Battle of West Hunan
By April 1945, China had already been at war with Japan for more than seven years. Both nations were exhausted by years of battles, bombings and blockades. From 1941 to 1943, both sides maintained a dynamic equilibrium where field engagements were often numerous but mostly indecisive. Operation Ichi-Go in 1944 changed the status quo as Japanese forces broke through inadequate Chinese defenses. They occupied eastern Henan and a corridor in the eastern parts of Hunan through Changsha. This connected Japanese-held areas from north to south in a continuous railway corridor.
However, the Japanese victory resulted in very little actual benefit for them. The operation drained Japanese manpower and a weakened Japanese army had to defend a longer front. There was more partisan activity in occupied areas. The opening up of north, south railway connections did little to improve Japanese logistics. Only one train ran from Guangzhou to Wuhan in April 1945. Due to fuel shortages the primary mode of transportation for Japanese troops was on foot.
He Yingqin served as Commander-in-Chief for the Chinese National Military Council during this campaign. Tang Enbo led the 3rd Front Army while Li Yutang commanded the 27th Army Group. Ting Chih-pan directed the 26th Corps which included the 41st Division under Tung Gee-Tao. Chiang Hsiu-jen led the 4th Division within that same corps. Mu Ting-fang oversaw the 94th Corps containing the 5th Division under Li Tse-fen.
The New 6th Corps fell under Liao Yao-hsiang with Lung Tien-wu commanding the 14th Division. Wang Yao-wu led the 4th Front Army where Hu Lien commanded the 18th Corps. Han Chun directed the 73rd Corps and Shih Chung-cheng led the 74th Corps. Ichirō Banzai commanded the Japanese 20th Army. Takeo Ban led the 34th Division while Hiroshi Watanabe commanded the 47th Division. Mikio Tsutsumi led the 68th Division and Ginnosuke Uchida commanded the 116th Division.
For this campaign, the Imperial Japanese had three main objectives to achieve a decisive victory. The first objective was to neutralize the Chinese airfield at Zhijiang. This airfield held a complement of USAAF and ROCAF units ensuring Allied air superiority in the region. It served as a base for U.S. bombers located only from Chongqing. They aimed to physically reach the airfield or press forward close enough to force its destruction.
Their second objective was to secure control of the Hunan-Guangxi and Guangzhou-Hankou railways. A third objective was to preemptively disrupt the planned Chinese offensive in the region. If successful, this campaign would have allowed Japan to attack Sichuan and eventually the Chinese wartime capital Chongqing. The operation drained Japanese manpower yet they hoped to recover lost ground through these strategic gains.
Japanese forces took over the outskirts of Hunan with little resistance initially. However, they did not realize that the Chinese forces were well prepared for the assault. The mountainous terrain was ideal for ambushes and mortar bombardment on approaching Japanese forces in the lower grounds. Local Chinese guerrilla forces then attacked the Japanese positions directly.
The Chinese Combat Command's advisory and liaison system was immediately called into play. At a meeting on the 14th of April, Generals Ho and McClure agreed on the basic plan to counter the enemy attack. Chinese armies concentrated to the north and south to prepare to strike the enemy advance in the flanks and rear. The center around Chihchiang strengthened by moving the New 6th Army into the area.
On the 4th of February 1945, the first convoy of trucks reached Kunming from the British railhead in Ledo, India. This occurred over the newly completed Stilwell Road and the northern section of the Burma Road. Using this road link, over 50,000 tonnes of petroleum started to arrive into China every month. By April 1945, enough materiel had become available to equip 35 divisions with American equipment.
Chinese forces totaled 110,000 men in 20 divisions supported by about 400 aircraft. These included CAF 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th Air Groups and the USAAF 14th Air Force. Although their deployment from Burma diverted scarce fuel from the U.S. Fourteenth Air Force, American airmen continued to fly repeated missions against the attacking Japanese. Supplies and equipment were stockpiled near Shaoyang as headquarters for the Japanese 20th Corps.
By late April, the New 6th Army began concentrating at Chihchiang. Meanwhile, other Chinese armies moved into position with the 94th to the south and the 100th and 18th to the north. The 74th Army defending the center on a fifty-mile front put up stout resistance slowing the Japanese advance. On the 3rd of May a Chinese-American staff conference decided to counterattack a Japanese detachment near Wu-yang seventy miles southeast of Chihchiang.
The subsequent engagement by the 5th Division of the 94th Army on 5 and the 6th of May was completely successful. Over the next few days, the 5th and 121st Divisions repeatedly outflanked the Japanese and hustled them north. The Chinese 18th and 100th Armies moved into the Japanese rear. With the 94th Army threatening from the south, the Japanese were forced into a general retreat. By the 7th of June they were back at their initial starting positions.
After the battle, the Japanese first announced that they only had 11,000 casualties including 5,000 KIA. They later revised the figures to include an additional 15,000 casualties due to diseases. Finally, they admitted to a casualty figure of 27,000. On the other hand, the Chinese claimed to have inflicted on the Japanese 36,358 casualties including 12,651 KIA. The Chinese sustained 21,040 casualties with 7,817 KIA and 380 MIA.
In the report from the First Demobilization Bureau regarding the battle of West Hunan, the Japanese Army suffered about 15,000 killed and about 50,000 wounded. This figure likely included losses of the Japanese Army on other fronts. The 109th Infantry Regiment of the 116th Division was nearly wiped out. By April 25, the 1st Battalion had only 125 troops left while the 2nd Battalion had only 246 left. On the 24th of November 1945, the Nationalist Government awarded the Flying Tiger flag to the division.
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Common questions
What were the main objectives of the Battle of West Hunan for Japan?
The Imperial Japanese forces aimed to neutralize the Chinese airfield at Zhijiang, secure control of the Hunan-Guangxi and Guangzhou-Hankou railways, and preemptively disrupt the planned Chinese offensive in the region.
Who commanded the Chinese National Military Council during the Battle of West Hunan?
He Yingqin served as Commander-in-Chief for the Chinese National Military Council during this campaign while Tang Enbo led the 3rd Front Army and Li Yutang commanded the 27th Army Group.
When did the decisive counterattack occur during the Battle of West Hunan?
A Chinese-American staff conference decided to counterattack a Japanese detachment near Wu-yang on the 3rd of May 1945, leading to successful engagements by the 5th Division of the 94th Army on the 5th and the 6th of May.
How many casualties did China inflict on Japan during the Battle of West Hunan?
The Chinese claimed to have inflicted 36,358 casualties on the Japanese including 12,651 killed in action while sustaining 21,040 casualties with 7,817 killed in action themselves.
What logistical challenges did Japanese forces face during the Battle of West Hunan?
Japanese troops faced severe fuel shortages that forced them to travel primarily on foot instead of using vehicles, and only one train ran from Guangzhou to Wuhan in April 1945 despite their control of railway corridors.