In August 1937, Lin was named commander-in-chief of the 115th Division of the Communist 8th Route Army[REF] and ordered to aid Yan Xishan's forces in repelling the Japanese invasion of Shanxi province.
In 1938, while he was still leading Chinese forces in Shanxi, Japanese soldiers who had joined the Communists and were serving under Lin's command presented Lin with a Japanese uniform and katana, which they had captured in battle.