Earlier and stronger Sino-German cooperation post WWI?

The results from my poll which tl to do next have been pretty inconclusive and for the moment only one of six proposals is out of consideration. Regardless which I´ll do in the end, it is still some time for me to decide. I want to finish my current one first and that still takes some time. In the meantime I decided to start research for all of them one by one. Some weeks ago I started a thread for suggestions about the first project, developing a new ideology. Beyond the firm conviction to change its name it also gave me some good ideas and helped me to flesh others out or to change improbable parts. I will continue work on that one and further suggestions to it are still welcome.

At the same time I now want to start looking into the next idea. That is the idea to expand the German role in the Chinese civil war from mere advisors to, if possible, some volunteer units fighting in it. Currently I am working with the basic premise that the official German-Chinese peace treaty after WWI comes a year early. As this is during the troubles with disbanding the Freikorps someone on the German side comes up with the proposal to send the most troublesome parts of those (motivations to accept could be amnesty for political crimes (Kapp-putsch) after 10 years of service and further advancement in rank despite the small army) to China to help with modernisation. In the long run China, and especially the army will modernise faster, while Germany gets rid of some troublemakers while gaining also access to combat experience during the 20s.

That is so far my rough outline and I am reasonably sure I can make it work on the German side. But frankly my knowledge about the Chinese civil war goes not much beyond wikipedia and some bits with direct influence on WW2. Therefore I´d like to know whether it is possible at all and what in your opinion the effects in China and abroad would be. I´d also like recommendations for sources about China and Sino-German cooperation during the 20s and 30s, either in English or German.

Even better for the quality of the tl would perhaps be if with the necessary knowledge about China has interest to write a collaborative tl. Frankly that would improve the chances that this is really going to be my next project.
 
Eh your first idea (sending friekorps members to China) is highly unlikely as this would need to be a stable German state which arises, and the Friekorps are naturally going to be apart of this successor to the Weirmar Republic unless the communists in Germany win the civil war. In which case the Friekorps would be fleeing in all directions so them ending up in China is likely.

For German influence on China though let me point to OTL as an example. The Nazi Regime sent loads of equipment, advisors, and material to the Nationalists in China. They also profitted quite a bit from trade with the Chinese state and through their dealings with Chinese business men. They then dropped most of their contacts with the Chinese in favor of their new Japanese allies. The lasting effect was that crucial equipment and material of German origin was used to fight the Japanese invaders but squandered by the poorly led Nationalist forces.

Now in Nazi scenario you would probably see the adoption of tank and infantry tactics similar to those used by the Wehrmact in the Nationalist forces, especially if the Chinese start producing German style tanks. If the Chinese get good advisors and restructure their forces as such they will wipe the floor with the Japanese light tanks and infantry with frightening ease making them turn on the Communist insurgents next. This would spell trouble for the communists as they were being pushed back at this point and with a successful counter-communist campaign being cared out it would force them into the arms of Moscow.

If we follow your technocracy ideal however, then we probably have similar results through a well trained and supplied force, especially if they make the Chinese rely on meritocracy.

This gives Germany a big (in many senses of the word) ally in Asia and access to abundant resources. It encourages German investment in Chinese industry and allows for a growing relationship between two nations with a potentially dangerous economic alliance forming.
 
Eh your first idea (sending friekorps members to China) is highly unlikely as this would need to be a stable German state which arises, and the Friekorps are naturally going to be apart of this successor to the Weirmar Republic unless the communists in Germany win the civil war. In which case the Friekorps would be fleeing in all directions so them ending up in China is likely.
It is possible from the German side, not the most probable perhaps, but by far not as unlikely as you think. Not in huge numbers in the beginning of course. A core could be formed with those having to flee out of Germany (or to Bavaria, which is just as bad) for various political crimes, like the mentioned Kapp-putsch. They were never truly persued, but the eventual amnesty some years later was far from assured. A secret guarantee for an amnesty for the service there would motivate more than one to head for China. And during 20/21 the Freikorps had to be disbanded, sending a lot of people who would have preferred a military career onto an already strained civilian market. in the case of the Baltikumer they were sometimes even barred for a time from industrial jobs. Those could again provide a number of interested recruits.

Later some officers from both groups ended up in China even iotl, but the cooperation was privately organised and really started only at a time most Freikorps members had already settled into a civilian life. Ittl this gap would be not there and China gets an actual cadre instead of single advisers, because it is an organised effort on the German side. Around the initial group with government support in time a small force can grow, attracting recruits for various reasons: adventurism, inability and unwillingness to reintegrate into civilian society, the possibility to gain an amnesty, the force being a concentration of like-minded anti-republicans, the possibility of faster advancement than in the regular Reichswehr (either by improving chances for promotion with a tour there or once it reaches a certain strength by promotion within the force in China) or simply money. Even with that I don´t aim for more than at most a Brigade and a flying squadron for support at the end of the 20s, plus some staff officers schooling the Chinese directly as otl.

Such a project would - except the magnitude - be in line with other German attempts to retain some military capabilities. The only tricky thing is whether they can achieve an agreement with China in the few month Germany wants to demobilise a lot of troublesome soldiers and those men have few alternatives. If it is possible from the Chinese side, someone just has to get that very idea.
 
Germany - both Weimar and Nazi - already supported the Nationalists quite heavily. What the KMT needed was capital investment and technical advice, not manpower.

German volunteer units won't work. The manpower simply isn't needed. China has a surplus of it. Germany doesn't have the money to arm and equip a volunteer force for service around the world - Weimar has financial issues and treaty limitations, while Nazis need to keep those forces here. China isn't interested in arming and equipping a foreign force, any resources available to do that is better spent on Chinese units.

Germany could certainly provide more support to the KMT than it did IOTL, but it's not going to be in terms of volunteers.
 
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