Battle of Zaoyang–Yichang

The Battle of Zaoyang–Yichang, also known as the Battle of Zaoyi, was one of the 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Battle of Zaoyang–Yichang

Japanese troops in the battle of Zaoyang-Yichang[1]
Date1 May – 18 June 1940
Location
Vicinities of Zaoyang and Yichang, Hubei
Result Japanese victory[2][3][4][5]
Belligerents
 Republic of China  Empire of Japan
Commanders and leaders
Li Zongren
Zhang Zizhong †[6]		 Waichiro Sonobe[6]
Strength
350,000[7] IJA 11th Army [7]
200+ tanks[8]
100+ aircraft[8]
1st China Expeditionary Fleet[8]
Casualties and losses

Japanese claim:

  • 60,000+ killed & wounded
  • 81 artillery pieces captured
  • 727 automatic weapons captured
  • 12,557 rifles captured[7]

Chinese records: 11,000 killed[9]

According to Japanese confidential files:

  • 2,700 killed
  • 7,800 wounded[7]
  • tens of thousands[10]

Background

The Japanese were seeking a quicker solution to achieve a Chinese surrender. The Japanese contemplated moving directly down the Yangtze to the relocated Chinese capital, Chongqing. To do so, they would need to capture a critical town in western Hubei province, Yichang.

The Japanese attack did not commit many troops or material, which enabled the main Chinese commander, Li Zongren, who had frustrated the Japanese before, to repel the Japanese.

Battle

On 1 May 1940, three divisions of the IJA 11th Army under command of General Waichiro Sonobe began a drive towards Zaoyang. They pushed towards the 5th warzone's strongholds in the Tongbaishan and Dahongshan mountains, attempting to encircle and destroy the Chinese 31st Army Group under General Tang Enbo in a pincer movement. The Chinese strategy aimed to let the Japanese forces run low on supplies, and then counterattack, as had been successfully employed at the Battle of Changsha. When the Japanese managed to outmaneuver Tang's forces, General Zhang Zizhong marched to his aid with the Chinese 33rd Army Group. The Japanese forces rallied and pushed back the Chinese, and General Zhang Zizhong was cut down in a burst of machine gun fire when he refused to retreat from the front lines. He was the most senior Chinese commander to be killed in combat during the war.[6]

Aftermath

According to Japanese records, the Japanese casualties were 2,700 troops killed and 7,800 wounded. Chinese records show that 11,000 Japanese troops were killed.[9] While the Chinese 5th War Area arguably made tactically sound decisions in its battle plans, it was ultimately overwhelmed by the sheer firepower of the Japanese combined arms offensive, relying primarily on small arms to face the onslaught of Japanese air, naval, artillery, and armoured striking power.[9] As the Chinese commanders had surmised, the Japanese forces were overextended, and were not in a position to pursue their victory. However, the Imperial Japanese Navy pushed strongly for the he occupation of Yichang, located at the edge of Sichuan Province and connecting the 5th and 9th war zones. The Navy felt that it was critically needed as a forward base for air attacks against Chongqing. After considerable argument, the Japanese Army agreed to occupy Yichang.[6] This dealt a considerable blow to the morale and fighting capacity of the Chinese as no large-scale offensive was mounted after this operation.[7]

See also
  • Order of Battle: Battle of Zaoyang-Yichang

References
  1. http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1041952/106
  2. China. Hsüan ch'uan pu (1943). China After Five Years of War. Gollancz. p. 62.
  3. Bulletin of International News. Association for International Understanding. 1941. p. 1770.
  4. Philippine Magazine. Philippine Education Company. 1940. p. 62.
  5. Felix Reburreccion Hidalgo; Charles E. Griffith, jr. (1928). Philippine Magazine. Philippine Education Company. p. 62.
  6. Frank, Richard (2020). Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War, Volume I: July 1937-May 1942. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 1324002107.
  7. Central China area operation record 1937-1945 (PDF) (Report). Japanese Monograph. 179. Tokyo, Japan: Headquarters, USAFFE and eighth U.S. Army, Office of the chief of military history department of the army. 21 December 1955. pp. 215–218. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  8. 柯育芳. 枣宜会战述论(上)．
  9. 文丰. 论蒋介石与枣宜会战．
  10. JACAR(Japan Center for Asian Historical Records)Ref.C11110494300、China General Army statistics in January 1941 (containing seven attached charts) . From January 1941(National Institute for Defense Studies)

Sources
  • Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) 2nd Ed., 1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung, Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China. Page 334-339, Map 20, 21
  • van de Ven, Hans. War and Nationalism in China: 1925-1945,

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