Battle of Changsha (1941–1942)
The Third Battle of Changsha began on the 24th of December 1941, just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This timing was no accident for Imperial Japanese forces seeking to sever Chinese lines of communication with British Hong Kong. The city sat at the heart of China's most important rice-producing provinces, areas that supplied food for populous regions around the wartime capital of Chongqing. Both sides recognized the critical nature of this location and had fought two major battles over the city in the previous two years. The offensive originally intended to prevent Chinese forces from reinforcing the British Commonwealth forces engaged in Hong Kong became obsolete when Hong Kong fell before the main thrust could begin. Infuriated by Chinese claims of having defeated him in his September-October 1941 Changsha Offensive, Japanese Eleventh Army commander General Korechika Anami mounted a new attack. His main force consisted of 27 infantry battalions, 10 artillery battalions, and one artillery battery. However, the attack was carried out after Hong Kong had fallen, defeating the point of the operation. In addition, the Japanese had prepared the operation as a swift attack by light forces, and thus only prepared a slender supply route. It was a logistical weakness the Chinese would soon exploit.
Defending Changsha were Chinese forces under the command of southern General Xue Yue. Nicknamed the "Tiger of Changsha," Yue and his men had managed to defend Changsha against two large attacks by Japanese forces in 1939 and 1941. In both instances, the Chinese had lured the Japanese deep into their territory, and upon engaging their forces in Changsha, severed their supply lines from the rear, forcing the Japanese back into retreats and inflicting heavy losses. The urban city of Changsha was defended by the 10th corps. The corps had been defeated in the Second Battle of Changsha and its commander Li Yutang was dismissed. With the Japanese army approaching the city and replacement commander Zhong Bin not yet arriving, Li Yutang was reinstated as the commander. The officers and soldiers of the 10th corps were in high spirits, seeing this battle as a chance for rehabilitation of the corps and their commander. The Japanese commenced combat operations on the 24th of December 1941, with the 6th and 40th Divisions leading the way. By the 29th of December 1941, believing that the city of Changsha was "inadequately defended", Anami elected to capture it.
Fighting was the most intense over southern and eastern gates of the city's walls, and both sides waged vicious see-saw battles over points of tactical importance. One mound, nicknamed "Graveyard Hill," changed hands 11 times in less than 72 hours. On the night of January 1, Fang Xianjue wrote a suicide note, vowing to live and die in Changsha. His letter, which was intended for his wife, was instead sent to the Changsha Daily by Yang Zhenghua, the acting director of the political department. The next day, the Changsha Daily published the full text of the letter with the headline "Commander Fang vowed to defend the land to the death and has made his will in advance". At dawn on January 3, the 2nd battalion of the 23rd infantry regiment of the 6th division attacked the north side of Changsha. The 570th regiment of the 190th division resisted fiercely and artillery guns from Yuelu Mountain fired at the attacking Japanese soldiers. At 6:30, Lieutenant Colonel Shozaburo Yokota led his 2nd battalion of the 68th infantry regiment into attacking the repair shop. In the ensuing battle with the 30th regiment of the 10th reserve division, the lieutenant colonel was killed in action.
Since January 3, the Japanese army started detecting about 30 Chinese divisions tightening their encirclement around the Japanese units in Changsha. The 79th corps approached Dongshan, the crossing point of the 3rd division for the Liuyang River, and occupied the bridge, forcing the defenders to retreat. The centre of the bridge were blown up by Chinese artillery, and the 1st platoon of the 2nd company of the 3rd engineer regiment rushed towards the bridge. The platoon commander and several engineers were immediately killed by grenades and due to fierce enemy fire, there was little progress in repairing the bridge. At the same time, the 26th corps approached Langli City, the crossing point of the 6th division which was defended by the 45th infantry regiment. The corps overran several positions while closing in on the 6th regiment of the Quartermasters directly defending the bridge. For the next two days, the regiment engaged in fierce fighting against the 26th corps, securing the bridge. The 20th and 58th corps of the Sichuan Army were stationed in Yingzhu Mountain, blocking the 3rd and 6th divisions retreat.
The Chinese, in a near-repeat of the previous battles for Changsha, had penetrated to the rear of the main Japanese force and severed their supply lines. As a result, Japanese supplies in ammunition and rations, already strained by days of combat, plunged to dangerously low levels: soldiers in some regiments had only 10-15 bullets each, and some platoons only had a single grenade to share amongst themselves. Japanese prisoners later taken by the Chinese were reported to have not eaten for days prior to their capture, having prepared only 5 days worth of food. When the 3rd division received the order to retreat on the night of the 3rd, divisional commander Toyoshima immediately telegraphed General Anami requesting the retreat be postponed for one day to recover Kato Soichi's body and capture Changsha. At this time, he sent staff officer Ishii to the 6th division to explain his intention and request joint action for the operation. At this time, the 3rd division had suffered more than 700 casualties and had almost run out of ammunition. The withdrawal was conducted under "considerable hardship," according to a post-war Japanese account.
Both sides had suffered heavy losses as a result of the fighting. Historian Richard B. Frank, citing Chinese claim, estimates the Japanese lost almost 57,000 troops in the battle, including some 33,941 killed and 23,003 wounded. He Chengjun, Director-General of Courts-Martial of the Military Commission, recorded in his diary on the 25th of February 1942 that when Xue Yue reported this number to the Military Commission, everyone present laughed at him and Chiang Kai-Shek himself considered the claim too unrealistic. The New York Times estimated the Japanese had lost some 52,000 men in the fighting around Changsha. The Nome Nugget reported the Japanese had lost 15,000 men on January 2 alone, including many high-ranking officers, mostly by artillery fire. The Chinese also suffered heavy casualties. The intensity of the fighting combined with the Chinese Army's harsh discipline meant that Chinese soldiers often fought to the death at their positions, with one Chinese regiment being reduced to 58 survivors after only a few days of fighting. The Japanese army reported their losses as 1,591 killed and 4,412 wounded and claimed 28,612 Chinese soldiers killed and 1,065 Chinese soldiers captured.
On the 24th of January 1942, Xue Yue and Li Yutang were awarded the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun for their roles in the third battle of Changsha. On the same day, Li Yutang was promoted to deputy commander of the 27th army group while still serving as the commander of the 10th corps. The 10th corps earned the title "Mt. Tai Army" and was well respected. On the 28th of March 1942, Li Yutang resigned as commander of the 10th corps to serve fully as deputy army group commander. Fang Xianjue, the commander of the 10th reserve division, was promoted to corps commander. On the 8th of September 1942, the 3rd division, 190th division, and 10th reserve division of the 10th corps each received the Flying Tiger Flags from the Nationalist Government for their role in defending the Changsha city. Changsha would remain in Chinese hands until 1944, when Japanese forces would capture the city as part of the Ichi-Go offensive. By then however the tide has completely turned against Japan both in China and the Pacific and the city's importance had diminished greatly.
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Common questions
When did the Third Battle of Changsha begin?
The Third Battle of Changsha began on the 24th of December 1941. This offensive started just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor and was timed to sever Chinese lines of communication with British Hong Kong.
Who commanded the Japanese forces during the Third Battle of Changsha?
Japanese Eleventh Army commander General Korechika Anami led the main force consisting of 27 infantry battalions, 10 artillery battalions, and one artillery battery. His strategy relied on a swift attack by light forces which resulted in a slender supply route that proved to be a logistical weakness.
What tactics did General Xue Yue use to defeat the Japanese at Changsha?
General Xue Yue lured the Japanese deep into their territory and severed their supply lines from the rear to force them back into retreats. The Chinese penetrated to the rear of the main Japanese force and cut off supplies causing ammunition and rations to plunge to dangerously low levels.
How many Japanese troops were lost according to historian Richard B. Frank?
Historian Richard B. Frank estimates the Japanese lost almost 57,000 troops including some 33,941 killed and 23,003 wounded. The New York Times estimated the Japanese had lost some 52,000 men in the fighting around Changsha while the Japanese army reported losses as 1,591 killed and 4,412 wounded.
When was Li Yutang promoted to deputy commander of the 27th army group?
Li Yutang was promoted to deputy commander of the 27th army group on the 24th of January 1942. He continued serving as the commander of the 10th corps until he resigned on the 28th of March 1942 to serve fully as deputy army group commander.