The Assassination of Zhang Zuolin 1928

[Peter H]

Warlordism meets Japanese Imperialism in Manchuria 1928.

According to Gavan McCormack's Chang Tso-lin in Northeast China, 1911-1928,Zhang was an erratic,unstable dictator who proposed a joint invasion of the Soviet Union by Britain, France, Poland and his own armies in 1927...."Of this, British minister Miles Lampson icily remarked: 'I threw the coldest cold water on such inanity, but it does not do to tell Chang Tso-lin that he is an ass; he is apt to resent it'".

Also according to a 1998 article by Benjamin Garrett,(The Chinese Warlords' Chemical Arms Race), in 1925 Zhang commenced construction of a chemical plant in Shengyang with the help of the German firm Witte. German and Russian scientists were hired to supervise the production of chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas for military purposes. Equipment for the factory was shipped in by A.L Gran, a Norwegian firm.The CW plant was completed by 1927.

Zhang played all sides for his own advantage---in the Guo Songling Rebellion of 1925,McCormack claims that Japanese artillery support was provided to Zhang's forces.In 1925 the Soviets assisted him propaganda wise with the making of the film "Modern Warfare in China in 1924-1925".


Zhang was killed in June 1928 after an explosion ripped apart his train.


Details on Komoto Daisaku who organised his assassination in 1928:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=110066


Details on the collapse of the Tanaka government, due to this episode, can also be found here:

http://www.ndl.go.jp/modern/e/cha3/description16.html

[Eugen Pinak]

Just my 5 cents. I've read one Russian article that Zhang Zuolin was actually killed by Soviet intelligence, who managed to convonce Japanese that it was their job 0_o

[Peter H]

From: http://sites.lafayette.edu/barclayp/?p=170

This Japanese postcard, published in the early 1930s, eerily commemorates the 4 June 1928 explosion on the South Manchuria Railway that killed regional governor (“warlord”) Zhang Zuolin. The bombing was blamed on Chinese Nationalist (KMT) officers, but it was soon discovered that Japanese staff officers of the Kwangtung Army engineered the assassination. Various efforts to cover-up the incident and protect the malefactors led to the resignation of the Tanaka cabinet in July 1929.

[Peter H]

This is Zhang's train carriage

[Beijingsimon]

Just my 5 cents. I've read one Russian article that Zhang Zuolin was actually killed by Soviet intelligence, who managed to convonce Japanese that it was their job 0_o

Eugen Pinak wrote the above a few years ago. Is it possible to direct me to this article? Who wrote it and when/where was it published?
Thanks for the help

[hisashi]

According to Japanese Wikipedia, this vision was mentioned in Mao: 'The Unknown Story'. Their source was from Дмитрий Прохоров's work in Russian only.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao:_The_Unknown_Story

Дмитрий Прохоров (in Japanese)
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%89% ... D%E3%83%95

[YC Chen]

Also according to a 1998 article by Benjamin Garrett,(The Chinese Warlords' Chemical Arms Race), in 1925 Zhang commenced construction of a chemical plant in Shengyang with the help of the German firm Witte. German and Russian scientists were hired to supervise the production of chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas for military purposes. Equipment for the factory was shipped in by A.L Gran, a Norwegian firm.The CW plant was completed by 1927.

Could you please share with me the complete article of "The Chinese Warlords' Chemical Arms Race"? I have been interested in Chinese warlords chemical weapons for a long time.

[Peter H]

Not very detailed though:
http://www.asanltr.com/ASANews-98/cwalmanac.html

[YC Chen]

Thanks. It seems that when it comes to warlords' chemical weapons, foreign sources often don't agree with Chinese sources(except for Zhang Zuolin, both Chinese & foreign sources say he has a large arsenal for chemical weapons and used them in fights, although not in large scale).
BTW, I would like to know if the chemical weapons were considered against humanity in the 1920s.

As for Zhang Zuolin & Zhang Xueliang's ambitious plans to conquer Russia(Zhang Xueliang also planned to conquer much of the Far East territory of Soviet Union in 1929), one theory was that they were misleaded by their White Russian advisors to think that the Soviet Union is very weak. And, I have also heard about the theory that Zhang Zuolin was actually killed by Soviets...

[Peter H]

More scenes of the explosion

The Huanggutun Incident
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huanggutun_Incident

[Peter H]

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