Grand Han Righteous Army

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The Grand Han Righteous Army (大汉义军) was a collaborationist Chinese army cooperating with the Empire of Japan in campaigns in northern China and Inner Mongolia immediately prior to the official start of hostilities of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

[edit] History

The Grand Han Righteous Army was formed by minor warlord and commander of the Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Army Wang Ying after his defeat by the Imperial Japanese Army in what now part of Inner Mongolia in 1936.

Wan defected to the Kwantung Army, and persuaded the Japanese to permit him to recruit unemployed Chinese soldiers in Chahar Province to form a mercenary army with Japanese advisors. He managed to recruit approximately 6,000 men, who were then trained by the Japanese and organized into four infantry brigades in Japanese-occupied northern Chahar. The troops were armed with weapons seized from Northeastern Army armories and warehouses in northern China. This force was attached another Japanese proxy army, the Inner Mongolian Army, under the overall command of Mongol Prince Teh Wang.

During the Invasion of Suiyuan the Inner Mongolian Army attacked Hongor on November 15, 1936. After several days of fighting the attackers failed to capture the town. On November 17 a Chinese counterattack surprised the invaders and led to a disorganized retreat. Taking advantage of the disorder among the Mongolian forces, Chinese General Fu Tso-yi made a flanking movement to the west of the Mongolian headquarters at Pai-ling-miao and attacked, capturing it and routing the defenders. The Japanese transported Wang and his Grand Han Righteous Army by trucks into a location near Pai-ling-miao and launched a counterattack, which failed dismally on December 19. With the bulk of its men captured or killed, the Grand Han Righteous Army ceased to exist as an effective combat force, and the Japanese disbanded the remnants.

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