Chapter 880: Imperial Manchu Army
The Imperial Manchurian/ Manchu/ Manchukuo Army (IMA) of the Empire of Manchu/ Manchuria/ Manchukuo, a member state of the Co-Prosperity Sphere was mainly crewed with the dominating Han Chinese population, but also with Japanese, often ones who had before been served in the Imperial Japanese Army, as well as the local Korean and White Russian minorities in special forces and officer positions beside the Manchurian/ Manchu themselves. When the Empire of Manchurian/ Manchu/ Manchukuo gained independence formed the Co-Prosperity Sphere together with Japan (Nippon) and Kore in April 1935, Emperor Puyi was married with the Japanese Princess as would his successor and brother Emperor Pujie commanded them from Mukden, or Shengyang Imperial Palace alongside Japanese advisers. Increasing Japanese settlers, that soon made up 2,000,000 of the 42,560,000 citizens, out of which only 2,600,000 were technical Manchus. The majority of the 36,560,000 citizens was Han Chinese, with other big minorities being the 1,400,000 Chosen, 1,000,000 Mengjiang, 860,000 Japanese, 300,000 Hui Mohammedans, and other small minorities, including 48,000 Jews. Of the around 4,250,000 Manchurian Army forces in five major armies and garrison groups the majority of about 4,000,000 were Han Chinese, around 260,000 were Manchurian officers and commanders, while Koreans, White Russians and Japanese either served in special forces, special army groups, or under their very own command the Imperial Manchu Army and equally many Manchu, who had before independence served in the Imperial Japanese Army. Together they formed the core of the officer and command corps of the Imperial Manchu Army, that during the heights of the Second Great War numbered around 4,000,00 to 5,000,000 soldiers, or roughly about 10% of the overall Manchurian/ Manchu/ Manchukuo Population. They would see battles all around the Co-Prosperity Sphere and while parts of it's forces stayed in Manchuria, most of them the fought the Soviet Union, in the Far East and Siberia, defending the Co-Prosperity Sphere and the Yen-Block, while inside of both the Empire of Manchurian/ Manchu/ Manchukuo became a powerful and important national member state.
They were often using outdated older Japanese equipment, but since their independence, they also started to supply their own forces, either by building some originally Japanese designs, or their own take on some of these. The Uniforms of the IMA were directly modeled after the Imperial Japanese Ones, but the color scheme of their elements was more in the yellow color scheme of the Imperial Manchu Flag, which itself was modeled after the Yellow Manchurian/ Manchu banners, but also used camouflage uniforms besides these parade uniforms, depending on where they were stationed in operations. Because of the mostly offensive role of the IMA, many of it's Manchurian Commanders and Generals while being skilled in Offensive Doctrines, Blitzkrieg, Mobile Offensives, but also thanks to Banditry and Communist Rebels in Manchuria were skilled in fighting against Partisan and Guerillia forces, Hill and Mountain Warfare, as well as well aware of their homeland in the Manchurian/ Manchu/ Manchukuo was the best, when it came to offensice tactics and strategies, or invasions. For the Hokushin-Ron, the Northern Strategy/ Northern Assault on the Soviet Union, they thereby played a main major role, where they accompanied the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Chosen Army helped during this initial phase to push onto Wladiwostok (later annexed by Manchukuo and renamed Haishenwai again), the Manchurian/ Manchu/ Manchukuo made up the bulk of the attacking armed forces. The majority of the Imperial Manchu Army however was part of five major army groups, the Imperial Manchu Border Army, at the Northern border of Manchuria along the Argun River and the Khingan Range (Stanovoy Range), but also had a secondary defense line along the Amur and Sahaliyan River, all of them supported with trenches, bunkers, fortifications, artillery, anti-tank, anti-aircraft and mortar positions. The second major group of the Imperial Manchu Army was the Imperial Manchukuo Army, tasked with defending the coastlines of the Manchurian/ Manchu/ Manchukuo form any form of Allied or Soviet invasion or internal rebellions and uprisings. This also meant that they cooperated with the overall Imperial Manchurian Police, the local Imperial Manchurian Militia to protect local peace and security, engage against bandits and anti-government Bandit Gangs and Rebels (like Socialist and Communist uprising Peasant rebellions) and even the Manchurian Imperial Guard, who secured the Imperial Manchurian Family and all their palaces, holdings and direct possessions.
