Xu Guangda

Xu Guangda (simplified Chinese: 许光达; traditional Chinese: 許光達; pinyin: Xǔ Guāngdá) (November 19, 1908 – June 3, 1969) was a People's Liberation Army general who was conferred the Da Jiang (Grand General) rank in 1955. His former name was Xu Dehua. Xu Guangda joined the Communist Youth League of China in 1925 and the Chinese Communist Party later the same year. At the age of 18, Xu went to Whampoa Military Academy. A year later, he was appointed the platoon leader on probation in the 4th Army of National Revolutionary Army. He took part in the Nanchang Uprising the same year, designated as the platoon leader and the substituted company commander. During the period of Agrarian Revolutionary War, Xu had held successively the post of: Staff of the 6 Army in the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, Political Commissar and Commander of the 17 Divisional Army, Regimental Commander of the 22nd Regiment of the Eighth Divisional Army of 3 Red Army, Commander of the 8 Divisional Army, Regimental Commander of the 25th Regiment of 3 Red Army.