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The Soft-Underbelly: Operation Unthinkable
The Soft-Underbelly: Operation Unthinkable
With the war grinding to a stall across all the theaters of war, an ambitious amphibious operation which had been planned for a while was given the green light. "Operation Unthinkable" was a massive coalition operation which favoured striking at the vulnerable southern coast of China where not only would the Chinese war effort be dealt a blow with the occupation of much of China's modern industry - but it would also embolden the pro-peace faction in the KMT. With much of the NRA's strength concentrated in the Manchurian front or deployed across the Soviet-Sino border, the blow was centered for the 10th of October 1942 or "Double Ten" day - a holiday which celebrated the outbreak of the Revolution. More than two million men - a large contingent of whom were Indian, Austalian and New Zealand Commonwealth troops along with French Colonial troops and Japanese troops had been carefully assembled for the effort.
Third and fourth-line NRA troops guarded the coast along with Civil Protection militias. Even though on paper numbering 5 million, they were scattered across a wide area and got the dregs of equipment and manpower.
The Darkest Hour
The attack achieved complete operational and tactical success. Southern China was barely defended with the vaunted "Southern Wall" just a mere fiction on the map. The poorly armed, poorly trained third and fourth-line troops and Civil Protection Militia defending the coast were swept away in a tide of naval bombardment, modern tanks and temporary air superiority. Progress was rapid after the landings near Fangcheng swept the initiatl resistance. Fangchenggang fell after only 3 days after the landing and Fangcheng after a week. By the end of October Qinzhou had fallen.
An Extraordinary Legislative Yuan Session
In the context of this, a fifth of the legislative Yuan sponsored a proposal to immediately ask for a ceasefire, withdraw from the alliance with Germany and seek a peace with the Entente. President Chiang immediately boarded a plan to fly from his command outpost in Xi'an to fly to Nanking to address the Yuan and lobby his closest allies.
The Xian Incident
But the plane never got there. Half an hour after takeoff the plane sent out a distress call and the wreckage was later found slammed into the mountain. An investigation would determine a navigation error in the navigation equipment of the plane.
Wang Jingwei assumes power
As Prime Minister, Wang had the legal authority to assume power. Presiding over a mourning Yuan on November 5, he declared a national day of mourning and transferred many of the powers of the Presidential Office to the office of the Prime Minister "until the crisis has passed." The earlier proposal to ask for a ceasefire and withdraw from the alliance with Germany passed. The Entente immediately accepted the ceasefire and negotiations began in earnest for a peace treaty with fighting stopping just outside of Naning. China was now out of the war.
With the war grinding to a stall across all the theaters of war, an ambitious amphibious operation which had been planned for a while was given the green light. "Operation Unthinkable" was a massive coalition operation which favoured striking at the vulnerable southern coast of China where not only would the Chinese war effort be dealt a blow with the occupation of much of China's modern industry - but it would also embolden the pro-peace faction in the KMT. With much of the NRA's strength concentrated in the Manchurian front or deployed across the Soviet-Sino border, the blow was centered for the 10th of October 1942 or "Double Ten" day - a holiday which celebrated the outbreak of the Revolution. More than two million men - a large contingent of whom were Indian, Austalian and New Zealand Commonwealth troops along with French Colonial troops and Japanese troops had been carefully assembled for the effort.
Third and fourth-line NRA troops guarded the coast along with Civil Protection militias. Even though on paper numbering 5 million, they were scattered across a wide area and got the dregs of equipment and manpower.
The Darkest Hour
The attack achieved complete operational and tactical success. Southern China was barely defended with the vaunted "Southern Wall" just a mere fiction on the map. The poorly armed, poorly trained third and fourth-line troops and Civil Protection Militia defending the coast were swept away in a tide of naval bombardment, modern tanks and temporary air superiority. Progress was rapid after the landings near Fangcheng swept the initiatl resistance. Fangchenggang fell after only 3 days after the landing and Fangcheng after a week. By the end of October Qinzhou had fallen.
An Extraordinary Legislative Yuan Session
In the context of this, a fifth of the legislative Yuan sponsored a proposal to immediately ask for a ceasefire, withdraw from the alliance with Germany and seek a peace with the Entente. President Chiang immediately boarded a plan to fly from his command outpost in Xi'an to fly to Nanking to address the Yuan and lobby his closest allies.
The Xian Incident
But the plane never got there. Half an hour after takeoff the plane sent out a distress call and the wreckage was later found slammed into the mountain. An investigation would determine a navigation error in the navigation equipment of the plane.
Wang Jingwei assumes power
As Prime Minister, Wang had the legal authority to assume power. Presiding over a mourning Yuan on November 5, he declared a national day of mourning and transferred many of the powers of the Presidential Office to the office of the Prime Minister "until the crisis has passed." The earlier proposal to ask for a ceasefire and withdraw from the alliance with Germany passed. The Entente immediately accepted the ceasefire and negotiations began in earnest for a peace treaty with fighting stopping just outside of Naning. China was now out of the war.
- CCA
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