In African military circles, there is such a saying: A general who does not speak Shijiazhuang is not a good general.
Whether a general is qualified or not is judged by whether he has studied in China.
In Africa, if you see the Chinese slogan "121" shouting the earth-shattering sound, except for the faces with African characteristics, at first glance it looks like a copycat version of the Chinese army.
Don't be surprised, this army is probably the Tanzanian Defence Force.
The Tanzanian Defence Force is known as the "big disciple" of the PLA in Africa, and is also known as the strongest African "PLA".
Why do you say that, today we will take a closer look.
In the U-Tan War, the "East African Liberation Army" began to show its edge
In 1971, there was a regime change in Uganda when Idi Amin overthrew then-President Obote.
Obote went into exile in Tanzania, and Uganda's relationship with Tanzania was forged.
During the 8 years of Idi Amin's rule, the country's economy was devastated by its inhumanity and brutality.
Edie Amin
Uganda's economy is largely dependent on the cultivation of coffee beans, and international coffee prices plummeted in 1978.
As a result, Uganda's economy is on the verge of collapse, and the existing contradictions in the country are rapidly intensified.
However, Amin tried to deflect domestic tensions by going to war with Tanzania.
On 30 October 1978, Uganda declared war on Tanzania.
Ugandan Army Armored Forces
The incident happened suddenly, and the unprepared Tanzania was taken by surprise, and in just one week, many regions fell rapidly, and nearly one-fifth of the innocent people in the region were mutilated.
Tanzania, which reacted, gathered all its forces to counterattack as soon as possible.
The 100,000 Tanzanian troops fought Uganda in just a few days.
In less than a month, all Ugandan troops had been expelled from Tanzania.
Taking advantage of the victory, Tanzania united with various opposition forces in Uganda to cross the border into Uganda and launched an all-out counterattack.
Type 62 light tank of the Tanzanian Army
On April 10, 1979, Tanzanian forces finally captured Kampala, the capital of Uganda.
The U-Tan War ended with a complete victory for Tanzania.
As a result of this war, the Tanzania Defence Force (TDF) gained prominence and attracted international attention.
How can the Tanzanian Defence Force be so powerful?
The reason for this was actually the training of the advisers of the "great powers of the East".
A railway that connects the friendship between the two countries
After the end of World War II, the British and French colonial systems collapsed, and many African nation-states declared their independence one after another.
Tanzania, located in East Africa, declared its independence from colonial rule in 1964.
Tanzania, which was first established, was poor and backward, and the people lived in poverty.
As the first president since the founding of the country, Nyerere wants to reverse the country's backwardness.
The leader, who has studied abroad, knows that in order to thrive, you must first establish connections with the outside world.
Tanzania is rich in mineral resources, and if it can be exported, its resource advantage can be transformed into an economic advantage.
As a result, Tanzania and Zambia requested the assistance of the countries concerned in the world to build a railway connecting the two countries.
But because his country is weak and the people are poor, he has been rejected one after another.
At that time, during the period of Sino-Soviet relations, China, which wanted to establish friendly diplomatic relations with the third world in order to relieve diplomatic pressure, relieved their urgent need.
In February 1965, Tanzanian President Nyerere visited China.
In the early 70s, China was in an extremely difficult period since the founding of the People's Republic of China, but it still decided to build the railway for Tanzania and Zambia.
On September 5, 1967, China signed cooperation agreements with Tanzania and Zambia on the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway.
This is the first foreign aid project since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
In October 1970, the construction of the Tanzan Railway was officially started, and after 7 years of difficult construction.
On July 14, 1976, the China-aided Tanzania-Zambia Railway was finally completed and opened to traffic.
This railway, which Africans call the "Road of Freedom", is known as the Road of Friendship by the Chinese and African peoples.
Since then, Tanzania and China have forged an indissoluble bond.
China and Tanzania have good relations and become the "African Whampoa Military Academy"
During the construction of the railway, Tanzanian President Nyerere and China became more and more close
Knowing full well that its own army is vulnerable to combat effectiveness, Tanzania is facing a huge crisis in the face of the constantly provocative Amin regime.
At the same time, he also admired the prestige of the Chinese army at that time to resist US aggression and aid Korea.
After careful consideration, Nyerere made this request to Premier Zhou: "I hope that China can provide us with military assistance and help us train excellent soldiers." ”
The offer was readily accepted at home, and a number of Tanzanian military officers were sent to China for Chinese-style training.
These people were placed at the Shijiazhuang Army Command College.
From encirclement to interspersed detours, from guerrilla warfare to infantry coordination.
The officers who came here absorbed a large number of ideas from our army's modern warfare, and finally built a reliable tactical thinking.
At the same time, our side dispatched a large number of military advisers from the Shijiazhuang Army Command College to Tanzania to conduct on-the-spot command and train its troops.
From the stand-up to the military, the African Defence Force, which has traditionally been loose, will be trained from the very basics.
Hands-on training of the Tanzanian army's combat literacy and discipline.
With the blessing of Chinese weapons, Tanzania's military strength has made a qualitative leap compared with the past, and it has gradually taken on the form of a regular army.
The officers and soldiers in the unit were influenced by Chinese instructors, and the Chinese when giving orders had a strong Hebei accent.
Later, the Tanzanian Defense Force became famous through that beautiful freedom counterattack.
The prestige of the "African Liberation Army" has resounded throughout Africa and proved its strength to the whole of Africa.
Since then, the military myth of the continent has been born in African countries.
"The Cradle of African Presidents"
In Africa, it is not Tsinghua University and Peking University that are famous, but the Shijiazhuang Army Command College, the Nanjing Army Command College, and the National Defense University.
Because of Tanzania's "success story", many African countries send the children of chiefs or candidates for officers to Chinese military academies for study.
After these people return to China after completing their studies, they will participate in the war again, and their strength will be significantly improved.
The Shijiazhuang Army Command College is also nicknamed the "African Whampoa Military Academy".
In 2016, a large-scale military conflict erupted between South and North Sudan in the African region.
As soon as the battle began, both sides quickly realized that the other party's tactical tactics and their own constraints were mutually restrictive, and a battle was extremely difficult.
It turned out that most of the commanders of the armed forces of the two countries were "high-achieving students" who graduated from the China National Defense University and the Shijiazhuang Army Command College.
Netizens called the war between the two countries a confrontational argument between China's two major military academies.
Today, more and more African militaries are using Chinese-style training.
In 2019, at the 25th anniversary parade of Rwanda, the slogans shouted were all in Chinese.
Tanzania's 49th National Day Parade was a uniform march.
In September 2023, China and Tanzania also held the "Beyond-2023" Marine Corps joint training together. Combat gymnastics and military boxing are almost identical.
Of the African students who came out of the Continental Army Academy, five have served as presidents, one vice president, eight defense ministers, and hundreds of generals.
Therefore, it is also called "the cradle of African presidents" by foreign media.
epilogue
Under the influence of Chinese culture, these African generals understood how hard-won peace is.
When they return to their own countries, they bring back no longer endless wars, but programs that promote peace.
This is the right way to export culture, and it is also China's responsibility as a major country.
Resources:
East African Liberation Army.Baidu Encyclopedia.
Known as the East African Liberation Army: There is an army in distant Africa.