The Eighth Route Army and the Red Army were two different armies in China, and they were both distinct and closely linked.
First, the Eighth Route Army and the Red Army had close ties. The Eighth Route Army was adapted from the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, which in turn was the predecessor of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army and the Red Army.
The 1st, 2nd, and 4th Front Armies were developed. On May 25, 1928, the revolutionary army under the leadership of the Party was officially named the Red Army, and after 1930, it was gradually renamed the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Therefore, the origin of the Eighth Route Army is closely related to the Red Army.
Second, the combat missions of the Eighth Route Army and the Red Army were different. On August 22, 1937, the National Military Committee announced that the main force of the Red Army in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo border area was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army, and its main task was to defend the security of North China and fight against the Japanese invaders. The main task of the Red Army was to overthrow the reactionary rule of the Kuomintang and achieve the revolutionary goal of building a new China.
Third, the Eighth Route Army and the Red Army also differed in military establishment. The military establishment of the Eighth Route Army was relatively simple, mainly based on divisions, while the Red Army was organized on the basis of corps.
In short, although the Eighth Route Army and the Red Army were both party-led armies, there were some obvious differences between them. These differences are mainly reflected in the political organization, military establishment, combat missions, operational areas, leadership system, and command system.