Taiwan can today justifiably boast, of having a very well trained and disciplined army which can be entirely relied upon to defend the island against any enemy invasion and to fight for Free China in her crusade against Communism and aggression. These troops comprising men either brought from the mainland or newly recruited on the Island, have undergone such a thorough and vigorous training that they possess not only unusual combat skill but also high morale essential to the winning of battles. Generally known as the "New Army", they are fine specimens of soldiers, strong in physique, high in spirit and experienced in fighting. It is no exaggeration to say that they are the best trained army China has ever had and they compare favorably with any army maintained by any country today. When they should be called upon to fight either in defense of this Island, in counter-attacks on the mainland or in UN compaigns overseas, they no doubt will be able to give a magnificent account of themselves. In fact, they have proven already their extraordinary fighting power and ability for, when they went into action on the Kingmen Island they annihilated the Red invaders as they launched their attacks. Those who saw them fight lauded their lofty spirit and bravery. In the words of United States Senator Knowland, Taiwan's New Army is not only the hope of Free China but the hope of all free peoples of the world.
Sun Li-jen, Architect of the New Army
Taiwan owes this New Army to the great work of General Sun Li-jen of Burma Compaign fame and now Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese ground forces. General Sun was assigned the task of training a new army in the autumn of 1947 when the Government troops were locked in desperate battles with the Communist forces and when it was becoming apparent that unless a new army was immediately trained, no fresh crack troops would be available to replace those wounded or killed in action. As the Communist armies were rapidly sweeping southward and as Government troops were suffering heavy losses, General Sun was ordered to Taiwan to start immediately a recruiting and training program. The task was one of immense difficulty but it had to be performed with the least loss of time. General Sun had to build a new army in the shortest possible time, but prospects of Success did not appear bright as there was lack of adequate training equipment and personnel, and the men to be trained were either remnants of retreating and disintegrated armies evacuated to Taiwan, or recruits from Taiwan rural areas who did not have even elementary education, not to speak of previous military training. It was under such difficult circumstances that General Sun started his work. He permitted, however, no difficulty to discourage him or to delay the completion of his assignment which was to have a great bearing on the destiny of Free China.
Built Up from "DUNKIRK" Troops
Physical Training (File photo)
Almost as soon as he set his feet on Formosan soil General Sun got his plans mapped out and only a few weeks thereafter his work was pretty well under way. At Fengshan which was destined to become the cradle of the New Army, General Sun established his Headquarters and organised his training program. Under his personal supervision the work was smoothly carried out. For fully three years and up to even now he has worked very hard. In a comparatively short period and from a few thousand demoralized and tired "Dunkirk" troops and newly recruited youths, General Sun has trained and built a modern army of considerable fighting strength and striking power. This was accomplished as a result of grim determination and untiring efforts. The achievement was, of course, also the result of a carefully planned and executed program.
General Sun's achievement is understandable when one examines the theories he advocated and the policy he pursued in the training of troops and the building up of his armies. From the very beginning he held the theory that a good soldier must have a national elementary education as background in his military training because a good army can only be built on that basis. He believes that armies symbolize the national prestige, characteristics and culture of a country to which they belong and, for that reason, the armies of one country can never be the same as those of another, each possessing special qualities of its own. General Sun in analysing the qualities of the armies of various countries, feels that the American and British troops have initiative, and sense of responsibility and are law-abiding but lively, while Japanese and German armies are vigilant, hardy and serious. The Chinese troops are between these two types but, in addition, posses endurance and a spirit of sacrifice. Based on this theory, he is convinced that if only properly trained, acquiring the fine points of the American, British, Japanese and German troops and developing the virtues already in them, the Chinese troops can become the best soldiers of the world.
Speak and Work the Truth
General Sun wanted all his troops to be frank and practical, realizing that with sincerity, the men can develop a spirit of fellowship and unite themselves in heart and purpose. The motto he adopted for the soldiers is "Say true words and do true work". The training imparts into every cadet the habit of telling the truth and pursuing real work. The army is comprised, therefore, of men who are absolutely honest, conscientious and dependable. They fear no difficulties and shun no responsibilities. Among themselves there is brotherly love and unity which tie them together like a gigantic family. Uppermost in their hearts, of course, is love for and loyalty to their country. All this makes up that cardinal spirit which General Sun in his troop training program has built up and which the New Army possesses.
Physical Training
The training of this new army was by no means easy and simple. The men had to be literally re-educated and reconstructed. General Sun laid special emphasis on physical development, which he feels is a prerequisite to successful, military training. His program calls for a two-stage training. During the first stage the men were given a physical training aimed at perfecting their physique and the elementary education designed to foster and develop moral virtues. It was not until the second stage that they received training in shooting and in fighting. Indeed, for the first time in Chinese military history physical training was made a part of military training.
From his 20 years experience in commanding and training troops, General Sun has convinced himself that physical training cannot be separated from military training. Differing from the United States and Great Britain, physical training is not universal in China, with the result that few of our people are fit to become soldiers. General Sun was right when he advocated that physical training and military training must be combined into one. In fact, he made physical training the foundation of military training. This was one of the important factors to which the Fengshan achievement is attributable. The fighting ability of the New Army, due in no small degree to the solid bodies and power of endurance of the men, bears testimony to the correctness of General Sun's theory. The perfect physique of General Sun's new troops is today almost world known.
The Art of Shooting and Fighting
In the second stage efforts were concentrated on teaching the men the art of shooting and fighting. For this part of the program General Sun emphasized the importance of requiring the men to learn all the fundamental techniques and to acquire mastery and accuracy. The men had to start from elementary actions and to master every detail operation or movement required. After this rigid training, the troops were able to handle their weapons skillfully and to become expert gunners. Authoritative military circles have expressed the opinion that the heavy casualties inflicted on the Communist invaders on Kingman Island were largely attributable to the sharp shooting of the New Army.
The Training of Officers
General Sun's success also lies in his training of the officers. His theory is that whether the soldiers can fight well or not depends entirely on the officers who lead them. The men to be trained as officers were very carefully selected and were given a specially severe training. General Sun's policy is to give the officers a standardized training both in thought and action so that they may act in unison with each other; and when the army moves or fights, they may do so like one body.
The basic principle laid down by President Chiang Kai-shek is that the New Army organized for national defense should be nationalized and modernized. It can be said that under General Sun's leadership such an army is in the making on this Island and gathering strength every day.
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