China Marines

China Marines
Marines in China

The term China Marines originally referred to those United States Marines from the 4th Marine Regiment who were stationed in Shanghai, China during 1927 - 1941 to protect American citizens and their property in the Shanghai International Settlement during the Chinese Revolution and the Second Sino-Japanese War. Most of these troops were withdrawn in November 1941, however some them were scheduled to be withdrawn on December 10. The remaining Marines, as well as some US Navy support personnel, for a total of 204 men, were captured by the Imperial Japanese Army and forced into slave labor until they were freed in 1945.[1]

Later, another group of Marines also referred to as China Marines were those of the 1st and 6th Marine Divisions sent to occupy northern China after the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II from 1945 - 1948.

Due to the cheap labor being readily available, China Marines lived relatively comfortable lifestyles, with squads being able to hire a Chinese man to do all of their cleaning and errands. When added to the inexpensive goods available on the local economy, assignments to the original China Marines were highly coveted.

With the expansion of the Marine Corps during World War II and the capture of the 4th Marines at Corregidor, the original China Marines were rare and highly regarded.

On January 31, 1996, Marines from the 2nd Battalion 5th Marine Division, as part of the 31st MEU-SOC, visited Shanghai, China for the first time since World War II. The visit was reported by the L.A. Times in the Feb. 1st edition of that year. Since then, the 31st MEU-SOC has visited China once more on November, 22 2006 during a port visit to Zhanjiang. This visit was documented in the Stars and Stripes Pacific edition.

Contents

In popular culture

  • Author W.E.B. Griffin often writes of China Marines in his book series The Corps. Book 1 of the series in particular highlights the pre-World War II lives of China Marines.

See also

References

External links



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • China Marines — Als China Marines wurden diejenigen United States Marines bezeichnet, die im 4. US Marineinfanterieregiment, welches in Shanghai (China) stationiert war, zwischen 1927 und 1941 gedient hatten. Das 4. US Marineinfanterieregiment war eingesetzt um… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • China Service Medal — Die China Service Medal ist eine Auszeichnung der US Navy, des US Marine Corps und der US Coast Guard für Einsätze zwischen 1937 und 1957 in China. Die Auszeichnung wurde am 23. August 1940 eingeführt und bestand aus einer Medaille an einem… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • China Marine (memoir) — This article is about the memoir by Eugene B. Sledge. For Marine Corps of China, see Chinese Marine Corps. For former units of USMC stationed in China, see China Marines. China Marine: An Infantryman s Life after World War II …   Wikipedia

  • China Relief Expedition Campaigns — China Relief Expedition Introduction * Acquisition of the Philippines tended to stimulate further a growing interest in China among Americans for both commercial and humanitarian reasons. One important argument advanced for retaining the… …   Wikipedia

  • China Relief Expedition Medal — Awarded by Department of the Navy Type Medal …   Wikipedia

  • China War Medal (1900) — China War Medal 1900 …   Wikipedia

  • China Girl (1942 film) — China Girl Theatrical release poster Directed by Henry Hathaway Produced by Ben Hecht …   Wikipedia

  • China Relief Expedition — The China Relief Expedition was the name of an expedition in China undertaken by the United States Armed Forces to the rescue of United States citizens, European nationals, and other foreign nationals during the latter years of the Boxer… …   Wikipedia

  • china — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. a translucent ceramic material, biscuit fired at a high temperature, its glaze fired at a low temperature. 2. any porcelain ware. 3. plates, cups, saucers, etc., collectively. 4. figurines made of porcelain or ceramic material …   Universalium

  • China — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. People s Republic of, a country in E Asia. 1,221,591,778; 3,691,502 sq. mi. (9,560,990 sq. km). Cap.: Beijing. 2. Republic of. Also called Nationalist China. a republic consisting mainly of the island of Taiwan off the SE coast …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”