Defense of Hengyang

Defense of Hengyang
Part of the Second Sino-Japanese War of World War II
Date June 22–August 8, 1944 Location Hengyang, Hunan province Result Japanese victory Territorial changes Japanese captured Hengyang
Belligerents
National Revolutionary Army	Imperial Japanese Army
Commanders and leaders
Fang Xianjue	Isamu Yokoyama

The Battle of Hengyang was the longest defense of a single city of the entire Second Sino-Japanese War. When Changsha fell to the Imperial Japanese Army on June 19, 1944, Hengyang became their next target. The reorganized 11th Army, consisting of 10 divisions, 4 brigades, and over 110,000 men, assumed the task of attacking Hengyang.

The city was an important railroad junction^[1][2] and Hengyang Airport was used by USAAC General Claire Lee Chennault's Flying Tigers which were engaged in bombing operations of the Japanese homeland. Therefore, Field Marshal Hajime Sugiyama(杉山 元), chief of imperial staff and war minister, ordered the city must be taken at all costs.

On June 22, Japanese 68th and 116th divisions received their orders to attack the city and to take it within 2 days, which started the 48 days of siege and defense.

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