Demilitarized Zone Peace Preservation Corps
Encyclopedia
The Demilitarized Zone Peace Preservation Corps was a police force created by the Tanggu Truce
to patrol and maintain order in the demilitarized zone
extending from south of the Great Wall, to a line north east of the Bai River
in Hebei
province in northern China
during the late 1930s.
withdrew to the line of the Great Wall, and regular units of the National Revolutionary Army
of the Kuomintang
government of the Republic of China
was withdrawn to south of the new demilitarized zone. Within the zone itself, which partially encompassed the major cities of Tianjin
and Beijing
, public order was to be maintained by a lightly armed “Peace Preservation Corps”. Per the terms of the Tanggu Truce, any disputes that could not be resolved by the Peace Preservation Corps would be settled by agreement through direct discussions between the Japanese and Chinese governments.
A secret clause of the Tanggu Truce excluded any of the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies
from the Peace Preservation Corps. This effectively meant that the Japanese Army was able to dominate the Peace Preservation Corp with demobilized troops from the collaborationist proxy Chinese armies which had participated in the Battle of Rehe
and the subsequent attack on the Great Wall and the intrusion into Hebei
. Some 1,000 men were recruited into the Corps from the former troops of warlord
Shih Yusan and a further 2,000 men from the forces of Li Chi-chun
.
At the end of 1935, with the proclamation of the Autonomous Government of Eastern Hopei, the Peace Preservation Corps was disbanded, and its forces absorbed into the new East Hopei Army
Tanggu Truce
The Tanggu Truce, sometimes called the Tangku Truce , Japanese , was a cease-fire signed between China and Empire of Japan in Tanggu District, Tianjin on May 31, 1933, formally ending the Japanese invasion of Manchuria which had begun two years earlier....
to patrol and maintain order in the demilitarized zone
Demilitarized zone
In military terms, a demilitarized zone is an area, usually the frontier or boundary between two or more military powers , where military activity is not permitted, usually by peace treaty, armistice, or other bilateral or multilateral agreement...
extending from south of the Great Wall, to a line north east of the Bai River
Bai River
The Bai River is a tributary of the Şuţa River in Romania.-References:* Administraţia Naţională Apelor Române - Cadastrul Apelor - Bucureşti* Institutul de Meteorologie şi Hidrologie - Rîurile României - Bucureşti 1971...
in Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
province in northern China
North China
thumb|250px|Northern [[People's Republic of China]] region.Northern China or North China is a geographical region of China. The heartland of North China is the North China Plain....
during the late 1930s.
Background and history
Per the terms of the Tanggu Truce, the Imperial Japanese ArmyImperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
withdrew to the line of the Great Wall, and regular units of the National Revolutionary Army
National Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army , pre-1928 sometimes shortened to 革命軍 or Revolutionary Army and between 1928-1947 as 國軍 or National Army was the Military Arm of the Kuomintang from 1925 until 1947, as well as the national army of the Republic of China during the KMT's period of party rule...
of the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
government of the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
was withdrawn to south of the new demilitarized zone. Within the zone itself, which partially encompassed the major cities of Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, public order was to be maintained by a lightly armed “Peace Preservation Corps”. Per the terms of the Tanggu Truce, any disputes that could not be resolved by the Peace Preservation Corps would be settled by agreement through direct discussions between the Japanese and Chinese governments.
A secret clause of the Tanggu Truce excluded any of the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies
Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies
After the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, and until 1933, large volunteer armies waged war against Japanese and Manchukuo forces over much of Northeast China....
from the Peace Preservation Corps. This effectively meant that the Japanese Army was able to dominate the Peace Preservation Corp with demobilized troops from the collaborationist proxy Chinese armies which had participated in the Battle of Rehe
Battle of Rehe
The Battle of Rehe was the second part of Operation Nekka, a campaign by which the Empire of Japan successfully captured the Inner Mongolian province of Rehe from the Chinese warlord Zhang Xueliang and annexed it to the new state of Manchukuo...
and the subsequent attack on the Great Wall and the intrusion into Hebei
Defense of the Great Wall
The Defense of the Great Wall was a campaign between the armies of Republic of China and Empire of Japan, which took place before the Second Sino-Japanese War officially commenced in 1937...
. Some 1,000 men were recruited into the Corps from the former troops of warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
Shih Yusan and a further 2,000 men from the forces of Li Chi-chun
Li Chi-chun
Li Chi-chun, , a Chinese general from the beginning of the Republic of China, leader of a Japanese puppet force in southeast Manchukuo from 1933 -1935....
.
At the end of 1935, with the proclamation of the Autonomous Government of Eastern Hopei, the Peace Preservation Corps was disbanded, and its forces absorbed into the new East Hopei Army
East Hopei Army
The East Hopei Army was raised from the former soldiers of the Peace Preservation Corps that had been created by the Tangku Truce of 31 May 1933...
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., 26 Willow Rd., Solihul, West Midlands, England.
- International Military Tribunal for the Far East, Chapter 5: Japanese Aggression Against China