The Jilin Self-Defence Army was an anti-Japanese volunteer army formed in 1931 to defend local Chinese residents against the Japanese invasion of northeast China. General Ding Chao, Li Du, Feng Zhanhai, Xing Zhanqing, and Zhao Yi organised the Jilin Self-Defence Army in order to prevent the fall and occupation of

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

city,

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

province. This brought all their forces under a unified command. Calling for civilians to form volunteer units and join in the defense of the city, the army reached a strength of 30,000 men in six brigades of

Zhang Xueliang Zhang Xueliang ( zh, t=張學良; June 3, 1901 – October 15, 2001), also commonly known by his nickname "the Young Marshal", was a Chinese general who in 1928 succeeded his father Zhang Zuolin as the commander of the Northeastern Army. He is bes ...

s Northeastern army. Jilin Self-Defense Corps – Commander-in-Chief Li Du * Frontline commander-in-chief – Wang Yu * Chief of the general staff – Yang Yaojun * Chinese Eastern Railroad Defense Army – Commander-in-Chief – Ding Chao ** 28th Brigade – Ding Chao * 22nd Brigade – Zhao Yi * 25th Brigade – Ma Xianzhang * 26th Brigade – Song Wenjun * 29th Brigade – Wang Ruihua * Temporary 1st Brigade – Feng Zhanhai * 1st Cavalry Brigade – Gong Changhai * 2nd Cavalry Brigade – Yao Dianchen * Wooded Mountain Guerrilla Force – Song Xizeng The

defense of Harbin The Defense of Harbin () occurred at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War, as part of the campaign of the Invasion of Manchuria by forces of the Empire of Japan from 25 January to 4 February 1932. The Japanese took the city only after ...

was at first successful and succeeded in repulsing the Manchukuo forces sent against them for a time. After its initial success, the army was forced out of Harbin when the Japanese sent their own troops under Jiro Tamon. Ding Chao's beaten Jilin Self-Defence Army retired from

and marched to the northeast down the

Songhua River The Songhua or Sunghwa River (also Haixi or Xingal, ''Sungari'') is one of the primary rivers of China, and the longest tributary of the Amur. It flows about from Changbai Mountains on the China–North Korea border through China's northe ...

, to join the Lower Songhua garrison of General Li Du and together reorganized, swelling its ranks with volunteers to 30,000 men in nine brigades by April 1932. It continued to resist, occupying the towns along the eastern section of the

Chinese Eastern Railway The Chinese Eastern Railway or CER (, , or , ''Kitaysko-Vostochnaya Zheleznaya Doroga'' or ''KVZhD''), is the historical name for a railway system in Northeast China (also known as Manchuria). The Russian Empire constructed the line from 1897 ...

, between Harbin and the Soviet border. Feng Zhanhai, former regimental commander of the Jilin Guards Division, retreating from Harbin into the west of Jilin province raised a sizeable independent volunteer force, the Northeastern Loyal and Brave Army estimated by the Japanese as 15,000 men in June 1932.

References

Coogan, Anthony, The volunteer armies of Northeast China, History Today; July 1993, Vol. 43 Issue 7, pp.36-41

Notes On A Guerrilla Campaign, from http://www.democraticunderground.com accessed November 4, 2006
*
a more readable version here and some photos, from http://forum.axishistory.com, accessed November 4, 2006
* China's Anti-Japanese War combat operations ** Author : Guo Rugui, editor-in-chief Huang Yuzhang ** Press : Jiangsu People's Publishing House ** Date published : 2005-7-1 ** {{ISBN, 7-214-03034-9 *

Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies Military units and formations established in 1932 Disbanded armies History of Jilin

See also

References