Yanan, the Strongpoint Offensive Flashcards
What was significant about Yanan?
Yanan was originally the area of a significant CCP base where Mao had once been.
Why was the capture of Yanan an “empty success”?
The capture of Yanan was an empty success as Mao had already fled. His troops moved south and he moved elsewhere. The CCP took all of their major equipment.
CCP has been in Yanan 1937-1938 (before WWII)
What was the main tactical error of the Nationalist strongpoint offensive?
As a consequence of taking Yanan, the GMD thought they had scored a major victory and that it was time for a ‘strongpoint offensive’. This change is strategy saw the spreading out of GMD forces which didn’t allow them to provide concentrated attack on the CCP. Due to effective counter attacks, the GMD lost north-eastern territory and thus was deemed as a failure for the Nationalists.
What were the consequences of the strongpoint offensive for the CCP?
The consequences of the strongpoint offensive for the CCP was the gain of territory and the ability to set up a new base around Zhangjiakou in Hebei province.
Explain the difference between military strategy and tactics. Use Mao’s’ actions as an example to illustrate your explanation.
Military strategy refers more closely to the movement and positioning of large military forces in a traditional army vs army fashion. By comparison, ‘tactics’ are referred to as small scale operations like Guerrilla warfare, evident in the passage. Mao evidently gave a lot of freedom to his commanders to choose how the battle moved forward.
Military strategy - overall battle plans
What you aim to achieve at the end of the campaign
Tactics - how am I going to win on this particular battle
Numbers, where to position them, cavalry, infantry?
Mao - we will take Manchuria
Tactics - he leaves his generals to do it in there way
How they will take it
How did Mao know about the GMD’s plan to attack Yanan?
Mole/s and crypto-communists in the nationalists armies had notified the CCP
Was the Strongpoint offensive a success for the Nationalists?
No
