Chiang Wei-kuo

[KRK]

Chiang Wei-kuo (Chinese: 蔣緯國, 蒋纬国; Hanyu Pinyin: Jiǎng Wěiguó), or Wego Chiang (October 6, 1916?September 22, 1997) was an adopted son of President Chiang Kai-shek, adoptive brother of President Chiang Ching-kuo, and an important figure in the Kuomintang (KMT). His nickname was Jianhao (建鎬) and sobriquet Niantang (念堂).

Early life

Born in Tokyo when Chiang Kai-shek and the KMT was exiled to Japan by the Beiyang Government, Chiang Wei-kuo has long been speculated to be an offspring of Tai Chi-tao and a Japanese woman, Shigematsu Kaneko (重松金子). Chiang Wei-kuo previously discredited any such claims and insisted he was a legitimate son of Chiang Kai-shek until his later years(1988), when he admitted that he was adopted. [1]

According to popular gossip, Tai believed knowledge of his Japanese tryst would destroy his marriage and his career, so he entrusted Wei-kuo to Chiang Kai-shek, after the Japanese Yamada Juntaro (山田純太郎) brought the infant to Shanghai. Yao Yecheng (姚冶誠), Chiang's wife at the time, raised Wei-kuo as her own. The boy called Tai his "Dear Uncle" (親伯).

Chiang moved to the Chiang ancestral home in Xikuo Town of Fenghua in 1910.

Wei-kuo studied at Soochow University. With his sibling held as a virtual political hostage by Stalin, Chiang sent Wei-kuo to Germany for a military education at the Munich Military Academy. Here, he would learn the most up to date German military tactical doctrines, organization, and use of weaponry on the modern battlefield such as the German-inspired theory of the Maschinengewehr (Medium machine gun, at this time, the MG-34) led squad, incorporation of Air and Armored branches into Infantry attack, etc. After completing this training, Wei-kuo completed specialized Alpine warfare training, thus earning him the coveted Gebirgsjäger (The elite Wehrmacht Mountain Troop) Edelwiess sleeve insignia. This was not an easy accomplishment, as part of the training selection included carrying 30 kilos of ruck sack through the Bavarian Alps. Wei-kuo was promoted to Unteroffizier (also known as Fahnenjunker, or Officer Candidate)and was evidently a fine marksman, as his pictures depict him wearing the Schützenschnur lanyard.

Wei-kuo commanded a Panzer during the 1938 Austrian Anschluss, leading a tank into that country; subsequently, he was promoted to Leutnant (Lieutenant) of a Panzer unit awaiting to be sent into Poland. Before he was given the mobilization order, he was recalled to China. There, Wei-kuo became a Major at 28, a Lieutenant Colonel at 29, a Colonel at 32, and later, a Major General. Wei-kuo was in charge of a M4 Sherman tank battalion during 1948 Nationalist-Communist campaign against Deng Xiao Ping's troops, scoring some early victories. In 1949 he moved his armor regiment to Taiwan.

In 1944, he married Shih Chin-i(石靜宜), the daughter of Shih Feng-hsiang (石鳳翔), a textile tycoon from North West China. Shih died in 1953 during a child birth. Wei-kuo later established the Jinsin Elementary School (靜心小學) in Taipei to commemorate his late wife.

In 1957, Chiang re-married, to Chiu Ju-hsüeh (丘如雪), also known as Chiu Ai-lun (邱愛倫), a daughter of Chinese and German parents. Chiu gave birth to Chiang's only son, Chiang Hsiao-kang, (蔣孝剛) in 1962. Chiang Hsiao-kang is the youngest of the Hsiao generation of the Chiang family.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Wei-kuo

[Ed_Haynes]

Interesting. But what does it have to do with the Spanish Civil War?

[KRK]

Interesting. But what does it have to do with the Spanish Civil War?

He was in Legion Condor .

[Ed_Haynes]

He was in Legion Condor .

OK, that doesn't surprise me, given his family. But it is nowhere in this wikipedia piece, is it?

[Bryan Poon]

The photos.....

Chiang Wei-kuo as an officer candidate in the Wehrmacht. The shoulder boards indicate the rank of Fahnenjunker.

[Jacques]

Hi

Did he seved within the LC before or after being Officer candidate ? On the pics he don't wear any of the spanish war decorations (spanish cross, ribbons bar), so I guess the pics was taken before, or he didn't stay enough longer in Spain to get the commemoratives medals.

jacques

[Bryan Poon]

Hi

From a Taiwanese (may not be) website http://irepublic.blogspot.com/2006/10/blog-post_08.html, I only found the following sentence:

蔣緯國更被送往德國慕尼黑官校，畢業後參與禿鷹軍團投入血腥的西班牙內戰，隨後也參與吞併奧地利與波蘭的戰事。

It say "After graduated from the Munich Military Academy, Chiang joined Legion Condor and Spanish Civil War. He also joined the invasion of Poland afterward."

Cheers

Bryan

[Bryan Poon]

Hi

Found more from the web: http://big5.chinataiwan.org/tsh/shzh/20080...0717_699559.htm

This web page introduced Chiang's book - An Autobiography of Him in Oral

I captured the following paragraph there and will highlight some points in English

"一九三六年德國萊謝勞將軍(General Von Reichenan)到中國協助訓練陸軍，即將緯國介紹給萊將軍，希望萊幫緯國到德國學軍事。

一九三六年十月底，緯國在上海登船，船經馬六甲海峽，停檳城、巴拉灣，再橫越印度洋，停孟買，經紅海、蘇伊士運河，十一月十九日，在馬賽登陸，由中國駐德大使館人員，經巴黎接到柏林。由譚伯羽(譚延閩之長子)接待，並進柏林大學語言先修班習德文，啟用德文名字??WEGO。先住在一個義大利太太的家庭，稍後遷入一位德國太太的家庭，除在學校念德文外，回家後德國太太(緯國稱德國媽媽)與他講德文，要他背短文，說笑話，記名人演講摘要，並改正一些音節或文法錯誤。也要他在自己朋友面前公開?演講?，故其德文進步神速。

依照德國的規定，進入軍官學校前，必須接受入伍訓練一年。即在正規部隊內，插進入伍生一二人，隨部隊訓練。一九三七年九月，緯國依此規定分配在山地兵第一師第九十八團第二營第五連，接受入伍訓練，包括基本訓練與山地兵訓練。前者是以班教練為主，各個單兵教練皆在班教練中完成，讓士兵一開始就有全班性作戰概念，如何相互掩護，協同作戰，全班行動，不塑造個人英雄；後者攀登山頂，背馱裝備，山地行軍，限制喝水，以及習慣寒冷山風吹襲等等。緯國在接受入伍生訓練時，曾參加兩次行軍。一次是德奧合併，他們進軍到奧國邊界，另一次到捷克作戰，佔領捷克蘇臺登區。

入伍生訓練完成後，一九三八年九月，分配到慕尼黑軍校，接受為期一年的軍官教育。此一訓練以營連戰術為主，同時學習騎馬、劍術、跳舞，才能被視為真正德國軍官。在軍校期間，緯國曾被希特勒召見三次，與德國其他將領亦有往來。稍後被派往德國第七軍團見習。軍團在德國稱 ARMY COURT，是介於師與軍之間的戰略單位，借此可以了解德國正規部隊編裝、戰術思想與野戰戰略。一九三九年七月，軍校畢業，分發德國山地兵第八師服務，經柏林到波蘭邊境第八師報到。八月中旬奉命回國，九月一日德國進軍波蘭(歐戰發生)，十六日緯國在阿姆斯特丹登船，直航紐約。"

- General Von Reichenan visited China in Oct 1936 to help China to train the Chinese Army

- Chiang arrived Marseille at 19th November 1936 and then went to Berlin througn Paris

- After Arrived Germany, he named himself "WEGO"

- He joined the German Army at September 1937 (pre-requested procedure before joining the Military Academy)

- He attends the Munich Military Academy at September 1938, training in 7th Corps (I am not sure it should translate to Corps or not but this Corps (?) is also called "ARMY COURT")

- He graduated from the Munich Military Academy at July 1939

- Finally he leaved the German Army at the mid of August 1939....so he shouldn't have the chance to join the invasion of Poland

Ok, from his autobiography, there is no mention on Spanish Civil War and Legion Condor but I will try to tranlate which division and troop he joined. Yep I had the information.

Cheers

Bryan

Edited September 5, 2008 by Bryan Poon

[Bryan Poon]

Searching by WEGO Chiang, some more info:

http://www.gebirgsjaeger.4mg.com/kopold3.htm

[Ulsterman]

Interesting. A Chinese officer who received both Flower war medals. What a ribbon bar he would have.