In 1953, the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea came to an end, and China was about to sign an armistice agreement with the United States.
And just when the war was about to end, the Soviet Union made an unusual move, that is, it suddenly sent a batch of military aid to China.
This aid, which is the equipment of 30 divisions, is not a small amount.
It's just that the Soviet Union was so generous, but it was confusing.
Because, throughout the period of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea, the attitude shown by the Soviet Union was always very vacillating.
Although they support China's decision to send troops, they have dragged their feet on aid.
After all, for the Soviet Union, although the situation in North Korea was critical, in the final analysis, the fire did not reach the doorstep of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union hoped to use this war to strike at the United States and establish its authority as a great power.
In addition, they also wanted to take advantage of the fact that China and North Korea were exhausted by the war to reap the benefits of the fishermen and further strengthen the dependence of China and North Korea on the Soviet Union.
Of course, the Soviet Union did not expect that the Chinese People's Volunteer Army would be so tenacious and defeat the United States led by the world's number one military power under extremely unfavorable circumstances.
As a result, although the Soviet Union did not suffer losses, its goal of trying to reap benefits from China through war was obviously in vain.
And people also know that after a few years, Sino-Soviet relations fell to a freezing point. Although there was friendship between the Soviet Union and China, for the Soviet Union, a big country, state-to-state exchanges were always of paramount importance.
It is precisely because of this that the act of sending aid in 1953 is even more bizarre.
If you really want to send aid, why didn't you send it when the war was at its most difficult, but now that the war has been won, you send it?
But if there is any sinister intention behind this, it does not seem to be right.
In any case, this is also a batch of valuable resources.
Although China won the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, it still faces many threats militarily, and it urgently needs to strengthen the building of its armed forces.
Getting such a large number of **, for China, is always beneficial and harmless.
So, what exactly did the Soviets think at that time?
It should be explained that in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, although the Soviet Union had its own careful thoughts, they did provide very valuable help to China and the DPRK.
Before the order to resist US aggression and aid Korea was officially issued, the issue of ** support was considered.
At that time, for the sake of the warring issue, ** had to go to the Soviet Union for a visit.
** Specially explained to the prime minister that we must enlist the assistance of the Soviet Union, especially air assistance, before we can send troops.
After all, the significance and difficulty of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea are different from those in the past, because the US army is armed to the teeth, while the conditions of our army are too poor.
Under these circumstances, if the Soviet Union had no support, and with the strength of China and Korea alone, the hope of victory in this war would be very slim.
When New China was just founded, we signed a Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance with the Soviet Union.
In addition, although the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea did not affect the Soviet Union. However, under the pattern of the Cold War, the success or failure of this war has a bearing on the international status of the Soviet Union, so it is reasonable that the Soviet Union should give support to China.
Besides, looking at the whole world, the only one that can compete with the United States in military science and technology is the Soviet Union.
Therefore, the USSR carried *** great expectations.
Stalin did not disappoint *** either, and he agreed to give China aid, especially in terms of air force support.
However, the aid naturally had conditions, and the Soviet Union was not willing to formally declare war on the United States.
Therefore, although the Air Force sent troops, it could not fly under the banner of the Soviet Union.
After entering the northeast, this batch of Soviet air forces was replaced with ** belonging to the Chinese People's Volunteers, and in addition, all Soviet-related symbols were erased.
At the same time, out of prudence, the Soviet Union demanded that all combat information not be broadcast in Russian, and that soldiers participating in the war should not reveal their identities.
There was even a requirement that Soviet soldiers who fought must commit suicide if captured, and it was forbidden to divulge secrets.
In the circumstances, it was a very helpless decision.
Of course, it is impossible for the United States not to recognize the Soviet Air Force, but no one wants to find out.
Because, once both the Soviet Union and the United States take a clear stand, it will inevitably lead to a third world war.
The world, which had just experienced World War II, could no longer be so devastated.
Therefore, the Soviet Air Force came to the front line to resist US aggression and aid Korea in such an invisible tacit understanding.
Throughout the war, they made a great contribution and at the cost of more than 200 sacrifices.
These martyrs were later buried in the martyrs' cemetery in China.
The Soviet Union's air force support also has a very long-term significance, that is, it has promoted the maturity of China's air force construction.
When New China was first founded, we had almost no expertise in the construction of the Air Force, and we had neither professional personnel nor technical support.
Later, Soviet pilots and their instructors came to China to build the initial air force system for China.
Under the guidance of Soviet instructors, our country trained the first batch of actual combat pilots who could really go to the battlefield.
In addition, the Soviet Union brought with it countless modern combat experiences, which raised the overall combat level of our army by a big step.
We must not forget these kindnesses.
In addition, in terms of ** support, an agreement was signed between the Soviet Union and our country to lease or sell some ** to China in batches.
There have been some twists and turns. Initially, when it came time to negotiate with the Soviet Union, Stalin behaved very generously and agreed to equip China with ten divisions at once.
However, a few days after he was happy, Stalin changed his mind, saying that the Soviet Union was short of funds, so the money had to be borne by China and the Soviet Union.
In other words, aid is gone, it can only be sold. The only good news was that the USSR was willing to give China a discount.
Although the Soviet Union has depressed **, however, for China, this money is still a heavy pressure.
The Soviet Union also had its own helplessness, and if it was before World War II, the Soviet Union might still have the ability to be free***
However, during World War II, the Soviet Union directly emptied a generation, and many industrial facilities in the country were also destroyed by the German army.
At that time, the Soviet Union was in a stage of difficult reconstruction, and the production of ** was very tight, so there was no way to carry out a large number of *** to China
For the reaction of the Soviet Union, ** was actually psychologically prepared. We know the situation in the Soviet Union, because of the necessity of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, it is also tolerable to tighten our belts and pay a sum of money for this.
However, because between China and the Soviet Union, a large contract was signed for the military equipment of 60 divisions.
Even if China was hollowed out of poverty at that time, it would not be possible to afford it.
So, the two sides negotiated for a long time and finally came up with a compromise plan.
China borrowed money from the Soviet Union to buy this batch of **, and then slowly filled the debt.
In addition, the Soviet Union demanded that we use some of our domestic fossil energy to pay off our debts.
Another problem is that the Soviet Union itself is not willing to give the new type to China first, and their own domestic military reserves are not enough.
So, what about the ** and ** that they gave to China?
The answer is that the Soviet Union relied on this big business to successfully empty a batch of old ** left over from World War II in the country.
During World War II, out of the need for self-preservation, all countries frantically carried out arms expansion.
The consequence of this is that after the end of World War II, countries still have a large number of ** that have not been used.
Moreover, a significant impact of World War II on the military is that the development of military science and technology is very rapid.
The Soviet Union was one of the countries that produced the most armaments during World War II and was one of the countries with the fastest military and technological progress.
Therefore, after the end of World War II, in the face of World War II, which was full of warehouses and backward **, the pressure on the Soviet Union doubled.
The cost of manufacturing these ** is not low, and storing them also requires a large amount of money.
For the Soviet Union, these ** were obviously useless, and if they were destroyed, the cost would be wasted.
Therefore, for the Soviet Union, the best way is to use this contract to sell the old ** during World War II to China, and the Soviet Union will make a profit without losing money.
For China, in fact, this is also an acceptable approach.
Although we only got a batch of old ** and suffered some small losses, we still made money overall.
Because, at that time, the technology of the PLA was too backward, even the old style of the Soviet Union during World War II was considered high-end goods for us.
The modernization of the army must always be carried out step by step, and it was already remarkable to be able to assemble such a ** at that time.
Moreover, because the ** sold is not a high-end product on the market, the Soviet Union did not dare to raise the ** too high when it was sold, which reduced a lot of economic pressure on our country.
Of course, according to the declassified information of later generations, there is another important reason why the Soviet Union is reluctant to give **new** to China, that is, the Soviet Union deployed a large number of troops on the front in Eastern Europe at that time.
Because, at that time, the United States and the Soviet Union were facing each other, and once a war broke out, Eastern Europe would be the front line of the Soviet Union.
Therefore, although the situation of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea was in full swing, for the Soviet Union, the priority of the Eastern European battlefield was always ahead of North Korea.
Because on the one hand, the Soviet Union had its own strategic intentions on the Korean battlefield, and on the other hand, it was faced with defensive pressure on the Eastern European battlefield, so the Soviet Union has always been procrastinating and very stingy in providing assistance to China.
Even if the two sides signed an agreement, the number of ** sent by the Soviet Union in each batch would still not be enough.
And this delay dragged on until 1953. Seeing that the war was coming to an end, the Soviet Union only cashed in the equipment of 30 divisions, you know, at that time, the two sides agreed on 60 divisions.
Judging from the situation on the battlefield at that time, with or without the equipment of these 30 divisions, the situation would hardly have changed significantly.
For the Soviet Union, however, the meaning was different.
In fact, the Soviet Union did not expect that China would win this war in just a few years.
In the past, the Soviet Union had arbitrarily believed that one day China would still be dependent on the Soviet Union's de facto military aid.
And as soon as China opened this mouth, the goal of the USSR was achieved. They can take the opportunity to station in the northeast and thus occupy the ports in the northeast, and at that time, regardless of whether the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea is won or not, China will obviously suffer a dumb loss.
However, China did not give the Soviet Union this opportunity, and with our superb strategy and tactics, we defeated the invincible United States.
In the aftermath of the war, China's international standing rose sharply.
After World War II, the United States increased its national strength and thus pursued hegemonism around the world, and most of the weak countries were powerless to resist under the coercion of the United States.
However, China has broken this situation and proved to the world that China is no longer the sick man of East Asia in the past.
The USSR had to re-examine China's position.
In the past, in the eyes of the Soviet Union, China, like other small and weak countries, would sooner or later become a complete vassal of the Soviet Union.
But after China defeated the United States, the USSR had to accept the fact that China could not become a vassal of the USSR, but an ally on an equal footing with the USSR.
In order to realize its strategic intentions in Asia, the Soviet Union had to establish good relations with China.
And the equipment of the 30 divisions, which was long overdue, was, to a certain extent, the sincerity shown by the Soviet Union.
Moreover, as the world's leading power at that time, the Soviet Union's friendship with China also indirectly affected the foreign policy of other countries towards China.
Compared with the situation of difficulties everywhere in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, after the war, China's diplomatic road was obviously much smoother.
This large number of sudden ** has greatly shortened the military gap between our country and other countries and laid the foundation for the subsequent modernization of our army.
Relations between China and the Soviet Union also reached a higher level after the war, opening a honeymoon period, and close exchanges and cooperation benefited the people of both countries.
In addition, in 1956, thanks to the efforts of the people of the whole country, we finally paid off the debts owed to the Soviet Union during the war and entered a stage of development at a higher speed.
All in all, the equipment of these 30 divisions looks puzzling.
In fact, this is precisely one of the meanings of China's victory in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
Because of this victory, the whole world will be able to face up to China, and China will be able to obtain a peaceful environment for decades to come.
To this day, more than half a century has passed, and future generations are still enjoying the fruits of victory brought about by the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
As *** said back then, "Fight with one punch, lest a hundred punches come", this war to protect the family and defend the country has been fought through the ages.
Reference: Liu Zhiqing, "The ** Equipment Provided by the Soviet Union in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea".
Zheng Ruifeng, "Documentary of the Chinese and Soviet Air Forces Resisting US Aggression and Aiding Korea Side by Side".
This article was originally written by "Literature and History", and has been opened for the whole network to protect rights