1938 Yellow River flood
On the 13th of June 1938, a wave of water crashed into Zhongmu County. This event was not natural but engineered by the National Revolutionary Army to stop Japanese advances. Military leaders had three long-term goals for this scorched earth tactic. The first goal protected the Guanzhong section of the Longhai railway. Soviet Union forces used this route to send supplies from August 1937 until March 1941. Without this protection, the supply line would have been cut off after German arms exports stopped in April 1938. The second goal aimed to block access to Shaanxi province. Japanese troops could not enter Sichuan if they were blocked from Shaanxi. This region housed Chongqing, the wartime capital and southwestern home front. The third goal destroyed key transport links across Northern China. Floodwaters crushed tracks on the Beijing, Wuhan Railway and the Tianjin, Pukou Railway. These actions prevented the rapid movement of Japanese machines and troops.
Military history records show deliberate dike destruction occurred in 225 BC, AD 219, 918, 923, 1128, 1232, 1234, 1642, and 1926. In 1935, Alexander von Falkenhausen wrote a report recommending flood use as part of national defense strategy. Officers familiar with warlord Wu Peifu's tactics discussed using water against enemies during May 1938. Chiang Kai-shek sanctioned the plan on June 1st at a military meeting near Zhengzhou. The original order targeted explosives at Zhaokou but proved too difficult. Engineers instead chose Huayuankou on the Yellow River south bank. They breached the dikes via tunneling operations on June 5th and June 7th. Water flooded into Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces covering thousands of square kilometers. The river shifted its course hundreds of kilometers to the south. Attempts to seal the breach began in March 1946 with UNRRA assistance. Work finished in June but failed again due to large summer flows. Final repairs succeeded and were completed by March 1947.
Immediate drowning deaths ranged from 30,000 according to Kuo Tai-chun to 89,000 per China Academy of Sciences data. Total death estimates varied wildly between professional sources. Wang Zhibin placed figures between 400,000 and 500,000 in 1986. Bi Chunfu, an editor at the Yellow River Conservancy Commission, supported similar numbers in 1995. The Nationalist government released relief statistics in 1948 claiming 893,303 total deaths. This figure was discredited for unspecified methodology regarding body counting. It also contained questionable approximations for missing persons in Anhui province. Early communist estimates in the 1950s put total deaths at 470,000 and 500,000 respectively. Later communist sources upheld the higher 893,303 number to portray the Nationalist government as inhumane. Five million civilians lived on inundated land until 1947. Survivors faced destitution after public structures and housing were destroyed. Irrigation channels ruined farmlands further adding to the toll.
The Yellow River diverted from its earlier course at Huayuankou into the Jialu River within Zhongmu County. Water flowed into the Shaying River at Zhoujiakou before joining the Huai River. Floods inundated 32 percent of land and 45 percent of villages across 20 affected counties. Much of the ground became uncultivable due to silt covering the soil. Crops were destroyed and countryside areas abandoned for years following recession. The destruction left survivors without homes or resources. Public infrastructure lay in ruins alongside ruined irrigation systems. A postwar report confirmed widespread devastation across the basin. The psychological effect on the Chinese population remained long-term. The Nationalist government moved slowly to provide disaster relief. This delay exacerbated suffering among displaced populations living on flooded terrain.
Nationalist propaganda initially claimed Japanese aerial bombing caused the flood. They falsely stated 12 million peasants lived on inundated land to boost anti-Japanese sentiment. Bi Chunfu estimated five million peasants actually resided there in 1995. Early communist estimates in the 1950s echoed figures of 6.1 million and 5 million respectively. These numbers exploited casualty data for political narratives. The Nationalist government used inflated statistics to garner public support against invaders. Communist factions later manipulated these same figures to criticize their rivals. By the 1940s, the area evolved into a major guerrilla base known as the Yuwansu Base Area. Chinese Communists turned survivors' anger toward a common enemy. They directed recruits into their ranks by framing the disaster as a shared tragedy. This strategy transformed the flooded zone into a strategic military asset despite the human cost.
Work to seal the breach began in March 1946 with assistance from UNRRA. Engineers aimed to return the river to its former course after years of flooding. Initial efforts finished in June but failed again due to large summer flows. Subsequent repairs succeeded and were eventually completed in March 1947. Five million civilians had lived on such inundated land until that final date. The flood achieved strategic intentions set by NRA commanders while causing enormous economic damage. Japanese Operation 5 never captured Shaanxi, Sichuan or Chongqing. The immediate drowning deaths ranged from 30,000 to 89,000 according to conflicting sources. Total civilian deaths reached between 400,000 and 500,000 from drowning, famine and plague. Inspired by the outcome, dikes elsewhere in China were subsequently destroyed by both sides. Yangtze River levees fell victim to similar tactics during the conflict.
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Common questions
When did the 1938 Yellow River flood occur?
The 1938 Yellow River flood occurred on the 13th of June 1938 when a wave of water crashed into Zhongmu County. Military leaders engineered this event to stop Japanese advances during the Sino-Japanese War.
Who ordered the destruction of dikes in the 1938 Yellow River flood?
Chiang Kai-shek sanctioned the plan on June 1st at a military meeting near Zhengzhou. Engineers breached the dikes via tunneling operations on June 5th and June 7th at Huayuankou on the Yellow River south bank.
How many people died in the 1938 Yellow River flood?
Immediate drowning deaths ranged from 30,000 according to Kuo Tai-chun to 89,000 per China Academy of Sciences data. Total civilian deaths reached between 400,000 and 500,000 from drowning, famine and plague while the Nationalist government released relief statistics in 1948 claiming 893,303 total deaths.
Where did the 1938 Yellow River flood flow after breaching the dikes?
The Yellow River diverted from its earlier course at Huayuankou into the Jialu River within Zhongmu County. Water flowed into the Shaying River at Zhoujiakou before joining the Huai River and inundated 20 affected counties across Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces.
Why was the 1938 Yellow River flood engineered by the National Revolutionary Army?
Military leaders had three long-term goals for this scorched earth tactic including protecting the Guanzhong section of the Longhai railway and blocking access to Shaanxi province. The third goal destroyed key transport links across Northern China such as the Beijing, Wuhan Railway and the Tianjin, Pukou Railway to prevent rapid movement of Japanese machines and troops.