1943 The Asian Fronts
After the crushing of the Leizhou peninsula, China conveniently finished the investigation on July 4. In the report, China blamed Chiang’s kidnapping squarely on Stalin and the Soviet Union - rejecting the Soviet assertion that it was a rogue NKVD operation with Mongolian complicity. They made a list of extremely insulting demands which were calculated to be rejected including: the handing over to China for trial of Stalin, Beria and key soviet leaders, reparations to the tune of $1 trillion USD, Soviet acceptance of Chinese suzerainty over Manchuria and the end of the independence of the so-called “People’s Republic of Manchuria,” Soviet acceptance over Chinese suzerainty over Mongolia, Soviet evacuation from the Empire of Persia and the restoration of the dynasty. The Soviet Union had 10 days to comply with the Chinese demands in full or face a declaration of War.
Chinese NRA troops crouching behind a knocked out M4 Sherman
Manchuria:
The Soviet reply came in a massive offensive against the Chinese lines which stretched from Beijing to Tianjin on July 10. Over 3 million Soviet and Manchurian troops commanded by Marshal Timoshenko hurled themselves against 4 million NRA troops commanded by Masrhal Du Yumming (promoted as commander of the Northern Expedition Army after his exemplary performance in the Battle of Beiping in 1942) in a gargantuan battle. While the Soviets were expecting a cake-walk, they found anything but that. Even though of the 4 million, only 2 were regular troops and 2 million were Civil Protection units of unsteady quality - the Chinese had dug in behind ample fortifications, had aerial superiority and were equipped with new, reliable weaponry. The Chinese assault armored cavalry divisions in the Northern sector were veterans equipped with new M4 Shermans that had proven their worth in the battles across the Leizhou Peninsula. Some Chinese infantry and Civil Protection units had the new Panzerfaust and Panzershreck anti-tank infantry weapons which were dangerous to the T-34s at all sides. By late September, Soviet forces had exhausted themselves against the Chinese lines and the front descended into a weary stalemate as the fall rains began.
Mongolia:
General Tukachevsky had his work cut out for him as the demoralized Soviet and Mongolian armies in the Sino-Mongolian border had been subjected to a round of purges for their failure in preventing the rescue of Chiang. Furthermore, the front had been stripped of much equipment, good troops and weaponry as these got absord to either Manchuria or Europe. Nonetheless, Tukachevesky began an intensive program of raids and probing attacks with the forces he had - stressing the also mostly poorly equipped Chinese forces at the border which were mostly Civil Protection Units, low quality NRA troops or NRA troops that had been recycled out of the active front-lines for garrison duty.
Indochina:
Chinese forces remained content to stare at the French and Japanese troops across the Sino-Indochinese border, mounting occasional raids and using the porous border to send supplies across the Guerilla resistance.
Burma-Indian Front:
The original plan for Burma was for the 1st Indian National Army, a force of 150,000 men consisting of exiles, rebels, formers prisoners of War and other various Indians to make an aggressive probe to gather reconissance and then withdraw. In this, they would be supported by General Sun Li Jen’s army of around 500,000 troops. The closer that Bose got to India, the more that British India seemed to erupt in revolution with strikes, civil disobedience and outright mutinies threatening British control over India. With Britain distracted with the of the election and having to put together a government - there seemed to be no coherent response. However, Bose’s army attractive massive support with many British Indian Army formations defecting en masse with the few Commonwealth troops either being quickly surrounded and overcome by a hostile population and outright withdrawing. By December Bose’s army had advanced as far as Kharagpur in West Bengal, liberating Burma, Benga and Sikkim and proclaiming the Republic of India in Calcutta on 15 December 1943. However, despite the optimism of Bose's new India, the Republic inherited a massive humanitarian disaster with a massive famine that had killed more than 4 million in Bengal. The causes of the Bengal Famine are well debated at this point - British incompetence, Chinese bombing, guerrilla sabotage of supply lines, Capitalism, war profiteering etc etc - as is the exact death toll with British historians estimating 1 million and Chinese/German historians exagerrating the death toll up to 10 million - but whatever the cause - China now had to deal with feeding a massive, starving population - when she had very little surplus food. Of course predictably - Axis propaganda made massive mileage of this discovery. Goebells sent Leni Reifenstahl and a film crew and the sight of pathetic, starving families filled the film screens of the Axis territories and neutral countries.
Images liked this was prevalently used by Axis propaganda as a symbol of Entente misrule and oppression.
Into this void stepped in Madame Chiang Kai-shek. Leveraging her friendship with former first Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who was still influential despite her husband’s passing earlier in 1943, the China lobby in the US organized massive food drives and relief. Of course, it goes without saying that the Chinese government embezzled between 1/3rd - 2/3rds of the food and supplies donated - but the combination of some aid going through and some independently supervised aid relief by the International Red Cross alleviated the worst of the famine.
With British rule disintegrating, Stalin sent armies across the Persian-Iranian border, ostensibly to assist her British ally - but covertly began drawing the more leftist members of the Indian National Congress and various politicians across the territories she was 'providing garrison duties.' The only place where British rule still held some sway was in the South where the princes of India had their own private armies and held fast to the nominal British rule.
Central Asia:
Central Asia was the unexpected thrust of the Ma Bufeng’s reformed cavalry armies. Equipped with the new M4 Shermans - these elite troops - a combination of cavalry, tanks and some crack mountain troops drove into the Kyrgstan and Tajikstan SSRs - managing to go all the way through to Dushanbe and Tashkent by the end of the year despite heavy Soviet resistance from the limited garrisons there.
