lpetrich
Contributor
While researching history-map animations, I came across ▶ The Sino-Soviet Border Conflict - YouTube by EmperorTigerstar - YouTube, who has made a *lot* of map-animation videos.
Sino-Soviet border conflict In 1969, China objected that the Soviet Union was claiming too much territory as a result of some treaties decades earlier, all the islands of rivers on the border instead of just those on the Soviet side. This led to an actual shooting war over one of the islands, (Soviet) Damansky Island / (Chinese) Zhenbao Island in the Ussuri River between northeastern China and the Soviet Far East.
During the war over that island, the Soviets deployed a then-secret weapon, four of their newest tanks, T-62's. One of them was hit and its commander was killed. After letting the Soviets recover the bodies of their fallen comrades, the Chinese kept them from recovering the tank, and the Chinese captured it and took it to their territory.
The Soviet leaders got concerned that these squabbles might escalate, or even drag in the US on the side of China, so they and the Chinese decided to quit fighting. However, it was in 1991 that they officially agreed on the status of Damansky/Zhenbao Island; the Soviet Union accepted that it was Chinese territory.
But what a thought. A fight over a river island leading to World War III.
But then again, the assassination of a member of a royal family by a nationalist terrorist is what started World War I.
Sino-Soviet border conflict In 1969, China objected that the Soviet Union was claiming too much territory as a result of some treaties decades earlier, all the islands of rivers on the border instead of just those on the Soviet side. This led to an actual shooting war over one of the islands, (Soviet) Damansky Island / (Chinese) Zhenbao Island in the Ussuri River between northeastern China and the Soviet Far East.
During the war over that island, the Soviets deployed a then-secret weapon, four of their newest tanks, T-62's. One of them was hit and its commander was killed. After letting the Soviets recover the bodies of their fallen comrades, the Chinese kept them from recovering the tank, and the Chinese captured it and took it to their territory.
The Soviet leaders got concerned that these squabbles might escalate, or even drag in the US on the side of China, so they and the Chinese decided to quit fighting. However, it was in 1991 that they officially agreed on the status of Damansky/Zhenbao Island; the Soviet Union accepted that it was Chinese territory.
But what a thought. A fight over a river island leading to World War III.
But then again, the assassination of a member of a royal family by a nationalist terrorist is what started World War I.