Battle of Changsha (1944)
|
|
The Battle of Changsha (1944), also known as the Battle of Hengyang or Battle of Hengyang-Changsha, was an invasion of the Chinese province of Hunan by Japanese troops near the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. As such, it encompasses three separate conflicts: an invasion of the city of Changsha and two invasions of Hengyang.
The Japanese military transferred the bulk of their troops from within the country and the northeast as part of Operation "Ichi-Go" or "Tairiku Datsu Sakusen" which roughly translates as ‘Operaton to Break through the Continent’. This was an attempt to establish a land and rail corridor from between the Japanese occupied territories of North East China and Korea and those in South East Asia. In June 1944 the Japanese deployed 360,000 troops (not including air or sea support) to invade Changsha for the fourth time (the first being in 1930). The Operation involved more Japanese troops than any other campaign in the Sino-Japanese war.
The Japanese modified the tactics they had used in their previous three attempts and chose to rapidly ransack the city of Changsha, breaking the defenses of the infantry within the city, as well as neutralizing the Chinese artillery on Yuelu Mountain. The Chinese were unable to stop the assault, and lost control of Changsha. Two Japanese military detachments moved on to besiege Hengyang, but the Chinese National Guard's Tenth Division repelled their advance twice.
The unresolved situation in Hengyang helped hasten the crumbling of the Dong Tiao Nei Ge.
In August 1944, Japanese troops led by three generals again attacked Hengyang with the help of air support. Chinese troops resisted fiercely aided by local knowledge, and constructing effective barricades up to 4m high. The Chinese defences were intelligently constructed and used crossfire zones to maximize firepower. This caused the Japanese 11th Division to lose morale and it began preparations for retreat. Morale rose, however, when the Japanese 58th Division broke into the city, and the 11th Division resumed their attack. Reinforcements sent by the Chinese National Guard attempted many times to reach Hengyang, but were blocked.
After 47 days of bitter fighting, the Japanese troops managed to invade Hengyang, but paid a heavy price in casualties: many lives were lost, including 390 officers dead and another 520 wounded. Thus, the Chinese troops to the north were able to expand their influence despite the loss of the city.
After the battle, the Japanese could not continue to fight. During this period Japan discovered that "wang wei" governmental privileges were useless, and consequently they rejected plans to take more Chinese territory. At the same time their negotiating position with China became significantly less powerful -- to the point where they agreed to set aside the "Tang Ju" treaty.
The Chinese government continued to pressure the Japanese to completely withdraw from the northeast. The Japanese, in a desperate measure, collected as many troops as possible in April 1945 to invade Xiangxi's heavy settlement Zhijiang, hoping to open a path to Sichuan. The troops were intercepted in an ambush by the Chinese National Guard and were almost completely wiped out, and China regained some of its territory. By this point, the course of the war had turned. Later, the Japanese surrendered at the Zijiang River.