Ili Rebellion

Ili Rebellion
Date 1944-1949 Location Xinjiang Status Ceasefire, communist victory
Belligerents
Republic of China National Revolutionary Army (later Armed Forces)	Soviet Union Second East Turkestan Republic Mongolian People's Republic Communist Party of China
Commanders and leaders
Chiang Kai-shek Bai Chongxi Ma Bufang Zhang Zhizhong Ma Chengxiang Ma Xizhen Han Youwen Liu Bin-Di † Ospan Batyr Yulbars Khan Masud Sabri	Joseph Stalin Khorloogiin Choibalsan Ehmetjan Qasim Mao Zedong
Strength
National Revolutionary Army Several thousand Han Chinese and Chinese Muslim (Tungan) infantry and cavalry[1] 14th Tungan Cavalry regiment[1]:215 Hui 5th cavalry Army Pau-an-dui (Pacification Troops made out of Kazaks, Mongols, and White Russians loyal to the Chinese regime)	Thousands of Soviet Red Army troops Mongolian People's Army (Ili Army) Uighur and other Turkic Muslim insurgents
Casualties and losses
unknown	unknown

The Ili Rebellion (simplified Chinese: 三区革命; traditional Chinese: 三區革命; pinyin: Sān qū gémìng) or (simplified Chinese: 伊宁事变; traditional Chinese: 伊寧事變; pinyin: Yīníng shìbiàn) was a Soviet-backed revolt by the Second East Turkestan Republic against the Kuomintang Government of the Republic of China from 1944-1949.

Contents 1 Fighting 2 Ethnic fighting 3 "Pei-ta-shan Incident" 3.1 PLA invasion 4 American telegrams 5 See also 6 References

Fighting

Liu Bin-Di was a Hui muslim Kuomintang officer and was sent by Urumchi to subdue the Hi area and crush the Turkic muslims, who were prepared to overthrow Chinese rule. His mission failed due to being long overdue.^[2] Several Turkic cavalry armed by the Soviets crossed into China in the direction of Kuldja. In November 1944 Liu was killed by Turkic Uyghur and Kazakh rebels backed by the Soviet Union. This started the Ili rebellion, with the Uyghur Ili rebel army fighting against Republic of China forces.

The Soviet Army assisted the Ili Uyghur army in capturing several towns and airbases. Thousands of Soviet troops assisted Turkic rebels in fighting the Chinese army.^[3] In October 1945 suspected Soviet planes attacked Chinese positions.^[4]

As the Soviet Red Army and Turkic Uyghur Ili Army advanced with Soviet air support against poorly prepared Chinese forces, they almost succeeded in reaching Urumqi, however, the Chinese military threw up rings of defences around the area, sending Chinese muslim cavalry to halt the advance of the Turkic Muslim rebels. Thousands of Chinese muslim troops under General Ma Bufang and his nephew General Ma Chengxiang poured into Xinjiang from Qinghai to combat the Soviet and Turkic Uyghur forces.

Much of the Ili army and equipment originated from the Soviet Union. The Ili rebel army pushed the Chinese army across the plains, and reached Kashgar, Kaghlik, and Yarkand, however, the Uyghurs in the oaseses gave no support to the Soviet backed rebels. Due to this, the Chinese army expelled the rebels. The Ili rebels then butchered livestock belonging to Kirghiz and Tajiks of Xinjiang.^[5] The Soviet backed insurgents destroyed Tajik and Kirghiz crops and acted aggressively against the Tajiks and Kirghiz of China.^[6]

The Chinese Muslim General Ma Bufang was sent with his Muslim Cavalry to Urumqi by the Kuomintang in 1945 to protect it from the Uyghur army from Hi.^{[7][8][9][10]}

Ma Chengxiang, a Kuomintang Chinese Muslim General, and the nephew of Ma Bufang, allegedly used his Chinese Muslim cavalry to butcher Uyghurs during an uprising in 1948 in Turfan.^[11] Ma Chengxiang led the 5th cavalry army which was stationed in Xinjiang.

Bai Chongxi, the Defence Minister of China, and a Muslim, was considered for being appointed Governor of Xinjiang. The position was then given to Masud Sabri, a pro Kuomintang Uyghur who was anti-Soviet.^[12]

Ehmetjan Qasim, the Uyghur Ili leader, repeatedly demanded that Masud Sabri be sacked as governor.

All races in the Ili region, including White Russians and Tungans (Chinese Muslims), even though some of them were hated by the Uyghurs, were forcibly conscripted into the Uyghur Ili army. There were no Han in Ili region because they were removed by Uyghurs.

The Salar muslim General Han Youwen, who served under Ma Bufang, commanded the Pau-an-dui (pacification soldiers), composed of 340 man battalions, of which he had three. They were made out of many troops, including Kazaks, Mongols, and White Russians serving the Chinese regime. He served with Osman Batur and his Kazakh forces in battling the ETR Ili Uyghur and Soviet forces. ^[13]

Ethnic fighting

Mobs of Uyghur muslims in Urumchi on July 11 attacked houses belonging to Han chinese who married Uyghur muslim women. The wives were abducted, some forcibly remarried to elderly Uyghur men. In response curfew placed at 11 p.m. to restore order.^[14]

Riots against white Russians occurred, with Uyghurs calling for White Russians to be expelled along with Han Chinese.^[12]

"Pei-ta-shan Incident"

The Mongolian People's Republic became involved in a border dispute with the Republic of China, and so a Chinese Muslim Hui cavalry regiment was sent in response by the Chinese government to attack Mongol and Soviet positions.

As commander of the First Cavalry Division, General Han Youwen was sent to Beitashan by the Kuomintang military command to reinforce Ma Xizhen with a company of troops, approximately three months before the fighting broke out.^[15]At Pei-ta-shan, Major General Han Youwen was in command of all the Muslim cavalry defending against Soviet and Mongol forces.^[16][17]

Chinese Muslim and Turkic Kazakh forces working for the Chinese Kuomintang, battled Soviet Russian and Mongol troops. In June 1947 the Mongols and the Soviets launched an attack against the Kazakhs, driving them back to the Chinese side. However, fighting continued for another year, with 13 clashes taking place between 5 June 1947 and July 1948.^[1]:215

Elite Qinghai Chinese Muslim cavalry were sent by the Kuomintang to destroy the Mongols and the Russians in 1947.^[1]:214

PLA invasion

The Uighur Yulbars Khan was on the Chinese payroll, and led White Russian and Chinese Muslim troops against the Communist Party of China. He was forced to flee through Tibet, where the Dalai Lama's troops attacked his forces, to Calcutta in India, where he then took a steamer to evacuate with the Kuomintang to Taiwan. He was then appointed governor (in exile) of Xinjiang.^[1]:225

American telegrams

Multiple telegrams between the Chinese government, the Mongolians, the American government, the Uyghur Ili regime, and the Soviet Union were exchanged. There were preserved by the American agents and sent to Washington, D.C. They can be seen here:

• UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO RESOLVE POLITICAL PROBLEMS IN SINKIANG; EXTENT OF SOVIET AID AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO REBEL GROUPS IN SINKIANG; BORDER INCIDENT AT PEITASHAN.

See also

• Amur Military Flotilla
• Manchouli Incident
• Sino-Soviet conflict (1929)
• Soviet Invasion of Xinjiang

References

Armed conflicts involving the Soviet Union International (Russian Civil War) · World War II · Korean War · Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia · War of Attrition · Ogaden War External (Polish–Soviet War) · Soviet–Japanese Border Wars · Sino–Soviet conflict (1929) · Soviet Invasion of Xinjiang · Xinjiang War (1937) · Winter War · Ili Rebellion · War in Vietnam (1945–1946) · Hungarian Revolution of 1956 · Eritrean War of Independence · Vietnam War · Sino–Soviet conflict (1969) · Soviet war in Afghanistan

Armed conflicts involving Russia (incl. Imperial and Soviet times) Internal Razin's Rebellion Bulavin Rebellion Pugachev's Rebellion Decembrist revolt Russian Civil War August Uprising Coup d'état attempt (1991) 1993 Russian constitutional crisis First Chechen War Second Chechen War External Russo-Swedish War (1495–1497) Russo-Crimean Wars Russo-Kazan Wars Livonian War Polish–Muscovite War (1605–1618) and the Time of Troubles Smolensk War Russo-Manchu border conflicts (1652-1689) Russo-Polish War (1654–1667) Russo-Turkish War (1676–1681) Russo-Turkish War (1686–1700) Great Northern War Russo-Turkish War (1710–1711) Russo-Persian War (1722–1723) War of the Polish Succession (1733-1738) Russo-Austrian-Turkish War (1735–1739) Seven Years' War Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) Bar Confederation Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792) Russo-Polish War (1792) Kościuszko Uprising Russo-Persian War (1804–1813) Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812) Napoleonic Wars Finnish War Russo-Persian War (1826–1828) Russo-Turkish War (1828-1829) November Uprising Crimean War January Uprising Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Boxer Rebellion Russo-Japanese War World War I Ukrainian–Soviet War Finnish Civil War Heimosodat Estonian War of Independence Latvian War of Independence Lithuanian–Soviet War Polish–Soviet War Red Army invasion of Georgia Soviet–Japanese Border Wars Sino–Soviet conflict (1929) Soviet Invasion of Xinjiang Xinjiang War (1937) Soviet invasion of Poland Winter War World War II Ili Rebellion War in Vietnam (1945–1946) Korean War Hungarian Revolution of 1956 Eritrean War of Independence War of Attrition Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia Sino-Soviet border conflict Vietnam War Ogaden War Soviet war in Afghanistan Russo-Georgian War Military history of Russia Russian Winter Russian Revolution Cold War Sphere of influence