The Sino-German Cooperation

A veteran ordnance mechanic told me that during the war times, they always admired how their young engineers could communicate with German consultants in fluent Deutsch; I know why, since my dad was one of these engineers.  In 1926 the Chinese centre government starts a Sino-German military and industrial cooperation initiative aimed at resisting Japanese encroachment.  At the time, China was fraught with factional warlordism and western incursions, while Germany under the hostile Treaty of Versailles needed the injection of funds and tungsten, antimony from China.  In 1927-38 totally four inactive German generals and 135 consultants arrived China for modernizing its armed forces and defense production.      The intense cooperation lasted only until the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.  Besides the forerunner Max Bauer, Gen. Hans Von Seeckt and Alexander Von Falkenhausen were important figures. Von Seeckt proposed (陸軍改革建議書) 60 divisions reformed as the German Eliteheer, and Von Falkenhaisen made it partially materialized.

When the war erupted, only 20 Reformed Divisions (調整師) were quasi-combat-ready, instead of 60 planned.  China could not afford making them fully German equipped, the elite 88^th, 87^th, 67^th, 57^th, 36^th, 25^th, 14^th, 11^th etc. RDs were basically provided with Chinese made Mausser 98K (Type-25) riffles, ZB-26 (Type-26) light machine guns, and Germany made MP-18 submachineguns.  The German advisers engaged in the army reorganization and laid a concrete foundation for the doctrine, training, equipment, and tactics of the Chinese army.  And this cooperation nevertheless had a profound effect on the modernization of China and its ability to resist the Japanese during the war.

Lacking firepower, the Chinese soldiers emphasized suicidal hand to hand combat.  Their Type-25 riffle, which was shorter than the Arisaka Type-38, was equipped with elongated bayonet for this purpose.  As per the Imperial Japanese Army 6^th Reg/3^rd Div’s history, the RD’s men showed high morale, well equipped, familiar with light weapons, hand grenades, and always determined to attack in offensive.  When in the defensive, they skillfully utilized rice paddies, buildings, or cemetery to form strongholds with effective crossfire and flank coverage.  They were ferocious night fighters, launched attacks at 300-400 meters away, tossed hand grenades from 50 meters, and pressed on until the last men.  Under pressure of its new Axis ally Japan, in 1938-41 Germany ended its support for China.