Battle of Changsha (1944)

The Battle of Changsha (1944), (also known as the Battle of Hengyang or Campaign of Changsha-Hengyang) 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 the Japanese homeland and Manchuria as part of Operation "Ichi-Go" or "Tairiku Datsu Sakusen" which roughly translates as 'Operation to Break through the Continent'. This was an attempt to establish a land and rail corridor from the Japanese occupied territories of Manchuria, Northern and Central China and Korea and those in South East Asia.

In June 1944, the Japanese deployed 360,000 troops to attack Changsha for the fourth time (the first being in 1939). The Operation involved more Japanese troops than any other campaign in the Second Sino-Japanese war.

Japanese Objectives

Battle of Changsha (1939)

Battle of Changsha (September 17, 1939 – October 6, 1939) was the first of four attempts by Japan to take the city of Changsha (長沙市), Hunan (湖南省), during the second Sino-Japanese War. It was the first major battle of the war to fall within the time frame of what is widely considered World War II.

Background and strategy

The war had reached a stalemate after two years of fighting. Professor Fu Sinian (傅斯年) noted in July 1939 that while the Chinese army had become stronger, the Japanese army had weakened.

On August 15, the 11th Army came up with the general plans for a campaign south of the Yangtze, ranging 250 kilometers from the Xinjiang River to the Gan River (贛江). In early September, Japanese General Toshizō Nishio of the "Japanese Expeditionary Forces to China" and Lieutenant-General Seishirō Itagaki set out to capture Changsha, the provincial capital of Hunan. The Japanese 101st and 106th Divisions were deployed on the western bank of the Gan River in northern Jiangxi (江西), and the 6th, 3rd, 13th, and 33rd Divisions marched southward from southern Hubei (湖北省) to northern Hunan.

Battle of Changsha

"Battle of Changsha' may refer to:

Battle of Changsha (1942)

The third Battle of Changsha (24 December 1941 – 15 January 1942) was the first major offensive in China by Imperial Japanese forces following the Japanese attack on the Western Allies.

The offensive was originally intended to prevent Chinese forces from reinforcing the British Commonwealth forces engaged in Hong Kong. With the capture of Hong Kong on 25 December, however, it was decided to continue the offensive against Changsha in order to maximize the blow against the Chinese government.

The offensive resulted in failure for the Japanese, as Chinese forces were able to lure them into a trap and encircle them. After suffering heavy casualties, Japanese forces were forced to carry out a general retreat.

Battle

On 27 December, the Japanese 3rd, 6th, and 40th Divisions massed at Yueyang and advanced southward in three columns and crossed the Xinqiang River, and tried again to cross the Miluo River to reach Changsha. However, the Chinese formed a deep pocket around the city and set up ambush parties around the Luoyang River. Halfway from Miluo River and Changsha, the Japanese columns faced strong resistance from the Chinese and the eastern column was forced to take a detour further east, and the other two columns had to move closer together than originally planned. During the southward advance the Japanese encountered three Chinese army divisions that were pushed aside but not crushed; they retreated into the eastern mountains.

Changsha

Changsha (simplified Chinese: 长沙; traditional Chinese: 長沙; pinyin: Chángshā) is the provincial capital of Hunan province of the China. With a total area of 11,800 square kilometers, its population in 2014 was 7,311,500 of whom 5,288,800 lived in the built-up area made of 6 urban districts (3,617,469 inhabitants) plus Changsha County largely being urbanized already. The city, located in the south-central China, is governed as prefecture-level city under Hunan government with 9 county-level divisions, 5 national development zones, and 9 provincial zones. Changsha is recognized as the political, economic, financial, cultural, educational and transportation center of Hunan province. The name of "Changsha" was first seen in the Zhou Dynasty. In later dynasties, Changsha was always an important city of Hunan and a key town in Southern China.

Changsha has a 3,000-year history of occupation, and was an important center of the Chu State culture in the Warring States period (5th-3rd c. BC). The lacquerware and silk textiles recovered from a Western Han (2nd century BC) tomb at Changsha are an indication of the richness of local craft traditions. In 1904 Changsha was opened to foreign trade, and large numbers of Europeans and Americans settled there. Changsha was the site of Mao Zedong's conversion to communism. It was the scene of major battles in the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-45 and was briefly occupied by the Japanese. Today Changsha is an important commercial center and river port, with abundant light industrial production.

Chongming Island

Changsha (poem)

Changsha (Chinese: 长沙) is a poem written by Mao Zedong in 1925. It is considered by many Chinese to be of high literary quality and one of the best of Mao's poems.

See also

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