"People" And "Soldiers":A Study Of The Militia In The Anti Japanese Base Areas Of Central Jiangsu

After the establishment of the Central Jiangsu Anti Japanese base area,the KMT continued to create military friction,and the Japanese army also carried out frequent raids,which made the environment extremely difficult.In order to persist in the struggle in place and consolidate the development of the base areas,the Party committee of the Central Jiangsu Anti Japanese base area decided to rely on the strength of the masses,mobilize the masses in the base areas,mobilize the masses to carry out armed struggle,and put the focus of military construction on the organization and development of the militia.There are a large number of different types of rural armed forces spontaneously formed by farmers in Central Jiangsu.These rural armed forces are separated from the political system,which is not conducive to the development of the Anti Japanese national united front in the base areas.The Party committee of the central military of the Central Jiangsu Anti Japanese base area absorbed and reorganized it,and transformed it into a rudimentary militia organization such as the fishermen’s self defense force.In the spring of1941,the Anti Japanese base area of Central Jiangsu launched the movement of reducing rent and interest rates,and established the peasant anti enemy Association(hereinafter referred to as the peasant anti enemy Association)in all parts of the base area to lead the peasants to carry out the struggle of reducing rent and interest rates.During the movement,the Party committee of Central Jiangsu Anti Japanese base area District put forward slogans such as "armed yourself to protect yourself",took advantage of the peasants’ self-defense needs,developed the activists in the peasant Anti Japanese Association into militia,guided the peasants to change from passive and general self-defense struggle to active and active armed struggle,and further promoted the development of militia.In the autumn of 1942,the Japanese army intensified the situation of mopping up and clearing up the countryside in the middle of the Central Jiangsu Anti Japanese base area,and the struggle environment in the middle of the Central Jiangsu Anti Japanese base area became increasingly arduous.In order to strive for the time and space for the development of the base areas,the Central Military Region of the Central Jiangsu Anti Japanese base area implemented the policy of streamlining troops and administration,reducing the main forces,and vigorously developing the militia.In winter,when the enemy Postpone their aggression,the Anti Japanese base areas in Central Jiangsu carried out the "three winters" movement with the main contents of "winter prevention,winter study and winter cultivation".It combined the interests of the masses and rural traditions with anti Japanese propaganda and conscription mobilization,mobilized farmers extensively,and established sound militia organizations in all counties,districts,townships and villages of the base areas.The Central Jiangsu Anti Japanese base gradually formed an armed system of three combinations: the main army,the local armed forces and the militia,which played a huge role in consolidating and developing the Anti Japanese base.As an important part of the three combination armed system of the Communist Party of China,the militia has bridged the bridge between the "people" and the "soldiers",alleviating the difficulty of directly mobilizing to join the army,and ensuring the sustainable development of the military force.With the improvement of the situation of the war of resistance against Japan and the approaching of the stage of strategic counter offensive,the militia in the Anti Japanese base areas in Central Jiangsu actively joined the army,rose to the main force and became the living reserve force in the war of liberation.However,due to their own limitations,the militia in the Anti Japanese base areas in Central Jiangsu also have many problems.The Central Military Region of the Central Jiangsu Anti Japanese base area regularly conducts military,political and cultural training and education for the militia,and the overall quality of the militia has been improved.However,due to the late start of the militia work in the Anti Japanese base areas of Central Jiangsu and the limited funds,many problems existing in the militia have not been completely solved.Through education and training,the militiamen in the Anti Japanese base areas in Central Jiangsu cooperated with the main forces and local armed forces,and extensively participated in the military struggle,maintaining social order,carrying out economic construction,supporting the Anti Japanese democratic regime and other activities in the construction of the base areas.They established a positive image in the hearts of the masses in the base areas,and played a good role in demonstration and publicity.In fact,the militia has become a link between the CPC and the rural society,which has led the masses to actively participate in various mass organizations organized by the CPC,brought into play the great strength of the masses,and made important contributions to the victory of the Anti Japanese war.