Collaborationist Chinese Army
| Collaborationist Chinese Army | |
|---|---|
.svg)
War Flag of the Republic of China-Nanjing
(1942–1945) |
|
| Active |
 / 1937–1940 1940–1945 |
| Country | Republic of China-Nanjing |
| Allegiance | Wang Jingwei |
| Size | 300,000–600,000 troops |
| Colors | Blue, red, and white |
| Engagements |
Second Sino-Japanese War World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Ceremonial chief | President Wang Jingwei |
| Notable commanders |
Bao Wenyue Yang Kuiyi Ye Peng |
The term Collaborationist Chinese Army refers to the military forces of the puppet governments founded by Imperial Japan in mainland China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. They most notably include the armies of the Provisional Government (1937–1940), Reformed Government (1938–1940), and Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China (1940–1945). Those forces were also commonly known as puppet troops but went under different names during their history, such as Nanjing Government Army. In total, all puppet forces in China combined had a total of around one million men by the end of the war in 1945.
Originally, the Japanese did not allow Wang Kemin's Provisional Government of the Republic of China to have an army of its own and instead relied on a police force of 5,000 men for security. In May 1938 steps were taken towards forming an actual army for his government by opening a military academy in Beijing, with an initial intake of a hundred cadets for a one-year course. In February 1939, a Training School was opened for non-commissioned officers with one thousand cadets undergoing a six-month course. The target strength the Provisional Government wanted to reach was 13,200 men divided into 8 infantry regiments, with six of them being formed into brigades, commanded by a Chinese major general and a Japanese adviser. Along with graduates of the academies, who were given the rank of lieutenant or second lieutenant, there were also former Nationalist and warlord officers. In addition, there was also a 400-man bodyguard unit for Wang.
The Provisional Government Army's order of battle was as follows:
The poorly-organized Reformed Government of the Republic of China, which managed the occupied zones in central China, raised a minimal armed force of generally poor quality. In December 1938, Pacification Minister Ren Yuandao announced that the army consisted of 10,000 troops. A military academy was established with 320 cadets between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, with the intent of creating a new officer class "untainted" by prior service in the Nationalist Army and loyal to the Reformed Government. The year-long training course was given by Japanese officers. However, their training was cut short as the expanded army, which numbered 30,000 men by November 1939, needed officers. Its quality was low, as reports indicated that Reformed Government troops fled from guerillas that they engaged.
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