Originally published at: http://timeghost.tv/stalemate-in-china-bombs-over-finland-ww2-024-february-9-1940/
Facebook Twitter Google+ EmailLink While the Winter War rages on in Finland, Japan is confronted with a dilemma. Keep fighting the Chinese and face huge problems feeding the populace in Japan and their newly conquered territories or withdraw and face your own populace to whom you’ve promised a glorious victory. Follow WW2 day by day…
4 Likes
Where are you getting the bit about Chiang Kai Shek moving the ashes of Genghis Khan?
I’ve never heard of it. Googling “Genghis Khan ashes” goes to many articles about how he was buried in an unknown location in Mongolia.
Furthermore, it’s anachronistic. While currently China fully accepts Genghis Khan and tries to claim his legacy as part of the Yuan dynasty… the early Republic was proud of their independence from the foreign Qing and viewed the Mongol Yuan dynasty as a similarly foreign dynasty and a shameful period.
People are going to wonder about it.
2 Likes
It was a quote (as you can see in the video) but as it turns out the author uses a bit sloppy language when speaking fo ‘ashes’ - the actual story is that they moved his entire mausoleum, not the ashes… because as you say no-one knows where his actual remains were buried. Nonetheless the principle is correct - they did take pains to move the symbolic remains of the Khan.
4 Likes
1 Like
“Genghis Khan led millions of women and children to slaughter – with premeditation and a happy heart. History sees in him solely the founder of a state.” Well that & as a Disco Band, but I guess a certain guy with a toothbrush mustache could never have seen that coming.
3 Likes
This may be of interest to others who can read Finnish. All (surviving, some have been lost) war diaries of all the units who fought in WW2 have been digitized by the National Archives of Finland. It is a bit of a trouble to actually search for them from the on-line database (instructions at: http://wiki.narc.fi/portti/index.php/Sotap%C3%A4iv%C3%A4kirjat).
Not all units managed to keep a diary in the thick of intense fighting (especially in the Winter War), but many did. For example, here is a link to the entry of my grandfather’s unit on 8th February 1940, when his regiment (one of the last 6 remaining reinforcement regiments) was sent towards the front - first targeted to Karelia north of Lake Ladoga but then diverted to the Karelian Isthmus (to try to stop the massive attacks by the Red Army): WD Mortar Company ( 6*80mm) / Infantry Regiment 68.
This diary is actually a little exceptional because it gives a very detailed and literate account of the action. I think the writer was a chaplain which may explain it.
Again, apologies for posting content to a in-Finnish-only source, but I hope at least some of the viewers may find this interesting.
5 Likes
Joram suggested the other day that I start posting the “Sides at present” overview on the forum too & after some thought, I’ve decided to it. Sorry its late, but better late then never.
Sides at present:
World War Two
Allies-Australia+, Bahrain~, Canada, Czechoslovakia^, Finland’’, France+, Nepal, New Zealand+, Oman~, Poland^, South Africa, United Kingdom+
Axis-Germany, Slovakia*, USSR’
Insurgencies in the Italian Empire’’’
Italian-Italy+
Rebels-Albanian resistance, Ethiopian Arbegnoch
2nd Sino-Japanese War’’’
Sino-China’’’’
Japanese-Japan+, Manchukuo*, Mengkukuo*, Provisional ROC*, Reformed ROC*
*puppet
^occupied with resistance movement.
+Includes the country’s colonies or overseas territories
~protectorate
‘I have the USSR on the Axis side because both Germany & them are currently at war with Poland(The Soviets invaded on September 17, 1939, as per the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact), working together to end the Polish resistance(as per the German–Soviet Frontier Treaty) & are trading war materials. SPOILER WARNING: After Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, I will move them to the 3rd parties list(See my policy on country placement below) & then move them to the Allies after the signing of the Sikorski–Mayski agreement in July 1941 between the Polish government-in-exile & the USSR.
‘’I have Finland listed with the Allies because they are at war with the USSR(who is listed as part of the Axis for reasons stated above) & are trying to get help from the Western Allies. SPOILER WARNING: At the end of the Winter War in March, I will take them off the Allies & then add them to the Axis after the start of the Continuation War in June 1941. When the Lapland War starts in September 1944, I’ll move them back to the Allies until German forces leave Finland in April 1945.
‘’’SPOILER WARNING: The Insurgencies in the Italian Empire & the 2nd Sino-Japanese War remain unconnected to World War II until June 1940(When Italy declares war on the Allies) & September 1940 (When Japan invades French Indochina & joins the Tripartite Pact). After these points, I’ll roll them into World War II.
‘’’’The Kuomintang & Communist Parties have signed a truce to fight the Japanese as part of the Second United Front lead by Chiang Kai-shek, but coordination is minimal & both deeply mistrust the other.
MY POLICY ON COUNTRY PLACEMENT: If a country declares war on or attacks another country & at least one of them is already involved in World War II, I’ll list the other as a part of the opposing faction. That is why the events of the Winter War are included in the main World War II list & the events of the War of ‘41(Ecuador vs. Peru) will not be. The countries listed in the factions above are comprised of both official members & co-belligerents. The terms “Allies” & “Axis” are used for both kinds of belligerents as a convenient way to distill the world war & it’s adjoining conflicts, with disclaimers used to elaborate on some of the more complicated situations. If a country or resistance movement is at war with at least one country form both factions, I’ll add them to the 3rd parties list with a disclaimer. At the moment, no one fits this description, so I’ll wait until someone does to create it. I have to consolidate factions along co-belligerency or else the number of factions will balloon out of control. Finally, each post only represents the factions as they were 79 years ago to the day. Many countries will join, leave, or switch sides before the war ends for various reasons & I strongly encourage you to look into the situation of each country for yourself.
3 Likes