Xinjiang War (1937)
Encyclopedia
In 1937, an Islamic rebellion broke out in southern Xinjiang. The rebels were 1,500 Uighurs and Tungans led by Kichik Akhund, against the pro-Soviet provincial forces of Sheng Shicai
.
Military Region. Mahmud resented the increased Russian influence and formed a secret group around himself. Sheng feared Mahmud may have allied with the Chinese Muslim general Ma Hu-shan, but he need not have worried, the Uighurs of Kashgar heard hostile reports on Ma Hu-shan, coming from Uighur refugees from Khotan
who were suffering under Ma Hu-shan's depredations. Mahmud fled Kashgar on April 2, 1937 with a small number of his subordinates and some amount of gold to India
via Yengi Hissar
and Yarkand
. Shortly before his departure he sent message to Ma Hu-Shan about his proposed arrival at Khotan. Ma Hu-Shan was amazed, but ordered his troops to prepare a parade and feast to honour General Mahmud, even troops, who guarded both mountain Passes to India, were recalled to Khotan, that gave Mahmud the opportunity to change his route and he slipped through into India. Mahmud's flight resulted in Uighur troops rising in revolt, rebelled those, who were stationed in Artush
, Yengi Hissar and Yarkand, and who executed all pro-Soviet officials and a number of Soviet advisers. An independent Turkic administration was set up by two of his officers, Kichik Akhund Sijiang, who commanded troops in Artush, and Abdul Niyaz Sijiang, who commanded troops in Yarkand and Yengi Hissar. Liu Pin, a Provincial commander in Kashgar Region, had 700 troops at his command, so he used a squadron of 9 Soviet planes to bomb Yangi Hissar and Yarkand. After Mahmud Shih-chang reached Srinagar
in India, the following year, he went on pilgrimage to Mecca
. A buildup of Soviet military assets occurred in Xinjiang before the outbreak of war. Around Kasghar, the Soviets sent AA guns, fighter planes, and soldiers of Russian and Kyrgyz origin in great amounts.
The start of the rebellion in Southern Xinjiang had immediate and tragic impact on the fate of about 400 Uyghur students, who previously were sent by Xinjiang Government to the USSR (1935–37) to study in the University of Tashkent
. They all were arrested during one night of May 1937 by NKVD
and then executed without any trials by alleged order of Joseph Stalin
. Soviet diplomatic staff was also purged throughout the province in Soviet Consulates in Urumchi, Karashar, Ghulja, Chuguchak and Altai
. Soviet Consul-General in Urumchi Garegin Apresoff (former Soviet Consul in Mashhad
, Iran
and the main architect of Soviet Policies in Central Asia
and the Middle East
) was recalled to Moscow and shot by firing squad for allegedly participating in the so-called Fascist-Trotskyite Plot against Stalin and attempting to overthrow Sheng Shicai's regime on April 12, 1937, on commemoration day of April Uprising four years earlier. A mutiny, that divisional commanders Mahmut Muhiti and Ma Hu-shan triggered in Southern Xinjiang, was designated as the part of a plot to convert Xinjiang into the base for fighting against Stalinists.
and his Chinese Muslim
troops of the 36th Division (National Revolutionary Army)
were watching the situation with interest, eager to seize more territory. Sheng Shicai surprisingly ordered 36th Division to quell Rebellion of 6th Uyghur Division, although initially 33rd and 34rd Regiments of 6th Uyghur Division, which were stationed in Kashgar since August 20, 1934, didn't join Rebellion, because had a number of ranks and files, who previously were trained in the USSR ( during 1934-1935 a number of officers of 6th Uyghur Division were sent to Tashkent
to study in Military Academy here, also Soviet Generals Rybalko
, Obuhoff and Dotkin consequently worked in Kashgar in 1934-1936, being the Soviet military advisers of Sheng Shicai's administration, and participated in organizing and training of staff of 6th Uyghur Division) . Having received the order the Tungans attacked Kashgar airfield on 20 May, but were defeated. Ten days later 1,500 Uighurs and Tungan irregulars under Kichik Akund attacked and seized Kashgar Old City. His troops wore arm bands with the words "Fi sabil Allah
" (Arabic: in the way of Allah). The rebellion was followed by a Kirghiz rising near Kucha
and Muslim unrest in Kumul.
Ma Hushan remained at Khotan watching the situation. His Chief of Staff Pai Tzu-li
and Ma Ju-lung, the 1st brigade commander at Karghalik
, persuaded him to strike against Kashgar. Ma Ju-lung arrived on 2 June at Kashgar to reportedly "put down the rebels of Kichik Akhund", but Kichik Akhund had secretly agreed to back off, so when Ma Hushan arrived on 3 June to take Kashgar, Kichik Akhund moved to Aksu without fighting. The 2nd brigade under Ma sheng-kuei occupied the Fayzabad-Maral Bashi area. Ma Hu-shan clearly intended to let the Turkic speaking Muslim rebels bear the front of fighting with Sheng Shicai's forces, while letting his own Chinese Muslim troops consolidate his hold on Southern Xinjiang.
Ma Hushan surrounded Kashgar New City and explained to the British Consulate-General that the Chinese Muslim forces, still official the Kuomintang
36th Division, were acting in covenant with the Turkis (Uighurs) to overthrow the pro-Soviet Provincial government and replace it with an Islamic government loyal to the Republic of China
Kuomintang
government at Nanjing
.
Ma Hushan was paranoid about a Russian attack. He controlled the Kashgar-Khotan area, because it offered him a safe escape to British India, where he could take a steamer from Calcutta safely back to China sea ports, then to the Gansu
and Qinghai
. He and his officers repeatedly had vowed to attack the Russians in conversations with Peter Fleming and sought to procure gas masks and airplanes to help them fight.
In August 1937, 5,000 Soviet Russian Red Army
troops backed by an air unit and armoured regiment moved into Xinjiang at Sheng Shicai's request, whose Provincial troops suffered defeat from Muslim rebels in July 1937 at the battle near Karashar and were unable to continue their advance on the South. At the end of August Provincial forces, including White Russians, Red Army and NKVD
units, heavily defeated Kichik Akhund's troops at Aksu with most of his troops being annihilated, after they were machine-gunned and bombed in air attack by a squadron of 24 Soviet airplanes in the open field near Aksu, as result Kichik Akhund and Abdul Niyaz escaped to Kashgar with only 200 men. After this battle Ma Sheng-kuei was bribed by Sheng Shicai to defect and turn against Ma Hushan. Ma Sheng-kuei marched on Kashgar on September 1, 1937, only to find that Ma Hushan, Ma Ju-lung, and Pai Tzu-li withdrew toward Karghalik with the 1st brigade. On 7 September, Ma Hushan and his officers deserted their troops and fled to India with gold. Ma brought thousand ounces in gold, which was confisticated by the British.
The Chinese Muslim General Ma Zhanshan
was allegedly one of the commanders of the Soviet army during the invasion. It was reported that he led Russian troops disguised in Chinese uniforms along with bombers during the attack, which was requested by Sheng Shicai
. Other sources do not mention this doubtful participation of Ma Zhanshan in this war, since he was a Commander in Chief of Cavalry in the National Revolutionary Army in China in 1937.
General Chiang Yu-fen, a Provincial commander, despatched his men after Ma Hushan's 1st brigade, while other Provincial forces drove Abdu Niyaz and Kichik Akhund towards Yarkand. Red Army aircraft assisted the Provincial forces by dropping bombs, including some that contained mustard gas. These flew first from an airbase in Karakol
, USSR, then from captured airfields in Uchturpan
and Kucha
. On 9 September Yarkand fell to Sheng, and on 15 September Abdul Niyaz was executed. On October 15 the Soviets bombed the city of Khotan where casualties numbered 2,000. The remnants of the 36th division melted away through Kunlun Mountains
in Qinghai and Northern Tibet.
.
The pro-Soviet provincial forces of Sheng Shicai established their control over the whole of Xinjiang. All rivals were eliminated, and the defeat of the 36th division caused the control of the Chinese Central Government in Xinjiang to cease.
A memorial was set up by Sheng Shicai
to dead Russians who were killed in combat by Ma Hushan. The memorial included Russian Orthodox crosses.
The Republic of China government was fully aware of the Soviet invasion of Xinjiang province, and Soviet troops moving around Xinjiang and Gansu, but was forced to mask these maneuvers to the public as "Japanese propaganda" to avoid an international incident and for continued military supplies from the Soviets.
Sheng Shicai
Sheng Shicai was a Chinese warlord who "ruled" Xinjiang province from April 12, 1933 to August 29, 1944....
.
Start of rebellion
Sheng Shicai had moved against Divisional General Mahmud Shi-chang (Mahmut Muhiti (1887–1944), or Mahmud Sijan, former leader of Turpan uprising of 1932), Commander-in-chief of 6th Uyghur Division and Deputy Chief of the KashgarKashgar
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city with approximately 350,000 residents in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Kashgar is the administrative centre of Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km² and a population of approximately...
Military Region. Mahmud resented the increased Russian influence and formed a secret group around himself. Sheng feared Mahmud may have allied with the Chinese Muslim general Ma Hu-shan, but he need not have worried, the Uighurs of Kashgar heard hostile reports on Ma Hu-shan, coming from Uighur refugees from Khotan
Khotan
Hotan , or Hetian , also spelled Khotan, is the seat of the Hotan Prefecture in Xinjiang, China. It was previously known in Chinese as 于窴/於窴 and to 19th-century European explorers as Ilchi....
who were suffering under Ma Hu-shan's depredations. Mahmud fled Kashgar on April 2, 1937 with a small number of his subordinates and some amount of gold to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
via Yengi Hissar
Yengisar County
Yengisar County is a county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China. It is under the administration of the Kashgar Prefecture. It contains an area of 3,373 km2. As of the 2002 census, it had a population of 230,000....
and Yarkand
Yarkand
Yarkant County , is a county in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, located on the southern rim of the Taklamakan desert in the Tarim Basin. It is one of 11 counties administered under Kashgar Prefecture...
. Shortly before his departure he sent message to Ma Hu-Shan about his proposed arrival at Khotan. Ma Hu-Shan was amazed, but ordered his troops to prepare a parade and feast to honour General Mahmud, even troops, who guarded both mountain Passes to India, were recalled to Khotan, that gave Mahmud the opportunity to change his route and he slipped through into India. Mahmud's flight resulted in Uighur troops rising in revolt, rebelled those, who were stationed in Artush
Artux
Artux, Atush or Atushi is a county-level city in Xinjiang. The area is 15,509 km² and the total population is 200,000 . Artux is the seat of Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture....
, Yengi Hissar and Yarkand, and who executed all pro-Soviet officials and a number of Soviet advisers. An independent Turkic administration was set up by two of his officers, Kichik Akhund Sijiang, who commanded troops in Artush, and Abdul Niyaz Sijiang, who commanded troops in Yarkand and Yengi Hissar. Liu Pin, a Provincial commander in Kashgar Region, had 700 troops at his command, so he used a squadron of 9 Soviet planes to bomb Yangi Hissar and Yarkand. After Mahmud Shih-chang reached Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
in India, the following year, he went on pilgrimage to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
. A buildup of Soviet military assets occurred in Xinjiang before the outbreak of war. Around Kasghar, the Soviets sent AA guns, fighter planes, and soldiers of Russian and Kyrgyz origin in great amounts.
The start of the rebellion in Southern Xinjiang had immediate and tragic impact on the fate of about 400 Uyghur students, who previously were sent by Xinjiang Government to the USSR (1935–37) to study in the University of Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
. They all were arrested during one night of May 1937 by NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
and then executed without any trials by alleged order of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. Soviet diplomatic staff was also purged throughout the province in Soviet Consulates in Urumchi, Karashar, Ghulja, Chuguchak and Altai
Altai Republic
Altai Republic is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the town of Gorno-Altaysk. The area of the republic is . Population: -Geography:...
. Soviet Consul-General in Urumchi Garegin Apresoff (former Soviet Consul in Mashhad
Mashhad
Mashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and the main architect of Soviet Policies in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
) was recalled to Moscow and shot by firing squad for allegedly participating in the so-called Fascist-Trotskyite Plot against Stalin and attempting to overthrow Sheng Shicai's regime on April 12, 1937, on commemoration day of April Uprising four years earlier. A mutiny, that divisional commanders Mahmut Muhiti and Ma Hu-shan triggered in Southern Xinjiang, was designated as the part of a plot to convert Xinjiang into the base for fighting against Stalinists.
36th Division invades Kashgar
Meanwhile, Ma HushanMa Hushan
Ma Hu-shan was the half-brother and follower of Ma Chung-ying, a Ma Clique warlord. He ruled over an area of southern Xinjiang, nicknamed Tunganistan by westerners from 1934 to 1937.-Tunganistan:...
and his Chinese Muslim
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
troops of the 36th Division (National Revolutionary Army)
36th Division (National Revolutionary Army)
The 36th Division was a cavalry division in the National Revolutionary Army. It was created in 1932 by the Kuomintang for General Ma Zhongying, who was also its first commander. It was made almost entirely out of Hui Muslim troops, all of its officers were Hui, with a few thousand Uighurs forced...
were watching the situation with interest, eager to seize more territory. Sheng Shicai surprisingly ordered 36th Division to quell Rebellion of 6th Uyghur Division, although initially 33rd and 34rd Regiments of 6th Uyghur Division, which were stationed in Kashgar since August 20, 1934, didn't join Rebellion, because had a number of ranks and files, who previously were trained in the USSR ( during 1934-1935 a number of officers of 6th Uyghur Division were sent to Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
to study in Military Academy here, also Soviet Generals Rybalko
Pavel Rybalko
Marshal of the Armoured Troops Pavel Semjonovich Rybalko was a commander of armoured troops in the Red Army during and following World War II.-Pre-war:Pavel Rybalko served in the Russian and then the Soviet Army from 1914...
, Obuhoff and Dotkin consequently worked in Kashgar in 1934-1936, being the Soviet military advisers of Sheng Shicai's administration, and participated in organizing and training of staff of 6th Uyghur Division) . Having received the order the Tungans attacked Kashgar airfield on 20 May, but were defeated. Ten days later 1,500 Uighurs and Tungan irregulars under Kichik Akund attacked and seized Kashgar Old City. His troops wore arm bands with the words "Fi sabil Allah
Fi sabil Allah
The phrase fi sabilillah is an Arabic expression meaning "in the cause of God".The phrase is found frequently in the Qur'an, e.g. in surah 9, verse 60:From the above context it is closely associated with almsgiving or charity, as in , meaning "he dedicated the revenue or profit to be used in the...
" (Arabic: in the way of Allah). The rebellion was followed by a Kirghiz rising near Kucha
Kucha
Kuchaor Kuche Uyghur , Chinese Simplified: 库车; Traditional: 庫車; pinyin Kùchē; also romanized as Qiuzi, Qiuci, Chiu-tzu, Kiu-che, Kuei-tzu from the traditional Chinese forms 屈支 屈茨; 龜玆; 龟兹, 丘玆, also Po ; Sanskrit: Kueina, Standard Tibetan: Kutsahiyui was an ancient Buddhist kingdom...
and Muslim unrest in Kumul.
Ma Hushan remained at Khotan watching the situation. His Chief of Staff Pai Tzu-li
Pai Tzu-li
Pai Tzu-li was a Chinese Muslim general of the 36th Division , who served under Generals Ma Zhongying and Ma Hushan. He was the secretary to Ma Zhongying, and his age was estimated to be about 40...
and Ma Ju-lung, the 1st brigade commander at Karghalik
Kargilik County
Kargilik County is a county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and is under the administration of the Kashgar Prefecture. It contains an area of 28,600 km². According to the 2002 census, it has a population of 370,000.-Transportation:...
, persuaded him to strike against Kashgar. Ma Ju-lung arrived on 2 June at Kashgar to reportedly "put down the rebels of Kichik Akhund", but Kichik Akhund had secretly agreed to back off, so when Ma Hushan arrived on 3 June to take Kashgar, Kichik Akhund moved to Aksu without fighting. The 2nd brigade under Ma sheng-kuei occupied the Fayzabad-Maral Bashi area. Ma Hu-shan clearly intended to let the Turkic speaking Muslim rebels bear the front of fighting with Sheng Shicai's forces, while letting his own Chinese Muslim troops consolidate his hold on Southern Xinjiang.
Ma Hushan surrounded Kashgar New City and explained to the British Consulate-General that the Chinese Muslim forces, still official the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
36th Division, were acting in covenant with the Turkis (Uighurs) to overthrow the pro-Soviet Provincial government and replace it with an Islamic government loyal to the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
government at 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...
.
Ma Hushan was paranoid about a Russian attack. He controlled the Kashgar-Khotan area, because it offered him a safe escape to British India, where he could take a steamer from Calcutta safely back to China sea ports, then to the Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
and Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
. He and his officers repeatedly had vowed to attack the Russians in conversations with Peter Fleming and sought to procure gas masks and airplanes to help them fight.
In August 1937, 5,000 Soviet Russian 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...
troops backed by an air unit and armoured regiment moved into Xinjiang at Sheng Shicai's request, whose Provincial troops suffered defeat from Muslim rebels in July 1937 at the battle near Karashar and were unable to continue their advance on the South. At the end of August Provincial forces, including White Russians, Red Army and NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
units, heavily defeated Kichik Akhund's troops at Aksu with most of his troops being annihilated, after they were machine-gunned and bombed in air attack by a squadron of 24 Soviet airplanes in the open field near Aksu, as result Kichik Akhund and Abdul Niyaz escaped to Kashgar with only 200 men. After this battle Ma Sheng-kuei was bribed by Sheng Shicai to defect and turn against Ma Hushan. Ma Sheng-kuei marched on Kashgar on September 1, 1937, only to find that Ma Hushan, Ma Ju-lung, and Pai Tzu-li withdrew toward Karghalik with the 1st brigade. On 7 September, Ma Hushan and his officers deserted their troops and fled to India with gold. Ma brought thousand ounces in gold, which was confisticated by the British.
The Chinese Muslim 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...
was allegedly one of the commanders of the Soviet army during the invasion. It was reported that he led Russian troops disguised in Chinese uniforms along with bombers during the attack, which was requested by Sheng Shicai
Sheng Shicai
Sheng Shicai was a Chinese warlord who "ruled" Xinjiang province from April 12, 1933 to August 29, 1944....
. Other sources do not mention this doubtful participation of Ma Zhanshan in this war, since he was a Commander in Chief of Cavalry in the National Revolutionary Army in China in 1937.
General Chiang Yu-fen, a Provincial commander, despatched his men after Ma Hushan's 1st brigade, while other Provincial forces drove Abdu Niyaz and Kichik Akhund towards Yarkand. Red Army aircraft assisted the Provincial forces by dropping bombs, including some that contained mustard gas. These flew first from an airbase in Karakol
Karakol
Karakol , formerly Przhevalsk, is fourth largest city in Kyrgyzstan, near the eastern tip of Issyk Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan, about from the Kyrgyzstan-China border and from the capital Bishkek. It is the administrative capital of Issyk Kul Province...
, USSR, then from captured airfields in Uchturpan
Uqturpan County
Uqturpan County is a county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and is under the administration of the Aksu Prefecture. According to the 2002 census, it has an area of 9,012 km² with a population of 180,000....
and Kucha
Kucha
Kuchaor Kuche Uyghur , Chinese Simplified: 库车; Traditional: 庫車; pinyin Kùchē; also romanized as Qiuzi, Qiuci, Chiu-tzu, Kiu-che, Kuei-tzu from the traditional Chinese forms 屈支 屈茨; 龜玆; 龟兹, 丘玆, also Po ; Sanskrit: Kueina, Standard Tibetan: Kutsahiyui was an ancient Buddhist kingdom...
. On 9 September Yarkand fell to Sheng, and on 15 September Abdul Niyaz was executed. On October 15 the Soviets bombed the city of Khotan where casualties numbered 2,000. The remnants of the 36th division melted away through Kunlun Mountains
Kunlun Mountains
The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.The...
in Qinghai and Northern Tibet.
Aftermath
Before the war, Ma Hushan had exchanged message with the Nanjing Kuomintang government, and had expected them to send aid, as he said in conversations with Peter Fleming. However, in 1937, at the same time of the Soviet attack, China was invaded by Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese WarSecond Sino-Japanese War
The 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...
.
The pro-Soviet provincial forces of Sheng Shicai established their control over the whole of Xinjiang. All rivals were eliminated, and the defeat of the 36th division caused the control of the Chinese Central Government in Xinjiang to cease.
A memorial was set up by Sheng Shicai
Sheng Shicai
Sheng Shicai was a Chinese warlord who "ruled" Xinjiang province from April 12, 1933 to August 29, 1944....
to dead Russians who were killed in combat by Ma Hushan. The memorial included Russian Orthodox crosses.
The Republic of China government was fully aware of the Soviet invasion of Xinjiang province, and Soviet troops moving around Xinjiang and Gansu, but was forced to mask these maneuvers to the public as "Japanese propaganda" to avoid an international incident and for continued military supplies from the Soviets.