The Manchukuo Imperial Guards (, ja, しんえいたい, translit=Shin'eitai) were an elite unit of the
Manchukuo armed forces created in 1933. It was charged with the protection of the
Kangde Emperor, the
imperial household, and senior members of the
Manchukuo civil government. Their garrison and headquarters were situated in the capital of
Xinjing Xinjing may refer to:
*'' Heart Sutra'' or ''Xinjing'' (心經), a Chinese-language sutra in Mahāyāna Buddhism
Places in China
* Changchun, the capital city of Jilin, known as Xinjing (新京) during the Manchukuo era (1932–1945)
* Xinjing Tow ...
, adjacent to the
Imperial Palace.
History
The Manchukuo Imperial Guards were inspired by the
Imperial Guards of the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...
and patterned after the
Imperial Guard of Japan
In Japan, the Imperial Guard is the name for two separate organizations dedicated to the protection of the Emperor of Japan and the Imperial Family, palaces and other imperial properties. The first was the , a quasi-independent elite branch of the ...
. Its 200 members were selected from candidates of
ethnic Manchu backgrounds, and were trained independently of the
Manchukuo Imperial Army
The Manchukuo Imperial Army ( zh, s=滿洲國軍, p=Mǎnzhōuguó jūn) was the ground force of the military of the Empire of Manchukuo, a puppet state established by Imperial Japan in Manchuria, a region of northeastern China. The force was pri ...
or the Japanese
Kwantung Army
''Kantō-gun''
, image = Kwantung Army Headquarters.JPG
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Kwantung Army headquarters in Hsinking, Manchukuo
, dates = April ...
. Although largely a ceremonial force, the
company received the latest firearms and also carried Japanese-style swords ( ja, 軍刀, translit=
Guntō) as dress weaponry. Their uniforms were grey or black with silver or gold insignia, with a
five-color, five pointed star on their helmets and
kepi
The kepi ( ) is a cap with a flat circular top and a peak, or visor. In English, the term is a loanword of french: képi, itself a re-spelled version of the gsw, Käppi, a diminutive form of , meaning "cap". In Europe, this headgear is most ...
s.
An independent brigade called the Jing'an Guerilla Unit () was formed for use in
covert
Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret.
Secrecy is often controvers ...
and
special operations
Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
during the
Pacification of Manchukuo
The Pacification of Manchukuo was a Japanese counterinsurgency campaign to suppress any armed resistance to the newly established puppet state of Manchukuo from various anti-Japanese volunteer armies in occupied Manchuria and later the Communis ...
. It was effective in combat, having participated in the Ki Feng-lung District Subjugation in November 1932 and in
anti-bandit operations. The ceremonial unit was part of the corps.
The Manchukuo Imperial Guards fought their last battles during the
Soviet invasion of Manchuria
The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian strategic offensive operation (russian: Манчжурская стратегическая наступательная операция, Manchzhurskaya Strategicheskaya Nastu ...
and had ceased to exist at the conclusion of the
Soviet–Japanese War
The Soviet–Japanese War (russian: Советско-японская война; ja, ソ連対日参戦, soren tai nichi sansen, Soviet Union entry into war against Japan), known in Mongolia as the Liberation War of 1945 (), was a military ...
.
See also
*
Imperial Guards (Qing China)
The Imperial Guards () of the Qing dynasty were a select detachment of Manchu and Mongol bannermen responsible for guarding the Forbidden City in Beijing, the emperor, and the emperor's family. The Imperial Guards were divided into three groups: ...
*
Imperial Guard of Japan
In Japan, the Imperial Guard is the name for two separate organizations dedicated to the protection of the Emperor of Japan and the Imperial Family, palaces and other imperial properties. The first was the , a quasi-independent elite branch of the ...
*
Manchukuo Imperial Army
The Manchukuo Imperial Army ( zh, s=滿洲國軍, p=Mǎnzhōuguó jūn) was the ground force of the military of the Empire of Manchukuo, a puppet state established by Imperial Japan in Manchuria, a region of northeastern China. The force was pri ...
*
Manchukuo Imperial Navy
*
Manchukuo Imperial Air Force
The Manchukuo Imperial Air Force (') ( was the air force of the Empire of Manchuria, a puppet state of Imperial Japan. The air force's predecessor was the Manchukuo Air Transport Company (later renamed the Manchukuo National Airways), a paramilit ...
References
* {{cite book
, last = Jowett
, first = Philip
, year = 2005
, title = Rays of the Rising Sun, Volume 1: Japan's Asian Allies 1931-45, China and Manchukuo
, publisher = Helion and Company Ltd.
, location =
, isbn = 1-874622-21-3
Protective security units
Former guards regiments
Guards
Royal guards
Military units and formations established in 1933
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945