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1934: The Year of Dark Clouds and Silver Linings.
Thanks to everyone for their kind feedback and comments - as I said I will get to them at the conclusion bit.
1934: The Year of Dark Clouds and Silver Linings.
A ruler who is not himself wise cannot be given advice.
- Chiang Kai-shek
An Italian, A German, An American and A Russian walk into China: A brief analysis of foreign military missions in China
...Although the topic of foreign military missions is a quite obscure field in history it is quite an important and topical one for the development of the modern Chinese state. The various military missions established by Italy, Germany, The Soviet Union and the United States of America would provide the foundations of the success of China's Reunification Wars. By laying the foundation for Chinese industrialization and modernization they enabled China to regain much of her strenght and self-respect...
Members of the German Mission to China with some Chinese comrades.
...The Germans by far were the oldest, most well established, and most respected foreign military mission. German advisors were considered to be in the words of Chiang Kai-shek "the most trustworthly, most loyal, most knowledgeable and most competent." Lundendorff and his successor Alexander von Falkenhausen would be given access to absolutely everything that concerned the Chinese military. They were the only foreigners privy to the full versions Dai Li's confidential intelligence reports and were considered more powerful than even some senior Chinese figures. German military help were integral not only in the Nationalist victory in the First Reunification War but also in the creation of the modern National Revolutionary Army and last, but not least, the successful creation of a military-industrial complex essentially from scratch. The success of German expertise can be seen in that in 1934 - China had the same industrial capacity as Italy - a figure that was expected to double every 3 years...
... It is important to note however, that German help was not the product of natural altruism. German participation in the creation of a viable military-industrial complex in Southern China was not without benefits. For one they gave German industrialists and weaponmongers a chance to keep developing modern and powerful weaponry, not only that but many of the German 'advisors' serving in Chinese submarines(built with German expertise), Chinese airplanes(license built German aircraft built with German expertise) and Chinese panzers (ditto) would later form the core of Germany's reconstructed armed forces. Railways - built with German expertise and help would bring in raw materials from the Chinese hinterland into the ports of Guangzhou where they were taken to Germany - to fuel German rearnament along with Chinese silver. When German rearnament began in earnest in 1933 - they were not starting from scratch...
Many German Jews such as Lise Meitner were forced out of Germany. Ironically Lise Meitner and her exiled colleages would provide the core in the Sino-German Götterdämmerung Project...
... There is however a shameful legacy in Sino-German relations - the plight of German Jewry. In the chaotic days of the "Rohm Putsch" in 1934 many German Jews who were doctors, scientists, chemists, physicists and other intellectuals were forced out of Germany and given one-way visas to China. Although there is no evidence of Chiang ever asking Hitler to expel loyal German citizens on the basis of racial discrimination - he did not exactly complain when these highly educated and highly motivated foreigners turned up in boatloads. Although many did not want to flee in China - preferring to flee to England and America - they were kept in China through a combination of the carrot (highly paid, highly respected posts, lots of money for research grants) and the stick (many still had family in Germany...
... In summary, it would not be an exaggeration to state that German help was crucial for the viability of the Kuomintang's republican project. Without German aid in the early days of the republic - it is quite conceivable that Zhang Zhoulin would have managed to unify China under his royal banner...
Marshall Cavallerro responsible for the fact that many of the most incompetent, old and useless Italian generals were sent to China were they gave the Italians an abysmal reputation.
... If the Chinese respected the Germans for their competence and professionalism the opposite applied to many members of the Italian military mission. Marshal Cavallerro - the man responsibile for who would be picked on these missions conspired with the Army Chief of Staff Giueseppe Ferrari (*winks to Croesus*) to pick the most incompetent, most senile and most obstructive Generals to China where they annoyed their hosts with their ill-conceived, obsolete advice. However, there was apparently a boost to Opium revenues and 'sing-song girls' wherever the Italians went so the visit was perhaps not a loss...
Prince Luigi Amedeo chief of the Italian naval mission and the "only competent Italian in China."
... Although the Italian military mission to China is much malgined - and perhaps rightly so, there were competent members of the military mission. One such individual was Prince Luigi Amendeo head of the Regia Marina mission to China. Despite suffering a heart attack in early 1933 the spyry Amedeo who was a famous explorer bought an enthusiasm to his role - being instrumental to Chinese naval rearnament and cooperating with his German counterpart Wilhelm Canaris to produce several Chinese Maritime Defence Papers. The efforts of Amedeo and Canaris ensured that the Chinese Navy at the beginning of the Second Unification War was one of the largest (at least on paper)...
... There are several more thorough and better works written about Leon Trotsky's impact on the National Revolutionary Army it will only be given a brief mention here. In the words of a contemporary: "Trotsky had the rare gift of tempering steel out of the souls of men. He married German professionalism with Chinese bravery and sealed it with Russian determination" Soviet Advisors not serving under or with Trotsky were regarded with immense suspcion - having no influence on Chinese policy in any way shape or form...
The image of Airships filled the Chinese mind with wonder and imagination. Leading to the spending of millions of dollars to construct a large fleet. This was the main impact of the American Military Mission. Conveniently China became America's number one buyer of Helium...
...While the Italian, Soviet and German military missions had official support from their various governments. The American Military mission were composed of a various eccentrics trying to pedel their ideas which were considered too 'crazy' or 'impractical' by the U.S Army and U.S Military. They were mostly successful as China's large fleet of airships at the beginning of the Second Unification War showed...
Next Update: Chinese Naval Rearnament
1934: The Year of Dark Clouds and Silver Linings.
A ruler who is not himself wise cannot be given advice.
- Chiang Kai-shek
An Italian, A German, An American and A Russian walk into China: A brief analysis of foreign military missions in China
...Although the topic of foreign military missions is a quite obscure field in history it is quite an important and topical one for the development of the modern Chinese state. The various military missions established by Italy, Germany, The Soviet Union and the United States of America would provide the foundations of the success of China's Reunification Wars. By laying the foundation for Chinese industrialization and modernization they enabled China to regain much of her strenght and self-respect...
Members of the German Mission to China with some Chinese comrades.
...The Germans by far were the oldest, most well established, and most respected foreign military mission. German advisors were considered to be in the words of Chiang Kai-shek "the most trustworthly, most loyal, most knowledgeable and most competent." Lundendorff and his successor Alexander von Falkenhausen would be given access to absolutely everything that concerned the Chinese military. They were the only foreigners privy to the full versions Dai Li's confidential intelligence reports and were considered more powerful than even some senior Chinese figures. German military help were integral not only in the Nationalist victory in the First Reunification War but also in the creation of the modern National Revolutionary Army and last, but not least, the successful creation of a military-industrial complex essentially from scratch. The success of German expertise can be seen in that in 1934 - China had the same industrial capacity as Italy - a figure that was expected to double every 3 years...
... It is important to note however, that German help was not the product of natural altruism. German participation in the creation of a viable military-industrial complex in Southern China was not without benefits. For one they gave German industrialists and weaponmongers a chance to keep developing modern and powerful weaponry, not only that but many of the German 'advisors' serving in Chinese submarines(built with German expertise), Chinese airplanes(license built German aircraft built with German expertise) and Chinese panzers (ditto) would later form the core of Germany's reconstructed armed forces. Railways - built with German expertise and help would bring in raw materials from the Chinese hinterland into the ports of Guangzhou where they were taken to Germany - to fuel German rearnament along with Chinese silver. When German rearnament began in earnest in 1933 - they were not starting from scratch...
Many German Jews such as Lise Meitner were forced out of Germany. Ironically Lise Meitner and her exiled colleages would provide the core in the Sino-German Götterdämmerung Project...
... There is however a shameful legacy in Sino-German relations - the plight of German Jewry. In the chaotic days of the "Rohm Putsch" in 1934 many German Jews who were doctors, scientists, chemists, physicists and other intellectuals were forced out of Germany and given one-way visas to China. Although there is no evidence of Chiang ever asking Hitler to expel loyal German citizens on the basis of racial discrimination - he did not exactly complain when these highly educated and highly motivated foreigners turned up in boatloads. Although many did not want to flee in China - preferring to flee to England and America - they were kept in China through a combination of the carrot (highly paid, highly respected posts, lots of money for research grants) and the stick (many still had family in Germany...
... In summary, it would not be an exaggeration to state that German help was crucial for the viability of the Kuomintang's republican project. Without German aid in the early days of the republic - it is quite conceivable that Zhang Zhoulin would have managed to unify China under his royal banner...
Marshall Cavallerro responsible for the fact that many of the most incompetent, old and useless Italian generals were sent to China were they gave the Italians an abysmal reputation.
... If the Chinese respected the Germans for their competence and professionalism the opposite applied to many members of the Italian military mission. Marshal Cavallerro - the man responsibile for who would be picked on these missions conspired with the Army Chief of Staff Giueseppe Ferrari (*winks to Croesus*) to pick the most incompetent, most senile and most obstructive Generals to China where they annoyed their hosts with their ill-conceived, obsolete advice. However, there was apparently a boost to Opium revenues and 'sing-song girls' wherever the Italians went so the visit was perhaps not a loss...
Prince Luigi Amedeo chief of the Italian naval mission and the "only competent Italian in China."
... Although the Italian military mission to China is much malgined - and perhaps rightly so, there were competent members of the military mission. One such individual was Prince Luigi Amendeo head of the Regia Marina mission to China. Despite suffering a heart attack in early 1933 the spyry Amedeo who was a famous explorer bought an enthusiasm to his role - being instrumental to Chinese naval rearnament and cooperating with his German counterpart Wilhelm Canaris to produce several Chinese Maritime Defence Papers. The efforts of Amedeo and Canaris ensured that the Chinese Navy at the beginning of the Second Unification War was one of the largest (at least on paper)...
... There are several more thorough and better works written about Leon Trotsky's impact on the National Revolutionary Army it will only be given a brief mention here. In the words of a contemporary: "Trotsky had the rare gift of tempering steel out of the souls of men. He married German professionalism with Chinese bravery and sealed it with Russian determination" Soviet Advisors not serving under or with Trotsky were regarded with immense suspcion - having no influence on Chinese policy in any way shape or form...
The image of Airships filled the Chinese mind with wonder and imagination. Leading to the spending of millions of dollars to construct a large fleet. This was the main impact of the American Military Mission. Conveniently China became America's number one buyer of Helium...
...While the Italian, Soviet and German military missions had official support from their various governments. The American Military mission were composed of a various eccentrics trying to pedel their ideas which were considered too 'crazy' or 'impractical' by the U.S Army and U.S Military. They were mostly successful as China's large fleet of airships at the beginning of the Second Unification War showed...
Next Update: Chinese Naval Rearnament
- CCA
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