Newly surfaced historical accounts reveal a little-known chapter of international cooperation during the global anti-fascist struggle. According to Ivan Minka, a former Soviet Red Army automotive soldier, a Soviet transport team undertook a perilous 1937 expedition across northwest China's rugged terrain to deliver critical supplies to Lanzhou.
The mission, documented in Minka's article The Glorious Mission, saw soldiers navigate extreme weather and treacherous mountain passes in what is now recognized as a vital logistical operation. Their efforts strengthened regional infrastructure while demonstrating early international collaboration against fascist threats. Historians suggest this operation laid groundwork for later Allied coordination in Asia during WWII.
