In history of development of mankind, war is an important touch. How many civilizations were born here, so many civilizations fell into decay because of it. So, do you know how important ammunition is in a war?
In long history of warfare, there have been many wars in which great defeats or losses were caused by lack of supplies.In ancient times, Battle of Guandu was cause of great defeats.Weaving straw sandals with one's own hands or even traveling barefoot caused most soldiers to suffer from constant wear and tear on their feet and drain their combat power.
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." The Red Army soldiers, marching in mountains and forests, whether with ammunition or marching over long distances, constantly moving and charging in a changing tense situation, in absence of an armored personnel carrier, have to rely on their feet.
Straw Sandals (Long March Period)
It is very important for them to have a pair of durable and comfortable shoes that can not only effectively relieve pain of soldiers during march, but also increase their combat effectiveness.
During Agrarian Revolution, straw sandals were also standard equipment of Workers' and Peasants' Red Army everywhere. The strongholds scattered across country used to be harassed and intercepted by enemy troops, and in future there was a lack of supplies. The Red Army troops simply could not provide enough durable cloth shoes and even army boots for ordinary soldiers.
Therefore, weaving bast shoes from straw has become a basic skill that all soldiers must master, from commanders of Red Army to ordinary officers and soldiers. Not only did soldiers on front lines need to weave as many straw sandals as possible between battles, but many high-ranking officers also acquired skill of weaving straw sandals. During Long March, they often made straw sandals for the soldiers themselves.
Red Army soldiers weaving straw bast shoes at recess
Zhu De makes straw sandals for soldiers during Long March
However, disadvantages of straw sandals are also obvious. Straw sandals have poor wear resistance and are often easily damaged during long marches, so senior commanders and soldiers during Long March need to make new straw sandals from local materials. And as troops moved north to loess high slopes, where temperatures were cooler, disadvantages of straw sandals' poor heat retention were also exposed: many soldiers got frostbite from wearing straw sandals barefoot. Straw sandals made of straw and hemp are hardly comfortable, spikes of straw sandals often inadvertently scratch soles of feet and even lead to repeated infections during hike. More seriously, wearing straw sandals for a long march with heavy loads can easily lead to flat feet and make it impossible for soldiers to march long distances. .
Seeing harm of straw sandals to feet of soldiers during Long March, anti-Japanese bases attached great importance to production of military shoes, since a large number of young and middle-aged fronts to destroy enemy or were engaged in heavy physical labor in rear, providing soldiers. The task of making military footwear fell on shoulders of women in border areas. Women's organizations in base areas often mobilize rural women to make shoes, mostly hand-made shoes made from coarse cloth, which are divided into summer single shoes and winter cotton shoes. Although this kind of cloth shoe, which has been used for a long time in agricultural era, cannot be compared with standard military boots of Japanese army, its light, breathable, comfortable, durable and heat-retaining characteristics have already improved foot. conditions of soldiers, their marching and combat capabilities are largely guaranteed. And thanks to strong organizational and mobilization capabilities of various base areas, even in a difficult period of anti-cleansing operations, front-line troops can still get a sufficient amount of cloth shoes.
During anti-Japanese war, women in Laiyuan County, Hebei Province were engaged in sewing cloth shoes for the Eighth Army.
During late period of anti-Japanese war, three medical workers of Eighth Route Army were about to go to battlefield. They were all wearing rough shoes.
From straw sandals to cloth boots, it is not only an improvement in position of soldiers' feet, but also an improvement in entire logistics system. However, soldiers of national army were still worried about various injuries inflicted by straw sandals, and their morale was still low when victory was approaching. The final victory or defeat was already being decided on soles of soldiers' feet.