This is off-topic but didn't the USSR mobilize most of its manpower from its predominantly Slavic reservist base? Or are you referring to the relocation of so much of Soviet industry there?Imagine how hamstrung the Red Army would be if the Central Asian SSRs were de-facto independent warlord fiefs who had to be coaxed and persuaded into an alliance with the central government every time an offensive was planned.
I think they were just saying how sluggish the war effort would be if massive parts of the country had to be wrangled and dealt with every time something major is even attempted, in a war.This is off-topic but didn't the USSR mobilize most of its manpower from its predominantly Slavic reservist base? Or are you referring to the relocation of so much of Soviet industry there?
Most Chinese industry was in under Japanese occupation like Manchuria and the Northeast coastal region between Beijing and Shanghai. The unoccupied part of China didn't really have a unified military defending it: there were some troops loyal to the national government, but many were under the control of this or that provincial warlord. China's central government lost a lot of control over the provinces as a result of the Taiping rebellion, and the provinces weren't really brought in line under the capital's leadership until 1949.
Imagine how hamstrung the Red Army would be if the Central Asian SSRs were de-facto independent warlord fiefs who had to be coaxed and persuaded into an alliance with the central government every time an offensive was planned.
Most ports were under Japanese occupation, so any US aid from Lend-Lease had to be flown over the Himalayas, or sent through Burma in the later stages of the war. The USSR could still use its ports in the Far East to receive US aid.
The comment wasn't about Central Asia specifically. I was using the region as an example of Moscow's ability to say "jump" and any given province responding with "how high?" vs. Chongqing saying "jump", and then needing to argue with some minor warlord about the benefits of jumping in general, and the need to jump now rather than later.This is off-topic but didn't the USSR mobilize most of its manpower from its predominantly Slavic reservist base? Or are you referring to the relocation of so much of Soviet industry there?
Also massive massive corruption meaning that most of the stuff that the US/Allies actually sent ended up diverted and sold rather then used to fight the Japanese.
How effective was Lend-Lease in the Chinese war effort?All weapons and munitions sent to China under the Lend-lease program were controlled by American general Joseph Stilwell.
This is off-topic but didn't the USSR mobilize most of its manpower from its predominantly Slavic reservist base? Or are you referring to the relocation of so much of Soviet industry there?
How did the KMT government attempt to lessen this issue?It's more that in China, the central government couldn't reliably call upon or coordinate soldiers from across the entire country.
The country was very divided in the years leading up to the war, with small factions carving out their own spheres of governance and influence. Warlords and local cliques had their own little power bases spread around and oftentimes they had to be persuaded to assist the war effort of the central government. Some of these governments and warlords were at odds with each other and this made maintaining cohesion and cooperation difficult.
How did the KMT government attempt to lessen this issue?