Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies
Encyclopedia
After the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, and until 1933, large volunteer armies waged war against Japanese
and Manchukuo
forces over much of Northeast China
.
Due to Chiang Kai-Shek
's policy of non-resistance, the Japanese were soon able to establish complete control. After the League of Nations
refused to do more than voice its disapproval, the Manchurian Incident was perhaps over, for diplomats. Afterwards small guerrilla bands continued the fight.
The volunteer armies were eventually defeated, but only after their resistance had made support for them and the anti-Japanese cause popular throughout China
during the early 1930s.
There were several of these armies:
Besides these armies there were other forces under leaders like Lao Pie-fang
and others.
For the whole year of 1932 the Japanese had to occupy themselves with fighting these Chinese forces in various areas of Manchuria. General Ma Zhanshan
, nominally in command of them all, had a total fighting force estimated by the Japanese of 300,000 men. Following the defeat of the large forces, many retreated into Jehol
and other places in China. The remainder were forced to disperse their remnants into small units, often called shanlin
. Ongoing Japanese "Anti-Bandit" campaigns and other "pacification
" measures steadily reduced the number of insurgent
s. Their numbers declined from 120,000 in 1933, to 50,000 in 1934; 40,000 in 1935; 30,000 in 1936; and 20,000 in 1937. As of September, 1938, the number of insurgents was estimated by the Japanese at 10,000 men.
From 1935 the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army
, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, absorbed many of these volunteer forces into its own ranks.
See also
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
and Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
forces over much of Northeast China
Northeast China
Northeast China, historically known in English as Manchuria, is a geographical region of China, consisting of the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The region is sometimes called the Three Northeast Provinces...
.
Due to Chiang Kai-Shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
's policy of non-resistance, the Japanese were soon able to establish complete control. After the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
refused to do more than voice its disapproval, the Manchurian Incident was perhaps over, for diplomats. Afterwards small guerrilla bands continued the fight.
The volunteer armies were eventually defeated, but only after their resistance had made support for them and the anti-Japanese cause popular throughout China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
during the early 1930s.
There were several of these armies:
- Jilin Self-Defence ArmyJilin Self-Defence ArmyThe Jilin Self-Defence Army was formed in late January 1932, as the Manchukuoan and Japanese troops closed in on Harbin. General Ting Chao, Li Du, Feng Zhanhai, Xing Zhanqing, and Zhao Yi organised the Jilin Self-Defence Army in order to prevent the fall and occupation of the city. This brought...
- Chinese People's National Salvation ArmyChinese People's National Salvation ArmyOne of the most successful volunteer armies was the Chinese People's National Salvation Army or NSA, led by a former bandit turned soldier, Wang Delin. At the time of the invasion, Wang Delin's 200 man battalion was stationed near Yanji, a small town in the east of Jilin province...
- Northeastern Volunteer Righteous & Brave FightersNortheastern Volunteer Righteous & Brave FightersNortheastern Volunteer Righteous & Brave Fighters is an article on Wang Fengge, a student of traditional martial arts and later an officer in the Chinese Northeast Army, became involved in the Big Swords Society.- History :...
- Northeastern Loyal and Brave ArmyNortheastern Loyal and Brave ArmyFollowing the defeat of the forces of Ting Chao at Harbin in February 1932, Feng Zhanhai withdrew his forces to Shan-Ho-Tun, a village in the Wuchang District...
- Northeast People's Anti-Japanese Volunteer ArmyNortheast People's Anti-Japanese Volunteer ArmyThe Northeast People's Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army was led by Tang Juwu, formerly the commander of a Northeastern infantry regiment, interned by the Japanese at the beginning of the invasion of Manchuria...
- Northeast Anti-Japanese National Salvation ArmyNortheast Anti-Japanese National Salvation ArmyMa Zhanshan, a Muslim General who had surrendered in January 1932 and joined the Manchukuo regime, rebelled again in late April, forming his own volunteer army in Heilongjiang province at the beginning of May, and then he established another 11 troops of volunteers at Buxi, Gannan, Keshan, Kedong...
- Heilungkiang National Salvation ArmyHeilungkiang National Salvation ArmyOn September 27, 1932, the forces of Gen. Su Bingwen mutinied in Hailar. Calling themselves the Heilungkiang National Salvation Army they moved eastwards aboard trains towards Tsitsihar to join Gen. Ma Zhanshan in re-capturing that provincial capital....
- Anti-Japanese Army For The Salvation Of The CountryAnti-Japanese Army For The Salvation Of The CountryAnti-Japanese Army For The Salvation Of The Country was a volunteer army led by Li Hai-ching resisting the pacification of Manchukuo. It had about 10,000 anti-Japanese guerrilla troops described as being equipped with light artillery and numerous machine guns. They operated in the south of Kirin,...
Besides these armies there were other forces under leaders like Lao Pie-fang
Lao Pie-fang
Lao Pie-fang, known as a Hun-hutze , he was a guerrilla leader fighting in western Liaoning against Japanese occupation. He led several thousand followers to attack Japanese garrisons the southern portion of the South Manchurian Railroad mainline in early 1932, during the pacification of...
and others.
For the whole year of 1932 the Japanese had to occupy themselves with fighting these Chinese forces in various areas of Manchuria. General Ma Zhanshan
Ma Zhanshan
Ma Zhanshan or Ma Chan-san , was a Chinese Muslim general who initially opposed the Imperial Japanese Army in the invasion of Manchuria, briefly defected to Manchukuo, and then rebelled, and fought against the Japanese in Manchuria and in other parts of China.-Early life:Ma was born...
, nominally in command of them all, had a total fighting force estimated by the Japanese of 300,000 men. Following the defeat of the large forces, many retreated into Jehol
Jehol
Jehol could mean either a province or a city:* Jehol Province, former province in northeastern China* Chengde, the capital of above provinceNamed after the province:* Jehol Biota* Jeholodens* Jeholopterus* Jeholornis* Jeholosaurus...
and other places in China. The remainder were forced to disperse their remnants into small units, often called shanlin
Shanlin
The term shanlin 山林 means literally "mountain and forest" in Chinese and was frequently used to describe bandits in Manchuria from the time of the Qing dynasty, because they knew the local wooded and mountainous terrain very well. Most operated in a fairly small district and took pains to maintain...
. Ongoing Japanese "Anti-Bandit" campaigns and other "pacification
Pacification of Manchukuo
The Pacification of Manchukuo, was a campaign to pacify the resistance to the newly established puppet state of Manchukuo between the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies of Manchuria and later the Communist Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army and the Imperial Japanese Army and the forces of the...
" measures steadily reduced the number of insurgent
Insurgent
Insurgent, insurgents or insurgency can refer to:* The act of insurgency-Specific insurgencies:* Iraqi insurgency, uprising in Iraq* Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, uprising in India* Insurgency in North-East India...
s. Their numbers declined from 120,000 in 1933, to 50,000 in 1934; 40,000 in 1935; 30,000 in 1936; and 20,000 in 1937. As of September, 1938, the number of insurgents was estimated by the Japanese at 10,000 men.
From 1935 the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army
Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army
The Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army was an anti-Japanese guerrilla army in the Northeast part of China after the occupation of Manchuria by Japan in 1931. It was organized by the Manchuria branches of the Chinese Communist Party . However, it lost direct contact with the CCP headquarter in...
, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, absorbed many of these volunteer forces into its own ranks.
Sources
- Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) 2nd Ed. ,1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung , Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China.
- Jowett, Phillip S. , Rays of The Rising Sun, Armed Forces of Japan’s Asian Allies 1931-45, Volume I: China & Manchuria, 2004. Helion & Co. Ltd., 26 Willow Rd., Solihul, West Midlands, England.
- The volunteer armies of northeast China
- Notes On A Guerrilla Campaign
See also
- Japanese invasion of Manchuria
- Pacification of ManchukuoPacification of ManchukuoThe Pacification of Manchukuo, was a campaign to pacify the resistance to the newly established puppet state of Manchukuo between the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies of Manchuria and later the Communist Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army and the Imperial Japanese Army and the forces of the...
- Second Sino-Japanese WarSecond Sino-Japanese WarThe Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...