About this Book

Although the history and present state of the Chinese Communist military forces are not as well covered as those of the Soviet Union, nevertheless, there is a relatively large number of books, articles, and source collections available in English. Then why this study. The answer is simply that this is an attempt to tell the story of the Chinese Red Army in as concise a form as possible without compressing the narrative to the point of distortion. The study may seem overstuffed with facts, or what pass for facts, but the author can assure the reader that he did his best to eliminate all but those he considered essential. The historical approach has been used for the simple reason that like any other organism the Chinese Red Army is a melange of strengths and weaknesses rooted in its evolution.