Comments on the Organizational Structure of the Railway Troops
# Date: 1953-04-05
# Source: en:auto-trans
# Translated from: zh/1953/1953-04-05_guan_yu_tie_dao_bing_bu_dui_jian_zhi_wen_ti_de_pi_yu.txt

Comments on the Organizational Structure of the Railway Troops [1] (April 5, 1953) Following the armistice in the Korean War, the eleven divisions should be primarily engaged in railway construction.
A core contingent could be placed under the General Staff for technical training, so that it might be merged with the main forces when war breaks out and the operational requirements arise.
Enlai’s views [2] should be noted.
Mao Zedong, April 5.

Printed from the manuscript.
Notes [1] These comments were written on a report dated March 30, 1953, submitted by Peng Dehuai, Vice Chairman of the People’s Revolutionary Military Commission, to Mao Zedong, Zhu De, and Zhou Enlai concerning the organizational structure of the Railway Troops.
The report stated: With regard to the proposal that the Railway Troops, directly subordinate to the Military Commission, should be administered by the Chief of the General Staff rather than incorporated into the Ministry of Railways, approval could be given after the conclusion of the Korean War.
In peacetime, the force would be kept at a small strength, with its core elements retained for technical training, so that it could be expanded as needed when war resumed. [2 “Now”] On April 3, Zhou Enlai wrote the following comments on Peng Dehuai’s report: The Railway Corps comprises eleven divisions, organizationally belonging to the Ministry of Railways, but its supply services are entrusted to the logistics department.
Even if the Korean War comes to an end, the Railway Troops will continue to play a vital role in domestic railway construction, particularly in Inner Mongolia, Northwest China, and Northeast China; therefore, this matter seems best considered over the long term.