Pirates, Collaborators, or Patriots? The Loyal and Patriotic Army and Chinese Coastal Guerrillas during the Second Sino-Japanese War, 1937–45

In September 1937, the Nationalist spymaster Dai Li formed a troop called the Special Task Force (Biedongdui), which was later renamed the Loyal and Patriotic Army (Zhongyi jiuguojun; hereafter LPA). The LPA became the largest branch of the Chinese secret service during the war. It assisted the Nationalist (KMT) military in the fight against Japanese invasion and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). After 1943, the Army was incorporated into the Sino-American Cooperative Organization and trained by the US military. Due to its diverse composition, the LPA had ties with the underground society and were involved in smuggling and piracy in the coastal region of Zhejiang Province. Consequently, the Army also traded and collaborated with pro-Japanese elements in the area. The piracy and racketeering exacerbated relationship with the Nationalists but the later did continue to support the group in concert with the US military throughout the war. After the war, the Nationalist propaganda portrayed the LPA as a “patriot” army and covered up many of its wrongdoings. Despite questionable past, the LPA was molded and incorporated into the glorious history of “Resistance War.” Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, including local historical materials, Ministry of Defense archives, newspapers, memoirs, and other sources from China and Taiwan, this paper reconstructs LPA’s clandestine wartime ventures. The paper argues that these activities broaden our understanding about the complexity and ambiguity of Chinese resistance and collaboration during the war against Japan. They compel us to rethink the PRC’s official history that informs Chinese collective memory about the war.