NRA Division

The NRA Division, 師, was a military unit of the Chinese Republic. The original pattern of the infantry Division organization of the early Republic, was a square division. It was formed with two infantry brigades of two infantry regiments of three infantry battlions, an artillery regiment of fifty four guns and eighteen machineguns, a cavalry regiment of twelve squadrons, an engineer battalion of four companies, a transport battalion of four companies, and other minor support units. This ideal was seldom if ever achieved because of the political and economic turmoil during the Warlord Era. Arms were difficult to obtain, with artillery and machineguns being the most difficult to obtain. The output of Chinese arsenals was insufficient to meet their requirements and importation was difficult.

In the mid 1930's the Nationalist government with the help of German advisors attempted to modernize their army and intended to form sixty Reorganized Divisions and a number of reserve divisions. By the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War twenty of these divisions had been formed, eight had been extensively trained by German advisors the remaining twelve had two German advisors attached. These Reorganized Divisions played key roles in the early campaigns in the war, particularly in the Battle of Shanghai.

Under the strains and losses of the early campaigns of the Second Sino-Japanese War the Chinese decided in mid 1938 to standardize their Divisions as triangular divisions as part of their effort to simplify the command structure. During the Second Sino-Japanese War the Chinese Republic mobilized at least 310 Infantry Divisions, 23 Cavalry Divisions, and one Mechanized Division, (the 200th Division).

Source

* Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) 2nd Ed., 1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung, Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China.
* History of the Frontal War Zone in the Sino-Japanese War, published by Nanjing University Press.