AHC: Nationalist participation in the "Sino-American War"

The Korean war, or the "Sino-American War" as known in China, did not see Nationalist deployment for various reasons.
With a POD in 1945, allow Taiwan to fight along with numerous other nations in the Korea War.
 
Well the main problem is that the Nationalists just got their butts kicked a year or so before hand, they're weak, isolated and in no position to take advantage of Mao's little adventure in Korea.

In order for the Nationalists to take part in the war you would have to have the Civil war go not quite as well as it did, leaving a Nationalist rump secure on the mainland, either still in control of Nanjing or able to retreat and hold at Canton. The problem is that in order for this to happen you have to fight to a stalemate based on main power (rather than Taiwan where the PRC lacked the naval means to get at the KMT before they were able to build up defences). In that case the two sides are still at daggers drawn and it's doubtful Mao could spare the forces for the OTL Chinese intervention.

At the same time Mao has to do something when Korea erupts since American will crush the NK's without Chinese help and the Soviet's will not commit full force to save North Korea (having bigger issues to deal with in Europe). If the war in China is still on then MacArthur and the other American's who favoured an assault on China proper might get their way, if there is a Nationalist force present to help.

On the other hand if the Civil war isn't over, Kim may sit tight and do nothing until it is over, though given that he attacked when Stalin told him not to in OTL a lack of potential Chinese backup forces may not be enough to stop him going off the deep end.

Either way it would be a very different war from OTL...
 
I didn't think it would be geographically possible to make a KMT-CCP stalemate on the mainland (unless it's, like, Yunnan).
Also, if Chiang was given a choice of spending forces on the mainland or Korea, I'm sure he'd go for the former.
 
Well there is the case of the Nationalist forces on the Burmese border, who weren't fully withdrawn until 1961. Before 1954 there are a lot more of them there, so in extremis I would think they could be utilised as a military asset against the PRC. There is also the insurgency in Yunnan, as I think you were alluding to.

Yes, I was. Also, if you had ever visited Yunnan it is obvious it will turn out like the Vietnam War for the PRC if Chiang had more willingness to drive the war to eternity- the jungles and forests are extremely to hide under, along with the complex border areas with Southeast Asia.
 

Neirdak

Banned
There is a possibility to see a small and epic involvement of Nationalist troops in the Korean War, similar to the Turkish Brigade, if USA accepts Chiang Kai-shek proposal to send troops and "advisors" in Korea. :cool:

By the way, following China's entry into the war in October 1950, the Peoples Liberation Army reorganized its Taiwan invasion force into the Northeast Frontier Force and subsequently into the People's Volunteer Army, which was then sent into the Korean peninsula. It basically saved Taiwan.

An interesting flag display : http://rokdrop.com/2012/09/03/picture-of-the-day-roc-flag-flown-during-the-korean-war/

The reason the ROC flag may have been flown at Geoje Island was because many Chinese soldiers imprisoned there were former Chinese Nationalist soldiers pressed into military service by the Communists that controlled China. After being captured during the war many of these soldiers wanted to be returned to ROC held Taiwan instead of going back to Communist China. These soldiers would eventually be sent to Taiwan after being held at a detention camp on the DMZ at the conclusion of the war where they had two months to choose which country they wanted to return to. The detention camp on the DMZ I think is most likely location for this photo and I am actually coincidentally working on a posting about this very subject.

http://rokdrop.com/2012/09/03/pictu...n-during-the-korean-war/#sthash.rmsc0lDt.dpuf

Imagine if those soldiers ran into a Nationalist China Brigade during the Korean War and the moral effect on many of the People's Volunteer Army troops ...

..............

To come back to the original discussion, I would set a 1945 POD. My POD would be that General Wedemeyer AND John Stiwell are given an overall command on the KMT troops situated at the Burmese border, but also on Merrill’s Marauders and Chindits whose members will be included (leased) into the KMT troops until 1950.

It's well known that Stiwell left the area without giving any informations or orders to his successor. He simply refused to meet General Wedemeyer and didn't brief him on the strengths and weaknesses of headquarters staff, the issues confronting the command, and planned operations. He didn't discuss with him about his vision of the future Chinese Civil War or about the qualities of his troops.

-> General Wedemeyer and John Stiwell are given a common command to the KMT troops situated at the Burmese border, which are divided in two corps. Stiwell doesn't quit and informs Wedemeyer about everything. Stiwell will then also participate in the discussions with Wedemeyer, Marshall, MacArthur and Raymond A. Spruance about the situation in China.

It's interesting to know that General Wedemeyer, commander-in-chief of the American forces in the China-Burma-India theatre, warned Washington in 1945 that if peace came swiftly to China, there would be extensive disorder as the KMT had no national reconstruction plan. Moreover, Wedemeyer told Washington KMT authority would continue to be seriously challenged by growing communist strength, by a disillusioned populace, by chronic economic mismanagement and by continued alliances with self-interested warlords.

-> The presence of Stiwell alongside Wedemeyer helps to convince Washington of the importance of the problem and thus leads to the creation of a REAL economic, social and political reconstruction plan by the KMT.

On December 7, 1945, Wedemeyer with General Douglas MacArthur, and Navy Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, the three top military officers in the Far East, recommended to the Pentagon transporting six more Chinese Nationalist armies into North China and Manchuria. However they also suggested that "the U.S. assistance to China, as outlined above, be made available as basis for negotiation by the American Ambassador to bring together and effect a compromise between the major opposing groups in order to promote a united and democratic China.

-> The presence of Stiwell leads to a quicker and bigger repatriation of Wedemeyer's troops to China, which could form the backbone of an elite Army corps.

Another POD could be an adjournment of 1945 November offensive. This offensive in OTL broke the difficult negociations between KMT, Ambassador Hurley and Zhou Enlai. It led to Hurley's unexpected resignation. Due to this sudden resignation, General Marshall was put in charge of the negociations, which weren't fruitfull at all, the offensive also definitely decided Stalin to help the CCP and to cede them the control of the city of Harbin without stripping it from its industrial capacity.


-> All that together could lead to a stronger KMT Army, which could either slow down the Communists (no victory in my opinion) or help to get better KMT forces in Taiwan at the end of the Civil War and thus potential troops to fight in "Sino-American War".

Other worse POD's could be :

- More US Marines troops in key cities and ports of China including at the Mandchurian border and Russian troops in Mandchuria until the conclusion of a treaty. (bad POD)

- More coordinated instructions to the Japanese troops to continue to fight the CCP until the KMT troops can move into position.

- The use of a Japanese Volunteer Anti-Communist Army against the Communists in China and later during Sino-American War (why not?).
 
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