World War II- Part 29- What Was Germany Secretly Doing in China Before WW2? The Axis Powers of World War II were led by Germany, with Japan as a close ally. What few are aware of, however, is that right before that war broke out, the Germans were actually engaging in vicious combat with their future partner. Allied with the Chinese to defend continental China from Japan and from multiple warring factions within the country, famous generals such as Alexander von Falkenhausen courageously fought against Japanese aggression before they ultimately joined forces in 1937. China held out hope that Germany would send reinforcements, but they never came. Instead, von Falkenhausen was ordered back to Germany, but not before leaving his secret plans for the Chinese to defend against Japanese invasion. Source: Dark Docs Interesting segment of history regarding Germans helping China before the war?