A Hero against Japanese Aggression Returns to China 40 Years on: Major General T.G. Shucdlo,Veteran of the Former Soviet Union Red Army

“China’s heroic fight against Japanese armed forces protected the Soviet Union from being attacked from both sides and from fighting on two battlefronts simultaneously. The Soviet Union’s participation in fighting against Japan hastened the end of World War II. Both countries’contribution to vic-tory of World War II must never be un-derestimated.”

On the morning of September 3，on the Tian’anmen Rostrum in Beijing，a Russian soldier， with wrinkled face and turbid eyes， raised his right hand to salute the Chinese soldiers passing be-neath in a military parade. On his uni-form soaked by sweat medals sparkled in the early autumn sunshine， which seemed to refiect the fire of war on old anti-fascist battlefields.

T.G. Shudlo， a retired major gen-eral of the former Soviet Union Red Army， once served as the leader of the Anti-Tank Platoon of the 358th Infantry in the 39m Group of the Rear Baikal Armed Forces. He is now a member of the Council of the Russia-China Friendship Association， and Vice Presi-dent of the China Branch of the Rus-sian Veterans Committee.

General Shudlo， 88， participated in all the activities in Beijing marking the 70th anniversary of the victory oft he Chinese War of Resistance againstJ apanese Aggression and world victory against fascism.

Born in 1927， Shudlo joined the Red Army in 1944. The following year， the 18-year-old boy was one of the more than l.5 million soldiers who trekked across Siberia to China to par-ticipate in the war against the Japanese aggression. Although 70 years have passed， the memory of the war is still fresh because of， in his own words， not only the fierce battles that were fought then， but also because of the precious friendship established between the two countries in the common fight against fascism.

When marching to northeast China， the Soviet Union Red Anny en-countered countless difficulties in an unfamiliar environment.

“Once， when we tried to cross a river in a heavy downpour， Chinese locals spontaneously helped us build a wooden pontoon bridge. In order to get enough wood for the bridge， they even pulled down their houses. Thanks to their help， we crossed the river.”

The Soviets were moved by the Chinese locals’selfless support. After crossing the river， the engineer troop didn’t leave until they rebuilt the hous-es with their professional techniques in a very short time.

“This kind of friendship can’t be forgotten， but will become deeper in our memory with the passage of time.”

Thanks to the military and civil-ian cooperation between China and the Soviet Union， the Kwantung Army，known as the“Flower of the Imperial Army of Japan”， was totally defeated.Japan surrendered， but Shudlo’s storyin China didn’t come to an end. In the early post-war years， misery and suf-fering was seen everywhere in China，along with social instability. He settled down with his unit in Dalian to help the local people restore the urban envi-ronment and social stability. In fact， he stayed there for eight years.

“Dalian was terribly unstable at that time， with rampant looting and smuggling. Our troops helped the local people build factories and roads， and restore business activities. During that period， I was promoted from leader of a reconnaissance platoon to be the political comrmssar of the Red Army Garrison Headquarters in the city， so I witnessed the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.”

In 1953， Shudlo returned home.Afterwards， due to the dramatic change in Sino-Soviet relations， for decades he was unable to return to China， where he had devoted much of his youth. It was not until 1990 that the veteran， by now in his sixties， could visit with some comrades-in-arms. This year [2015] marked the fourth visit to China in or-der to attend the celebrations of the victory of the antifascist war. After be-ing awarded the memorial model of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese War of Resistance against Jap-anese Aggression by Chinese President Xi Jinping， he said excitedly:“Different from other countries， the Chinese lead-ers never forget the Russian veterans who fought in the Chinese War of Re-sistance against Japanese Aggression. We are very grateful. We feel warm every time we are met by Chinese lead-ers．”

After the celebration， Shudlo said，“China’s heroic fight against Japanese armed forces protected the Soviet Union from being attacked in the rear and saved it from having to fight on two fronts. The Soviet Union’s participation in the war against Japan hastened the end of World War II. Both countries’ contribution to the victory of the war must never be underestimated.I am very glad to see the two countries exchange troops to participate in the military parade， which gives us the opportunity to reflect on the war and strive for peace. The deep friendship and mutual affection established in the war between the two peoples are inde-structible.”