|
BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- China's fight against Japanese Aggression began in 1931, and lasted for 14 years. This part of history has been widely recognised as a crucial part of the global fight against fascism.
A long-lasting legacy from a Russian commander.
Valery's father once led Russia's voluntary army in the fight against Japanese forces in China. He felt proud of his father's feats.
"My father not only took part in the early warfare between the late 1930s and 40s, but also participated in battles at Manzhouli as an airforce commander. What my father's generation did, has strengthen the friendship between Russia and China," Valery said.
His father's story took place between October 1939 and 1945. During that time, Russia provided nearly a thousand planes.
There were also more than 36 hundred pilots, experts, and other professionals coming to China. And more than 200 pilots died in the fight.
Russian sinologist Yury Tavrovsky has detailed the cooperation in his book "China History".
"Pilots of China and the Soviet Union usually fought together. The lead plane and wing plane coordinated with each other. In a single day, they downed more than 20 Japanese warplanes. And the Japanese were surprised at what happened to them," Tavrovsky said.
From October 1937 to June 1941, the Soviet Union, today known as Russia, sent more than a thousand pilots and two thousand ground staff to assist China. They were from Russia's various military command areas.
Tavrovsky says China's efforts contributed to Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany. China was the major player in the oriental arena, while the Soviet Union fought in the European arena. The common goal to defeat fascism laid a solid foundation for their friendship.
"It's very important to say that the two countries share the same interests. This is not the first time in history. Therefore, marking the 70th anniversary of the victory of WW2 is significant to understand the origin of the friendship," Tavrovsky said.
The expert says China's determination to fight Japanese aggression undermined Japan's fighting force, and its economy.
Japan was then unable to launch new attacks on other countries. Professor Tavrovsky says it was China's sacrifice that allowed victory to come about earlier than expected.
(Source: CNTV.cn)
