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What really happened at Luding bridge?
When the troops of the vanguard unit led by Lin Biao reached the bridge on 29 May 1935, they discovered that the Guomindang Army units at the opposite end had removed two-thirds of the planking; the remaining flooring had been set on fire.
Why is the Luding bridge so important?
The bridge dates from the Qing Dynasty and is considered a historical landmark. It was an important crossing on the road between Sichuan and Tibet. The bridge was the location of the Battle of Luding Bridge, one of the most important events in the Long March.
Why did the long march happen?
In 1934 the Communists suffered huge losses against the Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War. Faced with the prospect of annihilation the leaders of the Communist army chose to start what is now called the Long March. This was a tactic of withdrawal into mountainous areas, some 2500 miles to the north and west.
How did the Communists pass through the Luding Bridge?
With the main Kuomintang army closing in on the Chinese Red Army, it was decided to send a small volunteer force across the badly damaged bridge. Red Army sources agree that the members of the force crawled over the bare iron chains of the bridge while under heavy Nationalist machine-gun fire from the opposite side.
Who won the battle of Luding Bridge?
Red Army victory
Battle of Luding Bridge
| Date | May 29, 1935 |
|---|---|
| Location | Dadu River, Luding County, Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China |
| Result | Red Army victory |
Who gave leadership to the Long March in China?
The route passed through some of the most difficult terrain of western China by traveling west, then north, to Shaanxi. The Long March began the ascent to power of Mao Zedong, whose leadership during the retreat gained him the support of the members of the party.
What happened at the Battle of Luding?
The following day … thousands of troops strode across the Luding Bridge. We had conquered the seething barrier of the Dadu River. The losses were minimal. One source puts the dead at seventeen, with “many scorched and wounded, and a few severely burned,” another at under 50, of whom 12 were blown by the wind into the river below.
Did the Red Army really cross the Luding Bridge?
“Crossing the Luding Bridge” is a CCP report, probably drawn from the writings of Yang Chengwu and Edgar Snow, on the Red Army’s exploits at the Dadu River: “The Luding Bridge was built centuries ago and in the manner of all bridges of the deep rivers of western China.
How was the Luding Bridge built?
“The Luding Bridge was built centuries ago and in the manner of all bridges of the deep rivers of western China. Heavy iron chains… were stretched across the river, their ends embedded on each side under great piles of cemented rock, beneath the stone bridgeheads.
What happened to the 4th Regiment at Luding Bridge?
The 4th regiment had lost considerable strength during the hurried 24-hour march – approximately two-thirds of the soldiers had fallen behind during the march – and only a battalion-sized force had reached the western bank of the Luding Bridge that morning.