Photo: The Allied victory parade in Nanjing, China, Sep 1945

[RSS Bot]

The Allied victory parade in Nanjing, China, Sep 1945

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[temujin77]

I wonder if anyone here can identify the Chinese and American figures on the car in the parade?

[Jim O]

I'd guess that the Chinese are Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek.

Is the American General Stilwell?

[temujin77]

Not Chiang or Mao.

Definitely not Mao -- don't forget he was a member of the communist rebels trying to overthrow the Nationalist government at that time. Rebels don't get invited to victory parades

I don't think the American is Stilwell. Looks too young to be Stilwell... and also, Stilwell was relieved from his CBI duties in Oct 1944, later assigned to the latter stages of the Okinawa campaign in 1945. Because he no longer has "jurisdiction" in China, I don't think he would've gone back to Nanjing for a parade.

[Jim O]

Originally Posted by temujin77

Not Chiang or Mao.

Definitely not Mao -- don't forget he was a member of the communist rebels trying to overthrow the Nationalist government at that time. Rebels don't get invited to victory parades

I don't think the American is Stilwell. Looks too young to be Stilwell... and also, Stilwell was relieved from his CBI duties in Oct 1944, later assigned to the latter stages of the Okinawa campaign in 1945. Because he no longer has "jurisdiction" in China, I don't think he would've gone back to Nanjing for a parade.

There are other photos that I have seen of Mao and Chiang together while they had "suspended" hostilities to fight the Japanese.

I'm aware that Stilwell had been relieved but nevertheless might have attended a parade at that time. He died only a few months after that photo would have been taken.

[temujin77]

Here's one of the toasting pics you've seen:
WW2DB: [Photo] Chiang Kaishek and Mao Zedong celebrated the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chongqing, China, Sep 1945

After the Xi'an Incident in Dec 1936, Chiang did get pressured to call for a ceasefire with the Communists in order to fight the Japanese together as one united China, but in actuality that never happened. Chiang struck at the Communists in small scales whenever he could get away with it, while the Communists made sure that most of the fighting against the Japanese were conducted with Nationalist troops while the Communist forces build up strength for the continuation of the Civil War that probably would, and did, take place almost immediately after the war against Japan would be won. The "friendship" between Chiang and Mao was artificial at best.

Here is a pic of Chiang and Stilwell together dated 1942, and then a big headshot of Chiang:
WW2DB: [Photo] Chiang Kaishek, General Joseph Stilwell, and Madame Chiang in Burma, 1942
WW2DB: Kaishek Chiang

Finally, a pic of Mao dated 1946:
Image:Mao1946.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

None of the folks in the Nanjing parade pic look like them, really.

Trust me, I wish it was such an easy identification! Hehe.