For seven weeks in 1929; the Republic of China and the Soviet Union battled in Manchuria over control of the Chinese Eastern Railroad. It was the largest military clash between China and a Western power ever fought on Chinese soil; involving more that a quarter million combatants. Michael M. Walker’s The 1929 Sino-Soviet War is the first full account of what UPI’s Moscow correspondent called “the war nobody knewâ€â€”a “limited modern war†that destabilized the region's balance of power; altered East Asian history; and sent grim reverberations through a global community giving lip service to demilitarizing in the wake of World War I.Walker locates the roots of the conflict in miscalculations by Chiang Kai-shek and Chang Hsueh-liang about the Soviets’ political and military power—flawed assessments that prompted China’s attempt to reassert full authority over the CER. The Soviets; on the other hand; were dominated by a Stalin eager to flex some military muscle and thoroughly convinced that war would win much more than petty negotiations. This was in fact; Walker shows; a watershed moment for Stalin; his regime; and his still young and untested military; disproving the assumption that the Red Army was incapable of fighting a modern war. By contrast; the outcome revealed how unprepared the Chinese military forces were to fight either the Red Army or the Imperial Japanese Army; their other primary regional competitor. And yet; while the Chinese commanders proved weak; Walker sees in the toughness of the overmatched infantry a hint of the rising nationalism that would transform China’s troops from a mercenary army into a formidable professional force; with powerful implications for an overconfident Japanese Imperial Army in 1937.Using Russian; Chinese; and Japanese sources; as well as declassified US military reports; Walker deftly details the war from its onset through major military operations to its aftermath; giving the first clear and complete account of a little known but profoundly consequential clash of great powers between the World Wars.
#423633 in Books 2012-04-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.30 x 1.40 x 6.30l; 2.02 #File Name: 0700618287448 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Not All ThereBy Kulamata"Red Phoenix Rising" covers a topic that has had surprisingly little coverage earlier. It's an intrinsically interesting topic; so the lack of good histories of the Soviet air force in The Great Patriotic War was significant.As others have noted; there is almost no information about the airplanes at all. The technological journey from the biplanes still in use during the first months of the war to weapons that were comparable to the later German propellor-driven airplanes would have been a very interesting story. Military aviation is a strongly technologically driven field; with rapid advances during this period in areas ranging from fuel and metallurgy to airframe and engine design and armament. Soviet success would not have been possible without advances in all these areas.In response to the great losses early in the war; airplane production and pilot training were expanded enormously; I would have liked more coverage of both; as well as more information on the design bureaus.It is an important history; and should be read by anyone interested in the topic. It does do well what it set out to do; within its limitations.As a book; it's good; not great. There are enough maps to be really helpful; and the appendices are very good as is the index. Unfortunately; a good copy editor would have been helpful.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Russian Air Force info.By Charles RaceGood info concerning the Russian Air Forces of WW11.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good overview of how the VVS recovered from its horrendous ...By M Francisco PalomoGood overview of how the VVS recovered from its horrendous losses in 1941 to ultimately defeat the Luftwaffe and gain air superiority on the Eastern front by 1944.
