that this group of personnel is large in number, personnel changes are large, the situation is more complicated, and the work of awarding honors is very difficult. Two Resolutions Concerning the Awarding of Medals and Medals "Resolution Regarding the Award of Medals and Medals to the People's Liberation Army who have contributed to the defense of the motherland and the modernization of national defense", "Resolutions on awarding the Medal of the Chinese People's Volunteers to the Chinese People's Volunteers to Resist U.S. Aid Korea and Defend the State "The regulations were not issued for some reason.

After a lapse of two years, the second batch of medals was awarded in 1957

Since the large-scale award in 1955 and the first award, after nearly two years of complicated and meticulous work, June 1957 , The central government decided to once again award the Chinese People’s Liberation Army the Medal of Meritorious Service during the People’s Revolutionary War.

On June 18, 1957, in accordance with the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Chairman Mao Zedong of the People’s Republic of China issued a honour order, including the first-level August 1st medal for 47 people including Yang Chengwu, and the first-level independence for 196 people including Huang Yongsheng. Medal of Freedom, Wang Jian’an and other 421 people's first-class liberation medal.

On the eve of the "August 1st" Army Day this year, the People's Liberation Army headquarters, various services, arms, and the leading organs of the major military regions have successively held ceremonial awards. At the award ceremony jointly held by the headquarters and the troops stationed in Beijing, Vice Minister of National Defense Admiral Li Da read out Chairman Mao’s order to award the award. On behalf of Chairman Mao, Marshal He Long awarded the medal to 394 people including General Yang Chengwu. At the award ceremony of the General Staff, General Su Yu, Chief of the General Staff, awarded various medals to 968 officers on behalf of Chairman Mao. At a ceremony jointly held by the General Political Department, the Military Court, and the Military Procuratorate, General Tan Zheng, Deputy Minister of National Defense and Director of the General Political Department, awarded the medal to 559 people including Lin Yueqin on behalf of Chairman Mao. At the ceremony of the Shenyang Military Region, 549 people, including General Deng Hua, were awarded the medal. The Deputy Minister of National Defense Xiao Jinguang read out the order and awarded the medals to meritorious personnel. At the awarding ceremonies held in Lanzhou and Xinjiang Military Regions, Chairman Mao was awarded the awards by General Xiao Hua, Minister of the General Cadre Department and Deputy Director of the General Political Department...

From 1955 to 1957, the People's Liberation Army were awarded the Revolutionary War During the period, there were 103,349 various medals and more than 520,000 various medals. Among them, 178 were awarded the First Class Bayi Medal, 1467 Second Class Bayi Medal, 5339 Third Class Bayi Medal; 313 First Class Independent Freedom Medal, 4152 Second Class Independent Freedom Medal, and Third Class Independent Freedom Medal 31098 People; 990 people with the first-level liberation medal, 4932 people with the second-level liberation medal, and 54879 people with the third-level liberation medal. The number of honorees totaled more than 61,000.

Admiral Hong Xuezhi’s certificate of three first-level medals

Among the outstanding generals of the founding of the Republic, 144 were awarded three first-level medals at the same time. Among them, 10 marshals and 10 generals were all awarded Awarded the Golden First Class Bayi Medal, First Class Independent Freedom Medal and First Class Liberation Medal; 47 of the 57 founding generals were awarded 3 First Class Medals,There are 10 exceptions: Wei Guoqing, Tang Liang, and Su Zhenhua were awarded the second-level August 1st medal (regiment-level cadres during the Red Army), the first-level independent freedom medal and the first-level liberation medal; Li Tianyou and Yang Zhicheng were awarded the first-level August 1st medal and the second Order of Independence and Freedom Medal (recovering injuries in the Soviet Union during the War of Resistance Against Japan) and the Medal of Liberation; Lu Zhengcao was originally a general of the Northeast Army. He joined the Eighth Route Army during the War of Resistance and was awarded the Medal of Independence and Freedom. There are 4 people with the medal: Ulanhu participated in revolutionary work during the Agrarian Revolutionary War and the War of Resistance against Japan, but did not hold actual positions in the army; Chen Mingren, Dong Qiwu, and Tao Zhiyue were formerly KMT lieutenant-general officers and later in the Liberation War He led an uprising and joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Of the 177 lieutenant generals, 60 were awarded 3 first-class medals, accounting for nearly one-third; of the 1,360 major generals, only 15 were awarded this honor. In addition, two generals, Zhou Baozhong and Feng Baiju, who have been transferred to local work and only awarded honors but have not been awarded, have also received 3 first-class medals, totaling 144 people.

General Zhou Baozhong wears three first-class medals (signals)

For the honors and awards of the former Kuomintang army rebels, they were initially awarded to those who joined the People’s Liberation Army after the uprising and were still in the army in 1955, such as Chen Mingren, Dong Qiwu, Tao Zhiyue, Kong Congzhou, Zeng Zesheng, Lin Zun, Deng Zhaoxiang, Liu Shanben, etc., who were awarded the First Class Liberation Medal, served in the PLA Army, Navy, and Air Force at that time; later they expanded to not join the People's Liberation Army. Or participate in the people's Liberation Army who have transferred jobs to work in local areas and have a greater impact on the insurgents, such as Zhang Zhizhong, Fu Zuoyi, Ma Hongbin, Deng Baoshan, Deng Xihou, Lu Han, Liu Wenhui, Gao Shuxun, etc. who have been awarded the first class liberation medal.

In addition, there is some flexibility in the control of the conditions of the insurgents. The regulations on the medal are very clear. Those who lead an uprising of the entire army can be awarded the first class liberation medal, those who lead a division uprising are awarded the second class, and those who lead a regiment uprising are awarded the third class. For example, Chen Mingren, the former commander of the Kuomintang First Corps, led a corps uprising. Although the 9 divisions under his jurisdiction have run 5 divisions, they still have almost one and a half army strength; the former Kuomintang Suiyuan Province Chairman and Security Commander Dong Qiwu led the department A one hundred thousand uprising is equivalent to the strength of a corps; Zeng Zesheng, the former deputy commander of the Kuomintang Changchun Defender, led the 60th Army uprising, and so on. They all led an uprising of more than one army,Therefore, he was awarded the First Class Liberation Medal. However, some uprising generals did not bring a single soldier, but according to his title, status and fame, as well as the influence on other uprising troops, he also awarded the corresponding level of liberation medals. For example, General Zhang Zhizhong, the former second-level general of the Kuomintang, made a major contribution to the peaceful liberation of Xinjiang and won the first-level liberation medal. On the other hand, the conditions for awarding honors for the uprising were set according to the army's organization, that is, army, division, and regiment. But how do the former Kuomintang naval and air force personnel convert their "uprising capital"? For example, Deng Zhaoxiang, the former captain of the cruiser Chongqing of the Kuomintang Navy, brought a cruiser over. The captains of cruisers in Britain, the United States and other countries are generally colonels, which are equivalent to the army regiment commanders. Deng Zhaoxiang is also a colonel. The "Chongqing" cruiser has a standard displacement of 5270 tons, a full displacement of 7180 tons, and 574 officers and soldiers. It belongs to a light cruiser and can be converted into a regiment. This is the condition of the third-level liberation medal. But Deng Zhaoxiang was given the first-class Liberation Medal, that is to say, the "Chongqing" was treated as a whole army. This is because the "Chongqing" uprising is of great significance, and the vibration it caused is no less than an uprising of a whole army! Similarly, the former Kuomintang Rear Admiral Lin Zun led an uprising in the Haiphong Second Fleet on April 23, 1949. The Haiphong Second Fleet administers 30 ships, but there are only 1271 officers and soldiers in total, with an average of only 40 people per ship (boat), most of which are small ships, at most equivalent to the current division-class fleet. However, the Haiphong Second Fleet Uprising was the biggest Kuomintang naval uprising in the War of Liberation. Chairman Mao Zedong and Commander-in-Chief Zhu De described it as "a feat on the Nanjing River." The uprising of the Second Fleet accelerated the victory in the Battle of Crossing the River and made important contributions to the liberation of Nanjing. Therefore, General Lin Zun was awarded the First Class Liberation Medal. Another example is Liu Shanben, the former flying staff officer of the Eighth Battalion of the Kuomintang Air Force. On June 26, 1946, he led a crew to fly a B-24 bomber in an uprising from Chengdu to Yan'an, setting a precedent for an uprising by the Kuomintang Air Force. Under his influence, more than 100 people from the Kuomintang Air Force flew 42 aircraft to revolt. The Prime Minister repeatedly stated that "Comrade Liu Shanben was the leader of the Kuomintang Air Force uprising." Although Liu Shanben brought only one plane and one crew (4 people in total), it was of great significance and was awarded the First Class Liberation Medal.

Rear Admiral Lin Zun (left) and Deng Zhaoxiang (right) who were awarded the First Class Liberation Medal The beginning of the reward system. Although there are still unsatisfactory aspects in the implementation process, if it is not carried out as scheduled as scheduled, there have also been individual comparisons. But in general, the award of medals is positive. Through this reward, the earth has inspired the sense of honor and self-motivatedness of all officers and soldiers of the People's Liberation Army, mobilized their enthusiasm and creativity in building national defense and defending the motherland, and effectively promoted army building.