The Battle for Manchuria and the Fate of China: Siping, 1946

Twentieth-Century Battles

by Harold M. Tanner

In the spring of 1946, Communists and Nationalist Chinese were battlied for control of Manchuria and supremacy in the civil war. The Nationalist attack on Siping ended with a Communist withdrawal, but further pursuit was halted by a cease-fire brokered by the American general, George Marshall. Within three years, Mao Zedong's troops had captured Manchuria and would soon drive Chiang Kai-shek's forces off the mainland. Did Marshall, as Chiang later claimed, save the Communists and determine China's fate? Putting the battle into the context of the military and political struggles fought, Harold M. Tanner casts light on all sides of this historic confrontation and shows how the outcome has been, and continues to be, interpreted to suit the needs of competing visions of China's past and future.

Genres: China, Military History, History, War, 20th Century, Nonfiction, Asia

266 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Alex Helling · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Battle for Manchuria and the Fate of China, Siping 1946, explores the initial clashes between communists and nationalists in the Chinese Civil War following World War II, particularly the battle of Siping. With defeated Japan withdrawing from the region, and their soviet vanquishers only remaining for a short period, both communists and nationalists dashed to establish themselves in the industrial region. For the communists it could provide a springboard into the rest of China, while for the nationalists it would all but ensure their victory. It was therefore pivotal in the history of modern China, but it is not very often told – belying their importance the clashes and battle were small by comparison to many in the Chinese Civil war.

Despite the name ‘The Battle for Manchuria’ also has considerable diplomatic aspects. Harold M. Tanner explores the interplay between the movement of armies, success in mostly smaller clashes on the ground, and diplomacy in a period when there was not quite war and not quite peace. Both sides wanted to exploit it but are wary of full-scale war – the communists because they recognise they are not ready, and the nationalists because they were operating at the end of long and fragile supply lines. They were also dependent on the US for their modern armies and logistics, and the US wanted a peaceful China. General George Marshall, later known for the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, lead the US diplomatic effort pushing both sides to agree ceasefires.

The diplomatic dimension shows the battle is not just a battle but has a political element – particularly in later representation. And Tanner also gets stuck into questions around the memory of the battle; was it really important? Could the nationalists have won a decisive victory if not for the ceasefires holding them back? Could different strategies have had an impact?

As a military history this is mostly about the operational and strategic level. We get little about the tactical level fighting, and almost no personal accounts of the action by lower-level soldiers and officers. This potentially leaves the book feeling slightly detached from the experience of the battle. But the focus on the strategic and operational more neatly marries with the diplomatic aspects than would a detailed look at the tactical level of the battle.

Maps are a bit of an issue. While there are good maps of the area around Siping itself and both phases of the battle both the campaign up to the battle and after it take place over far-flung ground that is only covered by a map of the whole of Manchuria – an area the size of much of Western Europe.

A few drawbacks aside this is an interesting look at a battle I certainly barely knew of before (it is only a couple of pages in the Chinese Civil War by Odd Arne Westad). Diplomacy and battle are often tied together in civil wars. Tanner does not try to draw any comparisons or lessons but it will nonetheless be worthwhile reading not just for those interested in military history or the Chinese Civil War in particular but also in diplomacy and attempting to build peace.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is a slender volume, it gives the reader a good overview of the Manchuria campaign and the events leading up to the Second Battle of Siping, a crucial railroad hub in central Manchuria. The author does a good job describing all the machinations of Kuomintang, the CCP, and the Americans, namely George Marshall. Marshall was trying his best to avert a Chinese Civil War. The Americans did finally get the cease fire they were after, kind of, that gave the CCP the reprieve they needed to build a strong base in the north and decisively defeat the Kuomintang. The book covers the happenings in Manchuria from just before the Russians turned it back over, until the ceasefire.

There is an ok amount of military history, though not as much as I had hoped for. The maps are decent enough to understand what and where things are going on. Siping was the location of four battles in the Chinese Civil War. The first being more of a skirmish. The second was an all out assualt by the Kuomintang to force out the CCP, which they did. The third, another large scale battle of over 50 thousand combined, was a failed attempt by the CCP to retake Siping after the ceasefire. The fourth was an overwhelming assault by the CCP that destroyed the small garrison left by the Kuomintang. By the time Siping was captured by the CCP the tide had turned and the Kuomintang were on the wane.

On a side note, and it is mentioned in the book as well, there is a fantastic museum about the battles in Siping. It is very well done with pictures maps, arms, etc. I have been there and enjoyed it very much. I would recommend it if you are ever in the area.

[Alexander Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a non fictional book attempting to make sense of the communist victories 0f 1949 and the turning point of the Chinese civil war. The second battle of Siping is chosen because at that point in June of 1946, Mao Zedong's army was in Manchuria and was clearly on the ropes. Chang Kai-Shek with his nationalist army was invading Manchuria and on the verge of pushing the communists out of the country. George Marshall was sent to China to broker a cease-fire. Rather than a black and white binary choice, the nationalist army was simultaneously negotiating with Stalin's Russian government, and they did not share interest in Truman's wish for open elections, independent judiciary, due process, etc... So, it wasn't clear at the time, who the Americans would cheer for. I loved the history in this book, but I am still mystified how communism could be on the ropes, get a cease-fire, then come back and conquer the whole country of China two years later. I can't blame the author, since the communists believe the past is a way of controlling the present. Not only that, but they do not value truth in the slightest unless it helps them to consolidate power. Nor do the nationalists give a reliable account of their failures, blaming mainly Truman and Marshall for eventually withdrawing their support. I can not understand why that would be the sole cause of the catastrophic collapse of the country into communism. The last sentence of the book correctly states "if you want to draw a lesson of history from some event the occurred in the past, the first step might be to understand what actually happened." The book is a valuable source, but I remain mystified about the topic.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough study of an often-overlooked (in the west, anyway) and controversial battle that ended up setting the stage for the decisive and culminating campaign of the Chinese Civil War a couple years later. Tanner uses sources to show the disagreements of strategy inside both camps as well as the American attempts to get a ceasefire.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated this book because I haven't found many english language books on the Chinese Civil War. One of the aspects of this book that I appreciated was the time Tanner took to provide context to the situation surrounding the campaign, how it played into the negotiations between Chinese communists and Chiang Kai Shek, and Tanner's even handed approach to analysis of the battle and its impact. One thing I did not appreciate was that this did not provide much in the way of a military history of the Siping campaign.
Not the longest book, but a worthy read.