When it comes to which country has the most powerful weapons today, people often think of the United States. With its powerful military science and technology, the United States possesses the most advanced weapons in the world and is the number one power in the world arms trade. As everyone knows, from the 19th century to the second world war, there was a country whose military weapons strength was second to none, occupying the forefront of military trade. The country is Germany.
In modern times, Germany and China had a long history of military trade. From the beginning of the Foreign Affairs Movement to the Republic of China period, the Tradition of Pure German Ordnance Units has been maintained in the Chinese army.
China's military trade with Germany originated during the Chinese Foreign Affairs Movement. The Western Affairs Movement was a self-help movement initiated by the Qing Dynasty in the 1860s and 1870s that was limited to the level of artifacts. In the military trade between the two countries, the most famous is the Krupp cannon we are going to talk about today.
The Opium War opened the door to China's long-closed country. The strong ships and cannons of the Western powers gave the Qing Dynasty a great shock. The Westerners led by Li Hongzhang believed that as long as they had strong ships and cannons, they could resist western aggression.
The Qing government decided to equip it with advanced Western weapons and equipment and learn advanced Western weapons and technology.
Shore-based cannons were needed to guard the national gate, and the Qing Dynasty used the cannons used in the early years of the Qing Dynasty during the Opium War, and suffered heavy losses in the war. In terms of warships, the West uses steam-powered steel warships, while China is still a wooden sailing ship, which is not enough power, and in terms of weapons, it is also the previous earthen cannon. There was no ability to produce cannons at home, so Li Hongzhang embarked on a path of foreign procurement.
According to the military strength at that time, Li Hongzhang regarded Britain, France and Germany as the purchasing countries. In the actual inspection, China, Britain and France did not attract enough attention, but the German Krupp company received them warmly, and the two sides reached an agreement on 328 cannons after negotiations. For more than two decades thereafter, Krupp made a fortune in the military trade between the two countries. What about the record of these cannons?
After the cannons were returned, they were equipped with the Army and Navy of the Qing Government. The Huai Army established by Li Hongzhang effectively suppressed the army of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
In the Sino-Japanese War, the British ships used by the Qing Dynasty were equipped with heavy guns but Krupp cannons. Japan paid the price of 10,000 casualties to win the war.
During the War of Resistance, the afterglow of the Krupp cannon remained out. In the film and television drama "My Regiment Leader My Regiment", one person is nicknamed "Krupp", only because he bragged and showed off that he had seen the power of the "Krupp" cannon. The span from the Western Affairs Movement to the War of Resistance Against Japan was at least forty years. People expressed some disbelief in the performance of the TV series.
In fact, in September 1937, a Japanese cruiser was hit hard by the Krupp bombing of the Hulishan Battery during its invasion of Xiamen.
Nowadays, when you walk through the subway passages of most cities in China, if you look closely, the "Krupp" logo must be particularly obvious. Since World War II, Krupp has hardly produced military weapons. The elevators and escalators produced by "Krupp" have become world-renowned. From arms dealers to infrastructure producers, Krupp has made the transition from sword to plough. Cherish peace and keep us away from war.