Between 1933 and 1936, German maintained a strong alliance with China. The relationship took shape in many forms. There is at least one picture of a group of SA stormtroopers marching in China alongside the Hitler Youth, the latter of whom were allowed to camp in China.
The most prominent example of the relationship took shape in the Chinese military. The National Revolutionary Army's uniform took many cues from the uniform of the Heer or in some cases, just outright copied the Heer uniform.
The NRA also built their versions of German armaments such as Maxim machine guns, various 82 mm trench mortars. They even made their own version of the Karabiner 98k rifle called the Chiang Kai-shek rifle. Between 1935 and 1936, China ordered a total of 315,000 of the M35 Stahlhelm helmet, and also large numbers of Gewehr 88, 98 rifles and the C96 Broomhandle Mauser.
From 1934-36, a series of Sino-German agreements greatly accelerated railway construction in China. Major railways were built between Nanchang, Zhejiang, and Guizhou. These fast developments were made possible because Germany needed efficient transportation to export raw materials, and because the railway lines served the Chinese government's need to build an industrial centre south of the Yangtze.
In a bizarre twist for what was to come, on June 11th 1937, Hermann Goering apparently referred to Japan as a 'Far East Italy' referring to referring to the fact that during World War I, Italy had broken its alliance and declared war against Germany and proclaimed China to be Germany's friend.
Of course, as we know, when the Second Sino-Japanese War began in July 1937, Germany cut all ties with China. German military advisers were called back to Germany, shipment of war materials to China were banned by order of Hermann Goering, the Nazis officially recognized the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo as a independent state and Nazi propaganda within China proclaimed Japan to be the last bulwark against Communism in China.
But what if Germany continued it's alliance with China and even sent German troops to fight in the Second Sino-Japanese War alongside the NRA?
The most prominent example of the relationship took shape in the Chinese military. The National Revolutionary Army's uniform took many cues from the uniform of the Heer or in some cases, just outright copied the Heer uniform.
The NRA also built their versions of German armaments such as Maxim machine guns, various 82 mm trench mortars. They even made their own version of the Karabiner 98k rifle called the Chiang Kai-shek rifle. Between 1935 and 1936, China ordered a total of 315,000 of the M35 Stahlhelm helmet, and also large numbers of Gewehr 88, 98 rifles and the C96 Broomhandle Mauser.
From 1934-36, a series of Sino-German agreements greatly accelerated railway construction in China. Major railways were built between Nanchang, Zhejiang, and Guizhou. These fast developments were made possible because Germany needed efficient transportation to export raw materials, and because the railway lines served the Chinese government's need to build an industrial centre south of the Yangtze.
In a bizarre twist for what was to come, on June 11th 1937, Hermann Goering apparently referred to Japan as a 'Far East Italy' referring to referring to the fact that during World War I, Italy had broken its alliance and declared war against Germany and proclaimed China to be Germany's friend.
Of course, as we know, when the Second Sino-Japanese War began in July 1937, Germany cut all ties with China. German military advisers were called back to Germany, shipment of war materials to China were banned by order of Hermann Goering, the Nazis officially recognized the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo as a independent state and Nazi propaganda within China proclaimed Japan to be the last bulwark against Communism in China.
But what if Germany continued it's alliance with China and even sent German troops to fight in the Second Sino-Japanese War alongside the NRA?