Historical background in 《亮剑》 relating to organization of National Revolutionary Army

Question

I am trying to understand the exact meaning of the military terms used in the text at the very beginning of the first episode of the show 亮剑 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WAnpfEbR5s), and in particular I would like to understand how all the different military units referenced relate to the organizational structure of the National Revolutionary Army as it existed in the early 1940s (as well as which ones are real and which ones are fictional).

Here is the text I am talking about:

1940年2月，八路军129师于晋中某地区遭日军合围，为掩护师��关及野战医院转移，八路军386旅决死1纵队各一部，在苍云岭主阵地的三个山头上，与日军三千余人展开激战

I basically understand the meaning， which I put here in case there is some obvious confusion: February 1940. The 129th division of the 8th route army is encircled by the Japanese somewhere in Jinzhong, Shanxi province. In order to protect their command and field hospital, they shift their troops. The 1st 决死 column engages in fierce fighting with over 3000 Japanese troops at the three mountaintops comprising the main battlefield at Cangyunling.

It was easy to find online that the 386th Brigade (386旅) was a subset of the 129th Division （129师）, which was a subset of the 8th Route Army （八路军）.

However, I am confused about what is meant by "决死1纵队各一部"：is this referring to a specific one of the 决死队 (https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/%E5%B1%B1%E8%A5%BF%E9%9D%92%E5%B9%B4%E6%8A%97%E6%95%8C%E5%86%B3%E6%AD%BB%E9%98%9F) units that were raised in a collaboration between the communist party and the warlord Yan Xishan， or is this just a naming coincidence ? Does "各一部" in this context mean "all the elements of the 1st column of 决死 troops" ? In the Wikipedia page I link to above, in the section about 山西青年抗敌决死第一纵队, the 386th Brigade is only mentioned once it gets to June 1940, which is after this episode takes place. Before that, it seems to say that the 决死第一纵队 was under the command of the 129th Division in 1939, but nothing about the 386th Brigade specifically. So was there a real-life unit of troops called the 决死1纵队 that was part of the 386th Brigade in February 1940 ? Is there a canonical English translation of 决死1纵队 ? The Wikipedia page unfortunately has no English version.

Would it be accurate to say that 李云龙's 新一团 is itself a subset of the 决死1纵队? What is the difference between the 新一团 and the 独立团 in the show ? Obviously at this point there may no longer be any correspondence to things that actually existed in history. My understanding is that Li Yunlong himself, as well as the battle at Cangyunling, are fictional.

Answer 1

I think this page will help you know some knowledge about 决死一纵. The short answer is, 决死一纵 is another troop than 129师。

for your questions: 1.

I am confused about what is meant by "决死1纵队各一部"：is this referring to a specific one of the 决死队 (https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/%E5%B1%B1%E8%A5%BF%E9%9D%92%E5%B9%B4%E6%8A%97%E6%95%8C%E5%86%B3%E6%AD%BB%E9%98%9F) units that were raised in a collaboration between the communist party and the warlord Yan Xishan， or is this just a naming coincidence ?

It is. It's not coincidence.

2.

Is there a canonical English translation of 决死1纵队 ? The Wikipedia page unfortunately has no English version.

I didn't find it yet. This is not a very famous troop, so maybe no canonical English translation.

3.

Would it be accurate to say that 李云龙's 新一团 is itself a subset of the 决死1纵队?

At least at the stage of the show, it isn't. There is a line in it that says:三八六旅 决死一纵，已经组成了左右两路包围之势。 新一团 is a subtroop of 386旅， So obviously, they are two different troops.

4.

What is the difference between the 新一团 and the 独立团 in the show ?

After negotiations between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party, the Communist forces reorganized. At this time, the 386 brigade had only 2 regiments, the 771 regiment and the 772 regiment. All other regiments, such as the 新一团, the 新二团, and the 独立团, were later expanded by the Communist Party. Before the 苍云岭之战，李云龙 was in 新一团。After it, 李云龙was dismissed and then transferred to the 独立团as the head.（There is a line said by 李云龙 may misunderstand you in the first episode：弟兄们,咱们独立团自打成立那天起，就没丢下过自己的弟兄。咱们冲回去！There is a mistake. The regiment here should be 新一团 rather than 独立团）.

My understanding is that Li Yunlong himself, as well as the battle at Cangyunling, are fictional.

Yes. However, most of the stories and characters in the show are based on real events. 李云龙 was derived by 王近山，and 苍云岭之战 was derived by 黄土岭之战。