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{{more citations needed|date=March 2018}} {{more citations needed|date=March 2018}}
{{short description|Battle of World War II}}
{{Infobox military conflict {{Infobox military conflict
|conflict=Battle of West Hunan |conflict=Battle of West Hunan
|partof=the ]
|partof= the ] and the ] of ]
|date= 6 April – 9 June 1945
|date= {{Date range and age in years, months, weeks and days|1945|4|6|1945|6|7}}
|place= West ], near ] |place= West ], near ]
|result= Allied victory |result= Allied victory
|combatant1= ''']:'''<br />{{flagcountry|Republic of China (1912-49)}}<br />{{flag|United States|1912}}
|combatant1= {{flagcountry|Nationalist government}}<br/>{{flag|United States|1912}} (air support only)
|combatant2= ''']:'''<br>{{flagcountry|Empire of Japan}} |combatant2={{flagcountry|Empire of Japan}}
|commander1= {{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} ]<br />{{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} ]<br />{{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} ]<br />{{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} ]<br />{{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} ] |commander1= {{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} ]<br />{{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} ]<br />{{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} ]<br />{{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} ]<br />{{flagicon|Republic of China (1912-49)|army}} ]
|commander2= {{flagicon|Empire of Japan|army}} ] |commander2= {{flagicon|Empire of Japan|army}} ]<br>{{flagicon|Empire of Japan|army}} ]
|strength1= 110,000 in Hunan<br />200,000 in total<br />400 aircraft |strength1= 110,000 in Hunan<br />200,000 in total<br />400 aircraft
|strength2= 80,000 |strength2= 80,000
|casualties1= '''Chinese figures:''' |casualties1= '''Chinese figures:'''
*20,660 *20,660
**7,817 killed **7,817 killed
*11 American pilots *11 American pilots
|casualties2= '''Japanese figures:'''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.zhihu.com/question/643194513/answer/3558886918 |title=如何评价抗日战争的湘西会战? - heaven's answer - Zhihu| access-date=2025-01-11}}</ref>
|casualties2= '''Japanese figures:'''
<br>20th army from April until June :
*~27,000 killed and wounded'''
*According to ] :
**695 killed
**1,181 wounded (including 322 who died of wounds)
**24,640 fallen ill (including 2,362 who died of illness)
*According to the medical department of the 20th army :
**1,718 killed
**2,691 wounded (including 275 who died of wounds)
**27,372 fallen ill (including 1,992 who died of illness)
*According to Japanese Army record:
**About 15,000 killed in action
**About 50,000 wounded in action<ref>“ 第２節　第２款／其の３　芷江作戦” Japan Center for Asian Historical Records (JACAR) Ref.C13031939100, 支那方面作戦記録　第３巻 (National Institute for Defense Studies)</ref>
*According to 109th Infantry Regiment report:
**Most members of 109th infantry regiment were killed in action<ref>「第４　龍潭司山門洞口付近の戦闘」JACAR（アジア歴史資料センター）Ref.C13070595500、歩兵第１０９連隊芷江作戦戦闘詳報　昭和２０年４月１３日～２０年４月１８日（防衛省防衛研究所）</ref>
'''Chinese figures:''' '''Chinese figures:'''
*35,805 *35,805
**12,498 killed **12,498 killed
|casualties3= 8,563 civilians |casualties3= 8,563 civilians
}} }}
{{Campaignbox Second Sino-Japanese War}} {{Campaignbox Second Sino-Japanese War}}
{{Campaignbox Pacific War}}
⚫ The '''Battle of West Hunan''', also known as the '''Battle of ]''' and the '''Zhijiang Campaign''', was the Japanese invasion of west ] and the subsequent Allied counterattack that occurred between 6 April and 7 June 1945, during the last months of the ]. Japanese strategic aims for this campaign were to seize Chinese airfields and secure railroads in West Hunan, and to achieve a decisive victory that their depleted land forces needed.
{{Japanese colonial campaigns}}
{{Campaignbox World War II}}
⚫ The '''Battle of West Hunan''' ({{zh|t=湘西會戰}}), also known as the '''Battle of Xuefeng Mountains''' ({{zh|t=雪峰山戰役}}) and the '''Zhijiang Campaign''' ({{zh|t=芷江戰役}}), was the Japanese invasion of west ] and the subsequent Allied counterattack that occurred between 6 April and 7 June 1945, during the last months of the ]. Japanese strategic aims for this campaign were to seize Chinese airfields and secure railroads in West Hunan, and to achieve a decisive victory that their depleted land forces needed.


This campaign, if successful, would also allow Japan to attack ] and eventually the Chinese war time capital ]. Although the Japanese were able to make initial headways, Chinese forces with air support from the Americans were able to turn the tide and forced the Japanese into a rout, recovering a substantial amount of lost ground. This campaign, if successful, would also have allowed Japan to attack ] and eventually the Chinese wartime capital ]. Although Japan was able to make initial headways, Chinese forces with air support from the Americans were able to turn the tide and forced the Japanese into a rout, recovering a substantial amount of lost ground.


This was the last major Japanese offensive, and the last of 22 major battles during the war to involve more than 100,000 troops. Concurrently, the Chinese managed to repel a ] and launched a successful ], turning the course of the war sharply in China's favor even as they prepared to launch a full-scale counterattack across South China. This was the last major Japanese offensive, and the last of 22 major battles during the war to involve more than 100,000 troops. Concurrently, the Chinese managed to repel a ] and launched a successful ], turning the course of the war sharply in China's favor even as they prepared to launch a full-scale counterattack across South China.


==Background== ==Background==
By April 1945, China had already been ] with Japan for more than seven years. Both nations were exhausted by years of battles, bombings and blockades. From 1941-1943, both sides maintained a "dynamic equilibrium", where field engagements were often numerous, involved large numbers of troops and produced high casualty counts, but the results of which were mostly indecisive. ] in 1944 changed the status quo, as Japanese forces were able to break through the inadequate Chinese defenses and occupy most of ], ] and ], connecting Japanese-held areas from north to south in a continuous front. By April 1945, China had already been ] with Japan for more than seven years. Both nations were exhausted by years of battles, bombings and blockades. From 1941–1943, both sides maintained a "dynamic equilibrium", where field engagements were often numerous, involved large numbers of troops and produced high casualty counts, but the results of which were mostly indecisive. ] in 1944 changed the status quo, as Japanese forces were able to break through the inadequate Chinese defenses and occupy eastern ], a corridor in the eastern parts of ] through Changsha and eastern parts of ] through Guilin–Liuzhou, connecting Japanese-held areas from north to south in a continuous railway corridor.


However, the Japanese victory resulted in very little actual benefit for them:<ref name=Wilson/>{{rp|246–247}} the operation drained Japanese manpower and a weakened Japanese army had to defend a longer front with more partisan activity in occupied areas. The opening up of ] did little to improve Japanese logistics, for only one train ran from ] to ] in April 1945, and due to fuel shortages the primary mode of transportation for Japanese troops was on foot. However, the Japanese victory resulted in very little actual benefit for them:<ref name=Wilson/>{{rp|246–247}} the operation drained Japanese manpower and a weakened Japanese army had to defend a longer front with more partisan activity in occupied areas. The opening up of ] did little to improve Japanese logistics, for only one train ran from ] to ] in April 1945, and due to fuel shortages the primary mode of transportation for Japanese troops was on foot.


On the other hand, although the Chinese government in ] had lost land access to their remaining forces in ], ] and ] with their defeat in ''Ichi-Go'', Chinese fortunes in the war improved with the retaking of northern ] by ] and ] forces. On 4 February 1945, the first convoy of trucks reached ] from the British railhead in ], India, over the newly completed On the other hand, although the Chinese government in ] had lost land access to their remaining forces in ], ] and ] with their defeat in ''Ichi-Go'', Chinese fortunes in the war improved with the retaking of northern ] by ] and ] forces. On 4 February 1945, the first convoy of trucks reached ] from the British railhead in ], India, over the newly completed
] and the northern section of the ]; using this road link, over 50,000 tonnes of petroleum started to arrive into China every month.<ref name=Wilson/>{{rp|233}} By April 1945, enough ] had become available to the Chinese army to equip 35 divisions with American equipment.<ref>needtofindsource</ref> A major counter offensive was planned. ] and the northern section of the ]; using this road link, over 50,000 tonnes of petroleum started to arrive into China every month.<ref name=Wilson/>{{rp|233}} By April 1945, enough ] had become available to the Chinese army to equip 35 divisions with American equipment.{{cn|date=September 2019}} A major counter offensive was planned.


==Order of battle== ==Order of battle==
Line 90: Line 107:
::: ] ::: ]


<small>Sources</small><ref name="whampoanet">"National Revolutionary Army Order of Battle for the Battle of West Hunan". China Whampoa Academy Net. 11 September 2007 <http://www.hoplite.cn/Templates/hpjh0106.htm>.</ref><ref name= Hsu/>{{rp|458}} <small>Sources</small><ref name="whampoanet">"National Revolutionary Army Order of Battle for the Battle of West Hunan". China Whampoa Academy Net. 11 September 2007 <http://www.hoplite.cn/Templates/hpjh0106.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704192016/http://www.hoplite.cn/Templates/hpjh0106.htm |date=2015-07-04 }}>.</ref><ref name= Hsu/>{{rp|458}}


===Japan=== ===Japan===
Line 103: Line 120:


==Japanese strategic objectives== ==Japanese strategic objectives==
For this campaign, the Imperial Japanese had three main objectives. The first of which was to neutralize the Chinese airfield at ],<ref name= Hsu/>{{rp|458}} whose complement of ] and ] was ensuring Allied air superiority in the region and a base for U.S. bombers, either by physically reaching the airfield, located only {{convert|435|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Chongqing,<ref name=Kraus/> and securing it, or simply by pressing forward close enough to the airfield to force the Chinese to destroy the installation.<ref name=Wilson/>{{rp|248}}</ref> For this campaign, the Imperial Japanese had three main objectives. The first of which was to neutralize the Chinese airfield at ],<ref name= Hsu/>{{rp|458}} whose complement of ] and ] was ensuring Allied air superiority in the region and a base for U.S. bombers, either by physically reaching the airfield, located only {{convert|435|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Chongqing,<ref name=Kraus/> and securing it, or simply by pressing forward close enough to the airfield to force the Chinese to destroy the installation.<ref name=Wilson/>{{rp|248}}


Their second objective was to secure their control of the Hunan-Guangxi and Guangzhou-Hankou railways.<ref name= Hsu/>{{rp|458}} A third objective was to preemptively disrupt the planned Chinese offensive in the region.<ref name= Hsu/>{{rp|458}} Their second objective was to secure their control of the Hunan-Guangxi and Guangzhou-Hankou railways.<ref name= Hsu/>{{rp|458}} A third objective was to preemptively disrupt the planned Chinese offensive in the region.<ref name= Hsu/>{{rp|458}}


==Preparations for battle== ==Preparations for battle==
By this point of the war, Japan was losing the battle in ] and facing constant attacks from Chinese forces in the country side. Spare troops for this campaign were limited. The Japanese army began preparations for the battle in March 1945, constructing two highways with forced Chinese labor: the Heng-Shao Highway ran from ] in a northwest direction to ], a Japanese-controlled city in central Hunan a mere {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Zhijiang; and the Tan-Shao Highway from ], southwest to Shaoyang. Supplies and equipment were stockpiled near Shaoyang, to be the headquarters of the Japanese 20th Corps, led by ]. Under it were the Japanese 34th, 47th, 64th, 68th and 116th Divisions, as well as the 86th Independent Brigade, massing at various locations across Hunan, for a total of 80,000 men by early April.<ref name=Wilson/>{{rp|248}}<ref name= Hsu/>{{rp|458}} By this point of the war, Japan was losing the battle in ] and facing constant attacks from Chinese forces in the country side. Spare troops for this campaign were limited. The Japanese army began preparations for the battle in March 1945, constructing two highways with forced Chinese labor: the Heng-Shao Highway ran from ] in a northwest direction to ], a Japanese-controlled city in central Hunan a mere {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Zhijiang; and the Tan-Shao Highway from ], southwest to Shaoyang. Supplies and equipment were stockpiled near Shaoyang, to be the headquarters of the Japanese 20th Corps, led by ]. Under it were the Japanese 34th, 47th, 64th, 68th and 116th Divisions, as well as the 86th Independent Brigade, massing at various locations across Hunan, for a total of 80,000 men by early April.<ref name=Wilson/>{{rp|248}}<ref name= Hsu/>{{rp|458}}


In response, the Chinese National Military Council dispatched the 4th Front Army and the 10th and 27th Army Groups with ] as commander-in-chief.<ref name= Hsu/>{{rp|458}} At the same time, it airlifted the entire New 6th Corps, an American-equipped corps and veterans of the Burma Expeditionary Force, from ] to ].<ref name=Wilson/>{{rp|248}} Chinese forces totaled 110,000 men in 20 divisions. They were supported by about 400 aircraft from the CAF 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th Air Groups and the USAAF 14th Air Force.<ref name="whampoanet"/> In response, the Chinese National Military Council dispatched the 4th Front Army and the 10th and 27th Army Groups with ] as commander-in-chief.<ref name= Hsu/>{{rp|458}} At the same time, it airlifted the entire New 6th Corps, an American-equipped corps and veterans of the Burma Expeditionary Force, from ] to ].<ref name=Wilson/>{{rp|248}} Chinese forces totaled 110,000 men in 20 divisions. They were supported by about 400 aircraft from the CAF 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th Air Groups and the USAAF 14th Air Force.<ref name="whampoanet"/>
Line 116: Line 133:


The Chinese also had air superiority in this battle. After some defeats Japan decided to retreat. However, Chinese forces gave chase and inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese. The local Chinese guerrilla forces then attacked the Japanese positions. Japan ended up losing a large amount of territory that they once occupied. The Chinese also had air superiority in this battle. After some defeats Japan decided to retreat. However, Chinese forces gave chase and inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese. The local Chinese guerrilla forces then attacked the Japanese positions. Japan ended up losing a large amount of territory that they once occupied.

The Japanese drove east while two smaller forces to the north and south moved generally parallel to the main column. The Chinese Combat Command's advisory and liaison system was immediately called into play. At a meeting on 14 April, the day after the Japanese general advance began, Generals Ho and McClure agreed on the basic plan to counter the enemy attack. Chinese armies would be concentrated to the north and south to prepare to strike the enemy advance in the flanks and rear. The Chinese center around Chihchiang would be strengthened by moving the New 6th Army, composed of two veteran divisions of the Burma campaign, into the area.

By late April, the New 6th Army began concentrating at Chihchiang. Although their deployment from Burma diverted scarce fuel from the U.S. Fourteenth Air Force, American airmen continued to fly repeated missions against the attacking Japanese. Meanwhile, other Chinese armies moved into position, the 94th to the south and the 100th and 18th to the north. Meanwhile, the 74th Army, defending the Chinese center on a fifty-mile front, was putting up a stout resistance, slowing the Japanese advance.

On 3 May a Chinese-American staff conference decided to counterattack a Japanese detachment near Wu-yang, seventy miles southeast of Chihchiang. The subsequent engagement by the 5th Division of the 94th Army on 5 and 6 May was completely successful. Over the next few days, the 5th and 121st Divisions, also of the 94th Army, repeatedly outflanked the Japanese and hustled them north. The Chinese 18th and 100th Armies moved into the Japanese rear. With the 94th Army threatening from the south, the Japanese were forced into a general retreat and by 7 June were back at their initial starting positions.<ref name="Kraus"/>


==Casualties== ==Casualties==
After the battle, the Japanese first announced that they only had 11,000 casualties (5,000 KIA). They later revised the figures to include an additional 15,000 casualties "due to diseases". Finally, they admitted to a casualty figure of 27,000. On the other hand, the Chinese claimed to have inflicted on the Japanese 36,358 casualties, including 12,498 KIA. The Chinese sustained 20,660 casualties with 7,817 KIA, of which there were 823 officers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Western Hunan Battle: prelude to Chinese counterattack in War of Resistance to Japan |url=http://en.people.cn/200505/09/eng20050509_184189.html |accessdate=12 December 2018 |agency=People's Daily |publisher=People's Daily}}</ref> After the battle, the Japanese first announced that they only had 11,000 casualties (5,000 KIA). They later revised the figures to include an additional 15,000 casualties "due to diseases". Finally, they admitted to a casualty figure of 27,000. On the other hand, the Chinese claimed to have inflicted on the Japanese 36,358 casualties, including 12,498 KIA. The Chinese sustained 20,660 casualties with 7,817 KIA, of which there were 823 officers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Western Hunan Battle: prelude to Chinese counterattack in War of Resistance to Japan |url=http://en.people.cn/200505/09/eng20050509_184189.html |access-date=12 December 2018 |agency=People's Daily |publisher=People's Daily |archive-date=4 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304161113/http://en.people.cn/200505/09/eng20050509_184189.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>


==References== ==References==
{{reflist|refs= {{reflist|refs=
* <ref name= Wilson>{{cite book |first1= Dick |last1= Wilson |title= When Tigers Fight |publisher= Viking |date= June 7, 1982 |ISBN=978-0670760039}}</ref> * <ref name= Wilson>{{cite book |first1= Dick |last1= Wilson |title= When Tigers Fight |publisher= Viking |date= June 7, 1982 |isbn= 978-0670760039 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/whentigersfights00wils }}</ref>
* <ref name= Hsu>{{cite book |last1= Hsu |first1= Long-hsuen |last2= Chang |first2= Ming-kai |title= History of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)|publisher= Chung Wu Publishing Co. |date= 1972 |ASIN= B00005W210}}</ref> * <ref name= Hsu>{{cite book |last1= Hsu |first1= Long-hsuen |last2= Chang |first2= Ming-kai |title= History of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)|publisher= Chung Wu Publishing Co. |date= 1972 |asin= B00005W210}}</ref>
* <ref name= Kraus>{{cite book |first1= Theresa L. |last1= Kraus|title= The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II: China Offensive |publisher= CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |date= August 6, 2015 | ISBN= 978-1515376347}}</ref> * <ref name= Kraus>{{cite book |first1= Theresa L. |last1= Kraus|title= The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II: China Offensive |publisher= CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |date= August 6, 2015 | isbn= 978-1515376347}}</ref>
}} }}


{{World War II}} {{World War II}}
{{coord missing|Hunan}} {{coord missing|Hunan}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of West Hunan}} {{DEFAULTSORT:West Hunan}}
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Latest revision as of 12:48, 11 January 2025

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Battle of World War II
Battle of West Hunan
Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific Theater of World War II
Date (1945-04-06) (1945-06-07)April 6 – June 7, 1945
(2 months and 1 day)
LocationWest Hunan, near Zhijiang
Result Allied victory
Belligerents
 Republic of China
 United States (air support only)		  Japan
Commanders and leaders
Republic of China (1912–1949) He Yingqin
Republic of China (1912–1949) Wang Yaowu
Republic of China (1912–1949) Tang Enbo
Republic of China (1912–1949) Liao Yaoxiang
Republic of China (1912–1949) Zhang Lingfu		 Empire of Japan Yasuji Okamura
Empire of Japan Kazuyoshi Sakanishi
Strength
110,000 in Hunan
200,000 in total
400 aircraft		 80,000
Casualties and losses

Chinese figures:

  • 20,660
    • 7,817 killed
  • 11 American pilots

Japanese figures:
20th army from April until June :

  • According to Senshi Sōsho :
    • 695 killed
    • 1,181 wounded (including 322 who died of wounds)
    • 24,640 fallen ill (including 2,362 who died of illness)
  • According to the medical department of the 20th army :
    • 1,718 killed
    • 2,691 wounded (including 275 who died of wounds)
    • 27,372 fallen ill (including 1,992 who died of illness)
  • According to Japanese Army record:
    • About 15,000 killed in action
    • About 50,000 wounded in action
  • According to 109th Infantry Regiment report:
    • Most members of 109th infantry regiment were killed in action

Chinese figures:

  • 35,805
    • 12,498 killed
8,563 civilians
Second Sino-Japanese War
1931–1937 (pre-war skirmishes)
1937–1939
1940–1942
1943–1945
Air War
Pacific War
Central Pacific
Indian Ocean (1941–1945)
Southeast Asia
Burma and India
Southwest Pacific
North America
Japan
Manchuria and Northern Korea

Second Sino-Japanese War

Military campaigns of the Empire of Japan
Meiji period

Taishō period

Shōwa period

Campaigns of World War II
Europe

Asia-Pacific

Mediterranean and Middle East

Other campaigns

Coups

The Battle of West Hunan (Chinese: 湘西會戰), also known as the Battle of Xuefeng Mountains (Chinese: 雪峰山戰役) and the Zhijiang Campaign (Chinese: 芷江戰役), was the Japanese invasion of west Hunan and the subsequent Allied counterattack that occurred between 6 April and 7 June 1945, during the last months of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Japanese strategic aims for this campaign were to seize Chinese airfields and secure railroads in West Hunan, and to achieve a decisive victory that their depleted land forces needed.

This campaign, if successful, would also have allowed Japan to attack Sichuan and eventually the Chinese wartime capital Chongqing. Although Japan was able to make initial headways, Chinese forces with air support from the Americans were able to turn the tide and forced the Japanese into a rout, recovering a substantial amount of lost ground.

This was the last major Japanese offensive, and the last of 22 major battles during the war to involve more than 100,000 troops. Concurrently, the Chinese managed to repel a Japanese offensive in Henan and Hubei and launched a successful attack on Japanese forces in Guangxi, turning the course of the war sharply in China's favor even as they prepared to launch a full-scale counterattack across South China.

Background

By April 1945, China had already been at war with Japan for more than seven years. Both nations were exhausted by years of battles, bombings and blockades. From 1941–1943, both sides maintained a "dynamic equilibrium", where field engagements were often numerous, involved large numbers of troops and produced high casualty counts, but the results of which were mostly indecisive. Operation Ichi-Go in 1944 changed the status quo, as Japanese forces were able to break through the inadequate Chinese defenses and occupy eastern Henan, a corridor in the eastern parts of Hunan through Changsha and eastern parts of Guangxi through Guilin–Liuzhou, connecting Japanese-held areas from north to south in a continuous railway corridor.

However, the Japanese victory resulted in very little actual benefit for them: the operation drained Japanese manpower and a weakened Japanese army had to defend a longer front with more partisan activity in occupied areas. The opening up of north-south railway connections did little to improve Japanese logistics, for only one train ran from Guangzhou to Wuhan in April 1945, and due to fuel shortages the primary mode of transportation for Japanese troops was on foot.

On the other hand, although the Chinese government in Chongqing had lost land access to their remaining forces in Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi with their defeat in Ichi-Go, Chinese fortunes in the war improved with the retaking of northern Burma by Allied and Chinese forces. On 4 February 1945, the first convoy of trucks reached Kunming from the British railhead in Ledo, India, over the newly completed Stilwell Road and the northern section of the Burma Road; using this road link, over 50,000 tonnes of petroleum started to arrive into China every month. By April 1945, enough materiel had become available to the Chinese army to equip 35 divisions with American equipment. A major counter offensive was planned.

Order of battle

China

  • 26th Corps: Ting Chih-pan
41st Division: Tung Gee-Tao
4th Division: Chiang Hsiu-jen
  • 94th Corps: Mu Ting-fang
5th Division: Li Tse-fen
43rd Division: Li Shih-lin
121st Division: Ch Ching-min
  • New 6th Corps: Liao Yao-hsiang
14th Division: Lung Tien-wu
New 22nd Division: Li Tao
  • 18th Corps: Hu Lien
11th Division: Yang Po-tao
18th Division: Chin Tao-shan
118th Division: Tai Pu
  • 73rd Corps: Han Chun
15th Division: Liang Chi-lu
77th Division: Tang Sheng-hai
193rd Division: Hsiao Chuang-kuang
  • 74th Corps: Shih Chung-cheng
51st Division: Chao Chih-tao
57th Division: Li Yen
58th Division: Tsai Jen-chieh
  • 100th Corps: Li Tien-hsia
19th Division: Yang Yin
63rd Division: Hsu Chih-hsiu
13th Division: Chin Li-san
6th Provincial Division: Chao Chi-ping
assorted independent units
  • 39th Corps; Liu Shang-chih (uncommitted)
51st Division; Shih Hun-hsi
  • 92nd Corps; Hou Ching-ju
21st Division; Li Tse-fen
142nd Division; Li Chun-ling (uncommitted)
Air Support (400 aircraft)
  • Chinese Air Force
1st Air Group
2nd Air Group
3rd Air Group
5th Air Group
  • U.S. Air Force
14th Air Force

Sources

Japan

Sources

Japanese strategic objectives

For this campaign, the Imperial Japanese had three main objectives. The first of which was to neutralize the Chinese airfield at Zhijiang, whose complement of USAAF and ROCAF was ensuring Allied air superiority in the region and a base for U.S. bombers, either by physically reaching the airfield, located only 435 km (270 mi) from Chongqing, and securing it, or simply by pressing forward close enough to the airfield to force the Chinese to destroy the installation.

Their second objective was to secure their control of the Hunan-Guangxi and Guangzhou-Hankou railways. A third objective was to preemptively disrupt the planned Chinese offensive in the region.

Preparations for battle

By this point of the war, Japan was losing the battle in Burma and facing constant attacks from Chinese forces in the country side. Spare troops for this campaign were limited. The Japanese army began preparations for the battle in March 1945, constructing two highways with forced Chinese labor: the Heng-Shao Highway ran from Hengyang in a northwest direction to Shaoyang, a Japanese-controlled city in central Hunan a mere 100 km (62 mi) from Zhijiang; and the Tan-Shao Highway from Xiangtan, southwest to Shaoyang. Supplies and equipment were stockpiled near Shaoyang, to be the headquarters of the Japanese 20th Corps, led by Ichirō Banzai. Under it were the Japanese 34th, 47th, 64th, 68th and 116th Divisions, as well as the 86th Independent Brigade, massing at various locations across Hunan, for a total of 80,000 men by early April.

In response, the Chinese National Military Council dispatched the 4th Front Army and the 10th and 27th Army Groups with He Yingqin as commander-in-chief. At the same time, it airlifted the entire New 6th Corps, an American-equipped corps and veterans of the Burma Expeditionary Force, from Kunming to Zhijiang. Chinese forces totaled 110,000 men in 20 divisions. They were supported by about 400 aircraft from the CAF 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th Air Groups and the USAAF 14th Air Force.

Battle

Japanese forces took over the outskirts of Hunan with little resistance. However, they didn't realize that the Chinese forces were well prepared for the Japanese assault. The mountainous terrain was ideal for ambushes and mortar bombardment on approaching Japanese forces in the lower grounds.

The Chinese also had air superiority in this battle. After some defeats Japan decided to retreat. However, Chinese forces gave chase and inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese. The local Chinese guerrilla forces then attacked the Japanese positions. Japan ended up losing a large amount of territory that they once occupied.

The Japanese drove east while two smaller forces to the north and south moved generally parallel to the main column. The Chinese Combat Command's advisory and liaison system was immediately called into play. At a meeting on 14 April, the day after the Japanese general advance began, Generals Ho and McClure agreed on the basic plan to counter the enemy attack. Chinese armies would be concentrated to the north and south to prepare to strike the enemy advance in the flanks and rear. The Chinese center around Chihchiang would be strengthened by moving the New 6th Army, composed of two veteran divisions of the Burma campaign, into the area.

By late April, the New 6th Army began concentrating at Chihchiang. Although their deployment from Burma diverted scarce fuel from the U.S. Fourteenth Air Force, American airmen continued to fly repeated missions against the attacking Japanese. Meanwhile, other Chinese armies moved into position, the 94th to the south and the 100th and 18th to the north. Meanwhile, the 74th Army, defending the Chinese center on a fifty-mile front, was putting up a stout resistance, slowing the Japanese advance.

On 3 May a Chinese-American staff conference decided to counterattack a Japanese detachment near Wu-yang, seventy miles southeast of Chihchiang. The subsequent engagement by the 5th Division of the 94th Army on 5 and 6 May was completely successful. Over the next few days, the 5th and 121st Divisions, also of the 94th Army, repeatedly outflanked the Japanese and hustled them north. The Chinese 18th and 100th Armies moved into the Japanese rear. With the 94th Army threatening from the south, the Japanese were forced into a general retreat and by 7 June were back at their initial starting positions.

Casualties

After the battle, the Japanese first announced that they only had 11,000 casualties (5,000 KIA). They later revised the figures to include an additional 15,000 casualties "due to diseases". Finally, they admitted to a casualty figure of 27,000. On the other hand, the Chinese claimed to have inflicted on the Japanese 36,358 casualties, including 12,498 KIA. The Chinese sustained 20,660 casualties with 7,817 KIA, of which there were 823 officers.

References

  1. "如何评价抗日战争的湘西会战? - heaven's answer - Zhihu". Retrieved 2025-01-11.
  2. “ 第２節　第２款／其の３　芷江作戦” Japan Center for Asian Historical Records (JACAR) Ref.C13031939100, 支那方面作戦記録　第３巻 (National Institute for Defense Studies)
  3. 「第４　龍潭司山門洞口付近の戦闘」JACAR（アジア歴史資料センター）Ref.C13070595500、歩兵第１０９連隊芷江作戦戦闘詳報　昭和２０年４月１３日～２０年４月１８日（防衛省防衛研究所）
  4. ^ Wilson, Dick (June 7, 1982). When Tigers Fight. Viking. ISBN 978-0670760039.
  5. ^ "National Revolutionary Army Order of Battle for the Battle of West Hunan". China Whampoa Academy Net. 11 September 2007 <http://www.hoplite.cn/Templates/hpjh0106.htm Archived 2015-07-04 at the Wayback Machine>.
  6. ^ Hsu, Long-hsuen; Chang, Ming-kai (1972). History of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). Chung Wu Publishing Co. ASIN B00005W210.
  7. ^ Kraus, Theresa L. (August 6, 2015). The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II: China Offensive. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1515376347.
  8. "Western Hunan Battle: prelude to Chinese counterattack in War of Resistance to Japan". People's Daily. People's Daily. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
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