The 88th Separate Rifle Brigade (, , ), also known as the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Forces Teaching Brigade or the 88th International Brigade, was an international military unit of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

created during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was unique in that it incorporated the peoples of

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, and

Soviet Central Asia Soviet Central Asia () was the part of Central Asia administered by the Russian SFSR and then the Soviet Union between 1918 and 1991, when the Central Asian Soviet republics declared independence. It is nearly synonymous with Russian Turkest ...

in its ranks.

History

This unit was founded on 22 July 1942, to accommodate the remaining forces of the

Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army The Northeast Counter-Japanese United Army, also known as the NAJUA or Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, was the main Counter-Japanese guerrilla army in Northeast China (Manchuria) after the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Its prede ...

, who were exiled to the Soviet Union after being driven by the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

during the war. The brigade was replenished with Soviet citizens of Chinese and Korean descent, reaching around 1,500 people. Although it was a Soviet military unit, it kept its original organization that existed in the NAJUA. Located in the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

, it was under the control of the Soviet 25th Army. Chinese Lieutenant Colonel

Zhou Baozhong Zhou Baozhong (; 1902–1964) was a commander of the 88th Separate Rifle Brigade and Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army resisting the pacification of Manchukuo by the Empire of Japan. After the Chinese Civil War he was made Vice Governor of Yu ...

was the first commander. The brigade was made up of

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

and

Koreans Koreans are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. The majority of Koreans live in the two Korean sovereign states of North and South Korea, which are collectively referred to as Korea. As of 2021, an estimated 7.3 m ...

, deployed in camps "A" and "B" in the suburbs of

Kerki Kerki is a city in and capital of Kerki District, Lebap Province, Turkmenistan. It was formerly known as Zamm and, between 1999 and 2017, as Atamyrat. Geography It is situated on a plain on the left bank of the Amu Darya river. Nearby towns a ...

in the

Turkmen SSR The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Turkmenistan, the Turkmen SSR, TuSSR, Turkmenistan, or Turkmenia, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union located in Soviet Central Asia, ...

. Captain Kim Song-ju, later known as

Kim Il Sung Kim Il Sung (born Kim Song Ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as its first Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader from North Korea#Founding, its establishm ...

, took command of the 1st Korean Battalion. The brigade was stationed in the village of Vyatskoye on the

Amur River The Amur River () or Heilong River ( zh, s=黑龙江) is a perennial river in Northeast Asia, forming the natural border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China (historically the Outer and Inner Manchuria). The Amur ''proper'' is ...

Khabarovsk Krai Khabarovsk Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (a krai) of Russia. It is located in the Russian Far East and is administratively part of the Far Eastern Federal District. The administrative centre of the krai is the types of ...

. In 1943, General

Iosif Apanasenko Iosif Rodionovich Apanasenko (Russian: Иосиф Родионович Апанасенко) (April 15 (April 3 O.S.), 1890 – August 5, 1943) was a Soviet division commander. Career Iosif Apanasenko was an ethnic Russian, born in a village ...

gave the brigade its official unit number. The brigade was never put into combat, as it was to fulfill only intelligence-sabotage tasks against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, with small armed groups transferred to Manchuria and Korea. In addition to intelligence and sabotage training, they underwent intensive ideological training. After a reorganization in April 1944, the brigade consisted of the following: * HQ * Political unit * Counterintelligence unit (

SMERSH SMERSH () was an umbrella organization for three independent counter-intelligence agencies in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially announced only on 14 April 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Joseph Stalin. The form ...

) * 4 independent rifle battalions * Machine gun battalion * Artillery squadron * Mortar company * Reconnaissance company * Sapper company * Automobile company * Rear services * Intelligence course In mid-1945, the brigade was directly subordinated to the staff of the

5th Rifle Corps The 5th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Union's Red Army, formed twice. Formed in 1922, the corps was based at Bobruisk in Belarus for most of the interwar period. It fought in the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939, with elements ...

of the newly-formed

2nd Far Eastern Front __NOTOC__ The 2nd Far Eastern Front () was a Front—a formation equivalent to a Western Army Group—of the Soviet Army. It was formed just prior to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and was active from August 5, 1945, until October 1, 1945. His ...

. In July 1945, the brigade command developed a plan to attack a separate 100-strong detachment in Manchuria, but it was not implemented. The unit also failed to enter any major combat on August 9, when the

invasion of Manchuria began, leaving the 88th in the 25th Army's reserve. As a result, the brigade commander sent an unsuccessful request to the front commander, General

Maksim Purkayev Maksim Alexeyevich Purkayev (; January 1, 1953) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military leader, reaching service rank of Army General. Biography Purkayev was conscripted into the Imperial Russian Army in 1915, and reached the rank of prapor ...

, for a transfer to the hostilities. By the end of August, the unit had liberated many villages in North East China. The brigade was officially disbanded on 12 October 1945. The ethnic Chinese returned to China to fight in the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

, whereas the Koreans were transported to Northern Korea to serve as part of the

Provisional People's Committee of North Korea The Provisional People's Committee of North Korea () was the provisional government of North Korea. The committee was established on 8 February 1946 in response for the need of the Soviet Civil Administration and the communists to have centraliza ...

. Many members of the unit went on to serve in the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Korean People's Army Ground Force, Ground Force, the Ko ...

Notable members

Notable members have included: *

* Lim Chum-chu *

Kim Chaek Kim Chaek (, 14 August 1903 – 31 January 1951) was a North Korean revolutionary, military general, and politician. His birth name was Kim Hong-gye (). Life 200px, left, Choe Yong-gon, Kim Chaek, Kim Il, and PPSh-41.html" ;"title="Kang K ...

Choe Hyon Choe Hyon (, 6 May 1907 – 10 April 1982), also known as Sai Ken (after the Japanese pronunciation of his name), was a North Korean general and politician. Born in China to ethnic Korean parents, Choe fought in the anti-Japanese struggle from ...

Ri Yong-suk Ri Yong-suk (, 17 April 1916 – November 2021) was a North Korean politician and revolutionary. A veteran of the anti-Japanese struggle, Ri had close relations with all three generations of the Kim dynasty. During WWII, she was with Kim Il Sun ...

* Choe Yong-gon *

Ri Tu-ik Ri Tu-ik (; born 1921 in Jilin, China - died March 13, 2002, in Pyongyang) was a North Korean politician of the Workers' Party of Korea and Vice-Marshal of the Korean People's Army, who was a member of the Central Military Commission of the Worke ...

Decorated fighters

Ten fighters of the 88th Brigade, including the brigade commander and battalion commander Kim Il Sung, were awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Others were awarded the following awards: * 45 -

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

* 51 - Medal "For Courage" * 149 - Medal "For Military Merit" * All the personnel of the international brigade were awarded the

Medal "For the Victory over Japan" The Medal "For the Victory over Japan" () was a campaign medal of the Soviet Union established on September 30, 1945 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union to commemorate the Soviet ...

Legacy

There are heritage sites located on the territory of the Khabarovsk Krai dedicated to the brigade. A burial site is located on the territory of the Khabarovsk Municipal District on a road leading to the village of Vyatskoye. A copy of the military banner of the brigade is kept in

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

, next to a copy of the

Victory Banner The Victory Banner or Banner of Victory () was the banner raised by Red Army soldiers on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 1 May 1945, the day after Adolf Hitler committed suicide. This particular banner was raised by three Soviet soldiers ...

References

{{reflist Brigades of the Soviet Union Red Army units and formations of World War II Infantry units and formations of the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 China in World War II Korea–Soviet Union relations Expatriate military units and formations Militant Korean independence activist organizations

History

Notable members

Decorated fighters

Legacy

See also

References