The Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army were two important people's armies during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in China, both of which were anti-Japanese armed forces led by the Communist Party of China. However, although they were both formed to fight the Japanese invaders, there are some differences between them.
First of all, the formation background and historical evolution of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army are different. The Eighth Route Army, whose full name is the Eighth Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army, was formed after the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in 1937, when the Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang reached the second Kuomintang-Communist cooperation to jointly fight against the Japanese invaders. The main force of the Eighth Route Army was reorganized from the Red Army under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and its main areas of activity were in North, Central and South China. The New Fourth Army, whose full name is the New Fourth Army of the National Revolutionary Army, was an anti-Japanese armed force formed by the Communist Party of China in the Jiangnan region during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in 1938. The main area of activity of the New Fourth Army is in East China, especially in Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, and other provinces.
Second, the military strategies and tactics of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army differed. The Eighth Route Army mainly adopted the strategy and tactics of guerrilla warfare, mainly guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines, and carried out guerrilla warfare through extensive mobilization of the masses, the establishment of anti-Japanese base areas, and the containment and consumption of the Japanese army's strength. The New Fourth Army inherited the Red Army's tradition of regular warfare to a certain extent, and also carried out guerrilla warfare in the Jiangnan region. The New Fourth Army showed high mobility and combat effectiveness in the battle, smashed the Japanese offensive many times, and achieved remarkable results.
Thirdly, the political influence and mass base of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army were also different. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Eighth Route Army extensively mobilized the masses and established anti-Japanese democratic base areas, forming a relatively large political influence. In the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Eighth Route Army always adhered to the party's mass line, relied on the support of the masses of the people, waged guerrilla warfare, and won the trust and support of the broad masses of the people. Although the New Fourth Army also carried out guerrilla warfare in the Jiangnan region, its political influence and mass base were relatively small due to factors such as geographical environment, history and culture.
Finally, the fate of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War was also different. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, relations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party broke down, and the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army respectively became the main forces of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The Eighth Route Army played an important role in the War of Liberation and made great achievements for the establishment of New China. The New Fourth Army, on the other hand, experienced certain setbacks in the War of Liberation, and some units persisted in the struggle in the Jiangnan region, and finally after the founding of New China in 1949, the New Fourth Army was reorganized into a branch of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Although the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army were both anti-Japanese armed forces led by the Communist Party of China, there were certain differences between them in terms of their organizational background, historical evolution, military strategy, political influence, and fate after the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. However, both the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army made tremendous contributions to the Chinese people's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the cause of national liberation, and they deserve to be remembered forever.