Mengjiang
Encyclopedia
Mengjiang also known in English as Mongol Border Land, was an autonomous area
in Inner Mongolia
, operating under nominal Chinese sovereignty
and Japanese
control. It consisted of the then-Chinese provinces of Chahar
and Suiyuan, corresponding to the central part of modern Inner Mongolia
. It is occasionally called Měnggǔguó (蒙古國) or Mengkukuo (in analogy to Manchukuo
, another Japanese puppet state in Manchuria
). The capital was Kalgan
, and the ruler was Demchugdongrub
.
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Formed on 12 May 1936, the Mongol Military Government (蒙古軍政府) had Prince Yondonwangchug
of Ulanqab as its first chairman. It was renamed in October 1937 as the Mongol United Autonomous Government (蒙古聯盟自治政府). On 1 September 1939, the predominantly Han Chinese
governments of South Chahar and North Shanxi were merged with the Mongol United Autonomous Government, creating the new Mengjiang United Autonomous Government (蒙疆聯合自治政府).
The capital was established at Chan Pei, near Kalgan (Zhangjiakou)
, with the government's control extending around Hohhot
. On 4 August 1941, it was again renamed: the Mongolian Autonomous Federation (蒙古自治邦). After Wang Jingwei
formed a new government
for the Republic of China in Nanjing
, Mengjiang was placed under its control, though it remained completely autonomous.
Mengjiang ceased to exist in 1945 when it was invaded by the Soviet Red Army
and Mongol Red Army as part of the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation. Most of the area, with the notable exception of Kalgan, is now part of Inner Mongolia
in the PRC.
Notable people:
without years on it. Some traditional local money shops also made currency with Chinese year numbering system, such as the Jiachen Year (甲辰年), on it.
The Japanese had mineral interests in their created state of Mengjiang. One example was Japanese put in production the iron mine in Hsuanhua–Lungyen with a reserve of 91,645,000 tonnes in 1941; and analyzed the reserves of coal in land, one 504 tonnes and one potential production of 202,000 of tonnes (1934).
The Mengjiang iron deposits were exported directly to Japan. At the same time, Japanese seeking the coal reserves of Suiyuan (another Mengjiang occupied sector) including one of 417 million tonnes and one potential extraction of 58,000 tonnes in 1940 for future investments in that area too.
. There were also Koreans
, Japanese
, Manchus, White Russians
and smaller minorities. Although intended to harness Mongol nationalism to support Japanese aims, this goal was back to China by the Soviet Invasion. Soviet Union expelled and interned Koreans, Japanese and White Russians to Siberia in order to work in labor camps; Han Chinese population later grew to 80 percent.
The purpose of the army was to support any eventual Japanese
operations against Outer Mongolia (Mongolian People's Republic), or the north China areas, and to act as a local security force, with the local police forces. It also had the duty of protecting Prince De Wang, the head of state, and the Mengjiang native establishment and local government properties.
The army was equipped with rifle
s, pistol
s, light and medium machine gun
s, mortar
s and some artillery
and anti-aircraft gun
s. It was organised as a mobile cavalry and light infantry force with little artillery support and no tank
s or aircraft
.
was armed with Mauser rifles and they had 200 machine guns: mostly the Czech ZB-26 and a few Swiss Sig. Model 1930
sub-machinegun for Teh Wang's 1,000 bodyguard troops. They had 70 artillery pieces, mostly mortars and a few captured Chinese mountain and field guns of a variety of types (making ammo and spare parts a problem). The few tanks and armored cars were captured Chinese vehicles crewed by Japanese.
After the Suiyuan Campaign, the Mengjiang National Army was rebuilt from the defeated remnants of the Inner Mongolian Army, the new eight Mongol cavalry Divisions were 1,500 men strong, in three regiments of 500 men. Each regiment were to have three Saber companies and a Machinegun Company of 120 men. However these divisions actually ranged in size from 1,000 men to 2,000 men (8th Division).
In 1939, the ethnic Chinese troops in the Mongol Divisions were brigaded together in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Divisions and turned into the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Ch'ing An Tui Brigades of the "Mongolian Pacification Force" and used against various guerrilla groups.
In 1943, the Mongol 4th and 5th Divisions were combined to form a new 8th Division and the old 7th and 8th Divisions formed the new 9th Division. Strength of the army was between 4,000-10,000 men, all cavalry at this time and had little heavy equipment and that controlled by the Japanese.
The Mengjiang state also had 5 Defense Divisions in 1943, made up of local militia and other security forces, nominally of three regiments. Apparently only one of these regiments in each division was capable of operations. In 1944, the Japanese reorganized them along with the Chahar garrisons into four Divisions of 2,000 men each.
At the end of the war, a total of six divisions (two Cavalry and four Infantry), three Independent Ch'ing An Tui Brigades and a "Pao An Tui" Security Force Regiment made up the Army.
Autonomous area
An autonomous area or autonomous entity is an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or freedom from an external authority. Typically it is either geographically distinct from the rest of the country or populated by a national minority. Countries that include autonomous areas are often...
in Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
, operating under nominal Chinese sovereignty
Republic of China (1912–1949)
In 1911, after over two thousand years of imperial rule, a republic was established in China and the monarchy overthrown by a group of revolutionaries. The Qing Dynasty, having just experienced a century of instability, suffered from both internal rebellion and foreign imperialism...
and Japanese
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...
control. It consisted of the then-Chinese provinces of Chahar
Chahar (province)
Chahar , also known as Chaha'er, Chakhar, or Qahar, was a province of China in existence from 1912 to 1936, mostly covering territory in what is part of eastern Inner Mongolia. It was named after the Chahar Mongolians....
and Suiyuan, corresponding to the central part of modern Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
. It is occasionally called Měnggǔguó (蒙古國) or Mengkukuo (in analogy to 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...
, another Japanese puppet state in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
). The capital was Kalgan
Zhangjiakou
Zhangjiakou, also known also by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province of North China, adjacent to Beijing to the southeast. Its administrative area has a population of 4.35 million, and covers...
, and the ruler was Demchugdongrub
Demchugdongrub
Prince Demchugdongrub was the leader of a Mongol independence movement in Inner Mongolia. He was the chairman of Mengjiang, a Japanese puppet state in World War II....
.
History
Yondonwangchug
Yondonwangchug was an Inner Mongolian nobleman of Ulanqab League and politician under the Qing Dynasty, Republic of China and Mengjiang governments.-Names:...
of Ulanqab as its first chairman. It was renamed in October 1937 as the Mongol United Autonomous Government (蒙古聯盟自治政府). On 1 September 1939, the predominantly Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
governments of South Chahar and North Shanxi were merged with the Mongol United Autonomous Government, creating the new Mengjiang United Autonomous Government (蒙疆聯合自治政府).
The capital was established at Chan Pei, near Kalgan (Zhangjiakou)
Zhangjiakou
Zhangjiakou, also known also by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province of North China, adjacent to Beijing to the southeast. Its administrative area has a population of 4.35 million, and covers...
, with the government's control extending around Hohhot
Hohhot
Hohhot , is a city in north-central China and the capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, serving as the region's administrative, economic, and cultural centre....
. On 4 August 1941, it was again renamed: the Mongolian Autonomous Federation (蒙古自治邦). After Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei , alternate name Wang Zhaoming, was a Chinese politician. He was initially known as a member of the left wing of the Kuomintang , but later became increasingly anti-Communist after his efforts to collaborate with the CCP ended in political failure...
formed a new government
Wang Jingwei Government
In March 1940 a puppet government led by Wang Jingwei was established in the Republic of China under the protection of the Empire of Japan. The regime officially called itself the Republic of China and its government the Reorganized National Government of China...
for the Republic of China in Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, Mengjiang was placed under its control, though it remained completely autonomous.
Mengjiang ceased to exist in 1945 when it was invaded by the Soviet Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and Mongol Red Army as part of the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation. Most of the area, with the notable exception of Kalgan, is now part of Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
in the PRC.
Politics
List of political institutions:- Mongolian Royal Family
- Japanese Central Academy of Kalgan
- Directorate General of Communications
- Bank of Mengjiang
- Mongolian Military Command Headquarters
- Mengjiang national army
- United Autonomous Mongolian Aimags
- Autonomous Government of Northern Shanxi
- Autonomous Government of Southern Chahar
- The United Autonomous Government of Mengjiang
- Government Mongol administrative ulsULS* Mongol Uls - "Mongolia"ULS is a three letter acronym that can refer to:* Uganda Law Society* Ultimate Limit State, see limit state design* ultra-low sulfur diesel* U.S...
- Inner Mongolia Pailingmiao Autonomous Political Council (MongoliaMongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
n political movement)
Notable people:
- DemchugdongrubDemchugdongrubPrince Demchugdongrub was the leader of a Mongol independence movement in Inner Mongolia. He was the chairman of Mengjiang, a Japanese puppet state in World War II....
: Khungtayji Head of State; Commander of the Mongolian Military Command Headquarters. - Kanji Tsuneoka: Japanese military advisorMilitary advisorMilitary advisors, or combat advisors, are soldiers sent to foreign nations to aid that nation with its military training, organization, and other various military tasks. These soldiers are often sent to aid a nation without the potential casualties and political ramifications of actually...
, Head of Central Academy of Kalgan, Leader of local KempeitaiKempeitaiThe was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945. It was not an English-style military police, but a French-style gendarmerie... - Toyonori Yamauchi: Political advisor tasked with ensuring that Mengjiang "inherit the great spirit of Genghis Khan and retake the territories that belong to Mongolia, completing the grand task of reviving the prosperity of the nationality".
- Yoshio Kozuki: Commanding General, Mongolia Army
- Ichiro Shichida: Commanding General of the Mongolia Garrison Army
- Gen Sugiyama: Commanding General of the Mongolia Garrison Army
- Sadamu Shimomura: Commander of Mongolia Garrison Army
- Hiroshi Nemoto: Commander of Mongolia Garrison Army
- Shinichi Tanaka: Chief of Staff, Mongolia Garrison Army
- Hideki TōjōHideki TōjōHideki Tōjō was a general of the Imperial Japanese Army , the leader of the Taisei Yokusankai, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 17 October 1941 to 22 July 1944...
: Commander of the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade, Chahar Expeditionary Force - Commander Sakai: Tank commander in the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade
- Kitsuju Ayabe: Colonel, engaged in Chahar area operation as Staff Officer, Kwantung Army, North China Detachment
- Hiroshi Nemoto: Commander of 18th Army
- Torashirō KawabeTorashiro Kawabe- Notes :...
: Military advisor - Li ShouxinLi ShouxinLi Shouxin was a general in Manchukuo, followed by Mengjiang during the Second Sino-Japanese War.-Biography:Of ethnic Mongol descent, Li was born into a family of minor landlords...
: Chahar warlordWarlordA warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
Name
Mengjiang, meaning "Mongolian Territories", came from the acceptance speech of chairmanship by Demchugdongrub:- To recover the territories originally owned by the Mongolians
Economy
The Japanese established the Bank of Mengjiang that printed its own currencyCurrency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
without years on it. Some traditional local money shops also made currency with Chinese year numbering system, such as the Jiachen Year (甲辰年), on it.
The Japanese had mineral interests in their created state of Mengjiang. One example was Japanese put in production the iron mine in Hsuanhua–Lungyen with a reserve of 91,645,000 tonnes in 1941; and analyzed the reserves of coal in land, one 504 tonnes and one potential production of 202,000 of tonnes (1934).
The Mengjiang iron deposits were exported directly to Japan. At the same time, Japanese seeking the coal reserves of Suiyuan (another Mengjiang occupied sector) including one of 417 million tonnes and one potential extraction of 58,000 tonnes in 1940 for future investments in that area too.
Demographic
By the Mengjiang racial equality immigration policy in their homeland, Mongolians formed a minority in Mengjiang, whose largest ethnic group were Han ChineseHan Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
. There were also Koreans
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
, Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
, Manchus, White Russians
White Emigre
A white émigré was a Russian who emigrated from Russia in the wake of the Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War, and who was in opposition to the contemporary Russian political climate....
and smaller minorities. Although intended to harness Mongol nationalism to support Japanese aims, this goal was back to China by the Soviet Invasion. Soviet Union expelled and interned Koreans, Japanese and White Russians to Siberia in order to work in labor camps; Han Chinese population later grew to 80 percent.
Military
The Mengjiang National Army was the Japanese created "native army" organized in Mengjiang; not to be confused with the Mongol Army. It was a Kwantung Army special force group under direct command, having native commanders alongside Japanese commanding officers, as in other auxiliary outer sections of the Kwantung Army.The purpose of the army was to support any eventual Japanese
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
operations against Outer Mongolia (Mongolian People's Republic), or the north China areas, and to act as a local security force, with the local police forces. It also had the duty of protecting Prince De Wang, the head of state, and the Mengjiang native establishment and local government properties.
The army was equipped with rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s, pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s, light and medium machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s, mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
s and some artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and anti-aircraft gun
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
s. It was organised as a mobile cavalry and light infantry force with little artillery support and no tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s or aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
.
History
In 1936, the Inner Mongolian ArmyInner Mongolian Army
The Inner Mongolian Army was first formed by Prince Demchugdongrub with his personal bodyguard of 900 men in 1929.Although only armed with rifles and a couple of field guns from the Mukden arsenal, a gift of the Young Marshal in 1929. His force became very efficient with the assistance of...
was armed with Mauser rifles and they had 200 machine guns: mostly the Czech ZB-26 and a few Swiss Sig. Model 1930
SIG MKMS
The SIG MKMS was sub-machine gun designed by Schweizerische_Industrie_Gesellschaft company in Neuhausen during the early 1930s and was first introduced in 1933. It was designed for the military and to increase firepower it had a larger capacity magazine as well as a longer barrel, one that would...
sub-machinegun for Teh Wang's 1,000 bodyguard troops. They had 70 artillery pieces, mostly mortars and a few captured Chinese mountain and field guns of a variety of types (making ammo and spare parts a problem). The few tanks and armored cars were captured Chinese vehicles crewed by Japanese.
After the Suiyuan Campaign, the Mengjiang National Army was rebuilt from the defeated remnants of the Inner Mongolian Army, the new eight Mongol cavalry Divisions were 1,500 men strong, in three regiments of 500 men. Each regiment were to have three Saber companies and a Machinegun Company of 120 men. However these divisions actually ranged in size from 1,000 men to 2,000 men (8th Division).
In 1939, the ethnic Chinese troops in the Mongol Divisions were brigaded together in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Divisions and turned into the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Ch'ing An Tui Brigades of the "Mongolian Pacification Force" and used against various guerrilla groups.
In 1943, the Mongol 4th and 5th Divisions were combined to form a new 8th Division and the old 7th and 8th Divisions formed the new 9th Division. Strength of the army was between 4,000-10,000 men, all cavalry at this time and had little heavy equipment and that controlled by the Japanese.
The Mengjiang state also had 5 Defense Divisions in 1943, made up of local militia and other security forces, nominally of three regiments. Apparently only one of these regiments in each division was capable of operations. In 1944, the Japanese reorganized them along with the Chahar garrisons into four Divisions of 2,000 men each.
At the end of the war, a total of six divisions (two Cavalry and four Infantry), three Independent Ch'ing An Tui Brigades and a "Pao An Tui" Security Force Regiment made up the Army.
Sources
- Jowett, Phillip S. Rays of The Rising Sun, Armed Forces of Japan's Asian Allies 1931-45. Volume I: China & Manchuria. Solihull: Helion, 2004.
- Lattimore, OwenOwen LattimoreOwen Lattimore was an American author, educator, and influential scholar of Central Asia, especially Mongolia. In the 1930s he was editor of Pacific Affairs, a journal published by the Institute of Pacific Relations, and then taught at Johns Hopkins University from 1938 to 1963...
. "The Phantom of Mengkukuo." Pacific Affairs 10, no. 4 (1937): 420-27.
See also
- Collaborationist Chinese ArmyCollaborationist Chinese ArmyThe Collaborationist Chinese Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War went under different names at different times depending on which collaborationist leader or puppet regime it was organized under....
- Inner Mongolian ArmyInner Mongolian ArmyThe Inner Mongolian Army was first formed by Prince Demchugdongrub with his personal bodyguard of 900 men in 1929.Although only armed with rifles and a couple of field guns from the Mukden arsenal, a gift of the Young Marshal in 1929. His force became very efficient with the assistance of...
- Inner Mongolian People's PartyInner Mongolian People's PartyThe Inner Mongolian People's Party, or IMPP is an Inner Mongolian secessionist movement. The party was started in 1997 in Princeton, New Jersey...
- List of East Asian leaders in the Japanese sphere of influence (1931-1945)
- ManchukuoManchukuoManchukuo 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...
- Treaty of friendship and alliance between the Government of Mongolia and TibetTreaty of friendship and alliance between the Government of Mongolia and TibetA Treaty of friendship and alliance between the Government of Mongolia and Tibet was signed on February 2, 1913, at Urga . However, there have been doubts about the authority of the Tibetan signatories to conclude such a treaty, and therefore about whether it constitutes a valid...
- Wang Jingwei GovernmentWang Jingwei GovernmentIn March 1940 a puppet government led by Wang Jingwei was established in the Republic of China under the protection of the Empire of Japan. The regime officially called itself the Republic of China and its government the Reorganized National Government of China...