China's contribution to achieving victory in World War II. China revises official death toll in Second Sino-Japanese War

Countries suffered huge losses in World War II. China is no exception. Naturally, against the background of various figures, which are a reflection of the material costs of a certain people, which have found their expression in numerous destructions, human losses do not seem large. Especially when you consider that they are replenished due to the excess birth rate that occurs after international conflicts. But such judgments are too superficial. Human losses have always been considered major. Each person plays an important role, and his loss is a significant loss for the nation. The same cannot be said about material values.

The role of China was not appreciated

Scientists have noted that China played an important role in World War II. The conflict in this country, according to experts, began in 1931. It was during this period that Japan attacked Manchuria. Until now, mankind has not appreciated the role of China in the victory over fascism. However, the troops of this country for a long period fettered the forces of Japan, preventing it from starting a conflict against the Soviet Union. To understand what losses China suffered in World War II, one should study in more detail the events that took place in those distant times.

Start of hostilities

In 1937, two years before the start of hostilities against Poland by Germany, Chinese troops exchanged fire with the Japanese garrison. It happened in the south side of Beijing. It was this spark that launched the conflict in Asia. The years of war have taken a heavy toll. The confrontation continued for 8 years.

Japan began to think about dominance in Asia from the 20s. In 1910, Korea received the status of a Japanese colony. In 1931, officers of the Japanese troops occupied and annexed Manchuria. This region of China had about 35 million people and had a significant amount of natural resources.

By the beginning of 1937, a significant part of inner Mongolia was occupied by Japanese forces. In addition, the pressure exerted on Beijing has intensified. At that time, Nanjing was the capital of China. The leader of the country and the nationalist party, Chiang Kai-shek, realized that everything was heading towards war with Japan.

Combat encounters

Clashes near Beijing only intensified. The Chinese were not going to fulfill the demands put forward by the Japanese. They refused to give in. After suffering losses in World War II, China decided to act more decisively. Chiang Kai-shek ordered the need to defend Shanghai, next to which a significant part of the Japanese army was located. In the battle that followed these actions, about 200,000 Chinese were killed. Japan's losses amounted to about 70,000.

One of the episodes is firmly entrenched in history. During the battle, the Chinese unit held off the attacks of superior Japanese forces, despite the losses. In World War II, China (it should be noted) used German weapons. And largely thanks to this, the Chinese unit managed to maintain its position. This episode went down in history under the name "800 Heroes".

The Japanese still managed to capture Shanghai. Subsequently, reinforcements approached, and the troops began to put pressure on the capital of China.

The incompetence of the leadership of the Chinese army

In the first years of the war, the Chinese Communists were practically not active. The only thing they were able to achieve was victory at the passage of Pingxingguan. Naturally, there were losses. In World War II, China was very much bled white. However, this victory claimed many more lives of Japanese soldiers.

The actions were further complicated by the incompetence possessed by the leadership of the Chinese troops. Through their fault, a riot broke out, leading to a large number of deaths. The Japanese took advantage of this, captured prisoners, who were subsequently executed. China suffered such heavy losses in World War II that the exact number of those killed is still unknown. What is worth only the Nanjing massacre, during which the Japanese killed the civilian population.

A bloody battle that managed to stop the Japanese

The lack of success in military operations shattered the spirit of the Chinese troops. However, the resistance did not stop for a minute. One of the largest battles took place in 1938 near the city of Wuhan. Chinese troops held off the Japanese for four months. Their resistance was broken only with the help of gas attacks, of which there were a lot. China's participation in World War II was, of course, very costly for the country. But it was not easy for Japan either. More than 100,000 Japanese soldiers were lost in this battle alone. And this led to the fact that the invaders stopped their march deep into the country for several years.

The struggle of the two parties

It should be noted that China during the Second World War was under the control of two parties - the nationalist (Kuomintang) and the communist. They acted with varying degrees of success in different years. Separate territories were controlled by the Japanese. America helped the Nationalists. But their joint actions were complicated by the constant disputes that arose between Chiang Kai-shek and Joseph Stilwell (an American general). The Communist Party cooperated with the USSR. The parties acted separately, which led to an increase in losses among the country's population.

The Communists spared their forces so that after the end of the confrontation with Japan, they would start hostilities against the Nationalist Party. Accordingly, they did not always send their fighters to fight the Japanese soldiers. This was noted at one time by a Soviet diplomat.

At the very beginning of the war, the Communist Party formed an army. And she was quite capable. This could be seen after a single offensive, which was later called the battle of a hundred regiments. The battle took place in 1940 under the leadership of General Peng Dehuai. However, Mao Zedong criticized his actions, accusing him of revealing the party's strength. And subsequently the general was executed.

Japanese surrender

Japan capitulated in 1945. First before America, and then before the troops of the Nationalist Party. Although China's participation in World War II ended there, another conflict began. It arose between the two parties and had a civil character. It lasted four years. America refused to support the Kuomintang, which only hastened the defeat of the party.

The losses in the war were very high

Those who died in World War II were not only soldiers. Compared to the First World War, a lot of civilians suffered in this conflict. And their number exceeded the scale of damage among the soldiers. Accordingly, the losses were quite large. About 50 million people were killed in World War II. By country, the largest losses occurred in the USSR and Germany. There is nothing surprising in this, since the most active and large-scale battles took place on the Soviet-German front. So long, continuous and fierce confrontation between the soldiers was not anywhere else. In addition, the length of the Soviet-German front was several times greater than all other fronts. Moreover, most of those who died in World War II were soldiers of the Red Army, their total number was many times higher than the losses suffered by the German troops.

What factors needed to be taken into account when assessing losses?

Assessing the losses of the Soviet troops, some factors were taken into account. They are the following:

1. The most significant part of the losses occurred in the first years of hostilities. The soldiers retreated, there were not enough weapons.
2. About 3 million soldiers died in captivity.
3. There is an opinion that the official figures on the dead German soldiers are greatly underestimated. About 4 million soldiers were buried on the territory of the USSR alone. Also, do not forget about the allies of Germany. Their losses amounted to about 1.7 million soldiers.
4. The fact that the losses in the armies opposing Germany are much greater speaks of its strength.

Losses in the allied forces

The Chinese dead in World War II (their total number, as well as the level of losses among other allies of the USSR) are not so numerous when compared with the indicators of the Red Army. This is due to the fact that the Soviet troops spent the first 3 years of battles without any support. In addition, America and England had the opportunity to make a choice exactly where to fight and when to do it. The USSR did not have such a choice. A highly organized, best, strong army collapsed instantly, forcing the soldiers to fight continuously on a large front. The entire power of Germany fell upon the USSR, while a small part of it opposed the allied forces. There was a place for unreasonable losses, which are largely related to the execution of orders. For example, many died trying to hold the enemy "at any cost."

The victims of the Second World War were among the French and the British. But their number is not very large. Especially when compared with the indicators of the First World War. This is also easy to explain. The armies of France and Great Britain participated in the fighting for only a year. In addition, one should not forget that her colonies fought for England.

America's losses exceed those recorded after the First World War. This can be attributed to the fact that American soldiers fought not only in Europe, but also in Africa and Japan. And the largest part of the losses fell on the US Air Force.

Assessing the losses by country, the thought involuntarily creeps into the head that France and Great Britain have achieved their goals. They fought each other
Germany and the USSR, while they themselves remained aloof from the hostilities. But it cannot be said that they were not punished. France paid back with several years of occupation, a shameful defeat and the dismemberment of the state. Great Britain was threatened with invasion and bombed. In addition, the inhabitants of this country for some time lived from hand to mouth.

Civilian casualties

The most tragic thing was that a lot of civilians died. Millions of people became victims of the bombings. They were destroyed by the Nazis, seizing territories. During several years of the war, Germany lost about 3.65 million inhabitants. In Japan, about 670,000 civilians died due to the bombing. In France, about 470 thousand people died. But it is difficult to assess why. Bombardments, executions, torture - all this played a role. British losses amounted to 62,000. The main cause of death of the civilian population was the bombing and shelling. Some died of hunger.

Why such large losses were observed among civilians? This is due to the German policy towards the lower races. The troops systematically destroyed Jews and Slavs, considering them subhuman. During the war years, German troops killed about 24.3 million civilians. Of these, 18.7 million are Slavs. Jews were destroyed in the amount of 5.6 million. These are the statistics regarding the dead people who did not participate in hostilities.

Conclusion

The role of China in World War II is quite large. The Chinese did everything possible so that the Soviet troops would not have to fight with Japan as well. But all these hostilities led to incredibly large losses. And both on the one hand and on the other hand. Soldiers and civilians died defending their homeland, speaking out against the invaders. And this they contributed to the end of hostilities. All of them will remain in memory for many years, as their feat and sacrifice are invaluable.

Little-Known Facts About China's Involvement in World War II

The role of China in World War II has been studied very little, and described even more sparingly. Of course, Chinese troops did not take Berlin, did not bomb Nagasaki, and did not recapture the Sahara from the Germans. But the significance of China, as one of the victims of the great war, must be understood and formulated in Russian. Today, let's start with the most little-known facts about China's participation in World War II.

German financial assistance

Germany, being a progressive European country with great ambitions, but losing in First World War, was limited in many areas. First of all, in the military. Numerous factories that produced the latest weapons for the German army were either mothballed or closed altogether. Therefore, it is not surprising that the German leadership, trying to avoid direct prohibitions of the Versailles Treaty, wanted to transfer production facilities to China and develop production there.

China was even more interested in cooperation with Germany. Territorially fragmented and economically depressed country was looking for every opportunity to get out of the permanent crisis. The level of economic relations between the two countries grew so much that by the beginning of the 1930s, the German-Chinese trade turnover had 17 percent of China's foreign trade volume. And China itself has become the third largest among Germany's trading partners.

She actively trained Chinese engineers, modernized factories, and carried out large-scale reconstruction of the Chinese army, teaching it the strategy of modern warfare against the Japanese. And these relations continued until the beginning of the Sino-Japanese war and Germany's choice of Japan as a strategic partner in Asia. The Japanese were able to control most of mainland China and be a more reliable ally militarily than the then weak Kuomintang government.

China's numerical losses

When in Russia they talk about Second World War, most often they mean the Great Patriotic War, which lasted almost four years and ended in Berlin. The British or Poles, speaking of the same war, consider it to be the beginning of 1939. The Chinese, referring to the same war, quite rightly say that it began even earlier - in 1937, when the Japanese launched a full-scale war against China and captured the most economically developed parts of the country.

During the eight years of hostilities, the enslavement of the peoples of China, the destruction of cities and troops, more than fifteen million people died on the territory of the country (according to official figures), and more than seven million were injured. For comparison, the losses of Japan reached two and a half million people, Poland - six million, and Great Britain - four hundred thousand. Only the Soviet Union had more losses and wounded.

Asano Brigade

As you know, not all Russian people joyfully accepted the collapse of the monarchy and the emergence of a new Soviet state on the ruins of their former homeland. For those who were lucky enough to stay alive, fate gave a second chance in the form of emigration. Some chose Europe, others America. Well, the most frostbitten of the scumbags chose the Chinese city of Harbin, in which a decent number of Russian specialists, engineers and nobles lived even before the revolution.

When the northern part of China was no longer controlled by the weak and corrupt Chinese, who were replaced by militarized Japanese, former subjects of Russian Empire they felt in their own skin that there are things worse than the Bolsheviks.

The Japanese, albeit not very quickly, but with due responsibility, assembled a combat detachment from young and healthy Russians, which it was not a pity to use in particularly vile or dangerous battles, where they did not want to get very dirty themselves. The brigade, named after its commander Asano Makoto, fought against the Koreans, and suppressed the Chinese, and fought with the Soviet troops on Khalkin-Gole. In 1943, on the basis of the brigade, the Russian military detachments of the Manchurian Imperial Army were created, which in 1945 took an active part in the hostilities against the Red Army.

Horrors were happening in this theater of operations, even by the standards of the Second World War, overshadowing everything else. But Europeans and Russians know almost nothing about it.

Many Russian Stalinists like to dream of an alliance between Russia and China against the West. For all their "sinophilia", they have no idea of ​​the outstanding role that China played in saving the regime of their idol during the Second World War. And if you tell them about it, they will surely deny it furiously. Another trick is that it was Kuomintang China, anti-communist.

The victory parade over Japan, held for the first time by the PRC authorities, gave rise to guesswork by some "analysts" about whether Beijing is thereby claiming the legacy of the Kuomintang regime. In particular, are the PRC authorities going to integrate the island of Taiwan in the near future on the principle of "two systems - one country", as was done with Macau and Hong Kong. In principle, the greatest reason to hold a victory parade on September 3 this year. were precisely in Taiwan, that is, the Republic of China - the direct successor of the one, the Kuomintang. But - again, the irony of history: this Republic has found refuge on the island, which during the Second World War belonged to Japan!

However, we are now not interested in these fortune-telling about future relations between Beijing and Taipei. Our task in another way is to show few people (especially neo-Soviet "patriots") the well-known role of China in World War II. After all, mainly the heroic resistance of China, which fettered about two-thirds of all ground forces of Japan, did not allow the latter to strike at the Far East of the USSR in 1941-1942. This, in turn, allowed Stalin, at critical moments in the battles for Moscow and Stalingrad, to freely transfer divisions from the Far Eastern military districts to the Soviet-German front.

The Soviet Union owed much of its survival in World War II to Kuomintang China, its then 450 million people.

Unknown World War II

When full-scale hostilities began between Japan and China on July 7, 1937 (Japan already controlled Manchuria and most of the so-called Inner Mongolia by that time), the total population of the warring countries exceeded that of the countries of Europe that started World War II the war of September 1-3, 1939 (except for the population of the British and French colonies). Based on this fact, some historians prefer to consider 07/07/37 as the date of the start of World War II, and not 09/01/39.

However, most Chinese historians are more modest. They even call this war, which can fairly be called the Chinese “Great Patriotic War”, only the “Japanese War of Resistance”. However, most likely, the main deterrent role is played by the fact that China at that time was headed by the Kuomintang Party and its leader, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.

War 1937-1945 raged entirely on Chinese soil, in its most populated parts - in East and Southeast China. Almost the entire population of what was then China, about 400 million people, lived in the Chinese theater of operations (taking into account the territories subjected to regular Japanese air raids). Huge masses of people were involved in the war, especially from the Chinese side. Exactly how many people were put under arms by the government of Chiang Kai-shek, as well as by the Chinese Communists, who were then waging a civil war against the Kuomintang, but from time to time concluded a truce to jointly resist the Japanese invaders, is not known exactly. The Japanese army in China during periods of the highest tension totaled 3.2 million, and about 900 thousand more fought at the same time in Chinese collaborationist formations.

It is also very likely that we will never know exactly the extent of the losses on the Chinese side. If the Japanese did not lose so much (although here the data differ - from 380 thousand to 1.1 million only killed; the Chinese collaborators lost up to 1.8 million killed, that is, the combat strength of the pro-Japanese Chinese troops went through a threefold rotation of death ), then the anti-Japanese Chinese armed forces lost, according to various estimates, from 2 million to 3.2 million killed (with the communists accounting for about one tenth of these losses).

The relatively small losses of the Japanese are explained by superiority over the Chinese in the quality of weapons, the level of organization and tactical skill. In addition, the Japanese army often used against the army of Chiang Kai-shek, as well as against the military formations of the communists, weapons of mass destruction - chemical and bacteriological. On this theater of operations, horrors were happening, even by the standards of the Second World War, overshadowing everything else. But Europeans and Russians know almost nothing about it.

However, taking into account the losses among Chinese collaborators, the losses of both sides in the war in China were almost equal. The Japanese, with their skillful occupation policy, managed to place the brunt of the losses in the war with China on their own Chinese allies. Given the number of Chinese fighting on the side of Japan, this war became largely a civil war within China between Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang and Wang Jingwei's Kuomintang, in addition to the civil war waged by the Communists against both Kuomintangs.

However, the bulk of the Chinese losses were civilians. It perished in masses not only from air raids, shelling, occupational terror, a trilateral civil war, but also from the defensive measures of its own government. So, in the summer of 1938, the Japanese offensive in the Zhengzhou area was stopped only by the destruction of the dams that held back the Yellow River flood. As a result, not only the Japanese army lost a lot of people and equipment. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of unknown victims of this action were Chinese residents of both sexes and all ages.

Losses of the civilian population of China in 1937-1945. Western historians estimate at 17-22 million. Together with the Chinese military killed on both sides of the front line, this amounts to 21-27 million, which is approximately equal to the losses of the USSR in World War II. Some Chinese historians estimate the total number of dead Chinese in 1937-1945. in 35 million. If this is so, then in terms of the absolute number of human casualties, it is the most severely affected country in the Second World War.

In terms of population, China's losses were greater than those of the Russian Federation, counted separately from other republics of the USSR. But the Russian public is not aware of these huge Chinese sacrifices, thrown on the altar of the common victory in World War II.

At the same time, the Chinese army, according to the conditions of armament, was forced to wage only a defensive war. Her fighting spirit was not warmed by major victories, similar to the victories of the Red Army near Moscow and Stalingrad. Japanese aviation constantly dominated the air. The general course of hostilities for all eight years was unidirectional - successive Japanese offensives in one place or another, the constant expansion of the occupied territory. The Chinese army of Chiang Kai-shek was sometimes capable of local counteroffensives, no more (the only exception was 1945). All the more striking is her resilience, which did not allow the Japanese to suppress the last pockets of Chinese resistance.

The Japanese army captured Beijing in July 1937, Shanghai in November, and Nanjing, the then capital of China, in December. The government of Chiang Kai-shek moved to Wuhan, which, after a long defense, fell in October 1938. The new seat of the Kuomintang leadership was Chongqing, which was no longer taken by the Japanese.

By December 1941, the moment of their attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese occupied a territory in China (including Manchuria) with a population of about 225 million people. Half (and later even more) of the human potential of then China fell under the control of the invaders and their local accomplices (the Republic of China of Wang Jingwei). In addition to the vast territories in the lower reaches of the Yangtze and the Yellow River and the wide coastal corridor that connected them, the Japanese also captured Guangzhou in southern China and the vast area adjacent to it, as well as the important ports of Shantou and Xiamen.

The attack on American and British possessions in the Asia-Pacific region forced the Japanese to temporarily reduce their offensive activity in China. But this did not bring much relief to China, since at the same time the United States was forced to cut military aid to China in terms of wu. After the Japanese troops, having captured Burma in early 1942, cut off the road, which was the only transport artery along which goods from the Western allies were delivered to China, the situation of the Republic of China became especially critical. However, Chiang Kai-shek's army repulsed all Japanese attempts to invade South China from Burma and continued to hold a tight defense.

A new intensification of hostilities in China came in 1944. At this time, the Japanese Empire was almost unable to withstand the mighty onslaught of the American fleet and aviation. On the other hand, the Chinese theater of war represented the only field where one could somehow recoup for failures and get additional resources. As a result of offensive operations in the first half of 1944, the Japanese broke through an additional corridor between their troops in the Huang He and Yangtze valleys.

At the same time, the troops of the 10th military region of the Republic of China were cut off from the rest of Chiang Kai-shek's army. In the second half of 1944, Japanese troops completely captured the Changsha-Liuzhou-Pingxiang railway line, thus establishing a land connection with their troops in Indochina, and along the Xijiang River valley with their bridgehead around Guangzhou. A large grouping (3rd, 7th and 9th military regions) of Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang troops in Southeast China was cut off from the rest of the country and, at the same time, was divided in two. Even earlier, the Japanese captured the ports of Fuzhou and Wenzhou, Hainan Island and the Leizhou Peninsula.

But this was not yet the peak of Japanese success in China. Almost until the very end of the war, the imperial land army continued to conduct offensive operations. True, the winter (January-February 1945) Japanese offensive against the cut off Kuomintang troops in Southeast China ended in complete failure. The Japanese were forced to withdraw to their original positions. But in the spring of 1945, the Japanese carried out successful offensive operations in Central China, and they managed to capture two large air bases of American bombers.

True, already in May 1945, Chiang Kai-shek's army launched a counteroffensive against the Japanese corridor Changsha - Indochina, and by the end of the month this corridor was cut. By the end of July 1945, the Japanese had left almost the entire territory occupied here at the end of last year, with the exception of the Changsha area. The Chiang Kai-shekists also recaptured the ports of Fuzhou and Wenzhou.

Such was the situation at the time of the announcement of Japan's surrender (August 15, 1945). However, the conditions for the organization of the Japanese army were such that the allies had to accept the surrender of each of its groupings in different theaters. Only on September 9, 1945, the Japanese troops in China capitulated, and the army of Chiang Kai-shek began the rapid liberation of his country. But she was not allowed into Manchuria - Soviet troops settled here even earlier, and the Soviet leadership decided to make a base on this territory in order to bring it to power throughout China.

Crossing of interests

Many interesting pages of World War II are still waiting for their discoverers. Thus, of great interest is the fact that long before the conclusion of a military alliance between them in 1941, the USA and the USSR simultaneously provided military assistance to the regime of Chiang Kai-shek against Japan. It is absolutely impossible, therefore, that this activity should not somehow be coordinated between the two powers at the level of the respective services. Obviously, contacts between the Soviet and American military on the basis of joint activities in China should have begun in the late 30s, if not earlier. However, there is still not a single publication in Russian about this, even if translated.

Further, few people know that until the end of 1936, military supplies to China were carried out by ... Nazi Germany! Only on November 25, 1936, the Anti-Comintern Pact was signed - an agreement on a military alliance between Germany and Japan. Until that moment, Germany had been selling to China some of its weapons and uniforms, which seemed superfluous and outdated for a future war. True, in the summer of 1937, when Japan attacked China, these deliveries were no longer made. However, many Kuomintang army soldiers were armed with German Mauser rifles and wore German helmets (see photo).

Of particular interest is the fact that the assistance of Nazi Germany to China in 1933-1936. was also carried out simultaneously with Soviet assistance to this country. Was this not used by the secret services of both countries for the subsequent rapprochement in 1939? There is still no clear work on this topic. This page of the history of the pre-war years is still covered with impenetrable darkness...

Soviet attempt to establish control over Western China

Western China or Xinjiang at that time was often called East Turkestan.

After the Xinghai Revolution of 1911, China was a unified country with only a large degree of convention, and after 1937, separatist movements in it intensified.

The Soviet Union firmly controlled Xinjiang in the late 1930s through the Kuomintang but virtually pro-communist governor Sheng Shicai. He felt completely independent from the government of Chiang Kai-shek. At the same time, Xinjiang was used as a corridor for the supply of Soviet weapons to Chiang Kai-shek's army.

In 1942, due to military difficulties, the control of the USSR over Sheng Shicai weakened, and he went to subjugate Chiang Kai-shek. Fulfilling the demand of the latter, Sheng carried out repressions against the communists.

He took revenge in 1944. At his direct instigation, an uprising of the Turkic peoples of Xinjiang began, which had long been dissatisfied with Chinese domination. On November 12, 1944, the creation of the East Turkestan Revolutionary Republic was proclaimed in Ghulja. Its government included representatives of the Turkic peoples of Xinjiang, as well as two Soviet military men as a kind of curators of the new republic from the USSR.

However, at the end of World War II, it controlled only a smaller part of Xinjiang. Chiang Kai-shek expressed his willingness to negotiate. On the other hand, Stalin was not yet ready to spoil relations with the United States, and they recognized Chiang Kai-shek as the only legitimate leader of China. The autonomy agreement was signed in June 1946. However, armed clashes soon began again. As in Manchuria, the USSR provided assistance to the anti-Kuomintang forces. Attempts by the Kuomintang army to establish complete control over Xinjiang failed. And in 1948-1949. in the main theater of the civil war in China, the communists won decisive victories.

The USSR at that time changed its strategy regarding East Turkestan. If earlier the Stalinist leadership expected to keep this area for themselves if the Kuomintang retained power over most of China, now, when the CCP took over all of China, the task of liquidating the pro-Soviet puppet republic became the next step. Mao Zedong in August 1949 invited representatives of the VTRR government to Beijing to negotiate the terms of reunification with China, already communist. The plane with the VTRR government delegation crashed under unclear circumstances. All delegates died. It is known that they were ready to defend the broad autonomy of East Turkestan before Mao. The new government delegation of the VTRR agreed to join the PRC on all conditions of Beijing.

The Russian military was reportedly closing the march at the victory parade in Beijing on September 3 this year. Although it is not known exactly for what reasons such an order for the passage of foreign military personnel was established, but if it was so, then this is deeply symbolic. The Soviet Union entered the Second World War in the Asian Far East only at the very last moment to take advantage of the victory won by others. First of all, of course, the decisive role in the defeat of Japan belonged to the United States. But we must not forget the role of China. Against the background of the Japanese and collaborators destroyed by the army of Chiang Kai-shek, the successes of the USSR that defeated the Kwantung Army, the total combat strength of which by August 1945, as established by modern Russian researchers (K.E. Cherevko, A.A. Kirichenko. Soviet- Japanese War: Declassified Archives. - M., 2006), was only 357.5 thousand! The presence of almost 600 thousand Japanese prisoners of war with the Soviet troops is explained by the capture of all auxiliary personnel of the Japanese troops, as well as the Manchukuo army.

Until now, among historians there is a dispute when the Second World War began. A common point of view - September 1, 1939 - is more suitable for European countries. For China, the struggle for its freedom and the right to life began much earlier, namely on July 7, 1937, when Japanese troops provoked a clash with the capital's garrison on the outskirts of Beijing, and then launched a large-scale offensive, the springboard of which was the puppet state of Manchukuo. Before that, since 1931, when Japan annexed Manchuria, the countries had already been at war, but this war was sluggish. And yet, the first period of the Sino-Japanese conflict cannot be called a world war; the definition of “local” is more suitable for it.

On April 13, 1941, Japanese Foreign Minister Matsuoka and People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union Vyacheslav Molotov signed the infamous neutrality pact. In a certain sense, Stalin, of course, can be understood, because he constantly, starting in 1934, received reports that Japan was going to attack the Soviet Union. In particular, Mauricio Fresco, Consul of Mexico in Shanghai, provided him with such information. That is, Stalin wanted to protect himself with this pact. Another thing is that in this case, to put it in slang, he "threw" Chiang Kai-shek, for whom this agreement was a serious blow.

No, not even an agreement, but a declaration that was signed after it. This declaration stated that the Soviet Union undertakes to maintain the territorial integrity of Manchukuo, and the Japanese, in turn, will adhere to the principles of territorial integrity in relation to the Mongolian People's Republic.

The signing of the neutrality pact between the USSR and Japan, 1941

Let us note that a conditional parallel can be drawn between the April 1941 agreement and the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. However, the reaction in China to the non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union was different from the reaction of Chiang Kai-shek, the Nationalist government, to the neutrality pact between the USSR and Japan. The fact is that the Chinese did not fight with Germany, they were not even at war until December 11, 1941. Moreover, when Japan attacked China in 1937, Nazi Germany helped the Celestial Empire.

And the Soviet Union was not an enemy for Chiang Kai-shek. Among other things, at that time the USSR was almost the only country that provided assistance to China. The Germans mainly helped with advisers, and even then until March 1938, until they began to actively draw closer to the Japanese. The Americans also helped the Chinese. For example, they provided the Chinese government with a loan of $25 million. The British also did not stand aside, providing the Chinese with a loan of 188 thousand pounds. However, the Soviet Union, firstly, issued a $50 million loan to the Celestial Empire and, secondly, provided weapons, the market value of which, according to modern experts, was $250 million. In addition, 700 Soviet pilots and technicians were sent to China, 200 of whom never returned to their homeland.

Soviet assistance to China during the Sino-Japanese war was significant

Returning to American aid, which can be conditionally divided into two stages: before Pearl Harbor and after. From 1937 to 1941, the Americans helped China rather moderately. For example, during all this time they delivered only 11 aircraft. Even the British gave more - 40 cars. Absolutely incomparable things with the Soviet Union!

But there was other help as well. For example, American pilots (about a hundred people), many of whom no longer served in the US troops, organized a volunteer group led by Claire Lee Chennault and went to the Middle Kingdom to help the Chinese. They had 90 aircraft, at that time the latest. By the way, the American volunteers fought so effectively that in 1942 Shannault returned to the United States Army and led an entire unit. He established a very good relationship with Chiang Kai-shek. In fact, it was he, an American pilot, who led the Chinese Air Force.

In general, quite a lot of American pilots served in the Chinese army (already starting from the period after Pearl Harbor). Many of them died (404 people).

Thus, when the Soviet Union, for many reasons, ceased to provide assistance to China (firstly, after the neutrality pact, and, secondly, after the attack of fascist Germany, the United States took on the main role of an assistant). . Shannault's unit, the Flying Tigers, was expanded, completed, and well supported financially.

Chiang Kai-shek, Song Meiling and Claire Lee Chennault

American lend-lease extended not only to China, but also to a number of other countries. First of all, the United States helped the British - 30 billion, the Soviet Union - 13 billion, while they could provide the Chinese with much more help, but it was limited to natural conditions.

The fact is that the Japanese, having started the war in the Pacific Ocean and in Southeast Asia, considered one of their goals, in addition to raw material problems, the idea of ​​isolating China, cutting off communications through which, in fact, Lend-Lease material assistance could come . And they succeeded: they took Burma and cut off the Burmese road. And then the only way for the Americans to supply China was air traffic through India and the Himalayas, which, of course, greatly limited US assistance. Initially, an agreement was established between the Americans and the Chinese government that they would send 5,000 tons of cargo every month, but, of course, they could not fulfill this. Just physically.

The Chinese front distracted Japan from attacking the USSR

It is worth noting that the Chinese front greatly distracted Japan from attacking the Soviet Union, since the Japanese were unable to solve the strategic problem in China. They started the war, knowing full well that they were not in a position to occupy such a gigantic country. The problem with the war waged by Japan in China was primarily that the Japanese army was relatively small. When the Japanese launched a full-scale war with China (July 7, 1937), their army numbered only about half a million soldiers. And yet they reached Beijing, took it.

Secondly, the Japanese absolutely did not want and did not assume that the conflict would result in a protracted, long war. What they wanted was simply to deliver short blows to Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, Shanghai and force Chiang Kai-shek to capitulate. That was their plan. Throughout the entire period of the war, from 1937 to 1945, the Japanese continuously sought to achieve the surrender of Chiang Kai-shek and tried to negotiate peace with him. Even when they formed a puppet government in Nanjing in 1940, Wang Jingwei, an opponent of Chiang Kai-shek and one of the leaders of the Kuomintang, became its nominal head. But the fact is that the Japanese appointed Wang Jingwei not as the chairman of the government, but only as a deputy, and the post of chairman remained vacant. They kept it for Chiang Kai-shek.

This, by the way, is the specificity of the war and its difference from the conflict in Europe. The Japanese had the opportunity to occupy only major cities and lines of communication. They could not take control of the entire territory of the country. What they did was about the same as what the Americans did later in Vietnam. The Americans called it "a mission aimed at finding and destroying partisans." That's what they were doing.

Soldiers of the collaborationist Chinese army

The Japanese had their own weapons in this war. They tried not to use armored vehicles for reasons of lack of raw materials (fuel), so the Japanese infantry mainly operated, which, as already mentioned, occupied only strategic centers and lines of communication.

As for the balance of power, the army of Chiang Kai-shek numbered approximately 2.5 million people, and the army of the Communists - 75 thousand. However, at the time of the Japanese aggression, China was divided between the Communists and the Kuomintang, so the problem in the first place was to establish a united front. Such an opportunity appeared only when the Japanese hit Shanghai, which was the center of economic interests for Chiang Kai-shek personally (he had capital there). So, when it happened in August 1937, Chiang Kai-shek had already been pushed to the limit. He immediately signs an agreement with the Soviet Union and includes communist troops in the National Revolutionary Army of China under the name "anti-Japanese united front."

According to official statistics, the Chinese lost 20 million people in the Sino-Japanese war, mostly due to the civilian population. The Japanese were incredibly cruel. What is the infamous Nanjing massacre worth? In just two or three weeks, 300 thousand people were killed, 20 thousand women were raped. It was a terrible massacre. Even the Nazis, who were in Nanking at the time, were shocked by what the Japanese were doing.

The Chinese lost 20 million people in the Sino-Japanese War.

Returning to American participation and American assistance to China in the war with Japan, it should be noted that it was vital for the United States that China hold out and that Chiang Kai-shek did not capitulate. And they managed to achieve this, although the American government, and especially the American military, who were in China, had very big claims against Chiang Kai-shek's army. The fact is that the Chinese army was based on the basis of groupings. At the head of each division was a general who considered it (the division) as his own division and did not want to risk it. This, by the way, explains the countless defeats of Chiang Kai-shek: low command discipline, desertion in the troops, and so on. When the Americans began helping China, they sent Joseph Stilwell, a brilliant general, to become Chiang Kai-shek's Chief of General Staff. Friction immediately arose, since Stilwell, as a professional military man, sought to establish discipline in the troops above all. And Chiang Kai-shek couldn't do anything. This, by the way, explains the fact that by 1944 the Americans gradually began to reorient themselves towards the communists.

Few people know, but in 1944 a special mission of the Americans (mainly, of course, intelligence officers), the so-called "Dixie" mission, was even carried out, who tried to establish contacts with Mao Zedong. But, as they say, it didn't work out. Why? The fact is that by that time, following instructions from Moscow, Mao Zedong had changed the image of the Communist Party from an aggressive socialist to a liberal democratic one, and in late 1939 - early 1940 he published a series of works on the so-called "new democracy" in China, arguing that China is not ready for socialism and the future revolution in the Celestial Empire will be democratic, liberal.

70 years ago militaristic Japan and fascist Germany unleashed a brutal aggression that became an unprecedented catastrophe in the history of all mankind.

The flames of war engulfed Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania, more than 80 countries and regions, about 2 billion people took part in the war. In the face of the fascist threat, China, the USSR and all peace-loving countries and peoples of the world formed a universal anti-fascist united front, united against a common enemy, fought side by side to save the future and destiny of mankind, defending peace and justice.

Japan became the first aggressor of World War II, and China was the very first victim of Japanese aggression. In 1931, Japanese militarism, having provoked the "September 18 Incident", captured the Northeast of China. The brutal aggression of Japanese militarism aroused the angry and determined resistance of the Chinese people. The "September 18 Incident" became the starting point of the anti-Japanese war and the prelude of World War II, thus China became the first country to start an anti-fascist war. In our country, the struggle against fascism lasted the longest period. In 1937, the Japanese invaders provoked the "July 7 Incident" at the Lugouqiao (Marco Polo) Bridge, starting a full-scale aggressive war against China. The events of "July 7" became the beginning of the anti-Japanese war, as well as the prologue of the war in the main theater of military operations in the East.

At the request of the editorial board of the journal Breath of China, I had the opportunity to write an article dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People's War against the Japanese Invaders and the World Anti-Fascist War, in order, together with Russian readers, to recall those glorious years when the armies and peoples of China and the USSR shoulder to fought shoulder-to-shoulder against Japanese militarism and German fascism, continuing and strengthening the traditional friendship of our peoples, sealed with blood and a joint struggle for life.

In the great people's struggle for national salvation, the Chinese Communist Party, advocating national interests, advocating unification, general mobilization and relying on the people, created a broad united anti-Japanese national front, playing a major role in achieving victory in the anti-Japanese war. During all periods of this brutal war - from strategic defense to balance of power and strategic counteroffensive - at the front line and behind enemy lines, the Chinese people rallied against the common enemy, selflessly fighting for the Motherland, bravely looking death in the eyes, won a great victory. Yang Jingyu, Zuo Quan, Peng Xuefeng, Zhang Zizhong, Dai Anlan and other generals, the "Five Heroes of the Lanyashan Mountains", the "Eight Women Warriors" of the Northeast United Resistance Forces, the "Eight Hundred Heroes of the Kuomintang Army" and many other heroes of our country selflessly and fearlessly fought against a strong enemy.

The anti-Japanese war was called from the very beginning to save human civilization, it was waged in the name of protecting world peace. Already at the very beginning of the war, the leader of the Communist Party of China, Mao Zedong, noted that "the great war of resistance against Japan is not only China's business, it concerns the East, but also the whole world." Today, as we enter the 21st century and can already look back on the great military upheavals that took place 70 years ago, we are even more aware that the anti-Japanese war was not only a war for the independence and liberation of the Chinese nation, but also an important part of the Second World War. That war was essentially the struggle of mankind for justice, therefore it has a fair character. Over the entire war period, the Chinese people suffered huge losses, sacrificing the lives of 35 million people, the total economic damage amounted to 600 billion dollars. China pinned down the forces of 94% of the ground forces, 60% of the air force and significant fleet forces of the Japanese militarists, strategically interacted and supported the fighting of the allies, helped in conducting strategic operations in the European and Pacific theaters of operations, which made a significant contribution to the final victory in World War II.

The victory of the Chinese people in the anti-Japanese war is inseparable from the invaluable support of the Soviet army and people. From 1938 to 1940, the Soviet Union provided the most assistance to China.

In the face of the brutal aggression of Japanese militarism and German fascism, the armies and peoples of China and the USSR, fighting shoulder to shoulder, cemented an unbreakable military friendship with blood and fire. The army and the people of China, at the cost of incredible efforts hand and foot, fettered the forces of the Japanese invaders, and did not allow the Japanese army to attack the USSR in the north, which violated the military-strategic interaction of Germany, Italy and Japan. So, during the battle for Moscow, the Battle of Stalingrad and other major battles on the Soviet-German front, the Soviet Supreme High Command, taking into account the fact that it was relatively calm in the Far East, could continuously transfer individual units from the Far East to the western front, which created favorable conditions to win battles. At the most critical moment of the Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union, many sons and daughters of the Chinese nation did not hesitate to join the Red Army. At that time, a group of CPC leaders who studied military affairs in the USSR, concerned about the fate of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War, actively offered their help. The eldest son of Mao Zedong and the descendants of other CCP leaders and heroes of the revolution, who were studying in the USSR, went to military service in the Red Army or joined the hard work of logistics to provide everything necessary for the front line. In the areas bordering the USSR, the fighters and commanders of the training brigade of the joint resistance forces of the North-East were united in the 88th brigade. They continuously sent fighters to the North-East to help the Soviet army in collecting intelligence. After the USSR entered the war with Japan, the fighters of this detachment stood at the forefront, sent Soviet troops, helped them in the liberation of large centers, playing an important role in the rapid defeat of the Kwantung Army of Japan by the Soviet army and the liberation of the entire Northeast.

The victory of the Chinese people in the anti-Japanese war is inseparable from the invaluable support of the Soviet army and people. From 1938 to 1940, the Soviet Union provided the most assistance to China. During that period, the Soviet Union provided the Chinese side with $450 million in loans. China purchased from the USSR 997 aircraft, 82 tanks, 1,000 artillery pieces, more than 5,000 machine guns, and more than 1,000 vehicles. 3,665 Soviet military advisers arrived in China in groups to participate in the development of operational plans and the training of military personnel. More than 2,000 Soviet volunteer pilots took direct part in the battles with Japan in different regions of China, inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese army. Many Soviet pilots died on Chinese soil. In August 1945, the Soviet army launched military operations in Northeast China, and together with the Chinese army and people hastened the final defeat of Japanese militarism.

The peoples of China and the USSR supported each other in the war, fought shoulder to shoulder in the name of protecting peace and progress, upholding human dignity and freedom, made a huge contribution to the heroic history, the memory of this will not fade for centuries. In May of this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping took part in the celebrations on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War. In a few days, President Vladimir Putin will arrive in China to attend events marking the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people in the anti-Japanese war and World War II. Both sides will take part in commemorative events at the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The holding of memorial events is intended to remind people all over the world of the lessons of the Second World War: it is necessary to steadily adhere to the correct understanding of the past, resolutely oppose attempts to embellish fascism and militarism, against any attempts to distort history. This is not only a manifestation of respect for historical truth, for the memory of the fallen, but also serves to maintain peace, is aimed at building a peaceful and beautiful future.