Stoops of the 6th Field Artillery, then remarked “The general’s underwear is showing!” In reply, the more senior officer said something to the effect of, “All right young man, if you’re so smart, come up with something better!” The lieutenant took up the challenge, producing a patch with a red numeral “1” on a gray or olive drab shield using cloth from a captured German uniform. Upon seeing the patch, the lieutenant, whom some accounts name as Herbert M. According to this version, the general, thinking that the 1st Division needed a shoulder sleeve insignia, cut a crude red “1” from an old pair of flannel underwear. One legend says that First Division supply trucks were painted with a red “1” to distinguish them from other country’s vehicles, and the practice carried over to shoulder sleeve patches.Ī more colorful tale about the origin of the patch involves an exchange between a general (or colonel) and a lieutenant over red underwear. The origins of the “Big Red One” patch are disputed. “But the outside world shouldn’t make China and Russia feel an urgent need to strengthen their military cooperation.FIRST division insignia - CREATION OF THE PATCH “China and Russia are not allies, and they are firm in not forging an alliance,” the editorial said. It called the drills defensive, but added a caveat. “Second, China can learn from Russia’s wartime experience and thus be more familiar with actual combat.”īut while it said it was “natural that the outside world interpret the military drills geopolitically,” the editorial claimed that, “if over-interpreted, the drills’ insignificant meaning could be exaggerated.” “First, it is to strengthen friendship between the two militaries and consolidate the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination,” it wrote. In an editorial Wednesday, the Global Times tabloid, operated by the Communist Party’s official People’s Daily newspaper, said the purposes for China’s participation were twofold. I see little in the long term that aligns Russia and China.”
is worried about a possible military alliance between Russia and China, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Pentagon reporters Tuesday that, “I think that nations act out of their interests. The U.S., for its part, has worked to play down the significance of the drills.Īsked if the U.S. Shao Yuanming, vice chief of staff at the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission and the Chinese chief commander for the drills, said the two nations will continue their military cooperation and “explore new possible ways to boost their combat abilities,” the China Daily reported.īeijing and Moscow have said the drills were not aimed at any third party, though some analysts have said the joint exercises are a worrying trend. Those drills saw between 100,000 and 150,000 troops take part in September 1981, according to the CIA.ĭuring three days of exercises last week, troops from both China and Russia simulated repelling an invasion at the Tsugol training range in Russia’s Trans-Baikal region.Ĭhinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe inspected troops during the joint exercises, saying the drills reflect China and Russia’s “confidence and determination to jointly safeguard regional peace and security, and the exercise enhances the two militaries’ ability to respond to multiple security threats,” according to the state-run China Daily.
The exercises are believed to be the largest event since the Zapad-81 maneuvers. The exercises also saw more than 10 Tu-22 long-range bombers hit targets resembling command centers, parked aircraft and warehouses where aircraft could be concealed.Īhead of the drills, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said they would be of “unprecedented scale both in territory and number of troops involved.” In a separate statement, the ministry said the drills included MiG-31 and Su-35 fighter jet interceptors appearing to approach their airspace without responding to ground control. Tokyo and Moscow are involved in a long-standing territorial dispute over the islands. The waters are home to four Russia-controlled islands off Hokkaido, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and Southern Kurils in Russia. Saturday, the Russian destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov and a Ka-27 helicopter equipped to hunt submarines took part in the exercises, which included simulations of combat scenarios and anti-submarine maneuvering elements in the Sea of Okhotsk, the Russian Defense Ministry said. China, which participated for the first time, also sent more than 1,000 pieces of weaponry and 30 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to conduct strike and counterattack training among other drills, it said earlier, as Moscow and Beijing looked to showcase their deepening ties.