Fair 'nuff, it's just that "writing to his mother" thing that caught my attention, because I don't think him and Soong Mayling got along IOTL at all.
Marc A
Chiang Kai-Shek goes to Germany: An Axis China Timeline
- Thread starter CCA
- Start date
Marc A
A narrative interlude set in the Zagros Mountains of Persia
14 March
Chiang Wei-kuo was a man without a home. He couldn't go back to China because of a lingering fear that perhaps his father's death was not as accidental as it could've been. Coded communications from his mother had all but warned him to stay away. He couldn't go back to Germany either where his wife Geli was waiting for him with their son Adolf. The recent invasion of Eastern Europe by the Soviet Union had forced Germany to keep whatever precious resources she had at home so there was no prospect of an airship to take him away. And so he sat - or rather crawled and squatted underneath the narrow bunkers and tunnels that harbored what remained of the Persian resistance and the Sino-German elements that had come to advice them. But the situation was bleak. He looked over the tables in front of him: stores of ammunition, food and medicine were all running low and there was no prospect of resupply either.
"Boss, we've got an incoming transmission."
One of his men broke his reverie.
"I'll come on over."
He climbed up the rope ladder to the top of the caves where the radio could pick up and send transmissions.
"This is RAS Hindenburg, requesting permission to land. We have supplies and some special visitors over."
"Is this a mistake? Christmas was about three months ago over."
"Not a mistake. This is a special supply run over."
"All right all right. You can set down over.
"We're sending over coordinates for a hidden slope where you can set down comfortably. We'll meet you there in a couple of hours."
The trek to the slope took some time but Chiang was curious to know who the visitors were. He wouldn't normally come along to a supply run, but since there hadn't been one since Christmas and there were special visitors - that piqued his interest.
When he got there he nearly fainted.
"Li? Skorzeny? What do I owe the pleasure of having the two most dangerous bastards in the world pay us a personal visit."
Li flashed him a rare smile, Chiang shuddered internally.
"We have reliable intelligence that your father is alive and well and being held captive near the Mongolian border. We have two companies of the best goddamn special forces that the Reich -"
"And the Bureau - "
" - has to offer."
"You must be bored here. Are you in?"
Chiang thought very carefully and then gave his answer.
Could you really say no to a face like this?
Is this timeline still in progress? I want to see how this 'Chiang is really alive and captive' thing turns out.
I've been playing a ton of Waking the Tiger given threads like this and Porkman's old AAR of Nat. China drew me to chinese history, and I'm kind of amused that the Mission to Germany is kind of like this thread in that you get military factories and tanks from them. My one regret is there is not a joke path for Italy like the one way back in the Nanjing Decade.
Operation Oak: The mission to liberate the Prisoner
I've just realized that I've been working on this TL for almost 10 years so I definitely need to finish it before it gets to that point.
1 May 1943
After receiving reliable intelligence that Chiang was being held in a hilly outpost near the Mongolian Border at the Altay Prefecture, the joint BIS-German task force planned an attack. They decided to do it on May 1 where the Mongolian troops near the border would be on lower alert and drunk. Their intelligence indicated that Chiang was being guarded by 50 Chinese troops with a squadron of Mongolian cavalry on special alert in Mongolia along with an unknown detachment of NKVD motorized troops.
Against them they had two companies of elite troops. Around 80 specially trained Fallschirmjäger troops and 20 SS troops made up the German presence and 100 Bureau troops made up the Chinese presence. The small outpost was constantly on high alert and had 3 light AA guns and 6 machine guns providing overarching archs of fire. With it's back to the mountain, the outpost made a formidable defensive station.
Their plan of attack was for the German troops and half of the Chinese troops to stage a diversionary attack on the front of the outpost and for a smaller contingent of 20 commandos led by Col Weikuo to execute a glider attack from the mountain right into the outpost roof where they would set off charges in the roof and then go through and rescue Kaishek who was believed to be held inside. Once the building was secure and the AA guns were neutralized an airship would arrive and extract the soldiers and Kaishek.
At 2230 hours the attack began. With the garrison distracted by Skorzeny's diversionary attack, Col Weikuo's attack went off without a hitch and they broke into the roof, right into the surprised commandant's office. The commandant - Col Yi was actually part of Col Weikuo's graduating class and after being informed of who the masked prisoner they were guarding was, he commanded the troops to stand down.
But their troubles were not over. The NKVD motorized battalion had arrived with the Mongolian cavalry squadron and the Sino-German forces only numbered 200 and had to hold off 1,200 Mongolian-Soviet troops (with 5 T-34 tanks) until the airship arrived.
A fierce battle ensued and almost all of the German-Sino soldiers were slaughtered to a man. Only 30 managed to evacuate with Skorzeny and Colonel Yi dying and Colonel Weikuo being severely wounded. After the airship rendevouzed with Dai Li's men Kaishek emerged a broken man who only had one thought in mind: revenge.
1 May 1943
After receiving reliable intelligence that Chiang was being held in a hilly outpost near the Mongolian Border at the Altay Prefecture, the joint BIS-German task force planned an attack. They decided to do it on May 1 where the Mongolian troops near the border would be on lower alert and drunk. Their intelligence indicated that Chiang was being guarded by 50 Chinese troops with a squadron of Mongolian cavalry on special alert in Mongolia along with an unknown detachment of NKVD motorized troops.
Against them they had two companies of elite troops. Around 80 specially trained Fallschirmjäger troops and 20 SS troops made up the German presence and 100 Bureau troops made up the Chinese presence. The small outpost was constantly on high alert and had 3 light AA guns and 6 machine guns providing overarching archs of fire. With it's back to the mountain, the outpost made a formidable defensive station.
Their plan of attack was for the German troops and half of the Chinese troops to stage a diversionary attack on the front of the outpost and for a smaller contingent of 20 commandos led by Col Weikuo to execute a glider attack from the mountain right into the outpost roof where they would set off charges in the roof and then go through and rescue Kaishek who was believed to be held inside. Once the building was secure and the AA guns were neutralized an airship would arrive and extract the soldiers and Kaishek.
At 2230 hours the attack began. With the garrison distracted by Skorzeny's diversionary attack, Col Weikuo's attack went off without a hitch and they broke into the roof, right into the surprised commandant's office. The commandant - Col Yi was actually part of Col Weikuo's graduating class and after being informed of who the masked prisoner they were guarding was, he commanded the troops to stand down.
But their troubles were not over. The NKVD motorized battalion had arrived with the Mongolian cavalry squadron and the Sino-German forces only numbered 200 and had to hold off 1,200 Mongolian-Soviet troops (with 5 T-34 tanks) until the airship arrived.
A fierce battle ensued and almost all of the German-Sino soldiers were slaughtered to a man. Only 30 managed to evacuate with Skorzeny and Colonel Yi dying and Colonel Weikuo being severely wounded. After the airship rendevouzed with Dai Li's men Kaishek emerged a broken man who only had one thought in mind: revenge.
4 May 1943 - The May 4th Compromise
The Battle of Budapest (1943) - Germany was desperate for China to open a second front due to the magnitude of Soviet advance into Eastern Europe.
4 May 1943 - The May 4th Compromise
While Chiang badly wanted revenge, cooler heads prevailed. After their daring escape from the Altay outpost they liaise with T.V Soong who agreed to broker a meeting with Wang Jingwei. Although the NRA had successfully pushed the Entente forces further South after months of bloody, attritional grinding warfare and an unending guerilla war - there was still a pocket of troops holding on and nobody wanted to start a two front war until Southern China was fully secured.
The May 4th Compromise was a gentleman's agreement that nobody really has a full, objective account of as the only three men that were there all subtly distorted the truth in subsequent years. But the broad consensus of historical opinion is that:
- The three men agreed to restore the pre-kidnapping status quo with Chiang as President, Wang as Premier and Soong as Prime Minister.
- All Civil Protection units would be placed under Dai Li’s command and oversight.
- It was agreed to temporarily accept Stalin’s explanation that Chiang’s kidnapping was arranged by a rogue NKVD elements in cooperation with Mongolia and to announce an investigation.
- The investigation would take as long as it took to crush the Entente resistance and then conclude that the Soviet authorities were actually responsible and then declare war on the Soviet Union.
- Simultaneous to this, Wang would continue leaking information to the Soviets that China was building up forces around the Sino-Soviet border and in the Sino-Manchurian border.
- China would actually build up forces around the Sino-Soviet border - but only combat-worthless militia troops and civil protection units. In combination with Wang’s ‘leaks’ to the Soviet Union - this would force the Soviets to transfer troops from the Polish front.
- Focus on crushing the remaining Entente resistance in the Leizhou Peninsula.
Why did they agree?
Chiang agreed because the alternative was civil war. While Chiang felt that he could win with popular support and the support of the regular army foundations, China would be weakened.
Wang agreed for a variety of complex reasons. He thought that Chiang, while his popularity had diminished could still post a formidable threat and he did not want to see China weakened.
Soong agreed because he brokered the deal and wanted to avoid a civil war. Although he was on good terms with both men, he just wanted to see an end to division.
Reactions to the May 4th Compromise:
Domestic reaction was of surprise, shock and then happiness. The news that Chiang was alive gave confidence to the army and the compromise agreement assured the population that he would not start a two front war unnecessarily.
German reaction was one of initial relief turning into a feeling of despair and betrayal. The news that Wang had been in a leading role provoked confusion and discortation. The German’s Eastern front was a string of disasters. The polish government had been reduced (ironically) to a tiny strip of the Polish corridor. East Prussia was overrun. Soviet troops were fighting in Bucharest and Budapest. Half of Slovakia was overrun. Fighting a two-front war of her own, Germany *needed* her Chinese ally to start a second front. Hitler believed that Chiang’s coup had only partially suceeded and covertly sent offers to German assistance to fully purge his cabinet. Chiang’s cryptic response back only deepened the confusion but was somewhat reassuring in that he guaranteed Chinese assistance “soon.”
Franco-British reaction was one of confusion and dread. They believed that the Soviets had abducted Chiang, but had now colluded with him after Stalin had gained maximum advantage and seized Manchuria and Persia.
For Japan it was one of concern and anger. They had lost almost all of the territory they had gained and their Manchurian concessions to the Soviets. Now they had evidence of Soviet duplicity and feared betrayal from her allies.
The new US President Henry Wallace didn’t know what to think. He liked Wang and the Chinese orders for weaponry and equipment to replace the industrial output from the wrecked Southern provinces was good for business, but outcry from the daily barrage of attrocities across the world - on all sides was getting to his and the American people’s conscience.
Soviet reaction was one of relief and paranoia. They were pleased that Wang still had a prominent role to play and that the Chinese still seemed to be accepting the Soviet line (for now) but were paranoid about Chinese deception, which was magnified by Wang’s leaks. Stalin’s decision would change the course of European and world history forever.
Good ol' Chiang might want to keep an eye on Wang...Maybe secure Da Li's loyalty to better control the cabinet. Having backtracked or not, the damned sympathizer for the Reds Wang has betrayed Chiang's trust...
I mean Da Li literally rescued him from a mountain fortress - safe to say that his loyalty is pretty secured. If you notice in the agreement too that Chiang gave Da Li's forces oversight over Wang's former private army too
You know I almost forgot Lil' Wang somehow managed to scrounge up a private army. Not that it matters anymore - you can bet Dai Li's going to subvert that army by replacing the officers and some key NCOs with CKS's men and (of course) his own.
Marc A
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The Fifth Battle of the Leizhou Peninsula
The Fifth Battle of the Leizhou Peninsula
The new tanks in action - American made, Chinese-bought M4 Shermans.
“
I fought against German tankers in Belgium.
Italian tankers in Libya.
Soviet tankers in Korea.
The Chinese tankers were the bravest of them all.
They drove around in these little tin cans with riveted armor - in 1943. They were slow. Their guns couldn’t penetrate ours frontally unless they got lucky and couldn’t penetrate our side armor. They were basically glorified upgrades of the same tanks that the Italians were driving in 1940 - and they were already obsolete by them. We knew it, The Italians knew it and they fought like they knew it too.
But the Chinese fought like they had the armor of KVs, attempted maneuvers like they were T-34s and shot at us like they had the guns of Tigers. Even though they were totally outmatched - still they kept coming and coming and coming in their ‘coffins.’
That’s what we called them - and that’s what the captured tank crews said they called em too so I have no idea why they kept agreeing to fight in them.
It made us sloppy. When one Churchill could take on 20 coffins, there wasn’t really any need for tactics.
In fact - scattering our tanks made sense - because the main threat was from the air.
So when they finally showed up at the Yank tanks they’d purchased, they swept us aside.
Their guns could penetrate us from all sides, they were more mobile and their armor could occasionally bounce a shell if they got lucky. There was no ‘one hit kill’ anymore like with the coffins where even a spent shell hitting it could cause the riveting to fly loose and bounce around the tank with deadly force.
So fell backwards and kept falling backwards. We’d hold for a position for a day or two but then get pushed back by either the yank tanks or their damn air force. Our air force seem to have disappeared during this time and naval support was patchy too.
Eventually we couldn’t keep retreating and we got back on the same boats we’d come in. At this point morale was so low, we’d been fighting continously for three weeks with little snatches here and there. Only the nips were actually still capable of fighting the rearguard action which they fought along with some of the curries that stayed in the back lines. Of course - that’s because the gooks and nips didn’t take prisoners of each other - but what can you expect? Brave bastards the lot of them, but savage. We should never have gotten involved in this damn war. This was no white man’s war.”
The analysis above, while useful in portraying the front-line perspective of the fighting men is inadequate to assess the scope of the battle. In particular, why the Naitonal Revolutionary Army which had proved itself incapable of shifting the Entente troops from the Leizhou Peninsula over the course of four previous battles suddenly seemed to perform so well.
The main answer is of course - logistics. One of the main reforms that Wang Jingwei instituted in his premiership was purchasing arms, supplies and weapons from America. Although on paper, Chinese arms production had somehow kept pace in production despite the loss of just under half of China’s industrial capacity - this concealed a grim reality that was revealed in the Xiaoping Report.
The report revealed that in order to keep pace with the insane demands to somehow produce at the same level while losing a big chunk of China’s industrial heartland, everyone was engaging in watering down. So for example - in a Tianjin-41 tank the steel that the tank was made out of would be made from watered down steel with watered down iron and half the coal needed. The shells would be packed with explosives mixed with sawdust and other things to thicken it out. With war material and ammunition made so unreliable because of a climate of fear, patriotism and group think - the combat performance of Chinese units had dropped. Rather than suppressing the report or ignoring the problem - as Chiang was wont to do, Wang addressed the issue head on by contracting war supply production to the US and stopping all offensives.
By the time that the 5th Battle of the Leizhou Peninsula or the Leizhou offensive was launched, the supply issues had mostly been resolved (at great cost and debt - as the Chinese would find out in the post-war years.) Yes - the new tanks did help - but what helped more was artillery that would actually fire explosives that would go off. Rifles that could fire without coming unstuck or exploding.
So the result was (predictably) a victory for the Chinese army, despite fierce Entente resistance. The victory would have massive repercussions, not only in the strategic picture of the war with all of Mainland china liberated from foreign rule (except Hainan and Manchuria) but from the revalation that Japanese and Indian troops had been left to do the rearguard fighting while the British and ANZAC troops were evacuated first (post war histories show that an attempt to detail the 28th Maori battalion for rearguard duties led to a mutiny of the entire 1st NZ Division - including by the divisional general Freyberg.)
The new tanks in action - American made, Chinese-bought M4 Shermans.
“
I fought against German tankers in Belgium.
Italian tankers in Libya.
Soviet tankers in Korea.
The Chinese tankers were the bravest of them all.
They drove around in these little tin cans with riveted armor - in 1943. They were slow. Their guns couldn’t penetrate ours frontally unless they got lucky and couldn’t penetrate our side armor. They were basically glorified upgrades of the same tanks that the Italians were driving in 1940 - and they were already obsolete by them. We knew it, The Italians knew it and they fought like they knew it too.
But the Chinese fought like they had the armor of KVs, attempted maneuvers like they were T-34s and shot at us like they had the guns of Tigers. Even though they were totally outmatched - still they kept coming and coming and coming in their ‘coffins.’
That’s what we called them - and that’s what the captured tank crews said they called em too so I have no idea why they kept agreeing to fight in them.
It made us sloppy. When one Churchill could take on 20 coffins, there wasn’t really any need for tactics.
In fact - scattering our tanks made sense - because the main threat was from the air.
So when they finally showed up at the Yank tanks they’d purchased, they swept us aside.
Their guns could penetrate us from all sides, they were more mobile and their armor could occasionally bounce a shell if they got lucky. There was no ‘one hit kill’ anymore like with the coffins where even a spent shell hitting it could cause the riveting to fly loose and bounce around the tank with deadly force.
So fell backwards and kept falling backwards. We’d hold for a position for a day or two but then get pushed back by either the yank tanks or their damn air force. Our air force seem to have disappeared during this time and naval support was patchy too.
Eventually we couldn’t keep retreating and we got back on the same boats we’d come in. At this point morale was so low, we’d been fighting continously for three weeks with little snatches here and there. Only the nips were actually still capable of fighting the rearguard action which they fought along with some of the curries that stayed in the back lines. Of course - that’s because the gooks and nips didn’t take prisoners of each other - but what can you expect? Brave bastards the lot of them, but savage. We should never have gotten involved in this damn war. This was no white man’s war.”
- Lt. Bryce Edwards, 2nd Armored Regiment on “Voices of War.”
The analysis above, while useful in portraying the front-line perspective of the fighting men is inadequate to assess the scope of the battle. In particular, why the Naitonal Revolutionary Army which had proved itself incapable of shifting the Entente troops from the Leizhou Peninsula over the course of four previous battles suddenly seemed to perform so well.
The main answer is of course - logistics. One of the main reforms that Wang Jingwei instituted in his premiership was purchasing arms, supplies and weapons from America. Although on paper, Chinese arms production had somehow kept pace in production despite the loss of just under half of China’s industrial capacity - this concealed a grim reality that was revealed in the Xiaoping Report.
The report revealed that in order to keep pace with the insane demands to somehow produce at the same level while losing a big chunk of China’s industrial heartland, everyone was engaging in watering down. So for example - in a Tianjin-41 tank the steel that the tank was made out of would be made from watered down steel with watered down iron and half the coal needed. The shells would be packed with explosives mixed with sawdust and other things to thicken it out. With war material and ammunition made so unreliable because of a climate of fear, patriotism and group think - the combat performance of Chinese units had dropped. Rather than suppressing the report or ignoring the problem - as Chiang was wont to do, Wang addressed the issue head on by contracting war supply production to the US and stopping all offensives.
By the time that the 5th Battle of the Leizhou Peninsula or the Leizhou offensive was launched, the supply issues had mostly been resolved (at great cost and debt - as the Chinese would find out in the post-war years.) Yes - the new tanks did help - but what helped more was artillery that would actually fire explosives that would go off. Rifles that could fire without coming unstuck or exploding.
So the result was (predictably) a victory for the Chinese army, despite fierce Entente resistance. The victory would have massive repercussions, not only in the strategic picture of the war with all of Mainland china liberated from foreign rule (except Hainan and Manchuria) but from the revalation that Japanese and Indian troops had been left to do the rearguard fighting while the British and ANZAC troops were evacuated first (post war histories show that an attempt to detail the 28th Maori battalion for rearguard duties led to a mutiny of the entire 1st NZ Division - including by the divisional general Freyberg.)
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