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The U.S. Navy sailors assigned to the China station were not entirely on their own. There was a small U.S. Army detachment positioned at the strategic port of Tientsin. This was the port from which the Europen forces (including mricanbs and Japanese, relieved the foreign legations in Peking during the Boxer rebellion. It was one of the very few American military deployments outside American territory during the inter-war era (1920s-30s). Some 1,000 American Army troops were deployed there (1923). [Stewart] We are not entirely sure yet just why they were deployed to Tientsin. There were probably two primary factors. First, was to support the U.S. Navy Asiatic Fleet (actually more of asquadron) which had important shore facilities in the area. Second, was to provide a counter to agressive Japanese policies. The Japanese had designs on Tientsin. Another similar sized force was briefly deployed to Shanghai to protect the international quarter when after seiing Mnchuria, the Japanese attacked Shnghai to unish the Nationalists (1932). They were withdrawn. removed after 5 months. The Tientsin garrison was withdrawn (1938) after the Japanese invaded China proper, beginnung the Second Sino-Japanese War. The only other Amerian garrison in Asia, was the substantial force garrisoned in the Philippines. The short Shanghai deployment was men from the Philippines garrison. The small China deployment had little impact on China or efforts to curtail Japanese aggression. It did provide opertional experience for personnel that wouls serve as the professional core for the massive U.S. Army tht would fight World war II. [Stewart, pp. 56-57.]
Stewart, Richard W. General Editor. American Military History Vol. II The United States Army in a Global Era, 1917-2003 (Center of Military History, United States Army: Washington, D.C.. 2005). Washington, D.C., 2005.
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