Battle of Taierzhuang
By 1938, the Chinese military had suffered tremendous losses in the campaigns of Shanghai and Nanjing. Its air force and navy were virtually wiped out during those earlier defeats. Yet China's resolve to resist the Japanese invasion showed no signs of weakening. On the 30th of January, the Japanese high command decided that no new offensive operations should be conducted until August. Emperor Hirohito believed it would take at least a year to solidify positions before conducting further operations. Chiang Kai-shek refused to accept Japanese surrender terms. On the 20th of February, China withdrew its ambassador Xu Shiying from Japan. The next day, Japan followed suit by withdrawing its ambassador Kawagoe Shigeru. Earlier that year, Chiang resigned as Premier of the Executive Yuan to fully dedicate his efforts to the war. These actions indicated China was now fully committed while Japan still showed hesitation. Despite Hirohito's declaration, Japanese forces in China were eager to continue their offensive following the Fall of Nanjing. The Imperial Army pursued the retreating Chinese army northwards into Jiangsu, Shandong, and Henan provinces. Rippei Ogisu's 13th Division drove westwards from Nanjing via two columns in early February. Rensuke Isogai's 10th Division advanced southwards between Qingcheng and Jiyang to cross the Yellow River. Gaining access to railways enabled them to move westwards then southwards to clear the Jinpu railway and join forces with the 13th division at Xuzhou.
On March 19, the Japanese began their advance on the walled town of Taierzhuang. Fighting inside Taierzhuang's streets and alleys was characterized by fierce close quarters combat very similar to costly urban battles Europe would soon see. Combatants often confronted each other face to face. Out of an initial squad of 57 Chinese soldiers tasked with capturing a building, only 10 survived. One participant described the brutal conditions: "The battle continued day and night. The flames lit up the sky. Often all that separated our forces was a single wall." Soldiers beat holes in masonry to snipe at each other. They fought for days over a single building causing dozens of fatalities. Conditions were so brutal that Chinese officers implemented severe measures to maintain discipline. Junior officers were repeatedly forbidden to retreat. Li Zongren personally threatened Tang Enbo that if he did not carry out his duty, he would be treated as Han Fuju had been. In Taierzhuang's cramped conditions, Japanese advantages in artillery and air superiority were rendered useless. Whenever either was employed in the congested melee, as many Japanese were killed as Chinese. The fighting was thus fought almost entirely by infantry using rifles, pistols, hand grenades, bayonets, and knives.
On March 26, Tang Enbo's 20th Corps attacked Japanese forces in Yixian killing half of the defenders and routing the rest. Tang then turned his forces south and attacked the Japanese flank northeast of Taierzhuang. At the same time, the Chinese 55th Corps made a surprise crossing across the Grand Canal and cut the railway line near Lincheng. This severed the attackers from their rear supply lines. On April 1, the Japanese 5th Division dispatched a brigade to relieve the surrounded 10th Division. General Tang countered this move by blocking the advance and attacking from the rear forcing them south into encirclement. By April 5, Japanese units inside Taierzhuang were surrounded by seven Chinese divisions to the north and four more to the south. The Japanese divisions had run critically low on ammunition, fuel, and food water. Many troops suffered from fatigue and dehydration after over a week of intense fighting. Japanese attempts at airdropping supplies failed and most packages fell into Chinese hands. Gradually Japanese infantry were reduced to machine gun and mortar fire, then their rifles and machine guns, and finally bayonet charges. With various counter-attacks accomplishing objectives, the Japanese line collapsed on April 7.
Frank Dorn recorded that some 16,000 Japanese soldiers were killed in action on the Taierzhuang battlefield. American historian Stephen MacKinnon estimates between 15,000 and 20,000 Japanese troops died in the fighting. The Chinese claimed to have killed upwards of 24,000 Japanese troops. British historian Rana Mitter provides a lower number estimating roughly 8,000 Japanese soldiers died in the fighting. Western historians Richard B Frank and Hans Van De Ven provide similar numbers both estimating about 8,000 fallen Japanese. Peter Harmsen and Micheal Clodfelter estimate the Japanese suffered 20,000 killed and wounded including 8,000 killed in action. The Japanese also suffered significant losses in material. Frank Dorn recorded the Japanese lost 40 tanks over 70 armored cars and 100 trucks of various sizes. In addition to vehicles they lost dozens of artillery pieces and thousands of machine guns and rifles. Chinese casualties matched Japanese losses in magnitude roughly 20,000 in total according to Harmsen and MacKinnon. Frank Dorn reported that over 15,000 Chinese soldiers perished with at least that many wounded for a total of over 30,000 Chinese casualties. In General Chi Fengcheng's 31st Division alone only 2,000 survivors out of an initial strength of 9,000 were fit to assemble for roll call after the battle.
The defeat was a significant blow to the Japanese military. It was the first major Japanese defeat since the beginning of the war. Li Zongren said the victory "was the first happy occasion since the war of resistance had started." He stated Taierzhuang became "a symbol of national renaissance." General Feng Yuxiang compared the trapped Japanese in the Ta Kung Pao newspaper to "soft-shelled turtles in a closed jar." Amid celebrations in Hankou and other Chinese cities Japan initially denied its defeat and ridiculed reports of the battle for days. The battle was reported on by the New York Times. The Japanese claim in their combat reports states withdrawal was due to command and communication failures. They do not portray a decline in ammunition types amongst their troops. A Japanese historical team listed figures of some 2,130 killed and 8,580 wounded for Japanese casualties in the Taierzhuang area. The Imperial Japanese Army's 5th and 10th Divisions recorded that between February and May 1938 they lost some 2,369 killed and another 9,615 wounded though these figures include other operations.
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Common questions
When did the Battle of Taierzhuang take place?
The Battle of Taierzhuang took place from March 19 to the 7th of April 1938. Japanese forces began their advance on the walled town of Taierzhuang on March 19 and the Japanese line collapsed on April 7.
Who commanded Chinese forces during the Battle of Taierzhuang?
Li Zongren personally oversaw operations at the Battle of Taierzhuang and threatened Tang Enbo with severe consequences for failure. Tang Enbo led the 20th Corps which attacked Japanese forces in Yixian and turned south to attack the Japanese flank northeast of Taierzhuang.
How many Japanese soldiers died in the Battle of Taierzhuang?
Frank Dorn recorded that some 16,000 Japanese soldiers were killed in action on the Taierzhuang battlefield. American historian Stephen MacKinnon estimates between 15,000 and 20,000 Japanese troops died in the fighting while British historian Rana Mitter provides a lower number estimating roughly 8,000 Japanese soldiers died.
What was the outcome of the Battle of Taierzhuang for China?
The defeat was a significant blow to the Japanese military as it marked the first major Japanese defeat since the beginning of the war. Li Zongren stated the victory became a symbol of national renaissance and described it as the first happy occasion since the war of resistance had started.
Where did the fighting occur during the Battle of Taierzhuang?
Fighting inside Taierzhuang's streets and alleys characterized the battle with fierce close quarters combat similar to costly urban battles Europe would soon see. The Imperial Army pursued retreating Chinese army northwards into Jiangsu, Shandong, and Henan provinces before converging at Xuzhou.