Countries suffered huge losses in World War II. China is no exception. Naturally, against the background of various figures, which are a reflection of the material costs of a certain people, which have found their expression in numerous destructions, human losses do not seem large. Especially when you consider that they are replenished due to the excess birth rate that occurs after international conflicts. But such judgments are too superficial. Human losses have always been considered major. Each person plays an important role, and his loss is a significant loss for the nation. The same cannot be said about material values.
China's role was not appreciated
Scientists have noted that China played an important role in World War II. The conflict in this country, according to experts, began in 1931. It was during this period that Japan attacked Manchuria. Until now, mankind has not appreciated the role of China in the victory over fascism. However, the troops of this country for a long period fettered the forces of Japan, preventing it from starting a conflict againstSoviet Union. To understand what China suffered in World War II, one should study the events that took place in those distant times in more detail.
Start of hostilities
In 1937, two years before the start of hostilities against Poland by Germany, Chinese troops exchanged fire with the Japanese garrison. It happened in the south side of Beijing. It was this spark that launched the conflict in Asia. The years of war have taken a heavy toll. The confrontation continued for 8 years.
Japan has been thinking about dominance in Asia since the 20s. In 1910, Korea received the status of a Japanese colony. In 1931, officers of the Japanese troops occupied and annexed Manchuria. This region of China had about 35 million people and had a significant amount of natural resources.
By the beginning of 1937, a significant part of inner Mongolia was occupied by Japanese forces. In addition, the pressure exerted on Beijing has intensified. At that time, Nanjing was the capital of China. The leader of the country and the nationalist party, Chiang Kai-shek, realized that everything was going to war with Japan.
Battle clashes
Clashes near Beijing only intensified. The Chinese were not going to fulfill the demands put forward by the Japanese. They refused to give in. After suffering losses in World War II, China decided to act more decisively. Chiang Kai-shek ordered the need to defend Shanghai, next to which a significant part of the Japanese army was located. ATthe battle that followed these actions killed about 200,000 Chinese. Japan lost around 70,000.
One of the episodes is firmly entrenched in history. During the battle, the Chinese unit held off the attacks of superior Japanese forces, despite the losses. In World War II, China (it should be noted) used German weapons. And largely thanks to this, the Chinese unit managed to maintain its position. This episode went down in history under the name "800 Heroes".
The Japanese still managed to capture Shanghai. Subsequently, reinforcements arrived, and the troops began to put pressure on the capital of China.
The incompetence of the leadership of the Chinese army
In the first years of the war, the Chinese Communists were practically not active. The only thing they were able to achieve was victory at the passage of Pingxingguan. Naturally, there were losses. In World War II, China was very much bled white. However, this victory claimed many more lives of Japanese soldiers.
The actions were further complicated by the incompetence of the leadership of the Chinese troops. Through their fault, a riot broke out, leading to a large number of deaths. The Japanese took advantage of this, captured prisoners, who were subsequently executed. China suffered such heavy losses in World War II that the exact number of those killed is still unknown. What is worth only the Nanjing massacre, during which the Japanese killed the civilian population.
A bloody battle that stopped the Japanese
The lack of success in military operations has shattered the spirit of the Chinese troops. However, the resistance did not stop for a minute. One of the largest battles took place in 1938 near the city of Wuhan. Chinese troops held off the Japanese for four months. Their resistance was broken only with the help of gas attacks, of which there were a lot. China's participation in World War II was, of course, very costly for the country. But it was not easy for Japan either. More than 100,000 Japanese soldiers were lost in this battle alone. And this led to the fact that the invaders stopped their march inland for several years.
Two parties fight
It should be noted that China during the Second World War was under the control of two parties - the Nationalist (Kuomintang) and the Communist. They acted with varying degrees of success in different years. Separate territories were controlled by the Japanese. America helped the Nationalists. But their joint actions were complicated by the constant disputes that arose between Chiang Kai-shek and Joseph Stilwell (an American general). The Communist Party cooperated with the USSR. The parties acted separately, which led to an increase in losses among the country's population.
The Communists saved their strength so that after the end of the confrontation with Japan, they would begin military operations against the Nationalist Party. Accordingly, they did not always send their fighters to fight the Japanese soldiers. This was noted at one time by a Soviet diplomat.
At the very beginning of the warThe communist party formed an army. And she was quite capable. This could be seen after a single offensive, which was later called the battle of a hundred regiments. The battle took place in 1940 under the leadership of General Peng Dehuai. However, Mao Zedong criticized his actions, accusing him of revealing the party's strength. And subsequently the general was executed.
Japan's surrender
Japan capitulated in 1945. First before America, and then before the troops of the Nationalist Party. Although China's participation in World War II ended there, another conflict began. It arose between the two parties and had a civil character. It lasted four years. America refused to support the Kuomintang, which only hastened the party's defeat.
The losses in the war were very high
Those who died in World War II were not only soldiers. Compared to the First World War, a lot of civilians suffered in this conflict. And their number exceeded the scale of damage among the soldiers. Accordingly, the losses were quite large. About 50 million people were killed in World War II. By country, the largest losses occurred in the USSR and Germany. There is nothing surprising in this, since the most active and large-scale battles took place on the Soviet-German front. There were no such long, continuous and fierce confrontations between soldiers anywhere. In addition, the length of the Soviet-German front was greater than all other fronts inrepeatedly. Moreover, most of those who died in World War II were soldiers of the Red Army, their total number was many times higher than the losses suffered by the German troops.
What factors needed to be taken into account when assessing losses?
Assessing the losses of the Soviet troops, some factors were taken into account. They are as follows:
- The most significant part of the losses occurred in the first years of hostilities. The soldiers retreated, there were not enough weapons.
- About 3 million soldiers died in captivity.
- It is believed that the official figures on the dead German soldiers are greatly underestimated. About 4 million soldiers were buried on the territory of the USSR alone. Also, do not forget about the allies of Germany. Their losses amounted to about 1.7 million soldiers.
- The fact that the losses in the armies opposing Germany are much greater speaks of its strength.
Losses in allied forces
The Chinese dead in World War II (their total number, as well as the level of losses among other allies of the USSR) are not so numerous when compared with the indicators of the Red Army. This is due to the fact that the Soviet troops spent the first 3 years of battles without any support. In addition, America and England had the opportunity to make a choice exactly where to fight and when to do it. The USSR did not have such a choice. A highly organized, best, strong army collapsed instantly, forcing the soldiers to fight continuously on a large front. All the power of Germany fell upon the USSR, while the alliedthe troops were opposed by a small part of it. There was a place for unreasonable losses, which are largely related to the execution of orders. For example, many died trying to hold the enemy "at all costs".
The victims of the Second World War were among the French and the British. But their number is not very large. Especially when compared with the indicators of the First World War. This is also easy to explain. The armies of France and Great Britain participated in the fighting for only a year. In addition, do not forget that her colonies fought for England.
America's losses exceed those recorded after the First World War. This can be attributed to the fact that American soldiers fought not only in Europe, but also in Africa and Japan. And the largest part of the losses fell on the US Air Force.
Assessing the losses by country, the thought involuntarily creeps into my head that France and Great Britain have achieved their goals. They pitted Germany and the USSR against each other, while they themselves remained aloof from the hostilities. But it cannot be said that they were not punished. France paid back with several years of occupation, a shameful defeat and the dismemberment of the state. Great Britain was threatened with invasion and bombed. In addition, the inhabitants of this country still lived from hand to mouth for some time.
Civilian casu alties
The most tragic thing was that a lot of civilians died. Millions of people became victims of the bombings. They were destroyed by the Nazis, seizing territories. For several years of the war, Germanylost about 3.65 million inhabitants. In Japan, about 670,000 civilians died due to the bombing. In France, about 470 thousand people died. But it is difficult to assess why. Bombardments, executions, torture - all this played a role. British losses amounted to 62,000. The main cause of death of the civilian population was the bombing and shelling. Some were dying of hunger.
Why were there such large losses among civilians? This is due to the German policy towards the lower races. The troops systematically destroyed Jews and Slavs, considering them subhuman. During the war years, German troops destroyed about 24.3 million civilians. Of these, 18.7 million are Slavs. Jews were destroyed in the amount of 5.6 million. Here are the statistics regarding the dead people who did not participate in the hostilities.
Conclusion
The role of China in World War II is quite large. The Chinese did everything possible so that the Soviet troops would not have to fight with Japan as well. But all these hostilities led to incredibly large losses. And both on the one hand and on the other hand. Soldiers and civilians died defending their homeland, speaking out against the invaders. And this they contributed to the end of hostilities. All of them will remain in memory for many years, as their feat and sacrifice are invaluable.
