The East Hebei Army was raised from the former soldiers of the Peace Preservation Corps that had been created by the Tangku Truce of 31 May 1933. The

Demilitarized Zone Peace Preservation Corps The Demilitarized Zone Peace Preservation Corps was a police force created by the 1933 Tanggu Truce between China and Japan in the aftermath of the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Its role was to patrol and maintain order in the demilitarized zone ...

had been the "neutral" force policing the demilitarized area south of the

Great Wall The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand Li (unit), ''li'' long wall") is a series of fortifications in China. They were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection agains ...

when

Yin Ju-keng Yin Ju-keng; (; Hepburn: ''In Jyokou''; 1885 - December 1, 1947) was a politician in the early Republic of China, later noted for his role as chairman in the Japanese-controlled East Hebei Autonomous Government and subsequent puppet regimes ...

, at the instigation of the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, proclaimed an

Autonomous Government of Eastern Hebei The East Hebei Autonomous Government (),Japanese also known as the East Ji Autonomous Government and the East Hebei Autonomous Anti-Communist Government, was a short-lived late-1930s state in northern China. It has been described by historians a ...

in November 1935, with its capital at Tongzhou. The Peace Preservation Corps was disbanded and absorbed by the East Hebei Army and was trained by Japanese advisors, officers from the

Kwantung Army The Kwantung Army (Japanese language, Japanese: 関東軍, ''Kantō-gun'') was a Armies of the Imperial Japanese Army, general army of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1919 to 1945. The Kwantung Army was formed in 1906 as a security force for th ...

, who drilled the men by day and gave them anti-communist lectures by night. The Japanese officers had final say in all matters pertaining to the army. Trained for a year, the Japanese believed they had created a reliable and well trained force. Intended for local policing they were only equipped with rifles and sidearms, and had no machine guns or artillery.

Organization

The East Hebei Army had four Corps divided into three Brigades each and a Training Corps. Each brigade (called "Divisions") was divided into three sub-brigades; each sub-brigade had an attached Japanese Advisor. ''Strength and organization July, 1937:'' * East Hebei Army –

** 1st Corps "Tongzhou" – Zhang Jingyu, 4,000 men ** 2nd Corps "Conghua" – Chang Yen-tien, 4,000 men ** 3rd Corps "Tongzhou" – Li Yensheng, 4,000 men ** 4th Corps "Conghua" – Han Zexi, 4,000 men ** Training Corps "Tongzhou" – Yin Ju-keng, 2,000 men

Operations

In December 1935, 4th Detachment of the East Hebei Army attacked the Nationalist held towns of Taku and the port of Tanggu. Forces from the 32nd Army killed two of the East Hebei soldiers and the rest retreated. Threats were made by the Japanese and the 32nd Army was withdrawn. The East Hebei Army then occupied the two towns. In July 1937, they were involved in the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and

Battle of Beiping-Tianjin A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

until they revolted in the Tongzhou mutiny on the morning of 29 July 1937. After the mutiny was put down by the Japanese, the East Hebei Army was dissolved, as was the Autonomous Government.

Sources

* 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., Solihull, West Midlands, England. * 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; Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China. {{ISBN? Second Sino-Japanese War Collaboration with Imperial Japan

Organization

Operations

See also

Sources