 In 1934 the Republic of China 36th Division (National Revolutionary Army), which was composed of Muslims, severely mauled the Soviet Union Red Army and their White movement allies when the Soviets attempted to seize Xinjiang.The Soviet Union intervened again in Xinjiang in 1937.In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria and created the puppet state of Manchukuo (1932), which signaled the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War.