World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseConsolidated in newly conquered Wuhan, the Japanese Army decided to take on Nanchang, Jiangxi Province to the southeast which had gathered 200,000 Chinese soldiers in 39 divisions and had become a threat. At the same time, Nanchang hosted a military airfield, plus it was strategically located on an important railway that linked Zhejiang Province and Hunan Province, all making the city more appealing for the Japanese; the Chinese defenses were under the overall command of Xue Yue. The Japanese attacking force had 120,000 men organized into 3 divisions, with support from 130 tanks and tankettes; General Yasuji Okamura was in command of the offensive. The first action took place at Wucheng in Jiangxi Province, where Japanese troops were held down by Chinese positions near the Xiushui River for four days, dislodging the defenses only after what would become the largest artillery bombardment of the entire Second Sino-Japanese War (which utilized, among traditional shells, chemical weapons); after a three-day bombardment, Chinese troops withdrew from Wucheng on 26 Mar. Meanwhile, another Japanese force marching down from the north reached Nanchang's west gate on the same day, 26 Mar. The city was conquered by the end of the next day. Various Chinese positions west of Nanchang were taken in late Mar and early Apr.

ww2dbaseOn 21 Apr 1939, however, the Chinese 3rd and 9th War Areas mounted a surprise counter offensive from west and south of Nanchang, brushing aside Japanese positions and reaching Nanchang by 25 Apr. On 26 Apr, Chinese troops reached Shicha Street in southern Nanchang. The Japanese would continue to maintain use of the Xiushui River, on which additional troops and supplies would be brought in. On 27 Apr, the Japanese launched a counterattack south and southeast of the city, forcing General Duan Lang of Chinese 79th Division and General He Ping of Chinese 16th Division to fall back (Duan would soon be relieved of his duties on 1 May, while He would be told to redeem this shame). On 2 May, after a week of stalemate, the Chinese launched another assault on the city as Chiang Kaishek personally ordered the city to be taken back by 5 May. Meeting stiff Japanese resistance, the Chinese suffered very high casualties over the following few days, and the front line moved back and forth from day to day. On 9 May, the Chinese offensive was called off, ending the Battle of Nanchang. Equally exhausted, Japanese leadership in the region chose not to give chase to the withdrawing Chinese troops.

ww2dbaseAt the end of the battle, the Chinese suffered 51,328 casualties, and the Japanese 24,000. The Chinese claimed that after the battle, the Japanese inspected the captured Chinese troops and massacred all those who showed signs of being affected by chemical weapons.

Photographs

Battle of Nanchang Timeline

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