Battle of Changsha (1941)
On the 2nd of December 1940, the US Congress passed a bill to provide a 100-million-dollar loan to China. This financial support arrived as Japan signed the Tripartite Pact and moved to recognize Wang Jingwei's puppet government. Britain followed suit on December 10 by approving a 10-million-pound loan to China. These actions signaled a shift in international relations that directly influenced Japanese military planning. The Japanese army felt compelled to resolve what they called the 'China Incident' before their position became untenable. On the 16th of January 1941, the Japanese army adopted the Long-term Operational Guidance Plan for China. This plan dictated aggressive operations during the summer and autumn of 1941 while monitoring the global situation. In April 1941, Lieutenant General Korechika Anami took command of the 11th Army and began preparing for the Changsha operation. While these plans were being drafted, Operation Barbarossa started on the 22nd of June 1941. The German invasion of the Soviet Union disrupted preparations as the China Expeditionary Army considered redeploying units from the 11th Army. Despite this disruption, Lieutenant General Anami approved the operational outline on June 24, setting September 15 as the launch date. The objective was to deal a major blow to the Ninth Military Front rather than simply occupy territory or obtain supplies. Japanese leaders estimated fifteen enemy divisions facing them, including the 4th, 37th, 99th, 74th, and 26th Corps. To counter this force, the Japanese army deployed forty-one infantry battalions across four divisions and three task forces, supported by twenty-nine artillery battalions.
On September 7, the Japanese 6th Division launched a mopping-up operation at Dayun Mountain with air support from the east, west, and north. The Yanling and Jianshan positions fell on that same day. Defending troops included the 177th Regiment of the 59th Division and the 306th Regiment of the 102nd Division of the 4th Corps. They were joined by the 1st Battalion of the 33rd Regiment of the New 11th Division of the 58th Corps of the 27th Army Group. These units found themselves trapped in a desperate battle against superior firepower. On the same day, Yang Sen, commander of the 27th Army Group, ordered the New 10th Division and New 11th division of the 58th Corps to assist the defenders. By the 8th, these two divisions advanced towards Dayun Mountain followed by the 60th Division of the 37th Corps. For the next two days, both sides fought fiercely for control of the mountain. On the 10th of September, the Shigematsu task force of the 40th Division arrived to replace the 6th Division at Dayun Mountain. A critical error occurred when the 6th Division mistakenly reported that the mountain had been cleared of enemy troops. Consequently, the incoming task force was unprepared for the assault by the 59th, 60th, and New 10th Divisions. The task force struggled under the counterattack of these three divisions, allowing the Chinese army to recapture the peak of Dayun Mountain. Meanwhile, portions of the 4th Corps skirmished with the Japanese 3rd and 6th Divisions elsewhere on the battlefield. After hearing about the unexpected resistance encountered by the 40th Division, the 11th Army headquarters ordered the Araki task force of the 33rd Division to reinforce the division. This reinforcement reached its position on the 18th after encountering fierce resistance from the New 11th Division along the way. From September 14 until September 17, the 40th Division continued fighting against the Chinese New 10th Division. After a week of combat, engaged units of the Japanese division suffered losses exceeding half their strength. Seeing this build-up north of Xinqiang River, the Ninth Military Front ordered the 27th Army Group to withdraw from Dayun Mountain. They gradually executed this withdrawal on September 17 and 18. The Chinese army suffered more than 3,000 casualties in the battle.
On September 18, the Japanese army launched their all-out offensive. The 6th Division forced a crossing at the Xinqiang River, breaking through the position of the 4th Corps at the south bank. This breach caused the corps to retreat to the mountains east of Guanwang Bridge. Soon, the whole 11th Army was crossing the river. Yang Sen ordered the 133rd and 134th Divisions of the 20th Corps and the 58th Corps to block the enemy near Yanglin street. On September 19, the 40th Division encountered fierce resistance from the 59th and 90th Divisions of the 4th Corps. They fought all day long with heavy losses on both sides. By September 19, the 3rd, 4th, and 6th Divisions arrived at the north bank of the Miluo River. The 95th and 140th Divisions of the 37th Corps and the 92nd and 99th Divisions of the 99th Corps had been ordered to the south bank on the 18th. Before they finished deployment, three Japanese divisions were already crossing the river and attacking the two corps. From the 19th until the 24th of September, the two sides fought fiercely at the south bank. Chinese positions were breached one after another. By the 25th, the two corps had to retreat. At the same time, the Japanese 6th division moved eastward along the Miluo River and clashed with the 44th Division of the 26th Corps. The corps immediately sent the 32nd and 41st Divisions to assist, but the 32nd Division was intercepted by the Japanese 3rd Division and retreated southward. The 6th Division quickly broke through the right and left flank of the 26th Corps and encircled the unit on the 23rd of September. On the 25th, the corps was ordered to break out and the remnants retreated to Genggutai and Shiwan. On the 22nd of September, the 3rd Division, 190th Division, and 10th Reserve Division of the 10th Corps were ordered to occupy the Jinjing-Suqiao line. On the 24th, the corps was besieged by the Japanese 3rd, 4th, and 6th Divisions and the Hayabuchi task force. The 568th Regiment and the headquarters of the 190th Division trying to move southward were surrounded by the Japanese 3rd Division. During the break-out attempt, divisional commander Zhu Yue was wounded and deputy divisional commander Lai Chuanxiang was killed. By the 26th, all defensive positions of the 10th Corps had been breached. Jinjing and Suqiao fell, and the 10th Corps suffered heavy casualties in the retreat. Xue Yue's plan to destroy the Japanese army at the south bank of the Miluo River had failed.
Throughout the campaign, the 11th Army's headquarters paid close attention to the movement of Wang Yaowu's 74th Corps. Unbeknownst to the Nationalists, the Japanese army had intercepted telegraphs from the Chinese army. On the 21st of September, headquarters received shocking news that the 74th Corps had begun moving to the battlefield. Since the Jiangxi-Hunan operation, the 74th Corps had fought several battles against the 11th Army, including the 1939-1940 Winter Offensive and the Battle of Shanggao. The 11th Army regarded this unit as an elite assault corps directly under the Nationalist Government. The appearance of the 74th Corps affected operational plans for Changsha. General Anami ordered the 6th Division to block the corps at the Laodao River. On September 24, General Anami held a combat meeting regarding how to deal with the 74th Corps. He hoped to deal a heavy blow but eventually decided to focus on the original objective. The 3rd and 4th Divisions continued advancing towards Changsha while the 6th Division was tasked with defeating the 74th Corps. On the early morning of September 26, Hanaya's 29th Infantry Brigade sent the 3rd Battalion of the 18th Infantry Regiment forward to secure a crossing point near Jintan. To get there, the battalion would have to pass through Chunhua Mountain. At 8 a.m., the 10th Company approached the vicinity of Chunhua Mountain when it suddenly took fire. Because the area was covered by a small pine forest and visibility was unclear, the company did not know where the bullets came from. Battalion commander Ikede judged the enemy were defeated stragglers and ordered an attack. As a result, the company fought until afternoon before making progress. The battalion eventually had to cross the Laodao River after dark. The enemy facing them were units of the 74th Corps. The 3rd Division had no prior knowledge of who they were fighting against at the time. While the 11th Army knew about the movement since September 21, they did not know where the corps was heading. The Chinese army moved faster than believed due to their habit of rapid night marches to avoid Japanese aircraft. By dawn of September 26, the 169th Regiment of the 57th Division encountered the vanguard of the Japanese army. A portion of the 58th division also rushed to the eastern side of the mountain. Together, these two units drove out the Japanese vanguard and seized key positions near Chunhua Mountain. Before noon, the 1st and 3rd Battalion of the 34th Infantry Regiment arrived at the eastern side of Chunhua Mountain and launched an assault against the 173rd Regiment of the 58th Division. The 3rd Company occupied Hill 153.3 by 15:25 but was immediately subjected to concentrated fire. The commander of the company died the following day from a stray bullet. In the afternoon, the 6th Infantry Regiment arrived at the western side of Chunhua Mountain which was defended by the 169th Regiment of the 57th Division. The regiment ordered its 2nd Battalion to launch an assault with heavy artillery support. For thirty minutes, the 6th and 7th Companies suffered continuous casualties under fierce gunfire. The commander of the 6th Company was killed leading the charge. By 18:00, the 6th Company had occupied Chunhua Mountain.
On September 25, realizing that the enemy were quickly advancing towards the undefended Changsha, Xue Yue ordered the 98th Division of the 79th Corps from Changde and the 8th Provisional Division of the 2nd Provisional Corps from Guangdong to garrison areas around Changsha. On the 27th of September, the Japanese 4th Division crossed the Liuyang River and clashed with the 98th Division. They entered the northeast corner of Changsha City at 17:00. At 22:00, the Hayabuchi task force entered Changsha. On the same day, some units of the 3rd Division rushed south to capture Zhuzhou without orders, which General Anami eventually approved. After fighting for two days with the 8th Provisional Division, the 3rd Division occupied Zhuzhou on September 29. On September 30, the 6th Provisional Division of the 79th Corps crossed the Xiang River and engaged the Japanese 4th Division in Changsha. After occupying Changsha, the 11th Army believed they had defeated core units of the Ninth Military Front. Except for the Hirano task force, most Japanese troops began withdrawal from Changsha on October 1. Detecting this beginning, Xue Yue pushed his troops to pursue aggressively, flanking and harassing the enemy. During the retreat, the Hayabuchi task force attached to the 4th Division was ambushed by the 98th Division at the north bank of the Laodao River. This resulted in the deaths of the 1st and 2nd Battalion commanders. In addition, the 11th Company of the 61st Infantry Regiment, left behind by the main force of the 4th Division, was surrounded east of Changsha on the 2nd. The 3rd Battalion turned back and the 1st Air Group dispatched 16 aircraft to rescue them around noon on the 3rd. By the 6th of October, the Japanese army had finished its withdrawal and the battlefield returned to pre-battle condition.
After learning that the Japanese army had crossed the Xinqiang river on September 18, Chiang Kai-Shek ordered the Sixth Military Front to launch an offensive to recapture Yichang. The 20th and 33rd Army Groups were responsible for sabotage works at the Han-Yi highway. The River Defense Army attacked Yichang while the 26th army group supported the attack. Starting on the 28th, various army groups began their offensives. On September 28, the 348th Regiment of the 116th Division crossed the Yangtze River with the 390th Regiment of the 130th Division and the Dongting Lake guerilla detachment, advancing towards Bailuoji. On the same day, portions of the 5th Provisional Division and 77th Division of the 73rd Corps crossed near Haoxue. On September 29, the 15th Division destroyed a portion of the Han-Yi highway and four bridges. For the next week, three corps attacked garrison positions of the Japanese 39th Division while destroying communication facilities. From October 2 until October 3, the 8th, 53rd, and 73rd Corps continued attacking the 39th Division. On October 3, the 1st Honorary Division captured Zhuanqiao. These sabotage efforts severed many communication lines and paralyzed command functions of the 103rd Brigade at Yaqueling. By October 5, the New 23rd Division and 43rd Division joined the fighting. On September 28, the 121st and 185th Divisions of the 94th Corps assaulted Moji Mountain. The two sides fought until midnight on the 30th. An instance occurred where dozens of Chinese soldiers broke into their position. When surrounded, all committed suicide with grenades. The Chinese army launched tenacious assaults but failed to capture the area. On September 29, Major Yoshio Yamamoto's 1st Battalion received reports of about 300 enemy soldiers near Songjiazu. They sent the 2nd Company to attack them but were quickly besieged by the supplementary regiment of the 75th Corps. On September 30, the company broke through encirclement and returned to friendly lines at night. The next day, they attacked Fengbaoshan. Colonel Yoshio Tachibana judged the Chinese army was not strong and ordered an attack on Xinjiayan. On the night of October 3, the Chinese army bombarded Sankongyan. For the next few days, the Japanese battalion held out against the 75th Corps. By October 9, they were in a stand-off with the 75th and 32nd Corps.
The Ninth Military Front suffered 70,672 killed, wounded, or missing during the battle. They claimed that the Japanese army suffered 20,830 killed, 34,991 wounded, and 263 captured. However, they only released names of 16 captured soldiers excluding those who died from wounds. In the Yichang offensive, the Sixth Military Front suffered 21,368 casualties and claimed 6,422 Japanese soldiers killed or wounded. The Chinese army assessed that the Japanese army advanced 130 kilometers in 11 days akin to a Blitzkrieg. They retreated 12 kilometers a day which caught the Chinese army off-guard. The Chinese admitted failure in their original plan to destroy the Japanese army at the area south of Miluo River. This resulted in the 26th, 37th, 10th, and 74th Corps being defeated one by one. The Ninth Military Front was hit hard, especially its elite units. The 10th Corps suffered 8,768 casualties while the 4th Corps lost 10,373 men. The 37th Corps suffered 14,015 casualties. The 74th Corps, as the main target, suffered 14,521 casualties. The 58th Division in particular lost nearly all combat troops with 6,192 casualties out of 11,907 troops. Chiang Kai-Shek criticized Xue Yue for the fall of Changsha. He stated that on September 27, the enemy captured Changsha because Xue withdrew his headquarters without authorization. It was not until the night of the 29th when Xia Chuzhong's corps crossed the river from Yuelu Mountain that they confirmed enemy occupation. Later during the third Nanyue military conference from October 16 until the 21st of October 1941, Chiang reprimanded the Ninth Military Front again. He criticized generals for defending key cities with massive fortifications while leaving central points barely defended. Chiang believed this outdated thinking allowed enemies to attack any point at will. In the third Nanyue military conference, Chiang announced that Liao Lingqi, commander of the 58th Division, would be executed for deserting. During the meeting, Xue Yue singled him out as arrogant and disobedient. Liao sought out Chiang Kai-Shek shouting Report! despite being told to leave. After the meeting, Liao was sentenced to death and executed immediately on October 22. Before his death, he wrote three final notes for his family. The men of his division were outraged by the execution. Wang Boxiong, Deng Zhuxiu, and He Lan all resigned in protest. Zhang Lingfu was promoted to divisional commander and Cai Renjie became deputy divisional commander. The 58th Division underwent a three-month-long reorganization and was excluded from participating in the Third Battle of Changsha.
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Common questions
When did the Battle of Changsha 1941 begin and end?
The Japanese army launched their all-out offensive on the 18th of September 1941, and finished its withdrawal by the 6th of October 1941. The battle concluded when the battlefield returned to pre-battle condition after the Japanese forces retreated.
Who commanded the Japanese 11th Army during the Battle of Changsha 1941?
Lieutenant General Korechika Anami took command of the 11th Army in April 1941 and directed operations throughout the campaign. He approved the operational outline on the 24th of June 1941, setting September 15 as the initial launch date for the attack.
What were the casualty figures for the Ninth Military Front in the Battle of Changsha 1941?
The Ninth Military Front suffered 70,672 killed, wounded, or missing during the battle. Specific corps losses included 10,373 men from the 4th Corps and 14,521 casualties from the 74th Corps.
Why was Liao Lingqi executed after the Battle of Changsha 1941?
Chiang Kai-Shek ordered the execution of Liao Lingqi because he deserted his post during the fall of Changsha. Chiang reprimanded him at the third Nanyue military conference held from October 16 to the 21st of October 1941, leading to his immediate death sentence on October 22.
How many Japanese divisions participated in the Battle of Changsha 1941?
The Japanese army deployed forty-one infantry battalions across four divisions and three task forces to fight the Chinese forces. These units included the 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 40th Divisions along with various task forces like the Hayabuchi and Araki task forces.