Communist Military Leaders of the Korean War 1. Marshal Zhu De

Background and History Zhu De was born December 18, 1886, in Sichuan Province and died in Beijing on July 6, 1976. Zhu De (pronounced Jew Duh) came from a poor family in which only eight of fifteen children survived. He was the "Grand Old Man" of the Red Army. He was Mao's closest collaborator. He was the Commander in Chief during the Long March. He had been a successful Warlord and an opium smoker, which he subsequently cured before joining the Communist Party. Zhu cured himself by taking a long trip down the Yangtze River in a British steamer where no drugs were available. After studying in Germany, he met Zhou Enlai and soon became a Communist leader. In 1923, he was the nationalist Chief of Public Security in Nanchang and of the KMT officers training corps. It was still a secret that he was a Communist Party member.

Activities in Korean War As early as August 31, the commander of the 13th Army Group suggested to Zhu De, the commander in chief of the PLA, that the key to a possible victory required adequate air cover, antiaircraft guns, and logistical supplies. After receiving direct military intervention from both Stalin and Kim Il Sung. Mao called a meeting of his best advisors in Beijing on October 1, 1950. Zhu De the titular commander of the PLA attended the meeting. After Mao's final decision to intervene on October 13, General Peng ordered the commanders of the 13th Army Group rejected their appeal and ordered them to proceed without their requested equipment.

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