Mercenaries in Manchukuo air force

[emir pasha]

Hello, I'm drawn into the curious history of Manchukuo thanks to the PC strategy game "Hearts of Iron 2" I learned with fascination that there were many european mercenaries in the manchukuo armed forces, especially in the air force. I hope someone may provide me a bit more detail.

[asiaticus]

I dont know about mercenaries, but the Manchukuo forces had a signifigant number of Russians in its forces. These were White Russians and others that had fled from Russia during the Revoluion and Civil War.

[Kim Sung]

There was a mercenery unit named Asano Unit (浅野部隊) comprising Russians, Mongolians and Koreans, even though it has no relation with the air force.

[emir pasha]

White Russians ! Would you give some more detail about them please ?

[Kim Sung]

There were several mercenary units in Manchukuo.

Asano Unit (浅野部隊) - White Russians including Cossack cavalry warriors
Isono Unit (磯野部隊), later Matsuura Unit (松浦部隊) - Mongolians (The 53rd Unit)
Muslim Unit (回教部隊) - Muslims (The 39th Cavalry Unit)
Orochon unit (オロチョン工作隊) - Orochons
Kando Special Unit (間島特設隊, 간도특설대) - Koreans

[Gerrie_Coetzee]

A large number of Russians fought for various Chinese warlords during the 20's and acted as mainly as advisors.

These pictures contain White Russians in the Chinese civil war armies.

[Kim Sung]

A large number of white Russians in China and Manchuria moved to Australia in 1940~50s. Some white Russians who married Asian spouses were excluded from this opportunity.

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 801#870801

[Kim Sung]

The founding father of the South Korean army Paik, Sun-Yop (백선엽), Commander of anti-partisan operations during the Korean War, Kim, Paik-Il (김백일), the first commander of the ROK marine, Shin, Hyun-Joon (신현준), the second commander of the ROK marine, Kim Suk-Pum (김석범) are all former members of Kando Special Unit (간도특설대), a notorious Japanese mercenary unit in Manchukuo.

Their descendents are all successful ruling elites in today's South Korean society.

[emir pasha]

White Russians, Koreans, East Asian muslims... Hugo Pratt was wrong I assume. This, not the spanish civil war, is the last episode in the history of the romantic wars.

Thnak you very much for information.

[JoeB]

I learned with fascination that there were many european mercenaries in the manchukuo armed forces, especially in the air force.

As others have mentioned, the Japanese used many nationalities in the Manchukuo and other puppet land forces. I have not actually heard this about the Manchukuo Air Force though, for Europeans at least.

Per Jouett's "Rays of the Rising Sun" the Manchukuo AF contained many Japanese pilots. This was especially true after 1941 when 100 Manchukuoan (specific ethnicity not given) pilots rebelled at Harbin and killed some of their Japanese instructors before attempting to join anti-Japanese guerilla forces. According to Jouett the typical Pacific War period Manchukuo AF sdn had half Japanese and half "Chinese" (as he refers to it, I guess meaning any native ethnicity of Manchuria) officers, with native NCO's and privates.

China-based B-29's striking targets in Manchukuo in 1944 met the Manchukuo AF as well as the JAAF. One of the 4 B-29's downed in the raid on Mukden (Shenyang) December 7, 1944 was apparently rammed by 2Lt Sono-o Kasuga of the Manchukuo AF, flying an obsolete Type 97 (Ki-27 "Nate") fighter. Per Takaki and Sakaida "B-29 Hunters of the JAAF".

On another thread discussing Koreans in Japanese WWII service we noted the Korean book "Organizational History of the North Korean People's Army" (北韓人民軍隊史) said 10 ethnic Koreans of the Manchukuo AF were among the first members of the predescessor organization to the NK air force, right after WWII.

I have not specifically read of white Russians or other Europeans in the Manchukuo AF.

Joe

[emir pasha]

Did Manchukuo fighters take part in the battles of Khalkin Gol and Khasan Lake ?

[Peter H]

Khalkin Gol discussion here,appears no Manchurian aircraft involved:

http://www.warbirdforum.com/nomonhan.htm


With Lake Khasan the Japanese did not commit any arcraft to the fighting.

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 101#979101

[emir pasha]

Thank you very much for the enlightening info.

[ketoujin23]

There is a book by author John Stephan called: Russian Fascists - Tragedy and Farce in Exile. It looks at the Russian fascist movement around the world after the Bolshevik Revolution. Many Russian fascists emigrated to Harbin in Manchuria in the 1920s and 30s as it was then the center of the largest Russian expatriate community. The Russian fascists there attempted to work closely with the Japanese Army's Nakano agency in trying to run agents into the USSR and spread dissatisfaction with Communism across the Amur. However, it is apparent that the Japanese did not always trust the Russian exiles.

Best,
Gunnar